A few of my running buddies have asked me through the years how it is possible that I always look good in the finishing pictures of my races. Even if I don’t have a good race. I don’t “always” look good in my finishing pictures, but do I have many outstanding ones.
Is this a frivolous topic? Sure, it is. But let’s be honest: Do you rather look good in your finishing pictures? Or do you not care if you look like crap?
Yep… I thought so, too.
There is an art to this, and a story behind it, too.
As I have stated in previous writings, my dad was the first person I knew to run a marathon. He ran NYC in 1982. NYC was famous for many things; one of them was that they offered for purchase an image (meaning only one) of your finish. As my dad told me about his marathon experience, I couldn’t wait to see his finishing picture, which came weeks later.
The picture was so underwhelming. Check the image below, and you will think my dad is the runner number C328. But no, he is the guy behind him, looking down at his watch. In those days, you only had one shot per race for a picture. And he screwed it up in his first marathon. Lesson learned for me, as I was certain I would someday run one myself. I wanted to make sure my finishing picture would reflect not just a finish, but that it would be epic. That it would reflect my true emotions.
These are three of my marathon finishes. Solid images to celebrate the accomplishments.
Through my years of racing I have learned how to maximize the opportunities of a good picture, which is not always guaranteed. It is an art, not a science. Sometimes, you finish so happy and exhilarated, but when you look at the race pictures, you don’t feel that they reflect what you were feeling, or you are not even in them. But in general, I have realized that if you let your emotions out and you are aware of the situation, not only will you enhance your chance of amazing images to reminisce your races, sometimes you will even make it to the local paper. Yep, it did happen.
To improve your chances of a great picture at the finish line, I follow these easy guidelines:
1 – Be aware that even in the smallest runs, most likely there is a photographer at the finish line. Big races will have multiple.
2 – Understand that photographers don’t have time to frame you up. They shoot at everything, hoping to catch that great shot. If you help them out, there is a better chance you could be that great shot. How do you help them:
Spot the photographer as you approach the finish line and position yourself in a prime spot.
Find an opening in the crowd (if there is one) so you can enhance the chances of being seen.
If you are not pushing for a PR or have already secured it, look behind and make sure no runner behind you will sprint and block you.
3 – Express your genuine emotions freely. Show your happiness, disappointment, pain, thankfulness, or whatever you are feeling openly and honestly. Don’t fake it, as it will be captured.
4 – Don’t just crash the first inch after the finishing line. Photographers shoot multiple times, and your best image may be a second or two after you are done.
As for my dad’s finishing pictures, they got better with time, but it took a few failed attempts. In the 1985 Madrid Marathon, he finished with a PR and raised his arms, but he was right behind another guy. You can only see his head and arms raised. My brother and I kept coaching him, hoping for a good one. In 1995, he ran his last marathon, and he finally got the finishing picture he deserved after a long and inspiring marathoning career. It only took 13 years and 8 marathons.
As you can see, it took many failed attempts for my dad to get a great finishing picture.
In the meantime, I learned so much about how not to do it that I’ve accumulated many awesome finishing images. Enough that my friends ask me how I do it. And if that wasn’t enough, I get to write about it.
What is your experience with race-finishing pictures? Let me know in the comment box below.
The title of this blog post doesn\’t necessarily mean running at noon in the Sahara Desert. Yet, some Texas or South Florida-based runners currently training for fall marathons may wonder if the Sahara at noon may be more accommodating than what they are experiencing as summer hits. Running in cooler and/or drier conditions would be nicer, sure, but the sooner we accept that this is what we must work with, the quicker we\’ll adapt to our reality and move forward towards our goals.
Does anything else need to be said about Summer marathon training in South Florida?
As difficult as it is to hit the road for a 2-hour run on a 90/90 morning (weather/humidity), remember that there are plenty of runners from the hottest and most humid corners of the Earth who compete, complete, set PRs, and even win the biggest fall and winter races in the world. This means the bulk of their preparation is done amid the summer heat. This proves that it can be done. It is a matter of adjusting expectations to the reality that surrounds us, accepting that no amount of pouting or protesting will produce a change.
Sweating is one of the most important physiological functions in our body yet is a rarity in nature. Besides humans, only monkeys, hippos, and horses sweat. Sweat is what cools our bodies and allows us to be active for prolonged periods of time without the dangers of overheating. The evaporating water transfers heat from our skin into the environment.
