Friday 5: ZOOMA 10k

Guys, I really do know my days of the week.  Lately though it's just been easier to post a little late because the week days have been so busy!  I hope everyone got in a wonderful run on Wednesday for National Running Day!  It was nice and cool here, and though it was a little dreary, it really was great weather for a run!  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia today--make sure to check out the link up for some good reads.

Last weekend I ran the ZOOMA 10k in Annapolis, Maryland.  Today I'm going to share with you some of my thoughts from the race.  I'm not really sure where the month of May went, but I didn't train nearly as well as I should have.  I kept putting off my longer distance runs and didn't run more than 4 miles before the race, (post-Shamrock running has been a little subpar!), but I still had a fun morning!  I was really proud of myself for running the whole race because it was a huge mental battle.  I really do believe that you can work on something in each race even if you know it's not going to be your fastest!

1. The Expo.  So a quick note about ZOOMA--it's a race geared towards women with the goal being a fun "girls weekend out" race. All of the locations are in really fun/gorgeous areas.  ZOOMA Florida is on my bucket list of runs!  The race expo was held in the Annapolis Loew's hotel (the host race of the hotel).  There were plenty of public parking places a couple of minutes walk away.  I went really early and only had to wait a couple of minutes to get my packet.  The expo was small, but they had some cute shirts.  Charm City Run had a booth, and I ended up buying a really fun shirt!

2. The Course. When I got to the Navy Marine Corps Stadium, there was quite a line for parking.  I arrived about 30 minutes prior to the race, and after I parked I decided it would probably be best to find the portapotties.  (Side note, thank goodness for car alarms, because I totally forgot where I had parked after the race.)  I'm glad I did, because the line was soooo long.  I waited for about 20 minutes in the line.  I don't remember it being that bad a couple of years ago!  The race started on time (or really close to it).  The first mile or so you just kind of wind through the stadium parking lot and the roads around it.  I think miles 2-4 were probably my favorite.  Those were the ones where you went through downtown Annapolis (which I think is super cute) and are near the water.  Around mile 5 we got to a bridge and it was brutal.  The uphill seemed to last forever and it was right in the sun.  (I remembered this bad boy from a couple of years ago!) Once you got to the downhill park though, it seemed like the breeze came back and it was lovely.  The rest of the course wasn't too remarkable.  Pretty much just winding through neighborhood streets back to the stadium for a slightly uphill finish.  There wasn't a whole lot of crowd support, but there were a ton of water stops!  It was really nice having that many opportunities to get water.  Even though the race started at 7, it was still pretty warm!

3. The Post Race Party.  After finishing the race, I was handed a medal, a bottle of water, a bag of Maryland Crab chips, and got to pick a snack box.  I went with the hummus, but chicken salad was also a choice.  My box had hummus and pretzels, carrots, and an apple.  There were some vendors available and there was wine, but since I ran it solo I felt like drinking alone at 8am was kind of not my thing and I would rather just go home.

4. The Swag.  In my race packet I received a reusable bag, a pair of Feetures socks, a journal, and my race shirt.  I actually wore the socks to the race.  I'm not sure I would say this is the best sock I've ever put on my foot, but they did seem a little more durable than some of my other socks.  As long as they last a few months without holes I'll be happy!  The medal was just a generic one for the 10k finishers.  The half marathon medal was pretty cool, but I can understand why they wouldn't want to go through the cost of making two different medals for all of their races.

5. Other Thoughts.  I left with the same impression of the race that I did the last time I ran it.  It was ok. It was fun, but not one that I feel compelled to do every single year.  I do like that it's pretty close (I was home before 9!) and I enjoy the distance, so I wouldn't rule it out completely in the future.  I also had some unfair comparisons--a couple of years ago I ran it and when I signed up they sent me a training pack that had a ton of different stuff in it and a really cute shirt that I still wear all the time.  At the actual race, I got another shirt, a water bottle, a yoga mat, and a cute necklace, AND I think the race was cheaper than it is now.  Look, I get that if they did that every year they would probably be bankrupt in no time, but when you're spoiled one year it can be a little disappointing when the next year you're not! In all fairness though, I thought the goodie bag was still great this year!

