With just a day and a half until the start of RTB Massachusetts, the blog is open to last-minute logistical questions. If there’s anything you’re curious or confused about, post it here, and over the next 24 hours I’ll try to help as best I can.

In the meantime, there’s not a whole lot left to do. Later this evening I plan to churn out a few spreadsheets—a chart for tracking splits, another with estimated arrival times at each transition. A third will list cell phone numbers so one vehicle can always reach the other, no matter who is asleep or waiting in a port-o-potty line. Most of our shopping is done—just a few final items to track down—and breaking a years-long streak, I haven’t yet had a cashier ask what I could possibly be doing with three dozen bananas and 12 gallons of water.

Thanks to all of you who have read the blog over the past couple months, especially those who have contributed their own advice. This is the place where it might be typical to say “good luck” or “have fun.” But I’m not sure that luck has much to do with success in RTB—and I’m quite sure that the fun will happen no matter what. So I’ll just leave it at this: Run fast. Dig a little deeper than you ever have, find an extra reserve, especially late in your third leg, and I guarantee that finish line beer will be a lot more fun.

For the weeks leading up until RTB:MA, we’ll have teammates from our blogger team, Team “OffBalance”, posting weekly about how they’re fitting in their training — whether it be with their other workouts or just a busy schedule.

Today’s 5th post is from Sarah of SarahFit.com about eating healthy while training.

Training for a race can be time consuming and demanding. If you are not eating properly, your fitness gains may be minimal despite your best efforts. Some people set out to conquer a race with the hopes of shedding a few pounds during the training process. Myself included, when I first started training for races longer than the traditional 5K I assumed I would lose weight since theoretically I was burning more calories. However, the increased cardio was kicking my hunger levels into high gear. Assuming I could afford the extra calories, I slowly and unknowingly gained weight and my training plateaued. It wasn’t until I started working with a personal trainer and discovered how to “eat clean” that I learned how the food you put into your body dramatically effects the results your body produces.
Eating clean essentially means that the only foods going into your body are free of preservatives, chemicals, genetically modified ingredients and are close if not in their natural state. This ensures that you are consuming nutrient rich foods. The calories provide essential building blocks to improving your health and repairing the damage caused by training.

If your training runs take place in the morning, having something to eat beforehand will prevent your body from using stored energy. Using stored energy equals burning fat and sometimes muscle, which will not improve your fitness levels and will feel slow and tired. Simple carbohydrates like fruit are ideal for pre-breakfast workouts. They do not require any preparation and provide quick energy. Another favorite of mine is sprouted grain toast like Ezekial bread with a little peanut butter and half a banana. Avoid dairy as it may lead to cramps and is slower to digest.

Training for races and focused fat loss follow different morning protocols. If you want to lose weight, on days your training plan calls for 3-4 miles or less, try skipping your pre-workout meal for a large glass of water. Make sure you’re awake, out the door and back within an hour to eat your real breakfast!

After your workouts, it’s important to consume protein and carbohydrates afterwards, preferably within 20 minutes. Greek yogurt with fruit, oatmeal, egg whites, and smoothies with protein powder are quick and easy post workout breakfasts that will help maximize your efforts.

If you train at lunch, time your workout to end in time to down your mid day meal after you’re finished. Same goes for a post-work run. If you can’t eat within a hour of finishing, bring a scoop of protein powder in a to-go container and add it to your water bottle after you finish. Drink while you commute home or get ready in the locker room. My favorites are Designers Whey Vanilla, Vega Sport Vegan protein powder, Jay Robb Whey Protein and JCore PostWorkout Snack.

While carbs were given a bad name in the 90′s for people looking to lose weight, athletes need them! Even if you are training and looking to shed some weight, eating brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes at lunch and or dinner will help you power through your workouts, burning more calories and maximizing training efforts.

RTB:MA 2012 will be the second year of running this event and we can’t wait for it to start. We design our races to appeal to runners of all ages and abilities which means there’ll always be some pretty fast folks out there including a team from last year’s winners – Team RaceMenu.

We caught up with one of their runners, Jason Bui, who spoke about the experience. His words are below.

We had quite a roster last year. I think the qualification to run on last year’s team was to have a good sense of humor and a sub 1:20 half marathon time.

Our finish time was 20 hrs 2 mins and 56 secs for an average pace of 5:59 per mile. Our goal near the end was to try to break 20 hrs, but obviously, that didn’t happen. I think we passed the very first team that started the race, about 6 hrs before us, around 2AM, so we didn’t have anyone to catch for about 6 hours of the race.

Everybody on the team was a superstar. We actually came down with a couple of injuries near the end and a couple of folks stepped up and ran additional legs! One of our runners, Ruben, had won the New Bedford Half Marathon a couple of months earlier with a 1:05 half marathon time and pretty much everybody else on the team also ran New Bedford with a sub 1:20 time. Ruben then focused his attention on qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Marathon for his home country by running 2:18 in Rotterdam. I believe his plans have since changed due to some injuries, but he’s back on the scene. Ruben’s been going head-to-head with another RaceMenu team member, Nate Jenkins, at a couple of local races.

Some other notables:

- Reno Stirrat – One of a handful of people ON EARTH to break 2 hrs 45 mins in the marathon distance over 5 decades!

