10 Half Marathons, 5 Races

Happy Friday!  I had an unexpected day to catch up on life, and figured the best way to celebrate was with a blog post.  (PS--I can't believe I missed the last official Friday Five!  You can tell it's been way too long since I've last posted!) Things have been a bit crazy around here, but a few weeks ago I ran half marathon number 10!  Since it's too late to do its own recap, I thought it would be fun to do a trip down memory lane!

1. Shamrock Half Marathon: My happiest half marathon memories are at this race.  My first half, my next big PR, and finally breaking two hours all happened on this course.  Plus, the usual beach and best friend time that has become tradition doesn't hurt either!

2. Rock 'n' Roll DC: Guys, I wanted to love this race, but all I really remember from it was being super stressed out because even though I left crazy early, the metro failed me and got me there at the last minute.  Needless to say, I haven't been back for this one.  Maybe one day...

3. Crawlin' Crab Half: You guys know I love this one.  The course is probably my favorite and the craft beer fest at the end is the perfect way to celebrate a race.  This race has always been one that I have run just for the love of running and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I find it appropriate that it was number ten!

4. Nike Women's Half DC: I got really sick leading up to this race and went in entirely under trained, but ended up having a blast!  I loved getting to run through DC and the race was so well organized.  Having multiple metro stops at the start was very helpful and eliminated the stress I had at Rock 'n' Roll.  The Tiffany's necklace was a nice perk, too.

5. Norfolk Harbor Half (formerly known as Harbor Lights!): My birthday race.  The best celebration a girl could ask for, complete with pie.  It rained the whole time, but I loved every minute of it!

(Can you tell which ones are my favorite races? Maybe one day I'll branch out....but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, ya know?)

What are some of your favorite half marathons? Any that you want to check off your bucket list? My bucket list half marathon is the Runner's World Half!

Have a great weekend!

5 Trips for the Beer Lover

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday 5!  The theme for the week (I KNOW, I'm actually with it this time!  Woo!) is 5 trips _________, so I figured I would give you guys some of my favorite beer trips I have been on.  I'm excited to read other bloggers' suggestions though!  Always nice to get away!

1. Dogfish Head Brewery: Lewes, Delaware.

I was so excited to finally make it out here!  My nice friend and I went in early November and it was perfect.  We stayed in Rehoboth Beach and had pretty much the whole boardwalk to ourselves.  It was an amazing way to relax and the brewery is so, so cool.  When you do the tasting they bring out your samples in the order they feel is best and give you background on each beer.  If you guys love craft beer you should definitely add it to your list of trips!

2. Flying Dog Brewery: Frederick, Maryland.

This is by far my favorite brewery tour that I've ever been on.  You learn a lot of the background and the brewing process, but it's also loud and obnoxious and fabulous.  You get very generous samples that you can drink before, during, and after the tour.  While you're in Frederick you should check out the downtown area.  It's really cute (and dog friendly!).

3. Devils Backbone Brewery: Lexington, Virginia.

This was another weekend away with my nice friend.  We stayed in downtown Lexington for his birthday and had a really laid back getaway.  We were also able to walk to Blue Lab Brewing, which has the best beer logo ever in my opinion.  There's a lot of hiking you can do in Lexington, so it was the perfect combo of beer and outdoor time.

Ok, so this logo is way cuter than the DB one.

4. Mission Brewing: San Diego, California.

My trip to San Diego a couple of summers ago was one of my all time favorite vacations.  There is SO much to do in San Diego (the zoo, Sea World, baseball, etc.) and such great beer.  We also went to Stone Brewing, which was cool too, but Mission was a blast.  It's in an old Wonder Bread factory and super chill.  It's really close to the Padres stadium (we actually ended up walking around the stadium while we waited for the brewery to officially open) and they have fantastic beer.  My nice friend and I kicked butt in table shuffle board there, too.  Just sayin'.  We also went to Local Brews and Local Grooves, a fun event that features local bands and beer from the area at the House of Blues.  I was so excited when the event decided to come to Maryland!  They do it EVERY week in San Diego.  I'm hoping we get it more frequently here, too!

5. Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon: Hampton, Virginia

I've sung its praises before, and I'll do it again.  This race is SO much fun and when it became a craft beer festival, too, it pretty much became my dream race.  You can read my recaps here and here.  Even if you aren't into running a half marathon, you can run the 5k and still enjoy the full beer fest.  We actually spent a lot more time at the festival after the 5k because I knew I probably wouldn't be too excited about sampling lots of beer after running a half.

Have a great weekend!

Beer lovers!  Where is the best place to go?  I've been to quite a few other breweries that almost made the list, but these weekends just stood out a little more!

Friday 5: Races to Run

Ok, so I really need to check ahead on the Friday 5 schedule, because it turns out Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia have some great topics.  Last week a ton of bloggers wrote about their 5 races to run (or that they want to run!)  and it made me sad that I missed out.  So officially catching up...

1. Shamrock Half Marathon:  Guys, it's getting so, so close!  I'm really excited! It's a fast, flat course, and J&A does a fantastic job with race logistics (think porta potties at every corral).  Read my recap from last year here. One day I might shut up about this race.  But probably not any time soon.

I will probably wear this for a month straight.
Source.

2. Crawlin' Crab Shell Yeah! Challenge: This was my first ever challenge, and I LOVED it.  One of my favorite parts was that after the 5k I actually wanted to drink my post race beer! (A lot of times after halfs I'm just not feeling it right away).  For all you craft beer lovers, this is your race!  The course is amazing, too.  Read my recap of last year's race here.

3. Mud in Your Eye XC Series: I really wish I lived in the Hampton Roads area still, because I loved running these races when I was in high school and college.  My dad and I would run them together and they were a blast.

4. Boordy Vineyards 5k:  Guys, you run for 3 miles and then get bread, cheese, and fruit plates, and WINE.  Best idea for a race ever.  You can read my embarrassing recap here.  (I think I'm destined to be embarrassed with this race. I had a moment registering for the 2015 race....totally freaked out because I thought it was sold out and Charm City Run kindly sent me the link to register since I was looking at last year's link.  Oops.)

5. Surf-n-Santa 5 Miler: I loved every minute of this race.  I'm a big fan of evening races and the fact that you get to run under the boardwalk lights was amazing.  The post run party has Samuel Adams beer and a delicious bread bowl.  I realize it sounds like the only reason I run is to eat soup in bread bowls and drink good beer after this post....  Only partly true!  You can read my recap here.

A couple other runner up races that deserve to be in here are the Tower of Terror 10 Miler at Disney, the Scarecrow Classic 5k, and the St. John the Jogger 5k.  I love the last two because they are small, laid back and it's nice to just have an easy race morning.

What are the best (stress free--like I can park at the race site with ease.  I'm not all about the metro.) races in the DC area? I need some more local races!

Friday 5: After Crawlin' Crab

I always get a little sad after races.  All the weeks of training and then in a couple of hours it's all over.  I get in a weird place afterwards where I want to try other workouts that I've been neglecting, but also want to keep running so I don't turn into a complete sloth, and end up not really doing enough of anything.  I need a plan.  For the Friday 5 link up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney I figured I'd focus on the five things I have going on now that Crawlin' Crab is over.

1. Running with my group.  I'm going to try my best to keep up with the fast people.  You know, the whole run with fast people so you get fast, too?  I had been taking it easy in my group before because I had my long runs the next day, but now there's nothing stopping me.

2. Getting away.  I have a couple of family visits coming up and I'm really excited because my nice friend and I have a trip to the Dogfish Head Brewery next month.  I've been dying to go for ages now and it's finally almost here!

Love the alehouse, but can't wait to go to where it all started!

3. Surf-n- Santa 5 Miler.  This is my first year running this race and I'm really looking forward to running under the lights on the boardwalk.  I remember driving through them with my family years ago and it will be a fun experience running instead!

4. Strength Training.  I did this quite a bit during Shamrock training, but somehow neglected it during my Crawlin' Crab training.  I felt so good during my Shamrock race (no IT band problems, no shin issues) and I don't think it's a coincidence that it was my PR race.  This week marked the return of my Nike Training Club workouts and I am super sore.  It will all be worth it when I break 2 hours in a half, right?!