Guys, I felt kind of bad.  So they said that we would get a free race photo this year.  Pretty much every single race photo I'm in, I look like I am in some serious pain, even if I'm not.  I decided that I was just going to make a face at the camera this time so I would be intentionally crazy looking instead of the "oh that poor girl" crazy looking.  Weeeeellll, the photographer did NOT look happy.  As soon as I saw her face, I wished I could take it back, but oh well.  The past is in the past.

I think I captured the "Zombie Runner" look quite well.

Have you done any ZOOMA races?  What did you think?  What races do you have coming up? Have a great weekend!

5 Things about the ODU Big Blue 5k

Happy Friday!  This has been one of those weeks where I feel like I've been going and going.  It's been filled with a lot of fun, but I hadn't had a chance to recap the ODU Big Blue 5k yet, so I figured that the perfect time would be at the Friday Five Link Up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney!  I ran it with my best friend as part of her birthday weekend celebration and we had a fantastic time!

1. Packet Pick Up: The race didn't start until 10:30, so it was a much more relaxed race morning than usual.  There was plenty of parking on the ODU campus just a short walk away from the race start and we were excited to get to tour the campus a little bit since neither of us had ever really spent much time there.  We walked right up to the packet pick up and got our bibs and race shirts that were in a reusable bag (my favorite grocery bags!).  They also had packet pick up the night before, but since neither us of could conveniently get there, it was nice that we could get our stuff the morning of the race.  We had plenty of time before the race, so we walked around to see what the post race party would offer and put our bags back in the car so we wouldn't have to worry about bag check.

2. The Course: I have been in a weird running place since Shamrock.  I just haven't been quite as motivated and running has been down right HARD.  For some unknown reason, I figured that running at a race would be better than my normal runs and decided to set the virtual pacer on my Garmin so that I could finally PR.  Part of me is glad I did this, but part of me wishes I would have just run to run so I could enjoy the course a little more.  It was the warmest day we have had since winter, and I immediately wished I wore a tank top instead of my short sleeve shirt.  The course was really neat and wound through neighborhood roads and the ODU campus.  There were a ton of cheer squads (I think they were different sports teams and student groups).  I really liked running on one of the practice fields!  There wasn't a whole lot of shade and I was a big ol' baby and was really wanting to just walk.  When we got to the mile 2 marker I was convinced that we weren't getting a water stop (I don't know why because J&A always takes care of their runners.  Probably should have looked at the course map haha!).  We rounded a bend and I saw a table and got really excited and then got really sad.  They were donut holes in the cup!  Normally this would be awesome, but I wanted water so bad that I completely skipped the donuts and went right to the next table that thankfully had water.  Soon after we passed the mile 3 marker and were headed to the finish line that was on the football field.  It was really cool running down the field.  As I crossed the finish line I heard my Garmin make the noise saying I got a new record and did a mini happy dance.  I finally got a sub 27 5k time!    

Suns out guns out, right?

3. The Post Race Party: After I crossed the finish line I was given a bag of pretzels, a bottle of water, (I skipped the banana!) my medal and a cup.  The finish area was pretty large so I was able to stand off to the side to wait for my best friend to finish the race.  I wasn't feeling super great at the end of the race, so I drank my bottle of water and ate some pretzels.  When my best friend crossed the line we went over to ring the PR bell.  It was in a weird spot that was kind of crowded, but I think they just were trying to find a place where it was easily found at the end of the race and they had the professional photographer taking pictures by it.  I think a lot of people were unsure of what it was though because a lot of people were just hanging out by it and we had to strategically aim the camera so we didn't have strangers in our pictures!  I skipped the beer at the race (not a fan of Corona or Modelo) but was excited to get my fro yo.  They had mini cones of chocolate and cake batter and it hit the spot!  I got my pizza soon after and we just enjoyed the tailgate atmosphere for the afternoon.  There was a band playing, corn hole, and other games.  We ended up staying long enough to get a little bit of a sunburn.  Oops!  The post race party area was HUGE so we never felt too crowded and it was great just being able to hang out and enjoy the party without dodging lots of runners.

4. The Swag: I thought both the shirt and medal were really cool!  And can you ever have too many cups?

Sorry for this picture.
 My phone only takes selfies so this is actually a
really good picture if you think about it.

