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 [email protected]

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!

With just a couple weeks to go before the race, it’s time to start thinking about fuel. More specifically, the food and drink that will get you and your team through the weekend. I’ll share my thoughts below, but I’m also hoping that anyone reading here will contribute their own ideas. What’s been popular with your teams in the past? What’s been a bust? What’s the weirdest food request you’ve received from a team member?

We like to pack the staples that will get us through the weekend even if we never stop at a restaurant or convenience store. This means there’s always a lot left, but it also means we don’t have to worry about tracking down food if we don’t have time. That means a lot of carbs and a lot of fluids:

• Lots of bananas. Lots.
• Other fresh fruits (grapes, apples, oranges)
• Sandwich fixings (PB&J and cold cuts)
• Pretzels
• Cookies
• Energy bars and gels
• Mini candy bars
• Coke & Mountain Dew
• Gatorade
• Lots of water (even though there are chances on the course to restock, we still like to pack at least a gallon per person, and there’s rarely much leftover).

Every year there seems to be something we don’t have enough of and other things we have too much of. I’ve given up trying to predict the ebbs and flows of my teammates’ tastes, but it’s always good to canvas the team around now to find out what special items you might need to pick up. The most recent popular item is officially the weirdest: For two races in a row, we haven’t been able to have enough pickles in the van. Must be the salt, I guess. We’ll see if that fad continues this year.

What will you be shopping for over the next couple weeks?

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.

In New York, the city that never sleeps, it’s not uncommon to feel like you’re being pulled in 15 different directions at once—which can make it difficult to fit a workout in. Below are tips from Theodora from Losing Weight in the City; Ashley from A Healthy, Happier Bear; and Melissa from Fitness NYC on how to fit in workouts and navigate running on busy city streets.

-

Ashley is a road warrior who frequently travels for work but never lets her travel schedule interfere with her workouts. Here’s how she does it:

Remember how it makes you feel: Before passing on a workout in lieu of sleep or even more time at the office, remember how you feel when you finish a 1/2 mile swim, a yoga class, or your favorite workout. That euphoric state when all is right in the world, your mind is clear and there is a smile on your face will make the rest of your day that much more productive.

Say it out loud: When I’m traveling, I let my companions know that I’ll be logging workouts while we’re on the road. This helps keep me accountable while sometimes gaining a workout partner at the same time. This fall, right before the New York City marathon, I was in Salt Lake City, Utah and really felt the need to squeeze in a run. Unfortunately the only time was from 5-6:30am. My co-worker Astrid gladly donned her winter running gear for a quality run through Salt Lake City’s beautiful, serene streets before the sun rose. This helped keep me safe and on track with my training.

Make it count: If you’re short on time, make sure you make every minute of the workout count. Put down that magazine or cell phone while you are on the treadmill and focus on engaging your core and perfecting your form.

Short and sweet: Every workout doesn’t have to be an hour. I’ve had some of my best and sweatiest workouts doing intervals on the treadmill that only take 30 minutes in total.

Take advantage of your commute: If you live within walking or running distance from your work, first thank your lucky stars. Next, lace up those New Balance shoes and run or walk home next time. I love running home from the office after a long day at work. It can help relieve the day’s stress and the sunsets are gorgeous.

Be prepared: Just like a good Boy Scout, every active person should always be prepared for the next workout opportunity. I keep a pair of running shoes, socks, sports bra, shirt, and shorts in my bottom drawer at work. This way if a meeting gets out early or I choose to eat lunch at my desk in favor of a quick gym workout, I never have an excuse!

-

Some say living in the city is like running a marathon—so imagine running in the city! Melissa and Theodora share their tips for navigating city streets to get their runs in.

There are two approaches to running in a city with lots of traffic, people, traffic lights and crazy cab drivers…you can avoid it or embrace the madness. (Or do a combination of both!)

For a good tempo or long run: Plan routes that are pedestrian-friendly. A few favorites include: Central Park, the West Side Highway, the East River Path and Riverside Park, all places offering long, uninterrupted stretches of pavement perfect for getting in some serious mileage—and scenic, to boot!

