Expo Highlights You Don’t Want to Miss!

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Our expo highlights showcase the booths you have to visit

The Ascension Seton Austin Marathon Expo & Packet Pick Up is just days away! The expo is a chance for participants to visit our sponsors and partners and check out what they have to offer. The 2019 Marathon Health & Fitness Expo will have more than 100 vendors selling all sorts of runners’ goodies. From on-course hydration to Official Austin Marathon Under Armour gear, below are the expo highlights you can’t miss. There are tons of prizes, giveaways, and discounts too!

The expo is open to the public on Friday, February 15th, from  1:00 p.m – 7:00 p.m and Saturday, February 16th, from 10:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m.

Get in the Groove 2020 Tour 

It is never too early to get excited about running next year! Get in the groove with us as we spread our love of Austin and running during our tour in our 1972 Winnebago, nicknamed Winnie. Come meet Winnie at the 2020 Austin Marathon booth.

Ascension Seton

Ascension Seton is part of the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and their doctors and nurses will be on course and at the finish line tent. They will also volunteer throughout the expo and be available on course. Say hi! You can stop by their booth to talk about taking care of your body as your train, get free blood pressure readings, and more.

KXAN

Not only will KXAN be showing the 2019 Austin Marathon live coverage to all locals looking to watch from home, but they will also be at the expo providing healthy living and wellness tips and information from expert medical professionals as part of their Simple Health initiative. You will have the opportunity to learn hands-on CPR training.

2020 Registration Combo Deal

Do you love to RUNAUSTIN?! Save an extra $10 off registration when you add 3M Half Marathon at time of check out. This pricing is the best that will be available for 2020, so take advantage of it. 3M Half Marathon is a stand-alone half marathon on January 19, 2020. It is known for its point-to-point course and swag bag filled with 3M products.

Official Merchandise

Visit our friends at Fleet Feet Austin and snag your Official Austin Marathon Under Armour gear before it’s gone! From shirts and jackets to pint glasses and coffee mugs, this year’s official merch is awesome and will make you smile when you remember running the Austin Marathon or Austin Half Marathon.

Jumbotron & Pacer Booth

Take a seat and watch the big screen as we go over both the marathon and half marathon courses. Have questions or a goal time you are looking to meet? Be sure and stop by the Pacer booth and talk to our amazing pacers. There are 18 different pace groups available. Pace groups run based on marathon finish times and will run the first part of the course with the half marathon.

Smile! Great Photo Opportunities

The Insta opportunities are at an all-time high at this year’s expo. There will be several fun photo opportunities set up throughout the expo including our GIF photo booth, a larger than life-size version of this year’s finisher medal, course maps, and more. Be sure to visit them all, some not to miss include:

  • Austin Marathon & Half Marathon course map
  • Carvana DeLorean
  • Hilton Hotels

Shopping & Giveaways

  • There will be tons of products to sample including Kodiak cakes, Kicking Horse Coffee, Thunderbird Real Food Bars, REBBL, Snap Nutrition, and Honey Badger.
  • SPIbelt will have a spinning wheel out sporadically during the event where people can spin to win! Stop by, say hey, learn about their new products, and spin to see what you could win.
  • nuun hydration will be sampling a ton of their flavors including Orange Mango, which will be at all aid stations on race day.
  • Kerrville Triathlon – from awesome trucker hats to free shirts, The Most Scenic Triathlon in Texas will have a prize wheel full of great giveaways.
  • fitppl – while reducing plastic and cleaning the world, these superfoods combine plant-based protein, spirulina, alkalizing grasses, and phytonutrient-packed fruits creating a wholesome, all-in-one, nutrient-dense shake.
  • Hilton will have a photo booth set up, plus opportunities to win awesome prizes including a grand prize which includes free hotel stays.

The Nutmobile

It’s ok to get a little nutty sometimes, especially when you encounter the Planter’s NUTmobile. Come talk to the Peanutters and get a sample of delicious Planter’s products.

Austin Marathon Tips for a Smooth Week

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Implement these Austin Marathon tips for a smooth race week

The 28th annual Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour is less than two weeks away. Can you feel the excitement? There’s no better time like the present to take a look at some race week tips. These Austin Marathon tips range from week-of tips to what we strongly encourage you do once you cross the finish line. Whether this is your first Austin Marathon or half marathon or your 10th, these tips will set you up for success! 

Attend the Under Armour HOVR Shakeout Run

  • This is one Shakeout Run you don’t want to miss! Kick off Austin Marathon weekend with hundreds of your running friends, UA HOVR shoe demos, a jog around Town Lake, tacos, and coffee. All distances and paces are welcome.