5. Other Thoughts: I wasn't really sure what to expect from this race, but I really liked it!  Out of the J&A races I've done, I think this one would be the best family friendly one.  There was a 1k for the kids before our race and lots of room for the kiddos to hang out.  I think there were a lot of people who hadn't ever run in races before because I felt like race etiquette was lacking from a lot of runners.  I tried to just roll with it because it was a different kind of event than usual.  (There was a charity football game and an ODU football game after the race, so they really made a whole day of it!) It can be frustrating though when you're trying to go and people stop without warning right in front of you.  I really did have a great time though and would definitely run in this race again!

Did you guys run in the ODU Big Blue 5k?  What did you think?  Have a great weekend!

**Disclaimer: I'm a J&A Ambassador and was given a race entry to this race.  All opinions are my own.  (I wouldn't have driven over 3 hours to run this race if I didn't truly love J&A).  

Shamrock Half Marathon Recap

Shamrock Weekend seems like it happened ages ago, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and write about it like I wanted.  As you guys know, I LOVE that race and it just didn't seem right to rush through a recap.

You know those races where you do everything right?  Training goes well, you eat pretty well, and get enough sleep?  This was not one of those races.  My training had gone ok, but with the snow and ice I didn't log very many miles outside.  I threw my speed work to the wind after my first set of half mile repeats and just didn't feel very speedy.  Fast forward to race weekend: I ran the Shamrock 8k faster than I should have, was on my feet most of that day, drank more beer than someone wanting to do well in their race should, and ate a monster plate of nachos as my pre-race meal.  (Yes, they were good, too.)

We really love the post race parties!

I spent a lot of time debating joining up with a pace group.  Part of me felt that it was doable to stick with the 2 hour group and the other part thought that I was being a little too optimistic.  I knew it would be hard and I couldn't decide if I wanted to just relax and have a fun race or go for the gold and break two hours.  After talking to Bart Yasso some at the race expo I was feeling really inspired to kick butt.  My best friend (seriously guys, I wish she could be your best friend, too, because she is THAT amazing) calmly listened to me go on and on and on and eventually we determined that I should start out with the pace group and if I needed to back off as the race went on then I could. 

  

If your bestie AND Bart think you can PR, then you can PR.

Race morning arrived and I ate my Power Bar and drank my hotel coffee and we headed off to the starting line.  There wasn't too much time to spare, so I found the 2 hour pace group and chatted with them for a while about some of our goals for the race.  A couple of the girls and I realized that we all had the same goal and were pretty darn close to reaching it so we decided to stick together for the race. (Hi Kara and Ruth!)  

Joining the pace group was probably the best decision I made all race weekend.  It was so nice having the girls to chat with and the pacers were really fun.  I felt like the number of neighborhood alcohol stops grew a lot from last year, and they made sure to hydrate at each of them.  There was a lot of "When I say drink, you say beer!" going on and it was just fun to be loud and obnoxious.  We went out a little fast for the first mile, which was nice because we could kind of just cruise for the rest of the race. For the majority of the time I felt really great and that we were at a solid pace.  

No doubt in my mind that they would be fun!

There were a lot of water stops and I made sure to take advantage of almost all of them.  At one of the stations we got a little ahead of the pace group and it was really nice to know that as long as I stayed in front of them I would meet my goal.  I didn't check my watch at all until mile 10 and just trusted that the pacers had us going at the right speed.  When I finally did look at my watch I had one of those "oh my gosh, this is really going to happen" moments.  And then mile 11 happened and my legs really started to feel it.  I was hurting SO bad, but my running buddies were still trucking along and I didn't want to be the only one who didn't break two hours.  I kept trying to convince myself that breaking two hours would feel better than quitting.  I felt like I was slowing down so much and kept waiting for the pace group to run by me.  When we got to the final stretch onto the boardwalk there was a water stop and I looked at my girls and told them that if I stopped I wasn't going to be able to start again.  From that point on I tried to get in my zone.  I focused on the ocean instead of the finish line (it just seemed too far away!) and forced myself not to look at my watch.  I finally crossed the finish line and was a super happy girl.  I broke two hours with a little time to spare!  New PR: 1:58:58!  Guys, it feels SO good to have a 1 in front of my half time.  

After the race I got all my post race snacks, met up with my best friend, and then rang the PR bell with my girls!  I was so proud of them for breaking two hours and so thankful that I had them to keep me going!  I met up with Edith, an amazing J&A ambassador and to make a great race even better, she pointed out dolphins in the ocean!  Seriously guys, it was my perfect race day.  After a quick hello to Mar, my best friend and I drank a celebratory beer and then went off to eat my PR pancakes (pecan pancakes at Pocahontas Pancakes!  Kind of a tradition now!).  

