3 down 9 to go (aka St. Patrick's 8K)

The St. Patrick's Day 8K on March 10th in DC was my favorite race yet! The weather was wonderful (no wind! yay!) and I got to share the day with a lot of family! This was the biggest race I have raced in with about 6000 finishers! I'm sure the nice weather helped bring more people out.

The race started in Freedom Plaza (yup, the site of "Occupy Washington," tents and all) and wove around the Downtown DC streets. At the start, we were racing towards the capitol building which was pretty cool. Seeing the streets filled with people instead of cars is a wonderful sight in a city so full of drivers.

With so many runners there was definitely more to listen to while running. I don't know if people don't realize people outside of their little group could hear them  or not,  but I learned a lot about these three women, their significant others and how those significant others don't do anything except play Xbox and how much the women would like them to "Get out and DO something."They said it twice... in unison... while I kept pace with them.

There was one pair that I really wanted to share their story. A father and daughter racing together. A post on that coming soon. There were so many costumes and interesting t-shirts. One was a green jersey with "Poo Flinger" on the back. I couldn't help but laugh as I ran past. There was also on man who juggled while running. The whole race. He juggled. I don't know if he ever dropped any of his balls, but he must have been juggling about 5. Quite impressive. I also over heard a runner talking about a sign she saw at the Marine Corp Marathon: "You run better then the Metro." That one is almost as good as "Run, Stranger, Run!" I hope to see a few good signs at the Pittsburgh Half.

The volunteers working the course were wonderful in cheering everyone on. One gentleman was singing songs about running to the finish line and he would call out people's bib numbers as they ran past. Crowd support is something I haven't had at a race before and I can't wait to get some more! I wondered if the bag pipers on the course switched off, or if it was the same two guys playing for over an hour...

On to some stats: There were 3601 women and 2408 men registered for the 8K. It was the first race for 617 of them! In my age group, 25-29, there were 1039 women and I came in 796th. I completed the 8K, which is just under 5 miles, in 54:50 with an average pace of 11:02/mile.


We missed the Irish Dancing after the race, but as we walked toward the National Mall for a picnic lunch we discovered the St. Patrick's Day parade was making it's way down Constitution. We saw at least three Irish Dancing Schools, two bag pipe groups, lots of cars, police units, a few marching bands, and 2 South American groups (I'm not sure why they were part of the St. Patrick's day parade.) After an hour and a half of parade watching we were all ready to head back. It just kept going and going!

The Politician meets George Washington on the Nationals!

Great, well put together race. The chocolate cookies were just what I needed after this race. I felt a million times better after getting a little fuel back in me!

What I learned from Race Number 3:
1. You don't get lonely in a race with 6000 finishers, but I found it a little harder to push myself when I was getting tired. The more people around you the easier it is to blend into the pack.
2. If there is a tight turn around, go to the outside to maintain speed. Inside at the turning point, it can come to a slow crawl.
3. According to The Dad, the footfalls of 6000 people make a lot of noise thundering down the street.
4. I should really look up the race map and study it a bit BEFORE the race starts. I like knowing where I am in the race.
5. After about 45 minutes of running, I need to refuel with something more then water. I think it's time to test out those fitness gels.

I would really recommend this race for anyone who wants to push themselves a little harder and feel the exhilaration of finishing a great race. My mom, my youngest sister and her friend race the 8K with me and I cheered them all on as they crossed the finish line. Just remember, no mater how slow you go, you are going faster then the people on the couch!

OH! And I won a raffle prize! A free entry into the July 4th Freedom Run 5K in Fairfax, who wants to race with me??

What's a Little Pee Among Friends

Here's a little laugh for you:

A few of the of neighborhood kids were over in our backyard playing with the Politician and PT while I watched from the kitchen window making dinner. I had the window open since the weather has been AMAZING and then I could hear while my eyes were busy elsewhere.

All of a sudden I hear "WHAT ARE HE DOING?!?!" from the little girl who lives next door to us. I look outside and I see the Politician pulling his pants back up. Yup, that's right, back up.

So I call him inside and he tells me he "just had to pee." Apparently the bathroom, that he past on his way to come talk to me, is too far to walk too. He proceeds to tell me that one of the Dad's friends pees outside and that makes it ok. I assure him that it is not ok to pee in the backyard and send him back out with his friends.

