Star Wars Half Marathon - The Light Side 2017 - Race Recap

As I mentioned in my last post, I completed the Star Wars Half Marathon - The Light Side at the Disneyland Resort in California on Sunday, January 15, 2017. This was my sixth half marathon, and I was 26 weeks pregnant with my chicken nugget twins on that date.

Running with Westin's Gear Lending Program and RunBoston

This marks the final post recapping my trip to Boston earlier this month. I did not get much exercise in during the conference because the conference organizers were a bit disorganized and did not tell us that we had access to a gym until after we had already arrived.

Since I only packed a carry-on bag for my trip, I did not have room to pack my running shoes. But I knew that I would be able to get some workouts in after I switched to the Westin Copley Place because of their partnership with New Balance. Westin and New Balance recently created a Gear Lending Program, where for a fee of $5 you can borrow a pair of running shoes during your stay. Along with shoes, you can also borrow shorts, tops, sports bras and socks.

After I checked into my room, I called the Service line and requested my shoes. I also asked for a top and shorts. After a short wait, this drawstring bag was delivered to my room. You need to be there to sign for the items.

Rave Run: Redondo Beach

Last week, I was in LA for the weekend and had an 8 mile training run on the docket. Since it has been too hot for me to run outside in Albuquerque, I decided to hit the pavement while I was in sunny Southern California.

I ran from where I was staying in Torrance down to Redondo Beach.

Look at all of the palm trees!

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: For the Runner

People always say that running is a good activity to get into because all you need is a pair of running shoes. Wrong! I have drawers full of running gear to prove this point wrong. Here are a few suggestions for presents to give to the runner in your life this year!

1. Headlamp
With the daylight hours getting shorter and shorter each week, running either in the early morning or evening when it is already dark outside is the only option for many of us during the winter season. Make sure your runner can be seen by purchasing them a headlamp.

Petzl Tikkina Headlamp, from $16.98, available on Amazon.com

2. Running Socks
When I first started out with running, I had no idea there were so many options for socks. I found Balega Hidden Comfort Running Socks to be a must-wear on runs 10 miles and over and a definite must on race days. The seamless toes make all the difference in the world!

Balega Hidden Comfort Running Socks, from $11.99, available on RoadRunnerSports.com

3. Yurbuds
I had major issues with my earbuds falling out while running when I used my everyday earbuds. Then I discovered Yurbuds, which has a line of sport earphones designed especially for women. We do have smaller ears afterall. They also feature "TwistLock" technology that prevents the earbuds from falling out. Voila, problem solved!

Yurbuds Inspire 300 Earbuds, $39.95, available on REI.com

4. Massage
Right before I run a race, I think that I'm going to need a massage. Right after I run a race, I want a massage. After weeks of training and then finally completing a race, nothing makes your muscles feel better than a long, relaxing massage. I myself prefer Swedish massages, but some runners swear by sports massages. Either way, I am sure your runner will appreciate a gift certificate for a massage of their choosing.

5. Race Entry Fee
Being an active racer can put a serious dent in your wallet. runDisney races, in particular, are out-of-control expensive. Why not gift your runner an entry fee to one of your local races or if you can swing it, entry to an iconic race.

Carson's Crusaders Foundation Trek or Treat 5K 2014 - Race Recap

I have now officially run in seven states! Last week, I was in DC for work for a couple of days and then visited my sister in Dallas for the weekend (more on that later).

My sister, brother-in-law and I are all in the midst of Wine & Dine training, so we decided at the last minute to do a run together while I was I town. We chose the Carson's Crusaders Foundation Trek or Treat 5K, which was held at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm in Allen, Texas. Despite what its name might suggest, Watters Creek is actually an outdoor shopping mall. That's one setting I have definitely not run in before!

As races go, this one had a fairly late start time at 8:30 am, which meant the sun was up. 

Obligatory pre-race photo

The start and finish lines were both in the middle of the shopping mall. Too bad none of the shops were open yet though! The race started right on time and we were off.

The first part of the race made a loop around the shopping mall. 

I was surprised that behind the mall were beautiful tree lined paths. Most of the distance wound up being in this setting. The course was pretty much an out and back which meant we had to share the paths with runners coming back in the other direction. At times, this made the course very narrow and confusing.

The trail led to a gorgeous lake that we did a loop around. As you can see, the weather was just perfect for a 5K. It was sunny, slight breeze and no humidity. 

I have not run a timed 5K in quite some time, so before I knew it, I had reached the finish line! 

I grabbed a banana and some water and joined up with my brother-in-law who was right behind me. I rarely, if ever, drink milk, but there is just something about chocolate milk after a race that I love! Sister came through a short time later. 

