2015 Turkey Trot and Black Friday Workout at Solidcore Old Town

Every year since I started running back in 2012 I have signed up to run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning…so that is 4 turkey trots. My first Turkey Trot was the Alexandria Turkey Trot which is a 5 miler that begins at George Washington High School near the Braddock Road metro. Turkey Trots are a great way to get out with on Thanksgiving morning and burn some calories with your family and neighbors before enjoying your Thanksgiving meal.

My family has never been big into running so in 2012 I ran my first Turkey Trot on my own and had a wonderful time so I decided to keep participating every year…in 2013 I was staying at my aunt’s house in Fairfax so I decided that instead of driving 40+ miles round trip to the Alexandria Turkey Trot I would look for a local trot…I chose the Fairfax Turkey 4 mile trot which was holding its inaugural race that Thanksgiving morning…I’m not one with a lot a patience and that Thanksgiving was particularly cold. Being in its first year I am assuming the race organizers didn’t have all their logistic together…the race seemed poorly organized they ran out of shirts when I got there and the start was delayed so I decided to just go back to my aunt’s and run on my own and do the Alexandria Turkey Trot instead next year which I did once again on my own but I still had a great time! This year however I convinced my mom to join me since she had run the Mother’s Day Four Miler with me and wanted to exercise before our Thanksgiving feast!

My mom and I waiting for the race to start

Once again I had a great time at this Turkey Trot and more so now that my mom was there with me even though we don’t run together due to our vast pace difference. After the race my mom was convinced of three things 1.) we will definitely do it again next year 2.) she needs to get back into shape since she ran almost a minute per mile slower than back in May and 3.) we need matching turkey hats!

I highly recommend you do the Alexandria Turkey Trot if you are in the area. The race starts at 9AM which allows you to sleep in a little and packet pickup on race day runs pretty smoothly but definitely get there by 830AM. There is plenty of parking and the metro is close by so getting to the race is also very easy. If you are a faster runner I would recommend you get as close to the front as possible as there are no corrals and many runners who think they are fast try to line up towards the front causing a large bottle neck around the first two miles. The course is nice and flat and winds through the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria where the local neighbors come out to cheer on the runners.

My mom crossing the finish line!

For Black Friday I opted to go take a fitness class at Solidcore in Old Town Alexandria which I can best describe as a super tough resistance type training class. The class is performed on exercise machines that very closely resemble a pilates reformer machine where the instructor leads the class through an exercise routine that targets different muscle groups individually until failure for an intense full body workout while you listen to some heart pumping music. After the class I felt awesome! I was tired but I felt rejuvenated and after class I decided to reward myself with a a delicious donut from Sugar Shack located right next door! ...I also ran almost 4 miles that morning so I figured I could try a donut...  I got the Samoa donut which was delicious. Come Sunday my body was defiantly feeling the workout. I would definitely recommend you checkout Solidacore if you haven’t already. It may be a bit pricey for some but if it is your first time look for their 2 classes for $25 deal. Also, treat yourself to a donut at Sugar Shack ;)

 

Samoa and Maple Bacon donuts from Sugar Shack!

 

2015 Richmond Half Marathon Weekend

This past weekend I ran the Richmond Half Marathon. This race was a Saturday race with no race day packet pickup so I took a half day from work on Friday and made my way down to Richmond with my boyfriend in tow.

Originally I had planned on going alone and stay overnight Friday and leaving promptly after the race on Saturday but after my boyfriend expressed interest in going we extended our stay an extra day.

We stayed at the Clarion Hotel on Boulevard…it was cheap and about a quarter mile from the expo so I thought why not…in the past I had stayed at cheap hotels like this one with no problems at all…this time not so much. It wasn’t that my stay was terrible but several little things just made me not want to recommend staying here to anyone. Two big factors were the rooms keys never seemed to work! The two nights we were there we both had to change our room keys at least five times and several of those times there was no one at the front desk to assist us so we had to wait around several minutes…the longest wait was after my boyfriend went out for a run (he didn’t race) his room key didn’t work and he had to wait about 20 minutes with other guests in the lobby for someone to show up to assist. The second thing was that this hotel allows you to bring dogs…this wasn’t so much the hotel’s fault as the irresponsible pet owner’s but our second night (thankfully not the night before race day) a dog in a room near our barked nonstop from midnight to 3AM. It would quiet down for a few minutes then start again we finally called the front desk and the dog finally quieted down but then around 8AM the door slamming began as people began to get up and get going with their days…so bottom line you can hear EVERYTHING at this hotel so if you need quiet to sleep don’t stay here.

Back to the race…the packet pickup was quick and easy. The expo was pretty small but did have a good number of vendors. We didn’t stick around too long since we were both pretty hungry so we headed downtown to look for some dinner.

Long Sleeve Race Shirt. I got the unisex kind since I don't like form fitting shirts.

 We decided to check out the Roosevelt for dinner after we had done some research and found that it was consistently voted the best place to eat and we were not disappointed.  Our dinner was delicious! I got the sword fish and he got the steak. If you are in town I would recommend checking it out but make sure to make a reservation if you are going during normal dinner hours…we went right when they opened at 5PM and got seated right away but the place filled up soon after. We also stopped by briefly at Saison which is a speakeasy type bar where we had a really awesome dessert and a few craft cocktails. I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Saison and would highly recommend you check it out.

S'mores Dessert at Saison

The half marathon began downtown at 730AM. I had Spencer drop me off at the start about 20 minutes before. The lines for the porta-potties seemed long at first but they turned out to move pretty quickly. After using the restroom I made my way to my corral. At many races corral entry is not very well monitored and you see a lot of slower runners make their way to the front but not at Richmond…there was a security guard and a race organizer present checking corral assignments and sending back those who did not belong…I think this is great and should be done more often to prevent bottlenecks…it might not always work 100% since people to lie about their projected finish times which was evident in the first few miles where I saw people already starting to walk after only about 2 or 3 miles but it does help at least reduce the inconvenience.

