Demar 1/2 Marathon Race Report

I figured I better get to writing my race report from our New Hampshire half since I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to California.  We will be crossing California off our list of 50 states on Sunday morning.  Did I mention we completed New Hampshire back in September?  I'm clearly the queen of  procrastination these days!  Our friend, Marilyn, joined us for this half marathon.  We took advantage of the close proximity of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and flew into Boston.  Lucky for us, Marilyn lives in Massachusetts so we stayed with her the first two nights of our trip.  We went into Boston to sight see on Friday.  The weather wasn't the best but we still had a great time.

Saturday morning we did a little shopping and had lunch in Marblehead.  Once we were done in Marblehead we took to the car and made our way to New Hampshire.  We checked into our hotel, stopped by the expo to pick up our race packets, and had a lovely dinner and of course a few drinks.





Sunday morning we got ready and headed to the race start.

The weather forecast was HOT,HOT, HOT so we decided to walk the race for safety purposes.  Deb, Marilyn, Nikki and I stayed together until about the 12 mile mark at which point Deb and I went ahead a bit.  At the 12.5 mile mark, Deb asked me what my watch said.  I looked at my watch, and told her what it said.  She asked if I wanted to run the rest of the way and I said sure.  I can tell you we did not run the rest of the way however at the 13 mile mark Deb asked me what my watch said again and I told her.  She simply said "run" so I did.  We crossed the line and Deb asked me one last time what my watch said.  Our finish time was 3:49:50.  She said "oh good, I wanted to finish under 3:50".  Originally she was hoping for a 3:45 finish but with the heat and a longer than usual bathroom stop, it wasn't really in the cards. 

Marilyn and Nikki finished shortly after us and we all stopped for a picture and then headed back to the car.

We grabbed showers and a bite to eat and headed back to Massachusetts so Deb, Nikki, and I could catch our flights home.

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 19 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Marshall University Half Marathon Race Report

Yes this half marathon was the first weekend in November and I am just now getting around to blogging about it.  I really need to do better!!

Friday

Nikki and I took to the car to head to Columbus for the night as Deb was flying into the Columbus airport from Chicago and we were her ride to the Columbus hotel as we decided to stay near the airport Friday night and then head to West Virginia on Saturday morning.  As Deb's flight wasn't due in until after 10:00 PM Nikki and I met up with our friend, Dave, at California Pizza Kitchen for some dinner and ice cream.  We did a little "window" shopping at the mall that we ate at and then headed to our hotel to check in and wait for Deb's arrival.  After we grabbed Deb from the airport we spent some time catching up and then it was time to grab some shut eye.

Saturday

We grabbed a quick continental breakfast at our hotel in Columbus and then got everything packed up and got on the road to West Virginia.  The drive was very pleasant and quite uneventful.  We stopped for a late lunch and then went straight to the race expo to grab our things for race day.  It was a very small expo but we didn't mind as we weren't really looking for anything in particular for race day.  Nikki did buy a jacket as the weather forecast had changed.

Nikki, Deb and I at the expo

Once we had finished at the expo we headed to check into our hotel which was about 30 minutes away from the race start.  We were able to secure a late check out and just relax for awhile before we headed out for some dinner at The Wine Valley.  After finishing dinner, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night relatively early.

The Wine Valley

Our wine samplings

Sunday

We were up bright and early for our 30 minute drive to the race start.  It was quite chilly but we knew it was supposed to warm up relatively quickly so we were quite happy about that.  While waiting for the race to start we were very cold though so we were wishing the race would have started sooner rather than later.

Trying to stay warm at the start line

The course was very nice and relatively flat.  I especially enjoyed running past the water. It was a very nice view.  Considering I was coming off my slowest marathon ever, my only goal for this race was to try and run an even pace for all 13 miles.  I am happy to say that I came pretty close to achieving that goal.

Miles 1-6:  9:43, 9:33, 9:33, 9:28, 9:37, 9:23

Miles 7-13.24:  9:26, 9:23, 9:32, 9:32, 9:16, 9:44, 9:53 and 2:04(8:46 pace) for the final .24

The finish line

Nikki's finish

Nikki waiting for Deb to finish

Deb's finish

After all three of us crossed the finish line we headed back to our hotel to clean up and get ready to head back home.  We stopped and had lunch at Fat Patty's before getting back on the road to drop Deb off in Columbus for her return flight home.

