NYC Expo and Friends

As you know, I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon this past weekend. If you follow my personal blog here then you know what I did on Friday when I first got to NYC.  But, I don't need to talk about that again, since this is about the expo. So, I met my friend super fast friend Melissa on the platform for the AC train and it wasn't until a mild panic that I learned that it was the Downtown train. I live in a small town that doesn't have a subway system, so this was all new to me. After we met up, we continued on the train to head to Brooklyn for the race Expo. We got off the train and started walking, although we didn't really know the way. As we were walking, randomly against a wall was this sign...

 Then, the signs started popping up everywhere. We knew we were getting close.

We got to the expo, and I got to pick up my bib...Ok, now this is real!!!!

Random sign hanging up at the expo

The local running store, JackRabbit was really the only vendor there beside New Balance. And, it was hot, and I was really thirsty, so I bought one of these bad boys...

It tasted just like frozen Gatorade, and I am thinking that I might need this for summer fueling. And, in case calories matter, it was only 30 calories. There wasn't really much at the expo, except a DJ and live music (not quite sure how that worked), and some New Balance people who talked about stride, cadence, form and posture. We walked to the adjacent food tent and there was only samples at 1 table. I was a little disappointed with the expo, especially with all of the hype they were giving it. St Luke's Half Marathon and Runner's World Expos were 1000 times better. After we walked around, I had to stop and take this picture...

I agree, this is the best expo LOCATION, although not the best expo itself.

My friend Melissa and I at the Expo.

 Did I mention she is super fast? No, well she got first in her age group for the half, I think she finished it in 1:28 and some change. 

As we were leaving the expo, we also met with another friend Angela. Angela, Melissa and I all met last summer at a SweatPink Ambassador Meetup. Angela is funny, and whitty and writes her own blog about her adventures here. And while she wasn't running this weekend, she said she couldn't pass up sympathy carb loading. We got back on the subway and headed for L' Allegria for dinner. I have to say, the food was amazing,  I ordered their gluten free penne with oil and garlic. It was delicious  and light and filling, and will probably be my new carb loading type meal. I didn't really want to get sick the day before a big race, I think I asked them 1000 times if it really was gluten free.

Here is the three of us  after dinner. 

It was the best food and the best company. After dinner we headed to get some gelato, I can't say I ever had any before. and the original place we went to was no longer in business. I wish I remember the name of the place we did find, it was really wonderful gelato. Of course, I opted safe with Strawberry. 

While we were walking around we talked all things running. We talked about form, shoes, everything. They even talked about how their local running store puts you on a treadmill and films your running to check your stride. I was so curious, so we went and of course, I HAD to make sure that my stride was correct. I haven't really had anyone look at my stride since I got my orthotics in, so I thought it was the perfect time. I am still a neutral runner, and since I am close to my 300 mile mark, I asked them to show me some new neutral shoes. I fell in love with these babies..

But, I am going to go to Aardvark's and look around there too. I feel like my shoes are too heavy, and I wonder if a lighter shoe will help me out.

 Everything about this day was perfect. It was a great pre race day. Not too much walking, not too much food, but GREAT friends and lots of smiles and laughs.  I don't know when I will see these girls again, but I hope soon.


Have you ever been to an expo that didn't live up to your expectations? What do you like about expos? Do you have a pre-race carb-loading meal?

11 miler...

On Saturday, I had an 11 mile run planned. I knew that for most of the run if not all of it, I was going to be alone, so I broke it up into 2 separate runs and even planned on refilling my water in between runs.  There is something about breaking the run up into 2 that totally made it less unbearable. I don't know about you, but running solo for 11 miles gets very boring and becomes more of a head game than a physical one. However, I knew that there would be other people out on the path, so at least I knew I would see people I knew, and the place we were running is one of my favorite places.  I headed out on the run, and at a little over a mile, I saw this...

 and it made things feel so more peaceful. I mean I don't know how much more peaceful things can get at 0630 in the morning, but this was awesome.

 As usual, the first 3 miles were a little tough. I think it takes my legs 3 miles to warm up, but since I ran a half marathon not even 2 weeks ago, I knew that my legs would be tighter. I even stretched, which I know I probably should do more often, but I have been focusing more on that and foam rolling since on the 18th I have another half. After 3 miles, it was time for me to turn around and head back for the first time. The way back seem so long, but I knew that I was low on water and that other people would be arriving to do their run.  With 1 mile left, I knew I was good to go. I arrived in time to say hello to the runners just getting there and filled my water bottle with Nuun, stretched and then headed back out. This time I only had 5 to go so I just knew that breaking it into smaller runs would be just as easy. My friend Bob waited for me, but then said he wasn't feeling the run, but made sure that I would be ok running alone if he left me. Thanks Bob for the little run together we had! I hope you next runs are better! Right before 2.5 I crossed a bridge, one that this particular day was my first time running across and stopped to take this photo...

Maybe I just need to stop and enjoy the scenery more. At 2.5 miles I turned around and although my legs were dead, when I came to the last overpass at 1 mile to go, I knew I could finish.