I then call the Dad an relay this story and learn that on their disc golf adventure over the weekend, where the Politician accompanied the Dad and friends around a few courses (most at State Parks,) they would pee in the woods. When the Dad came home from work, he had a nice talk with our oldest son about when it is ok to pee outside. Oh the joys of boys!

ZOOMA Training Run Kick-Off

One of my 30 by 30 things is to run with a racing club or group and I did my first of many (hopefully) group runs this past Saturday. 

I LOVED IT! 

First I need to tell you a bit about the ZOOMA racing series:

- it is a racing series that caters to women (though I think men can race if they want)

- they have an after party-expo with shopping opportunities

- get a massage after the race

- WINE for racers 21 and up!

One of the organizers was calling this the ultimate racing event with your girlfriends. And I believe it!

I'll be racing the ZOOMA Annapolis 10K on June 2nd and it is one of the races this year that I am most excited about. There are 5 ZOOMA race events across the country and they all have a half marathon and either a 5K or a 10K. They have free training sessions they set up by using a meet-up group and the first Annapolis one was the first group run I attended this past weekend. The Annapolis group is going to have training runs throughout the Annapolis/Baltimore area and they are going to have a group in VA as well. 

It was really great to run with just women. They have ZOOMA Ambassadors how lead the group on the training runs and from what I saw on Saturday, they seem to be of varying levels and speeds to keep up with all the types of runner/walkers in the group. We started and finished at Charm City Run in the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole. Great local running store. The store had bagels, cream cheese and juice available for all the runners after our training run! 

So we started off with an "easy" three mile run around the shopping area. Some where along the way, the group I was in made a wrong turn and we had to do a few circles and extra turns to make up some ground. We ended up doing a 5K instead. (Which I saw we did in about 32 minutes! Even faster then my last 5K!) A little less then a mile in I was running along side the only other woman in barefoot shoes. We started talking about our shoes and then moved on to how long we've been running and our racing goals. It was nice talk with someone new and share a similar goal. We both agreed that the ZOOMA race season was starting off really well and enjoyed the first training run!

When we got back to the store, everyone got a ZOOMA shirt, a water bottle with the mix that will be used on the course and some muscle milk (I haven't tried that yet...) I was really impressed with the organizer and the ZOOMA ambassadors and I am looking forward to our next training run!

So Ladies, how about doing this 10K with me? It's only 6.2 miles!

2 down 10 to go (aka Frostbite 5K)

One of the very few days this year that was below freezing happened to be race day number two! The 7th Annual Valentine's (Frostbite) Chase 5K and Couples Run on February 12th at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes DE had almost 70 crazy runners out in the freezing cold and wind. Again with the racing in the wind! The first place finisher (he finished in less then 17 minutes, yup less then 6 minutes a mile) was wearing shorts. Good thing he ran fast.

As we were lining up at the start, one of the organizers was telling us that water was available just before the hill, but as they were pouring it, it was freezing. Awesome. I skipped the water station on this run.

The Dad and the kiddos got out of the car to cheer me on at the start. The Politician was doing his own little sprints to keep warm and PT and the Enforcer were covered from head to toe in coats, hats and fleece blankets. Before the start, I was a bit worried about the state of my toes in my barefoot shoes. They were a bit numb and quite frozen as far as I could tell. Luckily, they warmed up quickly as the race began.

Because of the cold, I was hoping to finish in less then 40 minutes again. After a terrible month of training in January, I wasn't expecting run much faster then my first race. I was worried about the cold air in my lungs while running and the lack of feeling in my fingers and toes at the start making my finish time a bit slower. Luckily, I was wrong! I finished in 33:27! Almost 4 minutes faster then my last race, giving me a pace of about 10:47 per mile. I couldn't have been happier!

I did come in closer to the end of the pack this time, 53rd out of 68 and 5th of 6 in my age group.

The course was an out and back course along one of the trails at the park. I'm sure in April, May or even some summer months the trail is a great place for a walk. It's a paved trail and mostly covered with trees until you reach the hill over looking the beach. But, on the coldest day this year, the tree cover meant LOTS of ice. There were a few patches of black ice on the trail and quite a bit on the hill, but luckily I didn't hear of any falls or injuries.

