Hello Bloggy world !! it's been a LONG time.

EDIT UPDATE: as of 4/2 I just figured out how to back date posts on blogger. I have been going through my prior races, writing up recaps & posting them in chronological date order. This is the explanation for the blog post below. Just so your not scratching you heads in confusion, but it really has been 2.5 years since I last updated.

Yeah 2.5 years is a super long break. I know BAD blogger! Well after I last blogged I sort of went into a self pitty party if you call it that & just did my day to day thing. I was exercising & eating well then fell off the wagon so to speak. It all changed in January when someone posted a picture of me on Facebook. Prior to that picture being posted I was in such denial that I would tell myself "I'm not that big" or "I'm just a few pounds heavier". Well folks, that picture on Facebook is what did the trick. I was so embarrassed and horrified that everyone in my friends list would see it that I immediately untagged myself from it and decided that day that I would get healthier. Well so far I have lost 72 pounds & have gained back about 15 over this past winter. I am trying to lose those 15 AGAIN plus another 40.

How did I lose weight?

Well when I started, I  wrote down everything I ate for a month & then eventually I found an app called MyFitnesPal and logged my food there. I take it one day at a time. I look at losing weight like a long distance race. You want to run the whole distance without stopping but sometimes you have to just walk portions of it but eventually if you keep going you will cross the finish line.

My love for running...

After losing the first 20 pounds I downloaded an app called Couch 2 5k. I did the program & in 8 weeks I was running a 5K. I felt on the top of the world when I did my final run of that program. It was such a natural high & that is when I knew I LOVED to run. That year I ran 6 -5K's, 1 - 8 mile relay, 1- mud obstacle race, 1- Color Run, 1- 10K & a Half Marathon

I have been running ever since. I have also picked up a love for cycling. I bought a road bike in 2013 & have added cycling to my list of healthy loves.

I plan on using this blog to write down my race recaps & other blah blah blah's that I feel like writing about.

So until next time...:D

Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon recap



 A few friends and I ran the Rock 'n Roll USA half marathon on Sunday. This was my 4th half marathon & I really had no desire to run this particular race. I really wanted to run the Shamrock Half Marathon race in Virginia Beach since I've heard such great reviews about it. Both races were on the same weekend. It all came down to a little peer pressure & logistics. I didn't feel like making a trip all the way down to Virginia Beach to run Shamrock on Sunday only to turn around and have to drive 3+ hours back home later that night. So I ended up staying local & registering up for the Rock 'n Roll.

The race was on Saturday so packet pick up was held at the DC Armory on Thursday evening and Friday. I went on Thursday to avoid the heavy crowds on Friday, plus driving south on Fridays after work is a nightmare in itself.  Anyone living in this area is all to familiar with how nasty Friday rush hour is going south. 

Packet pick up was well organized. Runners received a drawstring bag, race shirt & bib along with some coupons & flyers. The expo was nice and had a good selection of vendors. I got a few freebies. I spent an hour at most looking around before heading back.

Friday night I did my usual routine and filled my Camelbak with water, packed some fuel, laid out my running clothes & made sure my watch was fully charged.

Race morning I got up at 4am. I had to pick up my friend M & we planned to meet up with J so we could ride in together. We were lucky enough to get a free special finish area parking pass from a girl in our running club. That made it nice knowing that we could easily get to the car after the race instead of taking the train. The course starts near the Smithsonian & ends at the RFK stadium which meant that we had to park the car at RFK & take a short metro rail ride to Smithsonian stop.



pre race pose taken on the way to our corral

We got to the start with about 45 minutes to spare. It was a cold morning but that didn't bother me. Hearing the loud upbeat music and watching people in the corral kept me pre occupied. We took some pre race selfies & figured out a plan to run this race. J and I had little to no training due to injuries. She was dealing with an IT Band problem and I was dealing with my endless behind the right knee pain. We decided to run 1/4 mile & walk 1/4 mile. Luckily "M" was there & happen to have the same watch as "J's" so she was able to set it up for J.