The expo’s first hour is always the busiest

  • It’s no secret, the first hour of expos is always the busiest. There’s an energy because of race weekend, the opening of the expo, and the industry’s top vendors gathered all in one place. Add the buzz from amped participants wanting their Under Armour shirt and you have a recipe for a busy first hour! 
  • Participants must pick up their own packet at the expo. Don’t forget your photo ID and confirmation number!

Stay near the start line

  • Get a good night’s sleep before race day and wake up feeling refreshed! Book your Hilton hotel today and take advantage of their great rates and hospitality. Pro tip: stay downtown and you’ll be within walking distance of the start (2nd St. and Congress Ave.) and finish lines (9th St. and Congress Ave.)! Just think, you won’t have to worry about parking race morning!
  • Want something specific when you finish your race? Don’t forget to drop off your gear bag. It’ll be waiting for you when you’re done, for FREE!

Run with the pacers

  • The excitement at the start of the Austin Marathon is undeniable. Don’t get caught up and go out too fast! Running with the Austin Marathon pacers is an excellent way to reign in your desire to lay down the hammer.

Celebrate with friends and family

  • When you’re done and you’ve crossed your finish line it’s time to celebrate! Show off your race bling, talk about your PR, let others know your goals and how you crushed them. Make sure you visit the Under Armour recovery zone to work out any kinks. If you pre-purchased a massage from Austin Massage Company (you should do this!), don’t forget to check in with them. And last but not least, don’t skip the Oskar Blues beer garden! There will also be live music and food trucks to keep the party going. Remember, this is your time to celebrate!

Customize race day

  • Let the professionals from FinisherPix capture your race day memories. Take advantage of the pre-race prices and order your photos today. Once the race begins prices go up!
  • Show off your accomplishments! Customize your commemorative 28th annual belt buckle finisher medal. Purchase your personalized nameplate by logging in and selecting ‘Shop’ next to your registration.
  • Wear your accomplishment! That’s right, purchase a limited-edition Austin Marathon belt to pair with your belt buckle. Only 200 are being made!

7 Taper Tips to Follow Leading Up to Austin Marathon

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Implement these 7 taper tips leading up to race day

The Taper. For those unfamiliar, tapering is referring to the reduced volume and intensity of workouts in the weeks leading up to race day. While some runners find it hard to scale back after so much time dedicated to training, others find themselves glued to their favorite couch. Doing too little or too much during this time period can compromise all your hard work. Stick to your training plan and focus on what’s in your control. Make sure you are at the top of your game by following these 7 taper tips between now and race day.

Reduce work stress

While it might be out of our hands, setting yourself up with an easy week or two of work can have a big impact on your energy going into race day. If there is a project that needs to be completed, put in the extra effort now to finish it or see if it can be completed after race day. Try building this into your schedule: find a quiet place to meditate for 10-15 minutes in the morning or evening.

No new workouts

We’re clearly stating the obvious, but now is not the best time to roll your ankle playing basketball or pull a muscle lifting heavy weights. Stick to what you know and focus on less-intense and lower-volume workouts. Keep your runs to less than 60 minutes, but leave room for flexibility based on what your body says. It’s fine to do some easy cross-training on non-running days, as long as the activity doesn’t make your muscles sore or increase the potential for injury. If you don’t want to exercise on days you don’t run, that’s okay, too.

  • Example of a one-week-out marathon workout: 15-min warm-up jog / no more than 4-5 miles at half-marathon goal pace / 15-min cool-down jog
  • Example of a one-week-out half marathon workout: 10-min warm-up jog / no more than 2-3 miles at half-marathon goal pace / 10-min cool-down jog

Read a book or binge a show

Has running taken time away from your favorite book or that newly-released TV show on Netflix? Now that you’re logging fewer miles it’s time to play catch-up! If you plan to cross-train it won’t hurt to go for an easy ride on a stationary bike. Read while you pedal. Catch a couple of episodes of that new show. The distraction from that book or the show will also help distract you from taper madness and the fact that you’re running less.

Foam roll

Increase your foam rolling! Make sure your body is in tip-top shape for race day. Work out all those kinks. Keep your muscles feeling good. If you need to, see a massage therapist. As long as you have access to some products, foam rolling can be done practically anywhere. The benefits are immediate. Have some extra time in the morning before leaving for work? Foam roll. Free time at lunch? Foam roll. Catching up on that TV show? Foam roll. You get the idea!

