Category: Races
Drenched 5K
| September 19, 2013 | Races, Reviews, Running |
My nose has been bleeding for almost 24 hours and my coffee was terrible this morning. Trying to be positive, LOL. Okay, back to the purpose of this post… the Drenched 5K. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to recap you on this race, but better late than never I guess.
On August 17th, Bry, me, Leslee and her bf drove down to Philly for the Drenched 5K. Honestly, I haven’t run in months so I wasn’t sure how this was going to pan out. I also figured that I didn’t need to use my inhaler, which was a huge mistake. Sometimes I really question my decisions.
There was probably around 2000 or so runners, so it wasn’t too crowded which was nice. Sometimes these “fun runs” can drawl in tens of thousands of people and it just gets crazy.
At the starting line, there was a boot camp warm up happening, but instead we stretched on our own and took photos with Leslee’s disposable camera! There was no way that we were going to risk water damage on our cell phones.
There were a few waves of runners and at the very front there was a fire hose spraying water at us. At first, since we were a few waves back we didn’t get the full experience. However, once we got up to the front BOY WAS THAT A LOT OF WATER! Trust me, you do not want to get sprayed with a fire hose. It was a bit chilly too for August, so the cold water was freezing!
Eventually we were off and ready to get drenched again!
Honestly, there wasn’t too much water obstacles or anything – very surprising because it was called a Drenched 5K. I wish I had Vibrams or some other water-friendly shoe because after getting hit in the beginning with the fire hose, I was basically running with puddles in my sneakers. Not fun.
Half way through mile 1, I started getting a tense feeling in my throat and chest. (Duh, Nicole you should have taken your inhaler). I ended up walking/jogging through the rest of the race with Bryan. Leslee and her BF toughed it out and ran ahead of us.
At around Mile 2, there was a zone where you had to run through a pile of bubbles! That was pretty cool.
Towards the middle of Mile 2, there was another fire hose. AHHH. I tried my best to avoid him, but he sprayed me anyway. Bry and I ran the rest of the way to the finish line, and I couldn’t wait to just cross that line and eat a banana. Luckily, the clothes I was wearing were pretty water resistant and dried fairly quickly. At the finish line, there was a blow-up slip and slide, but the line was SO long, so we passed.
Since the race wasn’t timed, I have no idea about my time and nor do I really care. I ran this race for fun and to spend some quality time with some friends .
I’m not really a huge fan of “fun runs” anymore. In the beginning they were cool, but I think I’ll stick to the regular races for now. I’m not sure what races I’ll do in the winter/spring, but I’d like to get back into running more seriously. I’ve taken almost a full year off since the 2012 Half Marathon, so I think it’s about time to get back out there.
I’d like to mix up my workouts and do some running, some yoga and some weight training. When I was training for the half marathon, all I did was run and I think I overdid it and made myself hate running. This time around, I’ll make sure to switch things up a bit and keep it new and exciting.
You also might be wondering what happened to the Operation Bride Workouts. I realized that its silly and too time consuming to make a new graphic for every single day, since many of the days were very similar. I promise I’ll share some fun and interesting workouts with you for Operation Bride very soon!
FTC: I received two free races entries in exchange for this review. No other compensation was provided. As always, all opinions are my own.
Talk to Me
- What’s the last fun run you did?
- What are your thoughts on fun runs?
- What’s on your agenda for your fall workouts?
Weekend Recap (8/16- 8/18)
| August 19, 2013 | Gear, Races, Weekend Recap |
Good morning. It’s Monday again, folks. I had a pretty good weekend. Very relaxing and actually had the chance to take a few naps. How was your weekend?
Friday
On Friday after work, I stopped by Sports Authority to pick up our packets for the Drenched 5K. Luckily, there was no line when I got there. Sometimes the packet pickups are crazy! This one was smooth sailing. I even got a 20% coupon and found the sneakers I’ve been looking for.
They are the Nike free runs + 3. Since they are an older model, they were on clearance. I ended up paying only $50 for them. Talk about a great deal! Other than stopping at Sports Authority, I didn’t do much on Friday. I did however, get some yoga done. I’m working on my crow and side crow. I can finally get into the pose, but now I need to learn to breath and hold it longer.
Saturday
Our alarm went off at 6AM on Saturday because Leslee and her BF were on their way to our house. They got here at 7AM and we got into the car and drove down to Philly for the Drenched 5K.
I’ve determined that unlike the rest of the population, I’m not a huge fan of these ‘fun’ races. Unless the race has a huge budget, it tends to disappoint. For the Drenched 5K there wasn’t even that many water blasting stations for it be a “drenched” 5K. There was a man with a fire hose in the beginning, a bubble zone, a very small misting station, and another man with a fire hose towards the end. Meh. It was an experience. I should have taken my inhaler, because by mile one it was already hurting to breathe. Lesson learned.