waiting in our corral



pre race group selfie

The first couple miles were ok, I started to really notice my knee pain after mile 3 on the Memorial Bridge. Just before leaving the bridge a woman in front of us tripped and smacked her face on the concrete, she was bleeding from her lip. No teeth were missing, just a scratched up chin and cut lip. I stopped and gave her a packet of Motrin that I had. That was when I decided I better take some Tylenol. We continued on & then we approached the mile 6 hill. Holy crap that hill was no joke. We both looked at each other and said no way we are running up that beast. By the time we got to the top my calves were on fire. Luckily the rest of the course was very easy and more of it was downhill.



Memorial Bridge



Ladies from another chapter of our running club cheering for us

The next several miles took us through the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan & Columbia Heights where we were greeted and cheered for by streets filled with lively college kids. They were a riot! Some were dressed in costumes giving high fives & some had tables set up offering free beer, free shots & even BBQ beef brisket. They were so full of energy & actually gave me a nice boost.



funny sign in the Adams Morgan neighborhood



not the best pic but some fun college kids dressed up
in costume cheering for us runners

The last couple miles took us through some "rough" looking neighborhoods. Thankfully it wasn't that far until the finish. I lost J on one of our walk portions around mile 10. I wanted to walk a little longer so she ran slowly & when I started running again I couldn't find her. I crossed the finish looking around & then spotted her. 




we finished & got our medals



another friend we spotted in our running club

It certainly was no record setter for me but I was aiming to finish in under 3 hours which I did. Overall it was a decent race and I "might" do it again but not next year. I have Shamrock to run next year.

Until Next time.........:D



 

Town of Celebration Half Marathon recap

On Sunday I ran this half marathon with my brother. It was his first half marathon and it was my first out of state race. I had a great time & the weather was PERFECT!!
Expo-
Packet pick up was on Friday & Saturday. On Saturday afternoon we headed over to pick up our packets. Packet pick up was in the center of town. We were given a reusable shopping bag, with our bib's, tech racing shirt & various coupons. It was a small expo with vendors selling the usual race gear. There was also a vendor selling tutu socks which I have not seen before http://www.cassidysplace.com/

Race-

Sunday morning we got up at 5am. I had a banana & some toast with a cup of coffee. We had planned to get there real early because parking is very limited & towing is heavily enforced. We got there about an hour early and were able to find a parking spot. If we arrived any later we would have had to walk a good 1.5 - 2 miles to get to the start line.

 

The start area was pretty crowded & we lined up between the 9-10 min pace group. There was a live DJ playing some "pump you up" music. Funny thing was I could hear people in the corral talking about how chilly it was but to me it was fabulous! I guess if they had to deal with a weeks worth of the Polar Vortex that was freezing the Mid-Atlantic & New England area they might not be complaining.

The race started promptly at 7 and the crowd inched its way across the timing mat & we were off and running.

The first few miles we ran through neighborhood streets. I kept up the pace with my brother the first 2 miles then I had to slow it down. I did not want to start out too fast because I knew I would regret it later. I really do not remember any more about the first several miles. I was just focused on trying to maintain a decent pace. I know after mile 7 we ran on a wooden walkway that went through a beautiful park. It wasn't the easiest thing to run on because it had quite a few sharp turns but I did not mind at all because it was so pretty. After running through the wooded park we ended up running around a lake surrounded by some huge houses.

 

Everything was going pretty good until just after mile 11. Holy calf cramp from hell, I had a major calf cramp on my right leg. I stopped on the side of the road & stretched it out. I tried running again and the cramp was back. A nice lady stopped and asked if I was ok I said "yeah just a stupid cramp". She reached into her running belt and handed me a salt pill. Let me just say that runners are an awesome group of people! I thanked her & took it and finished the rest of the water in my Camelbak. I tried to resume my run as painlessly as possible. The last 2 miles were rough but I was able to run to the finish.