The race course took us through downtown Richmond then into more residential areas before making its way back to downtown ….the terrain was predominantly flat with a few hills as we crossed bridges and entered/exited a park.  There was a good presence of spectators cheering us on throughout the race. The final half mile was a steep downhill which was very welcome as I was starting to fatigue and my muscles tightened up. Once you crossed the finish line volunteers handed you your medal…which I thought was very pretty…and you also received a bottle of water and a fleece blanket which was wonderful since it was pretty cold out and I had discarded my layers along the course.

The finish line/finisher village was located several blocks away from the half marathon start next to the river and had several vendors as well as food for the runners. I didn’t stay too long since my boyfriend was having trouble finding parking/getting to the finisher area. Luckily the race provided a shuttle to take us back to the starting area which was easier to get to by car.

Richmond 2015 Half Marathon Finisher Medal

My dog under the finisher fleece blanket once I got back home

Once I was able to find my boyfriend we headed back to the hotel so I could shower and warm up before heading to brunch at Lulu’s downtown. We once again had made a reservation which I recommend you do since the restaurant was packed. The food here was decent but a bit greasy for my taste.

After brunch we headed out to meet some local friends and check out the local breweries. We went to three breweries…Triple Crossing, Hardywood, and Ardent Craft Ales. All three were pretty good but Ardent was definitely our favorite. We called it an early night after getting dinner at a Mexican restaurant called En Su Boca located near Ardent. Their tacos and chips and salsa were great! My boyfriend is very picky about tacos and he really enjoyed these so check them out if you like tacos.

As previously mentioned our second night at the hotel was disturbed by a barking dog and then slamming doors. We got up around 8AM since we couldn’t fall back asleep so we decided to just head home early. After packing and checking out we stopped at Lamplighter Roasting for some coffee and breakfast. I got a cappuccino and a ham and swiss croissant both which were excellent!

I just love cappuccinos and the ham and swiss croissant was great!

To sum up I think I would do the Richmond Half again and I would recommend it to others but I would recommend not staying at the Clarion Hotel.

Shake Shack Track & Field + SoulCycle Duathlon

Yesterday I took my first SoulCycle class at their Mount Vernon Square location in Washington DC. I had been wanting to check them out for a while but the heft price tag per class had always kept me from doing so…$20 one ride for new students then $30 per ride after that.  I got my chance to check them out for free as part of the Shake Shack Track & Field Duathlon where we would first meet up at SoulCycle for a free 7:30PM class then run 2 miles to Shake Shack.

Shake Shack in conjunction with Pacers Running Stores has a monthly run club that meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Pacer Logan Circle location and runs 1, 3, or 5 mile routes to the Shake Shack in DuPont Circle where the first beer is free for those who ran. Prior to this run I’d only run with this club once when I went with a friend. I thought the run was great but the club kind of reminded me of high school where everyone was in their own clique my friend and I ran with the group then we had beer and burgers at our own table. Being an introvert I never went back since my friend was now longer in the area and my other friends and my boyfriend can never make it. If you are a social butterfly and make friends easily then check it out or if you aren’t find a group of friends and check it out. I would definitely try to go more but the location is also a deterrent for me…no metros near the start and DuPont isn’t that close to where I live.

Anyway back to SoulCycle…so once I arrived they gave me cycling shoes which is great because I didn’t bring mine and at many gyms and other cycling studios I’ve been to they don’t give you cycling shoes so you simply ride in your athletic shoes that are strapped into the pedal which don’t give you as a great a workout as cycling shoes. SoulCycle’s bikes are not equipped for non-cycling shoes so if you don’t bring your own then ask for a pair…also their pedals have one side for normal cycling shoes with clips like most bikes do and the other side with a clip distinct to their shoes…it took me a while to figure that one out.

SoulCycle Mt Vernon Square

The class was pretty awesome and very motivating with heart pumping music and dimmed lights. The instructor was very upbeat but at times he reminded me of Ben Stiller in Dodgeball because he would come around to the bikes and get all crazy in your face to motivate you. After the workout I was drenched in sweat and felt very energized and happy like I do after a good workout.

I did not do the running portion of the duathlon as it was raining and the class got out at 8:30PM and of course I did not want to have to transfer metro trains late at night but several people did do the two mile run from SoulCycle to the DuPont Shake Shack.

If you have the money, find a free class, or just want to check it out once I would recommend that you do. If I had the money I would definitely try and go to SoulCycle for my cross training days.

The Argonaut Running Club

So back in March I saw that the Argonaut, a bar in my neighborhood that I like to patron, was starting a running club so naturally I did as the posts suggested and followed the Facebook page for this club. When I finally made it to the club it was almost April and the club had been going on almost half a year now. The club organizer Ariel and his wife Marissa were very friendly when I arrived as were the other members that were there.

The club has three routes you can take…a two mile loop, a four mile loop, and a six mile loop. My first day at the club I opted for the six mile loop with two other club members and Ariel…Ariel is super-fast but he stuck to our pace and it was a pleasant run and we all chatted our way to the end where the Argonaut has an extended happy hour for the running club…all beers $6 and under are half off.

Group pic before the run. Photo taken from Argonaut Running Club Facebook page

Once we got back I got to talk to all the runners and the organizers and had a wonderful time. I came back several more times sporadically as the club meets at 6PM on Fridays and sometimes I will have plans with the boyfriend and can’t go and in July I got injured again and couldn’t run almost three months but when I did return Ariel and Marissa remembered me and asked about my races and my injury and were very nice as always making me feel very welcome which is awesome because I am naturally a very shy person and get social anxiety.

Before getting injured in July the club ran the Capital Hill Classic 10K as a team and the club provided us with club shirts which were awesome New Balance singlets!

The club before starting the Capital Hill Classic. Photo taken from Argonaut Running Club Facebook page

 

Now that the weather has been getting colder and it’s getting dark out before the run most of the club members have opted to do the two mile loop so we can get back to the Argonaut sooner to enjoy beer and conversation. The club is for all level of runners and you can even show up just for the happy hour like I have been doing since Fridays are one of the days I normally run…I like to do a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and one weekend day type thing.

On November 20th the club is having a special event…Runner Appreciation Night….they will have several sponsors present and giveaways in addition to the run and awesome time we normally have just hanging out. The club is open to everyone so if you live in the H St area or just want to come out and run with us please do! You can check out an article about the club in the latest edition of Run Washington.