Besides wanting to run with my sissy, I also really wanted to find out if I have really become super slow or if it is the altitude in Albuquerque that is doing me in. 

Turns out, I was able to PR in this race, so it is not me. Hooray! What a difference 5,000 feet makes!

I have been running about 12-13 minute miles in New Mexico, but check out my split times on this day:

Mile 1: 10:03

Mile 2: 10:45

Mile 3: 10:16

Official finish time: 32:19

I also placed 99th overall. Not a great feat but I love the number. It was a fun race and I am happy that I not only get to cross another state off the list but that I PR-ed! Thank you, Texas!

Posted with Blogsy

Rebel Donut Dash 5K (Race Recap)

Over the long Labor Day weekend, I ran my first race in New Mexico! It also happened to be my first obstacle race and my first race since surgery. Raisin Bread and I signed up for the Rebel Donut Dash 5K. Although there was not much information available when we registered, it looked like it would involve running, obstacles and donuts. Not a combination that had crossed our paths previously, but why not?

We arrived at Balloon Fiesta Park around 7:35 am on race day for our 8:00 and 8:15 am start times. We picked up our race shirts and heard an announcement that we would not be starting until 8:30 am. Um...great.

There wasn't much to do but sit around and wait.

Rebel Donut van

So we took selfies and sat in our car to pass the time.

We finally started by around 8:35 am and just ran together since the event was starting so behind schedule.

The course was set up so that we completed most of our mileage first and then did the obstacles. We ran about 1.5 miles out and back and then wound up in the field where all of the obstacles were set up.

At the water stations, water and donuts were available!

Cinnamon sugar donuts at a water stop

The half dozen or so obstacles were all pretty simple and easy to complete, which I liked. They were also optional, so if you wanted to skip something, it was up to you. I don't think I could hack a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder type obstacle run, but this was just the right difficulty level for my clumsy and easily bruised self!

There was a tire...I mean donut run.

A wall climb

I wasn't quite sure what we were supposed to do at this obstacle besides maybe crawl through the tire, but it seemed like a good photo op!

Some strips of bacon we needed to jump over

A teeter totter

A balance beam

The last obstacle was a run through foam, which I skipped.

We crossed the finish line at 39:16! Not bad for taking our time through the course and not having run very much at our new high altitude location!

After crossing the finish line, we each got a donut! Yum! I only got through half of it before I went into sugar overload.
 

Overall, I thought the event was a lot of fun, especially as I start back up on my running and half marathon training. I was also impressed that the race was chip timed. All of the fun runs I have done in the past were not timed at all, and some other races were only clock timed. There were some issues with the organization of the event, such as the late start and not communicating event details until the last minute. It was still a fun start to our long weekend though.

We also went home with donut-themed t-shirts, koozies and keychains.

For the Love of the Kids Holiday Hustle Series 2013 (Race Recap)

UPDATE (May 5, 2014): I received my three remaining medals in the mail today. Last week, I received an email from the Hole In the Wall Gang Camp, notifying us that they would be taking over the fulfillment of the medals and run shirts from the original organizer, who is still coping with family health issues. Additionally, they would be taking over the coordination of any future virtual race events. I'm not going to go into a commentary about this whole situation. I am just happy to have received what I worked and paid for.

Last May I signed up for a series of virtual races for a number of reasons: 1) I wanted to keep my training up during the DC winter, 2) I was slightly obsessed with race medals last year, and 3) I wanted to see what virtual racing was like.

I picked the For the Love of the Kids virtual races because their bling is ridiculously adorable. In addition, the money from the virtual races are donated to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a nonprofit center serving children and families coping with serious illnesses.

The Holiday Hustle series consists of three events: the All Hallows' Eve Romp, Gobbler Gallop and the New Years' Resolution Run. Each event has a 5K, half marathon or double down option. I registered for the double downs! The runs must be completed on certain dates and time submissions must be made by a certain deadline.

You might be wondering why I have waited so long to write this, and you will be able to find the answer later on in this post.

A few days before each race, I received a package in the mail with a race shirt in tech fabric and race bib. The shirts were cute, but alas, did not fit me.

I did both runs on the treadmill with times of 35:17 for the 5K and 3:02:49 for the half marathon. I was amazed to find that I could complete a half marathon on the treadmill without losing my mind. I have Law and Order re-runs to thank for that! 

A few weeks after submitting my times, I got these adorable medals in the mail. They are so cute!

Next up was the Gobble Gallup. I did the half marathon first with a time of 2:47:34 and the 5K while we were in Savannah, with a time of 31:21. 

 

Two more awesome medals to add to my collection!




Finally, I reached the end of the Holiday Hustle Series with the New Years Resolution Run. I made times of 32:42 for the 5K and 2:49:00 for the half marathon. 