Sleep

This may be the best thing you can do for yourself at this time. Experts recommend sleeping eight to nine hours per night. To start, choose a consistent time that you are in bed, this may or may not include actual sleep. This will signal to your body that rest is important and hopefully lead to more shut-eye. Instead of focusing on trying to get a good night sleep the night before, try for two nights before. Pre-race jitters can sometimes leave us with the “I am not even sure if I slept at all” feeling the night before. Don’t let this bother you. One poor night’s sleep shouldn’t affect your performance if you have tapered well in other aspects.

Nutrition/Hydration

Skip the pizza and beer for now. Focus on a diet that balances moderate carbohydrates from whole food sources, quality protein, and healthy fat. You may also want to keep a close eye on your calorie intake. While you are used to high-intensity training and the extra food that comes with it, you still have to watch what you eat. The pounds you knocked off can sneak back on in these last weeks, which is less than optimal for race day.

Avoid eating that can affect your sleep quality. This includes eating large meals within 90 minutes of going to bed, spicy foods, or large amounts of protein.

Now is also a good time to make sure you are well-hydrated. It is recommended to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. You can also add electrolytes from nuun, to get your body ready for race day hydration. Hydrate with what will be on course, Mango Orange nuun performance. You can also try the on-course fuel with Gatorade Endurance gels.

Race Morning

By starting now, you are setting yourself up to be ready race morning. The last advice we have is to arrive at least 90 minutes before the start. Walk or jog around as a light warmup. Then follow the Camp Gladiator trainers as they lead a pre-race warm-up at 6:45 a.m. at the start line.

Universal Advice from an Elite

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Rizzo’s universal advice can be used by every runner

Patrick Rizzo is one of the most decorated and versatile distance runners in the United States. In December 2017, he ran 2:17:27 at the U.S. Marathon Championship in Sacramento, California. This made him a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon; a remarkable and almost unprecedented achievement which solidifies his running legacy. To honor this accomplishment, Colorado Running Magazine named Rizzo its runner of the month. Rizzo is competing in the Austin Marathon’s Elite Athlete Program on race day. He’s sharing some tips that have led to his success. His universal advice can be applied to all runners!

An Athlete’s Perspective – Issue 15

by: Patrick Rizzo

Race day for the Austin Marathon (Feb. 17th) is rapidly approaching. We’re in the final month of training now. This is where the fatigue sometimes gets the best of us. The mileage starts to think it’s winning. Nerves start to sneak into our thoughts. Taper madness is trying to set in. All of those things are normal though. It means you’ve been working toward a goal and you care enough to push yourself in order to achieve it.

Congratulations on getting this far! This is the metaphorical peak of the hill and now it’s time to come downhill. With that said, mistakes can still be made. Having covered the marathon distance 20 times myself, I’d like to share some universal advice. This universal advice is applicable to runners of all speeds and experience levels. Implement this universal advice to run your best and have a positive experience at the 2019 Austin Marathon.

One

Decide what you’re eating the night before the race and practice eating that same food before quality days. When a friend asks what you thought of the course, it’s better not to answer in terms of how frequent the port-o-potties were spaced on the course. Especially if it’s within your control to practice.

Two

Sticking with the specifics, have you tried nuun hydration? nuun performance will be the on-course hydration. Same with Gatorade gels and blocks. There will be two stations on the marathon course handing out nutrition. If it doesn’t suit your preference, plan ahead! Experiment with what DOES work and how you can carry that on race day. Gels pinned to the inside of shorts is a great way to carry your calories.

Three

What kind of shape are your shoes in? Will they make it to race day or are you 50/50? Now is the time to plan ahead. Nothing is worse than befriending the medical staff because your forefoot grafted to the insoles of your new shoes (yes, that happened to me at the London Marathon in 2013).

Four

Know your pace and stick to it. You shouldn’t be training more than five seconds faster than race pace and that’s even limited. If your regular runs are faster than goal marathon/half pace, either your goal is too slow or your training is too fast. Also, on race day, it’s easy for emotions to start out high (and take your pacing plan right with it). Prepare ahead of time to start at a pace that you plan to still find achievable in the last 5K.

Five

HAVE FUN! Really. If training has become “work” then you’re doing it wrong! I train 100 miles a week, with a wife, a kid, and a full-time job. It’s still something I “get to do” and not “have to do.” Dads and moms, you can’t be afraid to get that running stroller out for the easy days and chat with the little one while you’re out there. My son and I have solved the world’s problems while we run together. It also gives me time to bond with him and gives my wife a break to do her workout. Fun comes from having balance and perspective.

An Athlete’s Perspective is a blog series of event and/or training experiences written firsthand by the athletes themselves. An Athlete’s Perspective is a completely unscripted and raw look into the mind and daily life of an athlete as they prepare for their next race. Readers will discover training regimens, eating tips, gear recommendations, and an uncut perspective into the lives of people like you and me.