2013 Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon, Virginia Beach

When I first started running I signed up for three half marathon's in a giddy rush as a result of my sister's encouragement and hype.  I ran Baltimore and Philly in fall 2012 and all I had left was the Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon in March 2013.  By the time I ran Philly I was ready for a break from races and training.  I fully enjoyed the holidays, sat around on my butt too much, and gorged on yummy food.  As January rolled around I started to regret signing up for the Shamrock race.  Training during the winter months is hard!  But if I hadn't signed up for this race, I probably would have spent the rest of the winter hibernating.  And any race that rewards winners at the end with beer (and especially Yuengling - my college beer) is a good race!  

First thing I had to do was drop off Sunny and Rosy at my parents.  They were terribly sad to see me go, but don't worry they were pampered very well at the grandparents (my mom even hand feeds Sunny when she's acting mopey).  But seeing their sad faces as I drove away broke my heart!

I was originally going to do this race with a friend but due to personal circumstances she ended up having to defer.  My sister was still going to run the full marathon but I ended up driving separately because they left a day earlier than me.  I actually really enjoyed the drive down (I love driving fast on highways!) and finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on the drive to and from and enjoyed the food/pee stops (McDonald's is totally appropriate pre and post race food!).  

It was super cold that weekend so not exactly beach weather.  But I love being near the beach.

My hotel was right by the finish line for both the half and the full marathon.  Seeing the finishing area made me excited/nervous.

I only realized the night before that this would be the first race I'd start by myself.  And it was so early!  I walked in the freezing cold to the starting area which was only a few blocks away.  I huddled against a brick wall as I did the daily crossword puzzles on my phone (whenever I'm nervous, crossword puzzles always help calm me).

The half started kinda late, about 15 minutes, and then we were off!  This course is super easy and flat but also very boring!  The only fun part is at the very end when you run along the beach.  If this race wasn't so easy/flat and didn't have such awesome gear and post-race stuff, I wouldn't love it as much as I did.

There were some pretty spots but they were rare.

I totally didn't train that well for this race but because the course was relatively flat and I'm secretly competitive, I ended up PRing!  I didn't feel terribly busted after finishing so I decided to fully enjoy the post-race stuff.  This race had the best post-race stuff I've ever seen.  Right after you finish they have a long stretch along the beach that you walk along as you collect your medal, food, water, Gatorade, the finisher's item hat (you get the shirt when you pick up your bib before the race) and a bonus finisher's item (this year it was an awesome fleece blanket).  This was great because it spreads out the runners so there's no sudden stops.  I like the long walk after finishing a race because it helps my legs loosen up a bit.  Then you can either go back to your hotel, or you can veer off onto the beach where they set up the party tent.

This year the tent was packed because it was so cold and windy outside, everyone was huddled inside the heated tent.  My sister said that in past years when she's run this and it's been warmer, a lot of runners just lay on the sand as they drink their beer and relax.  

The full marathon is sponsored by Yuengling and so the finisher's tent was filled with kegs of Yuengling and a surprisingly delicious Irish stew station.  Nothing tastes as good after finishing a cold race as a hot and salty brothy soup.  I got my broth and then I immediately went to the beer stations.  All finishers get four free beers.  I am proud to say that I got all four!  Ok I only got two when I finished but then I went back when my sister finished the marathon and got two more.  Apparently they go through 200-300 kegs each year.  They also have the keg lines go through coolers packed with ice so you get a wonderfully icy cold beer.  

Having gone to college in Philadelphia, I was basically raised on Yuengling.  So even though I was tired, cold, and by myself, I had a blast sipping away at my soup and drinking my Yuengling!  I also went outside wrapped in my finisher's fleece blanket, enjoying the cold beach.

In case you didn't notice, yes I painted my nails green in honor of the race.  There are tons of people dressed up in green and fun outfits!  I wore a green shirt but it was so cold I spent most of the race with my blue jacket on top.  My sister said she didn't see as many fun green outfits because she was in the first corral of the marathon with the hard core runners.  I watched her cross the finish line from my hotel room's balcony!  It was awesome seeing her finish, especially because I was freshly showered, dressed warmly, and slightly tipsy from the beer.

Despite the boring course, I think this was my favorite race.  Everything about it was just so much fun!  The race itself with so many participants dressed in green and/or crazy outfits, the awesome free finisher's stuff (t-shirt and fleece blanket!), the unique medal which also is a bottle opener, the finisher's tent with music, beer, and food, and the beach.

I also had a great time because my niece and nephew were there for the kid's run and we had a blast both before and after the race.  I think it would've been nicer if it was slightly warmer, but then I might not have PR-ed because I run terribly in warm weather.  I think I like the smaller, quirkier races, than the big ones.  Since my friend deferred I'll be running this again next year and I'm looking forward to it!