Since the race I've been taking a break from running (and am now getting excited to start up again!  Took me a while to stop being sore ha!), but have gotten a lot of quality walks in with my pup.  My mom and aunts came to visit and they kept me busy, too!  Next up is the ODU Big Blue 5k!  Can't wait for more best friend time!

Don't forget that I'm linking up with fellow J&A ambassadors Jenny, Nan, and Sarah for our recaps!  I promise I will get to all of them now that life is settling down a little!  You have until April 22 to post your Shamrock Recap.  

**Disclaimer: I'm a J&A Ambassador and was given a free entry to this race.  All opinions are my own.  I think by now you guys know my love for these races is real.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Shamrock 8k Recap

I'm still riding a happy runner's high from this weekend and am so excited to write my recap for the Shamrock 8k.  (The half recap will come soon, I promise!)  I signed up for the Dolphin Challenge months ago and was so excited to be running in the Shamrock weekend races again.  Last year I had a great time at the half marathon and was a little bummed that I didn't go for the challenge!

My best friend and I woke up early on Saturday ready to tackle the 8k.  I ate a Quest Bar along with a crappy cup of hotel coffee, got dressed, and we made our way to the start.  We stayed on Pacific Avenue and it only took us a couple of minutes to get to the start.  We met up with Jennifer and tried not to look super cold in our pre race pics!

Yikes, coffee hadn't kicked in quite yet!

The 8k had corrals and I felt like I had a good amount of space the entire race.  I actually feel like I went out a little too fast, but I felt so good and since I wasn't crowded I figured I would just go to it.  I really wanted to ring the new PR bell, and I wasn't quite sure how the half was going to go.

The race was basically an out and back around the board walk and Atlantic Avenue and I loved every minute of it.  We got to see a ton of the beach and ocean and I can't think of many other places I would rather run!  The course was flat and after I warmed up a little I thought it was a perfect running temperature.  There were two water stops with plenty of volunteers.  Thanks, guys!

I finished the race in just under 43 minutes and was handed a water bottle, banana, pretzel, granola bar, and shamrock cookie.  I really love post race snacks.  We also got a fun shamrock coozie!  I hung out around the finish area (and never felt like I was in the way!) and waited for my best friend to finish and then we headed to the beach to ring the PR bell!

I really loved this bell.

After ringing the bell we went into the tent and got our celebratory beer and stew.  We hung out for a little bit and then headed back to the hotel to rest up until it was time to volunteer at the expo.  Thanks again to J&A for another great race!  I had a fantastic time!

Check out Bart Yasso--I mean our awesome 8k shirts!

To keep our Shamrockin' celebrations going, I'm linking up with Jennifer, Nan, and Sarah!  Feel free to join in the fun!  We all LOVE reading about our beloved J&A races!

• If you wrote a 2015 Shamrock Race Recap  (spectator and volunteer recaps are also welcome) feel free to add your blog post to the linkup.
• Link back to the blog host(s) in your recap so your readers can find the list.
• Love reading recaps? Here is a one stop shop for some Shamrock goodness!
• Not a Shamrock related post? Linkup hosts have the discretion to remove your link.

Note: This linkup will be open until April 22, 2015.

Disclaimer: I was given a free entry to this race because of my affiliation with J&A as an ambassador.  All opinions are my own.  (Honestly, I have such high expectations of the race that I feel like it makes it harder for them!  They haven't failed me yet though!)

An InLinkz Link-up

Weekend Update!

Happy Monday!  I'm linking up with Tara over at Running 'n' Reading for her weekend update!  Just a little something to make Mondays more enjoyable!

I was lucky enough to enjoy a 4 day weekend!  We had two snow days, and honestly they came at the best time.  Maddux and I got in lots of quality time together and I'm onto the next book in my book challenge.  I'm reading Girl on the Train for my "book currently on the best seller list" and so far so good!  I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud that I've already knocked out almost 4 books on the list!

Last week I got an email from Get Pumped for Pets 15k saying that the race might get cancelled because of the snow.  I decided to be on the safe side and knocked out 10 more treadmill miles on Thursday.  Luckily, the warmer temperatures allowed for the race to still go on, so I ended up having an almost 30 mile week!  I think I'm just about ready for Shamrock!

