I very much prefer the front pocket vest to the backpack reservoir when running, it sloshes around a lot less. I also put about 1/8 tsp salt in each of the 500ml flasks for a little bit of electrolytes to prevent cramping on long runs.

“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” -RuPaul

Maybe not so far as you think. Keep increasing the time you are running little by little, and before long you’ll be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping.

Drag queens have the best names. My favorite from this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is Amanda Tori Meating.

Any talent Twitter once had jumped ship a long time ago

At least 9 people have read it and upvoted. Nice job on running a marathon!

Calf stretches helped me a lot. Not just before a run but anytime throughout the day- put a daily reminder to stretch on your phone.

I also have a high HR when running, so I do HR training in the off-season on a stationary bike. It’s much easier to control your HR and keep it low.

I have some wool performance shirts (minus 33 woolverino) and I want to make the switch for environmental reasons, but they don’t seem to last as long as my polyester (some of which I’ve had for many years and still wear regularly).

I thought US Gov had their own email systems. When did they start moving officials’ mailboxes to Microsoft?

When I started training longer than 10K, I was seeing signs of shin splints- tender shin bones and tight calves. I started running with calf sleeves and it made a lot of difference both in reducing the pain and helping me recover faster. I also started doing calf and ankle stretches (downward dog is the best for this!) and just in general I’ve adapted better to running over the last few years, so now I don’t use the calf sleeves even though I’m running marathon distances.

Not medical advice, but maybe see about deferring your registration to next year (or depending on the race organizer, maybe even another race this year). I know it sucks but take care of yourself first.