Tag Archives: Events

Guest Post: TINKER BELL Virtual Race

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One of my first ever Blends (blog friends) Was Jennie from Running Jennie.. We were both training for our first half-marathon (which we both accomplished!!) Both fairly new to the blogosphere. Today, Jennie has a guest post for y’all!!! :)
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A year ago, if you had told me I would be training for my third half marathon while trying to raise $5,000 for charity, I would have told you that you were crazy.  I had not yet run my first half marathon and have never been a strong fundraiser.  To find myself doing both right now is shocking.  But here I am!
When I decided I wanted to run another half marathon this coming winter, I knew that I wanted to make it about something bigger than me.  I had heard a lot about Team in Training, a group that trains for endurance events like half marathons while raising money to support blood cancer research and programs.  I decided to join them.   Although I am blessed to not have a personal connection to blood cancers right now, I know many people who do have stories, and I know that there are many more people that I don’t know yet who have stories.  I am running for all those people.  There are people in the world who will never have this opportunity, for so many different reasons, and I count myself lucky that I have this chance to make a difference.

One of my fundraisers is a virtual run.  A virtual run is  a race where you sign up, pay a “race fee” (donation), and run the race on your own (or with friends!) on a date of your choosing and at a location of your choosing.  You run, jog or walk either a 5k or 10k distance on your own or with friends, outside or on a treadmill.  All proceeds of this virtual run are going to Team in Training, and participants have the opportunity to win fantastic prizes from great companies like Endorphin Warrior, KT Tape, Larabar and SPIbelt.  Participants will also receive Tinker Bell themed “bling” as a thank you for your support.

Registration is open now, and will stay open until November 23rd.  You can complete your run at any time from now until November 30th.  If you want to sign up, please check out [this post on my blog] (http://runningjennie.blogspot.ca/2012/10/tink-in-training-virtual-run-team-in.html).  That post also has all sorts of information about participant goodies, the prizes and more!

I hope you all can join us for this virtual run to raise money for Team in Training.  For more information about Team in Training, you can visit [their website] (http://www.teamintraining.com) and for information on my fundraising progress or to make a donation, visit my [personal fundraising page ] (http://www.tinkintraining.com).  Thank you for your support!

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Virtual Runs are becoming more & more popular! I mean, who doesn’t want to get a sweet Tinker bell bling to show that they helped the lives of cancer patients??

You can find Jennie at her blog RunningJennie.blogspot.com or via twitter at @JennieRunning

Race Strategy: Believing Is Half The Battle

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I feel sort of silly writing this post today. On the tail of a wicked Marathon weekend, where so many of my friends absolutely rocked the course and winds in DC at the Marine Corps Marathon (Yeah that’s right Caitlin… I’m lookin’ at you!) and NYC Marathon in under a week now…. My little ole Half Marathon in TWELVE FLIPPING DAYS doesn’t seem so big and bad anymore.. haha.

But, to me.. It is. To me, it is more important than my first half-marathon. Why? My first one was all about finishing. This one, is about proving I can do better. This one, is about shutting up that little voice in my head that says “I can’t” It’s about proving that my life didn’t end when my engagement did. It has just begun. I’m better, stronger, more independent and powerful than ever. This is my life, and I am in complete control of it.

Last week I was all over the place. My emotions were high in the beginning of the week, and toward the end of the week I was seriously freaking out about my hip. I was a mess. Pre-race jitters a few weeks early? Who knows. But I do know one thing. That is all in the past.

I sit here confident today. I have a strategy for this race. Columbia had no strategy. My only goal was to finish and not be in last place. I accomplished both, but still ended up disappointed with the time on the clock. That isn’t going to happen this time.

