Race Report: Run Like a Diva Half Marathon

Ahhhh, back from 10 days of vacation!  We travelled to Virginia, Maryland and New York, so it was quite a busy trip.  My mother-in-law was signed up to run the Run Like a Diva Half Marathon in Long Island on Sunday, 7 October....so I decided I should run it too!  

At first I was pretty nervous.  I haven't run more than 6.5 miles in the last 10 months.  But I thought, why not?  It might not be my best time, but I love all women's events and this seemed like a great opportunity to get in my first long run.  

So for the race recap: weather turned out to be PERFECT!  They had been calling for rain all week and I really don't like running in the rain when it's cold out.  The temps were a little cold for me - I think it was 54 degrees when we arrived at the race.  But the sun showed itself as we started the run and it was perfect running weather.  

The course was overall very flat.  We ran around Eisenhower Park and some museums which was cool.  There were tons of folks out cheering us along the route.  Aid stations were placed every 2 miles and were very well run.  It never got too crowded when trying to get water.  

Now for my favorite part - at mile 12 they had a station where they handed out pink feather boas and tiaras!  How much fun is that???  I loved it.  

Fixing my tiara for the photo-op!

At the finish line, we were presented our medals by some very nice looking firemen sans t-shirts ;-)

They had a ton of post race food to include the standard bagels and bananas, but also had flutes of champagne (or ginger ale for the non-drinkers like me) and delicious Luna bars.  

I ended up finishing in 1:55:10, which I was thrilled about!  I would absolutely run one of their events again!  What an awesome event that encourages women of all fitness levels to get out there and challenge themselves!!!  

Challenge: Embracing the Positive

"My legs were so heavy on the run today and I was super slow."

"Last week I lifted heavier, I must be getting weaker."

"My hair is a mess, my job sucks, my kids are driving me crazy..."

Sound familiar?  We are surrounded by so much negativity in our daily lives, a lot of it coming directly out of our own mouths! (And just because you don't say it out loud, doesn't mean your mind doesn't process it!)

So, what's this post all about?  It's a challenge to our fellow bloggers, Tweeters, and people in general.  Bring the POSITIVE into your life.  Starting TODAY, eliminate negative phrases and thoughts from your life for seven days.  You can do anything for seven days, right?  

Now I know this doesn't happen overnight because we want to change.  We have programmed ourselves to think a certain way - but we are all capable of change.  When a negative thought creeps into your mind, try to turn it around.  I do this all of the time.  For example, if I'm out running and feeling kind of slow, I commend myself for getting out and doing a run at all!  I remind myself that I'm making a healthy choice by being active regardless of what my Garmin says.  

Who's with us???  One week of Embracing the Positive!!!  This extends to anything you post on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, and any other crazy social media network that I just don't even know about.  By focusing on all of the good things in your life (even if there only seem to be a few), you can be a happier, HEALTHIER, person!

You are each amazing in your own way and it's time to EMBRACE it!

Kindness of a Stranger

As someone who's new to biking, sometimes I'm not to great at checking every last detail before I hit the road.  On Sunday, I was riding along the San Luis Rey Bike Trail and a gentlemen rode up behind me.  He let me know that the skewers in my wheels were not locked!  I honestly wasn't 100% sure what he was talking about and I told him so.  We were about three miles from the end of the bike trail, so he offered to stop and help me there.  And THEN, he let me draft off of him for those last three miles!!  Never even got the guy's name, but I sure was happy that 1) he pointed out something that could have been a giant disaster and 2) that he was willing to interrupt his ride to help a total stranger.  

(photo from www.personalexcellence.com)

I have always had faith in the kindness of people, but it always makes me smile to see such a true example of it!  

100% sure the gentlemen who stopped does NOT read our blog, but if he ever happens to on to this page - THANK YOU!  

Goal Update - Week 3

As usual, it's time for my weekly goal update!  This really helps me stay accountable to myself!  Again, you won't find perfection here, but you'll find a lot of HEART and motivation to keep pushing myself.  

(photo from idlehearts.com)

Exercise Goals
1) Run 25 miles a week - So, as I've mentioned the previous two weeks, this was a bit ambitious!  This week I got in 16.67 miles total.  I even hit the treadmill one day to work on speed!  I'm not good at pacing myself for sprint workouts, so that's where the treadmill comes in handy.

2) Swim at least three times a week - Well, I got in two swims this week, both in the 50m pool on base and did a mile each time.  I'm really thinking about looking for a swimming coach because I know I need work on my technique to improve. 

3) Bike to and from work at least once a week - This didn't happen, BUT...on Sunday I did a 32.81 mile ride!  That's the furthest I've ever ridden in one stretch.  Note to self - pack more than one gel and carry more water if it's hot out!  Oh yeah, and sunscreen would have been a brilliant idea!

4) 10 dead-hang pull-ups - As always, I've been faithful to the Recon Ron Pull-up Program.  This week it called for five sets - 9, 7, 6, 5, 5 - and I got all five days in.  I was pretty sore this week, so I ended up kipping more than I probably should have.  

Nutrition Goals
1) One caffeinated drink per day - Doing great here and feeling good!  There are some days where I don't have anything caffeinated and don't even need it.