Unfortunately, I never received my medals for these two races. They look amazing though, don't they?

                 

I also never received my medal for completing the Holiday Hustle Series. I'm not the only one this happened to.

At the beginning of March, I received the following email:

Dear Runners,

I hope this message finds you well and making it out there to train despite the cold. I am pleased to share that 2013 was a banner year for our virtual run program, "For the Love of the Kids". Together we raised more than $13,200 for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp - the designated beneficiary of our runs.

I wish to extend my sincere apologies for being out of touch over the last several months. My family has been coping with  health issues, but I'm happy to report that everyone is now on the mend.

Word reached me that certain participants have yet to receive their medals. There were a number of complications with mailing certain items via USPS that I should have communicated more clearly to the group. If you have not yet received your finish medal please email me and I will resend. Everyone did such an inspiring job with their virtual runs and I'm truly saddened that some of our devoted runners did not receive their medals.

I am also saddened if these mishaps have reflected poorly on our charity beneficiary - The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. While we are an entirely separate organization, I am inspired by their campers and programs, which is why I wanted to raise funds to support the Camp's mission.

We will be hosting 2 additional runs later in the year, and once everyone is happy and healthy again, we will announce the details.

Thank you for your understanding and for all that you've done to support this great cause.

Happy Running,

Amy

I responded as requested and still have never received the three medals I am owed. I really hope that the race director's family is recovering from their health issues, but I am not the only participant who did not receive what they paid for. It is quite ridiculous that we never received any communications until two months later, not to mention that it still hasn't been resolved. I feel like we deserve better for contributing our hard earned money to their organization.

Needless to say, I will not be participating in any future races put on by this organization. I also do not expect to ever see the medals that I am owed.

DC Running Club The Runway 5 Miler 2014 (Race Recap)

Saturday morning marked my last road race for a while. I will be having major surgery (more on that on a later date) in April, so I will be out of commission and then recovering for a while. I plan to put some more races on the calendar once I'm feeling better. Until then, the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November is the only thing I have scheduled for the time being.  

I signed up for the DC Running Club's The Runway 5 Miler. It sounded like it would be so much fun and after the Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon earlier in March, a small, local race sounded very palatable.

The race was women's only, and after the SELF Magazine hoopla this week, I thought doing a women's only race was very appropriate. I was pleased to see lots of ladies rocking the tutus. I myself don't have a tutu but decided to wear a skirt. 

I decided to pick up my bib the morning of, so Raisin Bread and I drove down to Hains Point and arrived at 7:30 am. The hubby volunteered to go with me. He is so sweet, and we drove since it would take forever to get to the start line by public transportation. Also, the weather was not pleasant that morning. 

The race was super small, compared to the other ones I have run, with only about 300 finishers. Picking up my bib was a breeze, so with Raisin Bread napping in the car, I had time to stretch and take pictures of the crazy amount of fog.

Fog over the Potomac River

The race started five minutes late, so we weren't off until 8:05 am. If you have ever run on Hains Point, you know that it isn't the most scenic place, except for maybe when the cherry blossoms are blooming. That combined with the fog made it so there wasn't much to see.

In addition to the 5 miler, there was also a 5K option, which started at the same time as the 5 miler. Both routes were out and back, so the 5K runners turned around just past the water stop, and the 5 milers continued until our half way point. Because the race was so small, there weren't any mile markers.

I felt pretty good the whole time. It was pretty drizzly during the entire race, but it was also humid so the drizzle felt really nice to me. It didn't start raining a good bit until the tail end of the race, so that was pretty good timing for me. 

The finish line had a red carpet with photographers (paparazzi?) capturing our finishes. Once I was done, I got my medal and then got in line to get refreshments and my race shirt. By the time I finished, they had run out of bananas. Boohoo. 

Additionally, when I signed up for the race, it was advertised that we would also be getting a long stem rose and that there would be a step and repeat. Let's just say - these were no where to be found.  I didn't get a rose. Raisin Bread also mentioned that he did not see anyone with roses. There also weren't any step and repeats that I saw. 

The race times were captured by clock time, with everyone having the same start time. My official finish time was 54:48. This was 30 seconds longer than my RunKeeper time of 54:18. 

Here are my split times from RunKeeper:

Mile 1: 11:26 *bathroom stop

Mile 2: 10:41

Mile 3: 10:42

Mile 4: 10:54

Mile 5: 10:38 *fastest mile

As you can see from my splits, I need some work on my pacing. Why is my last mile my fastest? I think I need to push myself a little bit more at the beginning. 

Besides the falsely advertised perks, this race was a nice change of pace from the enormous ones that I usually sign up for. 

Over the next few months, I'll be living vicariously through the race reports of my fellow bloggers! Hopefully, I will be back at it soon enough. 

Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon 2014 - Race Recap

Half marathon number 3 is in the books! On Saturday, I ran the 2014 Rock 'N' Roll USA Half Marathon in Washington, DC. I was hoping to knock out two of my 60 Goals in 3 Years with this race. I ran a local half marathon but did not manage to finish in 2:30. That goal remains on the to do list!   

On Thursday, I headed to the Expo to pick up my race packet. I was pressed for time, so I was not able to wander the booths to see what was new. 

In addition to a technical race shirt in women's size (yes!), I got a nice gear bag.

For my pre-race dinner, I had a big cobb salad with grilled chicken from Rhodeside Grill in Arlington.

As usual, I laid out my race day outfit the night before. The forecast called for cloudy skies in the 40s, which made it difficult for me to decide what to wear. I wound up wearing Eastern Mountain Sports leggings, an old short-sleeved race tech tee, a long-sleeved Ideology tech zip-up and my trusty ASICS Gel-1170 running shoes. I accessorized with CEP compression calf sleeves, my Polar RCX3 watch, Nathan Shadow Pak and a BAMR headband. Since I was pretty serious about finishing in 2:30, I printed out a pace guide from marathonguide.com to wear as a bracelet.

The alarm went off at 5:15 am Saturday morning. I had time to get dressed and eat my usual peanut butter and banana sandwich. Sorry if this is TMI, but one of the most important things I have learned in the past year and a half of running is that I need to PRP (pre-race poop) in order to finish races comfortably. So PRP, I did!

I left the house a little after 6:00 and arrived at the start line waaaay too early! I was in the third to the last corral, so I wound up having to go to the bathroom twice before I even got into my corral. I should have left much later. One good thing was that there were plenty of porta-potties at the starting line.

I also got a bottle of water and consumed a GU Gel before finally getting into my corral after the national anthem was sung and the first few corrals were off. My corral finally started at 8:10, which means I had been standing around for 40 minutes after the race started.

The race began near the Washington Monument and took us west, towards the Lincoln Memorial.

Mile 1: 11:33

All of that waiting around meant that I immediately needed to pee again! Argh! I thought I could hold off on peeing until at least mile 6, but no, I really needed to go. After I passed the first mile, I went to the first available porta-potties, which had a huge line! I saw two individual porta-potties before the first mile marker that I should have totally gone to because there weren't any lines. This decision pretty much cost me my 2:30 goal because I lost 12 minutes trying to use the bathroom.

Mile 2: 23:42 *ugh porta-potty line from hell

I kept a pretty steady pace the remainder of the race. We headed across the Memorial Bridge and back into the District.

Mile 3: 11:02

We went up Potomac Parkway, past the Kennedy Center. One of the things that makes the Rock 'n' Roll series fun and different is that there are live bands playing music at each mile.

For the next four miles, we continued up Potomac/Rock Creek Parkway towards Woodley Park. I took my time eating a packet of Sports Beans over these few miles.  

Mile 4: 10:57 *fastest mile

Mile 5: 11:46 

Mile 6: 11:35

After Mile 6, we headed up the one huge hill of the race. I slowed it down to a walk at the end of the hill.

Mile 7: 12:56

We ran through Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. At one point, I went by a pho restaurant and it smelled so good! After finishing half of the distance, I could have used some pho.

Mile 8: 11:35

We passed Howard University and entered an area of town, which to be quite honest, I have never visited. By this time, I knew that I wasn't going to make up enough time to reach my goal so I took off my pace bracelet and threw it away.

Mile 9: 11:43

Continuing on through Bloomingdale and Capital Hill, I took the last bit of fuel that I had packed with me: another gel packet. GU was being handed out at the next water stop, so I took another half packet for good measure.

Mile 10: 11:44

Mile 11: 12:18

I actually felt good for the rest of the race, but now looking at my time, I can see that I wasn't actually keeping up my pace!

Mile 12: 13:17

We finally approached RFK Stadium and the finish line.

Mile 13: 12:29

As I neared the finish line, I heard someone yelling at me. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but I turned to look and saw Raisin Bread! Awww, it was so sweet of him to surprise me at the finish line! I had no idea he was going to be there. 

The finish area was not very crowded and it was not too hard for me to maneuver my way out. There was a stage with a live band for us to enjoy at the finish. 

Although I did not accomplish my time goal, I did shave a good 12 minutes off my previous time! 

 

While this wasn't my favorite race, I thought that it was pretty well-organized at the start and finish lines. There were plenty of volunteers at the water stations. Two things the race was lacking for me was crowd support and on course porta-potties.  I liked that I got a chance to run through a lot of areas of the city that I normally don't see. And what better way to finish a race than to see your husband's beaming face!!