Friday 5: Harbor Lights Half

Hellllo!  It's been FOREVER since my last post (I actually refused to look because I'm pretty sure it was longer ago than I want to admit).  I figured the best way to make my way back to blog world was by joining up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for my favorite link up!  A couple of weeks ago I ran J&A's Harbor Lights Half Marathon.  I wanted to share some things about it with you since I had such a good time!

1. It was on my birthday!!  This was a huge influence on my decision to sign up for this one.  I couldn't think of anything I would rather do on my birthday!

2. There was pie! Ok, real talk here.  The fact that it was on my birthday and there was pie felt like a sign.  It was like they knew it was my birthday and wanted to party.  I had a delicious mini chocolate pie and it was the perfect pick me up.  It actually was a great motivator.  I wasn't sure when the pie stop was and so at first I convinced myself to run at least the first 10k (I had hurt my foot a couple of weeks before the race which put a kink in my training and confidence).  After the 10k I decided that I should keep going until the pie stop.  The pie ended up being at mile 9 and at that point it seemed silly to take a break.

3. It rained the whole time.  Luckily I checked the weather and knew to bring my wind breaker and a hat (not completely waterproof, but much better than if I had just been wearing a normal tech shirt!).  It was one of those times when you kind of had to just laugh because if you couldn't laugh then it would probably have been miserable.  At one point I was running around two girls and we decided just to go for it and jump in the puddle instead of avoiding it because there was no way our shoes could have gotten any wetter.

Free race photos! 

4. The Grand Illumination Parade was the night before!  This was a bit of a surprise for my nice friend and me and we got to our hotel right in time before the roads closed.  It was fun to be able to watch the parade from our window.  Just a side note about our hotel: it was within walking distance from the race start/finish (wooo!) and from the Norfolk Tap Room that had a lovely selection of beer.  Gotta have my lucky pre race beer!

5. I loved the finish.  It was right on the water and they gave us one of those space blankets after we got our medals and snacks.  It's the little touches like this that make me love J&A so much.  (One time after a particularly hot race they gave us cool towels which was the best ever!).  We didn't end up staying for the after party.  I was cold and ready to be out of the rain, so I grabbed my stew and we headed back to the hotel.  Huge shout out to my nice friend for venturing out in the rain to get me to my starting corral and for cheering me on at the finish line.

Apparently can't have my time be over by even a second!

Thanks again J&A!  I would definitely run Harbor Lights again!

Oh, and just a side note--I have a new phone which means that I can finally take pictures that aren't "selfies!"  I know you guys will be disappointed not to see those masterpieces (been perfecting them for over a year now!)  My instagram game is about to be crazy good.

Happy Friday!!

Friday 5: My First Half

Good morning!  Friday is finally here!  I can't believe that Shamrock weekend is THIS weekend!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today!  Make sure to check out some of the amazing blogs in the link up (or add your own!).  Since this weekend is my 5 year anniversary of running half marathons, I figured I would tell you guys 5 things about my very first one!  (Sorry guys, there are no dorky pictures from the race. I literally ran with nothing.  My brother had the hotel key and my license just in case, but I wasn't concerned with much at this one haha!)

We take running VERY seriously.

1. It was the Shamrock Half Marathon.  I can't really remember why I chose this one.  Maybe because it was close, maybe I had heard great things, maybe friends had suggested it?  My brother and I had previously ran in the Wicked 10k and Virginia is for Lovers 14k, so maybe we figured to just keep going.  Either way, it was an excellent choice.  (Yes, J&A only had three races back then!  They've grown SO much!)

My mom made me this amazing shadow box to hold my first medals!

2. I made up my own training plan.  So, I was in college and I ran a lot.  It was a great stress reliever, I had friends who ran, and I had the most gorgeous place ever to run.  The only real plan was to keep running whenever I felt like it and then add a mile to my long run each weekend.  How nice would that be to do that now?  I remember coming home and telling my roommate that I ran 7 miles and I had never done that before and I was super excited.  She was very patient listening to all my running talk.  (She still is.)  For some reason, I did my 9 miler and 10 miler on the treadmill.  I guess I was scared then, too, of getting stuck far away?  Someone had told me that 10 miles was the longest I needed to run before my race, because "if you can do 10 you can do 13."  Well, ok.

3. I was faster than I anticipated. I remember being blown away by the fact that I had to put a predicted race time.  "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!?"  I ended up running about 30 minutes faster than I had anticipated.  Not a bad feeling.

4. I didn't use any fuel.  Probably had something to do with the fact that in college you're invincible and a beast.  I just didn't feel the need for it like I do now.  Also, at that point I had never even really heard of it. When I was handed a Gu on the race course I held on to it until mile 9 and then took it.  I will never forget the disgusting, warm (from holding it for 3 miles) strawberry mess.  (So, I also ran in the race shirt.  I figured that if they gave it to me then it must be a good shirt to run in haha!  So glad I'm too cool for that now.)  Basically, I had no idea of everything that running could entail.