Nothing like a burger and a beer after a half marathon

We returned Deb to the airport much earlier than her scheduled flight so she tried to get her flight changed to arrive home early but that didn't work out for her.  Instead, she ended up getting a nice chair massage while she waited for her flight.  Nikki and I headed back to Cleveland and declared it a successful weekend.

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 18 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!



Green Bay 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Friday
Nikki and I flew to Chicago on Friday evening as we would be staying with Deb and her family Friday night and then driving to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.  The airport was very uneventful and we were the only two people in the security line.  I was randomly assigned TSA pre-check but it really didn't benefit me much at the Cleveland airport.  Oh well!  Once we had been picked up from the airport we made a quick stop for ice cream and then made it to Deb's house.


Saturday
Deb's husband, Jeremy, was planning to run the 1/2 with us so he ran some errands for the trip while Deb, Nikki, and I headed out to breakfast.  After breakfast we went with Deb to watch Andrew (Deb's son) play in his soccer game. Andrew and Ellie (Deb's daughter) were both planning to stay behind in Chicago with friends but Ellie's plans fell through so Deb asked me to text Ellie and see if she wanted to run/walk the half with me.  In the end Andrew stayed behind and Ellie came with us.  Once we made it to Wisconsin we headed to the expo to register Ellie and pick up everyone else's packets.  We didn't stay at the expo to long as everyone was pretty hungry.  We enjoyed a nice dinner and a drink and then headed back to our hotel to get some rest.


Sunday
We met in the lobby at 6:00 AM and grabbed some food and then headed out to the race start to try and find parking.  We arrived and parked quite easily and then headed inside to use the restrooms before the race start.  We also took some pictures while we were waiting as the 1/2 marathon started an hour after the full marathon.

"The Girls"



"The Girls" and Jeremy

We eventually made our way to the start line and Ellie hugged her parents and we went to her corral.  She was definitely a bit nervous but I explained to her that we would take it at her pace and whenever she wanted to walk we would walk.  I actually had in my mind that we would probably run for 3 minutes and then walk for 1 minute based on the fact that Ellie is on the track team and I knew she could run for awhile.

Ellie takes good start line selfies

We started out slow and when my watch said it was time to walk, Ellie wasn't ready so we continued to run to the first mile marker and then we walked for a short while.  I did mention to her that my rule was that she had to walk for at least a minute each time we took a walk break.  For the most part we would walk at the start of the next mile and then we would run until the  next mile marker or the water stop (whichever came first).  Ellie really did an amazing job out there!  She listened to everything I told her to do and she did not complain once!  That says a lot for a 14 year old who had never run further than 3 miles that morning!  Ellie really enjoyed reading the signs and talking with the other runners.  There was even an older runner that was trying to get Ellie to race him but she was good and listened to me and didn't wear herself out (and yes she did beat him in the end).  As we entered the stadium, we saw Nikki coming back out to finish.  Ellie was smiling and seemed quite happy.  We crossed the finish line, side by side, in 2:41.  Upon our arrival, Deb and Jeremy were standing there waiting for us.  I was slightly confused as I thought "why didn't they say anything to us when they passed us on the course".  Deb then explained that Jeremy was struggling with his knee and some other issues so they ended up dropping out of the race around mile 5 and walking back to the stadium so they could see Ellie finish.  Since this race allowed us to cross Wisconsin off our list of 50 states, Deb will have to "make up" Wisconsin at a later date but Jeremy said he would do it with her!  Poor girl still has to "make up" Alabama as she was incredibly sick and couldn't make it.

Incredibly proud of this little lady!

We headed back to the hotel to shower so we could head back to Chicago as Nikki and I had a late evening flight.  We made a quick stop to grab some food for lunch and figured we would grab dinner in Chicago before we made our way back to the airport.  We made it back to Deb's house and we helped them move some furniture, as they are having work done on their house, and then Deb, Nikki, and I headed out to the cute Mexican restaurant down the street to grab some dinner.  The food was delicious as always (yes, I had been there before).  It was now time to head to the airport to catch our flight.  Let's just say the Chicago airport was much more eventful than Cleveland was.  Nikki was lucky enough to randomly get TSA pre-check.  I on the other hand had to stand in a very long security line.  Thankfully my gate was literally right outside of security but I was definitely cutting it close.  It didn't help that right as it was about to be my turn some very important looking airport people brought several people up and let them cut in front of me because "they were going to miss their flight".  Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled as I feared I was also going to miss my flight.  In the end, I did make it in time but it was slightly overwhelming!!

