OK, I know you all are going "WHAAAT??" No, I haven't been hiding secret triathlon training from you nor did I actually race a triathlon this weekend. What I did was volunteer at the Peasantman Triathlon for a few hours on Sunday morning. Peasantman is held about an hour and a half south of DC on Lake Anna and from all appearances, it's the perfect first triathlon. Everyone is super laid back and you can do a sprint or olympic distance or you can mix it up and combine distances or change your distance on the fly. Heck, a few people just did it as a duathlon and I know two of my friends just did the swim and bike. So, yeah, Peasantman is the perfect low key race to get your feet wet (pun intended) at a triathlon. I started the … [Read more...]
It might be a little wet
Know what's happening this weekend? Ragnar DC and Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon. Know what else is happening. Rain. Lots of rain. Because Hurricane Joaquin. I don't mind running in rain. I don't even mind torrential downpours. But here's the thing: I'm volunteering. Yep, 6 hours for Ragnar and 6-8 hours for WW. I'm pretty sure I will have gills by the end, assuming of course the winds don't blow me away. At least I know how to dress for a rainy volunteer stint. Number 1 rule: If you think you need another layer, you need another layer. Volunteers don't warm up like runners! On the sunny side of things, one of my favorite runner friends is coming in for the race. It feels like forever since I last saw Kim, but really … [Read more...]
Five tips for volunteering at a race
Before I get to my tips, did you see the news article yesterday about Rock 'n' Roll Marathons being sued for exploiting its volunteers? Supposedly, Rock 'n' Roll represents themselves as having a charitable purpose and gets volunteers that way. She feels that every volunteer since 2012 should be paid minimum wages for their hours. What.The.F$%^??? 1. Really? Really? How can you not know that Rock 'n' Roll is for-profit? I've gotten many an email from them and never once gotten the impression that they were contributing proceeds to charities. (Charities get their money from the fundraising by the runners, not from the race itself. Most (if not all) big races work this way. The one exception I'm aware of is the St. Jude … [Read more...]
4am wakeup call
We all know I don't get up early to exercise. I'm just not a morning person. But I'll get up early for a race. Even if I'm not racing. This past Sunday was the {rescheduled} Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon. I haven't run it since the Inaugural race (not because it's a bad race, I just don't like to deal with the logistics involved.) But a moms' running group that I've become involved with was working the water stop at mile 8 and needed more people. Since I enjoy volunteering nearly as much as running, I decided to go. Hence, the 4am wakeup. Yawn! Sunrise? Not something I see very often... But, once again, it was totally worth it. Because manning a water stop at a race? Totally fun. "Momming" a water stop at race? … [Read more...]
Nike Women Half Marathon non-runner report
When I was hired a year ago to work the Nike Women Half Marathon in DC, I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew I was going to be helping to manage packet pickup and I had plenty of experience volunteering (and picking up my own packets LOL), but I'd never been involved from site visits all the way through execution. Honestly, it was a pretty amazing experience. I could go on and on and tell you every little detail, but instead, I'm just going to say that I loved every minute of it (yes, even when we lost power for a short while on the busiest day, yes, even when I'd been standing for 10 hours straight). If I didn't have kids and this paid as much as my real job , I could happily make race management my career. So, here is the … [Read more...]
A question and a winner
Life is on its way back to normal around here. After working more than 40 hours last week at the Nike Women Half Marathon packet pick up and then managing a fluids tent on race day (read: I was at the race before 4:30am), I face planted yesterday afternoon. After a short nap yesterday and a good night's sleep last night, I'm ready to work on getting my life back to its usual level of chaos. Oh, and I might actually want to go for a run since I'm running a 5k and a half marathon this coming weekend. (Yes, I'm am crazy, why do you ask?) So here's my question for you: I want to buy myself a NWHM half zip. This one: Source After all the blood (I have scratches I don't even remember getting!), sweat, and tears (ok, I admit, … [Read more...]