Does pizza count?

5. I swore it was my last.  Don't get me wrong, I was SO proud of myself for finishing.  I tell people all the time that there's no feeling like crossing the finish line of your first half.  I remember the second I stopped running my quads cramped up in a major way.  It was horrible! My brother and I didn't even stay for the post race party and just hobbled back to the hotel.  It took me a whole year until I was ready to tackle another one.

What was your first half (or other race!) like?  Have a great weekend! Good luck to everyone running Shamrock this weekend!  Come say hi at the expo!

Friday 5: Favorites

Hello!  It's been a little while since my last post (BUT I'm going to get more consistent here really soon).  In typical fashion, I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday 5!  Make sure to check out the amazing blogs in the link up!  I can't wait to read what other bloggers are loving right now!

1. Thanksgiving with family.  This year Maddux and I went to my sister's house in Ohio.  She did an amazing job cooking our dinner and we had lots of amazing walks at the parks near her home. Maddux went to the beach for the first time and it was so funny watching him with the waves.  My sister and I went to a wine and painting class and had the best time!  I'm not sure my painting looks quite as the instructor had envisioned, but I had a great time trying to figure it out.   (Side note: my sister just hit her goal of walking 1,000 miles for the year with her pup today!  So exciting!!)

2. Sweat Pink Ambassadors. It's so nice being a part of this community.  I've been getting horrible side cramps lately during my runs, and when I posted in the group seeking advice they immediately responded with a bunch of different things I could try.

3. Holiday Sweat Challenge.  I decided I needed a little motivation to keep up with cross training this winter, so I signed up for my first fitness challenge.  Although I've been horrified at how little water I have been drinking lately (you track it every day), it has been fun trying to get the workout points!  I've been making it a point to try to get more water and by the end of this thing I am determined to get my daily water point!

4.  Buying gifts.  While I still need ideas for my nice friend, I have the rest of my family all figured out! I was so bummed that I ran out of tape in the middle of wrapping.  I've had the best time picking out things I think that my family would like.  They all did an amazing job choosing things for my birthday, so I'm glad I get to turn around and spoil them a little now!

Dachshund gifts from my sister.  Short legged pups = love.

5. TRAINING PLANS!  I finally have my Shamrock plan all figured out.  It's printed and on my fridge all ready to be conquered.  Last time I didn't miss a single run.  I'm going to try for that again!  As I mentioned earlier, I'm going to start tracking my training again, so writing (and reading y'all's blogs!) will get much more consistent than my sporadic posting I've had going lately.

Get used to all my pictures looking weird for a while.  My phone
only lets me take selfies, which is not easy if your self isn't in them :)

What are some things you've been loving lately? 

I Shamrocked the Shamrock Half Marathon!

The title may give you some hint of how my race went last weekend: it was absolutely amazing!  Buuut let's not skip any of the important details.  I made you guys suffer through 20 weeks of training, so it's only right that I make this post extra long and detail filled.

Friday night I vowed to get a good night's sleep.  I've been fighting a miserable cold for the past couple of weeks and figured that a good night's sleep would be the best thing for me.  They (who exactly "they" is is unclear) say that it's not the night before the race, but the night before the night before the race that counts.  Maddux had other plans.  He decided to choose the most important night before the night before the race to not be able to sleep and make sure that I couldn't get any rest either.  If you wanna hear God laugh tell him your plans, right? 

Maddux says everything I tell you is lies.

Saturday morning came bright and (way too) early.  Maddux and I hit the road for Newport News where we were meeting up with my roommate who was nice enough to take my pup in for the night and my best friend who was riding out to Virginia Beach with me.  Traffic was a bit of a beast, so we only had a few minutes to chat before heading out to the expo.  I can't think of anything super exciting about the expo other than the smoothie and cereal samples, but I was really excited to get my number and my insanely bright shirt.  (Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to wear it.  I tried and it gave me a headache it was so glaringly bright.  I've also been sick, so I'm hoping I will stop being a pansy soon.)  

So happy to be at the beach!!

Guys, let me just tell you that my best friend is seriously the best.  After the expo we checked into our hotel and I was thankful she was with me!  I wouldn't exactly call it luxury, but it was right across the street from the finish line and I was able to walk to the start.  The front desk lady was so incredibly nice, too!  Combine that with a late race day check out and I am sold.  After checking into our hotel we decided to stroll down the boardwalk and find somewhere to eat dinner where we could get a good pre-race beer.  I remembered eating at Abbey Road years ago with my dad and figured that we would probably be in luck with a good beer selection and I was right!  My best friend patiently listened to me switch on and off between "OMG I'M SO EXCITED" and "OMG I'M SO NERVOUS" and then we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Bestie says it's easier to listen to me blab on about running when she has a drink in hand.