My goal is to negative split, that way I can start the race at a comfortable pace that I know I can maintain for an extended period of time.. Once I hit the 10k mark I plan to drop the hammer. This way, I don’t push my lactic acid threshold too early in the race and can kick it into overdrive during the second half. I hope to stick near the pace group until toward the end of the race and then leave them in the dust. ;)

I learned during my first half-marathon that essentially, it’s a 10 mile run with a 5k race at the end. Once I get to that final 5k I hope to be feeling good enough to start picking off the runners ahead of me.  Using runners up ahead as targets. Increase the effort slightly to gain ground on the competition & to keep from slowing from my goal pace.

Not to the point where I want to hurl before I even make it to mile 12, but enough to push myself. See what exactly I’m really made of. We’ll never know what we’re capable of achieving unless we step outside our comfort zone.

However, once I hit the 13 mile marker, it is GAME OVER. Sure at this point I’ll have been running for over 2 hours and I’ll want to just lay down on the side of the road and call it a day… but, at this point what is another minute or two? I plan on running my little heart out and running so hard my legs want to fall off. Granted, I’m sure they already will at this point.. But again.. that last .1 is nothing compared to what was just accomplished.

Essentially my strategy is to start out slow and steady and gradually increase my pace until the last few miles where I plan to put it all on the table and see what I’m really made of. Will this actually happen? Who knows. If there is one thing I have learned with running, it’s that you never really know whats going to happen on race day until you cross the start line.

However, I have put in the training. I have logged the miles, rested the hip (in fact I’m actually debating running the full 10 miles on my training plan this weekend. I want a fresh hip and giving it extra time to stop throwing a temper tantrum might be the smartest decision.. We’ll see later this week) and the RNR San Antonio course is pretty flat…

I see no reason I shouldn’t be able to blow my goals out of the water.
Believing is half the battle.

Just Call Me Crazy – My First Marathon, REGISTERED

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I finally bit the bullet. After talking about it, tossing back and forth my capabilities, and debating whether or not I’ll die somewhere on the course (I’m guess mile 23 for some reason) Today I registered for my first FULL MARATHON. It’s real, now.

The Flying Pig Marathon! I have had my sights set on the Flying Pig since I decided I was going to run my first Marathon in 2013. I chose the Flying Pig for several reasons. The first selling point was that Zack has family in Cincinnati. I was super happy to find a Marathon in a place where Zack would have people to spend the day with. On top of that, though, I have never heard a bad thing about this marathon! Everyone I have told so far that has run it says its one of the most fun races they’ve participated in! People who haven’t run it say they want to because of its reputation.

The biggest contributing factor, as weird as this may sound… was Emily from Daily Garnish. She was the very first running/healthy living blog I ever read. I liked her blog for two reasons (other than the fact that I just love her blog) she was a Culinary student (I was too at the time) and she was a marathon runner. Reading her Flying Pig recaps are the first time I remember ever thinking I wanted to run 26.2 someday. Is that totally strange?

The best part now that I’ve been looking into the race more, is the BLING! It’s always relatively similar with slight changes each year.

Is that not adorable? a flying pig on the front, and his adorable little booty on the back. LOVE. :)

So its really, really, real y’all! After San Antonio in November, I will have just enough time to recover 100% and then begin Marathon Training!

Marathoners, what was your first 26.2?
If you haven’t run one yet but plan to someday, what Marathon is in your sights for 26.2 #1?

Learning To Run Beyond My Comfort Zone

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;

My biggest problem with running isn’t form, it isn’t the heat, it isn’t aches or pains in my muscles or any other part of my body, and it’s not my endurance. I can work through all of those things. My biggest weakness, hands down — is that I have yet to teach myself how to push to the level of discomfort and stay there. (which is interesting, since in aerobic workouts and strength training I push way past my limits almost every time.)

As athletes, the first few weeks of training we tend to improve rapidly…. After awhile we find a “comfort zone” — a pace that makes us comfortable for longer distances than we’re used to, a distance that is easier than we ever imagined possible, Etc… All too often we’re afraid of pushing past that zone and really “suffering” during training. I am so guilty of this, it’s not even funny.. I can always force myself to keep moving, but when my lungs start to burn TOO badly I’ll slow down my pace without any conscious thought about it.

