Delaware Half Marathon |

05/18/2015
by She's Going the Distance 11 Comments

Delaware Race Recap – Part 2!

I did it! I ran a race completely electronic free, just for fun and relaxed! The morning of the race started as usual, I got dressed and sunscreened up & headed down to the Westin’s lobby for complimentary coffee, bottled water & bagels.

5:30 AM.. not impressed haha.

The hotel was offering shuttle service to the start line, but it was just under a mile away, so I thought warming up wasn’t a bad idea so i walked down the boardwalk and enjoyed my coffee along the river.

The weather was cool & humid and ended up staying that way the whole race. I was not complaining because it was supposed to be almost 90 and humid, so we caught a good morning. At the start of the race I was really nervous with how my IT band & knee pain would tolerate 13.1 miles. The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on April 12th was the last long run & speed work i’ve done. I really backed off of running due to the IT Band, so I knew this was not a race to “race”. I had no time goal in mind, but I thought I could walk/run a 2 hour half marathon based on my easy runs lately.

To ensure I didn’t “race”, I made the decision days before the race, not to wear my Garmin. It would have depressed me to see slow miles pop on my watch & I needed to relax and listen to my body. Hence, I went without music as well. I have never in my life ran more than 6 miles without music–so hey! There’s a PR! 🙂 I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to run happy without music, but after the first 3 miles, I just cruised, enjoyed my surroundings & relaxed. I actually never got bored!

The race winded up along the river on an asphalt path. It was SO BEAUTIFUL. Everything was lush, green & alive. Then the hills started. I was careful to slow down (IT Band pain does not do well with downhill running), but to my own surprise I didn’t need to walk much. I walked through the water stations, but other than that the knee & hip held up WAY better than I expected.

This race seemed to fly by, but a few things I remember was reminding myself that I needed a week or two off after this race to truly recover from the IT Band. The pain never got so bad where it locked up my knee (as it did 2 weeks ago) and the pain level itself never got above a 4/10. My chiro and i decided I could run as long as the pain stayed under a 5. Another thing I took from the race was that i actually can look forward to running as I get older. Once the PR’s stop, I will be able to enjoy racing without having to always go faster. I also think I’m ready to run with more people. Maybe do group runs from a local running store or run with more friends. Random thoughts, but when you don’t have an ipod random is what happens.

Without headphones in I was able to hear the announcer say my name & city/state as I came down the chute! I am honestly starting to prefer these smaller races compared to the big ones. I never felt crowded on the roads and the personalization on the bib, the announcement as I crossed the line, the free race photos, the hospitality at the hotel & after the race all made me feel as special as I ever felt running a race. And I don’t know what it is about the Philly/Wilmington area, but I love running here.

After I finished I hopped through the hospitality tent, they had SO MUCH FOOD. I’m talking BBQ sandwiches, pasta, fruit, chips, vitamin water, chocolate milk…it felt like a picnic! I wasn’t super hungry, but I had chocolate milk & a pear, watched the full marathoners & headed back to the hotel to shower.

Since I knew this race wasn’t going to be hard, I figured i’d have a ton of energy to do something fun afterward so I went to a Phillies game! It was the perfect day, super hot & sunny, and my after race meal was a hot dog, margaritas & ice cream in a baseball helmet! Does anyone remember when Dairy Queen used to serve ice cream that way? And you had to collect the teams? I was having a bout of nostalgia in the ballpark.

Philadelphia in the background

This race day couldn’t have been any better. I had such a blast. If anyone is from this area I highly recommend the race. And maybe a ballgame as well ;).

Instagram

Last Weeks Work!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 30 min rolling/myofascial releases & mobility exercises for hips/glutes.

Wednesday: 5000m row, 20 min Myrtle Routine

Thursday: 2.5m walk

Friday: 40 min running drills- emphasis on hamstring pulls

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 5.8m walk

Total Miles: 8 walking, zero week for running!

What’s your favorite post-race activity?

05/12/2015
by She's Going the Distance 5 Comments

Delaware 1/2 Part 1!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 30 min rolling/myofascial releases & mobility exercises for hips/glutes.

