Have you ever had a week where you are pretty sure that without coffee you would have fallen asleep standing up? This was definitely one of those weeks. I've been really good at getting a decent amount of sleep lately, until this week. The combination of a short month (which meant cramming my usual number of miles and usual work hours into fewer days) plus Beer Geek being on travel (so there was no one to tell me to go to bed) meant I saw 1am on the clock every night this week. Oops. Good thing I recently got a coffee delivery and have enough to keep ALL of us awake now. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah and Coco for a virtual coffee date as well as linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday Five … [Read more...]
February: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Post may contain affiliate links. It's that time again - Tuesdays on the Run and "rate your month." Join Marcia, Patty, Sarah, and myself as we talk about how the shortest month of the year went. That shortest month of the year thing? Yeah, that's really messed with me. I *think* I'm going to eek out 100 miles this month, but as I write this, I have 9.9 miles left to run and two days of running left. Oops. I did make running a bit more of a priority than last month, but 3 days fewer is messing with my running statistics. #firstworldproblems Of course, the fact that I haven't manage a run longer than 8 miles isn't helping either. Planning last week's long run on a record warm day for February did not do me any favors, … [Read more...]
2018 Predictions: Certainties and Uncertainties
Here we are, two weeks into 2018, and I guess what? I have no idea what the year will bring. At this point in time, I've registered for 1! race - the Frederick Half Marathon. I've bought no plane tickets and made no travel plans. While I am far from a type A personality, I usually at least have things planned and I feel like most of my life, including my running, is like nailing down jello right now. Since the topic for today's Tuesdays on the Run is "2018 Predictions", I'm going to read the lines in my palm and tell you what I see (or something like that...) Things I see as definites: Somehow I WILL manage to run (or at least finish) the 2018 Marine Corps Marathon. I know that I have options to get in, so somehow I'll get in … [Read more...]
Global Running Day discounts and new TOTR topics
Wednesday is Global Running Day! What better way to celebrate than to go for a run? OK, go for a run and then take advantage of some of the discounts that are out there! (Some links are affiliate links, which means I get something back for you signing up through it. All affiliate links are labeled as such.) Ragnar - Pledge to run any distance on Global Running Day and get a code for $80 off any Ragnar event. Code expires on June 8th, so make sure to use it quickly! RNR Races - One day sale on their races! Act fast for the best prices. Don't forget that I also have discounts to share! Use Erika2017 for 10% off any ZOOMA Race! Use MCMMAMA5K - $5 off 5K or MCMMAMAHALF - $10 off Half Marathon at any Craft … [Read more...]
ZOOMA Race Entry Giveaway
Almost 9 years ago, I lined up at the start line in ZOOMA Annapolis for my very first half marathon. That race was not only my first race, but was the very first ZOOMA race as well. In less than two weeks, I'll be lining up again as ZOOMA celebrates its 10th ZOOMA Annapolis. While I may have race day jitters (I always do), I'm a very different runner than the one that lined up that first time. Since it's Friday, I'm going to share five random things about my half marathon history. I've now run 63 half marathons (and will run 4 more before ZOOMA). I had planned to hit 70 half marathons at ZOOMA, but, well, life. I've run half marathons in 34 states (and will hit 38 the week before ZOOMA.) My race times have ranged from … [Read more...]
5 Reasons I’m excited about 2017 ZOOMA Annapolis
This year I hit my 9th year as a blogger. In that time, I've run 6 marathons and 62 half marathons. But what you might not know is that prior to starting this blog, I'd only run a small handful of races, with the longest one being the Army 10 Miler (and I could barely walk after it.) I started my blog because I wanted to run the Marine Corps Marathon and Beer Geek was tired of hearing about my training. That's right - I decided to run a marathon despite being a newbie runner and never having run past 10 miles. Luckily I gave myself plenty of time to train. Enter ZOOMA Annapolis. I decided that if I was going to run a marathon, I should probably run a half marathon first. I targeted ZOOMA because it was in the right place in my … [Read more...]
