Thursday, May 31, 2012

Attack of the Killer Shin Splints

I'm not sure what I've been doing wrong, but my calves have been extremely tight lately.  I stretch, I foam roll, I hydrate, and I take days off; nothing seems to help.  Yesterday I started feeling some pain in my shins, but forged ahead with my plans to join the lululemon Bethesda run club for a 4-6 mile run.  It was a beautiful evening and I couldn't resist the temptation to spend it outdoors.  By the end of the run, I was really hurting.  Like the rockstar (or idiot) I am, I self-medicated with rum.  Post-run happy hour seemed like a good idea at the time.  At least it was nice out.

(photo courtesy of the lululemon Athletica Bethesda Row Facebook page - what a good-looking group!)

Flash forward 12 hours to this morning, when I woke up with a shooting pain through my right shin.  Awesome.  Before going in to the office, I walked a mile to continue my running streak.  Technically, I'm not sure that walking counts, but I don't think I could manage a run today.  After hobbling around the office all morning, I sent myself home to ice my shins and slip on some compression sleeves.

Zensah, I love you.  These sleeves are MAGIC.  This is what my afternoon has consisted of:


Compression sleeves, couch, and telecommuting.  Just what the (imaginary) doctor ordered.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Does anyone out there have tips or tricks for preventing and/or treating shin splints?  I'd love to hear them!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Gear for the Girls

Let me let you in on a not-so-secret secret: I have a massive chest.  As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I'm not talking about a piece of furniture.  I'm talking ta-tas.

I can't tell you how many times I've passed a woman running who is wearing a clearly poorly-fit sports bra.  I feel sympathy pain for her.  I used to be her.  I would double up on sports bras and it still wasn't enough.  It was uncomfortable and, apparently, bad for my back.  As I got more and more in to running, I crossed the line from "ooh I like that color, I'll get that one" in to more serious territory.  While it was hard to bite the bullet and spend $50 on a sports bra initially, it was well worth it.

Over the years I've tried a lot of sports bras and come up with a few favorites.

The Jubralee by Moving Comfort


The Fiona by Moving Comfort


The Juno by Moving Comfort


The Ta Ta Tamer II by lululemon



While these are my tried and true favorites, they may not work for everyone.  I've found that when trying on sports bras what works best for me to test them out (since I'm not going to jog around the block with the tags still on) is to hop around and jog in place for a minute or so - that's usually enough to see what's going to move where as you're running.  I do this with every sports bra I try on and highly recommend it. You may feel foolish at first, but what's worse: feeling foolish for a minute in a fitting room, or feeling foolish (and uncomfortable) for a multi-mile run?

Monday, May 28, 2012

RW Summer Running Streak 2012

I have never participated in a running streak before.  My training schedule (or, more realistically, social life) demands rest days on which I don't run a single mile.  When I first heard about the Runner's World Summer Running Streak I wrote it off as "not for me" and didn't give it a second thought... until last Friday, after a couple of low-mileage weeks (that I blamed on the weather), when I decided I'd participate.

If nothing else, the running streak will hold me accountable for getting out the door every day and covering some sort of mileage.  Like most runners, I find that the hardest part of any run is the first step.  Once I'm outside and warming up I start to feel better - calling off the run or cutting it short isn't an option unless I've injured myself or am short on time.  From today to July 4, the weather is no longer an excuse - if it's raining I need to suck it up or hop on a treadmill.  I know myself, and after that first mile I'll keep going.  I think this streak is just the thing I need to keep my training on track.

Pun not intended.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

wear blue Runs for the Fallen

I consider myself to be fairly patriotic.  Not in a plaster-the-American-flag-all-over-everything sort of way - more in that I take pride in our service members and take every opportunity to thank and honor them for protecting our nation and our freedom to say and do what we believe in - whether it's running for office or writing a running blog.  As a runner, this translates to running races organized by and/or to benefit branches of the military and organizations to help wounded or fallen service members and their families.  As I live in Washington D.C., a city with a large military presence, I have a lot of opportunities to do this throughout the year that not everyone else has.

I heard about wear blue Runs to Remember through a Runner's World tweet.   The Runs for the Fallen caught my attention because I am at the beach and away from most race opportunities this weekend - it's a great way to be a part of an event honoring fallen service members on Memorial Day regardless of where you are.  The organization has a goal of 6,460 miles, one for each life lost in the Global War on Terror, as a living memorial for our troops.