It’s NO secret that it is absolutely critical to the success of endurance racing to push myself past these limits. I failed to do this during my Iron Girl Half-Marathon, and it’s not exactly a surprise that because of this, my time was terribly pathetic and I had much more energy than I should have after crossing that finish line 13.1 miles later.

It’s that point when the body takes over and the mind just has to hang on for the ride — THAT is why I run… Yet, why am I so hesitant to get to that point? There’s no sound reason as to why, I’m not afraid – I’m not thinking to myself “omg slow down” I just do. I need to start consciously thinking “keep pushing. Push HARDER”

This week I have really been working on running past my comfort zone. After yesterday’s workout with coach J, he confirmed my suspicions. These buns are getting stronger. All hail the dumbbell squats & lunges. They’re truly miracle workers (yoga streak probably has a lot to do with it as well. Credit, where credit is deserved)

He gave me the go ahead to push it to the limits.

Cue Music…

We also had a lengthy discussion about how I have yet to really hit that discomfort level and stay there… He gave me some great advice. Funny how the best advice is simple, to the point, and usually no more than a few words.

  1. Repeat a Mantra. For me, my mantras usually consist of a few curse words, The f word is my personal favorite while running. “You can F-ing do this” is a big one for me. But, whatever works for you is just dandy.
  2. Remember it Will Pass. If you aren’t injured, the pain is only temporary. A lot of the times it won’t even stick with you more than a few miles. Even if it does last the rest of your run — it will pass, and next time you’ll be that much stronger for it.
  3. Distractions. Distractions. Distractions. This is where coach J differs from a lot of other coaches. More and more people are trying to train without music. He, recommended faster paced music with the volume pumped up. It will help ME zone out (this isn’t for everyone. But I’m a fiercely loyal music-runner.)

Of course, this doesn’t mean I should stop listening to my body. If there is sudden sharp pain, nausea/vomitting, or other OBVIOUS signs my body is crying for help — I’m not going to keep pushing it then. There’s a difference between pushing your limits and being stupid. ;)

& before I part. My last vlog update of the week… You can see me momentarily freak out over a bird. or bat. or something?

What helps you push your limits?
When was the last time you took the opportunity to push past what you thought your limits were?

Warrior Dash Maryland – Revenge of the Mud

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Warrior Dash…. I have a lot to say about this day – but let me start off by saying that if you have the opportunity to, SIGN UP!

The day started pretty early for a race that didn’t go off until 12:30. I hadn’t originally realized Mechanicsville is over 2 hours away, I was just so excited when I saw the words “Warrior Dash” and “Maryland” on the screen. Oh well, no big deal. Got up around 8 & were on the road by 9.

…On the road again

The drive in was a breeze, and just as I expected – we came to a dead hult as soon as we turned onto the road the event was being held. We were in line to park for easily 35-40 minutes. It was the most frustrating part of the entire day… When we got in it was smooth sailing from there.

…Yeah…

We parked, made our way into the festival area, stopped at the port-a-john and had me checked in within 10 minutes of paying the once we got through the ‘gate’

LETS DO THIS THING!

Everything about this event was well organized and efficient. The volunteers were incredibly helpful and kind. Despite the intense sun and heat, they had smiles on their faces. Huge props to everyone involved in today’s Warrior Dash in Maryland! You made what could have easily been a chaotic day run great!

The atmosphere was wild. Everyone was full of energy, but unlike most races it wasn’t nervous energy. Shirtless, shoeless, muddy people laughing and dancing and singing all around with huge turkey legs and pints of beer. Not to mention the viking hats :D

i heart this man

& before I knew it, it was 12:30 and we were off!

