I always say 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 here is my running recap of the third quarter of 2014. There was in fact a lot of running, racing and running related antics.
Races run this Q– 9 – 4 Half Marathons (Zooma Women’s Half, Michigan Wine Trail Half, Mag Mile Women’s Half and Chicago Half Marathon), 1 10K, 2 5Ks, a 6 hour race and a 12 mile progressive race. I will provide brief recaps and photos below!
Total Races in 2014 To Date: 23
Miles run: 594 (which averages to ~6.4 per day – though I don’t run every day). 109 miles in races this quarter!
Falls: 1 in the Christmas in July 6 Hour Race around Mile 18 (hour 3). Ouch.
Personal Records (PRs): 0 – I had a rough time in August with the heat and after almost 55 miles of races in the last 2 weeks of July! I did feel a bit speedier in September.
Pairs of Sneakers: I am wearing my last pair of Karhu Fast3s (sad!) and my Hoka One Ones Conquests. I picked up a pair of Hoka One One Cliftons. I LOVE them. Also got some Karhu Fast 4s and then a pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 17s from Kindrunner to test. I like the new Wave Riders, but they are a bit big and are wide in the toe box compared to the Wave Rider 16s. Full review coming.
Star Sightings: Best quarter ever! In July, I met Rita Jeptoo and took a selfie with her! That happened. In August, a bunch of us went to a Fleet Feet Chicago event and met Lauren Fleshman and, yes, she is as cool and down to earth as she seems in Runner’s World! In September, I saw Deena Kastor on the Chicago Lakefront Trail twice. I congratulated her on her kick ass 1/2 in Philly and she turned, said “Thank you” and waved. And then last night, Molly and I went to a Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me fundraiser run with Peter Sagal. So much awesomeness in one quarter!!
New Running Goodies that I tried:
- MeStrength – A great new electrolyte drink with creatine for extra energy. It contains 0 carbs and 0 sugars and stevia, an all natural sweetener. Stay tuned for a full review and giveaway.
- Fuel for Fire – A “Fuel Pack” is all natural and is just pureed fruit plus whey protein. With 10 grams of protein and natural carbs from fruit, Fuel Packs are perfect for pre-workout energy or post-workout recovery. These packs are super easy to digest. It took me a bit to get used to the squeeze pack eating. Stay tuned for a full review and giveaway.
- Electro-bites– 100 calorie fuel that is gluten free and soy free. The texture is different and these are salty, not sweet. A bit of an acquired taste but interesting all natural ingredients and a cool company.
- Huma Gel – I finally started using these all natural chia gels. And, They. Are. Awesome. I especially love the new Blueberry flavor!
- Victoria’s Secret Sports Bra and Capri Tights – I got these free to try from Influenster. The tights are awesome and I love the high waist. The bra top on the other hand reminds me of something made for the Barbie doll. I am a 36B. The cups on this bra are HUGE and are so close together. I could not get this to sit right and there was SO much extra space. I could never run in this bra. I also don’t care for heading to the gym looking like a Hooters girl, but that is just me. I imagine it will work for some people. Anyone a 36B who wants to try it??
- RacePak SamplePak – RacePak offers delivery of your fave fuels and healthy snacks. They have a SamplePak so you can see what you like. Many of these products are my faves, but some of the brands are lesser known. For $40, you get a ton of awesome full sized products. All of the products are gluten free and many are vegan or paleo, too! Great news, I will have a full review of the Sample Pak and a GIVEAWAY later this week.
- Outdoor Tech – Orcas – Wireless Earbuds. They say, “These are the Orcas, our new sweat resistant, light weight, active fit, hi-fi and overall badder-asser Bluetooth, wireless earbuds. The Orcas wirelessly connect with your phone, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device.” I tested these on the run, at the gym and for work. I will provide a full report soon, but so far, they are pretty awesome! I love how far I can get from my phone or PC with these. They also sent me two Yowies to giveaway. Stay tuned.
- Coeur Sports – I had the opportunity to try an awesome tank and shorts from the ladies at Coeur Sports in conjunction with Fit Approach/Sweat Pink. These are designed by women for women and are super comfortable and look great (see August pics below!)
Popular Running Posts:
- Tried It Tuesday: Defying Gravity and Meeting a Champion
- Something new from CEP – CEP Compression Review and Giveaway
- 2nd Quarter Running Round Up
- Unexpected Inspiration
- Leaving my Running Comfort Zone and How it Went
Brief Race Reports – Here is a brief recap of the races I ran this quarter:
July
1. Sole Survivor Progressive Race – July 9 (recap)
Wendy recruited us to run this “Survivor” style race. Basically, all participants run an initial distance. In this case, it was 3 miles – 6 laps around a .5 mile loop. Then the last x number of men and the last x number of women are eliminated. In this case, it was 3. Then they rolled a large die (one dice?) and the next race was 1/2 a mile times the roll. Then the last 3 per gender are eliminated until there are 2 women and 2 men left. This was the brain child of our new friend, Tim Fealy from Hometown Happenings. You can read my full recap in the link above. It was so much fun. I made it to the last round. There were 6 rounds from .5 miles to 3 miles. It ended up being 12 miles in total and was a blast! Can’t wait for the next one!