Participating is easy - all you have to do is go to the website and pledge miles.  It's free and really easy to do - it took me less than minute to pledge my (10) miles.  If you'll be running tomorrow, please participate.  You were going to cover those miles anyway - this gives them the opportunity to also be part of something larger than your personal milage totals.

Friday, May 25, 2012

My First Run Club Experience

My friends have been raving about run clubs for a while now.  In theory, they're a phenomenal idea - you get to meet new people and try out new routes in a fun, relaxed environment.  In practice, it's almost impossible for me to make it to one - most run clubs around me are at 6:30pm (or earlier) on weeknights, which isn't compatible with my work schedule most weeks.  This past Wednesday my schedule and my friend's reminder that I still hadn't come to run club aligned perfectly and I had a chance to run lululemon Bethesda's run club.

I should probably mention it was raining Wednesday.  Pouring, actually.  I figured there wouldn't be many people there, since most people tend to avoid being out in rainstorms.  I figured wrong.  I love running in the rain, and apparently these folks do too:

Photo courtesy of lululemon Bethesda's Facebook page

Before arriving at run club I worried about a couple of things: 1) that everyone would already know one another and be a bit clique-y, and 2) that I would have no one to pace with.  As it turned out, I had no need to worry.  I already knew four people there, everyone else was really friendly, and I was able to find other runners to pace with pretty quickly.  As we ran we talked, laughed, accidentally splashed through some big puddles, and generally had a good time.  We ran only 3 miles, but that was more than enough in the rain and puddles.  After the run, everyone hung around the store and caught up.

The best I can liken my run club experience is to being at happy hour... a happy hour that's free and actually good for you.  While I may not be able to go back every week, I'm certainly going to make an effort to go back more often.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Maryland Warrior Dash

Today I ran the Maryland Warrior Dash with my friend Emily.  It was my first time participating in a mud run or race with obstacles and I wasn't sure what to expect - it ended up being harder than I thought, but a whole lot of fun.

Emily ran a similar race in Florida a few months ago and warned me that it takes a while to park, pick up packets, and check gear before the race.  Being as the race was an hour and a half drive from DC, we set out at 7:30 - 4.5 hours before our start time.

As per usual, Em was right and while the drive passed quickly, parking took a while.  This could have been easily remedied if they didn't charge for parking ($10 to park in a grassy field in the middle of nowhere is a bit steep, not that I'm annoyed by this surprise charge or anything), but the race directors deserve credit for strategically parking the cars coming in and out during different time ranges in different areas - getting out of the parking lot was pretty easy.  Our early departure meant we had plenty of time to get our race packets and get ready to run.  Before we checked our bags we took a couple of photos:




Our shirts read "Ladies who lunch..." on the front and "in the MUD" on the back.  We also wore Mardi Gras beads that looked like pearls and fascinators that Emily made - she's so much craftier than I'll ever be!

Once we finished our mini-photoshoot we checked our bags and made our way toward the start line.  The race finished a few yards from the start line, so we got to preview the fires we would be jumping over and the mud pit we'd be slogging through to get to the finish.  The runners finishing the race looked like they were having so much fun!  Until they hit the mud pit they also looked suspiciously clean...

With 15 minutes to go, we lined up at the start line.  It was quite the party over there with music and people tossing beach balls.  As we counted down to our start time, flames ignited above the start sign - we were literally fired up and ready to go.

The first mile or so of the race was a trail through the woods full of mud pits.  I was simultaneously thankful I'd tightened and double-knotted my shoelaces and regretful I hadn't duct-taped my shoes to my feet.  Quite a few people around me lost their shoes in the thick mud.  Soon it was time for our first obstacle - we had to jump up and over a series of short (3'-5' tall) walls.  This would have been a lot easier without our feet getting sucked in to the mud.  Once we cleared the walls it was an uphill sprint to a series of 3 obstacles involving climbing up and down wooden structures around 2-3 stories tall.  We didn't have a camera with us, so here are a couple of examples of these obstacles from the Warrior Dash website:




After those, mercifully, there was a water stop.  The sun finally came out and it was starting to get get really warm.  We hoped we'd have a chance to cool off soon and quickly realized we should be careful what we wished for... because our next obstacle was a crawl through the mud under barbed wire.  I was pretty muddy after that crawl and wondered aloud how everyone at the end of the race looked so clean.  Minutes later, as we crested a steep hill, I got my answer.