Ragnar DC 2015

Last weekend I ran Ragnar DC with 10 other awesome ladies in support of Girls on the Run DC (we couldn’t find a 12^th runner). If you haven’t heard of Ragnar it is a 200ish mile relay race where you can have a team of 12 (regular) or 6 (ultra) runners who are assigned specific legs of the race (3 or 6 each depending on your type of team) for a total of 36 legs that vary in length and difficulty. For a regular team runners 1-6 are in Van 1 and runners 7-12 are in Van 2. Van 1 starts out with runner one who then runs to the first exchange where there van will meet them for runner 2 to hop out and start running while runner 1 gets back in the van. This process continues until exchange 6 which is the first major exchange where runner 6 will handoff to runner 7 and the process continues again until runner 12 then hands off to runner 1 for the process to continue until everyone has run a total of 3 legs. Ragnar DC begins in Rocky Gap in Cumberland, MD and this year ended at The Yards Park in Washington DC. In previous years it had ended at National Harbor.

Girls on the Run DC announced on the Facebook event page that they would have a team and to join you had to sign up to be a Girls on the Run Sole Mate and Raise $300 dollars. I’ve always wanted to run for charity but was afraid because of some of the very large requirements some have but $300 seemed doable so I was in. Once I raised $300 girls on the run paid for my entry, the van rental, and gas and even provided volunteers which each team is required to provide three of if they want to participate. Girls on the Run also provided us with a goody bag full of awesome things!

I was in Van 2 and volunteered to be team captain and take on the runner 12 spot which had the most mileage at 28.9 miles total…the last run was 11.9 miles. When I first volunteered for this spot the runs were much shorter with a total of about 24 miles and not until later did I realize they upped the mileage.

Getting ready for my first leg

Each team is assigned a start time based on pace/start time requests. Our team had a 7:15AM start time so our Van 1 members opted to spend Thursday night at a hotel near the start. For Van 2 I picked up my teammates at 9AM Friday morning and we made our way to our starting line 2 hours away.

The weather that weekend was brutal! It rained all Friday and Saturday with strong winds. Van 2 started off running at almost 1PM. I started leg 12 was 7.4 miles with a huge hill around mile 3 that ran up to a little past mile 5 and then had rolling hills until the end. I started at 6:30PM I was done it was about 7:30PM which means I got to run most of it in the dark….you are required to wear a headlamp, LED tail light, and reflective vest if you are running during the night time hours and if you aren’t running you have to wear the vest only. After my first leg which I ran through rain and huge wind gusts I was shivering like crazy so I took a shower at the major exchange #12 which was a high school. Our team stopped at Uno for a late dinner after which we drove to the next major exchange to try and nap while we waited for Van 1 to pass us the baton…or slap bracelet in this case. When I did Ragnar 2 years ago the weather was hot and dry so we could sleep on a grassy field in sleeping bags…this year not possible…being the driver I had to try and sleep in the driver’s seat which was very uncomfortable and being a light sleeper I got no sleep at all. When Runner 6 came along around 1AM Van 2 was once again on the road. For leg 24 I started around 5AM to run 9.7 miles…seemed like the hardest miles I’ve ever ran…I was cold it was cold outside and raining and windy. The course was deemed “Very Hard” by Ragnar and it was! A lot of rolling hills with mostly uphills it seemed like. I saw on team actually exchange runners half way through…this isn’t technically legal but I don’t blame them.  Once I got to the finish I was very relieved and immediately changed into dry clothes. At this point Van 1 would take over again but they had several injuries and were down to three runners so since runner 11 had their second leg cancelled due to poor road conditions on the course she took on the third legs for runners 1 and 2 a total of 7 miles as her cancelled leg had been 9.2. Once runner 11 was done we headed to the next major exchange to try and take a nap and wait for it to be our turn to start our final legs. At this point I was had about an hour of sleep and was dehydrated so I felt exhausted! I wasn’t sure I could run 12 miles…so we decided to split up leg 12 into two 6 mile segments which I shared with Runner 11 since runner 10 who had a total of only about 10 miles wanted a few more miles and took on her 1.8 mile final leg along with the 6.1 mile leg for runner 11. I ate a pro bar a few hours before I was supposed to start running but it did not seem to settle well as I immediately got a side stich that would not go away. Once I started my final 6 miles my side stich was extremely painful and I had to stop and walk or slow down my pace several times. Luckily the weather was not as cold or rainy as before but it was starting to take a turn for worse with winds picking up and drizzle starting to fall. About halfway through I ran into a group of runners also making their way to the finish. They were running at a slower pace than me…probably because they had done the whole 12….but since I was still in pain I decided to run with them and as we chatted our way to the end the company really helped to keep my mind off my side stich. I finally made my way across the finish a little before 5PM to where my team awaited me. It was such a relief to finally be done! I was exhausted and freezing and quite sore. My boyfriend came to pick me up and drove a few of my teammates home along the way. We did not stay for the finish line festival since it was very cold out and we were all tired and I was cold and wet. Van 1 was not at the finish since they were done about 4 hours before we were and just wanted to go home. 

Making my way to the finish line

Overall I had a great time and would definitely do it again and hopefully the weather won’t be so bad next time which I am sure will make the experience much more enjoyable. If you’ve never done a Ragnar I suggest you check it out and also check out their trail series where you camp instead of drive and run 3 trail loops around the campsite….I’m planning to do their Richmond one this coming April.

Van 2 at the Finish and the MEDAL!

 

Navy Air Force Half Marathon 2015

This past Sunday I ran the Navy-Airforce Half Marathon in DC. This was my first completed race (I did not finish the Maryland Half due to dehydration) since the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and my first run greater than 7 miles since re-injury in early July.

This was my first time running this race but I had heard good things about it so I signed up hoping I would be ready and PR with all the marathon training I would have done…sadly one month into marathon training I got injured during one of those free personal training sessions and ended up not running for almost two months. Those two months I went to spin class 6 days a week and eventually saw a physical therapist who did ART (Active Release Therapy) and dry needling to help my piriformis issue go away faster once again. Luckily I got better after two appointments and doing my home exercises. I would have loved to keep going for some tune ups but sadly my insurance won’t cover the costs.

