Jackie’s Racing and Training Kit.

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Garmin Watch (645 Music):

First, I hate to be late; I’ve always been a planned and quite punctual individual so there is that- lol. However, making sure I wear my watch and choose the correct activity- strength, run, rower, elliptical, swim whatever- is essential to my training plan. I use Final Surge to connect with my Garmin watch so my coach and I can communicate on what I am doing and how my body is reacting. For instance, we can go back and see exactly what I did in a previous build up that did or did not work and adjust or dial in for the next cycle. It’s fun to see the calendar full of color too: this means I am doing good at diversifying my training with more than just running. After 30 plus years of competitive running and pushing my body- married with too much time on my feet and disaster- I get loads of stress response. The watch helps us to at least try and play “God” to avoid this overreach- sometimes we win and sometimes we don’t- so many variables come into play and you do the best you can to push just enough to get that positive response.

Nose Strips

I love these- literally opens my nasal passages allowing for more air sucking into my hard working muscles! I wear them for hard tempos and races. Most of the time the strip ends up flipping up and poking me in the eyeball mid run - but im used to that adversity now and just rip it off at that point - ha.

Nike Next Percents

Superwoman shoes. I still have yet to race a marathon in these! I do my workouts and race with these guys for a boost!

GoodR Sunglasses or a Hat

When I run hard, I am very focused. Sometimes I have to go to a place where any amount of distraction will irritate me since I am working hard and in a flow that I know if disrupted can throw off the rest of my race.

I like to be able to “hide” for a bit while I go to a place that allows flow: hat down, glasses covering eyes. So, I like a hat if it's sunny or glasses even if it's not sunny (people have laughed on startlines with overcast and me with glasses on head). I know this sounds anti-social, but trust me - that goes backwards and a smile pairs with he sunglasses as the race progresses and I start feeling the dopamine hits and the superwoman feelings that come with working through hard patches without falling apart!!

Gu Roctane W/Caffeine

I like to wait for my caffeine until I need a brain boost later in the race- so I use Gu Roctane with caffeine to give me a mental boost along with nutrition at a point in the race where I mentally get fatigued. For the early miles, I focus on lots of water and every 5 or so miles for a marathon I drink 400 plus calories if I am going as fast as I can for that distance. If I am not “racing” I don’t need nearly as much. I think my body is very efficient at this point at using fat for fuel due to the aerobic engine I have built from years and years of running. If I am lucky, I prefer to check my nutrition and fluids when I’m racing in a larger race that accepts elite fluids, but if not, I rely on water and Gu only (yuck gatorade on princess belly)because it's convenient and I kn0w how my body will respond. Also note, late in a race, if my belly feels yuck and I am really pushing it - I “sip” on a Gu. This way, my brain and body get a little spike to keep me going without making me feel overwhelmed with that yucki gu belly feeling. Another strategy is to take a gatorade cup from the race and swish it in your mouth and spit it out. The point is not the nutrition but to trick the brain into thinking it's getting what it wants while compromising with the digestive system - lol who knew the body is a bunch of siblings - lol

Throw Away Shirt

After getting stuck in cold temps in a corral for over an hour pre marathon - shivering - I NEVER forget a throwaway shirt to wear up to the time of the start. I seriously will never forget the 2 hour shiver fest pre marathon a few years ago, I felt like my body already ran the race before it even started from all the energy and stress of waiting in the cold.

Everyday Training Bag

Glucose Tablets

I have these in case my blood sugar plummets - this doesn't happen often, but when it does, if I can pop a few of these when I start to get “that feeling” of low blood sugar, then I can avoid hours of lethargy from stressing my body. Get them at Walgreens for 5 bucks!

AirPods

My coach abhors this- but if I am not racing- or just using the race as a practice session- I do like to use music to perk me up but not until I really need it - think mile 20 plus! Obviously when I have a group to run with, I don’t need them, but when you are on your own pushing for that long - Beyonce’s voice can be quite soothing and give me a perk up! During training, I make playlists for certain tempo runs or workouts to get me excited and motivated- again, I am solo on these hard runs! If you have a group who is willing to workout with you- feel so grateful - it's a gift I wish I had!

Protein Shake or Bar

After a hard run or a race- I get in protein and carbs even if it's just a bit until I can get a good meal to encourage recovery through fiber repair and glycogen refueling for future training. The simplest for me is zip locks with a protein bar and a natures valley granola bar- I eat half before with a cup of coffee and the rest after with my recovery water. This gives me both protein and carbs and thus is metabolized just how I want!

Change of Clothes

I hate sitting in a sweaty sports bra and compressions! A quick change until I can get to a shower is a must. If I can get to a shower to rinse immediately after, I prefer this- there is no better feeling than walking out that gym or race cooked and showered - ready to tackle the day!

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