“Some people wonder all their lives if they’ve made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem.” ~Ronald Reagan, the 40^th President of the United States of America

 

Yesterday, my twin boys & I had the opportunity to run races that we had originally planned to run last year. Due to inclement weather & a postponed race in 2013, our race entries were deferred to 2014. So, Saturday morning we loaded up the car for a weekend mini-vacation in Williamsburg, VA.

Saturday was spent stopping at one of my favorite lunch spots, The Cheese Shop, & then heading over to the outlets for some quick shopping. My wallet thanked the rain & icky weather, because it kept my retail therapy to quite the minimum! We then headed to our “home” for the weekend, Parkside Williamsburg Resort. With all of the excitement of the day, the boys opted to not nap that day…. oh joy {note the sarcasm}!

For dinner, we headed to a local Italian restaurant. I chose Chicken Parm for my pre-race meal—it was so-so, nothing too spectacular. However, their Tiramisu was on point!! I happily enjoyed this tasty dessert in silence after the cranky boys were in bed. Sleep time came early, like prior to 10pm, since we did not know what the night would hold, in regards to our silly little men…. who are very used to their cribs. I was pleasantly surprised when the twins fell asleep fairly easily; but was not very surprised when we were awakened for the better part of 3-5am. Oh & did I mention there was an alarm clock in the boys’ room that decided midnight was the perfect time to start blaring?! Just lovely, ha! Nearly just as pleasant was the pull-out-couch-sofa bed that my hubby & shared, while the mini people slept comfortably in the master bed. They clearly are kings already. Love them, even with all their silliness & routine quirks!

Race morning started with a 6:15am alarm. I took the first 15 minutes to dress quickly in silence, & then woke up the troops. We arrived to Busch Gardens, the site for the race, with quite a few minutes to spare. We enjoyed the warmth in the car for a bit, & then headed over to get Andersen & Alexander ready for their ½ mile Fun Run race. This would be their very first race! At 8am, they took off. As soon as the other participants took off, Andersen started crying hysterically & decided his first race would be being carried by his da-da. I think he was frightened & didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Poor guy! Alexander though, he bolted. At the turn around point, Alexander had become overly distracted & quite cold. He was trying to knock over cones, climb walls, & avoid the finish line. Andersen decided about halfway through that he’d like to run & let his daddy put him down. Andersen crossed the finish line a couple of people from last; with Alexander bringing up the final rear position. He loved it though! Everyone was cheering for him & he had the Chick-fil-a cows as his personal escorts. Such a fun family time & memories that I’ll remember forever…. & share with their future friends/running coaches!

With the boys’ run as my warm-up, I headed to the start for the 8:30am gun time. I started in the middle of the first corral & enjoyed a few minutes of chit-chat with a local running friend, Marie. And then, we were off!

I had zero expectations for this race. I knew I didn’t want to take it super easy, like a fun run, but I didn’t think I was prepared to PR. My PR at the start of the race was from this years’ CHKD 8K with a time of 39:31. The first 2 miles just click right by. I surprisingly seemed to be passing a lot of folks, which always makes me feel like I am flying… even if I am running an even, controlled pace.

Mile 1 – 7:54

Mile 2 – 8:08

At the start of the 3^rd mile, we had a water stop, & then entered into the amusement park. Previously, we had run in the driving areas & parking lot. The next mile was easily the hardest {pun intended}. Wind whipped around the park. There were hills galore. Cobblestone lined the streets. Areas became cluttered with runners. BUT, my very favorite part of the day came just before the 3^rd mile marker—at the bridge in Italy. Marines lined both sides of the bridge & I happily high-fived every single one that was on my side of the bridge. What a rush! Thank you, Thank you, for your service. These Marines made the race—& I am certain, they are 100% responsible for me reeling my pace back down to PR level.

Mile 3 – 8:15

When we exited the park just after mile 3, we began running in the parking lots again & enjoyed the 2^nd water stop. I looked at my watch—something I really hadn’t done much of during the race—realizing I might have a chance to beat my CHKD time. Say what?! I was giving this race some effort, but I definitely had a lot left in the tank.

Mile 4 – 8:00

At mile marker 4, I knew if I ran the rest in under 8 ½ minutes, I would PR. So fun & a pleasant surprise! I knew the end would be all downhill, for about a quarter mile. So I knew I had it in me & just took off. I didn’t realize until I finished how much I actually took off. Whoops!

Final 0.93 miles to the Finish – 7:32

Garmin Time: 39:17 (7:58/mile)

Official Time: 39:15 (7:54/mile)

Overall: 181 out of 1782

Gender: 40 out of 1089

Age Group: 12 out of 187

Overall, this was a fun race & I will do it again! It was so nostalgic to run through Busch Gardens, my childhood amusement park. Year-after-year, my parents would get the whole family season passes & we would spend many o’ days at the local {~45 minutes away from Norfolk} amusement park. I definitely can’t wait to have those memories with my twin boys. Even though I haven’t been to the park in nearly a decade, I knew which “country” we would approach next as we ran through Ireland, Italy, Germany, etc.

GREAT JOB to the organizers—Flatout Events, & to all of the Busch Gardens staff. The volunteers & spectators were also fantastic! And of course, thanks to my amazing hubby for coming out to cheer us on, on such a blustery morning!!

Up Next For The Running Blonde: Santa Claus Shuffle 5K on 12/13/14!

When I took on the task of helping lead a pace group for the inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon, I had no earthly idea of what I should expect. Would it be difficult? Easy? Fun? Boring? Would it be possible to adjust my pace & run at an unnatural pace? Would we actually have any racers that would want to run with us?

Well, what I would soon find out is that this pacing job would be freakin’ FAN-TA-STIC!! I loved every single minute of leading the pace group with my fellow pacer, Erica! From the beginning of the day when all of the pacers congregated & met Erica, I knew we would have a GREAT time. We hit it off immediately & were soon chatting like a couple of old college gal pals. I had met a handful of runners at the expo, during my volunteer shift in the pacers booth, which would end up running with us on race day. It was super fun knowing that so many people were excited for our little green signs & huge smiles to lead them from the starting mat to the finishing line; all with the goal of finishing the 13.1 miles in 2 hours & 15 minutes. A 2:15 half marathon equates to an average of 10:18/mile, assuming the race course is exactly 13.1 miles.

