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...]
Savor, FitFoodie Rock My Run, a winner, and 20% off
Woo, that's quite a title! But seriously, so much going on that I needed a catch all post! Today is the marathon of the craft beer world! It's like Marine Corps used to be - you have to be fast with the fingers to get tickets. What am I talking about? SAVOR! If you've been around for a while, you know that Beer Geek and I love this event. It's a chance to meet brewers and owners of craft breweries, while having the opportunity to try out new beers and sample yummy foods. Like a marathon, even if you are well trained and take it slow (AKA hydrate like crazy), there will be "soreness" tomorrow. Thankfully, my Mother's Day present from Beer Geek and the boys is a day in the house by myself. ;o) Now let's talk music! As you … [Read more...]
ZOOMA Fun Run + WIAW
Last week, Sue from This Mama Runs for Cupcakes and I hosted a ZOOMA fun run, presentation and swag giveaway for some of the local Moms Run This Town chapters. We scheduled a mid-morning weekday run and the weather was sunny and lovely, so quite a few moms brought their running strollers. We started at a local trail and since it was an out an back, runners and walkers were able to choose their own distance and speed. I, for one, decided to do a 3 mile run with the middle mile at my tempo pace of 9:00 m/m. Success! Everyone got to leave with a little goody bag from ZOOMA as well as had the chance to try some Muscle Milk and Cytomax from two of the race sponsors! It was a ton of fun and I think we may have even convinced … [Read more...]
30 states and 30 half marathons
Unfortunately not 30 half marathons in 30 states... With the completion of the Riverboat Series, I have now finished races in 30 states! I'm really excited to hit 30 states, but, umm, I changed the rules (and convinced Beer Geek to go along with it) - I now want to do half marathons in every state. Luckily, I've got 14 states + DC already done, so it's not like I'm starting from 0. I'm not in a rush. Sure, I'd love to race in 50 states by the time I'm 50, but as long as I'm making forward progress, I'm ok with where ever I am. It's about the journey, not the goal. In other big news, I have Nike Women's Half Marathon this Sunday. Why is this big news? Nike will be my 30th lifetime half marathon!!! If you'd told me, back … [Read more...]
5 for Friday: Off to the Races!
OK, the first one is kind of a big deal! I'm racing 13 half marathons in less than 12 weeks. I start tomorrow with RNR USA and finish with ZOOMA Annapolis on May 31. After each race, I will do a giveaway. That's right: 13 races, 13 giveways. If you've heard me talk about loving it, I've tried to get it for you. Think compression, hydration, shoes, skirt... 13 awesome items that I love. 13 is my lucky number and I'm making it your lucky number too! 2. Yesterday I worked the ZOOMA booth at the RNR USA expo. I'll be there again today. I'll let you in on a secret: if you come to the expo and sign up, we'll give you a discount on the race AND a shirt like the one I'm wearing below. Can't make it there and want to run ZOOMA … [Read more...]
3 March Challenges: 200 miles, #ZOOMAphotoaday, #happyfitMarch
I am *SO* done with winter. *SO* done. Winter doesn't seem to be quite done with us yet, but I see spring just over the horizon. I.can.not.wait! (Nevermind that then we'll be dealing with allergies. I've spent the entire winter stuffed up from colds. I'm used to breathing being a challenge in and of itself.) March 1 starts 3 challenges for me: 1 personal and 2 fun! My mileage goal for March is 200 miles. 200 miles?!? I know many serious runners hit that regularly, but despite training for two marathons and a five half marathons in five days series, I've never quite done it. I almost got there last year, but ended up injured. It's going to be close. I will have to hit pretty much every.single.run I have … [Read more...]
Five for Friday: Closing out January
January was a rough month. The weather was mostly awful, with a few days of beautiful thrown in. My kids had days off and delays and snow days and holidays... I seriously felt like they were with me more than at school this month. It's not that I don't love my children, but I get a lot less done when they are around. Quite happy to be closing the door on this month! January in Five Pictures 1. It snowed. Not a lot at any one time, but often enough to mess with the streets and delay or close schools. I had a very blonde moment when I couldn't figure out how to put my Honda Pilot into 4WD. Turns out it does it on its own... 2. I ran a lot of miles on the treadmill. In fact, this was my highest number of miles on the … [Read more...]
13 random things Thursday
My life seems to be going in 1000 directions at once and 13 is my favorite number, so... 1. Yesterday I spent my entire day in snow pants. I put them on early in the day to shovel snow and just never took them off. Why? Because my drafty old house does not do well with wind chills below zero. 2. It appears that I got the job I interviewed for last week. At least HR thinks so. I have an appointment next week to fill out paper work, but I haven't been contacted by the department I'll work for, so I'm not exactly sure what I've been hired for LOL. 3. I bought a new torture device at the running store last week - the Foot Log. I've had issues with my forefoot for quite some time now + plus my feet are getting kind of tired of all … [Read more...]
