PR at Iron Girl

This was my second year running the Athleta Iron Girl Half Marathon in Columbia. Overall, it was a great experience. While running today, I set a new personal best of 3 hours and 7 minutes. My fastest to date was 3 hours 15 minutes.  Overall, feeling pretty good about myself, especially since I ran negative splits.

Packet Pick-Up/Expo: This year it went much smoother than last year. Unfortunately last year they missed my registration and it took a lot on longer to get my packet. This year, I came prepared with my print out of what I paid for and to my surprise I found out that everything went through okay. I didn't spend too much time at the expo. I really didn't want to buy a lot of stuff. I just bought a pair of Iron Girl compression shorts and a magnet for my car. I was planning on getting compression shorts anyway, so it wasn't a needless purchase. Other than that, I peaced out pretty quick and was on my way back home. I really liked the swag bag, the t-shirt was nice and better fitting then last year. Last year's was white and shorter in length. This year, purple and much longer. A much better shirt! I also got my own water bottle butt thingy in my swag bag. It came with two water bottles and it also can hold your bib.  I thought it was pretty nice.

The Race: Some days I am fine and other days I feel as though all I have to do is go to the bathroom. Today was one of those race days. I got to the race 45 minutes before the start and hit the PortaJane. Sadly by the time the race started, I had to go again, but I didn't. I spent a good majority of the race in the back with the same group of people, until mile 6.5 which was the halfway point. Then, all of the individuals I was running with got on a bus. I didn't realize that until the end of the race. Basically my competition thinned out. For a long while I was running by myself. Around mile 10 I spotted some other individuals ahead of me. I decided to pick up the pace and pass them. Afterall, these individuals were walking and I felt like since I had run almost the entire time that I should finish ahead of them. One by one I started picking off those individuals. Finally I had a 1/4 mile left. There was one women in front of me who was power walking and I was bound and determined to finish ahead of her. I took off in a dead sprint past her and rounded the last corner. Only to see the race clock. When I saw that the clock read 3:10:45, I ran as fast as I could to make it to the finish. I trotted across got my medal, made my way to the snacks, and the shuffled back to the car.

Why Was This Race Different? I have no idea why I ran so fast or why I ran a negative split. That NEVER happens! I had a lot of issues during this race, first I missed the 2nd mile marker and was confused when I ended up at mile 3 out of nowhere. I did the same for mile 4 and 5 and it wasn't until I got to mile 6 that I realized I somehow missed them. Athleta also omitted a really disastrous hill from last year. They gave us a hill, but not nearly as steep. There were still a lot of hills, but as I have mentioned many times before, I am used to hills and I walked very few hills during this race. I also had to go to the bathroom, which I think motivated me to move quicker because I did not want to have to stop and use the porta pot. This served as extra motivation to pick up the pace. I also decided that I was going to push myself.

Sorry no race pics, but I decided to let my hubby sleep in this morning instead of dragging him out to stand around for 3 hours.   Currently I am very sore because I ran hard. But its a good kind of sore!

Up next, the Frederick Running Festival. I will be running both the 5k and the half marathon. Then, i will collect all of my medals.

Until next week, happy running!

5k Playlist- Songs To Get You Moving

I have been on a music kick. Today I created a project for my leadership class that involved them picking a theme song that represents them and explaining how it demonstrates their goals. That got me thinking because every theme song I thought of was a running song. A few hours later I went home for a run and while running I started thinking about all the great music that is out on the Top 40 Radio Stations. So here it is my Top Running Songs for a 5k. It takes me about 45 minutes give or take to run one so here's my top 15!

15. Thrift Shop- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
14. I Love It- IconaPop
13. Alive- Krewella
12. Kiss You- One Direction
11. Beauty and a Beat- Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj
10. Done- The Band Perry
9. Tonight I Am Getting Over You- Carly Rae Jepsen
8. Heart Attack- Demi Lovato
7.Carry On- Fun
6. Next To Me- Glee Cast Version (I personally find this incredible and I liked the original very much)
5.  Die Young- Ke$ha
4. C'Mon- Ke$ha
3. Hey Porsche- Nelly
2. 22- Taylor Swift
1. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)- Fallout Boy

My absolute favorite has to be Fallout Boy. Next to Gangham Style, yes I meant to type that, there are very few songs that get me pumped. That song is incredible to run to. That's basically what is on my short playlist and my half playlist has more songs on it, but listen to them or give them a try. I guarantee some of those songs will get you motivated and make your run go by just that much quicker.