Race morning started with a 6:00 alarm. I had all of my gear laid out nicely, so that race morning I could throw it all on in a jiffy. For some reason, I was moving sluggishly that morning—as if I had nowhere to be. I had planned to leave my house at 6:20, but that didn’t actually happen until 15 minutes later. Since the race was only 4.25 miles from my house, I had decided to ride my bike, a lovely pink beach cruiser, to the start. I needed to be in Downtown Norfolk by 7am to meet up with the other pacers & by 7:10 for a photo op with the MRTT (Moms Run This Town) group. Luckily, there was very little traffic to avoid, since most of my biking route I would later run during the race, & the kind Norfolk cops had already begun “coning” off the area. Somehow, I reached both meet-ups on time! Woohoo! And, to my surprise, my stomach was cooperating on race morning so there were no pre-race port-a-potty stops. Score X2, for the stars aligning!

After stripping off my winter gear, locking my bike, & dropping my bag in gear check, I headed to the corrals with my co-pacer. We would be situated at the start of Corral 5, with numerous happy runners excited to see us join them. Once we reached the starting mat, about 7 minutes after the race started, we were off!

The first few miles flew by {actually if I am being honest, the entire race flew by!}. Before I knew it, we were turning onto Granby Street, then weaving through Ghent, next onto Colonial Place, & finally headed back into Downtown Norfolk.

Instead of boring you with my normal minute-to-minute play-by-play, I will now include a little personal story for {hopefully} some inspiration. It goes a little something like this…

It’s funny, as I can so vividly recall the 2:15 half marathon goal in my own running career. Back in 2011, I was approaching my 3^rd race ever—the Shamrock ½ Marathon. I had previously run the CHKD 8K in 2010 & the Rock n’ Roll VA Beach ½ Marathon, also in 2010. With the race approaching, also upcoming was our 1^st IVF {in-vitro fertilization} cycle. Little did I know that a few weeks after Shamrock I would be pregnant with twins & not run another race for nearly 15 months. My Rock n’ Roll time had been 2:27:40 (11:16 avg/mile). For the Shamrock, I was hoping to break that 2:15 barrier, which in hindsight, is kind of ambitious—a nearly 13 minute PR! As I came down the boardwalk that day in March, I remember how excited I was to see 2:15:xx on my watch, knowing I would almost meet my goal. It felt incredible! My official time was 2:15:49. Ecstatic!!

This was the same excitement I witnessed yesterday—helping some amazing athletes on their running journey, by assisting with knocking minutes off of PRs. And, making people realize just how strong they truly are! I too am a runner that has to work hard for PRs. Fast splits don’t come naturally for me. Faster times have come with dedication, hard work, & consistency. I will never be an elite runner. I am just an average girl next door. Specifically, I’m The Running Blonde, who hopes to help runners cross the finish line happily & improve their outlook on physical fitness.

Back to this past weekends’ race… here are the mile-by-mile splits! A couple of miles slightly too fast, but luckily, no miles too slow.

Mile 1 – 10:08

Mile 2 – 9:59

Mile 3 – 10:17

Mile 4 – 10:03

Mile 5 – 10:17

Mile 6 – 10:11

Mile 7 – 10:07

Mile 8 – 10:08

Mile 9 – 10:11

Mile 10 – 10:11

Mile 11 – 10:10

Mile 12 – 10:10

Mile 13 – 10:09

Final 0.35 miles to the Finish – 9:38

Garmin Time: 2:15:24 (10:08/mile – based on 13.35 miles)

Official Time: 2:15:21 (10:20/mile – based on 13.1 miles)

I blame the “long” course for not crossing the finish line in under 2:15, BUT, I was not going to make our runners sprint at the end, if they didn’t have it in them. Our goal was to run even for the entire race, including the final stretch of road. Thanks Erica for being such an AWESOME co-pacer!! I look forward to our next pacing race!

As I told my husband & a few other people since completing this race, it was by far my most fun half marathon, & aside from my marathon last weekend, it was the race in which I smiled the most. I cheered people on. I hopped on mats double-footed. I took selfies of our group. I played my music for motivation. I sang, not well, but hey, I tried. I danced, again, probably not well. And based on some kind words from a bunch of ladies {the men in our group must have been too timid to admit that 2 blondes helped them reach their goal—ha!}, I did my job of helping them have successful races. I am still enjoying messages & comments from runners with reports of their PRs & achievements. If you’re an experienced runner & have never paced a group of runners, DO IT if ever given the opportunity!! I would LOVE to have the chance to do this again!

This post would be incomplete without THANKS to a few folks. First off, thanks to Running Etc. and J&A Racing for “hiring” me & being confident enough in my running abilities to represent your companies. And THANKS also to J&A Racing for putting on yet another GREAT race! Next, the police officers in Norfolk are amazing! They were smiling at every street corner {except one, who I think was sleeping on his vehicle, ha!} & did great at keeping the runners safe. I hear they had to deal with some unruly, non-running citizens—& for that, I say, “yep, welcome to Norfolk”. Sad, but true of my beloved city. To the volunteers & spectators, THANKS for cheering us on & keeping us hydrated! To Baker’s Crust, those amazing little pies just past mile 9 are KEEPERS; yummy!! Can they come to other J&A races?! To my fellow running community—THANKS for helping remind us daily that there still is a chance for humanity! Kudos to you all who ran yesterday!

Have you ever been a pacer in a race? Was your experience as fabulous as mine?

Up Next For The Running Blonde: Christmas Town Dash 8K on December 7^th at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg

When I registered for the 2014 Richmond Marathon in mid-April, I really had no idea of what to expect. I knew the training would be long, as well as the race itself, but I was willing to put in the time & effort, in order to achieve great results. My incredible husband supported me endlessly, which played a huge part in even getting to the starting line! I had yet to endure the 26.2 miles & provide the marathon distance the respect it truly deserves. You can read my initial blog post about deciding on a marathon, here!

In case you don’t know, statistics have shown that only 1-2% of the U.S. population has completed a marathon. According to RunningUSA.org, there were more than 500,000 U.S. marathon finishers in 2013. If all of those people could run one, I could too…. right?! While searching the Internet one evening, I learned that the median time for female U.S. marathon finishers was just over 4 hours + 41 minutes. I could swing that, right? And so, my marathon training began on the final day of June. I prepared my personalized plan with 20 weeks to train for this new distance. I was determined to get to the finish line—all while remaining happy, sane, & injury-free!

Following my final training run last week, I calculated that I had run 540.25 miles during the prior 4½ months—all with my focus on the November 15^th marathon. Some might argue this was a low mileage plan {to each their own, right?!}, with an average weekly mileage of just over 27 miles. However, I was able to max out my weekly mileage at 45+ miles, with only a handful of missed runs. I had a few aches & pains, with 1 or 2 injury scares; but all-in-all my training went fabulously!