5. Another Half!  Speaking of half marathons, I'm all signed up for my next!  I might look for another before, but Shamrock Dolphin Challenge here I come!  I'll be running the 8k as well as the half.  Not gonna lie, I'm in it mostly because I love dolphins and was really jealous of the medal last year.  I guess we all have our things.

Shamrock holds my 2 fastest half times.  Let's make it 3!

And in the spirit of the Friday 5 link up, here are the 5 things going on my ipod that pump me up (none are really current, don't judge):

1. Feel So Close--Calvin Harris
2. Sweater Weather--The Neighbourhood
3. Daylight--Matt & Kim
4. Any song by Jack's Mannequin.  Miss them.
5. Wait! Wait!  Don't Tell Me! podcast

Happy Friday!!

Friday 5: Crawlin' Crab Weekend

I went to write my Crawlin' Crab weekend recap and it was so long.  There were so many amazing things to tell and I realized that I would be writing for ages.  I figured I would condense it a little bit to spare you guys my rambling.  Make sure to visit the Friday 5 link up hosted by Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney!

1. The Shell Yeah! Challenge: I read about challenges all the time and I was excited to take on my first!  I ran the 5k on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday.  I ended the weekend with three amazing medals and my wall display has officially been taken over by Crawlin' Crab bling.  They had it really well organized.  You wore one bib for the 5k and then a Shell Yeah! bib for the half so that volunteers knew who got the extra medal.

2. The Courses: I haven't run a 5k in a long time and it was actually kind of surprising being done so fast.  There was a water stop halfway through (I actually took advantage of this because I stupidly ate a granola bar on the way to the race and forgot my water bottle.  I couldn't find a water fountain (didn't look that hard either..) and I was really thirsty!  Other than that, I can't think of anything too exciting about the course.  It was fun, the finish was great, but like I said, it was a big blur.  I finished in 27:31.  I was really happy with it, but am also ready to get that sub 27!

The half marathon on the other course was a different story.  This was my third year doing the race, and I believe it was the same course.  If not, there were very few changes although I didn't notice the fishy smell on the one bridge!  We had the most beautiful weather and I was comfortable the whole time.  I loved the part that goes through the cute little downtown Hampton area and you can't beat the stretch along the water.  The bands were great, the dj was funny, and the volunteers as always were amazing.  I was a little surprised that there weren't as many neighbors out and about.  In past years it seemed like the neighbors were more lively.  There is a short hill at the end, but it's a mostly flat course.  I finished in 2:06:58.  It was nice to have a great race since I had been a little worried during my training!   


3. The Swag: Since I did two races I got two sets of race fun.  The shirts were awesome this year.  They strayed away from the original crab and went for a more classic look.  I love it!  The shirts came in reusable grocery bags.  They're a little more durable than some of my others, so I'm excited to replace some of my older bags.  After the 5k I got a water bottle and after the half I got an amazing visor.  I was really excited because I have a lot of hats now from races, but I had been wanting a visor for summer running!

4. Post Race Party: This year there was a Craft Beer Fest after the race.  This was right up my alley and I was excited to try some new beer.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the full beer list was available after the 5k.  We had to drive back Sunday, so we knew we wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the festivities.  The post race party was a lot of fun.  There was music and we walked right up to the food and beer tables.  I had a great time celebrating the end of a fun race.

5. Hampton Roads: It was so nice to be back in my old stomping grounds.  My best friend was able to come up and do the 5k so we got to hang out for a while on Saturday.  After I volunteered at the expo for a few hours my nice friend and I took Maddux to the Noland Trail.  It made me miss running there so much!  I have so many happy memories on that trail.  Before we left to head back home we got to meet up with my college roommate and her husband for coffee at my favorite coffee shop.  I had been dreaming of that mocha for months now and it did not disappoint!

Thank you to J&A for another amazing race!  (I got to meet the J and A of J&A this time around and they were SO incredibly nice!)  I had a fantastic time and can't wait until Surfin' Santa in December!

Did you run Crawlin' Crab last weekend?  What did you think?  Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

Friday 5: Happy Things

Life has been pretty routine lately, so blogging has definitely been slowing down.  I feel like my runs haven't been that eventful (which is fine with me), so the training plan recaps have been kind of dwindling down lately, BUT I will say that the runs are getting done!  The Friday 5 with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia has been a nice way to check in with you guys.  Make sure to take a look at the link up--there are SO many great bloggers who participate every week!   