Back to the race…so packet pickup was pretty simple for me…I live near the Stadium Armory where the expo was located so I opted to go on Saturday since I could just bike from my house. I road over around 11AM (the expo opened at 10AM) and there were a good amount of people but not overwhelmingly so. The Expo itself was pretty small compared to Rock n Roll and Marine Corps. I only had to wait a few minutes in line to get my bib. The bib was pretty cute with my name on it which lead to spectators who saw it cheering for me and fellow runners by name as we passed by.

That Saturday was also H St Festival. I had planned on going since it is a lot of fun and in my neighborhood and had also planned to hydrate and only have a beer or two but sadly my will power lost and I joined my friends in an afternoon and evening of drinking and merriment.

That night I only got about 5 hours of sleep and decided to sleep in a bit more. When I woke up I did not feel too terrible but also not great. I drank some water walked my dog and drove to the race. I was originally planning on biking over but I was running late and wanted to stop at my office building (a few blocks from the race start) to use the restroom. The race began on 15^th between Constitution and Madison to the left of the Washington Monument. Despite it being a cool morning it was still very humid. I left my building at 10 til 7AM and jogged over to the starting line only to discover the Half Marathon did not start until about 715AM. At this point my stomach was starting to feel upset and my hangover starting to manifest itself.

The race began and I took off and maintained a pace of about 8 min/mile. I noticed that my GPS watch and the mile markers were off by about .20 miles (mile markers were longer…I will continue to refer to miles by my watch standards) around mile 2 I now had to use the restroom and when I got to the porta-potty a bit after mile 3 I took a restroom break for about a minute and half + which got me a 9 min/mile pace for the next mile. I was thinking if I kept having an upset stomach I would stop every few miles for a minute at different stops since my goal now was just to finish. I ran on and around mile 6 my muscles started to stiffen…probably from dehydration from my hangover…and my pace began to gradually slow. I was able to maintain around an 8:30 min/mile pace for the remainder of the race.

The race day was cool but humid and overcast. The course took you first around the Tidal Basin then up Rock Creek Parkway to Connecticut Avenue NW where then we looped back down Rock Creek Parkway making our way halfway across memorial bridge then back to get onto Independence before making our way to the finish. There did not seem to be as many spectators out as in past events such as Cherry Blossom and Rock N Roll but I am guessing this is due to this race having a much smaller participant field. The portion along Rock Creek Parkway after you pass Foggy Bottom was very peaceful. It was quiet on the way up since I was towards the front of the middle of the back and most runners ahead of me had not gotten to the turn around and there was a slight breeze that caused the leaves to fall from trees as we ran by. Once I got to the turnaround which was a slight hill the way back was a bit noisier since you now had runners both coming and going.

Once I crossed the finish line I felt pretty weak and definitely dehydrated. I drank a water bottle and made my way back to my car without checking out the post-race festivities since I was shaky and had to get home to get ready for the Redskins game. My official finishing time was 1:51:46 and my watch got a distance of 13.32 total miles.

Overall I really enjoyed this race and think I could have PR’d if I hadn’t gotten injured in July and had done a better job at exercising my self-control at the festival. I will definitely do this race again next year.

Bib and Finisher Medal

Training vs Not Training for a Marathon...My experince with my first marathon

In October 2013 I ran my first Marathon (26.2 miles for all those who are not familiar with the distance or aren’t runners…kind of like my uncle who asks me so how far is a marathon? even after I already told him 10 times haha…anyway the marathon I ran was the Marine Corps Marathon. I chose this marathon because it is one of the largest and most popular marathons in the US and happens to take place in my own backyard…Washington, DC/Arlington, VA.

My 2013 Bib

To run a marathon one should really train because 26.2 miles is no joke. Most training plans that I saw had you training for about 16 weeks and some had their longest runs at a greater distance than 26.2 miles while a few had you come close to the distance but not surpass it…me personally I would prefer to at least run my goal distance just to make sure I can.

Now for my half marathons and 10 milers I didn’t really ever train to distances greater than or even really close to the goal distance…I think the closest I got was like 7 miles but I get bored easily and/or end up having to go to the bathroom but I ran enough and was in good enough shape that I was able to finish these races and eventually had about one a weekend so they became kind of a training run for the subsequent race…my first half time was about 2:07:00 and my best time before I got injured was about 1:42:00…now after my injury the last and only half I have run since then was about a 1:54:00…this was with very little distance running so it looks like all my in-between races prior to injury really helped.

Anyway for the MCM I was hoping to finish under 4 hours as the race predictor calculators available online told me that based off my half times I definitely could. I downloaded the Hal Higdon Novice marathon training app with the plan that I would follow this training program…well I did maybe two long runs, the longest being 14 miles, and then decided running distance solo was just too boring so I continued running my usual runs (about 6-7 miles 3x a week) and a weekend half or 10 miler. Come race day I started out too fast and around mile 8 had to stop to “pee” and once my muscles cooled down it was much harder to get started again but the MCM is such a wonderful race and is full of wonderful runners and has awesome crowds cheering you on that I pushed my way through the remaining 18.2 miles and crossed the finishline in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington in about 4 hours and 15 minutes…I think if I hadn’t stopped to walk so much and used the restroom like 5 times I could’ve possibly gotten close to my sub 4 hour marathon but what really would’ve helped me was properly training for  a marathon.

 

The starting line...very cold that morning but warmed up

My finisher medal!

Last year (2014) I had planned to do the Richmond Marathon and actually train for it but due to a crossfit injury that got worse when I refused to not run one of my halves at the end of May I ended up not being able to run comfortably and without pain again until October and when I did begin to run again man! was I out of shape compared to before my injury…my pace had slowed by about 1 min/mile and my endurance had gone down significantly to where a 3 mile run in the past would have been sooo easy and now I was dying trying to get through it. Slowly but surely I kept running and now have regained some speed and endurance but not to where I was before. I think one major thing was that back when I was faster I had joined Potomac River Running’s Running 201 program that focused a lot on speed work (track workouts, fartleks, etc…) and hill work. This program was several weeks long and I found that it really helped improve my speed and I was also doing crossfit…despite the injury which was attained by me being careless the strength I gained from weight training also really helped.