The marathon weekend festivities began on Friday at noon, when Scott & I started the trek towards Richmond. We stopped in Williamsburg for lunch & shopping, & then proceeded on to Richmond with our next stop as the expo. The expo itself was nothing fancy, pretty much a normal packet pick-up with a bunch of vendors. I was disappointed that much of the race-sponsored merchandise was sold out in my size & that Sweaty Bands did not make an appearance. But, neither was a huge deal. After the expo, we headed to our friends’ apartment—our gracious home for the weekend. Thanks Christian! We had dinner reservations at 7:15pm, so after freshening up & catching up with our dear friend, we headed to La Grotta. The restaurant was hopping!! Clearly a ton of other runners had chosen the same eatery for race day fueling up. My only regret on the day before the race was that I did walk a bit much, & all in a cute, but not 100% comfy pair of boots. Lesson learned—tennis shoes next time!

Because we had to travel to this race, my attire was already decided & ready to go. Once back at the apartment, I snapped a quick pic of “Flat Rhonda”, & then relaxed for a bit before bedtime. My head ultimately hit the pillow shortly after 11pm. My alarm dinged off almost 7 hours later at 5:50am. Overall, I slept pretty well, except for a random awakening at 4:04am, at which point I thought I for sure had overslept. Silly race day jitters!

At a quarter past six, I began the 1.2 mile walk from my friends’ apartment in The Bottom towards Downtown RVA. I had already eaten one Larabar ALT. When I arrived near the start, I met up with a fellow mother runner friend, Rachael, & then after a couple camera clicks we headed into the Marriott to stay warm in another friends’ room. Thank goodness there was no need for the port-a-potty line!! Thanks Kate! Another half of a Larabar ALT + a banana, & I was ready to go! Getting to the start line proved to be eventful—including bolting down 8 flights of stairs & running through an indoor pool area. Luckily, we arrived to the corrals just in time for me to power up my Garmin & give the legs a quick shake. I was placed in Corral 2; however, all of the 6 waves began at the same time {7:50am}. And then…. WE WERE OFF!

I noticed pretty early on that it was taking my body a bit to warm up. The temp at the start, according to my Garmin, was 30 degrees Fahrenheit with a “real feel” of 25 degrees Fahrenheit. It seemed like during the entire first 5K, things were pretty achy & cold. Finally at mile 3.5 I ditched my gloves along the side of the road. Ahh, warmth! I should mention here that at big races like this {& some small ones too!}, clothing that is tossed to the side is collected, washed, & then donated to local charities. That always makes me feel good about “throwing away” perfectly good clothing!

Mile 1 – 8:38

Mile 2 – 8:30

Mile 3 – 8:28

Mile 4 – 8:29

Mile 5 – 8:32

After hearing my watch beep at the 5 mile marker, I had my first “fuel” of the day. I had decided prior to the race that I would eat somewhere between a half & full bag of Sport Beans or Honey Stinger chews every 5 miles. This was more than I needed during long training runs, but I was terrified of hitting the wall at the end of the race. Luckily, my belly has proven to tolerate both of these fuel sources! This plan worked out great & my stomach did not complain!!

As I approached mile 6, I saw another yellow Running Etc. Ambassador Team singlet up ahead. Within a couple of minutes, I had reached this new friend; whose name I learned was Teddy. He & I would end up running together from just before mile 6 through approximately mile 11.5 {we got “disconnected” at a hill turn, I believe}. Congrats on your 2^nd marathon completion, Teddy!

Mile 6 – 8:30

Mile 7 – 8:24

When my watch beeped after completing the 6^th mile, I noticed how fast it was & I really needed to reel in my pace. However, I had been pre-warned by hearing other runners say at the start of mile 6, “get ready, this is the fastest mile”. And boy, they weren’t joking! One mile of nearly straight down hill. Nice! The next couple of miles ticked by beautifully.

Mile 8 – 8:39

Mile 9 – 8:36

Mile 10 – 8:30

As we began mile 10, the hills also began. Fun…. We had run up slight hills prior to that, but nothing like the straight uphill that mile 10 brought! I actually came to enjoy the hills & would play a mental game of, “get up this hill, then fly down the downhill portion”. It became a game of numbers, all while attempting to maintain my average pace at 8:35/mile. I recall encouraging a fellow runner that, “what goes up, must also come down!”.

Mile 11 – 8:56

Mile 12 – 8:38

At this point, I was still wearing my long-sleeve over shirt. That clothing item finally was shed just after the 12 mile mark {if I recall correctly!}. I should also mention here that I had a bit of a scare in the early miles because I had forgotten to “lift” my outer layer to expose my bib to the mat at the start {talk about an internal freak out!}. The lady at the expo had told me that this would be necessary in order for the race to be tracked. Thank goodness she was wrong! Luckily my bib was tracked without issue for the entire race, despite being covered up at the gun. I had planned to begin listening to my music after shedding my long-sleeve shirt, but instead, I decided to continue enjoying this great race & the camaraderie of all the amazing runners around me! Speaking of enjoying the race, just before the halfway point came one of the most awesome spectator cheering sections! That particular crowd was so loud & motivating—which made me feel like such a rockstar!! Thank you citizens of Richmond!

Mile 13 – 8:31

Mile 14 – 8:30

Mile 15 – 8:24

And now, the race turns from sugarplums & roses, to a true marathon! I recall many people telling me that, “the second half of the race begins at mile 20”. This was not true for me. My struggle, on this particular course, began after mile 15, specifically by mile marker 16….. otherwise known to me as “THAT EFFING BRIDGE”. Pardon my French, but I have no idea how many times that thought went through my head & out of my lips. Oh Lee Bridge {I later learned the name; which I now despise!}… you KILLED my race. I think I burned more energy crossing that windy, gusty, cold, awful bridge than I had during the entire prior 2+ hours of running! Forget drafting—it didn’t work well even behind big guys. After getting across that freakin’ bridge, I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was too late. I quickly knew the pace had dropped & my goal of 3:45 was adios! The only good thing that happened during this segment of the race was seeing my sweet hubby on the side of the road. He snapped a few pics & all I recall uttering {besides “THAT-you-know-what-BRIDGE!”} was, “where’s Julie”!?