To just go: There are also times when I want to walk out the door and start running immediately and see and feel the city around me. This takes some patience because you are bound to get stopped at a light or two (or ten) when you run right through the heart of the city, but as long as I am prepared for it, I usually don’t mind too much. Rather than fight it, I jog at the stop light, follow the walk signs—even if it changes my route—or sprint to miss the light change! (Not totally safe, but we all do it sometimes.)

Run with a destination in mind: Generally, when I run through the city, I have a destination in mind, such as the Brooklyn Bridge or the Battery Park Esplanade. Since these are some of my favorite runs, I am willing to put up with a few stop lights now and again.

Run early: When it comes to running in the city, the earlier the better if you want to avoid traffic. There are very few cars and people out before 7:30AM on weekdays or even 9 on weekends. While the Brooklyn Bridge is thick with tourists and bikers covering every inch of the bridge around 11AM, at 8AM on a weekend, it’s completely empty! Apparently, the city that never sleeps likes to sleep in. On early mornings, I make sure it’s light enough for me to see what’s lurking in corners, and I leave the iPod at home. With a few safety precautions in place, I love the feeling of running in a city that I have all to myself.-Melissa

Go Half and Half: There’s sometimes when I just feel like running outside, but I feel like it’s getting too dark out, and I don’t want to run all the way east or west to get to a path. I hate the treadmill with the passion of a thousand suns, but I can run to a location of my gym for a warmup, bust out a few tempo miles on the treadmill, and run back home.

Avoid High-Traffic Areas (Or Use Them As Speedwork): I’ll never forget the time Ashley and I ran through Chinatown, and I wiped out colossally. Laying on the ground, I felt like I was going to get run over, and I learned my lesson—stay out of high-traffic areas, or make dodging tourists a game.

Will Run for Brunch: Sometimes, if I don’t allow myself enough time for a run on a Saturday morning, my run might end up cutting into brunch plans. Luckily, I don’t sweat a ton, so if I’m going someplace casual for brunch, I’ll end my run at brunch with friends. -Theodora

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. Registration is still open and it’s definitely not too late to get a team together and join us. ALL running abilities are welcome and catered for. Details here – http://ma.rtbrelay.com/

The next few weeks are far from glorious for team captains. Gone (hopefully) are the days of talking your friends into joining your teams, but we’re not yet to the giddy final pre-race days. I wish I could put a rosier spin on this, but over the next couple of weeks you need to focus on simply getting your act together.

1. Do you have vehicles lined up? If not, good luck finding a 15-passenger van in the Boston area.
2. Do you have travel plans lined up for your team? Make sure everyone everyone knows when they need to be where. And while you’re at it, make sure they’ve all registered for your team—the folks at RTB headquarters can’t figure out your starting time without that information.
3. Do you have your finances lined up? I find it much easier to collect money from the team before the race than after, even though it means estimating what each person’s share will be.
4. Start drafting a covering-all-the-bases email for the team. It’s good to keep everyone in the loop all along, but sometime soon you’ll want to get all the important details into one big email so everyone’s on the same page. What will you be packing? What are they responsible for?
5. Set your lineup. I discussed this in depth last week. Technically, you don’t need to finalize your lineup until race day, however I think everyone is eager to know what legs they’ll be running. Some people like to study up on the nooks and crannies of their legs, others want to figure out what time of day they’ll be racing. Whatever a person’s quirks, the sooner they know what they’re responsible for, the better.
6. Get your team out on the roads. Specifically, into a road race. Getting in a few hard efforts before RTB is critical to being able to push the pace when you’re out there on the roads alone. (Now that I think about it, this really shouldn’t be buried down at #6. It’s pretty important.)
7. Start packing. There are a lot of little things you need to pull together for race weekend. Lights, reflective vests, Advil, TP, maps, first aid kits, and the list goes on. Assume the final week before the race will be chaotic, and try to get everything ready before then. Start a checklist. Start filling boxes with gear. Assemble binders with copies of the race manual and maps. Begin shopping for non-perishable items. Each thing you take care of now is something you can’t forget later.
8. Get your team to read the race manual. As I wrote in my post about safety, you want everyone to be vigilant during the race. Once you’re in the van is not the best time to get people to review the rules.

Before we know it, we’ll be in the midst of race week. The fewer things we have to worry about then, the less anxious we’ll be heading into the race.