Now in 2015 I am determined to get another marathon…well two marathons…under my belt and reach my goal time of sub 4 hours. So what am I going to do differently this time? I am joining a training program…Potomac River Running’s Distance Training Program… but one that isn’t virtual…this one has me meeting up with a coach and other runners on Sunday mornings around 6:30AM in Georgetown to do our long runs and also has weekly track workouts with a coach and the other runners. My hope is that by having other like-minded people around me I will be pushed to actually train…this was the case when I did Running 201…by myself I probably won’t do track workouts but with a group I most certainly will. I’m also re-joining crossfit because here once again I need the community motivation…this time I plan to train smart and not try to lift a weight I know I can’t do. I being the training program on June 14… the day after I do Tough Mudder so that should be fun…and I start crossfit on June 9^th and I’m starting from the beginning again since I’ve been out a while.

So to conclude if you are planning on doing a new race distance especially a long one TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN it will really help. Once I’m a few weeks into training and crossfit I will let everyone know how it’s going. As I get closer to race time I’ll post a recap of the 2013 MCM.

Mother's Day Weekend

So this past weekend I ran one race and attempted to run another. Let me start by saying that the past week has been much hotter and more humid that it has been in the past this time of year…it seems like we went from winter straight to summer but with a lot of pollen.

This past weekend, Mother’s Day weekend, I was scheduled to run the Maryland Half on Saturday and Potomac River Running’s Mother’s Day Four Miler Sunday with my mom before brunch. That week I had run pretty much every day except Tuesday with a total of 20 miles. Most days were pretty humid and got hotter as the week progressed. I normally run in the morning because it’s cooler yet sometimes more humid but most of last week was mid 50s low 60s but Fridays I run in the evening with  the Argonaut Running Club…they are a great group that meets every Friday 6:00PM by the Argonaut back patio. If you live in the H St NE/Capitol Hill area check them out….so this Friday was pretty gross and I had the half the next day and I hadn’t been feeling well most of the week so I ran the 4 mile route. During my run I felt off and had issues with breathing but I chalked it up to the hot weather.

Saturday Morning I got up at 640AM and drove from down town DC to the Maple Lawn community in Fulton, MD where the Maryland half was to take place. It was about 63 degrees out and quite humid and had been sprinkling on and off. I wasn’t feeling my best….morning digestive issues and allergies?...anyway there was plenty of parking at the race which was awesome and there didn’t seem to be an overwhelming number of runners which made the porta potty situation quitter favorable especially since I was in there a bit. The race was to begin at 8:00AM but I guess there was some sort of delay because we didn’t start until about 15 after. As I began to run my legs felt heavy and my stomach unsettled and I felt quite dehydrated. I pushed along and about a mile in discovered this race was much much hillier than the elevation map lead you to believe. My pace, endurance, and mental state quickly deteriorated and around mile 4 I had to stop and sit for a minute as I was now starting to feel dazed. I nice runner provided me with a salt pill and some water and I attempted to continue on the next two miles were much slower and my mental demons got the best of me. I located a police officer who flagged down the EMTs who took me back to the start…this is my first ever DNF…the whole ride back to the start I struggled with the disappointment of not finishing a race…last year I ran Zooma Annapolis where I aggravated my piriformis at about mile 3 and ended up sidelined for 5 months after the race but I still willed myself to go those remaining 10 miles but this time it wasn’t pain I had to deal with but the possibility of losing consciousness and ending up in the ER still I could not help feeling the disappointment.

Now let me tell you about the race minus my DNF…the race is on the Saturday before Mother’s Day in Fulton, MD…the packet pick up is a week long but it is all during the week so if you full time M-F 9-5 like I do and do not live in Fulton or near Baltimore this is extremely inconvenient…I had to take off a half day of work and even so ran into traffic going to MD from DC around 1PM on a Friday. They had race day packet pick up but only if you registered at the race…I think this was unfair they should let no one or everyone have race day packet pick up because some people like myself just don’t have the time to drive that far out. The race shirt was from Under Armor and was a very nice grey color and material with lovely simplistic design on the front …I’m pretty sad I can’t wear it (I don’t wear race shirts I don’t earn). The medal also looked pretty cool and I am also sad I didn’t earn mine. The race starts in the Maple Lawn Community area and makes its way around Fulton, MD…I wasn’t too fond of this course not because the hills…I usually quite enjoy them such as when I rant the 17.75k…but because there really are no spectators and it’s just boring rural roads no woods no nothing…or at least the part I ran was like that. The finish line party seemed like it would have been quite nice. All in all if this race was located closer to home and during a time of the year where the weather could be great or terrible I would try it again.

Now after the race I had to go play softball…social not competitive thank goodness because I was still feeling terrible and every time I had to run I felt sick but my team was short players so I went. After the game I went to my mom’s house and just rested and hydrated the rest of the day to prepare for my next race.

The Mother’s Day 4 Miler was located at Baron Cameron Park in Reston, VA. The packet pickup for this race was either the Friday or Saturday before at the Potomac River Running store in Reston or race day at the race site. We elected to pick up our race packets race day because Reston was not close to us. We got to the race at 7:20AM and were able to easily get our race packets…parking was a bit tricky and I think if we would have gotten there any later we may not have found parking. The weather that day was a bit warmer than the day before and just as humid but I was feeling better and it was only 4 miles. I began to run and still felt a bit out of it but I continued on the course was a large loop that went around Baron Cameron Park. The course like MD wasn’t too scenic but there seemed to be a bit more spectators and while there were hills especially right at the start the course wasn’t too hilly. Each mile went by slower than they normally would but I continued along. When I finally crossed the finish I drank lots of water and had to sit down. I finished in 30:46 about 2 minutes slower than last year. Once I felt rested I ran along the course to look for my mom and my aunt so I could cheer them on. When they crossed the finish line we looked at the results and I saw that I had finished first in my age group which was very surprising to me since last year I finished 3^rd and was much faster. Overall I still think this a great race and I will probably do it again next year unless I find another Mother’s Day 4 miler closer to home.

