Lessons Learned from Goofy Challenge (and a Garmin 310xt giveaway!)

I know I am writing a lot about the Goofy Challenge, and I will eventually move on to other things.  It was just a pretty big and exciting weekend, so I'm trying to make sure I don't miss anything.  Today is mainly going to revolve around lessons learned, or things I'm going to try and remember for my future races.  So here it goes.

• Eat only one plate of spaghetti the night before a race, not two
• Train like you plan on racing.  I did a back to back run (Friday/Saturday) almost every week for 16 weeks because that is how race weekend was going to be.  And on race day, I went through the same warm up routine that I went through before every single training run.
• 1 Marathon Energy bar, 1 cinnamon/raisin bagel, and 1 small cup of coffee 3 hours prior to race time is enough for a marathon.
• For temps in the 50's, a t-shirt is acceptable.  For temps in the 40's, 1 short sleeve shirt and one long sleeve shirt, and ear warmers works great.
• A mylar blanket plus hand warmers will keep me warm before a race.
• My nutrition strategy worked great: 1 PowerGel every 4 miles and alternate 1 big sip of water and electrolyte drink at every aid station.
• Do not lather on the BioFreeze immediately after a marathon, especially if it's already cold out.
• The Race Retreat Tent at Disney World is worth it, regardless of what others think.
• Running 3 races in 3 days was an awesome experience, but next time I probably won't try and set any PR's.
• It's actually hard to eat a lot of food at an all-you-can-eat dinner the night following the marathon.
• I'm still not the guy who wants to wear his medal all day at the theme park (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not for me).
• The training plans in the book Run Less Run Faster work phenomenally.
• If I stick to my training plan, my results are very pleasing.
• Peeing in the woods, or on the side of the road, is acceptable during marathons.
• Learn how to run the straightest line better (according to my Garmin, I ran an extra quarter of a mile during the marathon!).

That's all I can think of for now.  If I think of any more, I'll come back to this page and update it.

Tomorrow will be my last post about the Goofy Challenge (I think!).  It's going to include some great words of encouragement that I received from someone who read my old blog on www.iamtri.com.  You're gonna love it!

Oh, and the giveaway!  This guy, Ray Maker, has one of the best triathlon blogs around.  He does very in-depth reviews of just about every piece of technology out there for the sport.  His site has become so popular that he is able to give about a very sought after piece of equipment each month.  This month, the Garmin 310xt (which is exactly what I use...it's so freakin awesome!).  Just go here to enter into the contest, and you could be the proud new owner of a Garmin 310xt!