At 5:17 (random, I know, but it was already set from another time I got up too early so I rolled with it) the alarm went off and I started my pre-race prep.  I ate a peanut butter power bar while drinking a crappy cup of hotel coffee and put on the outfit I had laid out the night before.  Here's where my issue was: It was supposed to be around 50 degrees by the time I finished the race.  I get SO hot when I run so I figured I would be ok with just a short sleeved shirt and shorts (when I ran the Crawlin' Crab in 2012 I wore shorts and a tank top in similar weather and was fine).  Long story short, my arms were SO cold during this race.  The rest of me felt fine, but my hands were not cooperating because they were so cold and it took me a little bit after the race to get normal function back in them.  I ended up having to hold my Shot Block baggie in my hand towards the end because I was so sick of trying to mess with the zipper on my pouch.

Best friends wake up with you and freeze so you don't have to start the race alone.
They also surprise you by telling you they packed you extra tissues!

Back to before the race--We made it to the start line in plenty of time.  The corrals were well marked and each section had a glorious row of portapotties.  At the last minute possible I handed off my layers to my best friend and headed to my place.  I was really nervous, but  before I knew it, we were off!  I think my corral (5) started about 7 minutes after the initial start.  There were a couple of signs that said "You are no where near being done!" and "Only 13 miles to go!" Soon after that, there was a house handing out cups of beer.  I wish I was confident enough in my ability to run after drinking a beer, but my mom would probably be proud I didn't take drinks from strangers, so I guess there's that.

The race was pretty uneventful.  I enjoyed the course, but thinking back there weren't any super interesting or odd things about it.  I liked the signs that are on the course with jokes and quotes and laughed around mile 5 because during my first half marathon that's where my brother stopped for the bathroom line and I semi freaked out about running the last 8 miles by myself.  As the miles clicked by I saw that my pace was faster than I intended.  I kept trying to slow myself down because I hadn't been running that fast in my training runs lately, but as each mile passed I was staying at about the same pace.  I figured it was what it was and if I totally lost steam at the end of the race then that's what would happen.  I skipped the first water station, but got a cup or two of water to follow a shot blok at all of the remaining stops.  I've been cramping up terribly lately so I avoided the gatorade (and sadly the oreos).  Around mile 6 or 7 we rounded the corner in Fort Story and I got a glimpse of the ocean which gave me a little extra boost.  I laughed a little bit because I heard a couple of girls talking about how you never realize how hilly Virginia Beach is until you try to run.  This course was as flat as a well made pancake.  

Finally we reached mile 11 and some one yelled "It's almost over!"  It kind of hit me then that everything I had worked towards was almost over.  It also hit me that I had hopes of coming close to my old PR (2:06:??).  I picked up the pace and cranked out that last mile at an 8:58 pace woohoo!  I felt amazingly strong as I did the final kick on the boardwalk and crossed the finish line at 2:04:50, a brand new sparkly PR!

I was absolutely elated and the best part?  I felt great!  My best friend and I headed to the post race party after I got my photo snapped and grabbed my snacks to celebrate with a beer.  I ran into Colleen and her sweet family on the search for the beer line.  (I met them last weekend at the ZOOMA Kickoff party!)  Finally I was ready to warm up a little (the post race party was in a tent, so we escaped the wind, but I was still a bit chilly) so we headed back to the hotel and I grabbed a shower before we went to the amazing Pocahontas Pancake house.  Our race was on the marathon course, so it made perfect sense to eat pancakes while we waited for the roads to open ;-)

Pretty sure I PRed in breakfast, too.

So folks, there it is!  Thanks again to J&A Racing for another incredible race experience!  A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers who helped the event run smoothly and who helped cheer us all on.   And last but not least, thanks you all of you for all your words of encouragement as I trained for this race!  I can't wait to come back next year!

Back to Training

So, I'm officially training for a half marathon.  I'm really excited about it because it's one of my absolute favorite races, BUT also really nervous because it is only 50 days away.  I'm on the second week of my training plan right now, and while I've already had to make some adjustments, it's going pretty well.  I've gotta say, having limited time to get my butt in shape is definitely a motivator to get out the door!

I was in Pennsylvania for a little over a week and got in some hilly miles in my parents' neighborhood while I was there.  They were TOUGH, but I was really happy when my last mile on one of my runs clocked in under a 9 minute pace.  I don't see 8s very often on my Garmin and was especially happy that it happened on those hills!