1. Crawlin' Crab is almost here!!!  3 more weeks and then I'm heading down to Hampton to run my little heart out.  Fingers crossed for some nice fall weather!

2. I'm all signed up for the Surfin' Santa 5 Miler.  I'm so excited about this one.  My best friend is running in it (she's actually doing the Crawlin' Crab 5k with me, too) and it will be so nice just to have some time to hang out.  It's in the evening so there won't be any ridiculous wake up times and we can just enjoy the holiday season together.  I know it's still a little ways off, but I love knowing I have best friend time on the calendar!

Early race starts are made better by besties!

3.  We're one step closer to figuring out what's up with Mad Pup.  Poor fella hasn't been himself lately, but his blood work came out clean, so it's a relief to know that he doesn't have anything super serious going on.  He's on some pain medication for his arthritis which will hopefully work wonders, especially when it's paired with some cooler weather!

Maddux got ice cream after the vet because I felt
bad about his fast and that he got poked with needles.

4. I'm an official member of a running club!  Still planning on going to my store runs pretty regularly, but I like knowing I have options.  Plus, my store group runs 3-5 and sometimes a girl just needs a buddy for runs longer than that.

5. My cousin and I figured out a wonderful weekend run plan.  Meet at a trail in the middle, run however many miles we want/need, and then head to DuClaw Brewing for some game day specials for lunch.  Gotta replenish those carbs ya know? 

Sometimes we have contests when we run to determine who buys drinks.
Whoever had the most color in this race won.  I lost, only because I sweat a lot.

What are some happy things going on with you?

Friday 5: Getting Ready for Race Day!

Friday is finally here!  I'm back linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia.  The theme for the week is pre-race rituals, BUT since I am pretty boring in that department (think anxiety dreams and restless sleep the night before, drink a crap cup of hotel coffee, eat a power bar, and GO), I'll give ya the 5 things I'm doing to get ready for the big day!  Crawlin' Crab weekend is less than a month away!

1. Adjust my training plan.  Yep, it happened again.  Remember how I told you guys I was in that major rut?  Well, running the mileage on my plan was discouraging because I just wasn't there.  Last weekend I ran for an hour and ten minutes (I ran just over 7.5 miles) and this weekend I'm planning on going for an hour and twenty minutes.  As much as I hate cutting out my intervals, I'm just going to keep bumping up my long run 10 minutes a pop until Race Day.

2. Running with other people.  Sometimes when I'm alone my mind gets into that dark place (or that bored place) and I let myself get away with way too many walk or water breaks.  Running with the group the past two weeks has been great.  The miles have really flown by quickly having someone to talk to!  Plus, I have my pride and there is no way I'm walking up a hill when everybody else is killin' it.

I have a running date with my cousin this weekend!
The best way to catch up on life!

3. FOAM ROLL.  STRETCH.  I need to be so much better about this.  I know it's the key to not getting injured, but sometimes it gets overlooked.  Side note--does anyone have any good shin pain preventers?  I've had very minor pain in my shins, but I don't want it to become a problem!

4. Use one of my 5 milers to do some intervals.  Since I'm cutting out the half mile repeats out of my plan, I want to make sure I still have a day where I am pushing myself.  It would be amazing to kick off Race Weekend with a happy 5k time.

5. Smile.  Race Day is almost here and it's going to be an incredible weekend.  I'll get to see a bunch of my best friends, drink great beer, eat yummy chowder, and of course conquer those miles.

Maddux says chowder makes him smile, too.

What races do you have coming up?  Do you ever adjust the plan or do you always stick to it?

Happy weekend!!

5 Things about J&A Racing

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today.  Make sure to check out all the amazing blogs!  They are doing a "Fall Preview" theme, but since I'm way behind in my life, I'm straying away and am going to talk about one of the big loves of my life: J&A Racing.  J&A holds my heart for many reasons which we'll get into in a minute, and I'm so happy that I get to be a part of their team as an ambassador for the 2014-2015 season.  There are many amazing things about J&A, but I'll try to keep it brief.

