Race Weekend - Expo

While the Nike Women's Marathon expo"tique" opened on Thursday, but I couldn't break away from work and kids sports until late Saturday afternoon. This was a mistake. Nothing could be done, but I feel like I missed out a little bit and I really should have gone with a friend/MRTT buddy.

I headed to Georgetown at 3pm on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and the world was out and about. I decided to drive down, but didn't make the decision to drive into Georgetown until when I got to Rosslyn. I should have parked there and then walked across the bridge. I pressed on however, and spent 30 minutes on M street regretting it. That was the worst of it. Or so I thought, until Io saw this.

Super crazy line. To be fair, the line moved along nicely, but was a bit shocking when you first tried to find the end. It was Disneyland long. Signs and all.

Once we entered the tent, there where tons of folks ready to assign bibs and give us our bags.

You then were supposed to head to the expo, which seemed to be a tent of 3-4 vendors. Nike, Bare Essentials, Luna and maybe 1 other. It was so crowded, it was hard to say. They had these 3 pin pads where you were supposed to enter the code you received at bib distribution and see if you won anything.

It was a fun idea. They had some nice walls and lots of places to take pictures. But none of the regular vendors that we in DC have become accustomed to. I can see where they wouldn't want direct competitors there, but there was no running supplies there at all. (that I saw)

I didn't make it to the Nike store where the runners name wall was located and apparently some race merchandise. I did manage to stop off at Hershey's to sneak a little pre-dinner ice cream before heading home. :) All in all, it was well run, if sparse and they were VERY lucky it wasn't raining. Folks were already not happy, and that would have charged up the negativity skyhigh.

I can't wait to tell you about the race! (Hint - the weather continued to grace us with pitch perfect temps!)

Nature is Deadly

So I am a little wacked out this week. I am looking forward to the race, the weather looks great, the girls from Moms Run This Town are excited and life is good.

Well except for one thing.

I feel like crap.

My allergies are here.

Nature is kicking my butt.

Not me, but I feel like this

I don't always have allergic reactions to spring, but here I am sniffling, aching head and generally lethargic. Not happy, that is for sure.

Things have been very busy at work and tonight was the first night since Sunday that we were all home for dinner at the same time.

I don't think I can go pick up my packet until Saturday afternoon, and that makes me nervous. No real reason, but I haven't been to Georgetown in years and it is not exactly the easiest place to get to.

News just broke that Shalane Flanagan is running the race. I don't know much about her, but she seems very down to earth. I won't be anywhere close to her, but still fun to know.

My goals? I would like to finish sub 3 hours. Having a good showing equal to Woodrow Wilson and much faster then Disney would be great for me. Did I mention the weather is supposed to be great? Can't wait!

I just need to hydrate, sleep, eat and hydrate.

See you on the flip side.

The Month Flies By, But Some Moments You Must Grab

Today was uneventful.

That isn't true.

I got up and went to bootcamp. Circuit day. Ouch, enough said.

I am pretty sure I fell back to sleep when I got home.

Work - It was great. A project I have been working on for the last several months is finally coming together. We have a long way to go, but seeing parts of the application working was so gratifying and exciting!

Got some items off my to do list and then went to
 - pick up honey stinger chews for the race on Sunday
- get the car inspected (best part, other then passing? Being able to sit outside!)
- pedicure. Finally. I am embarrassed to tell you how much I needed it. Weather is supposed to be even warmer tomorrow, so this was a true emergency.

Came home to dinner in the oven and GREAT report cards for both kids.

Best part of the day. Hanging with my girl.

Boy was at scouts so she and I had lots of time before bedtime. I sometimes dread this, because it turns into a tug of war between what she wants to do and what I am too tired to do. We ended up just goofing off. So fun to hear the joy in her laugh and just giggle like girls. We tickled and read and wrestled and did hair....Who cares about anything else?

My cup is full. 

Kids Schedules!

Spring sports have begun and I am struggling a little bit. My family eats dinner together about 3 times a week, which is a significant decrease from our usual 7 days. Not only that, but my ability to get vegetables into said family is greatly reduced. This is not a new problem, but seems especially acute considering I now have two kids with sports schedules. This is also my busy time at work, so less planning time to fight the family challenges.



Is this where I am supposed to insert some great tips?

1. I am trying to get sleep. With work deadlines, keeping my training up and someone or all of us being out every night, sleep is important. No reading books ( I stay up too late).
2. I walk or do something during practices. I am on the bleachers watching during games, but at practice, I have time to get moving. To be honest, this typically happens during soccer practice. One is better then None. :)
3. Plan ahead. Leftovers in the frig give the hungry athletes something to eat other then snack bar concessions. Larger meals on Sundays, mean the Monday dinner at 8:40 pm resembles something of a balanced meal.
4. Make picnics. This has mainly applied to baseball games and swim meets, but I pack a picnic dinner for myself and my daughter. This allows me to bring fruit salad, apple slices, and other good for us sides that keep the concession stand at bay.
5. Other treats need to wait. No pizza on Friday night just because, when that is the first night out of five that we are actually home to cook. Last Friday, I cooked up some chicken breasts for sandwiches, which we enjoyed on the porch while gathering with neighbors. Easy and healthy.
6. Do what it takes to keep your sanity, while making the best choices possible.