When I left my parents' house my sister came with me!  She helped me get some work done and we saw some of the sights of DC.  We ate lots of good food, went on a great walk with Maddux (minus the part where we encountered a skinny dipper), and may have added a small addition to our family.

Today I tackled some intervals on the 'mill.  I think having some speed work thrown into my training plan for my last half worked really well so I'm going to do my best to fit them in when I can.  I ended up running 4 miles in 35:47 with a ten minute warm up and then 2 hard minutes followed by 3 easy minutes (repeated until the end).  I was a sweaty mess after that one!

In other news, don't forget to sign up for Color Me Rad!  I have mine coming up in just a couple weeks and am getting excited!  I also have a review of the July Kona Kase coming your way soon!  I've only had one of the snacks so far, but think it is going to be awesome now that I'm in training again!  Feel free to use the code GIFTSUMMER for $5 off a kase!

Happy Friday!

Lindsey Sucks at Posting

As was seen from past blog activity, I suck at posting consistently.  I am glad I don't have any readers relying on me for inspiration, because I have had to adopt a new running blog to read when I need a kick out the door because not one, but TWO of my favorites have been slacking on the blog front, too.

Anyway, some updates from life:

Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in March: Goal met?  Oh no, no, no.  In fact it was significantly (as in way, way, way, way) over where I wanted to be.  You know what though?  I had a lot of fun.  Running through the city was amazing and I got to see lots of sights that normally I miss because I am driving and cursing traffic.  After thinking a lot (way too much) about this race, I realized that I couldn't  have expected this run to go well.  I didn't put forth the work that I needed to, and as you can see from the majority of the posts I actually got around to writing, I ate like crap.  I let myself off way too easily. You live you learn I suppose.

New Year's Resolutions: So far, only one is officially met.  This little guy made it to dog school!  I am proud to say that he graduated and is ready for the next step up.  He is doing so much better on walks.

Despite what you may think, no, you have not seen a cuter dog than this.

I am also signed up for my second half marathon of the year!  It will be an October race and I am BEYOND excited!  It's also put on by one of my favorite racing companies, J&A Racing!  I have been following a training plan for a few weeks now that has been going really well.  I am slowly building mileage in, and I am even going to attempt to add speed work.  That will be an interesting part of the plan.  Basically, the plan goes twice a week running 45 minutes, then once a week a long run or speed work.  The 45 minute runs are considered "maintenance runs" and have a few minutes to a mile of "race pace"but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that should be.  I've realized I'm not a very confident runner.  I need to work on that.  For example, yesterday was BEAUTIFUL out.  But, thanks to my friend's wedding, I was feeling reaalllly stiff and tired from a night of dancing and drinking.  I decided to stick to the 'mill because obviously it was going to be a hard run and I just knew I was going to have to stop for water every two seconds.  Yeah, it turned out to be a pretty great run.  Nothing spectacular, but I ended up running my 6 miles in 56:05.  I had set the treadmill timer for 62 min.  See where I'm going with the confidence thing?  On the flip side, I know I push myself harder on the treadmill.  I think part of it is secretly knowing I can stop and get water whenever I want.  I have also determined that because the bride of the wedding is a triathlete it must mean you can party all night with her and you are destined to have a good run.  She is amazing by the way.

On another running note, I am doing the Runner's World Summer Running Streak.  I was a little apprehensive because I have never run every day before.  I asked friends and my ultimate running advice go to (my dad!) how this was going to work out.  I was reassured several times that yes, I can do it.  No, running a mile isn't going to wear my body down.  I'm twenty something days in now, and have found that my legs have been a lot fresher because of it.  I would definitely do this again, although there has been a lot of laundry.  I'm an avid sweater and the majority of my clothes I have not been able to re-wear.  Speaking of sweating, I am excited because my favorite blogger, Ali,  is selling I <3 Sweat shirts to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.  I had been thinking of getting one for a while, but I finally made the plunge today.  I mean, who doesn't love a good sweat.  When I finish the streak, I am thinking of getting myself a "yay, I did it!" prize.  I know it's just a mile a day, but running 38 days in a row is a pretty big deal.  Not gonna lie, I have definitely written every single workout, but RW streak wise and training plan in my planner.  It feels good to check them off and has kept me on track.  I am thinking of buying the Nike running watch with the GPS in it.  I am obsessed with my Nike+ sportsband, but now that my runs are going to be getting a lot longer I think it would be nice to have a more accurate read.  I'm pretty sure it can still upload to my Nike running account, so I can still have all my information up there to see.  I love being able to look at my mileage, pace, and overall comments.  The new and improved website is pretty cool, too, now that I'm getting used to it.

Ok, this is getting to be a really long post.  I guess it was only right, seeing that I have months to make up.  Have a happy Monday! :-)