A year ago, we were only just beginning to get inklings of what was to come. Coronavirus was just beginning to make the news and the average American had no idea that the country would basically shut down in a month. In fact, my first real understanding came when some of our ZOOMA Bermuda medals got stuck in China because things were shut down there. Despite that, our race weekend in Bermuda was AMAZING and I can't wait to do it again in 2022. ZOOMA Bermuda officially kicked off with a packet pick up at the Fairmont Southhampton. Like many of our events, it was sponsored by Goslings, who provided gift packets with the makings of Dark and Stormies. So tasty! Next up was a trip to the Crystal Caves. We gathered as a group and … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon 50K Race Recap
MCM 50KOctober 27, 20197:05:57 Temp: Low 60s to low 80s What I wore: hat, tank top, arm sleeves, a Skirt Sports Cascade skirt, Crazy Compression socks, and Altra Kayenta. There were many moments before and during this race that I considered not crossing the finish line. I had gotten in all of my long runs, but my left glute was unhappy and I'd missed a lot of supporting runs. Added to the fun was the tighter time cutoff for the 50k - my pace had slowed greatly thanks to literally a pain in the butt, so I was pretty sure I could not maintain the required 12:30 minutes/mile. (Spoiler: you don't have to.) When the weather projections kept getting worse, I ordered a pack of ponchos from Amazon, hoping that by being prepared, I … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #78: Mike to Mike Half Marathon
Mike to Mike Half MarathonFayetteville, NCMarch 24, 20193:08:39 Temp: 38* at the start, 50s by the endWhat I wore:hat, tank top, Skirt Sports Happy Girl, ProCompression socks, and Altra One 2.5 (that I switched into from Escalante at the last minute.) I signed up for this race on a whim because my friend Liz was an ambassador and offered me a free place to stay. I somehow totally ignored the fact that it was a 5 hour drive home. On I-95. On a Sunday afternoon. Oops. Oh, and I didn't actually run more than 6 miles between my half marathon in December and this one. Oops. My drive down went smoothly and I managed to meet up with another friend from Skirt Sports for lunch on the way. When I got to Fayetteville, I scored the … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon 2018 Race Recap
This past Sunday I finished my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. Going in I knew it was going to be a challenging race. Thanks to my heel, I was undertrained. Not only had I not done much in the way of long runs, I had completely lost my strong base that I've had for the last few years. But I wanted this race and I was pretty sure I could finish if my heel cooperated. I admit I was feeling a little bit bitter about the near perfect weather and the fact that I was not in shape to run a PR. But I was given the opportunity to run to honor a fallen soldier and that pretty much led to an instant attitude change. After that, everything else was just the small stuff. Marine Corps Marathon 2018 October 28, 2018 5:39:15 Temp: 48 at the start, low 60s … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #76: Women’s Half Marathon in Auckland, New Zealand
Women's Half Marathon Auckland, New Zealand July 1, 2018 2:35:09 Temp: 40s-50s What I wore:hat, tank top, a ZOOMA half zip, a Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze Skirt, compression socks, and Altra One 2.5 When we first started planning our trip to New Zealand and Australia, I immediately began looking for races. I had a couple on my list and as it turned out, the Women's Half Marathon worked perfectly for our travel plan. What I didn't anticipate was my ankle injury and a beer festival. That's right - the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular was happening in Auckland the day before the race. There was no way Beer Geek was going to be missing out on that. My only hope was to moderate my drinking. I succeeded, sort of. Sunday … [Read more...]