See our state status below!

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 17 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.


While we were in Wisconsin we did discuss our next state.  We are definitely leaning toward Marshall University in West Virginia in November but we are hoping to possibly get another state in before then.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

January and February in Review

Since I haven't come up with any missions for 2016 and I'm just "going with the flow", my month in reviews will be a little different than in the past.  The truth of the matter is I wasn't very motivated to run or workout in January or February.  It was too easy to choose sleep over the 4:45AM alarm.  It also didn't help that I was incredibly sick at the end of January and a few weeks into February.  I was hit hard with a sinus infection and I cough that wouldn't stop which made running quite difficult! 

January 2016 Stats
37 running miles
17.01 walking miles
54.01 total miles

February 2016 Stats
19.01 running miles
.63 walking miles
19.64 total miles

Current 2016 Stats
56.01 running miles
17.64 walking miles
73.65 total miles

The only reason for the high walking mileage in January was a family trip to Disney World!  We had a great time but boy were my feet sore from all of that walking!! 

My February mileage was even lower than January but I feel that I should count dancing as a workout since my cousin got married in February and I was on the dance floor with my cousins and friends the entire evening!

I am hoping the fact that my cousins want me to run the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon with them in May and the fact that Deb, Nikki, and I signed up for state #17 in May as well will be my motivation to get back on track with my running.  I also need to find the desire to incorporate other workouts (core, strength, etc) into my routine!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Run Like A Diva 1/2 Marathon Race Report

I am aware that Deb, Nikki, and I did this race back in September but I figure the report is better late then never, right??

Friday
Nikki and I took to the car to drive to Leesburg, Virginia while Deb grabbed a flight to DC and then rented a car to drive to meet us at our hotel.  Upon arriving at our hotel and freshening up, we headed to the race expo to grab our packets which even came with a pink tutu.  This was clearly a very "girly" race.  Once we took care of this stop we headed  out to find some dinner.  We stumbled upon the Wine Kitchen and of course there was a very long wait so we decided we would go across the street to Chimole and have a drink.  We quickly learned there wasn't a wait for a reason.  We had a drink and a small plate and were totally underwhelmed by everything at this restaurant.  We definitely wouldn't go back.  Eventually it was our turn to be seated at the Wine Kitchen and the food was so worth the wait.  Everything we had (including the wine tasting trays) was delicious!  The lobster risotto was absolutely define as well as their macaroni and cheese!  After eating way too much food as well as dessert we headed back to our hotel to get some sleep before the race on Saturday morning.

Saturday
We were up quite early to get to the race as we had reserved VIP parking so we wouldn't have to take the shuttle buses.  Definitely the right decision!  It was so easy to get there, park, and have plenty of time to use the restrooms before the race started.  After we used the facilities we took the required pre-race photo.

Virginia check

They played great music while we waited for the race to start and then it was time to get ready to run.  We wished each other luck and headed to the start line.  The race was incredibly crowded as we headed out a narrow roadway but eventually it thinned out and there was room to run.  Little did I know that Virginia was going to be hill after hill after hill.  It was rough but I just kept plugging along.  It was fun because you got to see other runners since some portions of the course were out and back.  I was able to see both Deb and Nikki which was great.  I was trying with everything in my power to finish under two hours but the hills were taking their toll on me.  At the 13 mile mark we were handed a feather boa and tiara for our finish line photos.  I crossed the line in "diva form" in 2:05:44.  I got my medal and my "champagne" toast and headed back to the course to wait for Deb and Nikki to finish.  Once everyone was finished we got some awesome photos with the fine gentlemen that placed our medals around our necks.

Deb

Nikki

Jodi

We took a few more photos after our "champagne" toast and then headed back to our hotel to freshen up and find some food as we were all starving!

"Champagne" toast

"Run Like A Diva"

 We ended up settling on Melt Gourmet Cheeseburgers for our post race meal.  The food was exceptional and the burgers were very large and filling!!