There were a few times during the race where I wanted to stop and walk, but after a few steps the cold would set in again and running just felt better. That was a nice change! Every time I would want to stop and would slow down a bit, I could hear someone coming up behind me. Over and over I told myself, don't get passed walking, don't get passed walking. I feel like that would be giving up on myself a little bit. If I get passed while running, that's fine with me. I am pushing my body as fast as it will go and someone else's just goes faster. I'm ok with that. It really did give me the motivation I needed to keep my feet moving.

I have to say, I have never been happier to see a bright orange cone then I was to see the turn for the last quarter mile. As the course turned and twisted back to the parking lot where the finish line was, I was looking for that clock at every turn!

At the final turn, I could see the Dad and the Politician standing next to the finish line (PT and the Enforcer were nearby in the car.) The Politician is a great cheering motivator! There is nothing like seeing your little man cheer you on to the finish. It was great. His little voice carried over the blacktop and gave me that extra push I needed at the end. He came over and gave me a great big hug afterward and then asked to go back to the car where it was warm. (By the way, this end of race photo makes me want to work on my form a bit more...)

End of race snacks were water, bananas, apples and some cookies. I had left a bottle of water in the car and I was glad for it because it wasn't frozen. I grabbed a few sandwich cookies too. Yum. We didn't stick around for the awards and medals since it was so cold outside and the kids were getting ready for some lunch. The Politician and I did step out on the fishing pier for a few VERY WINDY photos. The wind was whipping the water into the shore.


What I learned from Race Number 2:
1. Even in the freezing cold, I will get to hot for my sleeves. If the race had been much longer I would have wanted to get rid of my sleeves.
2. Little motivations for each step help me to finish the bigger goals.
3. I really enjoy cheering on the runners/walkers I pass on my way back through the course. The smiles and nods I get back are much more numerous and encouraging then those I got from runners who passed me on their way back.
4. No matter how nice the view is at the top, I am just happy to finally start going down.
5. Stepping on or around ice, will really mess up your running groove.

One of the other racers commented that "we all should have our heads examined" for running on such a cold day. Maybe we should, but the race was a success anyway! Every racer was given a red short sleeved technical shirt, not as nice looking as race #1 shirts, but the technical shirt is nice. I'm not a fan of red though, so this one will probably become a craft project later this year. I am looking forward to a warmer race with much less wind! Come on Race #3!

Wait, What happened to January

Ah, when did February get here?!? Though it feels like early spring in the bright sunshine, the first month of this year ended and we're almost just over a week into February. I have to say, I'm ready for a quieter month. In January, I had two wisdom teeth pulled (at two different appointments) and I did get two days to myself, yay, wait... The Dad got a great new job and we uprooted and planted down in a new place. All of the little things about moving, and the bigger ones,  took more time then I realized. As we settle in to February, we are finding new routines. The kids are loving their new back yard and the boys are getting used to sharing a room. PT was in the house less then 24 hours before we had a major clean up job, so she must like it here.

January and the beginning of February were busy, but good. But training, and blogging, wise... terrible. I didn't get the running in that I had hoped and I'm still not able to run the full 5k distance without a walking break. I have noticed in the gym (with all of the New Years resolutionists...) I seem to overheat very easily. I think it has to do with my new shoes. I got a pair of Merrell Barefoot Run Pace Gloves as a more normal-looking shoe. That I can wear normal socks with. At first, I thought I was getting too hot because of all the other bodies in the gym while running. Then I thought it was the socks. But I tried the shoes again on the treadmill yesterday and though my feet weren't hot initially, they definitely don't breathe as well as my Five Fingers. I think I am going to take them back to REI and get a new pair of Five Fingers instead. REI has this wonderful 100% guarantee and you can return gear after using it if it doesn't work for you for ANY reason. AWESOME! And our new living location is only about half an hour from about 3 REIs. I think the kids and I may need to take a field trip.

So for my race this weekend (Race Number Two is on Sunday,) I'll be back to Five Fingers again. It's out in Lewes, DE and I am looking forward to running near the beach. I don't think there will be any over heating this weekend. They (the all knowing weather people, ha) are calling for snow Saturday night, so hopefully if it comes, it comes sooner rather than later. Here's to hoping.