Until next time, happy running!

Thoughts on the Boston Marathon Tragedy

I can be an emotional person, but oddly enough when a major tragedy happens I rarely cry. That isn't to say that I don't care or that I am not sympathetic to those who have typically been marred by tragedy. Its quite the opposite, I care deeply. In some way, I usually can think of some connection to what has happened. This usually helps with the coping. For example, when the shootings in Newtown occurred, I wasn't visibly upset. Yes, I thought it was heinous and yes, I wish deeply and sincerely that no one should ever have to lose someone they love in a horrific way. But, I never cried. To many friends and colleagues, my reaction was weird because they did cry. I am a teacher and many of those same individuals pointed out that "it could be me." While I agreed with them, it just didn't feel like me crying would make a difference. I was made to feel cold and callous because my reaction wasn't "normal" in comparison to others. When my husband broke the news to me today and I saw the footage and read about it, I got why I cried for Boston, but not for Newtown.

As a teacher, I assume risks. I have practiced every type of emergency drill with my students. I have gone through what happens in case of a suspect in the building. I know where I would put my students, and I have played out every scenario that I could to try and protect them. I feel prepared. Well, as prepared as any individual can when faced with that type of situation. I grew up in the era of Columbine, 9/11, and lived in College Park during the DC Sniper. My generation in particular is no stranger to mass tragedy. Its not that I am numb to it, but that I have to think about the possibility of reacting to the unthinkable. Especially, in the classroom. I have to be prepared to protect my students. That's why Boston bothers me.

As a runner, I prepare for how to run up steep hills. I prepare both mentally and physically for hitting roadblocks at mile 9 or mile 18 or even mile 24. I prepare for just about any possible situation because that is all part of the training process. Never have I ever had to think about a potential tragedy/attack occurring at a race. I am at these events all the time. I plan on running 3 major half marathons in a couple of weeks. Never have I thought anyone would want to hurt me or anyone like me. What is scary is that the spectators were the ones really hurt. The video footage was hard to watch, I couldn't watch more than 2 minutes of it before I was sick. As my husband said on his facebook status, "Sometimes, as a journalist, you get chills when breaking news happens. Just happened. As a husband who just cheered his wife on as she completed her first marathon in Virginia Beach a few weeks ago, my thoughts with those in Boston today." To think that could be my husband really breaks my heart. Never should an innocent person who is just there spreading cheer and happiness be a victim. Never should anyone have to worry about those who support them. What's even worse is that it makes others think twice.

I have said time and time again that I truly love running and that I love attending running events. One of the things that I truly love is the crowd. I love running through and seeing excited people offering words of encouragement. I love giving high fives to little kids who are excited to watch you run. It pains me that one event might rob some truly spectacular races of awesome supporters. Those individuals are just as important as the runners themselves. They offer distractions, support, and a smile. They shouldn't have to worry and we shouldn't have to worry about them. 

My hope is this. That like me, many other runners won't shy away from what they love because of a tragedy. When talking with my friend, I told her it was scary because of my grueling race schedule. She said she would understand if I didn't want to do it. To me backing out would be the wrong thing to do because rationally, the likelihood of this happening to me at my event is rather small. Also, living in fear and giving up an important part of my life because of one terrible incident is no way to live. The best way to move past and not let someone win is to embrace what is and move on.   

I was not personally effected by this tragedy, but it isn't to say that the news did not effect me. I am a runner, I am strong, and I wish that same inner strength to those who are picking up the pieces.

Until next time, remember to keep running.

4th Annual Cupcake Run

 So this year I was on the fence about signing up for the Cupcake Run. I do enjoy it, but I wasn't sure if my husband was going to go with me. However, I convinced my friend Annie to come and she ended up bringing her sister, Joanna. Brandon came along to so the four of us woke up bright and early and headed to Monacacy Village Park to participate in the annual Cupcake Run.

