In describing my blog and affiliations to someone recently, I said that I am more of a blogging runner than a running blogger. I do like to write about running, races and tips/tricks for running but that is not enough to call this a running blog. That said, I am going do an all running post today with the running recap of the first quarter (which has flown by – right?)
Races run – 4 half marathons (what?!) yup. I also did 2 5k fun runs. The half marathons were in Carlsbad,CA, Austin, TX, NYC and in Schaumberg, IL. I will provide brief recaps and photos below!
Miles run: 522 (which averages to ~6 per day – though I don’t run every day)
Falls: 1 – on an icy day, but no where near any ice 🙁
Personal Records (PRs): 0 – I did run my best half times (3 of 4) since 2007
Coldest Outside Run Temp: 12 degrees F (feels like 0)
Pairs of Sneakers: 2 used up (Karhu Rides – from last year and New Balance 890s) and 2 started (Karhu Fast 3s and Mizuno Wave Rider 16s*)
*These Mizuno Wave Rider 16s are special. Why? After almost 20 years of running races and applying to be a wear tester, this is the first pair of shoes sent to me by a running company to try out! And they are pink (well “rouge”)! And they are awesome. I wore Wave Riders for years, but I was not a fan of the version 13 a few years back. I moved to Karhu and New Balance. The Wave Rider 16s are very lightweight and fit my foot snugly, but they are not too tight. I did not have any break in period; I was comfortable running in these from day one. Bravo and thank you, Mizuno! I am glad that Wave Riders are a good shoe for me again! These shoes retail for $114.99, but check out sales on some colors at Piper Lime, Kelly’s Running Warehouse or Holabird Sports.
New Fuel: Check out my review of Perfect Fuel Chocolate HERE.
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Brief Race Reports – I included a few “how I did” postscripts on posts that I wrote on race days. Here is a brief recap of the four halves I ran so far this year:
1. Carlsbad Half Marathon – Carlsbad, CA – January 27, 2013
Stacy and I ran Carlsbad in 2012 and had a fantastic run on a beautiful sunny, brisk day. We decided to go back to run again and as luck would have it, it was rainy and very windy the whole weekend. (Isn’t there a song that says that it never rains in Southern California?) Well, anyway, we were supposed to run with Josh but he was hurt, so recent SoCal transplant, Ken, celebrated his birthday by running with us and making it an awesome and fun time. (Yes, we were running faster than 7:30 pace in those pictures!) The three of us started together and went with the 1:35 pace guy. The first mile was slow so the pacer was flying mile 2 to make it up. The wind from miles 2 to 6.5 was in our face and pretty strong. We chatted and before the turn around, Stacy took off. Ken and I chatted and laughed and enjoyed catching up the rest of the way. It was definitely the most fun I have had running at that pace – maybe ever. Ken rocks.
The Results: Overall: 301 out of 7006. Women: 80 out of 4170 F 40-44: 15 out of 695 Finish: 1:37:51 Pace: 7:28 (11 seconds better than last year!)
2. Austin Half Marathon – Austin, TX – February 17, 2013
We had a bigger group in Austin. Jen, Stacy, Lynn and I went from Chicago (and a slew of CES runners including Alex in the very hilly full). We met NY friends, Mahala and Jason, in Austin. I went with a group to run Austin in 2010, so I knew it was a tough, hilly course – especially for us flatlanders. I also knew that after a 3 mile climb, there was a 3 mile downhill. I love to run downhill! So, Stacy and I ran the first 5 or so together and then I took off for the downhill miles. After that, there was an awesome Livestrong cheer section (almost a mile long!) I tucked in and tried to hold the pace. Stacy caught up at mile 10 and we ran the remainder of the race together. Jason followed us right in and then Jen, Lynn (PR!) and Mahala (in a strong return from hiatus!) We had a great race and enjoyed the local food and culture. Austin’s weird and we dig it!
The Results: Overall: 293 out of 9340. Women: 42 out of 5353 F 40-44: 2 out of 623 Finish: 1:35:17 Pace: 7:17 (best time since 2007 and almost 8 minutes better than 2010!)