As I looked down at the massive adult-sized slip 'n slide covering a long, steep pitch I thought "fun! we'll cool off and this obstacle doesn't involve us doing any work."  Sidenote: I'm an idiot.  At the top of the slide, I forgot about gravity and used my arms to move a bit faster.  Huge mistake.  I flew down the rest of the slide and managed to catch air toward the bottom, landing on my elbow.  I can no longer painlessly rest my elbow on anything due to extensive bruising.  Emily, being smaller than I am, was less fortunate - while I was pulling myself out of the well of dirty water at the bottom of the slide, she caught a lot of air and came down, hard, on her backside.  Most people would have dropped out of the race at that point and gone somewhere safe and obstacle-free to ice their bruised and battered backside; however, Emily is a trooper.  Insisting on finishing the race, she pushed on as multiple people stopped her to ask if she was ok.

Off we went, up another hill and over another wall.  After that, we had to crawl through the dirt under logs and barbed wire where I managed to shred my left knee and both elbows.  That obstacle looked like this (courtesy of the Warrior Dash Facebook page):


After that, we had a few more climbing obstacles, a crawl across a cargo net, a balancing obstacle, and another uphill run before heading down the hill toward the finish line.  At the bottom of the hill, we were two leaps over fire and another mud crawl away from the finish.

The mud crawl wasn't what I was expecting.  I knew from watching other people finish that it was thick and relatively deep, but I expected to be able to crawl through it.  The final mud pit looked a lot like this:


What I found was the pit was far too deep for me to be able to reach anything with my hands - my choices were to swim or partially stand up and walk bent over at the waist.  Both choices were slow, but walking carried less of a risk of kicking another runner in the face so I opted to do that.

When we finally finished, this is what we looked like:


Just a bit muddy.  Luckily there was a station set up to hose us down, free beer to ease the pain of our scratches and bruises, and live music to entertain us while we cleaned up and drank our beers.

A lot of people stick around and hang out after the race, so you can easily make a day out of the experience.  You can donate your dirty sneakers at the finish line so you don't have to drag them home and, as mentioned above, we were able to get out of there really quickly.  All in all, the race was a great experience and I'd definitely do it again.

One more thing:


I couldn't help myself.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Active.com, You Just Blew My Mind

I used to keep track of my race results in an Excel spreadsheet.

Yes, that makes me a nerd and yes, it was annoying.  I gave up on updating it (and hand-calculating my average pace) somewhere around fall 2010.  I always meant to update it, but given the volume of races I've run over the past couple of years it seemed like too much work.

Enter the active.com "Claim Your Results" function.  Most races I run use active.com for registration and also have their results posted on the active network.  This function makes it super-easy to see all of my race results in the same place.  No more Excel, no more hand-calculating my average pace.  Brilliant.

This feature has probably been around for a while, but I only just discovered it.  If you have an active.com account (you probably do if you've registered for a race in the past 5 years), give it a try.  If you've been using this function for a while, go ahead and make fun of me for never noticing it before.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Something To Remember

I enjoy running.  Really, I do, but there are some days when I'm not as motivated to leave my warm bed and head out in to the cold morning air (or leave my cool apartment to head out in to the stifling summer heat) and some races where exhaustion starts to take over and - however momentarily it may be - I start to doubt my ability to finish.

I find that when my motivation starts to wane my thoughts always return to one concept: I run because I can.  Life is short - you never know what will happen next and when you'll no longer be able to run.  Running is a privilege that not everyone can enjoy and shouldn't be taken for granted.  I can't imagine what it would be like not to be able to lace up my sneakers and take off on a run on a perfect spring morning.

I saw this on Pinterest a while ago and thought it summarized my thoughts perfectly:


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Gotta Have Shirt

I've been posting a lot about gear.  I promise to post more about runs as soon as I need to remember to bring my phone with me on runs so I can take photos.

In the meantime...

I wore this top when I ran the Frederick Half and got a lot of compliments on it during the race.  Sometimes I get an errant compliment or two on what I'm wearing, but never this sort of volume.  Other women loved this tank.