I both enjoy and don't enjoy this race. Honestly, it has nothing to do with the people who organize this race because they are all fabulous. In fact, it was run by Moxie's Bakery in downtown Frederick. Originally, Moxie's purpose was to help disadvantage or troubled youth by giving them an outlet. That outlet was what I like to refer to as the culinary arts. Moxie does a great thing and I was disappointed to find out that they have, at least for the time being, closed their doors. Its a shame because Moxie's Bakery really does strive to better the community and we need more philanthropic businesses like that in the world. However, the people of Moxie's decided to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters and to use the proceeds from the race to benefit youth programs in Frederick. So aside from the people and the great cause, I love the fact that the volunteers are so up beat and happy. As indicated by the wonderful woman dressed like a cupcake who posed for a quick pic with me. You have to love individuals who are just so passionate and excited about life and who can have fun. Its really a riot to watch some of the cupcake volunteers try to run in their bulbous costumes.

 I also like that they give you a cupcake at the end of the race. This year was perhaps the best cupcake I have had from them. It had a delicious marshmallow frosting and was so yummy. By this point, I also know the course very well and I don't get discouraged easily when running it anymore. I have had some disastrous runs on the Cupcake Run and it is a wonder I have continued to run it for a 3rd time. But there is something about this race that makes me just love doing it. I also love the t-shirts design. The first year I did it, it was "Peace Love and Cupcakes," then "Vote Candidate Cupcake," and this year "You Can Do It!" And yes, it was a Rosie the Riveter Cupcake t-shirt. I am a history teacher, I just had to... I think the t-shirts are what keep bringing me back for more :-)
Now for the negatives, I am not a big fan of the course. Its more because everyone starts out on a narrow path and since I am slow I get caught behind a lot of walkers. Today, I got stuck behind walkers just strolling at leisurely pace. The problem is that I would have to go on to the grass and run around them. I don't like running through the grass because I have a tendency of rolling my ankle or doing something tragic. So I don't. As a result my time for the race was 45 minutes. I had to walk much longer than I wanted. I know I have a harped on it before, but I must say that if you want to walk that's fine. But please be mindful of people trying to run. If it is a tight path, then be respectful and move a little bit out of the way so that the runners can get around you. It is, after all, a race and that is what people do they run.

 Overall, the experience was good and it was fun to run with Annie. Her sister and I are contemplating on signing up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. It seems like it could be a lot of fun. I still have not posted my pics from the April Fools Half Marathon, so I will get those up soon. I am not racing next week, but after that I will be running 4 races in 3 weeks, two of which are half marathons.

Until next time, happy running :-)

New Goals

So ever since St. Patrick's Day I have been at a loss. I woke up March 18th both sore and full of pride, but still feeling a sense of emptiness. It wasn't that I didn't feel proud or amazing, but that my journey was over. It was weird to think about how I had spent about 15 years thinking about running a marathon.

In high school I used to like to go out and jog. I would do maybe a 2 mile run/walk. I used to always tell myself that one day I was going to be one of those people who runs a marathon. Deep down I knew it probably wouldn't happen. Let's be honest, running 26 miles is an insurmountable task. But over the years I kept wanting to do it. I went to college, I put on the Freshmen 15 about 3 to 4 times over, graduated, got a job, got married and even though life was good something was missing. I needed something to make me want to exercise or to find a hobby. I chose running because of my physical condition. I found it pathetic that I couldn't run more than 100 ft without getting winded or that walking a couple of miles left me limping in pain. I knew I needed running because I needed to improve my health. I also knew that I needed to start challenging myself.

When I first started this blog, it was a declaration to run a marathon. The original goal was Baltimore, which didn't happen. The next goal was Virginia Beach. Its creation was spurred after my success at the Baltimore Running Festival when I painstakingly finished my first half marathon. My desire to run the marathon was only fueled by my husband being unsure that I could do it. I don't like being told I can't do something, I think it is my Irish, French, and Germany heritage, which makes for one stubborn and determined me. I set out to prove him wrong. The problem is that I did. I proved to him I could do it.

So what now? That's the problem...I don't know. Should I try for a better time on a marathon, even though I have sworn off running them? Should I lower my half marathon time? Do I dare try an ultra? Do I try to develop a fitness routine that tones my problem areas? I don't know what's next and I don't like not having goals. At this point I keep signing up for half marathons because I like them, but I still feel aimless. I don't know what I want next. Its weird not having that carrot dangling in front of me. I can move on.

Tentatively I think my goals are going to be this:
1. Complete a Women's Mud Run
2. Complete a Women's Obstacle Course
3. Run a 5k under 40 minutes
4. Run a half marathon in under 3 hours
5. Complete the entire insanity 60 day program

I like those goals, but they seem lackluster. I guess I will work towards those, but I never thought I would reach this point. So if you have any bright ideas, let me know.