1. J&A Racing made me exciting about running.  I don't remember how I found about J&A to begin with, but I do know that because of J&A I realized that I was faster than I realized and could run further than I ever thought I could.  My senior year of college I ran the Wicked 10k with my little brother and had a blast.  We then decided that we may as well run the Virginia is for Lovers 14k to prepare for the Shamrock Half Marathon.  Each run felt amazing and was fun in its own unique way. VIFL had a cupcake curve.  Enough said.  Back then, there were only three races.  They've since expanded and have SIX!  Check them out here!

Wicked good times.

2. My first and best half marathons have been with J&A.  The Shamrock was my first half and I beat the time I thought I would by about 25 minutes. I remember crossing the finish line and being so proud and so excited, and also thinking I never wanted to run that far again!  (It was my burning quads talkin'.)  I guess somewhere along the lines that changed!  You can read my race recaps here, here, and here.

Shamrock Half is a PR kind of race.

3. The food is SO good.  This may seem like a silly reason to run, but I've gotta say that the awesome soup in bread bowls makes every single mile completely worth it.

4. The courses are fun!  They put jokes up on the course (which yes, are cheesy, but are also highly entertaining).  They have DJs, radio stations, and bands set up on the courses.  One of my favorites was at the Inaugural Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon.  They had a guitar player by the James River and although it wasn't traditional race course music, I really liked it!  The volunteers are incredible as well and cheer you on (your name is on your bib if you register early enough!) and hand you oreos and candy.

My friends are hooked on J&A, too :-)

5. They keep things exciting.  J&A makes changes to their races, but makes sure to keep the same feel and quality with each change.  I am so excited for the Crawlin' Crab Half this year because they are having a craft beer fest after the race.  They added a new race this year (the Harbor Lights Half Marathon and 5k) that just happens to be on my birthday weekend.  Must have heard how much I loved them.  The Surfin' Santa changed from a 10 miler to a 5 miler, and is going to be amazing because it's going to be in the evening so we can run through the lights on the boardwalk.  I cannot wait!

Have you ever done a J&A race?  Which one?  If not, which race would you want to do? 

It's Been a Long Time

Fall is finally here and I've gotta say that it's probably my favorite season.  (I may have said this about summer, too, but seriously, fall rocks.)

Fall is a time of gorgeous weather, pumpkin everything, and this year has seemed to be my craziest time of the year.  It's been hard trying to find a balance between all the fun things I want to do, need to do,  and getting in runs that I need in order to be in good shape for races.

Vineyard harvest party scarecrow making contest.  Only in fall.

Happiest find at Target.

In September I headed to Ohio to do an early celebration for my sister's birthday.  I got to stop and see my mom in Pennsylvania before she moved to Alabama and that was amazing.  I'm not gonna lie, when I know my family time is limited it is REALLY hard to get out the door for a run.  I hate "wasting" our time together even though they are all understanding.

Avett Brothers with my sister beat out running that weekend.

I knew when I signed up for the Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon that I didn't have much time to get ready.  I knew it was going to be in the midst of some crazy travel plans, but I loved it so much last year that I didn't care.  I made my training plan and tried my best to stick to it, but as you can see, life got in the way.  While it definitely helped having something I could physically check off (I love lists...), sometimes I had to make decisions and running, unfortunately, just wasn't always the priority. 

Race day rolled around, and I was feeling semi optimistic.  While it had been a few weeks since my last long run, I had some great outdoor runs which is a huge change from a lot of my former races.  I conquered my fear of getting stuck somewhere on a trail and that is definitely something to be proud of!  (I may have even bribed myself with a new running shirt if I did my 10 miler outside.  You do what you gotta do.)  My nice friend once again joined me on the ride out to Hampton and we had plans to meet up with a big group of friends for dinner.  Since we had a few hours before dinner we decided to stop for a snack.  I opted for a milkshake (no one said this was a healthy eating blog) and soon ended up completely regretting the decision as I got violently ill.  I had to drag myself to the expo and prayed that I would survive the few minutes (woo efficiency J&A racing!) it took to get my packet.  