2) One carbonated drink per week - Oops...I messed up on this one and had two this week.  I had a Diet Mt Dew and a Lo-Carb Monster.  That's okay though, at least it wasn't every day!

3) Keep a food journal - I am in love with MyFitnessPal.  It's so easy to use, even to add in recipes to ensure you get an accurate calorie breakdown.  It also helps me to make smarter choices throughout the day about food!  

Mental Games

Do you ever find yourself playing mind games during a workout?  My twin sister, Jen, counts...she's a weird one.  I look around for new trails to take on my next run.  However, this week I used machines to workout TWICE!  That's pretty rare for me.  

On Tuesday I went to the gym and used the StarTrac elliptical after my swim because I wasn't feeling a run outdoors with the heat.  First of all, I must be super fast because according to the StarTrac, I ran 7.76 miles in 20 minutes!!!  Ok, maybe the machine was not quite calibrated correctly...

Then on Wednesday instead of hitting the track by myself, I chose to do my sprint workout on the treadmill.  I did a one mile warm-up and then 4 x 400m sprints - first two at an 8 min/mile and second two at a 7:30 min/mile, with a 400m jog at 10 min/mile in between each.  

So, where do the mind games come in?  Well on both of my machine workouts, I had to play mind games to keep from getting bored.  On the elliptical, I challenge myself to stay above 90 RPM for the minute, and if I fall below that, then I have to stay above 95 RPM!  It's good motivation for me.  Then on the treadmill, I promised myself that if I didn't ever touch the "speed" button and slow my planned pace down, then I would be able to enjoy 15 minutes in the sauna.  

What do you do to distract yourself when you're stuck on a machine?

More about Us

After reading SUAR's hilarious post, we decided to "consider ourselves tagged" and answer her questions.  Disclaimer - we are not NEARLY as funny as this lady is (and definitely not as fast).

1. Best run ever? 
Jess: My first ultra marathon - The Old Dominion 50-miler in Woodstock, VA.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I loved every second of that 9 hour and 51 minute adventure and met some amazing folks!
Jennifer: My third half marathon. I ran with a friend and her husband, and we managed to chat the entire time and surpass our goal time!

2. Three words that describe your running? 
Jess: Steadfast, clumsy, slow
Jennifer: Middle-of-the-pack (that's one word, right?), improving, mental

3. Your go-to running outfit? 
Jess: The t-shirt I got in my first 5k ever (from 1994) and my USMC black shorts....sexy, I know.
Jennifer: Almost any pair of my Nike running shorts and a dri-fit t-shirt from a triathlon, and sadly, my inserts because running without them is not feasible right now:(

4. Quirky habit while running? 
Jess: Snot rockets - no, it's not pretty, but it is a necessity!
Jennifer: I count. Nothing in particular, but I find that it helps pass the time.

5. Morning, midday, evening?  
Jess: Morning unless work gets in the way.  I'm more likely to run first thing in the day, less time to come up with excuses for why I can't do it.
Jennifer: Well this certainly took a personal turn...oh wait, you're still talking about running. I'm definitely a morning person...for both. (and for the same reasons mentioned by Jess)

6. I won’t run outside when it’s ______
Jess: Sleeting.  I'll do rain, snow, or wind, but sleet is a no go. 
Jennifer: Super dark. I can do pre-sunrise, but when it's really dark, it's just asking for an injury.  

7. Worst injury—and how you got over it.  
Jess: Crossing my fingers and knocking on wood here, but I've never had a serious running injury.  I had PF really badly, but what runner doesn't and I fixed that by running less and biking more.
Jennifer: When we were in 3rd grade, Jess and I were on the track team. At practice one afternoon, as I gracefully loped around the track, I managed to somehow fall into a hole (off the track) and broke my arm. Yes, I may quite possibly be the only genius with such an injury. I got over it when - after two days of telling me to suck it up - my dad took me to the hospital, it was pronounced broken, and I received a very shiny, very brand-new Sony Walkman.

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when ______
Jess: I wore my first running skirt EVER and ran a 5k PR during last year's Oceanside Turkey Trot.
Jennifer: I placed 3rd among female participants at a local 10k and I was pushing the Weasel.

9. Next race is...
Jess: no idea.  I just got back from Afghanistan and I'm still deciding whether I'm up for the Blue Water Triathlon in Oct.
Jennifer: The MCM!

10. Potential running goal for 2013? 
Jess: Hoping to find a 12-hour race that doesn't get cancelled and see how that goes.
Jennifer: We've just moved to NoVA, so my goal for the next year is to get comfortable running all these hills. Right now, I just do my out and back runs because all I can think about is how much it will suck running back up!

Everything's Amazing & Nobody is Happy

This clip from Conan O'Brien with guest Louis CK says it all!


Do you constantly hear people around you whining about EVERYTHING?  We've become so accustomed to having everything right away - instant gratification!  This doesn't just come with technology though...

Everyone wants to the miracle weight loss drug.  I want to be faster - NOW.  I want to be a better swimmer - NOW.  Not really too interested in putting in all the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to get there.

This post really has very little to do with running I guess, so it may not seem applicable to this blog, but I wanted to share this video because I got a good laugh from it!