My complete running time was 2 hours 8 minutes. No land speed records, but barring any wardrobe malfunctions and if all stars line up, I am looking at a decent run on the 18th.
Here's hoping the stars align...

We Run DC

If you have been following my blog for a little bit, then you know that this weekend was the Inaugural Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington DC. You also know, that I got into the race through a random lottery, and therefore I was ecstatic to be a part of making history. Let's just start with saying how beautiful of a weekend it was, and how I could not have asked for better running weather.  Ok, now onto to the race. We went down earlier Friday than originally planned because I had signed up to volunteer at packet pickup. This was my third half marathon, and I feel that it was the most organized when it came to packet pickup. 

Yes, it had it's own tent. You walked into the tent with your race confirmation and photo ID. Your confirmation was scanned you received your race swag and your number was randomly assigned to you.There were about 50 people checking you in. There was never a long wait, and no delay with waiting to find your name, your number, yadda yadda yadda. The other volunteer were so awesome, and most of us were volunteering for the first time. I believe I checked in people from Alaska, Ontario and Nova Scotia to name a view. Everyone was so eager and excited to run the race. At the end of the tent, was your first photo opportunity

Needless to say, M was getting as excited as I was!

After the packet pick up they direct you to the Expotique. I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect, but based on previous experiences (medium sized local races) I thought I was going to be amazed. I was so totally disappointed when I wasn't amazed. It was either too small or they  just didn't control the flow of people very well. I get that it is Nike, and they don't want other vendors there who sell the same stuff as them, but they really didn't give you a lot to look around and see. They took a Nike store and transferred it to a tent. Worse than that, you couldn't buy any of the stuff there, except outside the tent they had another kiosk type tent that sold the essentials. If you wanted to buy anything, you had to go to Nike Georgetown. They did offer bra fittings, which I did experience. The ladies there were so much fun, and were so knowledgeable about the products. Unfortunately, that was the only part of the expo I experienced. They had NUUN hydration there to offer samples, but they only had 3 people working the stand. I was not going to wait in a line that long. So, needless to say, I was slightly disappointed. My husband couldn't even make a sign for race day because the lines were too long. As we were leaving the expo, there was a huge sign that they told everyone to write on if you wanted. Of course, M did...

She wanted to help me write it!

We then left the expo after like 10 minutes and because one of the Nike expo workers had told us to check out the wall at Nike Georgetown to find my name, we headed to the store. I didn't realize how many hills were in DC, but the weather was beautiful, so I didn't mind. Once we got to Nike Georgetown, we saw the writing on the wall. After I figured out how the names were arranged, it took less than 5 minutes to find this...

Now, it was really setting in. I was about to run this race that I have trained so hard for! We went into Nike Georgetown and it was like a Nike store I have never experienced. More about that later. 

Race day....the day that I have been waiting for all of these weeks. I woke up at 4:45 knowing that I was ready to do this. 

My clothes were all laid out, I was ready. I was wearing green for Lymphoma and was running this race for my friend. I wanted to make her proud. Most importantly, I wanted to have fun and enjoy the race! I had met another runner the night before and we decided we were going to meet at 545 to head to the metro. On the way down, I met another runner on the elevator and she joined us as well. We took the metro to our stop at Federal Triangle and that is when it hit me. This was happening. Here, is where I took of my sweatshirt so that I could check my baggage in. A process that I began to despise because of the logistics of it all. Anyway, I hurried to check in my baggage and rushed to my corral just before 640 when they closed the corrals. At about 620 my corral was full! My group was the largest group and they had given us the least amount of space. At 630, they had moved our corral up to allow for more people, but at 640 when the corrals closed there were still a ton of young ladies still on the sidewalk. I believe they had to wait until all the corrals ran through in order to start. Anyway, we did a moment of silence before the national anthem to honor Boston, and then some lady had an awesome voice and sang the National Anthem.

And then we were off! The excitement from the crowd even at the beginning was awesome! Everyone cheering for everyone, all the runners supporting each other! I knew it was going to be a good race! The first mile clicked by, and when I saw what my current pace was (under 10:30) I knew I had gone out to fast too soon. I tried to wheel it in, but it felt like the more I tried to wheel it in the faster I went. But, my paces stayed consistent and I was happy. I was on the path to running a 2:30 if not faster half. After mile one we went into a tunnel and I wish I would have thought to take a picture at this point. It was awesome seeing all of the runners inside a tunnel with a band and their music being deafening because of the tunnel. It kept you charged up. The more we ran the more I got lost in the scenery. The first monument I saw was the White House, and while we didn't run directly past it, you got to see how it overlooks all of DC. Then we ran past Washington and Lincoln. I also believe we ran past the National Archives. We would be running past these again. At about mile 5 we headed across a bridge onto an Island. Still LOADED with spectators and still being charged by them. At mile 6, the first race hiccup started. I got to the water station, they had NO water prefilled. I had to grab a cup and wait for a water jug to fill my cup. But, who couldn't use a little extra rest right?!? I knew that this was going to slow me down, at this point I was ok because I needed to make sure I had some left to finish. At mile 7, I had a wardrobe malfunction and my sports bra broke. I tried to safety pin it, but it kept coming undone. At mile 7.5 I got sick of it and put another on one top. (It's a long story about why I had another one and I will tell it later). At this point, my head was out of the race and I just wanted to finish in under 3 hours. I knew that my chance for PRing was now lost. The fans were still everywhere! We ran past the monuments again and headed back in the direction we came. Back through the tunnel, and back up an on ramp that I didn't realize was a hill. I was trying to tell myself to trust my training, and I was trying. It is hard to get your head back into the game when it checked itself out. I was doing some walking at this point, and I knew that it was OK. You don't have to have a pretty run all the time, but you do have to finish it and have fun. I was. I told myself to not worry about my time, to just enjoy it, that not every race has to be a great race. At mile 12, my app told me I was finished, so I turned it off.  Just in time for me to see the Capitol building...