3. NYC Half – New York, NY – March 17, 2013
I joined Alexandra’s Playground’s fundraising team for the NYC Half by hosting a raffle. Stacy and Molly joined me in NYC and Mahala met us for the race, too. It was COLD! It was 30 degrees at the start and got colder as the morning went on. I had a great run and a lot of fun. I felt very strong and positive. When the going got tough, I thought about Alex and the Vitale family. I was proud to run for Alexandra’s Playground and to run strong, positive and inspired! The course was super fun (a loop in Central Park, down through Times Square and over to and down the West Side Highway and then through the Battery Tunnel to the Seaport) and not as windy as we expected. After a slow, then fast first few miles, I ran even splits for 10 miles – almost unheard of for me! Yay.
The Results: Overall: 1171 out of 14535. Women: 223 out of 7609 F 40-44: 18 out of 1003 Finish: 1:35:15 Pace: 7:17 (new best time since 2007 by 2 seconds and 37 seconds faster than last year!)
4. Egg Shell Shuffle – Schaumberg, IL – March 30, 2013
I saw this half on Facebook. It was capped at 500 participants, run in a local forest preserve and had an adult Easter Egg Hunt at the end. Well, that sounded fun, so I recruited Kristin to join me! Kelly and Marcia then convinced me that there were big trips and race entries in the special eggs. Call me gullible. I convinced Kristin of the same. (There were good prizes – not that good – and we did not win any!) It was another chilly day, but nice and clear. We started out WAY too fast (maybe I thought I had entered the 5k!), but got to a more regular pace. This was not my smartest race of the year pace wise. I also did something that I would call a rookie move – I tried two new things. A Flipbelt and a Handana**. Luckily, both of those were pretty awesome! Kristin and I were in the top 10 women for the whole race. I lost sight of her around mile 5 but saw her running strong at the turn around. This was a twisty out and back course. It was VERY spread out. At mile 11, I found myself ALONE. I conjured up my friend, Kevin, and his “count to 100” trick. I got to about the 10th round by the time I saw the mile 13 mark. I went all out. And ran past the chute! Oops. Luckily, I was only a few yards off course. I laughed at my mistake and finished 2.1 seconds faster than NYC. At this rate of improvement, I will be under 1:35 by August! 😉
The Results: Overall: 37 out of 460. Women: 8 out of 295 F 40-44: 1 out of 39 Finish: 1:35:12.9 Pace: 7:16 (new best time since 2007 by 2 seconds)
[Note: These are not typos – I ran the same time 3 races in a row give or take seven seconds!]
** About the Handana, I saw this on a blog and looked it up. It seemed like a cool product and I loved the story of the founder. I emailed them and they sent me one to try out. It has been so cold that I have not had a chance to try it, so I wore it for the race today. What is a Handana? It is “a high performance, fashionable sweatband ($15.99) that wraps around your hand. You can use both sides of your hand to wipe sweat from your neck or forehead, while leaving your hand completely free.” It was created by Katie Niemeyer who suffered from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), an autoimmune reaction causing your skin to blister to the point that you have 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Her eyes are very sensitive so she created these sweatbands. The material is really soft and the Handana is very comfortable – I barely noticed it. Given the cold temps, I used it for my runny nose! I can see that I will also really like it in the heat. Also, as I warmed up in the race, I would have taken off gloves, so this was also a perfect in between weather solution for me! The other gals were jealous and are going to look into getting one, too! You can read Katie’s story and get a Handana HERE.
On the 2nd Quarter 2013 Race Calendar: Shamrock Shuffle, Quarryman Challenge, CARA Lakefront 10 miler, Universal Sole 4 Mile Classic, Indy Mini 500 Festival Half Marathon, Cleveland Half Marathon, Chicago 13.1, Chicago Women’s Half Marathon. Yikes, I may have gotten a wee bit carried away. I do love races! [Oops, I left off the crazy challenge! I am in denial! I am also signed up for the Mount Washington Road Race – motto: “Only One Hill” – yes a mountain!]
So that’s all I have. That’s A LOT. Maybe I am a running blogger after all, huh? Have you raced this year? Tell me about it! And don’t forget to check out my OKU Oxygen jacket giveaway. Giveaway extended to 4/3!