On Saturday I enjoyed an amazing group run (it was SO nice to finally have some warmer temperatures!  We actually joked that they must have just added sidewalks, because we hadn't seen them for so long haha!).  After running and finally hitting the grocery store, my nice friend and I headed to Annapolis to pick up my packet.  Originally they thought they might spike our shoes, but the trail ended up clearing enough that it wasn't needed.  After chatting with the race director for a minute, my nice friend and I headed to dinner.  I had some amazing crab soup and made sure to get a few liquid carbs in.  We remembered from our day date to Annapolis last year that just around the corner from the restaurant was a beer store with a fun local selection, so we made sure to make a couple of six packs before we headed home.  Always fun to try new beers!  We ended the night playing Phase 10 (I got my butt handed to me) and then I headed to bed to get some rest for my race!

Sunday morning came nice and early and I quickly got ready and headed out the door to Chester, Maryland.  It was a gorgeous morning and I was excited to run on the Cross Island Trail!  The race was pretty small (someone told me that there were only 50 runners doing the 15k--there was also a 5k and a 10k), but I got a fun t shirt and a reusable bag of goodies including a pen, a water bottle, and a chip clip.  Let's be honest, you can never have too many!  I found a girl from my running group (hi Nancy!) and we stayed together for the majority of the race.  It was nice to have a familiar face and someone to talk to before we started!  They had to change the course because of the snow, so a lot of the race ended up being on the road, but it's good practice for Shamrock, right?!  I would love to run there again some day to get a good feel of the trail.  It looked like it would be a really pretty place to run or walk Maddux.  They arranged the course so we ended up having several water stops, which was awesome.  There weren't many volunteers, but then again not many were needed.  They were all super friendly!  Thanks, guys!  While I definitely love smaller races, I was a little bummed at the end when no one was really in sight.  I was starting to feel it by the last mile and I do some of my best work at the end when I have people to pick off.  I had to give myself a few pep talks to keep my pace up there at the end!  When I got to the finish I found that I had won a door prize!  I am the lucky winner of a gift card to Charm City Run!  Perfect timing since I'm in desperate need of new running shoes.  I think it will be a great post Shamrock reward!

Sleepy post race pic to show off my awesome new dog shirt ;-)

When I got home my nice friend and I took Maddux to the park to enjoy the beautiful day and I spent the rest of the afternoon eating all the food and reading on my balcony.  It was a terrific weekend!

How was your weekend?!  Any fun races?  Shamrock is getting so close!  I hope to see a lot of you there!

Friday 5: Surf-n-Santa 5 Miler Recap

Hello!  It's been a long time since I've posted, but I have really enjoyed unplugging for a while.  I spent the holidays with my family in Alabama (it was beautiful--lots of hanging out, eating, reading, and sleeping).  I made a pit stop on the way south in Virginia for J&A's Surf-n-Santa 5 miler!  I convinced my best friend that it would be a perfect excuse to see each other and she was game for a festive race to start the holidays.  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia today--make sure to check out all the awesome blogs participating!

Quick disclaimer--I'm a J&A race ambassador and was offered a free entry to this race because of my affiliation.  All opinions are my own and I am not required to give positive reviews.

1. The Expo:  It was really small and we got there around 2 (the race started at 4:30).  We were able to park at the Virginia Beach Convention Center with ease and got our packets and shirts really fast.  I liked how they had headbands and hats you could buy at the expo to wear at the race.  We passed on purchasing anything, but I was really tempted to buy the "ugly sweater" tech shirt.  After we were done, we headed to Beach Bully BBQ (maybe not the best idea before a race, but it was amazing!) and relaxed before heading to the starting line.

It's unfortunate you can't see our amazing tights.
It's also unfortunate how much those amazing tights chafed.  Ouch.

2. The Course: Oh my gosh guys, I loved this so much.  I was really excited because I met up with one of my good friends and her boyfriend at the starting line and we got to run the whole race together.  I definitely pushed harder than I would have by myself (I didn't have any real goals, I just wanted to have fun) and I was really pleased with my time.  Before we started, we checked out all the fun costumes walking around.  I'm so impressed with people's creativity!  They go all out and I love that they have a costume contest.  Just adds to the festivities!  It was so much fun running on the boardwalk under the lights and I really hope that they use the same or similar course next year.  I wish that I ran with my phone (and that my phone would have taken more than just selfies--it's finally fixed).  There were two water stops, which was nice. I had a fantastic time and it was made even better with running buddies. The only thing I would have changed was a later start time because it wasn't quite dark enough on the boardwalk by the time I got back on the main road, but I think I heard something about runners having to clear off the boardwalk so cars could start viewing the lights.