Once we couldn't eat another bite we decided to head to the outlet malls and do some shopping.  We all ended up getting some great deals and proceeded to head back to our hotel to relax a bit!  Later that evening we went to Bar Louie for a small bite to eat before getting ready to head back home the next morning.  It was another great girls trip with awesome friends!  Looking forward to the next state!!

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 16 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

May in Review

I have let time get away from me and am just now getting around to posting my May in Review.  Slow and steady I suppose!  My May training came to an end on the last Saturday in May when Chrindye, Karrie, and I headed to Bur Oak for a nice easy 8 mile run.




Bur Oak Trail

May 2015 Stats
90.2-- running miles
2.42- walking miles
0-- stair workouts
0- monthly fitness challenge workout
92.62-- total miles

Current 2015 Stats
411.02-- running miles
16.09-- walking miles
3-- stair workouts
3 3/4-- monthly fitness challenge workout
427.11-- total miles

2015 Mission check-in

Mission #1: Complete 6 monthly challenges
Action Plan: Find monthly challenges online.
Action Plan: Actually complete the monthly challenge.
Mission #1 did not go at all in May as I was focused on the marathon and didn't want to add anything else into my training.  I am current 23 days into my monthly challenge for June so I have that going for me!!


 



Mission #2: Cross off at least 3 more states in Deb, Nikki, and I's quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states (we have 36 states left....we best get moving...we aren't getting any younger!!)
Action Plan: Research 1/2 marathons in the states we haven't completed yet.
Action Plan: Actually register and participate in said 1/2 marathons.

So far we have completed AL, AZ, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, NV, OH, PA, TN, and TX

Mission #2 had progress in May as there were several email exchanges in regards to where our journey will take us next.  We still haven't confirmed our next state but hopefully soon!!

Mission #3: Run 1000 miles in 2015
Action Plan: Run.
Action Plan: Run some more.


Mission #3 was just shy of 100 miles at 90.2 miles run for May (588.98 miles to go).

Mission #4: Complete 4 stair workouts per month (*Edited in February to read complete an occasional stair workout*)
Action Plan: Do one stair workout per week.
Mission #4 didn't go at all in May either.  What can I say, I ran a marathon and the 5 mile Eagle Run which I managed to place 3rd in my age group at!  Not too shabby six days post marathon!

Marathon girls carb loading dinner

3rd place 40-44

Sporting our marathon shirts at the Eagle Run 5 Miler

Mission #5: Cook more and eat healthier
Action Plan: Plan ahead with recipes and food prep.
Action Plan: Utilize my crockpot more often.
Mission #5 is going well.  There was a lot of grilling in May so that was helpful.  We don't use the crockpot much during the spring/summer months anyway.

Overall May was a wonderful month!  I enjoyed seeing my friends cross the finish line of their first marathon while I ran my 7th on my birthday no less!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

February in Review

My February training came to a close yesterday when I headed to the Metroparks for a 12 mile run with Chrindye, Heather, Karrie, and Trisha.  I do believe it was the coldest run I have ever experienced.  The actual temperature was -1 when we started.  There were lots of frozen eyelashes and cold fingers and toes but we got it done.
 



Clearly!!

February 2015 Stats
85.1-- running miles
2.39- walking miles
0-- stair workouts
1- monthly fitness challenge workout
87.49-- total miles

Current 2015 Stats
118.38-- running miles
5.55-- walking miles
3-- stair workouts
2-- monthly fitness challenge workout
123.93-- total miles

2015 Mission check-in

Mission #1: Complete 6 monthly challenges
Action Plan: Find monthly challenges online.
Action Plan: Actually complete the monthly challenge.
Mission #1 continues to be successful.  Since February only has 28 days, I will finish out my February challenge tomorrow but I went ahead and started my March challenge today as well. 



My February Challenge

Mission #2: Cross off at least 3 more states in Deb, Nikki, and I's quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states (we have 36 states left....we best get moving...we aren't getting any younger!!)
Action Plan: Research 1/2 marathons in the states we haven't completed yet.
Action Plan: Actually register and participate in said 1/2 marathons.

So far we have completed AL, AZ, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, NV, OH, PA, TN, and TX

Mission #2 was successful when we completed the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama.  The only glitch was that Deb was not able to join us so she will have to make up Alabama at a later date.  We definitely missed her!!  It was a great race with awesome bling!

Mission #3: Run 1000 miles in 2015
Action Plan: Run.
Action Plan: Run some more.