Mile 16 – 9:12

Mile 17 – 9:17

Mile 18 – 9:06

By this point, Julie had joined me on the pavement; & boy did I need her!  Being the most fantastic running partner that she is, she had kindly trekked up to RVA to run some of my first marathon with me. Thank you, Thank you Julie! You have no idea how much that means/meant to me!! She motivated me to break the race up into pieces, 3 mile portions specifically. She also allowed me to vent & moan about not reaching my goal time. Very firmly, yet politely, just as only she can do {ha!} she told me to get that out of my head & just run the race. I will say that the hardest sign of the day to see was mile marker 19. Something about knowing I still had just over an hour of running was quite mentally defeating. I am so glad I was able to pull the strength from somewhere {who knows where… hehe} & keep going! I think Julie & the fellow runners around me take the credit for that one.

Mile 19 – 9:09

Mile 20 – 9:36

Mile 21 – 9:48

Mile 22 – 9:44

As I approached mile 23, this became unchartered territory. I had done my longest run of 22.2 miles a few weeks prior, so reaching mile 23 was a BIG deal! Somewhere along here, a kind woman gave me a piece of banana. Boy did I need that! My metabolism, being what it is, makes me so hungry sometimes, & during races is no different! I also recall the spectators, volunteers, & police officers along this portion of the course to be SO VERY encouraging & supportive. They called your name {glad I had written mine on my bib!}. Gave out water every mile. Smiled compassionately. All while being in temps just over freezing! I now understand why this race is dubbed “America’s Friendliest Marathon”. It truly was amazing!

Since I am a self-proclaimed math genius {jokes, not really!}, I had been calculating paces since the “downfall” of my race so that I could still cross the finish line with my Plan B goal—sub-4 hours. Even though I wasn’t sustaining paces of 10:00 miles, I would occasionally see 10:xx on my Garmin & start to freak out {mostly internal, but some externally… huh Julie?!}. With 4.5 miles to go, I knew I needed to be under 11:00 miles. Oh, I totally got this—I thought! Just.don’t.walk {for that piece of advice, I channeled my dear friend Laura—thanks girl!}. My tightening quads & sore right hip probably would not have restarted if I had stopped for a walk break!

Mile 23 – 9:32

Mile 24 – 9:32

Somewhere during those final miles, I realized that the numbers didn’t mean much at all, really. Sure, I would be in the “sub-4 hour club”. I would probably reach my goal of top 25% for my age group & females in general. I would likely achieve my goal of not walking at all. But, what I realized was that what was more important was that I was really doing it. I would be included in that 1-2% of the population that had completed the 26.2 mile distance. I am a strong woman. I work full-time in a sometimes stressful, but always rewarding ICU. I train people to run. I am the glue that connects a successful & busy household. I am a wife who has an incredible husband. I am a mother of very active 2 year old twin boys. I have the most amazing friends & family. But, I was actually doing it. Sappy & cliché, but oh so true.

Mile 25 – 9:47

Mile 26 – 9:18

The mile 26 marker. I’m not sure I even saw it. My hubby showed me a picture of it; but I don’t recall if my eyes glanced upon it as I was running. Hmm, that is likely because I was being propelled down the steepest hills of the day. For those who have never heard of the “Richmond hill finish”, it is NO joke! For the final half mile of the race, my goal & mantra became, “don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall”! Woozers! That 5^th Street hill was fun & scary, all at the same time!! Here is a link to my finish- views best on Apple devices, so please excuse the blur!

Final 0.36 miles to the FINISH – 7:52

Garmin Time: 3:55:04 (8:55/mile)

Official Time: 3:55:03 (8:58/mile)

Overall: 1,389 out of 5,094 (top 30%)

Gender: 443 out of 2,631 (top 20%)

Age Group: 86 out of 415 (top 25%)

 

Splits:

10K – 53:18 (8:35/mile)

Half – 1:52:48 (8:36/mile)

20 mile – 2:55:31 (8:47/mile)

As I reflect upon the day, I am most proud of having the courage & physical strength to actually train for 20 weeks & complete my goal of becoming a marathoner. It was pure sacrifice to get up some mornings at or before 5am to go run; or decline an offer to go have drinks on a Friday night. But, without that sacrifice, I would not have reaped the rewards of becoming a MARATHON FINISHER! I should note though, it wasn’t always this way. I recall vividly, years ago, saying I would never run a marathon. NEVER say never! Now, more than 48 hours after completing the race, I can truly say that I am happy I did it!! During the latter half of the race, I might have said differently. Ha! And, I ran it music-less—yeah! As for post-race aches & pains—yep, they are there; but nothing unbearable or far from the ordinary. Specifically, my calves & quads are screaming the most; but I can navigate stairs without walking like Frankenstein! Score. I do however have a VERY sore left heel; which I am hoping is nothing too serious. Time will tell & heal I hope.

Will I do another one? Probably… no, my answer is, YES. I know I will eventually check the NYC Marathon off of my running bucket list. And maybe a few others. Who knows?! For now, I plan to focus 2015 on picking up speed in the shorter distances. That’s the goal at least; we shall see what actually happens!

For today though, I am a marathoner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the way the year seems to be flying by, it’s no wonder that I’m already thinking ahead to SPRING training! After all, many of the big FALL marathons have come & gone. Did you race one?! If so, how did it go? We will soon be celebrating the holidays, & then toasting in the New Year. Along with that, comes the frigid WINTER training days. A training group or running club is just the ticket to avoid the awful dread of those undesirable weather mornings! Wouldn’t it be fun to wake up on that 30 degree morning & be happy to go run?! Of course, it won’t be like a SUMMER morning {let’s be honest!}, but it will be fun to lace up your shoes & enjoy some quality time with your favorite running pals!

We hope you are able to join us for The Running Blonde’s Shamrock Running Club!!

An interesting thing happened this morning at the completion of my 6 mile easy run. I met my 2014 mileage goal. Yes, you read that correctly. On October 27^th, I have run enough miles to achieve the goal—New Years’ Resolution if you will—that I had made for myself on January 1^st. Say what?!

Sure, this goal was set when I wasn’t sure that I would even run a fall marathon; which of course the marathon is the main cause of my mileage increase. I had entered the NYC Marathon lottery in December of last year, but did not know the status of that race entry until March. In April when I settled on the Richmond Marathon, I knew the annual mileage goal would be exceeded, but I never knew by how much. Clearly, I will be coming up with a couple hundred “excess” miles. Bring it on, I am ready!

If you were a “fly on the wall” & watched my running partner & me this morning, you would be laughing hysterically. For you see, I am a creature of habit & store all of my miles in an app called RunKeeper. I have used this app since I became more serious about running—specifically, post-twins. I also run with a Garmin GPS watch, the 640 model to be exact, but there is something about watching my “activities” & miles accumulate in that RunKeeper app. Call me crazy, but I am a numbers person. So, when I discovered that my goal mileage would be achieved today, Julie & I were anxiously awaiting what would occur on my smartphone when I clicked “DONE” for today’s miles. Would the phone start cheering? Would it have little green men jump for joy for me? Would it spontaneously combust?