Saturday I arrived for packet pickup at the Garrett-Tubman park in Wilmington, DE around 2pm. It was easy to find and easy to pickup since it was a smaller race.

Next, I checked in at the Westin Hotel about a mile from the start line. The hotel staff were all super nice & they even had a gift bag for the runners staying at their hotel. The bag included a door hang that says, “Quiet please, marathon runner sleeping” (which is now hanging on my bedroom door), a Hammer Gel, a race day map and instructions & suggestions for restaurants and things to do while in Wilmington. Loved this! It made me feel extra special and I needed those last minute instructions!

Also when I turned the TV on it had my name on it. Kinda weird, but kinda cool…

Before dinner shot. It’s what happens when the hotel has a full length mirror, you’re a blogger and super excited about wearing sandals.

Then headed off to Iron Hill Brewery and it was incredible! Talk about carboloading. I had pizza, sweet potato fries, pretzels & beer. Needless to say, I never hit a wall during the half.

Sitting outside on the rooftop, right along the river was gorgeous.

The night before the race, I always lay every single thing I need in plain sight. That way at 5’o’clock I’m not trying to do anything that requires thinking. It felt very strange laying out my clothes and leaving my Garmin & Ipod in my purse. But I knew this was the race to leave the electronics home.

Recap coming soon!

Last Week

Monday: 15 min Jacobs Ladder, 45 min Lateral Elliptical, 1 mile 9:33/pace (in that order), 25 min glutes/hips, 20 min lats/back

Tuesday: 15 min core

Wednesday: 5m easy 8:30/pace, 20 min back/triceps, 15 min hips/glutes

Thursday: 5000m row

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 13.1 Delaware 1/2 marathon, 2+ walking miles

Total Miles: 21.1

Do you have to lay out your clothes?

Any pre-race rituals you MUST do the night before?

03/30/2015
by She's Going the Distance 8 Comments

A New State!

Monday: Rest

After the Run for Haiti 5K last week, i was mentally exhausted! Goes to show that running is just as physical as it is mental. I was wiped out. I took a few extra rest days from running then got right back to planning next races & places. (One thing CrossFit Endurance–the training plan i’m following–promotes is the idea that their programs can keep you at 95% top shape so you can race more often without “peaking” or only banking on a peak week in your training. With this is mind I’m not afraid to race more frequently).

Lacrosse ball in hand for some massage torture

The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler is in 12 more days! And I’m excited to run my very first 10 Miler (hello, automatic PR!). Shortly after I will be trying another 5K or two in hopes I can break through the 20 minute barrier! Now onto the new news of the newest state i’ll be running in.

Delaware!

I have a bucket list goal of running a race (any distance) in each state. It will give me an opportunity to visit new cities, run different terrain & meet new people. On May 10th I will be running the half marathon in Wilmington, Delaware, putting a new state under my belt and giving me a starting point to measure fitness and begin planning out a training schedule for a fast fall half marathon!

One state at a time

I’m so excited to be running this race because it’s a small field, about 3500 runners and is said to be Delaware’s largest, oldest & biggest running festival. Wilmington is less than 2 hours from DC and just a short ride from Baltimore, just outside of Philly. The race is pretty flat and runs along the Delaware River & beautiful parks. If you’d like to run in the full or half use promo code GOLDSGYM for a $10 discount which will make the 1/2 $65 and the full $85. <—Super cheap entry for a local race that i’ve heard nothing but good things about! This race is on pace to sell out in the next two weeks, so if you buy in let me know and let’s meet up!!

You can register for the race here! http://www.delawaremarathon.org/registration/

from last week’s run

Weekly Recap

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 5.2m easy 9:21/pace

Wednesday: 20 min shoulders/triceps

Thursday: CFE 5 Rounds: 500m row, 20 Kettlebell Swings, 20 Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through, 20 Knees to Chest Sit Ups, 20 min core.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 14m easy 8:08/pace

Total Miles: 19.2

How many states have you run in?

Anyone ever ran in Delaware before?