My mom and I post race

The 2015 North Face Endurance Challenge DC-10K

So this past Sunday I ran The North Face Endurance 10K in DC. This race series’ main focus is ultra-marathons with a 50 miler, 50K, and Marathon held on Saturday and a Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K held the following day all on trails.

Last year the DC races were held in June and I had registered to run the 10K but due to getting injured during the Zooma Annapolis Half a few weeks before I was unable to participate and my little cousin ran in my place. This year the race was moved to mid-April because June got too hot…the issue with this April…lots of rain = lots of mud.

I have never run trails before but I decided to run the Half Marathon with my cousin…yes I signed up for the half and yes my first paragraph says 10K…keep reading…

Packet pickup for the race was the Thursday or Friday before at the North Face stores in Georgetown and Tyson’s Corner or on race day at Algonkian Park. The race packet included a North Face tech shirt that you could have plain or screen-printed at the race and a pair of Smartwool running socks.

So anyway the race took place at Algonkian Park in Sterling, Virginia so I decided to spend the night at my aunt’s house since it was closer to the race and I was running with my cousin. Apparently I did not read the directions very well because come race day my cousin and I arrived at what we thought was the start for all the races but after seeing no one with half marathon bibs discovered we were at the wrong place and that the half started about 30 minutes away at Great Falls Park…so we had no choice but to switch to the 10K since our moms had dropped us off and headed to get some breakfast and the race was starting in less than 30 minutes…so the day before the race I was trying to figure out where the race was because I did not want to take the shuttle to the race start since I did not have to park…I looked online and I guess I rushed through it because all I could really find was a map with the Finish Festival Location and the parking lot for the shuttles so I figured the website said Algonkian Park it must be there…if I would have taken the time to open the Half Marathon course description PDF booklet I would have seen that it started elsewhere…I did come across a sentence saying that the half marathoners should take the shuttle to Great Falls Park but after finding no address and Apple Maps showing several locations for this park I figured it would be somewhere close to Algonkian not 30 minutes away…oh well now I know for next time.

So the 10K ran us around Algonkian Park and the terrain was a mix of grassy muddy rain soaked fields, golf cart paths through the local golf course, and the actual dirt trails. I had never run trails before but I had heard that they are much more difficult than street running and they were right. Our course was supposedly not too technical and it probably wasn’t for an experienced trail runner but I for me I was pretty darn hard. In the first mile we ran through a rain soaked field where several people lost their shoes to the mud and you had to push extra hard to get through then around mile 4 you ran through some trees and more thick slippery mud…a few people wiped out but I managed to stay upright after skidding a few times. We jumped over small ditches and ran in some puddles with many rocks that caused some people to almost roll their ankles…like my cousin…I literally stopped and walked gingerly over these rocks to avoid any such injuries…I need to be intact for my summer marathon training J

I eventually crossed the finish line in 49 minutes flat and according to my Garmin the 10K was actually 5.9 miles…later on when I checked my results they indicated that the official distance was 6 miles… 0.2 short of a full 10K.

My muddy ankles and shoes...they got a little less muddy when I ran through the puddles

The finishers’ village was pretty fun with massage tables for runners and a Sierra Nevada beer garden. We stuck around a little while since our moms like to collect all the free goodies…including our free beer…neither of us really felt like a beer that morning. Overall I thought the race was pretty fun but I think it was probably a blessing we did not do the half as both my cousin and I (she finished about 9 minutes after I did) found the 10K to be much harder than we thought.

Me with my 10K finisher medal and my post race beer

I’m planning to run the half next year but this time I will probably do some trail running along with my normal street running to better prepare and I will also read the course for the half start more carefully…I still don’t plan on taking the shuttle…I find shuttles to be stressful as you have to wait in line and get there extra early and then stand around at the start for about an hour…I usually avoid  races that require you to take a shuttle unless a friend or family member can take me to the start or like the 17.75K where the prize at the end is something I really want (MCM entry). So I suggest if you are adventurous and don’t mind mud or potentially tripping over roots and rocks try this race out it’s lots of fun and trail running is pretty awesome…just make sure you know where your starting line is and perhaps get a few trail runs in before race day.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler- 2015 Edition

Getting an Entry:

I have run the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler the last 3 years in a row. The first time I ran it in 2013 I got in through the regular lottery process where you fill out an online registration within a certain window of time and once registration is closed over 15,000 or so individuals are randomly selected to run the race (The official race site results stated that this year there were 17,887 finishers for the 10 Miler) many people also get in as part of the race’s official charity group the Children’s Miracle Network, with guaranteed entries as volunteers from the previous year, or as part of their company’s team (usually companies that provide sponsorship to the race)

In 2014 my entry was not chosen but when it came time for the “transfer/deferral period” I kept a constant eye on the official transfer blog where those who got in but can no longer run and those who did not get in but want to run can post what they are willing to “sell” or “buy” and I got my entry from a young lady who had unfortunately broken her ankle and could no longer participate. Per the official race page the person transferring their entry cannot charge more than what they paid for their entry but in reality these transactions are done independently from the official race site so some greedy people could definitely over charge a very eager runner looking to get in. The recipient of the transferred entry is only required to pay a transfer fee on the official race site. Basically the whole process could have the potential for some scammers so I suggest if you are looking for a race entry first have the person offering you their bib set up the transfer and then once it goes through send them the money. Hopefully you as recipients are a good moral person and will pay the seller what was agreed upon… if not I’m sure they could dispute it.

After not having been selected by the lottery process in 2014 I decided I wanted to ensure an entry for 2015 and signed up to volunteer as a race number lookup assistant at the race expo. It was a 4 hour shift and time flew by. Make sure you sign in when you get there that way you ensure that you get the guaranteed entry code for the next year…it’s usually sent out a few weeks before the lottery opens.

So this year I got in with the volunteer code I earned in 2014 but was still able to find my boyfriend an entry using the same method as my 2014 entry….granted that method is very stressful and time consuming.

For this year’s race I also volunteered at the expo in order to ensure my 2016 entry...also as a runner one should give back to the running community. If it wasn’t for volunteers none of us would be able to run.