The Results: 2nd Female – made it to the last round.
2. Christmas in July 6 Hour Race – Lisle, IL – July 19th (recap)
Until this, I have never done any distance over a marathon AND I am not a night person. So… this was a double challenge. A timed run is one where you run as far as you can in the alloted time. You can stop whenever you choose and your miles are counted. There is no set distance. He or she who runs the most miles wins. This race is laps around a .97 mile loop in Lisle Community Park. Oh, and the 6 hour race started at Midnight and ended at 6 AM! You can see my full recap, but we made it 34 laps or 33 miles. I took a massive spill at mile 18 but recovered and Kristin and I smashed our 50K goal and had a blast.
The Results: Miles run 33 in 5:51. 5th woman and 7th overall! Girl power!
3. Esprit de She 10K, Chicago, IL – July 24th
I was an Ambassador for this fun race so I had to show up despite running 33 miles the Saturday before. Oops. This race is all women’s and has an awesome post-race party with wine and healthy foods and other fun stuff! I had a surprisingly good race all things considered. The course was a bit kooky – lots of loops but it was all good. I finished in the top 10 and 1st in my age group. I also got to hang with Marcia, Emily and Katie and some other friends, too. Yay for doing better than you expect.
The Results: Time 45:16 (7:16/mile). Overall place: 7. Gender Place: 7. Age Group Place: 1.
4. Big 10K 5K, Chicago, IL – July 26th
Notice any issue here? Yes, I ran over 50 miles of races in 2 weeks. This last one nearly killed me. It was the shortest, but It. Was. Hard. So hard. My legs were DEAD. That said, it was Rutgers’ debut in the Big 10. I joined at least a dozen RU alumni (lol – there may have been a few more) with the 1,000s of “real” Big 10 school fans in this fun event. There were no lines for RU that’s for sure. I was so glad I picked 5K so it was over fast. Not as fast as usual, but still!
The Results: Time 22:12 (7:09/mile). Overall place: 65. Gender place: 7. Age Group Place: 1.
August
5. Zooma Women’s Half Marathon Chicago, IL- August 2nd
As a race ambassador for Zooma, I got some awesome goodies from Muscle Milk, Feetures, Ultima Replenisher, Altra and more. The Zooma folks were a lot of fun to work with, too. As for the race, it was a fun, all women’s affair on the Chicago Lake Front trail. It was north out and back and then south out and back. The heat and July’s races caught up with me and the last 5K of this run were pretty brutal for me. I still wound up as the first Masters runner and got a cool mug to go with my medal and nice tech shirt. I enjoyed running with many friends and blogger friends. A good time and a good haul!
The Results: Time 1:42.31 (7:50/mile). Overall place: 24. Gender place: 22. Age Group Place: 1.
6. Michigan Wine Trail Half Marathon – Chicago, IL – August 23rd
Last year, we ran the North Country Trail race the day before this one. So, I figured this year would be a breeze because we opted to skip North Country due to logistical issues. Yeah, not so much. The heat and humidity really got me again in this one. I must say, it was a bit discouraging. I still had a great weekend get away with my girlfriends in the Michigan “Wine Country.”
The Results: Time 1:42.55 (7:52/mile). Overall place: 21. Gender place: 6. Age Group Place: 1.
7. Magnificent Mile Women’s Half Marathon – Chicago, IL – August 31
They moved this race from June to Labor Day and changed the course to run up the Mag Mile. That was cool! The weather was not. I joined the 1:40 pace group but suffered in the late miles of this one, too. August was not my month for half marathons this year! It is a really fun race and we had a blast with Lauren Fleshman the day before the race at the fun run, so that is something!
The Results: Time 1:42.53 (7:52/mile). Overall place: 65. Gender place: 58. Age Group Place: 5.
September
8. Chicago Half Marathon – Chicago, IL – September 7
Yes, it does occur to me that I signed up for 3 half marathon weekends in a row. I was feeling discouraged after 3 blah finishes in August, but I love this race, so I decided to run it anyway. What a difference a week makes! The weather was much milder. I ran smart and with friends the whole way. At Mile 11, my “Race Angel”, Dan, jumped in with me and we sped up! I was really running. We realized at Mile 12 that we could break 1:40 or come darn close. We kicked it in hard. And guess what? We made it with one second to spare!
The Results: Time 1:39.59 (7:38/mile). Overall place: 577/7836. Gender place: 98. Age Group Place: 9.
9. Park Ridge Charity Classic – Park Ridge, IL – September 28
I have always heard that this is one of the fastest 5Ks in Chicagoland. Well, Chicago is really flat so I wondered why. Well, it has fast field, only one turn and is net downhill. It was a beautiful day and we went for it! My first mile was way too fast, but I was proud of myself that I kept it together and ran my fastest 5K since 2005! With Lindsey (18:53) and Kelli (19:40), our team came in 2nd overall. Woot woot!
The Results: Time 20:44 (6:41/mile). Overall place: 112. Gender place: 23. Age Group Place: 3. Women’s Team Race – 2nd Place!
Good stuff! Did you race alot this quarter? Did you try any awesome new running products? Tell me about it in the comments!
PS. Don’t forget my giveaways and come back Thursday for the Race-Pak Sampler giveaway!