holy crap was that fire HOT when standing underneath the gate! woah

Ready for people to start MOVIN’ it…

This is where I have the ONLY gripe about the race itself and it isn’t on WD by any means. If you’re afraid to get dirty, this isn’t the event for you. That’s fine! Not everything is for everyone. I do understand trying something new (hey this was my first mud run too) and not really being sure of what to expect.. But the entire first 1/2 mile I wasn’t even walking. I was walking, being brought to a hult. The course launches you right into some mud – I of course expected this but apparently not many did because everyone ahead of me seemed to be stopped because they were all trying to climb the side to get away from the mud that was MAYBE 2 inches deep… Finally a buff, BIG guy right ahead of me just  JUMPED into the mud puddle and splashed it everywhere. THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU WERE, now we’re all muddy, get used to it and let’s carry on, shall we? ;)

Sorry, my rant is over now :P

The first obstacle we approached was the “Barricade Breakdown” where you had to hurdle over a wall and then crawl under barbed wire. Easiest obstacle of the whole race — except that the last one seemed to be hanging lower than it should have. I’m assuming someone got caught at one point and it came loose. Thanks to an awesome warrior (and a hunk to look at. What? I can look ;) ) stayed and held it up for everyone and was cheering us on.

Here came the running. UPHILL. Any and all running in this race was either uphill, what seriously felt like at a 90 degree angle, or down hill, equally steep. Neither of which are exactly easy on the legs. My right hip, which has been giving me issues the past few days (more on that later) started saying “yo, knock that sh*t off” Of course I just scoffed back at it and carried on, trying not to face plant in the mud.

The next obstacles might be a little out of order. I am never very good at remember at which point in a race something happened. Only if it was the first half or second half of it. haha. I’m too in the zone or something? I’m not sure.

Next up was the Cargo Climb, where you had to climb up cargo net turn around at the top and climb back down. Now, let me just say that I have no fear of heights, at all. I love heights in fact. But – turning around at the top in shoes that were now caked in soaking wet mud, made me a little nervous… The next few were similar variations. Each one got a little harder. The Deadmans Drop, The Warrior Wall… A little repetitive, but still fun! & Definitely a great upper body workout! ;)

If I remember correctly, after a hellacious uphill power walk came the WATER SLIDE!!! I so so so badly wish I could have gotten a picture of this! It was by far the best part of the whole event. & only 30% because I was dying of heat in the 80 degree sun at this point. (& only 10% because the wind felt incredible waiting in line at the top of the hill) ;) It was so fun!!! There were two guys at the top of this huge hill with giant firemen size hoses spraying down the giant hill… I went FLYING down that slide, threw my hands up and pretended I was at Disney World for a second ;) I even nearly lost my shorts in the process.. No, I’m not joking.. I grabbed them just in time haha.

It was so refreshing… But now I had 1.5 miles to run soaking, sloshing, dripping wet… But it was alright, the next few obstacles were pretty easy and right in the open field so the sun started to dry me off pretty quickly. The first obstacle I came across in the field was the trenches… Big logs with trenches under to climb in and out of… Next up was a cargo net you had to climb straight across. Then there was a little bit more running, and then we had to walk across little beams up, across, down. This was easy for me. I can balance really well. Perk of being a gymnast growing up….. The means were followed by the most pathetic, 2 tires just laying there.. lame. I was a little disappointed it wasn’t more difficult than that.

After the tires was a downhill sprint. Again with what felt like a 90 degree angle. Only, I much prefer the downhill! WEEEEEEEEEEE

Immediately after the downhill sprint were two fire pits to jump over. They weren’t very big but they were radiating intense heat.

Thank you 75M hurtles in middle school track. oohhh ya ;) … If those girls weren’t in front of me this has the potential to be an epic picture. Bo0

weeee

And just when I started sprinting ahead because I thought it was over….

The real mud came. I was starting to wonder… everyone was SO muddy and THIS is why…

Thick. THICK. THIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCKKKK mud y’all!

As you can see I nearly DID faceplant. I slipped hardcore trying to save my shoe from getting stuck.. At that point I got on my knees…. I’m not even going to lie, that mud STANK. I can’t tell you for the life of me WHAT it smelled like, but it smelled bad. After wearing it for about 15 minutes, I was gagging by the time I got to the hose to be “showered” off. It was thick!!!