What have you done to keep the balance in life when it gets hectic?

Taper Time

I am running the Nike Women's Half in DC next weekend. It is the first running of this race. Nike runs a marathon in San Francisco each year. So far I have mixed feelings about this race. The registration was a mess. It was a lottery, so MANY months ago we entered into the lottery and gave our ccard. This is pretty standard stuff, so no big deal. When the day of announcements came the  facebook page started to light up. Some folks posting that they got emails, others were checking their credit card statements for charges. And so it went for HOURS. I am somewhat of a scatterbrain, so I had no idea what ccard I had used weeks before. I never did get an email, but eventually there was a listing posted to the website with all the names of the registered runners. I was on it, so had to assume I was good. Frankly, I had registered for this race on a whim, with no one else. I was happier with the Cherry Blossom experience and I didn't even get in that race!

Anyways I am running. I would say my training has been sporadic at best. I ran a few long runs as the weather warmed up. So more outside running, which I think prepares me better for races.  But as you know, I have had a few weird knee issues and bouts with non-motivated weeks.

I ran twice today. The first 3 miles were for the local VisionWalk. I took my kids to the walk with me. I was meeting a few other DGs and a few of us were planning to run the route. My running partners in crime weren't able to make it, but I knew my kids would fill in - if I could keep up with them.

Stretching is very important!

Ready for some fun

We were at a local outdoor shopping mall. One of the many town centers that have cropped up over the years in the area. The last race my son and I ran together was at this same place, so I was pretty sure we would be following the 5k route. We were off. Another DG mom offered to come with us and helped me keep close to the kids. We were off and ran the first mile in 11 minutes! I knew we wouldn't be able to keep up that pace, and indeed I was right. We slowed to closer to 15 minute miles for the last two. I was very proud of my daughter for sticking with it and finishing the run/walk. She was so cute crossing the finish line with everyone cheering. I very well could be in trouble with this one! My son loves it when I talk about how he is such a good coach. He was prompting us to "run to the corner" or to that light. So great! The last quarter mile or so I let him go ahead. 

We ended with some bounce house fun and yummy sandwiches. 

Once home I took care of lunch and then headed out to my local trail for 4 more miles. I felt like I was back in business, running 11:30-13:15 miles. Great place for me to be a week out from my race! 

Last week I exercised all 5 days during the week. I am not sure I will do the same this week, as I should be tapering, but I do want to get to Boot camp at least twice. 

Have a great week!

Together Tuesday

This morning started out with my alarm going and my motivation getting me out of bed. Its funny sometimes I just do what is right, other times I have to talk myself into getting up and still others I know no amount of self-talk is getting me moving. Today I was up and at 'em. Headed over to GMU for bootcamp and was pleasantly surprised at how warm it felt. I was not pleasant when I was the only one there for warm up. Soon others started coming and all was good again. I am scared to do a workout with Edye by myself! Not really, as I have before, but I know it would be HARD to have her focused on me for an hour!

Today we broke up class into 2 parts. First was strength and then we did intervals. I did ok with most everything, except the push ups. (must practice - really) She estimated we went 2 miles for the 30/30 intervals. I think it was closer to 1.5, but what do I know. What I do know was I kept with it and felt good at the end.

I typically wear semi dressy clothes to work, but today I had on my Woodrow Wilson half shirt on. No one else at work was wearing a race shirt, but lots of my friends on FB were. It was a small thing to do, but made me feel better. Lots of folks were also running for Boston.  2.62 miles, silent miles or some other amount of time or mileage. I didn't end up running again today for various reasons, but will think of Boston when I run tomorrow. I am feeling much better this week, more energized (even though my eyes are about to shut on me right now) and back in the business of getting healthy.

Tomorrow is another day and I plan to carry on with my momentum.

Praying for Boston and everywhere else

As I sit here watching the coverage of the race (finally, I won't watch it when the kids are around) I am just as horrified, if not more so, since the news was broken at work today. I think about the runners who worked so hard to be there. So hard that their families would never think of missing them cross the finish line. That one person's goals put whole families, new couples, children at risk. I won't try to recap the news here. The facts as we know them are changing rapidly. I think about those that were impacted and those that might be reconsidering a goal race such as London next week or MCM in the future. I wonder about the runners who deferred from last year due to the heat and if they feel like this race is cursed for them.

Boston is a goal race, a big goal race. It has its own language. To BQ is to Boston Qualify. It is one of the few races in the nation where you have to meet a time target in order to run. Races advertise themselves a flat and fast for BQ. All of that was shattered today.

I heard about 17,000 people had already crossed the finish line. How do they feel about their accomplishment? Is it all overshadowed by the victory. Will the winners always be connected to this tragedy? Will they be more determined to come back and conquer this course and show that runners will not be defeated by such senseless violence. As you can see, I haven't been able to formulate any real thoughts around this. Just more questions.

The racing community is spreading the word to wear race shirts tomorrow in support of the runners, the marathon and Boston.

So this is how I am ending the day.

I began it at boot camp. Today was our first day outside. There was a light rain. It didn't bother me except for when were laying on our mats doing crunches. I am not sure how the weather will impact our schedule, but hopefully the rain will start after 7 am on most days. I feel like it is a major victory that I made it this morning. Tomorrow I am going to try again!