But alas, when I tapped the finish button, NOTHING occurred. My previous goal page was no longer present & I did not see any green happy men. No applause. Nada. Really?! Okay….. That anticipation was clearly for nothing. So, I got in my car & went on my merry way. At least I knew I had accomplished the goal. I received appreciation on my achievement from my awesome running partner, but nothing from my beloved app.

RunKeeper, you must do better! Do you not realize how long it took me to log those 1,040 miles??? I think you should take pointers from a water drinking app that Julie has begun using. It gives her applause with each glass of water she downs. So she gets applause numerous times each DAY. Ten MONTHS of running & I get nothing.

So, does this mean I get to take the rest of the year off….. umm, not so much. I’ll continue to push through this marathon training & enjoy my fall/winter miles that lie ahead. Will I disown my dear app? Ehh, no. I am too loyal for that. I will add that when I opened my email, I was greeted with this lovely message:

BUT, I still think RunKeeper should step up their goal-completion-congratulations!! Give us tiny green men. Or make fake, loud applause. Have balloons pop out onto the screen. Something; it would be better than nothing!

 

Do you have an app or piece of technology that you’re loyal to, despite its’ shortcomings?

Do you use a running app on your smartphone? If so, which one?

Are you in the process of completing a mileage goal for 2014?

 

I hope you have enjoyed the sarcasm & playfulness of today’s post. I really wish RunKeeper could see something like this, which might motivate them to improve upon their “goal completion” portion of the app! Happy Monday & Happy Running!

I’ve had the last 36 hours or so to ponder “what went wrong in my race yesterday?” The truth is… nothing. Although, I did not PR, or even achieve my “Plan B” goal, I am still OK with the results of my 2^nd Wicked 10K race. I last ran this lovely & spooky course in 2012. My official time that day was 57:03 {a 9:12/mile pace}. I knew I would have a course PR this year, but could I achieve a personal PR? My PR in the 10K distance is from February of this year, at the Game Day 10K {also the race where I had my first ever age group placing!!}. My time that day—49:34, giving an average pace of 7:59/mile.

Leading up to the race, I continued to train in preparation for my first marathon, which is now in less than 3 weeks (eeeekkk!). My weekly training usually consists of an easy run, a speed/intervals day, a tempo run, & a long run—typically no more than 4 runs/week due to work scheduling. However, the last few weeks, in order to achieve my weekly mileage, I have had some 5 runs/week weeks.

The night before the race, I cooked a house favorite for our pre-race meal. To date, this would be my sister’s longest race {she lives with us} & she requested Sriracha Chicken with Garlic Green Beans, which is paired with a white/brown rice combo. Yummy! Just before bed, I decided on a lame outfit—ultimately forgoing a Halloween costume. Yep, procrastination at its finest! Bedtime came right at 11pm, with my morning alarm dinging off 7 hours later.

At 6:30am, my sister & I headed down to the oceanfront to meet up with some of our friends before the race. A bathroom debacle—super long line related, delayed me in arriving at a photo meet-up spot with some of the local mother runners. Sadly, this kept me from meeting up with 2 girls that I had planned to run with, both of whom were shooting for my same time goal. I should add here that both of them CRUSHED their goal. Whoop!! Good job ladies! Since time was getting very close to the gun time, I hurried to the porta-potty line, & then ran over to Corral 1—with probably only a minute to spare.

As I jumped into the corral, I met up with a new client of mine that I would be pacing for the race. Then, off we went. I had initially hoped to PR, which I had convinced myself would be fairly likely if I ran even splits at 7:50-8:00/mile. The first & second miles ticked by pretty quickly.

Mile 1 – 8:01

Mile 2 – 8:01

OK, this just might happen!! And then, about a quarter mile later, hmmm… maybe not. At mile 2.3, I looked at my watch & thought, “nope, no PR today”. This was about the time that we were being attacked by a giant orange ball of fire in the sky, with no shade as we ran down the VA Beach Boardwalk. Dang, I knew I should have worn shades! Just before mile 3, we turned back onto Atlantic, which brought a little bit of shade & an easier pace. At this point, I wasn’t sure if my client was still behind me {his choice—run behind, with me in sight & he’d try to keep up for as long as he could}. I knew if I looked back & did not see him, I’d allow myself to let up a little bit. So, I did not look back until with fourth mile.

Mile 3 – 8:15

Mile 4 – 8:15

Once I saw that I was alone {ended up finding out later that myself & new client guy had been split up in a bottleneck at mile 2}, I decided to begin drafting off of a Mario character for probably a half mile. Where was Luigi?! Anyone who has run down at the beach understands the amount of wind you might encounter—Wicked 10K 2014 didn’t have horrible wind, but definitely some! Just before mile 5, we turned back onto the Boardwalk for some more of that fireball sun. I had decided to continue to run my comfortable 8:10 pace, & then begin pushing at mile 5.75—a half mile before the finish line. Instead, I could see the finish line in sight, about a mile out at this point, & begin to pick up the pace. Soon, the race would be over….

Mile 5 – 8:13

Mile 6 – 7:57

Final 0.23 to the Finish – 7:17

 

Garmin time: 50:23 (8:05/mile)

Official Time: 50:22 (8:07/mile)

Overall: 348^th out of 5385

Gender: 98^th out of 3598

Age Group: 24^th out of 668

In processing my race, I definitely think I ran too conservative. Sure it was an effort performance, but I know I could have pushed harder. Following the race, I walked probably a total of a mile more, then did the family grocery shopping trip, then worked a 12-hour night shift. Today, less than a day & a half later, I did a 10 mile run with my running partner—with more than half of it at marathon pace. Yep, definitely lots of energy left over. Although I did not PR, I am happy with these results!! I had a goal of top 25 in my age group, which I managed to pull off; as well as top 100 of females, which I also managed to achieve. I really can’t complain. Next time though, I really need to push myself sooner than the last mile, & hopefully, I will improve upon my personal best time.

Of course, thanks goes out to ALL of the volunteers, the water stop helpers, the EMS & VA Beach Police Dept, & definitely to J&A Racing!! Also, thanks to all of the other runners & spectators with the FABULOUS costumes on, which gave constant entertainment along the course!! I also have to give tons of props to all of my clients who ran this race—you all ROCK! Whether you met your goal, or came up slightly shy, it doesn’t matter; you still did it & burned more calories than you would have on the couch!! Plus, I know each of you had a blast during this fun Halloween run! Oh & to a certain co-worker who enjoyed this as her first race EVER—woohoo; WELCOME to your new addiction!