And here is my attempt at getting a photo of me in front of the capitol...

But, I knew I was almost finished. I knew I had to finish. I was this close. It wasn't a pretty run by any means, but it was a run none the less.  At the finish line, I was greeted by this...

And all was right in the world!

I may not have PR'd, but I wasn't dealt a hand to. I enjoyed the race, and am so glad that I had the opportunity to run it.

My First Cross Fit Class

So, yesterday I attended my first CrossFit class at SMCF, the Box that I took fundamentals. I was a little disappointed that the WOD wasn't for Boston, but they did it because 2 of their members are moving to DC. I knew that the WOD was going to have to be scaled for me...but I made sure to remind Brad the owner that this was my first class. (Cue the nerves). Of course, what skill did they work on today, DU (double unders; which require jump roping, and umm yeah, I haven't done that in a long time) and the clean and jerk. The clean and jerk is an Olympic move, and they tell me that it takes many people years to master it...I have a feeling I am going to be one of those people. I just can't connect the pieces...but, I will keep trying.
Here is what it should look like....

Anyway, here is the WOD as RX....

Call Me Maybe’

Strength:

Clean and Jerk

Conditioning:

for time

50 DUs

20 Clean and Jerks 135/95

20 Box Jumps 30/24

50 DUs

10 CnJs

10 BJs

50 DUs

5 CnJs

5 BJs

50 DUs

Brad was so kind as to scale it for me, it was still for time...
30 single jump ropes
20 clean and jerks (with bar)
10 box jumps (18" box)

30 single jump ropes
10 clean and jerks (with bar)
10 box jumps

30 single jump ropes
5 clean and jerks (with bar)
10 box jumps (18" box)

30 single jump ropes
It took me 9 min and 40 seconds. Should it have, probably not. My arch-nemesis was those darn clean and jerks. It took me FOREVER to do them EVERY rotation, and I wonder if it is bc I thought about it too much.

Anyway, I have a feeling that not picking it up right away is going to be my biggest issue...I just have to trust the process and know that in time it will come. I will try to post later on Fundamentals II.

Pray for Boston

When I first started running, I was accepted into the running community as family even before I saw myself as a runner. Therefore, I feel really connected to the events of yesterday. I had 2 friends running the Boston Marathon and a third friend was there. They are all alright, but a day that was to be joyous was turned into sadness. I don't have much to say today, so I post this...

Wordless Wednesday

What have I learned after 1 day of CrossFit

Besides being super nervous and scared about CrossFit, I am also excited to see what mentally it will do to me. See, I have always been competitive, and I will probably ALWAYS will. I blame childhood, or being the youngest of 3, either way, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know I am not up to the caliber of all the other CrossFitters at least not yet, but I am in awe at how strong they are. While CrossFit is about competing against others, it is really about competing with yourself. With, against, for, however you want to view it. It is about you pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. About doing more than you thought you were and are capable of. One thing that KC the trainer told me was that CrossFit is about movement. Keeping yourself moving. I could have easily stopped to take a rest when I was doing my 8min AMRAP, it was my first day, no one would have said anything, but I couldn't. I COULD NOT do it! My body wouldn't let me take the break. Did it kill me, no, it proved to me that I can do it. I jokingly said that KC had kicked my ass, when in actuality, I kicked my own ass. In the 8 minute workout, I sweated more than I do when I run miles in the middle of the day in the middle of the summer. Holy cow!
Will I go again, you BETCHA! I can't wait until Sunday to come again for Fundamentals II. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do, what I am capable of. As I talked about in my last post, I jumped on a 16" box. I also dropped on a 20" box, but I was petrified of it, but I did it. I am hoping to do it again, so I can become more comfortable with jumping on it, because I KNOW I can do it, and I need to prove it to myself.
Well, I better get moving. It's almost time to leave to take the mini-me to school and for me to head to work. I woke up yesterday and my legs were sore. It was an awesome feeling. A feeling I am looking forward to again and again. Today is a rest day, and I will enjoy every minute of resting. I am heading to the airport tonight to pick up my sister and her family for a weekend visit here. There will be A LOT of photos. I cannot wait. Have a great day!