I don’t have any photos from the race, because of course I wasn’t going to bring my phone in the off chance it got ruined from the water. Leslee brought an underwater disposable camera though and we had a blast taking pics with that. When she gets them developed, I’ll share here on the blog.
When we got home, Bryan and I were starving, so we drove over to one of our favorite breakfast places. Andy’s is literally a hole in the wall, but it definitely is a gem. If you live in Montgomery County, I highly suggest this place. There’s only one chef (Andy) and one waitress. Bryan loves this place for their German options.
After breakfast, Bryan and I came home and napped. A much needed nap! The weather was a bit on the cool side, so we slept with the windows open – my favorite! A few hours of TV later, we decided to drive out to Trader Joes and pick up some grocery items. I’m going to do a grocery bag haul this week, so keep an eye out for that to see all the cool goodies we bought.
I also made a new juice on Saturday. This green guy had 1 cucumber, 3 huge handfuls of spinach, 1 apple, and 3 stalks of celery. It was definitely much greener than most of my juices, and it’s an acquired taste. I really enjoyed it though.
Sunday
On Sunday morning, I went with Bryan to get his hair cut and then afterwards we came home and relaxed some more. It was a rather relaxing weekend. We eventually went to the grocery store again so Bryan could get lunch meat, but other than that we pretty much stayed in for the majority of the day. Sometimes, you just need these types of weekends.
After dinner, I did a few short yoga videos. My hips and triceps were killing me from practicing side crow and crow all weekend so I found a yoga YouTube channel and did two very short videos just to get a nice stretch.
Talk to Me
- What did you do this weekend?
- What do you use to track your workouts? Do you write them down or do it digitally?
- You’re going out for breakfast – what do you typically order?
Philadelphia Half Marathon Recap (Part 3)
| November 21, 2012 | Half Marathon Training, Races, Running |
This is the last part of the Philadelphia Half Marathon Recap, I promise.
After running 13.1, what’s next?
So what will I be doing now that the half marathon is over? I’m not entirely sure just yet. I know I want to register for another 10K in the new year and maybe even a 5K before Christmas like I did last year.
One thing I’m looking forward to is weight training. I’ve said numerous times in the past that although my half marathon training plan allowed for a day of weight training, I never did it because I was just too tired. Now that I won’t be necessarily running ten miles every weekend, I’ll have extra time to grab the weights.
I’m toying with the idea of putting together my own weight training program integrating many of the workouts from the Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer that I did in the beginning of this year. But, I’m open to other suggestions.
Another thing I am looking forward to is getting back into my yoga practice. I was very diligent with going to classes this summer, but with the craziness of getting acclimated to a new job and training for the Half I didn’t have time to add it into my schedule. Now that I have more time for other exercises, I can’t wait to get back into it! Since I first started practicing yoga back in college, I fell in love with it. It’s a calming experience, but gives you a kick-butt workout. First step: new yoga mat! I have my eye set on “The Mat” from lululemon. It’s a black non-slip mat that I’ve used at yoga studios before and it’s basically amazing.
Giving Thanks
With Thanksgiving right around the corner (literally… tomorrow) I just wanted to give thanks to all of those who gave me well wishes for my half marathon. It was absolutely painful, but amazing and I couldn’t do it without the support and love. I also want to give thanks to Bryan for being patient with me every weekend when I had to get a long run finished, and waiting around at the Philly Marathon in the cold weather for me to cross the finish line.
Talk to Me
- What did you do post-marathon/half marathon?
- What was your favorite part about your first marathon/half marathon?
- What holiday runs are you looking forward to this season?
Philadelphia Half Marathon (Part 2)
| November 20, 2012 | Half Marathon Training, Races, Running |
Now that you’ve already read about Part 1 of the Philadelphia Half Marathon weekend that covered the expo, dinner the night before, and race day… I bring you the second part of my recap series.
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Freezing, but ready to go!
The Race
After waiting in a long line for a porta-potty, I finally made my way to my corral. I made it just in time, because my corral was moving towards the starting line shortly after I got there. It took us 21 minutes to cross the starting line, and I could feel the runners around me getting excited.
Thank you Bryan for taking this photo
Mile 1 – Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Love Park: My feet were numb. No, not from running but actually from being so cold. I actually thought I may have gotten frost bite, but I’m dramatic so I knew deep down I was probably fine.
Mile 2 – Arch Street past Liberty Bell to Race Street: My feet warmed up quickly and I took my gloves off at this point.
Mile 3 – Columbus Boulevard: Gorgeous scenery running down by the water, but there weren’t many spectators cheering during this mile.
Mile 4 – Columbus Boulevard to Front Street: Don’t really remember this mile much, but I do remember that this is where my knee started hurting.
Mile 5 – South Street to Independence Hall: The crowds on South Street were amazing! There were so many crazy signs that I could read to keep my mind off the pain. One of my favorites was “You trained longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage.”