I searched for my brother and couldn't find him so I started walking back toward the course & I spotted him running toward the finish.

 

The finish line party was really well done & the organizers went all out. They had the town's local businesses hand out samples of their products which included a wide range of stuff from Starbucks, mimosa's, sushi samples, lobster sandwiches etc... Each runner was given a post card & on the post card was the logo of all the businesses who were participating and handing out treats.

For an inaugural race, I have to give this one a thumbs up & a high five to the race directors because they did a excellent job. I would definitely run this race again especially if I lived in Florida.

Until next time .....:D

Who do you run 4?

Well I run for Casey.

 

Your probably wondering what in the world am I talking about? Well awhile back I found this website called "I Run 4" ( http://www.whoirun4.com/about-ir4/).  It's an organization that pairs runners with people who physically cannot run. I registered to be matched with someone in June 2013 and on August 7th I got an email stating that I was matched up with a little girl named Casey.
The nice thing is they have a Facebook page where you can send messages & post pictures dedicating your miles and/or accomplishments to your special buddy. I even made a special shirt that has her name on it for some of my runs. I was able to snag an extra medal at a local 5k that I ran & I mailed it to her.

 

Running for her has been so awesome. Sometimes when I feel like my running sucks I think about her. No matter how hard the run was, there is no comparison to what she has had to go through since being born. She is definitely a little fighter!

 

 

 

 

Maryland Olympic Duathlon recap

So this was my first Duathlon and let me say it was very freaking HARD. My friend J and I initially signed up for this race a couple months back not really expecting it to be that hilly. Her friend who had also signed up said it just had a couple hills & the run portion was short (6 miles). I think the short run portion is what sold us on registering. We went about training & agreed to go on a few long rides in the hills of Prince William Forest along with some practice long runs in between.

The race started at 7am so we agreed to get on the road by 5am, this would allow us plenty of time to pick up our packets & rack our bikes. Race morning went pretty smoothly. I got up & had my usual pre race meal of toast, peanut butter with sliced bananas and was out the door by 4:40. We both met up at her house at 5am and made the 45+  minute ride to Western Regional Park in Woodbine, Maryland.
Here is a heads up if you ever have to travel through parts of Maryland. As we were driving the GPS had us go through various towns and we noticed a couple of flashes. After the 2nd flash it dawned on us that we were caught by the speed light cameras. UGH !!

We both also took notice as to how the landscape changed from an occasional hill to a rolling countryside as far as the eye could see. All we could do was laugh and cross our fingers & hope that we finish the race in 1 piece.
The race started in waves with the Elites going first. We were grouped in waves based on age and gender. We took a couple pre race pictures & headed to the corral.

The start was very easy & the run portion was very easy. We both finished in 20 minutes.

Transition 1 was easy but a lot of time was wasted it took (5 mins).



Elevation showing how hilly it was

The ride was a looped course each loop was 13 miles. It started out going up a small hill & at the top you turned right and it's a nice long down hill for about 3 miles then the remainder of the course is up down, up down, etc... After climbing the first hill I decided my strategy would be to take full advantage of the downhill's and go as fast as I could. Miles 4, 7, 12 & 17 I clocked 18-20 mph according to Garmin. I was in trouble when I drank all my water after mile 18. I do not know what the hell I was thinking carrying only 1 water bottle especially when the high was going to be 90+ degrees with 94% humidity. Lesson learned for sure & thank goodness I was almost done. I finished the 26 miles in 1:55:25 which averaged out to 13.5 mph.

Transition 2 was again spent wasting time (4:58 min).

The final 4 mile run was a very strange feeling. I never practiced any brick workouts (run bike transition training) prior to this race so I was totally thrown off by this weird feeling. To me, it was like learning to walk again, I cannot explain it but it took me a good 3/4 of a mile before running felt semi "normal". All I remember is that it was really HOT & when I saw the first water station I grabbed 2 Gatorades & 2 cups of water. I downed both Gatorades, 1 cup of water & poured the other water over my head. The rest was a blur until about the last 1/4 mile when I was running up the hill toward the finish I saw Paul (J's friend) waving at me. I crossed the finish & was so relieved and somewhat in disbelief that I actually finished.