3. The Finish Line: This part was really cool.  The end winded around the convention center and you ended up running inside the building!  They had bleachers set up so spectators could watch, but I wasn't really sure how to get over to them.  It was pretty crazy in there, but I had no trouble grabbing my power bar, banana, and bottled water.

4. The Post Race Party: When we finished the race the beer lines were pretty short and you could choose from the regular Samuel Adams or the winter one.  They also had hard cider.  When my best friend finished we got our chicken chowder bread bowl (yum!) and listened to the music for a little while before calling it a day.  It was just a little too crowded for my taste and the room didn't flow quite as well as J&A parties typically do.  From what I could see though, people were having a great time.  I had to laugh as they raffled off the life size Sam Adams cut outs.  You wouldn't believe how much people love those things.

5. The Goods: I really loved our race shirt.  It certainly captured the spirit of Christmas at the beach.  We also got a Santa hat (I wore it before and after, but stuck to my fleece headband during the race!)  It all came in a reusable bag (the same ones we got at Crawlin' Crab! Perfect for groceries!).  The medal doubles as an ornament, which I think is amazing.

J&A hit another race out of the park!  Next on tap is Shamrock weekend!  If you want to join in the fun make sure to register soon.  Rates increase on January 15 and it's quickly on its way to selling out!

Did you run any holiday races?  I realize it's a little late, but who doesn't love talking about the most wonderful time of the year?

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!

Hot Chocolate 5k Philadelphia Recap

**Disclaimer:  I received a free race entry as a part of my ambassadorship with Ram Racing and the Hot Chocolate race series.  I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.**

This weekend absolutely flew by!  It was packed with fun events and I was so glad my brother came to town to share in the fun!  We started the whirlwind weekend with Drafts and Laughs, a fun comedy and beer festival.  The next day we woke up early to introduce Macey to potential adopters.  I'm happy to report that it went well and she is now part of a very loving family.  After giving the pups a nice long walk at the park Saturday afternoon, my brother and I headed to the Nationals game.  In all honesty, the only reason my brother really came was to see the Braves play the Nats, but I'll take any excuse to see him!  We had a great time at the game, but had to leave immediately after to head up to Pennsylvania for the Hot Chocolate 5k in Philadelphia!

After less than 3 hours of sleep, we were up to get ready for the race.  My uncle was running the 5k with us and my cousin and her husband were running the 15k.  Our race started at 7:15, so we left bright and early to make sure we would have plenty of time to park and find our way to the start.  I was thankful that my uncle drove into town, but it turns out that parking was really simple.  We parked for $10 in a garage nearby (pretty sure it was less than a mile) and walked to the start.  There were a ton of portapotties, lots of places to take pictures, and even though there were a lot of people, I never felt crowded.  We snapped some pictures and found our corral.  It was a little chilly, but once we got running I felt fine.

I was really excited by the street name :)

The race went right along the river and was an out and back.  I am a huge fan of running near water, so this made me a happy girl.  Because the course was an out and back, you passed the aid station twice.  They had water and gatorade, and plenty of portapotties on the course as well.  We took it nice and easy and just enjoyed running with each other and didn't worry so much about the pace.

After crossing the finish line we got a cup of gatorade and a bottle of water and headed to get our chocolate!  There was no wait for our finisher mug filled with hot chocolate, fondue, graham crackers, pretzels, a rice krispie treat, banana, and marshmallow and we found a spot by the fountain to eat our goodies.  The treats were delicious and I enjoyed every bite (literally).  My uncle, brother, and I hung out and took pictures (the Rocky statue is at the art museum steps where the race started and finished, so we had to take advantage of the photo op).  We got to see my cousin and her husband finish their race and I think everybody had a great time.

Overall, I had a wonderful time!  The race was extremely well organized, they had amazing volunteers, and I would definitely run it again!  It was a great way to spend the morning with my family!  DC folks, I strongly suggest you take advantage of this race the next time it's in Philly!  It was a HUGE difference from the race we had a couple of years ago and ran so smoothly!  You won't regret it!   Thanks again to Ram Racing and the Hot Chocolate race series for my race entry!    