This archway made me so happy because it means they are planning to keep the race around for a while :-)

Luckily whatever was ailing me made its way out of my system in a few hours and I was able to enjoy dinner with my friends to the fullest.  It made me a little nervous for the race though because my stomach (as any semi long readers know--bless you for sticking with me) can be super unpredictable sometimes.  By the morning of the race my stomach had its usual pre-race nerves, but other than that felt fine.  I gave myself plenty of time to roll my IT bands, drink a cup of coffee, and eat my bar before heading over to the start.  After a quick trip to the ladies' room I met up with my amazing friend Laura and her boyfriend to find our corral and await the start.

Like last year, the announcer was dressed as a crab and made us laugh with his jokes.  The Hampton University marching band played to start us off and the energy was amazing.  Have I said how much I love J&A Racing?  The course was the same as last year's, but this year I wasn't quite as smiley as before!  I felt my lack of solid training and the lack of shade on the course (not so noticeable last year since it was overcast/rainy!) and really started struggling after the first 10k.  (The first 10k my splits were pretty respectable!  The last 7 miles ehhhhh).  My race basically turned into a run/walk which while disappointing, was just the reality of my fitness level combined with hotter than my training runs temperatures.  Some of the neighbors had set out sprinklers (and mimosas!!  I was SO close to stopping...I mean my run really wasn't going to improve so may as well drink up!) and while I had one moment of discomfort as a volunteer (trying to be helpful) hit me full on in the face with a blast from a hose, overall the water stations were incredible (there were also pretzel and candy stations which I did not partake in, but appreciated).  Thank you so much to all the amazing volunteers!

At the final bend I saw my nice friend with Maddux which gave me the last boost I needed to finish strong.  My best friend was screaming for me as I crossed the finish line.  It really does make a difference having a support system!  I was then handed a cool towel (seriously, the best thing that has ever happened to me at the end of a race), my medal, gatorade, water, bananas, and a Power Bar and hung out in the shade with my bestie until my nice friend could meet up with me.  Since they moved the party inside I had to just grab my delicious crab chowder (in it's beautiful bread bowl) to go (no dogs allowed), but the lines moved quickly inside and it looked like everyone was having a great time!  

My time was nothing to brag about and was significantly slower than last year's.  That's ok.  I think until my schedule clears up a little I'm going to try to focus on shorter distances (5ks, 10ks) and getting my times down on those before I set my official half marathon goal race.  I just need to get in a better place with my fitness level so I don't get discouraged.  As much as I try to stay positive, it is hard knowing that I am capable of so much more.  I think the shorter distances will be a big confidence boost and will be challenging without being quite as time demanding.

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of fall as much as I am!  Happy running!

Already December?! By my resolutions aren't done...

Can it seriously already be December?  It's insane how fast this year has gone by.  I feel like November lasted approximately a week.  

Looking back at my November running, I capped off at about 52.5 miles (this is by my Nike+.  Mind you that it is not always calibrated, BUT it's been pretty darn close lately).  I definitely picked it up this month.  October was a recovery month after having a consistent running plan since May.  

My goal for December is to run between 60-70 miles.  I want to make sure I am ready to start my plan in January for my half marathon training.  I have potentially two coming up at the beginning of 2013 depending on how the Nike Women's Half Marathon random drawing pans out.  

Speaking of goals, now that the year is rapidly closing, I figured I'd take a minute to revisit my 2012 New Year's Resolutions.  

• Run 2 Half Marathons: Check!  I ran the Rock n' Roll DC in March and the Crawlin' Crab Half in October.  Although only one of those races was enjoyable, both still happened.  I MAY bump it up to 3 for 2013.  We shall see ;-)

• PR in a 15k: Nope. Larry Noel was the only one I found that I could do.  Remember how well that one went?

• Take a Spin Class.  Take a Yoga Class: How this one failed so far blows my mind.  I honestly had plans to attempt them this summer.  And then summer was gone.  I also feel weird about getting the free week gym pass knowing that I have no intention of joining the gym...

• Take Maddux to Dog Class: Check!  Mad Dog has been doing great on our walks!  It's still a work in progress, but I have plans to sign him up for the next step of Reactive Dog in 2013.

Please, I was on the Honor Roll.