Until next time.....:D

Marine Corps Marathon Historic Half Marathon

On Sunday (5/19/13) I ran the Marine Corps Historic Half marathon. The weather forecast called for a 60% chance of rain so I was really dreading this race thinking that it was going to be a rainy 13 mile run. Luck must have been on my side that morning because the rain was very minimal. It was pretty humid & drizzly but the temps were cool.
Saturday I picked up my friend Sara & we headed down to the expo in Fredericksburg. We had a fun time & the expo certainly did not disappoint. It had a lot of vendors and we were able to snag quite a few freebies. Yay for the Marines! The cool thing was we were both interviewed by a reporter for the local paper.

http://news.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2013/05/18/runners-pick-up-packets-prepare-for-historic-half/



some expo fun

The pre-start plan was to meet up with some other MRTT (Moms Run This Town) ladies for a group picture at 6:45. The ride down I95 was pretty good but once I got to the exit for Fredericksburg I knew that our picture meet up wasn't going to happen because the exit line was so long. By the time I got to the race start I was already five minutes past the picture meet up time. There were so many people that I don't know if I would've been able to find anyone anyway. I hopped in the 2:30 - 2:59 hour corral and I recognized a lady who is a teacher at my sons school. We chatted for a bit while I set up my Garmin. As soon as my watch found the satellite, the cannon went off to start the race.

We ran together for just about half a mile and then we went our separate ways. I was feeling pretty good & running at a decent pace. When I got to the first water station, I decided I better get in line and use the restroom. It was then that I realized that I had not eaten anything & the only fuel I had were 2 GU gels. This was not a good sign. I continued on with no problems making sure to stop at each water station since I wasn't carrying any water. Some of the signs on the course were really funny. I tried to get pictures of them but it was quite a challenge taking pictures while running so some of my photos turned out blurry. For being so drizzly and wet, there sure was a lot of crowd support. People were out sitting in their yards with signs & cheering for us runners as we ran by. Once we got out of the neighborhood, we made our way to the historic part of Fredericksburg where there were lots of Marines in uniform and other people who lined up on either side of the street to cheer us on. At around the mile 6 water station they were handing out sport beans, so I grabbed a few bags along with a cup of Gatorade.
I continued on & caught up to an older guy running who was carrying an American flag on top of a long pole. On the back of his shirt he had a picture of Marine who was killed in action. I am not sure if it was his son, grandson or just a friend he knew, but it was pretty heartfelt seeing that. Just before mile seven I passed a lady in her wheelchair trying to pedal with her arms, we runners wished her some encouraging words as we ran by. Shortly after passing her I came upon This older guy wearing a yellow shirt that said I'm 69 and I can do this. I gave him a thumbs up & said I liked his shirt.

Miles 7,8 and nine went by with no problem but I started getting really tired. I decided to eat some of the sport beans that I picked up earlier,as well as, an Expresso GU.



Hospital Hill up ahead

I made it to mile 10 and decided to use the potty again before attempting "Hospital Hill". Hospital Hill is the dreaded hill that everyone was talking about. It's about a 2 mile uphill climb. I got about halfway up that hill and my left calf cramped up on me. It was awful I had to stop and go to the side of the road to try to stretch it out real good. Sadly the stretching helped very little. I remember having this same problem last fall during a 10 mile training run. Out of nowhere, I just suddenly got a horrible calf cramp in that same leg. I attribute it to not drinking enough water the day before. Well needless to say, I finally made it to the top of the hill. I made the decision to just suck it up run through the pain for the last 2 miles. At that point I just wanted to get to the finish line and not have to run anymore. I was about a quarter mile from the finish when I heard a lady yell "go mama & run this town". That was the push I needed to pick up the pace all the way to the finish. I was greeted by a lineup of Marines in their BDU's (Battle Dress Uniforms) on either side of the finish line waiting to put a medal around my neck. I didn't beat my last half marathon time but I surely enjoyed this race.