**Disclaimer:  I received a free race entry as a part of my ambassadorship with Ram Racing and the Hot Chocolate race series.  I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.**

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!

Birthday Race Recap

The past few years I have lived in the DC area there has been a race that falls right around my birthday.   I loved this race because it was close by, had Georgetown cupcakes at the end, and last year they even had mimosas.  It was like they knew it was my birthday and planned the race just for me.  This year I kept looking and it never showed up on the calendar.  Then I learned that my beloved Pacers running store was closing (they were one of the sponsors, so I suspect it had something to do with the race not being held).

My birthday race last year.  Now that I think about it,
I wore almost the exact same thing this year. Talk about consistent.

I was really bummed until another race caught my eye--the Zoom at the Zoo 8k at the Maryland Zoo.  I've always wanted to do a run at a zoo--I'm OBSESSED with zoos and make a point to go if there's one near me in my travels.  My nice friend agreed to run the race with me as part of my birthday present and before I knew it, race day was here.

Even though I have officially completed four weeks of my half marathon training plan, I feel like my runs lately have been a little crappy.  I haven't quite gotten into the running groove yet even though I've consistently been doing around 5 mile runs.  My goal was to just relax and enjoy the race--no reason not to have a good time at my birthday celebration!

When we got to the zoo it was 25 degrees.  I layered up in my favorite long sleeve Under Armour tech shirt, my Brooks pullover, and a zip up hoodie.  Getting our race numbers, shirts, and chips was fast and easy and I really like my race shirt.  They had a dark blue for men and a light blue for women.  I'm a big fan of shirts that actually fit well!  Waiting for the race was ridiculously chilly, but once we started I warmed up and didn't really notice the cold.  The first part of the race was a little crowded but opened up a little once we got to the nearby park.  The first two miles felt like they went by quickly and  they had a water stop right before the 2 mile mark.  Right before mile 4 there was a monster of a hill and I was so glad that they had put a water stop at the end so I could catch my breath a little!  We kept hearing people talking about the big hill at mile 4, and man were they right!  Much to my dismay there was another little hill around the bend from the water stop, but I managed to haul myself up without too much trouble.

Most of the zoo part of the run was around the service areas, so it was a nice path, but you didn't run by many animals.  The parts that did go by the animals were a little disappointing because it was so cold and not many were out!  We did get to run by a couple of cheetahs which made me really happy (yay animal sightings!) and we joked that they were going to release them to make us "earn our spots" like our race shirts said!

As we rounded a corner around mile 4.5 there were volunteers cheering (THANK YOU!!! for standing out in the cold!  The volunteers were troopers and it was so nice to have their support!) and telling us that there was one last uphill and then we were done.  Not gonna lie, that last hill about did me in.  I had it in my mind that the worst of the hills were over and it would be smooth sailing from there.  I felt every last step of the race and can't say it was my strongest finish ever.  The race ended up going a little long (4.99 according to my Garmin), but I'm not really one to care about distances being exact since I'm the true definition of a run for fun kind of girl.

After we finished we got a chilly (yet delicious) muffin from Corner Bakery and then went back to the car to warm up a little before layering up some more to explore the zoo.  Part of the race entry included a pass to the zoo for the day and we didn't want to pass up a chance to see the animals just because of the cold!  We ended up having a great day together (and probably stayed in the indoor exhibits much longer than we would have on a warmer day!).

Do the animals that were out and about surprise you? :)

I'm definitely looking forward to running in the race in future years!  Thanks again to the Maryland Zoo for a great event!

Rugged Maniac DC Recap

So it's been a few weeks since the race, but it didn't feel right to not give the Rugged Maniac 5k a recap since all my other races have gotten one!  Let me just start by saying that after doing the Run Amuck a few years ago I really didn't have any desire to do another mud/obstacle race.  It was ok and I had fun, but let's be real.  I'm not really good at things that involve athletic ability, strength, or balance.  It's fine, it's just not my forte.  When my nice friend asked me to sign up (his work was making a team) I felt that I should because he's always been so supportive of my running.  I was really nervous leading up to the race because I wasn't sure if I would have anyone to run with (he's way faster and competitive) and after looking at the obstacles on the website I had this sense of impending doom.