Saturday morning Packet Pickup...not too crowded this year

 

The Expo:

The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Expo is typically held the Friday and Saturday prior to race day at the National Building Museum located right by the Judiciary Square metro station. This expo isn’t as big as those I have seen in the past but it still has a good assortment of running goodies for purchase.



A view from the second floor balcony of the expo

If you get to the expo right when it opens both days or if you go right during lunch time/after work on Friday chances are you will be waiting in line a bit longer than if you waited for some random time like maybe 2PM on Friday. Nevertheless things move along at a steady pace so if those times are most convenient for you then go for it. Make sure you have your photo ID and your bib number ready as these are required to get your packet. Also make sure to read the requirements for picking up by proxy if you are having someone else pick up your bib or you are getting someone else’s. I volunteered at this year’s expo on Saturday morning for packet pickup and the lines were not as long as in the past as this year’s Friday packet pickup also included a free happy hour that enticed people to stop by early and it worked as we were told that Friday was pretty hectic.

My long sleeve volunteer shirt...the official race shirt had the same image on the front and was also cotton but had short sleeves and was heather grey

The Race:

The race begins and ends on 15^th street next to the Washington Monument. The weather for race day the last two years and this year has been great not too cold and not too hot with no rain. This year was definitely much warmer than last year which made this a very pleasant run.

The race takes you from 15^th Street right onto Independence Avenue towards Memorial Bridge where you cross the bridge round the traffic circle before Arlington Cemetery and make your way back across the bridge towards the Kennedy Center where you turn back around right before the intersection with F St and make your way back on Rock Creek Parkway onto Ohio Drive around the Tidal Basin and then around Hains Point making your way around the Tidal Basin to the Washington Monument and the finish. This year unfortunately there was an accident involving a pedestrian being struck by a motorcycle on part of the course prior to the race that caused the race to be rerouted around mile 4 to allow the Parks Police to investigate the incident. As of this time the actual course distance has not been officially determined but many believe it is about 9.52 miles…I forgot my GPS watch so I was unable to formulate my own opinion. The new course instead of continuing for miles 4-6 on Ohio Drive along the Potomac had a turnaround at mile 4 at the intersection of Ohio Dr and West Basin Drive then back along Independence Avenue and onto East Basin Drive where the course got back on track on Ohio Drive.

This race has a field of about 30,000 participants which means it can get very crowded. In the past I have swerved past people as I made my way through the course and while annoying I didn’t really care too much…this year I decided to pace my boyfriend who really isn’t a runner but decided he would run with me after I asked him to. He has a slower pace than I do by about 30-45 seconds per mile so throughout the race I had to make sure I was still with him…this was made more difficult by the numerous people all around that we either passed or were passed by. The weather on race day was very pleasant not too chilly in the morning and it did not get too warm as the race progressed. Shorts and a tank top or t-shirt would be ideal during the race…at the start a sweatshirt or other top would be useful as it was colder then and many people waited in their corals for the race to start…having my office only a few blocks away is very convenient…we stayed there indoors and used the building restrooms until about 15 minutes before the race start. If you do not have this luxury you should make sure to get to the race with enough time to do bag check and use the bathroom if needed…the race provides a good number of porto potties but there will always be lines. The race organization donates any discarded clothes to charity which is awesome so if you do need to stand in your corral a bit longer make sure to bring clothes you may no longer need or would like to donate…that way you can stay warm and not have to worry about checking those items.

The finish festival looked pretty awesome especially since it was nice a sunny out. The festival took place on the lawn between the Washington Monument and Constitution Avenue. This was setup with several tents housing bag check, food and water, and where one could pick up their finisher medal…the medals are not included in the race price they are an add on so you do not get them as soon as you cross the finish you have to go to the medal tent where they check your bib to make sure did indeed select the medal option. The finish festival also had live music which was awesome….my boyfriend and I sat in the grass while we waited for my friend to finish the race.

The 2015 Cherry Blossom Finisher Medal

At this time as I previously mentioned the official course length has not been determined and therefore my official race time is unavailable.

Overall I would recommend this race if you are not dead set on achieving a PR and don’t mind the crowded races. The scenery is beautiful and the weather this time of year is usually quite pleasant. The cost for this race is reasonable with or without the medal and/or tshirt upgrade…the tshirts are standard cotton in unisex sizes but can be upgraded to gender specific tech if you so desire and do not mind paying a premium. So if you can be sure to sign up for the lottery email notification for next year’s race.

Cross Training- Yoga

So back in October 2014 when I moved to DC and just started running again after my 5ish month running hiatus…thanks piriformis…I thought why not do yoga to help me with my flexibility/mobility issues that have contributed to my running injuries. One of my new roommates happened to practice yoga quite frequently and recommended I try Yoga District as they had a location just a few blocks from us and are one of the more affordable studios in the area.

I signed up online first by using their new two classes for one deal for new students…so it ended up being $6 a class normally a one class pass is $12. I enjoyed both my classes which were Power Yoga Levels 1-2 on Thursday nights and Heated Flow Yoga 1-2 on Sunday afternoons.

Me and my new Jade yoga mat...love this new mat and highly recommend it

 

Power Yoga seemed to focus more on strengthening than flexibility while Flow Yoga worked on both. Heated Flow Yoga is the same as Flow Yoga except they put the heat up and use space heaters  to get the room to about 85 degrees (Yoga District offers Flow regularly and heated flow just on Sundays….at least at my location).

After my first two classes I bought a 10 class pass that cost me almost $100 with tax and I had 3 months to use the 10 classes. For the next two months I went 1-2 times a week but after continuing to struggle with pains while running from muscle tightness I decided to really dedicate myself and purchase their unlimited monthly pass that cost about $90 and came with a 3 month minimum. It’s now been about a month and a half since I got on this plan and I have been going on average 3-4 times a week and have really noticed improved flexibility that translates to my runs and to everyday life. Yoga also really helps counteract sitting in a chair all day at work.