THIS was the last obstacle. I had finished my first Warrior Dash! & It was every bit as fun as I anticipated it to be. Over all the obstacles were fun but not extremely difficult. The insane hills were what got to me. I need to definitely add some hill work to my training!! YIKES.

But. I IZ A WARRIOR

This is where I started chasing Zack trying to give him the muddiest hug ever. I was determined to catch him until he realized I was serious and no longer found it funny. He’s lucky I love him….

I survived!

I had one mission, and that was to be COVERED in mud, and I successfully accomplished that! ;) I’m also really pleased I didn’t eat any mud. I saw a few girls in front of me eagerly dive into the mud bath of doom at the end, and drink it up like a milk shake! GROSS! I probably would have tossed my cookies. Just smelling it was making my stomach turn!

All in all, the entire day was a blast. I’m not sure why mud runs get such a bad rep. What is so bad about wanting to get dirty and have some fun? I’ve said it time and time again that I believe incorporating fun into our training will enhance our performance significantly. If you’re 100% serious 100% of the time something somewhere is going to snap. LIVE AND LET LIVE.

I am now committing myself to do a Tough Mudder event. With marathon training and the wedding taking up 2013 I’m going to be realistic and say 2014 I will be a tough mudder. I think it will be the ultimate test. Today was SUCH a workout and it was SUCH fun. I think we thrive when we’re having the most fun, and I definitely felt like I thrived today (other than my stinkin hip)

I will be back for Warrior Dash Maryland take 2 in 2013! It’s going to be a long year waiting for it!

Have you ever done a Mud run or Adventure Race?
Would you ever consider it? 

Thoughts after My First 10 Miler

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After running (and also racing ;) ) my first 10 miler, I have so freaking many thoughts going through my mind.

  1. I can’t WAIT to see what I’m capable of when I’m better trained & not babying my knee! I’m only just scratching the surface of my potential!
  2. Pain is Gain Most things worth doing or having, hurt. Training for and running this – hurt! But – in the best way possible. The moment itself may be fleeting, but the pain you survive to get there makes it worth it.
  3. I’m SUPER DUPER stoked for the Warrior Dash, MD! I know – I know. My half-marathon is in a few weeks! Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for that. But I’m also STOKED to get muddy and have a freaking BLAST. I’m going to strictly enjoy Warrior Dash. I’ll run the heck out of the course in between obstacles, but I’m just going to have fun with the obstacles themselves.
  4. If it’s the furthest distance you’ve ever run, request the entire day off of work, especially if one of your jobs is waiting tables. I don’t work Sunday mornings. Ever. So it didn’t even cross my mind that I would have to worry about not working race day. Oooof. When the schedule came out and I was due in at 5:30… Was not pleased. My legs were feeling fine until about 2 hours into being on my feet at work.
  5. A Playlist can make or break your run. My playlist was pretty much fantastic. It kept me moving the whole time (oops did I say music at CUCB? tsk tsk! ;) ) and it was like it knew to play certain songs when I needed an extra push! ….Except at mile 8 when some awful remix of a song I downloaded came on and threw me off. Nothing like a bad song in the last stretch of the race…
  6. Race Pictures are a cruel joke. Seriously, it must be a blast to work for MarathonFoto or Brightroom & the like… To look at photos all day of ridiculous looking runners. I’m just sayin… I know what I look like when I run, and it aint pretty… haha. I’m sure that I’m wiping snot in every photo during the second half of the race.
  7. Don’t listen to everyones advice all the time. Listen to your body. When it comes to a lot of things, running especially.. what works for some people WILL NOT work for others. I had a lot of people tell me not to race. I had a lot of people tell me my long runs fell apart because of poor fueling. Well – I raced it & my knee isn’t in that much pain, nothing a few days off and massaging it can’t fix! Also, I didn’t fuel at all during the race & felt fine. I’m truly starting to think that it WAS my fuel & the fact that it would screw with my stomach that made all of my past long runs fall apart. (However I realize I need to figure my fueling out with marathon training later this year)
  8. Nothing beats watching the sun rise over the Nation’s capitol with 20,000+ people all amped up to race. It was a sight that is engraved in my memory forever.
  9. A Metro at 5:30am full of ONLY runners in long socks, sweet sweat bands, obnoxiously bright gear – is the coolest metro in the world. Some really interesting chats and laughs on the ride in from New Carrolton.
  10. I’m kind of awesome. haha. I mean, I know to a lot of people it’s actually no big deal to run 10 miles. But – Before Winter 2010/11 I never ever dreamed I’d be a runner. Even then I never dreamed I’d truly enjoy it
  11. I’m lucky to have my own personal race photographer and bag check, for free ;) Zack takes the best photos during my races! Not to mention the awesomeness that is not having to stand in line to pick up my gear after running until my legs want to fall off! :P

