Tag: The Color Run

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Stressing About Your Color Run?

I remember my first 5K and it was no laughing matter.  It can be a very stressful, yet proud time for a beginning runner.  BUT, I couldn’t help but get a chuckle from this post on Ben Greenfield’s website.  It’s a detailed list of what you can do to get ready for your Color Run, including number one, which is “sign up.”

In all seriousness, I have based my new diet on Ben’s nutrition planning for Ironman athletes and it’s going great, so I will probably be giving him a lot of praise soon.  But, before that glowing endorsement, a little fun with a featured article on his website.

10 Tips to Get Ready for a Color Run – Ben Greenfield

Yes, those are practical training tips, but we all know that racing is 90% half mental, so I’ve taken the liberty of creating my own list of psychological tips for the Color Run.

10 Ways to Mentally Prepare for Color Run – Mike Tarrolly

1.  Squirt your dog with a garden hose until he bites you.
2.  Change into a white t-shirt WHILE you’re drinking a glass of grape juice.
3.  Check your temperature often with a rectal thermometer
4.  Walk across gravel while reciting key passages from the Bible.
5.  Go to Walmart and ask the “greeter” a lot of performance running shoe questions.
6.  Sniff old paint cans in the garage.
7.  Eat Snow Cones like they’re going out of style.
8.  Watch re-runs of Laverne and Shirley.
9.  Lay on your back and stare into the sun.
10. Wear bandanas tighter than normal leading up to the race.

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The Fab Five Plus One

So here we were again.  Sitting around a table at Calypso Cafe talking about how awesome we are, but this time, our coach was on hand to keep us in check.

Kevin showed up with a big smile and belly full of beer.  Daniel had paint on his face and looked mildly like a warrior.  Jim sat across from me wearing shades indoors while reading the menu.  Mark was late from his rock climbing class and I sported my new mustache.  If nothing else, the Fab Five make for an interesting story.

Just to give you an idea of how these guys operate, here’s a workout summary from today:
Mark – P90x, 16 mile run, rock climbing
Jim – P90x, 16 mile run, antiquing
Daniel – P90x, 5K Color Run for the ladies
Kevin – A solid 6 hour training day that included at least two bars and 3-4 bar stool changes
Mike – Winterized the pool, ran over to neighbors

I think our new coach, Robbie, was intrigued by the challenge that sat around him plowing down Caribbean food and defending their training strategies.

“By the time training starts in January, you should be able to swim 2,000 yards,” said the coach as we all shook our heads with mouthfuls of beans.

He went on to say, “I’m big on bike training.”

“Mmmhhmm…” chomp chomp.

“Any questions?”

Kevin chimed in, “Yeah, is it possible to overtrain?”

“Absolutely, it’s better to be undertrained than overtrained.”

I stared in Mark’s direction, just to make sure he heard that.

“What???” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Coach gave us a few inside angles on how to handle Ironman Wisconsin.  He also confirmed the rumor that during the swim dead bodies have been known to float to the surface with all the commotion.  This, of course creeps everyone out, but I have something else at stake.  That dead body could be someone I know!  Maybe that long lost buddy from high school who went ice fishing only never to be seen again.  There’s nothing like bumping into an old/dead friend in Lake Monona to freak you into a record swim time.

Robbie suggested we take a road trip next summer to get familiar with the bike course, which was greeted with clinking bottles of beer.  “Here here, road trip!”  I volunteered the family cabin in Lake Geneva and flashed back to the legendary bachelor parties I have thrown in my mom’s favorite place on earth.  If we do end up getting a stripper this time, it will likely be low key and she’ll have to be done with her show by 8 so we can go to bed.

The evening ended with a promise to do our documentary interviews next weekend and a Pearl Jam “10” like raised hand pre-game explosion.  “Let’s go!”

And go we did.

Kevin and Jim went back to 3 Crow Bar.  Daniel went to scrub the paint off of his face.  I came here to write this.  Mark went to Tae Kwon Do class.