High humidity is extremely dangerous to us runners. Beyond the additional energy required to displace a heavier mass of air as we move forward, it also affects the body\’s ability to cool itself. The higher the humidity, the longer sweat stays on our skin, the harder it is for it to evaporate, and the hotter we remain. To compensate, the body sends more blood to the skin to cool us down. The more blood we need, the harder our heart needs to pump, causing our heart rate to go higher and higher. This may trigger other health issues related to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Adaptation to running in extreme heat requires preparation, the right frame of mind, and patience. Steve Magness, a former competitive runner and coach for the University of Houston, recently stated that he spent many years running 120 miles per week amidst the Houston summers. \”You DO adapt a bit,\” he says. \”But it comes from going really slow, by feel, just getting it in for a few weeks before you magically start feeling better.\”
This \”magically\” word is nothing but a synonym for \”adaptation,\” meaning that the body learns to adjust to its environment, optimizes its resources, gets stronger, and becomes able to recover better and faster, allowing you to proceed with your training. Pushing through the muggy weather with the outdated no-pain-no-gain concept will eventually backfire and sideline you, either from exhaustion, injury, burnout, or a combination of all three.
“Don’t do anything stupid in extreme heat. Just get through it.” – Steve Magness
In a recent social media post, Magness provides 5 important and simple tips to run and adapt to running in extreme heat:
1 – Hydrate. 2 – Go by feel. Forget pace. 3 – Run by time. 4 – Don\’t try to do anything hard or long. 5 – Jump in the pool or take a cold shower afterward.
Magness\’ conclusion is simple and direct: “Don\’t do anything stupid in extreme heat. Just get through it.\”
Serendipitously, as I was finishing this blog post, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, medical reporter, and writer, posted a video on CNN.com explaining the physiology and dangers of exercising in extreme heat. I highly recommend everyone reading this to invest 3 minutes of their lives in understanding this video.
Finishing strong at the Miami Marathon 2020 with a massive PR of 10:30.
As he finished the 2020 Miami Marathon with a 10+ minute PR, I have been working with Yolmer G. (43) as a trainee for a little bit over a year. When I met him running in the Pompano Beach Airport park, he was a guy who loved to run and did whatever he felt his body allowed him to. He had enough ability to run a few half marathons around 1:42 with not much problem. Not only he wanted to run a full marathon, he had already registered for Miami 2019 and was going to do it, rain-or-shine.
Given the short time before the race, I started working with him on building distance. No time for speed, he had to go with whatever he already had built. In just 10 weeks we were able to build enough for him to complete the race in 4:16:31. Not bad at all, especially with just 10 weeks of focused training, but not even close to his potential. Yolmer is still a very young runner when it comes to running age. Plenty of space for improvement.
He was lucky enough to get into the New York City Marathon for November 2019. We set up a 20-week training program with all the elements for him to get where he needed to be. His biggest challenge was not running too fast. He did the speed work, bridge work, long distance and recovery. A PR was a given, it was a matter of by how much. Unfortunately, Yolmer has severe leg cramping as he god back from the Bronx to Manhattan and his finishing time suffered considerable. Still, he finishes in 3:54:36, a 22-minute PR. An amazing performance regardless, and gutsy given the circumstances.
Then came redeeming time in Miami 2020. A plan was set to destroy the NY PR and maybe get close to a BQ. At the start of the program, he received the amazing news that he was accepted to the Berlin 2020 Marathon, so we adjusted the plan to take it easier in Miami, have a more enjoyable run in which he could build the confidence that he is able to finish strong and without cramping, so he can have self-assurance going into Berlin. Despite a bumpy last month of training, when life and work got in the way of training, Yolmer was able to set a 10:30 PR in Miami, finishing in 3:43:36 without cramping.
From Miami 2019 to Miami 2020, Yolmer improved his PR by 32:55 and he hasn’t run his fastest marathon quite yet. I have no doubt that a BQ of 3:15 is just around the corner. Maybe even closer that he or I think. Berlin 2020? I know he’ll try.
UPDATE: Yolmer ran the 305 Half Marathon in Miami Beach on March 1st, and set up another PR by finishing in 1:35:50 despite taking it easy the three weeks in between and not doing any specific training towards this race. The sky is the limit with a runner like this one.
![\"Finishing](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/1582040984649-WTKKCX24YY81A02X08EK/36+-+Yolmer+Garcia+%283+43%29.jpeg\")