The teachers at Yoga District that I’ve had have been great. I really like going to Kate A’s, Cara G’s, and Stacey’s classes for Flow Yoga and Klydie’s class for Power Yoga which really is a great strength workout. The studio that I go to is on H St NE and from what I have heard it is a bit smaller than their other studios but it works for me especially only having to walk a few blocks to get there from home after work. I plan on going to their Bloomingdale location soon since the bf lives near it and I’m trying to get him to do some yoga…he does a lot of CrossFit type workouts and is running now that I signed him up for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler so a little yoga would be great for him too.

If you live near one of Yoga District’s locations I would recommend you get their new student deal and check them out.

Yoga District on H St NE

The 2015 Marine Corps 17.75K

As I mentioned in my last post in 2013 I ran the Marine Corps 17.75K in order to get a guaranteed entry to the 38th Marine Corps Marathon. In 2014 I did not run either of these two races but I had heard the course changed from the previous year. Now in 2015 I knew I wanted to run the 40th Marine Corps Marathon and with the new lottery process in place from 2014 I decided that I should secure my spot by running the 17.75K this past Saturday March 28th. I also entered the lottery just in case something might happen to stop me from running the 17.75K and if I happened to get both entries I would give one to a friend....however I did not get in through the lottery so I HAD to run the 17.75K.

Registration

There are about 3,000 spots for the 17.75K and when the registration period opened at noon on March 11, 2015 just about a week and a half before the race I was ready sitting at my computer so I could get registered. I was lucky as my registration went through for this race which sold out in 7 minutes. I found that the registration process was very easy and only took me about 5 minutes as you had to fill in a bit of information. I heard from others who did not get in that they got to the payment page but then were kicked out and unable to register....I assume the way it works is that it lets you begin the registration process but depending on how fast others register if by the time you get the final page it sells out tough luck.

Packet Pickup 

The race took place in Prince William Forest Park in Dumfries, VA so naturally the packet pickup was close to this location which was a pain in the butt for those of us who don't live in that area especially since you only had one day to get your race packet which was a week day between the hours of 10AM and 6;30PM. Living in DC I would have to take 95 South to get there and waiting to go after work would be a nightmare since I would be stuck in rush hour traffic. So I decided to take the day off and pick up my race packet around 10AM to avoid traffic....95 is pretty much always backed up no matter what time. So on Friday a little before 10AM I left my house and headed to VA Runner over in Woodbridge near Potomac Mills. I ran into some traffic but nothing too crazy. The packet pickup was pretty straight forward and only took me about 5 minutes after which time I hopped back in my car to drive back home. At this point it was about 11AM and I noticed that 95 South was now very backed up and I was thankful I decided to leave my house when I did.

Race Day

The 2015 17.75K was scheduled to begin at 7AM on Route 234 right by Montclair Tabernacle Church. In order to get to the start if you were commuting like I did you had to go to one of three designated locations where a shuttle would drive you to the starting line. In 2013 the starting line was located a bit further east which was convenient for me at the time since I stayed at the Econo Lodge right across the street. This year there really were no hotels walking distance. There was a partner hotel with a shuttle but the nightly rate was quite steep. Anyways....so these shuttles ran every few minutes between 5:30AM-6:30AM. Runners were asked to be at the designated stations no later than 6:15AM. I figured I would have to use the restroom and check a bag before the race so I planned to be there by 6AM which mean I had to wake up at 5:20AM so I could get dressed, hop in my car, and drive the 30 miles from my parents' house in Alexandria. 

It was an extremely cold morning with temperatures below freezing...I think it was 30 out....I had planned on leaving my sweatshirt at the bag check so I would over heat but could have something to wear while I waited around. I boarded the shuttle at the commuter lot on 234 and when I arrived at the start it was about 6:15AM and it was freezing and dark out. I stood in line a few minuted to use the restrooms then I checked my bag. Now I had about 40 minutes until 7AM. So I looked for somewhere to wait that was more sheltered because not only was it cold it was also windy. There was no such place to find shelter...the church was open but those who got there very early had already filled it up to capacity so I stood with many other runners behind the Marine Corps RV to hide from the wind. 

One of the race sponsors Sentara handed out face masks for runners which were much needed and much appreciated as we all continued to freeze. I am not sure if it was poor planning or what but the sun was not scheduled to begin to rise until around 7AM so that may have been the reason the race was delayed about 15 minutes. We all stood near the start jumping up and down or doing whatever to try and warm up. My muscles felt so tight and when the race finally started I struggled about the first mile trying to warm up and get my muscles loose.

Hanging out with my face mask on by the Marine RV trying to keep warm pre-race

The course ran through Prince William Forest Park and was full of hills....soooo many hills. About the first 3.5 miles were on gravely trail then you were on a paved road for the 6 miles or so then back on to the trail for the remaining miles. I had not looked at the course map prior to the race so I thought it would be a out and back race when I spotted mile marker 10 near mile marker 1. Between miles 1 and 5.5 we seemed to continue to go up hill with some slight down hills. You would run on a flat for a few minutes only to see a giant hill looming up ahead. After mile marker 5 I was looking for the turnaround and looking forward to some downhill action but the turnaround never came and that is when I realized it wasn't out and back but somewhere along the course...mile 9 the course took you pack to the original path for the last 2 miles. At mile 9 we got back onto the trail and went downhill for a bit but then at about 9.3 miles we ran into a sharp uphill...at that point I still had not warmed up and my legs felt like lead so I attempted to run the hill but ended up walking it...when I got to the top of the hill I began to run again only to run into another hill around mile 10 but this time it was not as steep so I ran it. Once I crossed that finish line I was so happy that I was done and now had a medal (apparently this was new this year as in the past they gave finisher coins) and I had my access granted pass for the MCM. I was so tired and cold I decided to not go to the food and giveaway tents I just picked up my bag and hopped on the shuttle back to my car.

Finisher medal, race bib, and access granted card

This year's course was different from 2013 and much more difficult. I can't say if it was the same as last year since I did not run it. If it wasn't so cold I think this would have been a much more enjoyable race. It truly was a challenge and I was very proud to cross that finish even though my pace was about a minute per mile slower than usual. If you are looking for a challenge I would suggest signing up for this race especially if you also want to run the MCM just be prepared to perhaps take a day or half day off work to get your race packet if you are driving but don't live in the area and to get up very early and deal with the weather...in 2013 the weather was much nicer.