Mission #3 had a nice jump in February even though I did take one day off from training after my 1/2 marathon.  In the end I only missed 3 of my scheduled miles for Feburary.  85.1 miles run in February (881.62 miles to go).

Mission #4: Complete 4 stair workouts per month (*Edited in February to read complete an occasional stair workout*)
Action Plan: Do one stair workout per week.
Mission #4 didn't go at all in February.  With marathon training in full swing I think I need to edit this mission.  It will now be to get in an occasional stair workout when I am feeling good and craving a nice cross-training workout

So true

Mission #5: Cook more and eat healthier
Action Plan: Plan ahead with recipes and food prep.
Action Plan: Utilize my crockpot more often.
Mission #5 is continuing to come along with the help of my family and my crockpot!

February was a successful month overall.  I would appreciate it if Mother Nature would give us a break so we could run outside more!  Running in circles at the Y gets old!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Mercedes 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Friday
As I was getting ready to pack for Alabama, I received a call from Deb and she sadly informed me that she would not be joining Nikki and I for the weekend as she had been incredibly sick in January and the first half of February.  While we were very disappointed that Deb wouldn't be joining us, we completely agreed that her health needed to come first.  So, it looks like we will have to join Deb in Alabama another time so she can cross it off the list.

Saturday
Nikki and I headed to the airport at 5:30AM to make our 7:15AM flight.  We had a short layover in Chicago and then made it into Birmingham by 11:00AM.  Once we landed we headed out to find the shuttles to the hotel.  We were quite happy to walk out of the airport into nicer weather!

The only thing missing was Deb

After we got checked into our hotel, we headed to the expo to pick up our race packets.  The expo was relatively small but nice.  I was able to pick up Deb's packet for her so she will at least have the shirt and gloves that we were given by the race.  We did come across a medal hanger booth and really liked a 50 states medal hanger.  I took pictures of it and grabbed the information so we could order it online at a later date.  The nice thing is that the seller was willing to custom make the hanger.

We decided to head to see the 16th Street Baptist Church as both our 7th graders had read a book in school about the bombing that happened there.

Once we left the church we went and had a bite to eat and a beer and then headed back to our hotel to rest for a bit before heading out for dinner since we were both tired from the early flight.  We eventually headed out to find some dinner but what we didn't realize was that "The Book of Mormon" was in Birmingham so all of the restaurants we wanted to try had a minimum wait time of 2 hours.  Definitely wishing we had thought to make reservations ahead of time.  We ended up back at the same restaurant we  had eaten lunch at but in the end it was food so it worked!  After we ate dinner we headed back to our hotel to get things ready for the morning and tried to get to bed early to get some rest.

Sunday
The alarm went off and I managed to only press snooze one time.  After I got up, I made some coffee and ate my peanut butter and cheese crackers (not the best pre-race breakfast but it was what I had to work with so I just went with it).  Nikki and I headed to the race start and when we were almost at our destination I realized I had forgotten my Garmin.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to go back and get it but we ended up going back since it was raining and I didn't want to have to use my phone for timing purposes, especially because it was raining.  We stopped in the hotel lobby for a quick picture and we were on our way.

I didn't really have a plan for the race other than to get myself across the finish line.  I was thrilled with the weather even though it was raining.  50 degrees and rain is so much better than the negative temperatures and snow we were having at home.  As I was running along, I realized that Birmingham had a lot of rolling hills!  Who knew?!?!?!  Once I was within a mile of the finish I realized I was going to barely miss running a sub 2.  At that point, I pushed it as best I could but came up slightly short with 2:00:45.  Honestly I was more than happy with those results considering the course.  I collected my medal and finisher's beach towel and waited for Nikki to finish.

Pretty sweet medal

Bling, Finisher's Beach Towel, and Race Results

Once Nikki finished we headed inside to the post-race party where we were treated to a Pork BBQ.  It was definitely one of the best races for post- race food so far.  After we finished eating, we walked back to our hotel and got cleaned up.  We then decided to take a nap before heading to the airport later in the afternoon.  We headed to the airport around 2:00 and grabbed a bite to eat there while waiting for our flight to depart.  While it was a very quick trip and we missed Deb terribly, the race itself was very well organized and I would definitely run it again!

What state will we be running next?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Deb is supposed to be researching that for us!! 


Complete a half in all 50 states status: 15 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!