For the record, I like it so much I have three.  The top is quite stretchy and sweat-wicking and the loose bottom means I don't have to worry about my stomach looking awkward in race photos as my running tights "migrate" when I run.  I really hope I'm not the only person who thinks about these things.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Safety First

Can I let you in on a secret?

...

Running in the dark scares me.

I live in a city, in an area with plenty of streetlights and people around.  The likelihood of me getting abducted in the shadows is pretty slim.  What really scares me is getting hit by a car.

Drivers are easily distracted and often tired early in the morning or late at night when it's dark out.  Wearing light or bright colors or white does not make you visible enough to keep you safe.  I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing lights and/or reflective gear while running at night.

I have some pretty sweet gear myself.

A nice reflective vest:


A headlamp:



And a (pink!!) strobe light:


I may look like an idiot, but I'm an idiot that cars can see coming from quite far away.  I ran an overnight relay race last weekend and, as faster runners passed me, I got to see how much additional visibility reflective items and lights give you.  If I have to run at night, I won't run without these ever again.

Now that you've sat through my PSA, I'm sure you'd love to see a gratuitous photo of me in my night running gear.  Feast your eyes on my sleep-deprived, exhausted, makeup-free self (I'm the awkward-looking one on the left):


You can't say I didn't warn you.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

My Tunes

People (ok, let's be honest, women people - no men seem to care) constantly ask me what is on my running playlist.  To this day, I've never once sent it out.  Whoops!

To make up for my laziness, I am going to post the whole thing.  Every dang song.  Please keep in mind that some of these are on here for entertainment value on long runs - if you're going for a short, fast run a lot of these may not be for you.

Without further ado, my full running playlist (please keep in mind I play these on shuffle - I am presenting them in whatever order they're in on my iTunes):