Second Half Marathon - Philly

When I first started running at the end of 2011 I got really excited and signed up for two half marathons one month apart.  After I finished my first half marathon (Baltimore), I really regretted having signed up for a second so close.  I had planned to run at Philly with my sister and brother-in-law but we almost didn't go.  We were all feeling tired from running and the thought of traveling and then running a race was almost too much for us.  I wasn't sure whether we were going to run it until about a week before the race.  We decided to just go ahead and do it and I'm really glad we did since it was a great and fun race in my old school town, I PR-ed, and we had an awesome post-race meal of cheesesteaks and fries (that was the main reason why I decided to run this race in the end).

So first stop when we arrived in Philly was picking up our race packets and then stopping by Reading Terminal Market for some awesome coffee (iced for me of course) and coconut macaroons.

We ended up staying in a hotel in Jersey so to give us enough time to race prep, drive over and find parking, and then make our way to the starting line, we had to wake up at 4am.  That's right.  Four freakin AM.  I was not a happy camper.  It was pitch black and very cold as we made our way from our pee stop at a nearby hotel to the starting area.  At that point I was wishing I hadn't decided to run Philly.  But that soon passed once we got to the starting area, it got lighter, and my excitement started to build.

Because Philly is such a big race and I'm a slowpoke, I spent a long time in the corrals and then slowly inching our way to the starting line.

Inch, inch, inch.  This is one of the things I love/hate about races.  I hate crowds and all these people bumping into you but having so many runners nearby is really inspiring and helps to build the excitement.

The course was awesome because I hadn't been back to Philly in several years and it was great to run through familiar spots, like South Street (felt so weird to see it totally empty and to just run down the street!).  I have become a pro at taking photos with my phone while running.  When the lighting is just right, then I get a pretty clear photo even though I'm bouncing while taking it.

This was the first race I'd run by myself because my sister ran the full marathon and my brother-in-law is much faster than me and so we didn't run together.  It was nice to run by myself but I had a hard time pacing myself.  Once I realized I could PR, I ended up pushing myself and was really sore afterwards.  I was also surprised to find that the end of the course had a huge hill because I had heard that Philly was a flat course.

Good thing I had an awesome cheesesteak and fries (from Pat's of course) to help me recover!  This was the best post-run meal ever!

I don't know when I'll run Philly again, but I'm so glad I did it last year! 

My First Half Marathon - Baltimore 2012

So I've kinda always hated running.  With a passion.  I still have "fond" memories of being forced to run laps in junior high P.E. in a field filled with geese poop and wheezing my way through a mile.  I've only run one race and that was a 5k when I was in high school.  I was unprepared, forgot to pack any running clothes, and ended up wheezing my way to the end silently cursing at the crowd near the finish line cheering me on to keep running when what I really wanted to do was lay down on the curb.  At some point in the past year I picked up running (or I should say walking/slow running).  It started with my sister's running.  She began running a couple years back and from the point of her first marathon last year she's since run several more marathons, a bunch of half marathons, and a 200 mile relay.  I also read Born to Run, and while I can never do any of those ultramarathon races, the idea of running just for the joy of running, and not with any time goal or pressure, appealed to me.  My sister also started running with a local running club filled with people who love to run and run in whatever way that works for them, whether that's a walk/run combo or a weekend only training plan.  

I had always thought of running as an all or nothing extreme sport filled with pain and pressure.  There's still a lot about running that I don't like or makes me uncomfortable - safety concerns for a woman running outside alone, blisters, calf cramps, chafing, bad runs, weird tan lines, porta potties - but there's a lot that I really enjoy - stress release, time to decompress and brainstorm, post-run meals, feeling of accomplishment, improved health and fitness.  

A good long run outside can feel amazing, but it took a long time to even reach that point.  I started off doing a run/walk combo and I struggled to run for even a couple consecutive minutes.  It's been over a year since I started really running regularly and I still struggle with it.  I barely manage to squeeze in any weekday runs (I'm not a morning person and after work I'm wiped), I don't handle heat and humidity in outdoor runs well, and I've had a bunch of really bad, discouraging runs.  And yet, this past weekend I finished my first half marathon.  

After watching my sister and brother-in-law run a bunch of races last year, I was kind of intrigued but still a little wary of races.  I hate crowds, pressure, and having to pee in porta potties.  But somehow my sister managed to convince me to sign up for not one but three half marathons!  My first one was Baltimore this past weekend.  I was warned that this course is super hilly, but the race is fairly close by and well-organized, there's great gear, and we could work around my peeing in porta potties issue (I actually took this into consideration in picking all three of my races!).  I also figured that if I could run Baltimore, then my next race would feel like a breeze since it would be a much flatter course.