Mile 6 – Chestnut Street to City Hall: Probably my favorite part of the entire race. The amount of spectators was breathtaking. SO many people were cheering on both sides of Chestnut Street. Thank you to the random spectators who screamed my name to keep going. It helped! At this point I thought to myself, “This would be a great route for a 10K.”
Mile 7 – 17th and Chestnut to 30th Street: Spectators seemed to diminish around this mile as well. Up to this point the route was really flat.
Mile 8 – Drexel University and University of Penn: Hills and drunk college students. Ran out of my Jelly Beans at this point.
Mile 9 – Martin Luther King Drive past the Philadelphia Zoo: I remember this mile being one large hill. A spectator screamed to us that at the end of the mile there was one large downhill. Also picked up a Clif Shot in Vanilla for energy. Happy Happy Happy!
Mile 10 – Fairmount Park: More hills. I’m pretty sure at this point I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish. I took walking breaks from now to the end. But… every time I stopped and started again my knee seemed to go in shock.
Mile 11 – Please Touch Museum to the Schuylkill River: At the end of mile 11, there were 6 or 7 men and women dressed as women in spandex body suits dancing and cheering us on. HILARIOUS. It definitely made me smile and realize that it’s almost over and that I could do this.
Mile 12 – Running by the Schuylkill River: This mile was by far the hardest one. I tried so hard to keep pushing, but my knee was basically giving up. That’s the one thing I realized during this mile… I HAD this half marathon mentally. I was ready to go, however physically my body was telling me otherwise.
Mile 13.1 – Heading to the Art Museum and Finish Line: The final mile was a blur, but it was all worth it. If you were at the finish line, you probably saw me crying – not because I was emotional about finishing… but because my knee hurt SO bad. The final .1 of a mile I sprinted to the finish line, which is probably why I’m in such pain today.
Crossed the finish line at 2:23:15. Definitely NOT the pace I’ve been training at, but I am just glad to have finished! I figure this gives me something to work towards.
Up tomorrow: Post Half Marathon.
Talk to Me
- Have you ever done the Philadelphia Marathon or Half Marathon? If so, what was your experience?
- Do you prefer 5Ks, 10Ks, Half Marathons or Marathons?
- Random question - What running gear do you want for the holidays this year?
Philadelphia Half Marathon Recap (Part 1)
| November 19, 2012 | Half Marathon Training, Races, Running |
It’s actually over. I can’t believe that the half marathon came and went that quickly. The weekend was absolutely amazing, and I’m sure you’re all just dying to hear all about it.
Expo
On Saturday morning, Bry and I drove to the Philadelphia Convention Center for the Health and Fitness Expo to pick up my bib and race packet. The Expo had vendors, such as Running Skirts and Sparkly Bands (which you know I loved since I got some of their gear at the Runner’s World Half Festival). I received my bib, a Philadelphia marathon bag, coupons, and a really comfortable tech-long sleeve t-shirt.
After walking around the Expo for about an hour, Bry and I went to the Reading Terminal for lunch then braved the traffic home.
My dinner Saturday night was spaghetti! I knew I would need the carbohydrates for energy the next morning. I used the rest of our angel hair spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce.
Race Day Morning
I went to bed around 10 PM on Saturday night, but my alarm was set for 3:20 AM and 3:30 AM on Sunday. I knew I had to get a good nights sleep if I wanted to actually finish the race. To my surprise, when the alarm started ringing early Sunday, I was wide awake and ready to go.
All of my clothes were lined up on my bedroom floor the night before, because nothing is worse than forgetting your race bib.
1. Running Jacket (TJ Maxx)
2. Freemotion Luxe S/S Tee V-neck (c/o)
3. Nike Dri-Fit hat
4. Futuro Moisture Control Knee Brace
5. Spi Belt (c/o) – inside: my ID and Jelly Belly Sport Beans
6. Race bib & pacer band
7. Champion sports bra
8. Zensah Smart Touch Running Gloves (c/o)
9. Old Navy compression running crops
I ate two pieces of toast with butter and banana on top and got out the door around 4 AM.
Luckily, we didn’t hit any traffic on the ride down to Philly and for once we found a cheap parking garage ($9!) really close to my corral. The purple corral was right in front of the Art Museum, so we sat there to keep warm. Noted: I will be packing a blanket for the next winter race I do. It was windy and COLD!
Eventually the sun came up and I headed to my corral. I anxiously waited with thousands of other people (approx. 30,000 runners). I tried to get my music ready to go, but to my surprise Pandora wouldn’t load because of the high density of runners. I wasn’t too upset, because I knew that the energy and crowds would keep me going. YES, I ran the entire 13.1 miles without music.
Up tomorrow: Running 13.1
Talk to Me
- What do you bring to cold races?
- What’s the largest race you’ve ever done? How many people were there?
- What’s the one food item you ALWAYS have before a race?
