Army Ten Miler Recap

This was a first really big race, the B.A.A. Half marathon the previous weekend had 7,500 entrants, this one had over 35,000.  I was feeling really prepared for this race since it was going to be a lot less hilly than the half marathon the weekend before. This was the first race my husband Tracy and I were going to run together (without kiddo in the jogging stroller) and my brother-in law was running it with us too.  We were also treating this as a quick mom & dad overnight getaway (my mom was watching our daughter).  Funny how running has become the gateway to vacations.

We headed down to DC to pick up our packets at the Armory, a drive we'd done countless times last year since my husband had been stationed at the Pentagon for the year and we drove back and forth to our home.  So happily, we knew where we were going (always a bonus heading to an expo).

In line for the free parking for the expo

We parked the car and headed into the expo. Since we had our ID cards, it took no time at all to get into  the building.

This was also my first time at an expo, it was a little overwhelming. What I learned is to figure out what vendors are going to be at the expo and where and then target them first. 

Just a taste of the vendors.

So we picked up our numbers, checked out the expo for a little bit where I bought a new armband, and shoes at the Mizuno tent and then we headed to the hotel in Alexandria, VA.  The hotel was filled with other Ten Miler participants, and the Metro station was only 2 blocks away and a short ride to the Pentagon. After dinner, I laid all my clothes out so I didn't have to think about it in the morning and headed off to bed.

I like layers.  I  believe it's better to take something off than wanting to put something on.

 Race morning we headed over to the Metro station.  We decided to leave at 7am to head over, so that we had enough time to get through security and hit the bathroom before our corral went off.  We were in the final corral (purple). Purple is my favorite color, so I took think as a good sign.

Riding on the Metro.

We got off at the Pentagon and the enormity of the event was really starting to sink in.  A sea of people everywhere.  

Packed escalators.

There were so many people that you couldn't feel how cool it was out, until you got outside.  It was definitely brisk, but waiting to get through the secure runner area made you forget about the cold.

And this is what thousands of people trying to get through security looks like.

So we made it to the porta potties and gathered in the purple corral.  I had time to stretch again and get the last minute jitters out and then the balloons started moving our group up to the start line.  The cannons went off and we were on our way. Tracy and I were feeling good and my pace was sub 11 minute miles. I always appreciated a good challenge and this race's challenge was to maintain my own pace while being mindful of those around me and finding clear running paths.  At times it was definitely a challenge with so many runners grouped together.

I was and am very proud have run this race for a variety of reasons.  Being among other military families, Wounded Warriors, Active Duty and Reservists and those running in memory of a fallen soldier was a privilege.

On a personal note, I finished it almost 5 minutes faster than the ten mile point from the half marathon the weekend before and about 10 minutes faster than my 10 mile training run earlier this month.  Plus, I got to do it with my husband.

Happy Finishers!

And the coin we got is pretty awesome too.

I would love to do this race again next year for the 30th Annual Army Ten-Miler. I think our times would move us up in the corrals and now I have something to base the next race on. What race would you like to do again?

B.A.A Half Marathon recap

I went into the week leading up to the B.A.A. Half Marathon feeling rested and ready to run. This was my second half, so I looked at the course map to get a feel of the course and see where water stations were.  I was feeling confident and ready to run, but what I was not expecting was race day jitters. Or as I like to refer to it: Unnecessary Freaking Out.  Freaking out about what the 2 hour 30 hour time limit meant and discovering that the course was hilly and then worrying that I wouldn't make the 2:30 cut off with all the hills. So as I was packing my clothes I thought: what would I say to my daughter in this situation? I would tell her to take a deep breath and calm down.  It will be OK.  

So I instead focused on packing my gear and trying not to over pack.

Packing for every possible weather event. Clearly not packing lightly.

So back to the race.  I woke up Sunday morning at 5am and could not get back to sleep. My friend Sarah and I were running this race together, so we got ready and headed to the shuttle location.  

On the way to the race.

We got the the shuttle at 6:45 to head over to the course. Once we got there, we immediately got in line for the porta potties.  I try to go as many times as necessary before leaving the house, as I'm still getting used to using them again (I haven't had to use them since college) so I'm standing in line realizing it's 8am and the line is not moving.  