So on Friday my sister and I went up to Baltimore and picked up our bibs.  I was hesitant to buy too much since I hadn't even run a half marathon before, but I did pick up this cute cup.  I also took anything and everything that was offered for free.

Then my sister and I had a super early dinner by the harbor and called it an early night so that we would be well rested for the race.

I was awakened before 6:30am (for a 9:45 race start) by my giddy/hyper/bubbly/energetic/morning person sister.  I mumbled at her that it was too early and she just hovered over me as she slathered on sunscreen until I got up.  I finally got up and admired the view of the stadium and Camden Yards from our window as the sun came up.

And before I knew it we were at the start for the race and I nervously waited to begin running.  Like everyone says, the adrenaline and crowd really carries you in the beginning and even though the course started with a couple hills I was speeding through.  It's really hard to gauge your pace because everyone is going so fast!  Luckily, I had my human garmin with me (aka my sister with her garmin watch) and she pulled me back when I was going too fast and let me know when we hit mile markers.  While my sister focused on pacing me, I focused on taking photos with my phone while running.

The elevation course map said there'd be a couple small hills in the beginning and then a bigger one near the end.  Lies.  It was hilly throughout!  Small hills, medium hills, large hills, extra large hills!

Because it was so hilly and this was my first race, we generally walked up the hills and then ran down hills and when it was flat.  There was only one point where the race was flat for a bit and that was around the water.  That was so awesome in its flatness.

I kinda loved and hated running in a race.  I loved seeing runners of all shapes and sizes, running at all different paces and styles.  And running in a crowd really helps to carry you along.  You almost feel like you're all running together in a Hunger Games like environment.  But I really hated the people constantly bumping into me and squeezing through tight spots to surge ahead.  And while the runners and the cheering crowds helped to push me to run more and faster than I usually do, I miss the ease and comfort in my long runs when I do whatever I feel like.

I was feeling great for the most part and running at a steady pace.  My sister and I even had a tiny shot of beer being handed out at around mile 9.5.  But around mile 10-11 I got the first twinge of a calf cramp.  Damn.  I had one bad calf cramp experience in a late summer long run that started with a slight twinge that I pushed through and ended with a horrific cramp where my calf looked like it had an alien inside it trying to break free.  As my calf went into all sorts of geometric shapes I fell to the ground on the side of the trail as I tried to massage it.  I ended up hobbling back home and had a sore calf for days after.  So as soon as I felt that first twinge, I knew that a larger calf cramp could come at any moment.  I had to scale back my pace a bit and had a few almost cramps hit me for the last couple miles.  As we neared the finish that felt like it would never end I saw the finish line and just as I raised my arms in celebration and my mind stopped focusing on my calf, another cramp hit me and I ended up half cheering with my arm up, half crouching in pain, with a strange grimace/smile on my face.  That finishing photo will be horrible/hilarious.

The finishing area of the race kinda sucked and we had to abruptly stop to pick up our medal which made my legs go crazy.  As my sister and I waited in yet another line for food, with my legs in pain and calves on the verge of cramping, surrounded by porta potties (combining so many things about racing I don't like), we decided it wasn't worth it and just headed back to our hotel.  After walking almost a mile back to the hotel, my legs felt much better as the walk helped shake things out and cool me down.  Finishing area is totally overrated.  Although the free beer would've been nice if there hadn't been such a long line.

And so with all the highs and lows, I finished my first half marathon!  Woohoo!  I love my medal and shirt.  In case you can't see, the bottom of the medal says, "What hills don't kill you make you stronger."  Love it!

Afterwards I put on my compression sleeves and napped.

And then refueled, beginning with a nice, tall beer.

The next day I hobbled around the harbor area with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew, and was forced into riding one of those dragon boats (luckily I didn't have to do any of the pedaling).

It was a beautiful day, which helped dull the soreness in my legs a bit.

I am so happy to be done with my first race!  I don't know if I'll do it again next year (damn those hills!), but if I keep up with my running and training, and figure out a game plan for preventing calf cramps, then I may just have to sign up for the Baltimore half marathon again!

Slow and Steady...and Torturous

I have a love/hate relationship with running, especially in the summer.  I continued to do my long runs outside through June, taking advantage of any cooler weekend day.  And by cooler, I mean like in the 80s and not in the 90s or 100s.  I'm so ready for fall!  

On my last outdoor run of the mid-summer, I enjoyed the scenery.

And was surprised to see some baby deer along the path!  They were super cute.  Where's their mother??

So once August rolled around, I moved my runs mostly to indoors.  I have a love/hate relationship with the treadmill too.  On the one hand, I love running in an air-conditioned room and having control over my pace.  On the other hand, it can be super boring.