  • Boyfriend - Ashlee Simpson
  • La La - Ashlee Simpson
  • I Am Me - Ashlee Simpson
  • It's Gotta Be You - Backstreet Boys
  • Good Luck - Basement Jaxx feat. Lisa Kekaula
  • She Loves You - The Beatles
  • Paperback Writer - The Beatles
  • Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles
  • Black Tambourine - Beck
  • One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds Five
  • Steven's Last Night In Town - Ben Folds Five
  • We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel
  • Dumpweed - Blink 182
  • All the Small Things - Blink 182
  • Ghetto Musick - Big Boi
  • Womanizer - Britney Spears
  • Next 2 You - Buckcherry
  • So Far - Buckcherry
  • My Favourite Game - The Cardigans
  • Friday Night - The Darkness
  • I Did It - Dave Matthews Band
  • Dreams of Our Fathers - Dave Matthews Band
  • Spin Me Right Round - Dead or Alive
  • Bats in the Belfry - Dispatch
  • Sunrise (Jason Nevins Remix) - Duran Duran
  • Knock on Wood - Eddie Floyd
  • Praise You - Fatboy Slim
  • Everybody Wants You to Emerge (Barry Harris Revamp) - Fischerspooner vs. Billy Squier
  • Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
  • Wind Up - Foo Fighters
  • Forget You (Glee Cast version feat. Gwyneth Paltrow) - Glee Cast
  • Going On - Gnarls Barkley
  • January Friend - Goo Goo Dolls
  • Bling Bling - Gucci Mane
  • Red Oyster Cult - Guster
  • Amsterdam - Guster
  • Mmmbop - Hanson
  • Where's the Love - Hanson
  • Little Voice - Hillary Duff
  • The Math - Hillary Duff
  • Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne
  • Superstar - Jamelia
  • 99 Problems - Jay Z
  • James Bond Theme - John Barry Seven & Orchestra
  • Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
  • Lovestoned - Justin Timberlake
  • Sexyback - Justin Timberlake & Timbarland
  • Touch the Sky - Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco
  • Gold Digger - Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx
  • Party at a Rich Dude's House - Ke$ha
  • Backstabber - Ke$ha
  • Kiss 'n' Tell - Ke$ha
  • Blow - Ke$ha
  • Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
  • Mr. Brightside - The Killers
  • Somebody Told Me - The Killers
  • Sex On Fire - Kings of Leon
  • TKO - Le Tigre
  • Four - Lit
  • No Big Thing - Lit
  • A Place In the Sun - Lit
  • Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
  • Shots - LMFAO
  • Brink of Disaster - Mae
  • On Top - Mae
  • Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
  • Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5
  • Angry - Matchbox 20
  • Disease - Matchbox 20
  • Love Me Like That - Michelle Branch & Sheryl Crow
  • Iz U - Nelly
  • Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado & Timbaland
  • Failure's Not Flattering - New Found Glory
  • Move Ya Body - Nine Sky feat. Jabba
  • Excuse Me Mr. - No Doubt
  • Do What You Want - OK Go
  • Here It Goes Again - OK Go
  • Crash The Party - OK Go
  • You're So Damn Hot - OK Go
  • B.O.B. - Outkast
  • Gasoline Dreams - Outkast feat. Khujo Goodie
  • You Can't Hurry Love - Phil Collins
  • Jump (For My Love) - The Pointer Sisters
  • Minor Thing - Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) - Rihanna
  • Get Busy - Sean Paul
  • Gimme the Light (remix) - Sean Paul feat. Busta Rhymes
  • You're All I Have - Snow Patrol
  • It's Beginning to Get to Me - Snow Patrol
  • Personal Space Invader - Sugar Ray
  • Abracadabra - Sugar Ray
  • Private Radio - Vanessa Carlton
  • Havin' Fun In the California Sun - Various
  • Untouched - The Veronicas
  • This Is How it Feels - The Veronicas
  • Popular - The Veronicas
  • Goodbye to You - The Veronicas
  • Everything I'm Not - The Veronicas
  • Revolution - The Veronicas
  • We Are - Vertical Horizon
  • Buddy Holly - Wheezer
  • Surf Wax America - Wheezer
  • My Generation - The Who
  • All Thing (Just Keep Getting Better) - Wildlife with Simone Denny
  • Getting' Jiggy Wit' It - Will Smith
  • Men In Black - Will Smith
  • It Doesn't Matter - Wyclef Jean
  • Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top
  • Legs - ZZ Top
  • My First Kiss (feat. Ke$ha) - 3OH!3
  • Hey Ya! - Andre 3000
  • Behold a Lady - Andre 3000
  • Autobiography - Ashlee Simpson
  • Surrender - Ashlee Simpson
  • Giving It All Away - Ashlee Simpson
  • Overprotected - Britney Spears
  • Thank You - Sister Hazel
  • Strange Cup of Tea - Sister Hazel
  • Anticipating - Britney Spears
  • Toxic - Britney Spears
  • What The Hell - Avril Lavigne
  • Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
  • For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is) - Pete Yorn
  • Murray - Pete Yorn
  • Respect - Train
  • Barbara Streisand - #1 Disco Dance Hits
  • The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy
  • Eye Conqueror - Third Eye Blind
  • The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling) - Atomic Kitten
  • Shining Star - Jump 5
  • Supermodel - Taylor Dayne
  • All Around the World - Cooler Kids
  • Upside Down - A Teens
  • Love Shack - B-52s
  • Breathless - The Corrs
  • Some Days You Gotta Dance - The Dixie Chicks
  • Man I Feel Like A Woman - Shania Twain
  • Love You Out Loud - Rascal Flatts
  • Back In The USSR - The Beatles
  • Call Me - Blondie
  • Callin Baton Rouge - Garth Brooks
  • Alcohol - Barenaked Ladies
  • Steal My Kisses - Ben Harper
  • I Do - Better Than Ezra
  • Let's Get Retarded - Black Eyed Peas
  • Without Me - Eminem
  • Fire Escape - Fastball
  • Breakout - Foo Fighters
  • Center of Attention - Guster
  • The Middle - Jimmi Eat World
  • Notorious - Notorious B.I.G.
  • Don't Let Me Get Me - Pink
  • Parallel Universe - Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Gonna Make You Love Me - Ryan Adams
  • Whenever Wherever - Shakira
  • Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot
  • Bouncing Off The Walls Again - Sugarcult
  • Sex Bomb Remix - Tom Jones
  • American Girl - Tom Petty
  • Bust A Move - Young MC
  • Jack 'o Lanterns Weather - 311
  • Blinded By The Light - Manfred Man
  • Black Betty - Ram Jam
  • Let's Spend The Night Together - The Rolling Stones
  • Great Love Sound - The Raveonettes
  • California - Lenny Kravitz
  • Temperature - Sean Paul
  • Listen To Your Heart - Cascada
  • Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen


If you made it to the bottom of this post you deserve a prize.  Feel free to mercilessly mock the fact that "Mmmbop" is on there.