• Go on a Picnic: I have this really cute picnic set and it got it's debut this summer!  My nice friend and I took Maddux on a nice walk around the lake and ended the evening with a picnic.  

• Visit Sugar Loaf Winery: This has not happened yet either, but maybe I can squeeze this one in quick before 2012 is officially gone.  How did the wine one not get checked off?!

So that's where we stand there.  Not bad considering it was my first year actually making resolutions.  

Running has been relaxed so far this week.  I ran about 3.5 miles at the park yesterday at about a 9:30 pace.  That's one of my fastest outdoor runs in a while so I'll take it.  It was good because I was down in the dumps after my family left and a helping of endorphins was just what I needed to boost my spirits.  I took tonight off because my back has been hurting lately (weird??), but I plan on doing some cross training tomorrow and doing at least 4 miles on Wednesday.  

Have a happy week!  

Post Race Life

Now that there's no race to train for, I'm kind of at a loss of what to do.  Part of me is excited because I've had a couple of workouts I've wanted to try out, but kept pushing off to the side.  My thing is that if I want to get better at running, I need to be running.  Cross training is awesome, but running is where it's at for this girl ;-)

This week has been pretty laid back as far as workouts go.  Maddux and I have had some nice walks (he is LOVING this cooler weather) and on Wednesday I did a brief leg circuit, which was basically 1 minute leg lifts on each side, 1 minute bridges with this purple ball that made it SO much harder, and 1 minute of squats.  I repeated each exercise three times and my thighs definitely felt it!  

Today somebody has been very cranky.  I'll give you a hint:

Poor zebra.  He's in line for surgery the next time we visit my mom.

I don't know what's going on with this boy.  Maybe he just wanted to get a little crazy for the weekend.  My wild Friday night has consisted of quality treadmill time.  I ran ~3.35 miles in 30 minutes.  Not too shabby for the first run post race.  Although I'm not officially training for anything, I do have a 5k coming up in November and I'm hoping to snag a respectable time.  It's a few days before my birthday and I invited a few girlfriends to run with me!  Hopefully a few of them will be able to come out :-)  Overall, I just want to enjoy running until I have to start busting my butt for the Rock n' Roll in March, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than running a great local race with some good friends.  

I'm planning on running some tomorrow.  I have a number in my head, but going with the whole enjoying your run thing, I'm going to attempt to not focus too much on it.  I got the link to my race pictures today and it reminded me of why I run.  You know how I said I was smiling like a fool in my Crawlin' Crab Half Recap?  Those pictures are proof that I wasn't lying!  I don't think I've ever looked so happy in a race picture.  I remember my first half marathon photos kind of scared me because I looked like I was in such intense pain.  Yay running!

On a completely random note, but I mean I couldn't really leave it out, GO NATS!  

I WISH this was taken at a play off game.  

I'm hoping we can pull off another win tonight!  If the Pirates can't be on the road to the World Series, I'll definitely take the Nationals!  

Happy weekend!

Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon Race Recap

One of the cool things about my past two races is that they both were the first ones ever!  It's like being part of history when you're at the inaugural races ;-)

Saturday morning Maddux, my nice friend, and I headed down to Hampton, VA, for the Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon weekend.  I was beyond excited for this race because it's by J&A Racing, which has put on probably my favorites races I've ever done (Wicked 10k, Virginia is for Lovers, and the Shamrock Half Marathon--my first and best half!).  All the races have been extremely well organized and lots of fun.  I was also excited because we were right around my old college city so I got to see some of my old haunts.

Our first stop was to Plaza, my all time favorite Mexican restaurant.  I was so happy to see two of my favorite servers there and it was great to catch up with them for a few minutes.  (They still know me after a few years of being away...can you tell I went there maybe too much?  One of the servers even knows my mom and offered to be my at school mom when she found out my parents were moving to Pennsylvania!).  

So many memories...good times with good friends :-)

Since we had Maddux, we got our food to go and had a nice picnic out on the Noland Trail, which is where I put in the majority of my college miles, and is one of my favorite places in the world.  Maddux was so happy exploring new territory.

Once we got to Hampton, we checked into our hotel and went straight over to the expo.  It was small, so I didn't spend much time there, but the volunteers were all extremely friendly.  The best part?  I got to see my best friend!  She decided to run her very first half marathon!  Yay Ashley!