Unfortunately, on my last outdoor run I also suffered from a severe leg cramp/spasm that seized up my entire calf and caused me to stumble to the side, sitting and massaging my calf that looked like it was transforming through a variety of geometrical shapes.  That was so not fun.  Since I already have calf and Achilles issues, I got some more compression gear.  I am loving the compression sleeves because I hate wearing socks and having my feet covered.

Aren't my large calves and flip flop tan lines so sexy?  I'm just glad to have flip flop tan lines instead of sneaker tan lines.  

Sunny wasn't so impressed.  She thinks the color is too bright so she promptly started shedding all over them. And oh man pug hairs worm their way in through the fabric, making them really hard to get off.  Sigh.

Elevating my feet after my runs also helps.  I also like to enjoy the view.

Luckily, I feel much better now and am happy to see the temperatures dipping a bit.  I did my first long run outside with my sister in DC and was disappointed to find how much conditioning I lost by moving my run indoors!  Running outside is a lot rougher and it didn't help that that day was pretty warm and extremely humid.  The view was beautiful, especially with the pool filled in.

But I ended up having my first running fall that day.  Luckily I was going so slowly (like seriously slow and shuffling) that I just fell flat on the ground and didn't skid anything.  My water bottle also protected one of my hands so I just ended up with one scratched up hand and one bruised knee.  That knee has been bothering me a bit lately, feeling a little tight, but it could've been a lot worse.  My mom and my sister have had a few really really bad and scary falls when running, so I'm just grateful it wasn't any worse!

I'm getting a bit nervous because I have a few races coming up (my first since the one 5k I did as a teenager) and my long runs have been really rough!  But last Sunday I had a surprisingly decent long run where I increased my speed and distance and didn't feel busted afterwards!  It also helped that the weather was much cooler and drier.  I actually kinda enjoyed the run, instead of just feeling agony.

So I'll keep on shuffling outside and hope for the best!

Long Time No Post! - Human Update

All right, now that we have the pug update, it's time for the human update!  Not much going on here and most of it is running related but I promise to include a couple pug photos!

Sunny is not that playful but she has somehow managed to break two of my bracelets!  I guess it doesn't help that she has the fastest growing claws in the east and I only have dainty, thin bracelets.  I finally got the two fixed and have worn them nonstop since.  I love my lil skully!

I've been drawing a lot lately.  I try to draw something every day although I've hit a lil block the past day or so.

See how realistic my drawings have gotten?  Haha, I kid, I kid!

I went searching for a new running shoe with a little more cushion for my long runs.  I tried on many, but it's really hard to find shoes for my fat feet and toes, that won't aggravate my tight Achilles/calves.

I finally found a good pair!  Mizuno Precision - nice wide toebox, light, more cushioned, and comfy!

I'm sad they don't come in brighter colors like some of the other Mizunos.  They're pretty good but not perfect but they're as good as I was able to find at this point.  The tongue slides a teeny bit and I sometimes get foot numbness in them.  Also the wave insole feels pretty good but after 8 miles there's this one point on the wave that starts to feel a bit uncomfortable on my right foot.  My right foot is always the one with issues!  But my feet did feel a lot less tired than in my Green Silence.  I just wish the tongue on this shoe was like the Green Silence.  It did feel a bit weird running in more cushioned shoes at first but I got used to it eventually.  I also discovered that my previous calf/Achilles issues were not tied to the toe heel drop like I thought, but the kind of shoe.  I need neutral shoes, not stability, apparently.

But my all time favorite shoe is still the Green Silence!

I found out that they're discontinuing these by the end of the year along with the Brooks Trance!  I've been stockpiling them whenever I find a good deal online!  So sad!  I love how super light these shoes are and I LOVE the tongue which is basically an extended flap of the shoe.  I never get any foot numbness in these shoes.  And these are the most green shoes I've come across, which is great for the environment, but I hear that these shoes break down a bit sooner than traditional shoes.  The only downside is that my feet get a bit tired in them in my long runs, although I noticed it hasn't been as bad recently, so maybe my feet are getting stronger and more used to them?

I've tried to do as many long runs outside as I can before the weather here gets too unbearable.

One route even went through the National Zoo!  Man that place is one big hill but it was really cool to see the animals out and about in the early morning.

And many runs along the Potomac. 

I even tried going to Theodore Roosevelt Island.  (yeah, that's a dog on a kayak below!)

But it was pretty desolate in spots and I didn't want to end up like an episode of Law & Order.  And as soon as a bug flew into my hair (not near, not on top, INTO), I freaked out and ran out of there like a crazy woman.

View of Georgetown and tons of kayakers.

After each long run I feel pooped and need to lay down starfish style on my floor for a bit, while I pet Sunny and upload photos from my phone.

Then I refuel.

And sometimes I elevate my feet with the help of Sunny.

Phew, just reading all this makes me tired.  Too bad I have to go running soon!  But this time it will be indoors - too hot outside right now!