Am I missing any songs that "have" to be on a running playlist?

Monday, May 7, 2012

My #1 "Can't Run Without" Product

I run with a lot of gear.

Seriously.

On long runs I manage to shove pockets full of random junk and find all sorts of ways to strap gadgets, food, and drink to me.  I'm sure most people I pass think I look like an idiot.

On shorter runs, I shed the stuff and try to run with nothing but my house keys.  There is one thing I make sure I've got on me no matter what the length of my run and that's this bad boy:


Chaffing is no joke.  If you think it's funny, go to mile 22 of a marathon and take a good look around.  Those guys with the bleeding nipples aren't laughing.

People, protect yourselves.  Lube up.  You're welcome.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

The Frederick Half - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This morning I woke up at 4am.  By choice.  To run the last race I'll run for time this season.  Things didn't go according to plan.

I got to the Frederick Fairgrounds almost two hours before the race started.  Parking was a breeze, I had my cliff bar and Gatorade and... I had a lot of time on my hands before sunrise.  I was starting to feel a little sleepy, so I had a 5-hour Energy.  (Those of you on my relay team can stop groaning now.)  I've taken 5-hour before a race on multiple occasions and know it dehydrates me - I planned on picking up a bottle of water near the start line, but never got around to it.  I paid dearly for that oversight.

Within the first three miles of the race I knew I was in trouble - it was a lot more humid than I'd originally thought, I was sweating a lot, and I already had a very dry mouth.  I somehow missed the first water stop but picked up a cup of Gatorade at the second water stop and felt better once I drank it.  At this point I was pacing at around 8:15-8:30 miles - far faster than my usual 9:00-9:15 half marathon pace.  I was listening to my legs and they felt fine - I'd run 10 milers at this pace and thought I could sustain it for the entire race.  Wishful thinking at its finest.

I hit the six-mile marker around 53 minutes in.  At this point I was double-fisting water and Gatorade at each water station and began to doubt my ability to keep my current pace.

When I arrived at the nine-mile marker around 1:23 I wasn't surprised - I could feel my pace slowing long before then.  Despite my double-fisting, I felt extremely dehydrated and knew I should take a walking break soon.  I promised myself I'd hold out until I hit the ten-mile marker, which I did at 1:33:58.  At that point, the wheels fell off.

I walked 3/4 of a mile and as I walked I thought about what I would write.  I thought of titling this post "The Frederick Half - Eating a Slice of Humble Pie" in reference to the mistakes I knew far better than to make and how I had to suck up my horrible time and wait until my fall races to do better.  I made it to another water station, did my double-fisting thing, and set off on what I thought was a slow jog to the finish.

Then something odd happened.

I must have been running the last couple of miles faster than I thought because I PRed.  While I didn't meet my sub-2:05:00 goal, I finished in 2:07:07 - my fastest half marathon time to date.  So much for sucking up my horrible time.

The good: I PRed
The bad: I didn't hydrate properly before the race and was extremely dehydrated as a result
The ugly: I had to take a walking break.  For the second time ever during a half.  Clearly I'm disappointed, but if there's a silver lining it's that I finally listened to my body and took a break when I knew I should instead of pushing through and risking taking myself out of commission for the next few days.

On a more positive note, downtown Frederick was cute and the finish line festival was fun.

Downtown Frederick

The Finish Line Festival

A few additional notes:

  • There are real restrooms at the Fairgrounds (where the start and finish lines are).  This means flushing toilets, working sinks, soap, and paper towels.  If these things don't excite you, congratulations, you have not spent as much time in race port-a-poties as I have.  You should try to keep things that way.
  • Other runners were surprisingly good about lining up by pace at the start line.  This made the first few miles a lot less chaotic than those of most races.
  • The race shirt isn't actually a shirt - it's a fleece lined sweatshirt.  I love mine, and I'm the girl that never keeps race swag other than medals.
  • Speaking of medals, if you run the Frederick Half and the Baltimore Half or Full, you get an additional medal for running the "Maryland Double."  I got this medal last year and it had a massive crab on it.  It was awesome.
  • There's a hill at mile 13.  Woof.
Will I be back next year?  Probably.  It's a well-run race on a fast course.  Today I did ok, but I know I can do far better.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Race Prep

Runners can be extremely superstitious.