Ragnar Pennsylvania Recap: Ultra Version
This past spring when my close friend (and multiple Ragnar teammate) suggested running Ragnar PA, I was all over it. When she suggested running it as an Ultra team, I was, umm, a little nervous. But I decided I was all in and signed up for a bunch of half marathons as training runs. I had grand plans of high mileage weeks and 6 training runs in 36 hours. But then I wore the wrong pair of shoes for approximately 8 hours of standing. And then I ran several races, despite a nagging soreness. And, boom! I was sidelined at the beginning of May. I've been injured before, but I've always managed to get back running within a week or two. Instead, I barely ran in the month of May. I did manage a pain free 5K at the beginning of June, but my … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #74: National Women’s Half Marathon
National Women's Half Marathon April 29, 2018 2:11:57 Temp: mid 40s to low 50s What I wore:hat, tank top, Reebok half zip, , a Skirt Sports Lotta Breeze Skirt, compression socks, and Altra One 2.5 Once again Mother Nature decided to mess with us. Saturday was a warm and gorgeous day. Sunday dawned cold and windy. Yes, layers again. Sigh. Also, sticking with this spring's theme, I hadn't planned to run this race, but when the opportunity to transfer a cheap bib happened, I took it. Nevermind that I was getting up at 2am the morning before to volunteer. Who needs sleep anyways? I got up at 4am and was out the door to meet some MRTT friends by 5:10am. I had on one of Jones' outgrown sweatshirts and a pair of toddler mittens and … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #72: Runners Marathon of Restion
This past week was all kinds of crazy, thanks to the weather predictions. I got the bright idea last week to drive down to Raleigh with Shoo to run RNR Raleigh since Beer Geek and Jones were going on a trip. Well, the crazy weather canceled their trip (they were going on a road that doesn't get plowed - no one expected snow in April!) and I wasn't sure what the weather here was going to do, so I canceled my trip too. Instead of going out of town, I volunteered with Ragnar at the Cherry Blossom Festival. The high point of that was meeting Meb! I also got the bright idea to run a local half marathon instead. I'm trying to get my mileage up for my Ultra Ragnar in Pennsylvania in June and I've just been unmotivated to run long. This … [Read more...]
Lifetime Half Marathon #71: Rehoboth Beach Half
This year has been filled with amazing races. I tried out a couple of new races that I loved: St. Patrick's Day 10K and the Navy Air Force Half Marathon. I also returned to some old favorites: Marine Corps 17.75K, GW Parkway 10 Miler (one of my all time favorite races), Marine Corps Marathon, and then, just this past weekend, we went back to Rehoboth Beach for their half marathon. I know that the topic for Tuesdays on the Run this week is "Favorite Race in 2017", but really they were all my favorites. So, I'm going to recap my most recent favorite race. Rehoboth Beach Running Company Half December 2, 2017 2:12:48 Temp: low to mid 40s What I wore:hat, tank top, Reebok half zip, a Skirt Sports Happy Girl, compression socks, and Altra … [Read more...]
The weekend I ran all the miles
Sometimes I intentionally make crazy choices. Sometimes crazy choices find me. This weekend was a case of the latter happening. Back in December, Pacers Running offered an amazing discount if you signed up for 5 races at once. Since they are my local running store and race company, I often run their races. I decided to make the GW Parkway 10 miler my spring goal race and chose 4 other races to run. One of those four was the Clarendon Day Double - a 5k + a 10k with a mile uphill walk in between. Flash forward to September. I realized a couple of weeks ago that Clarendon Day fell on the Sunday after Ragnar DC. Oops? So, I had a lot on my plate for the weekend. I'll do a full Ragnar DC recap in a few days, but short story - I had … [Read more...]
St. Pat’s 10K and GW Parkway Training Recap
A couple of weeks ago, I won a race entry from a local race company (Pacers Events) with this Instagram photo. The win netted me entry into either the St.Pat's races or the Four Courts Four Miler. Since Beer Geek and I were already running the Four Miler, I chose the St. Pat's 10K. (And then I convinced Beer Geek and a friend that they needed to run it too.) Since I've been training to run the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler at a sub 10 pace, I decided that would be my goal for the 10K. Sunday morning dawned cold and clear. 22* cold to be exact. After a winter without a winter, this was a bit of a shock to the system. I had planned to wear my Ragnar Ambassador 1/4 zip, but it was not very warm, so I had to get creative. … [Read more...]
Great Chocolate 5 mile race recap
Great Chocolate 5 Mile Race December 10, 2016 47:10 Temp: 31* (feels like of 24*) What I wore: Skirt Sports Ambassador beanie, Sugoi running jacket, half zip, tank top, Happy Girl Skirt, tights, PROcompression socks, wool socks, and Altra One 2.5 running shoes. Saturday was one of the first really cold days this winter. Somehow, I forget how to dress myself for cold temps every.single.year. I had no idea what to wear and did not actually decide for sure until that morning. To add to the fun, I'd been having issues with my ankle for about 3 days. I have no idea what caused it or what it was, but my Friday shake out run had me worrying about a potential DNF. Beer Geek and I got up early to get ready. We both put on all the layers … [Read more...]