ZOOMA Summer Fitness Challenge
Confession: I've fallen off the running wagon. Life has just been crazy. Not necessarily busier than usual, but just more things from different directions. It's like trying to keep 1000 balloons in the air rather than five balls - they move slower but there are so many more of them! I have, however, been doing an informal strength fitness challenge with friends and I've done great with that. Shocking, I know! But it's time to get back on a more formal program. I'm going to be spending this week getting the Hansons's training plan onto my calendar to get ready for Marine Corps Marathon in October. (Why, oh why, is my favorite marathon a fall marathon??? I hate training in the summer.) But I don't intend to just run this summer. I like … [Read more...]
ZOOMA Annapolis weekend
This past weekend was jam packed with lots of fun, quite a few hills, and a whole lot of beer! Of course, that means it was ZOOMA Annapolis weekend! Up until Friday morning, I wasn't sure if I was going to get to head to Annapolis early or if I'd be driving in the morning of the race. Thankfully, ZOOMA offers a few DC area packet pickups in addition to their Friday Expo in Annapolis, so I picked up my bib early, just in case. Luckily though, the stars aligned and I was able to head out of DC around 2 and Cynthia offered me space in the room she was sharing with Sandra and Sue. Halfway to Annapolis, I realized I'd forgotten to eat lunch and that I had also not brought anything to eat the morning of the race. Oops. I thought about … [Read more...]
A very merry coffee date
Happy Saturday! I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee, having survived my first holiday party of the season. No, I'm not hungover (I had to drive), just tired. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah, Coco, and Lynda for a virtual coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I'm really excited to have been invited back to be a ZOOMA ambassador this year. The program has changed a bit, so when I get my code, it will be good for any of the three races that they have this year: Cape Cod, Annapolis, and Florida. … [Read more...]
Bucket List Race: Dirty Damsel Trail Race
Last year, when ZOOMA announced that they were adding the Dirty Damsel trail race to their suite of races, I was pretty excited. I was already a fan of ZOOMA (and an ambassador in 2014) and I've been wanting to try a trail race for a while. Unfortunately, my schedule did not allow for me to join them. This year the Dirty Damsel is being held on October 3, 2015. It's an easy drive from the DC area and packet pick up is the morning of the race, so you don't have to make a special trip anywhere beforehand. You get an awesome tech tee, a medal, and as much mud as you want. ZOOMA's Mission for Dirty Damsel: To encourage women to experience the playfulness and challenge of off-road running. To offer an accessible introduction to … [Read more...]
Half Marathon #13 for 2014: ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon
ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon May 31, 2014 2:22:35 Welcome to Venus! 13 half marathons in 79 days = FINISHED!!! Temp: high 50s and sunny, definitely warmer at the end What I wore: hat, short sleeve shirt, Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirt, PROCompression socks, and my trusty Altra Intuitions Race Morning I got up at 5am and slowly got ready. I was sharing a room with Sue, so it was fun to chat while we were getting ready. We ended up walking over to the start instead of driving. The walk took less than 10 minutes. I heard from others that parking was a breeze too. Seems like you can't go wrong either way. We met up with the Ambassadors for a photo op and then another one with MRTT and then it was go … [Read more...]
Maintaining focus
Last year, I set a goal to run 13 half marathons in 79 days. Why? To "moon up" in Half Fanatics. I figured that I'd run 13 half marathons in 2013, how hard would it be to run 13 in 79 days? (And yes, I realize it's kind of an arbitrary goal, but aren't many of our running related goals arbitrary?) As it turns out, harder than I realized. Not the physical aspect. I'm trained. I can run 13.1 and know I'll finish. Sometimes it may suck. Yeah, Kentucky, I'm looking at you. And there may be more walking than I like. But I can do it. And mostly I can do it well and have fun while doing it. In fact, barring something stupid like tripping over my own two feet (BTDT), I'm not really worried about my body not being able to complete … [Read more...]