Lastly, thanks for reading this & supporting me!

Up Next for The Running Blonde: The Richmond Marathon on November 15^th!!!!

A friend recently asked for my yummy lasagna recipe. Since I’d need to type it up for her anyway, I thought I’d share it here on The Running Blonde’s page. What runner doesn’t love a super Italian dish!? During the summer, I had a run (pun intended!) of “Tasty Tuesday” postings, which consisted of tasty recipes. Although I am no longer doing this as a regular series, I thought I’d be fun to have a recipe posted every so often. Enjoy this classic lasagna dish!!

Perks: Carb-loaded, Can be Vegetarian {if you omit the ground meat}, Great for leftovers!

Quantity:  8-10 servings

Total Time: 40 minutes to prep + 50 minutes to cook + 10 minutes to cool

 

{Ingredients}

1 lb. of ground meat (I choose turkey)

(optional) ¾ cup chopped onion

28 oz. can (or 2-14.5oz. cans) diced tomatoes

2-6 oz. cans of tomato paste

1½-2 cups of water (judge as you add; less water needed if you omit the meat)

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1 Tsp. sugar

1 Tsp. garlic powder

½ Tsp. pepper

½ Tsp. oregano leaves

1 box (1 lb./16 oz.) lasagna noodles

Small container (8-16 oz.) of ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (chef’s choice)

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

(optional) Parmesan cheese

 

{To Prepare}

In large pan (a Dutch oven pan works nicely), combine the ground meat {cooked of course!}, onions (if desired), tomatoes, paste, water, parsley, sugar, garlic powder, pepper, and oregano. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles, as directed on the box. In a large baking dish (i.e. 13x9x2), spread about 1 cup of sauce mixture. Then alternate layers of lasagna, sauce, & cheeses – ending the layers with sauce then cheese on top. Bake at 350F for approximately 40-50 minutes {until lightly browned & bubbling}. Allow to stand for 10 minutes to cool. Cut into squares & serve with your favorite salad or bread.

 

***When I make my lasagna, I add a third more of all of the sauce ingredients, except water, in order to make 2 smaller dishes; for example, 1½ Tsp. of garlic powder. My husband prefers the ricotta cheese & I like cottage cheese, so we both get exactly what we want!! Also, I use organic ingredients, which can usually be found at your local Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.***

Happy Running {& Eating}!

 

Who signs up for a 5K & a 10K just over 12 hours apart?! Ummm yep, this chick. How could I resist?! Two local, hometown races within 5 miles of my house, both with routes containing roads I regularly run. And come on, I am a Norfolk girl, through & through! Definitely sounded like a plan!

Surprisingly enough, I wasn’t the least bit stressed leading up to race weekend. Both races are fun, family-friendly events with great post-race parties. After my last few races being longer distances, mostly half marathons, I was excited to race shorter distances. And, on top of that, they would be a much welcomed break from my double digit long training runs that I have been enjoying for my marathon preparation.

Friday started out pretty typical, but quickly went to “hell in a hand-basket”. My sweet little twins decided to be hellions for the day & our morning was quickly wrecked. Tears were shed by both mother & boys. Luckily, I received kind words & support from two dear friends that helped remind me that I am a good mother (most of the time!) & I am doing the best I can. It is always nice to remember that it truly, takes a village! By the afternoon, following a nap for everyone, things were much better & we happily headed over to Larchmont for the RAT (Run At Twilight) Race 5K.

Prior to the start, we chatted & hung out with many of our local running friends, particularly, my fellow stroller-pushing mommas. Can I just say how honored I am to know & be friends with so many STRONG & AMAZING women?! I am truly in awe of how motivated women can be when they lose the “but I’m a busy mom” excuse. Only a couple of us from our group ran stroller-less, the others put up some fantastic times {including my dear hubby!}, especially considering they were all pushing lots of pounds of kiddos in front of them!

At the “gun”, I started near the mat & off we went. The first half mile was spent dodging younger kids, like 10 year old boys with turbo boosters that all of a sudden stop to walk. Fun times. Ha! After that I thought I had fallen into a rhythm. The rest of that mile ticked right past, then came mile #2….. lead legs. My turnover was awful & I was mentally beating myself up for not having more oomph. It was after all an evening race, after an eventful & challenging morning. I am the worse though at beating myself up when the going gets tough. I just need to get over that! I mentally & physically wanted to PR, but the continued summer humidity was simply not going to allow that to happen. That’s my story & I’m sticking to it! Mile 3 was better, although still not great for what I know my body is capable of. The finish line loomed & I kicked it across the mat.

Mile 1 – 7:27

Mile 2 – 7:56

Mile 3 – 7:57

Final 0.07 to the Finish – 7:17

Garmin time: 23:50 (7:46/mile)

 

Official time: 23:49 (7:41/mile)

Overall: 40^th out of 243

Gender: 9^th out of 107

Age Group: 4^th out of 35

 

After hanging with friends for a bit, hubby, the boys, & I headed home. I enjoyed a bowl of cereal & a Greek yogurt bar (lovely dinner I tell you, which paired nicely with the yummy YNot pizza at the race!). Then it was off to bed I went.

Saturday morning, Heart of Ghent 10K time, began with a 6:30am alarm clock. I lollygagged around the house & left my house at 7:30am…. for an 8am race. See, I told you I was totally laid back about this weekend’s races! I headed to Ghent to meet up with my Running Etc. buddies, specifically my running partner, & then we headed to the start line. Julie & I toyed with the thought of a warm-up, & then decided against. In hindsight, it might have been a good idea to get a warm-up in to wake up my sleepy, sore legs. The race was delayed a few minutes, but that was okay, we just chit chatted at the start & waited for the horn. Off we went!

Mile 1 was pretty good, right on goal pace (~8:00/mile). From there, it went downhill quick. Miles 2-3.5 were tough. My legs were heavy & constantly reminding me that I had just made them work less than 14 hours earlier. They were heavy & missing the longer, but slower miles they usually enjoy on Saturday mornings! Something at mile 3.5 clicked though & I got my mojo back. Maybe it was the reminiscing I was doing as during this course I “passed” many monumental memories in my recent life—the apartment Scott & I once called home, the children’s hospital where I have been blessed to be employed at for nearly a decade, the museum where I married my best friend, the medical facility that is responsible for helping us conceive, & the hospital where I delivered my sweet miracles. Yep, I covered all that in just under 6 miles!! Talk about nostalgic.