Our bank of potties...

The race starts at 8:30.  I still have my jacket on and haven't made it to the bag check yet. So now I'm starting to get nervous, about the line not moving and where I'm going to leave my jacket.  We finally get to the potty, I ditch my jacket, we hop in the cue just as Wave 1 is starting...

At the start, getting ready to take off

Approaching the start. My jitters have subsided and I'm looking forward to starting the race (with 6,500 of my fellow runners).

Coming up to the start.

We cross the start line and head off.  The course was described as having rolling hills. It was hilly.  My strategy was to run as many hills as I could and then power walk the rest.  I made it to the hills of mile 6 when I decided power walking the hills would be best to keep my legs from cramping and then running on the flats.  I had been warned about the hill at mile 11, and it was in fact no joke.

The Hill at Mile 11.

What motivates me towards the end of the race when I'm tired is seeing all the the sub 2 hour runners  walking home with their medals, which means I am not far away from the finish line.  This gives me a little more energy that I'm almost at the end, as we run through the zoo at mile 12 and then we're really in the home stretch into White Stadium.

Yes, I'm very happy to see the finish line (and my friend Nicole taking this photo)

So my pre-race jitters were just that, unnecessary jitters.  I finished the race strong and my time was not far off my previous half marathon time (which was on a flat course).  

I did it!

We got our medals, stretched a bit and then walked back to the shuttles to get to the car and head back to the house.

Plenty of buses for everyone.

I had a really good time (who knew that would be something you say after running a half marathon!) and I would definitely do this again next year.  I would love to do the Distance Medley, it may have to go on my wish list for next year.  

I'm feeling pretty good about my upcoming races and my training thus far.  Tomorrow I'll be doing some laundry and packing again for Sunday's Army Ten Miler.

What races are you looking forward to?

Weekend activities & a long run do-over

Yesterday, kiddo came with me to see the trainer where she watched me (but she had to make sure I was only an arms distance away) at first.   Slowly she started to become more interested in the equipment and what I was doing.  After we were done, she wanted to check out the equipment.

She really wanted to do the row...

Since I didn't get my long run in last weekend, today was my 10 mile run day.  As I was preparing to run, I was thinking a lot about the last 10 mile run I did last fall to prepare for the Princeton Half Marathon (which was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy).  That 10 mile run did not feel good at all, my right started to hurt at mile 6 and I miscalculated my route so when I finished my run, I had to walk a mile home.  Limping home is never a good time especially after a run that didn't feel good. Fast forward to this run.  I decided I was going to work on a couple of things: 1-not start out too fast 2-work on negative splits and 3-finish under 2 hours. This run felt a lot better than last year's run.  I was able to run without feeling like I needed to walk and my hip didn't hurt at all. So I checked my stats for this run against last year's run to see the difference:

10/06/12

Today!

So I managed to meet all my goals for this run!  I had enough energy at the end to push the pace to finish under 2 hours and I shaved over 12 minutes off last year's 10 mile training run.

How did your weekend run go?

Vegas Vacation!

The countdown is on until the B.A.A. Half Marathon!  I'm feeling mostly prepared but need to get one last long run in.  According to my running schedule, my 10 miler was supposed to happen while I was in Vegas last weekend...We flew out Saturday morning and I flew back home first thing Monday morning, leaving Sunday as my Run Day.

Hotel lobby-New York New York

Let's just say 10 miles didn't happen. Being up late Saturday night (it's Vegas, Baby) and not adjusting to the time difference was a recipe for running failure.  However I did wake up at 6am Vegas time (since it was technically 9am EST) ready to go.  So I decided I would split up my run between Sunday and Monday when I got back.  Got ready to run and headed downstairs with my husband, onto the casino floor to get out to the street.  One of these things was not like the other and it was definitely us going for a run while everyone else was partying still from the night before or getting an early start.

Got outside to see that we weren't the only ones out there getting some miles in.  It was a beautiful and sunny 62 degrees of dry heat, which I also was not used to.  My legs started to get comfortable at about 2 1/2 miles but breathing was difficult at best. I've run with bronchitis before and this definitely felt like that did; like I was trying to run with my toddler strapped to my chest. Not a good time.