almost to the finish

13.1 & a beautiful medal too

Couple lessons I've learned from this race is:
1. you must follow a training plan!! A few double digit mile bike rides & a couple 3 mile weekly runs isn't gonna cut it
2. Remember to "properly" hydrate at least the day before or a couple days before race day. Three small cups of water and a couple venti iced coffee's the day before isn't going to prevent calf cramps/Charlie Horses.
3. EAT something an hour before the race. Your body will need the fuel. Of couurse I already knew these things but just took them for granted and it is now 2 days post race I still feel like I've been hit by Amtrak. Definite lesson learned for me!

Until Next Time......:D

Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon

This was my first half Marathon & my first point to point race. The race started at Mount Vernon and ran on the GW Parkway, over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and finished at National Harbor in Maryland. After training all summer & battling the nasty heat, I actually felt like I was ready. My longest run was the weekend prior and it was 10 miles.

On Saturday my Dad and I went to the expo to pick up my race packet. It contained my bib, a nice tech shirt & some other paperwork (coupons etc..). The only reason my Dad went with me was because I told him how great the expo's were. Well that wasn't the case with this one. Note: the last expo I went to was the Rock n Roll in Virginia Beach & it was huge with lots of vendors so I naturally assumed they were all about the same - oops. Needless to say this expo was very, very small in comparison & had just a handful of vendors. We were in and out of there in 15 minutes.

 

Race morning I got up at ass crack of dawn (4:30am) & got ready. I had my usual pre run meal toasted bagel, peanut butter & sliced banana. I met up with my running buddy J in Springfield & we rode together to the race. The plan was to park at National Harbor & then take a shuttle bus to the start at Mount Vernon. We arrived shortly before 6am & had to park a few floors up in the parking garage. Getting on the shuttle bus & arriving at Mount Vernon was a smooth process. Kudos to the organizers great planning. At Mount Vernon, we had plenty of time. We saw one of Jamie's friends and decided to take a picture before waiting in line for the potty.

Mount Vernon pre race picture

You can't tell by the picture but it was drizzly & lightly raining. We were hoping it would stay that way but it didn't. After we took care of business at the port-a-potties we lined up in the corral & waited for the start. At 7:20 they sang the National Anthem, that was my cue to get my watch ready in time for it to find a satellite.

The gun goes off at 7:30 and we are running.
The first few miles I did not even notice anything, I was too busy trying to stay in the "zone". Once we passed mile 5 we saw a lot people standing on top of a bridge holding signs & cheering for us. The rain also started to pick up & I was burning up so I had to take off my vest. I wasn't sure if I should keep it or toss it. I tried tying it around my waist but it wouldn't stay tied so I ended up carrying it for the rest of the race.    

The lovely bridge is at mile 9 and my pace slowed down a bit, I had to put my vest back on because it got real cold & I remember getting hit in the face with semi frozen rain & battling the crazy wind. I also remember hearing lots of cars honking at us as we were running across the bridge. That was somewhat motivating ~ no crowd support but vehicle support (I'll take it) ~ yay for honking cars !



a shot of me carrying my vest, wont be doing that again

 

Coming off of the bridge was nice & downhill but not for long because at mile 11 there was this evil hill & it SUCKED!! My calves were hating me. Once you get to the top of the hill you end up running a short distance over some gravel. For me, running on that was harder than the evil hill. The was a mix of gravel & large rocks and it was uneven. Thank goodness it wasn't far because once your done then you round the corner and it's pretty much a straight line to the finish area.

 

 I crossed the finish line and felt like crying. I was so proud of myself, how far I had come and to be able to accomplish my goal was pure awesome!

Best.Feeling.Ever.

until next time .....:D