And on to the next!……

8 Weeks to Half Marathon Glory

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I’m ready to eat my half-marathon.. Okay, so no — I’m really not ready.

The higher mileage weeks have been doing a number on my pelvic muscles, specifically the ones they separated during my surgery. No matter what I do, how many pelvic tilts, etc.. the muscles of my lower abdomen/pelvis kill during my high mileage. like fetal position drop to the ground OUCH!

So, I’m playing it safe for the next 8 weeks — then I have all spring to work on building those babies up!

I’m feeling pretty good about this plan. I’m actually a crap ton more nervous about the Cherry Blossom 10 than I am the Half.. I figure, if I can actually run the Cherry Blossom, then I can kick it into over drive and finish the half marathon a few weeks later, for sure! That 10 miler April 1 is SNEAKING UP FAST, though.. I’ve put in the training – but I’m still terrified… Like I said my pelvic muscles have been PISSSSSSEEEDDDD during my last several long runs. I fuel great, I bring more fuel, I carry water & drink it a TON….. It’s just those darn muscles that were destroyed and I can’t seem to rebuild :(

Where did my time go? I remember thinking “OH MY GOSH ITS SO FAR AWAY”
Ha… Time is such a funny thing! ;)

In other news… I got my new laptop – which means I will be able to comment on all your blogs again! oooof – sorry about last week. I read just as many blogs as I usually do, but commenting on my phone STINKS.

:D I love it (Thank you AGAIN, Zack!)

& I’m taking my first Krav Maga class tonight!! (For those of you not familiar, Krav Maga is a style of eclectic self-defense. I’ve worked right next door to a Krav Maga gym for months now, the guys come in ALL the time and finally convinced me! I’m nervous/excited.

14 Weeks to Glory

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After a couple of frustrating weeks on the Long Runs, I have decided to scrap my current training plan. I have 14 weeks (Apparently I’m bad at math, & it’s 14 not 15. Which totally ruins the name of my training plan ’15 Weeks To Glory’  name courtesy of Elaine) until my Half-Marathon (Thank Buddha!) so I have the luxury of figuring out where I went wrong. I really think that in my rush to push up my mileage, I lost something important along the way. I’m not sure what it is, but at one point my body stopped responding to the training plan the lovely folks at Charm City Run helped me make. So, last night after another defeating 8 miles (okay this one wasn’t so bad to be honest. It was just on the treadmill, a mind numbing contraption in my opinion.) I sat down during #RunChat and designed a new schedule. Took my current training plan & just lowered the intensity a bit.

My 14 Weeks to Glory:

I feel good about this plan. It gives me time to focus on each mile increase. Allows me to go back to the 5k and figure out where I went wrong the first time around… Only thing I’m concerned about is, should I not be running 13 miles a week before my race? Is that too many miles before my first long distance race?

Then after spending too much time one the training plan that I should have been spending sleeping – I continued to stay awake & browse the web for an apron. I’m on a mission to find the perfect cooking apron. I sort of am in love with this:

Is this not fabulous?