Beautiful view running out past the airport

So I decided to cut the run short and we headed back into town, but not before I had to get a photo of this:

When will this happen again, right?

So I ran 4 miles on Sunday with the plan of running 6 when I got home on Monday....

Leaving Vegas 5am Monday

Until jet lag hit me as soon as I got home and the only thing my body was telling me to do was take a nap before kiddo came home from school.  Instead, I'll be running my 10-11 miles this weekend and accepting that sometimes I have to make adjustments.

How did you handle running while on a quick vacation? 

Trying new things this week

I'm continuing my training for my upcoming fall races, but there's always room to change some things up.  After I ran my 10K last Sunday,  I took my dog to doggie yoga. Because why not.  The challenge of doing yoga with your dog in a room full of other dogs is making sure that all the dogs will be relaxed enough to make the class enjoyable for everyone.  Luckily once everyone got to smell each other and feel each other out, we were good to go. 

The Happy Girl-Photo courtesy of Four Paws

I'd say our class was a success.  

This month has been hectic with work and traveling schedules, so I had to take my daughter to the appointment with the trainer.  I thought she might want to sit and watch, but she instead surprised us that she wanted to do the workout with me!  Although I pick her up regularly (as toddlers ask to be picked up a lot), doing targeted exercises while holding her in various positions definitely made it more challenging and fun. Getting to workout with my daughter and her seeing me being active is hopefully  setting a good example for her to be active as she gets older.

Bench presses with my 33 pound little one (feeling the burn)

Today was my long run day, so I had 8 miles on my schedule.  I downloaded the Road ID app but hadn't used it yet.  Since I was running solo, I figured this would be a good day to try it out.  It was incredibly easy to set up and I was glad to have found this app.  

Especially on solo runs, it's always a good idea to let someone know how far & where you'll be running.  

I felt pretty good on the first four miles and my splits were comparable to last week's 10k splits so I figured  I would be able to keep up that pace. I was feeling pretty confident about my pace, until I got 6 1/2 miles in and my legs started to tighten up.  What kept me going was knowing I was not far from home and I really didn't have much further to run.  

Another training run in the books.

I have a couple of weeks left before my next half marathon so I have a few more longer runs left before I begin my taper and packing to enjoy Boston.  I'm definitely feeling more confident about the upcoming races, in part because I have a half marathon under my belt. I mostly know what to expect and although every race is different,  I feel less apprehensive about upcoming races..

How is your training going?

Back in the saddle, and a breakthrough!

I've been away a while from my blog (about a month), I hit a writing rut in mid-August and I'm getting back in the habit of writing regularly.

Some things that I've done since my last post:  started working out with a trainer and continued my running and cross training to get ready for fall races (with the B.A.A. Half fast approaching!).  Finding a trainer that you trust is really important. I've experienced trainers that try to sell you on packages without selling you on themselves and how the two of you can work together to accomplish you goals.  For me, embarking on personal training is not about filling someone's monthly quota, it's about finding the next level. For me, my current goals are to be an injury free, faster runner and learn how to eat better for myself and my family. Last weekend the trainer took the workout outside (it was a beautiful day) and in 30 minutes, she really kicked my butt.  I could feel my quads tighten as soon as we finished.

View from the ab work & stretch, sometimes it's about the beauty around you too.

After working out with the trainer on Saturday, I ran a virtual 10k on Sunday.  I woke up with really tight quads but figured a good stretch and listening to my body while I ran, it would be fine.  The first mile felt alright, miles 2 & 3 I could really feel my quads but then I heard the splits on my RunKeeper:  Sub 12 min miles. So I decided I was just going to keep up the pace and keep my splits down. I felt pretty good when I was done and I realized I didn't start the RunKeeper when we started running, so my data was not going to show the full 10K (which is another reason to look into a GPS watch).

Feeling Accomplished

So I realized that I had just ran over six miles at sub 12 minute miles. I checked my data from the last 6 mile run...

8/17 Run

9/8 run

I shaved 3 minutes off my last 6 mile run and with sore legs!  I may have experienced a running breakthrough, I just have to remember how that felt to keep it going on upcoming longer runs.  Did you have a running breakthrough?  How did you keep the momentum going?

Wordless Wednesday

I love my girls