After mile 4, I was able to keep my pace pretty consistent at 8:05-8:15/mile; no not the flat 8s I was wanting, but after how tired I felt in mile 2/3, I was taking it happily! Coming down Colley Ave, I just knew the finish had an extra loop. After all, my watch hadn’t even hit the 6 mile mark yet. Well, that mile marker never arrived. Some way or another, we were miss-directed by the course marshals & part of the course was cut off—practically a whole two tenths! Talk about a bummer. I would have pushed it a lot harder near the end if I knew I just had to turn the corner & cross the mat. Ha! Oh well & I certainly don’t fault the race officials. It is hard to plan & direct a race. Like they said in a statement released, it is difficult to control traffic & directing on open city streets. And hey, this running stuff is all for fun, right?! Regardless, I’ll be back next year, Heart of Ghent!

Mile 1 – 7:56

Mile 2 – 8:10

Mile 3 – 8:25

Mile 4 – 8:24

Mile 5 – 8:20

Final 0.94 to the Finish – 8:00

Garmin time: 48:45 (8:13/mile)

 

Official time: 48:44 (7:52/mile)

Overall: 123^rd out of 703

Gender: 29^th out of 382

Age Group: 9^th out of 79

Of course like any race, I am super thankful for all of the volunteers, spectators, medics, bands, & city workers. Their support is amazing! I am also super proud of all my friends that ran this weekend. Many of you fabulous runner friends placed in your age groups & put up fantastic times. I continue to be amazed at what the human body can do! I know one lady in particular was amazing & super stoked to cross that finish line in under her goal Heart of Ghent 10K time—someone who has recently returned to running after some tough life experiences. I am super proud of you & happy you call me your running coach—you know who you are!! Also super proud props goes to my running partner for placing FIRST in her age group at the Heart of Ghent 10K; Julie you ROCK!

 

Up Next for The Running Blonde: The Wicked 10K in late-October; until then, I’ll continue to trudge through these Richmond Marathon miles. Less than 8 weeks to go!! Eeeeekkk!

Today marks the start to the second half of my 20-week marathon journey. It’s getting real folks! Only 67 days to go!!! I am constantly being asked by friends, family, fellow runners, clients, & co-workers how the marathon training is going, so I thought it would be fun to share some stats. While I have had a couple of setbacks—mainly the brief foot injury & the lovely summer weather, I’ve only missed a handful of workouts. I feel pretty laid back about my training thus far, but I am looking to amp it up over the next 10 weeks!

Here is some fun info about the last 10 weeks:  

• Total Distance – 238.31 miles
• Average # of Weekly Miles – 23.83 miles
• Total # of Runs – 34
• Total # is Hours – 37:03:37
• Calories Burned – 23,970+ {where is my ice cream?!}
• Longest Run – 16 miles
• Shortest Run – 1 mile
• Fastest Paced Run – Timed 1-miler for the Summer Series (6:54min/mile)
• Slowest Paced Run – 4-miler with a new client (14:50min/mile)
• # of Races – 5
• # of “other” fitness workouts – 9 Stroller Strides classes + 1 Barre class
• # of 24-hour shifts worked {trust me, this matters!} – 10 (plus 9 12-hour shifts & a single 8-hour shift)
• Most Favorite Workout – Speedwork day at the Granby HS track where we smoked the firemen. I met all my interval pace goals that day & still felt great!
• Most Disliked Workout – Tough 12 mile long run on August 1^st – which I promptly “recovered” from with our annual Tubing Trip that same afternoon.
• # of Twins + a Hubby Who Have Survived the 1^st Half – 3 {hehe!}

Thoughts for the next 67 days—

Over the next 10 weeks, my weekly mileage will increase to maximum of 54 miles/week, by mid/late-October. My longest run will be a 22 miler. I am hoping I can survive this. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?! Because I am such a mental runner, I need to see the numbers to believe I can actually complete the marathon—both to simply FINISH & maybe at my goal pace/time. My ultimate goal is to continue to remain injury-free & healthy. I am being proactive with an ART (Active Release Technique) session tomorrow & will likely keep this up every few weeks until race day. I’m still taking a Magnesium supplement to help my beat-up muscles. Hydrating is also VERY high on my priority list daily & I am chugging about 100oz. of water per day. In theory, I would take one Epsom salt bath per week…… but ha, life happens! I also plan to get a massage once or twice before the big day—as well as a day or two after the marathon {I hear this helps tremendously!}. Mostly, I am looking forward to the start of beautiful autumn weather & less humid days. As far as races go, I have 3 on the calendar prior to the Richmond Marathon—a 5K & two 10Ks. I may add one longer distance if it works into my training schedule. I think that is about it!

Any thoughts or tips from my veteran-marathoner-friends would be happily welcomed!!

Happy Running!

Just so you know, “you may become emotional during the race or when you cross the finish line, & that’s completely normal”. Those were the words of my same-aged niece April when she & I ran together for the 2010 edition of the VA Beach Rock ‘n Roll ½ Marathon. That race was my 1^st half marathon & I certainly did get choked up. Official time: 2:27:40.

Thinking back, what a silly decision for this particular race to be my first half! Go big or go home, right?! RnR VB has a reputation for being hot, humid, & utterly uncomfortable. Everyone who has run it knows it really isn’t a PR kind of race. The 2^nd time I ran it, last year in 2013, I stuck with my running partner who had a 3-month old baby at the time & we trudged through the miles together. Official time: 2:14:15.

Yesterday, for my 3^rd running of this beloved, yet hated race, I only had a few of goals in mind: 1) require no medic support—either during or after the race, 2) don’t stop for any walk breaks—it is very hard to re-start on this course after you allow yourself to walk, & 3) treat it like a normal long run & try to finish in under 2 hours—I did this pretty easily just weeks ago during a 13-miler.

Leading up to the race, my goal was to have a laid-back Saturday so that I could rest my legs for Sundays’ big race. Ha! Best laid plans. After a busy morning with two 2-year olds, including a picnic with a group of friends, we hurried home only to head right back out. After plopping the silly monkeys in their beds for naptime, on our bikes we went (no need to call CPS—my sister was home with them & they were not unattended). We spent some time with our DC friends at the ODU game, & then spontaneously decided to attend the first half of the football game when someone gave us their extra tickets. By the time we left, biked home, & got cleaned up, it was time to prepare dinner & get the sweet boys back to bed, this time for the night. My legs were sore & tired; quite the opposite of a restful day.

Grub for the evening was my pre-race staple—Chicken Piccata with Fettuccine. I laid out my clothes & prepared all the essentials; then was asleep by 11pm.