This is us looking pretty along with my amazing college roommate.  We didn't take a sweaty picture because it was raining and we are responsible adults who take care of our phones now :-)

I woke up on race day with all kinds of nerves.  I foam rolled, ate a Power Bar, and drank some G2 and water and finally headed out the door to meet up with Ashley and her friend before the race.  The sky was gray, but the temperatures were nice and cool which was encouraging.  After chatting for a little while, we headed to our corrals and awaited the start.  The race announcer was dressed as a crab which made me smile.  As we started off, my legs felt surprisingly fresh and I was feeling pretty optimistic about the race, even though I tried to convince myself not to set my expectations too high and to just enjoy the race.  When the first mile marker came into view I looked down and saw that I was at 9:15.  My first thought was "OH MY GOSH I HAVE TO SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!!"  A 9:15 pace is fine for a few miles, but I knew that definitely wasn't happening for an entire race.

The first 5 miles flew by.  I smiled knowing that at mile 4 I felt like I hadn't been running more than a few minutes.  The course was mostly flat.  A lot of the miles weren't too exciting and just along streets where you would pass a McDonald's or something, but some of the miles were along the James River and absolutely gorgeous.  I laughed because I had assigned a mile to a bunch of my friends and family so that I would be held accountable (who wants a crappy mile?) and my brother left a message on my Facebook saying he would be honored if I walked his mile, mile 8.  His mile ended up being my favorite!  It was all along the river, there was a guitarist playing, and super friendly spectators sipping their morning coffee and cheering us along from their front yards.  I'm not sure why, but they didn't want to trade their coffee for a run.  Yes, I really asked.  I did get a couple of high fives though.  Seriously, what's better than a sweaty high five from a stranger?  Another cool part was running through Downtown Hampton past the Air and Space Museum.  Too bad it wasn't open yet or I may have stopped in.  

There were tons of water stops, a few radio stations out on the course, A CANDY STOP!!, and a band to keep us motivated.  I was smiling like a fool for the majority of the race.  Then mile ten hit.  Mile ten kind of sucked.  It was into the wind and I felt like I was on it forever and it was COLD.  Luckily, as soon as we turned a corner, we were back to a slight breeze at your back.  Things were going well again, but as soon as I hit the mile 12 mark the skies opened up and it started pouring rain.  My shoes got so heavy and my socks felt so gross!  At that point I just kind of laughed and was thankful I only had a mile left in that nonsense to go.  I tried to pick it up a little and started picking out targets I wanted to pass (got 'em all).  I would like to say my final kick was strong, but I honestly don't remember.  I was a little emotional because I was so happy to be done in a time that I felt good about so I was half laughing and half on the verge of crying (who am I?!).  I can't wait to see that finishers pic....

My final time was 2:08:42, only 2 minutes (and some seconds, who knows) slower than my PR and 10 minutes faster than that blasted RnR race.  I think I'm still riding the runner's high this morning :-)  Now I'm thinking that 2:05 time is within reach again and am ready to find my next race so I can kick some butt!

The rain finally slowed down and I easily found my nice friend and Maddux after the race to get a sweaty hug and my crab chowder bread bowl.  Then we headed to the finish line to watch Ashley finish her race.  If only I had a cowbell.   

When Ashley finished it was raining pretty hard again, and my tank top was just not cutting it in the 50 degree weather, so we said our goodbyes and after a hot shower, we packed the car and headed home.  A big thank you goes out to my nice friend for standing in the rain to support me and for hanging with the pup so that he could be a part of my race weekend!

Today I am very sore.  Maddux and I have been cuddling on the couch and the only productive thing I have done is type up this post and make delicious pumpkin pancakes.  Fall really feels like it's here now!

So gourmet.  I should switch to food blogging.  Or maybe I should just leave it to Pursuit of Sweetness.

Thanks again to J&A racing for putting on another fabulous race and for giving me a lot of crab jokes to read along the course to share with my nice friend on our drive home.  I'm sure his laughs were real and not just pity laughs.  Now he thinks I'm hilarious and probably is more inclined to keep me around for a while ;-)