Live, Breathe, Eat, (No) Sleep Nike
I will never again take a race for granted. Especially a big one that happens in a big city. I've been working behind the scenes on the Nike Women Half Marathon for months now, but this week is Nike week! The number of people working nearly 24/7 and pieces that are being put into place is astronomical. And, yet, everyone seems to know exactly what they are doing and how to get it done. Last night was the first of many late nights and tomorrow will be the beginning of the early mornings. I'm pretty sure that by Sunday afternoon I will be crashing hard! So, if you stop by and think you hear crickets, rest assured I'm busy working to help make the event a wonderful experience for all who are here to run. Welcome to all the Nike … [Read more...]
Four Courts Four Non-race Report
Every once in a while I make a smart running decision. Not often. Given a choice, I usually choose to run. But given my A goal is 8 days away, I decided not to run Four Courts Four Miler this year, even though it's one of my favorite races. Why? Well, if you are local, you know it starts with a wicked downhill and ends with a wicked uphill. I'm not know for my ability to hold back on the downhill and the uphill sucks even if you are "running easy" instead of racing. I decided it just wasn't worth risking an injury. So, I volunteered instead. I love Pacers Events: the races, the people, the fun. I've been one of their Ambassadors since they started the program and I even work for them on occasion (for example, the Nike Women's … [Read more...]
DNSing Love the Run 5k
AKA "Did not start". This weekend was a good weekend, but it was not a good running weekend. When last we "chatted", I'd just finished a hard half marathon that included two+ miles of pain in my foot + a wicked bad blister on my heel. Not knowing what caused those issues and a cold rainy day led me to choose the treadmill on Friday. Unfortunately, thanks to the blister, my 11 miler became 6.1. Not to worry, I'd run on Saturday instead. I had the brilliant (not) idea to run to packet pick up for the Love the Run 5k that I was running the next day. It was a 6 mile run and I figured I could add on some distance in the neighborhood near the store and get 11 miles in. Beer Geek said he'd pick me up in the store when I was … [Read more...]
2013 is looking kind of epic
And, no, I don't mean my son's gecko. (Yes, his name is Epic.) You already know about my crazy five marathons in five days. (And if you don't, you've obviously never been here before...) Wanna know what I did yesterday? I walked around Washington Harbour. Why is this a big deal? I was working with the group who is planning the Nike Women's Marathon Half Expotique. That's right. I'm on the Pacers Race Management team that will be running the packet pickup. Yes, this does mean I'll practically live at the Harbour for the race weekend. No, I don't know any secrets nor do I have any free entries. (I'm not in any way involved with the registration or any of the big decisions. ) My role is to make sure that all the runners get … [Read more...]
Put on your “Do Good” pants
Today is an important day. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that it's election day in the U.S. Besides the Presidential Election, there are some very important issues on many state ballots. I'm not going to tell you how to vote. I thought long and hard about sharing my opinions, but I've decided that this is a running/mom blog, not a political blog. So, all I'm going to say about that is Get out there and Vote. Don't let someone else decide your country's future for you. Continuing the call for action... I think we've all heard about the devastation from Superstorm Sandy. Among the many who lost the most is one of our fellow running bloggers. Jen lives on Staten Island and lost her entire home to the … [Read more...]
Clarendon Day 5k + busy weekend
I've run or volunteered at the Clarendon Day race every year since it started. Most years I run and volunteer and this year was not exception. The race starts at the top of a big long hill and ends about a mile and a quarter away at the bottom. Depending on which distance you run, you go out on a flat to rolling hills section at the bottom of the big hill before heading to the finish line. Those who are brave (crazy?) enough can run the 5k, get back up the hill, and run the 10k. I started my weekend with a volunteer stint at packet pickup. I always love the questions about how you are supposed to get back up the hill. Umm, it's just over a mile, how 'bout you walk? (To Pacers credit, they provide metro cards at the finish line so … [Read more...]