I will say that whoever is behind the Rugged Maniac Twitter account is a lot of fun.  Anytime I posted something about it they would reply with a humorous answer.  I'm a sucker for races that interact with me.  Their light hearted responses made me feel a little better and I figured I would just kinda go with the flow and hope for the best.  (Another perk that I guess goes along with their social media is that all photos that are taken during the race are free to download--pretty sweet for a girl trying to blog her recap, right?)

The beer was worth hauling my own butt over the walls. 

We arrived at the race site plenty early (we were in the 10:30 wave so we didn't have to leave insanely early!) and the check in was one of the most efficient I had ever seen.  We got our race packets and checked a bag and still had a lot of time to look around, hang out with his coworkers, and watch other racers finish some of the obstacles.  We had the most gorgeous day for a race (sunny and in the low 60s) which was definitely encouraging.  The last mud run I did it was cloudy and in the 40s which was not so fun!

When it was finally time to head to the start I found a wall blocking the area.  I had a mini panic and made my nice friend wait until I got over in case I needed a boost.  Luckily I made it with only mild embarrassment (hauling this butt over walls is no easy feat) and we proceeded to wait for the starting horn.  There was all this intense,  loud music, which I think was supposed to pump you up but only made me a little more nervous.  When the obstacle before the race even starts almost gets you, you know you're in trouble!!

While we were waiting for the start, a few of the girls in the group and I got to talking and we decided we would stick together and make it through.  I ended up only running with one of the other girls for the majority of the race, but towards the end we met up with some of the other girls in the group.  It was definitely more fun having the support of a group!  The girl I ran with was INCREDIBLE.  She helped me through so many of the obstacles (literally holding my hand or waiting for me to switch over to the other side of walls--I'm ok climbing up, but switching is the WORST).

A lot of the obstacles were walls (some I literally just kind of threw my body at and hoped the momentum would make me fall over to the other side haha!), there were some mud mounds and mud pits you had to run through/over, some trenches to jump over, some mud pits where you had to crawl under barbed wire, a beam over 3 feet of water you had to balance across (hence the hand holding), some fire you had to jump over (not as scary as it sounds), and probably the worst part was this dark, narrow, underground tunnel you had to maneuver through.

This girl literally walked backwards to keep me from falling.  She is awesome.
Thanks, Rugged Maniac for the pic!

Don't be fooled, I did skip the very tallest walls.  My shoes were a muddy, slippery mess, and since I had done every other wall leading up to them I didn't feel the need to prove something anymore.  I hate heights with a passion and I figured there was no need to stress myself out over something that I was doing simply for fun.  There were a couple of walls that made me really nervous, but the race had volunteers to help you and make sure you didn't fall.  As a girl that has about 0 coordination I really appreciated this!  The steeper parts of the mud pits and tubes you had to crawl up had ropes you could hold on to haul yourself up.  If I ever do another one of these I am definitely investing in some spandex capris.  The gravel at the bottom of the mud pit hurt SO bad and my shorts may have ridden up more than anyone appreciated in certain parts of the race.  Oops.

The end of the race was a lot of fun.  You had to climb up a wall and then up a rope ladder/wall and then you got to slide down a huge water slide into a pit of muddy water.  My nice friend got a nice muddy hug before we headed to the hoses to rinse off.  I thought they would be more crowded, but we walked right up to the make shift showers.  The race did a great job of organizing how many people would be in each wave because nothing ever felt too crowded.  I only had to wait a minute or two at a few of the obstacles, but most of them I was able to just go right through.  After rinsing off the best that we could and changing in the big tents they had available we got to enjoy our post race beer.  I was happy to see Harpoon was the brewery and enjoyed the Oktoberfest and IPA they had available (one free beer came with your race entry and all others were 5 dollars).  They had plenty of food and I "shared" a sandwich with my nice friend.  Being a Rugged Maniac is hard work!

So much fun!

The rest of the day was pretty much spent icing and sleeping on the couch.  I was so incredibly sore for the few days after the race and a few weeks later my huge bruises are just now starting to fade.  I think more graceful people probably didn't look quite as rough as I did after, but apparently my approach to obstacles was on the more painful side!

Ouch.

Thanks to the Rugged Maniac race series for a great race!  While I probably won't be gracing the event as a participant again (two "adventure" runs is plenty for this girl), I was overall very happy with the event and had a great morning!  Congratulations to all of you BA finishers!