Race morning began with a 5am alarm. After hitting the snooze button for 10 minutes like I didn’t have anywhere to be (insert eye roll here), I popped out of bed & readied myself for the race. I picked up my running partner Julie, then her friend Andy; & we all headed to the oceanfront. After parking & walking about 10 minutes to the start, we happily used restrooms at the Rescue Squad where Andy was employed—so much nicer than the disgusting port-a-potties! Thanks Andy! A 7am gun time started the race. I was placed in corral 4, with Julie in corral 1—we ended up starting somewhere in the middle.

At a mile in, with sweat already pouring, I knew a sub-2:00 half would mean a little bit more of a push than a long easy run would entail. I would need to make sure an 8:xx stayed on my watch for the first 6-7 miles at least. I had purposely not looked at the weather for that morning. If I would have seen the dew point of 73, I knew that I would have mentally given myself an excuse for running extra slow. I didn’t want an “out” & I really felt trained for an easy 2 hour RnR VB. The first few miles ticked by pretty steadily. Aside from wanting to turn & be done at the 5K spot, it was an average half marathon start.

Mile 1 – 8:38

Mile 2 – 8:47

Mile 3 – 8:58

After the 5K, I knew the rest of the race would be long. Running by feel, I could tell my body felt more comfortable with nine as the first number on my watch. Coming over the bridge at Rudee Inlet between miles 3-4 wasn’t as brutal as I remember. I kept a steady pace & pushed on. Along the long straight stretch of road down General Booth, I recall during my first year seeing the winners coming back past & them giving me a well-needed boost of energy. Being closer to the front half of the pack, I didn’t get to see them this time; but I did enjoy seeing the 1^st few wheelchair runners pass by! About this same time, there were oranges handed out. I passed on them, as I really wanted to end the race with a happy belly. I would stick with my Nuun water & Honey Stinger energy chews.

Mile 4 – 9:08

Mile 5 – 9:12

Mile 6 – 9:24

Mile 7 – 9:24

After the halfway point, I recall a couple of miles where I just wanted to walk, but also at the same time, I wanted to kick it into high gear & just be done with this humid day. I happily obliged myself with a steady mid-9s pace. Sometime shortly thereafter, the 2:00 pacer slowly ran past. Surprisingly, I was not unhappy nor did I feel mentally defeated. This was after all just a long run with nearly 10,000 friends! I felt 10 times better when I saw the 1:45 pacer walking on the side of the road—anyone can have a bad day!

Mile 8 – 9:27

Mile 9 – 9:39

Somewhere in the lovely Camp Pendleton area of VA Beach, my toe began to throb. I had a blister from last week’s long run that just didn’t go away. I knew regardless of pace, it would hurt, so I just pushed on through. About this time I also saw a very inspiring shirt that helped me to get lost in my thoughts for a couple of mile. Personal Best is Temporary. I thought long & hard about this & I completely agree. Although running is not ALL about the numbers, we all are human & strive to improve daily. I certainly do! I decided that this particular race needs its own PR category—aside from all other ½ marathons.

As I approached mile 10, I saw the familiar face of Drew Midland—the Running Etc. Ambassadors coordinator. He jogged over & gave me an amazing cold towel, which was a godsend! The company he provided for the minute he jogged along side was a much needed break from the completely solo long run I was enjoying. Thanks Drew! Shortly after this, I saw the other side of the road still lined with runners who were pushing just as hard as me. The orange peels covered the ground, but there were no volunteers handing out fresh ones. Internally, I was upset & recalled an article about the “back of the pack” runners who basically get the shaft on race day. I coach some of these girls & I want the same for them as the top 10% of racers experience. This lack of oranges was infuriating to me. They certainly deserved the refreshing oranges, just as much as the 1:05 runner & the 2:35 runner—maybe even more.

Mile 10 – 9:40

Oh mile 11. You made me smile. As a veteran of this race, I knew that the return into Croatan would mean the POPSICLES! They are the extra boost you need to get back over the bridge, then down the boardwalk. I happily ate a half one—offered at mile 11.1, then again when new ones were offered at mile 11.25. Yummmmm! Speaking of that bridge, thanks to the pacer who ran over at the same time & yelled encouraging words to everyone around. You never know who you might be helping! Oh & did I mention the sprinklers?! The city of Virginia Beach patrons certainly know how to do it right! Thanks for your continued support as spectators each & every year!

Mile 11 – 9:31

Mile 12 – 9:54

As we turned off of Pacific & headed towards the boardwalk, I kicked it into high gear. I had held back long enough & met all of my goals except the time one. While I knew I would not finish in under 2 hours (have my mentioned my math skills are out of this world—which can be hurtful during a race!), I did have to honor my hubby’s request of kicking it at the end. My last mile was my 2^nd fastest & I felt great. I am sure as I ran the 0.8 miles down the boardwalk, that I “chicked” at least 20 guys & probably 10-15 girls. I heard Julie in my head at this point & knew our speedwork was paying off!

Mile 13 – 8:45

Final stretch 0.22 miles – 7:43

 

GARMIN TIME (13.22 miles): 2:02:06 (9:14/mile)

OFFICIAL TIME (13.1 miles): 2:02:06 (9:18/mile)

 

Division Place: 80/709

Gender Place: 410/4353

Overall Place: 1287/7750

 

Overall, I am very happy with this performance. I finished the race, with only sore feet as a compliant & did not need the medics (plenty of people do each year, hence why it was a goal, ha!). While I was just over 2 hours, I cannot complain as I later learned that this year broke the record for the hottest heat index year yet. I got my long run in & I am one step closer to my Richmond Marathon. I am also happy to have not heard of any deaths associated with the race (sadly, many years there have been awful stories of someone’s passing). I cannot thank enough the hundreds of people who volunteered at water stops, medical tents, popsicle stands, & bands along the course—they truly help make this event special each year. I’ve even considered taking advantage of the cheap-o, throwback price of $45 to register early for next year. Hmm… decisions, decisions!

The night ended with a yummy dinner at Mahi Mahs, followed by a beach concert with Train as the headliner—alongside my awesome hubby, Scott. I could never fully express my gratitude to him for supporting my running & picking up the slack at home when I am away racing or getting my miles in. Love that man!

Up Next For The Running Blonde: A Friday evening + Saturday morning duo in a few weeks…. Larchmont Rat Race 5K + Heart of Ghent 10K

 

What has been your most miserable race due to weather?

Have you ever started a race with the intention to finish at a longer distance than you actually do (i.e. turn off for the 5K finish when you’re supposed to do a 10K)?