- Brad Mish - RaceMenu accountant who ran a 2:32 in his marathon debut! winning the Clarence De Mar marathon in 2011.

- Alain Ferry – Co-Founder of RaceMenu

A lot of the runners from last year can’t run in RTB:MA 2012 due to a USATF track meet at the same time but the sense of humor qualification still hold’s true for this year’s team, although we’ve now included a bigger part of the the RaceMenu family. I’m sure this year’s team will represent us just as well as any other team, competitive or not, could.

I’m curious to see what will be born from this year’s crop of RaceMenu runners and can’t wait to hear the stories. I’ve personally now completed 5 RTB’s in total (4 NH and 1 MA), and thoroughly enjoyed both courses. I especially enjoy chatting it up with the volunteers on the course who definitely make these races possible. It always amazes me to see your volunteers at 2AM and see that they’re just as energetic as those volunteers that I saw at 2PM!

I’ll most likely come back in the fall in order to get my yearly helping of RTB madness. Can’t live without it!

(edited for length by Martin of RTB)

For several years I worked at a running magazine, which meant occasional pilgrimages to big race expos to sell subscriptions. Every trip was highlighted by the same set of questions, no matter the city, race distance, or time of year: “What’s the weather look like?” “Have you seen a recent forecast?” “What should I wear tomorrow?” “What would you wear tomorrow?” Instead of selling magazines, we found ourselves talking people out of wearing brand-new socks or shoes to the starting line. Consumed by pre-race jitters, runners, it seems, have a lot of trouble thinking rationally.

It’s certainly tempting to over-think RTB in the same way. But a relay also provides you with the luxury to prepare for all conditions and to adjust on the fly. Early next week I’ll send my team an email covering a lot of our final planning details, as well as a packing list that will look something like this:

• If you have a reflective vest, headlamp, and/or flashing lights, pack them. If you don’t, we’ll have extras you can borrow. EVERYONE should have THEIR OWN vest for the duration of the event. Plan to wear it outside of all of your clothing all night.
• 2 x running shoes (your call if you think you’ll want racing shoes). Good to have an extra in case of rain.
• 3 x change of racing clothes (shirt, T-shirt/singlet, socks) (Some people like to have a big Zip-Loc bag for each leg’s gear, to keep it organized & dry.)
• Gloves and warm hat
• Tights
• Running pants
• Running jacket
• Fleece
• Long-sleeve microfiber shirt(s)
• Warm outer layer. It can get very cold at night, especially when you’re sweaty. I’d bring a warm coat, vest, and some nice sweatpants to wear, and plan to wear base layers under that.
• Water bottle. We’ll have big jugs of water for you refill these with.
• Also recommended: cell phone charger with car adapter; compression sleeves for lower legs; camera

This represents a delicate balance. You want to be prepared for hot and cold, sun and rain. You want to be comfortable. But you also have to be realistic. There’s no room in the back of the van for your entire set of matching luggage. I try to emphasize to the team that they should pack everything they think they might need—but to limit it to one bag. That might mean making some hard choices, but if you pack smart you should still be ready for anything.

For the weeks leading up until RTB:MA, we’ll have teammates from our blogger team, Team “OffBalance”, posting weekly about how they’re fitting in their training — whether it be with their other workouts or just a busy schedule.

Hello! My name is Monica and I blog at Run Eat Repeat. I run and eat from Southern California, but I’ll soon be headed to Boston for the Reach the Beach Relay as part of New Balance’s team “Off Balance”. I love traveling and I love running, but putting those two things together can make for a stressful trip!

I’ve done a lot of out of town races at this point and have a few tips to share if you’re headed out of town soon too.

Tips for Traveling to a Race:

1. In addition to your usual “Packing List” make a “Race List” to make sure you pack all the items you need to run. This should include everything from shoes and socks to extra safety pins in case you don’t get them at the expo.

I put my non-clothing running stuff in a big plastic baggie. It has things like my headphones and spibelt.

2. Print out your Race Confirmation before you travel. You probably won’t have access to a printer while you’re out of town and it’s helpful in case of registration mix-ups. Print it with your airline confirmations and keep them together.

3. Pack an extra plastic bag for all your sweaty post-run clothes. You don’t want drenched-in-sweat-gear to be touching valuables or clean clothes. This stuff makes everything it touches smell like a boy’s locker room. Sorry.

4. I didn’t remember to do it this time, but I often travel with dryer sheets in my shoes to help them from stinking up the rest of my stuff!

5. If you’re staying at a hotel make sure you have enough time to get back and shower before check out. I cut this way too close in Arizona!

6. Have Fun! Traveling and running are two of my favorite past-times. They should be enjoyed  Don’t let a bad race ruin a good trip!!!

Reach The Beach Massachusetts (RTB:MA) 2012 is on Friday May 18 and Saturday May 19. Teams of 6 or 12 athletes run 200 miles across the state to arrive at the beautiful Cannon Beach for food, beer, medals and a lifetime of memories. ALL running abilities are welcome and catered for. Registration is no longer open but you can sign up for our New Hampshire or New Jersey races later in the year.

Our posters for 2012 are currently getting printed so look out for them in your local running store! If you own a store, gym, yoga studio etc and would like one to display then please contact marketing@rtbrelay.com

If you’d like to download one and print it out for your office, home, dorm etc. then this link will get you a high-res JPG version in 11 x 17. Display it proudly!