I like to think I'm above superstition, but when I reflect upon my pre-race (or pre-long run) behavior, I find myself doing the same things time after time.  I always have the same thing for dinner, lay out my outfit to run in, and pack my bag of post-race gear the night before a race.

This Giada recipe is very similar to my typical pre-race dinner.  I use capellini instead of fusilli and add basil as well.  I know a lot of runners won't eat dairy product the day before a race, but I love cheese far too much to pass up sprinkling it over my pasta.

Doesn't this look delicious?



I pack the following in my race bag, for both pre- and post- race use.

Pre-race:

  • Small bottle of blue Gatorade (I hate most other flavors)
  • Coconut Chocolate Chip Cliff Bar (I used to hate Cliff bars/Luna bars/similar products... the fact that I can eat this flavor Cliff bar without wincing makes it a keeper)
  • Throwaway long-sleeved t-shirt or sweatshirt (if it's chilly out)
Post-race:

  • Face wipes (a life-changing revelation to bring these along - wiping the salt off of your face after a race feels amazing)
  • A fresh shirt (because I have no interest in wearing a sweaty, stinky shirt on the trip home)
  • Sandals or non-running shoes (to give my feet a break)
It's a pretty simple, common-sense list, but these items are like my security blanket - as long as I have them, I know I'll do just fine.

None of these are extreme behaviors, but the fact that I do them to put myself at ease and think they contribute to my success means I'm no better than the fools who wear the same pair of socks to every marathon.  I guess I'm superstitious after all.

Ode To My Team

Last weekend I ran the American Odyssey Relay with 11 amazing individuals.  This was my second year participating in the race and I loved every second of it.  Running is usually a solo sport - it's nice to be a part of a team and experience the camaraderie that participants of team sports experience all the time.

For two years now I've had the best time ever hanging out in a stinky van, running, not sleeping, and being silly with my team.  I owe them a huge THANK YOU:

  • For cheering me on at the beginning and ends of my legs - there's nothing like people cheering your name to get you pumped up to run and/or finish strong
  • For letting me blast ridiculous music (i.e. listening to "90s on 9" for 30 hours straight) and for participating in sing-alongs
  • For screaming out of the van windows and banging a cowbell at all of the runners we passed - even though we didn't receive the award for "most spirited' team, we were the most spirited in my eyes
  • For not making fun of the fact that I spent the majority of the weekend in crocs and a parka
  • For taking the "Never Nude" jokes to another level
  • For feeding me treats after my legs - yes, I realize I ate the same foods a 5-year-old would
  • For laughing at my had-to-be-there jokes that probably weren't funny and making some of your own (side note: Van 1, I've been thinking about you)
  • For supplying me with whatever I didn't bring - arm sleeves, iPhone cases, whatever - I'm really thankful I didn't need to buy men's XL supplies at Wal-Mart this year.
  • For buying sparklers - everyone was jealous that we got to play with them at night
  • For loving Eddie Money as much as I do
  • For letting me run leg 6 - running up that mountain was hell, but well worth it!
  • For taking a million photos so that I can remember and re-live everything I may have forgotten in a haze of exhaustion
  • For being SO POSITIVE and tactfully dealing with whatever obstacles came our way
  • For being my friends
The best team ever at the finish (courtesy of our captain):


GO TEAM NEVER NUDE!!!

Friday, May 4, 2012

How It Started

I wasn't always a runner.  There was a time (not so long ago) when I completely loathed running.  For a long time I couldn't even run a mile.  At my father's insistence I trained to run a 5K - I hated every second of it.  It wasn't until five years ago, when a group of my friends signed up to run the Army Ten Miler, that I considered running a "long" distance.  The way I saw it, if my friends could suffer through 10 miles, I could too.  Clearly I wasn't thinking very logically.

After the disastrous Army Ten Miler of 2007, where I likely walked more than I ran, I vowed to come back the following year in better shape.  And I did.  After that, I kept on running and haven't looked back.

Now I'm training for an ultra-marathon and Tough Mudder.  Five years ago, I didn't know these events existed.  I'm amazed by how far I've come.

Welcome

I run a lot; according to some of my friends I run "too much."  Lately a lot of people have been asking me for my thoughts and opinions on all things related to running... well, here they are!