My Quest for 13 Half Marathons in 2013

It all started at the end of last year. Someone mentioned setting a goal of running 13 Half Marathons in 2013. It seemed like a good idea at the time! I LOVE the distance and the challenge of a Half Marathon, I wanted to set some goals for 2013. Why not make my big goal to run 13 Half Marathons?

When Jill started this challenge I was eager to join! I began searching high and low for enough Half Marathons to fill my calendar! I wanted most of them to be actual races, to keep me motivated, but was willing to run Virtuals as well, to try and keep costs low!
To date I have completed 8 of the 13:

#1: Barking Mad Half Marathon, in the snow!

#2: E Murray Todd with Eileen. Freezing cold and super hilly, we were among the last to finish!

#3: Rock n Roll USA, an amazing race, tutu and all!

#4 Runapalooza, tweaked my knee and ended with a horrible time!

#5: April Fool's Half in AC, a great girl's weekend!

#6: Long Branch Half, Eileen and I visited the Trenton half booth and this pic won me a tech shirt!

#7: Superhero Half, it rained the.whole.time. and took forever to finish, but it was FUN!

 

#8: Biggest Loser Half, 5 minute PR!!

Coming up, I have my last 5 Half Marathons:

1. Sloppy Cuckoo Half in Philadelphia, a crazy trail run
2. Rock n Roll Providence, which will earn me a bonus RnR medal!
3. Atlantic City Half
4. Runner's World weekend, where I will run the Hat Trick
5. Trenton Half, my final Half of the year!

Do you have any race goals for the year 2013?

Biggest Loser Erie Half Marathon...and my 2 year Runniversary Giveaway!

The night before the race, I had a Krispy Kreme Donut. Smart? Not so much!

I woke up on race morning with runner's stomach! Ugh! I haven't had this problem in so long, so I didn't bring anything with me! Smart? Not so much!

After a trip to the bathroom I dashed downstairs where the hubs was waiting in the car. After a quick 10 minute ride to the park we hit as traffic. It is basically one lane in, one lane out. My friend Adam texted and said the first lot was filling up, so we started planning the drop and meet situation. As we waited, I realized I needed another trip to the bathroom. Lovely. Luckily, there was a porta potty in one of the lots we passed by. Detour!

We finally made it to the first lot, plenty of time to go, and wondered if we would get in. We were waved past the lot and towards the race area, and figured we would be going to lot 2, about 1/2 mile up the road. Nope! My luck was changing, and we parked right at the race entry area!

I went to look for Adam, a fellow Half Fanatic. We have been Facebook friends forever, and finally would meet in person! I couldn't find him so I headed to the noise at the Start. Dan Evans was there.

Fangirl moment!

Runners were walking up and saying hi, so I did, too! OMG

He was so nice, and he told me that he could tell that it was not my first Half. He announced my name to everyone, and how many races I had done, and posed for pics. 

Shortly after, I found  Adam, who had heard Dan say my name and was wondering if it was me up there. We took some photos and then he went to meet Dan as well. They have met a few time before so it was more like a a reunion!

We also met up with another Fanatic, Tawni, and while we were waiting to start, Jackie Evans gave  us a shout out and kudos for being Fanatics.

There was a delay, so we chilled out, listened to some Biggest Loser banter, and then suddenly we were starting!

the hubs took this shot!

Former contestants Jackie, Pam, and Dan

We had lined up with the Elite runners to avoid walkers, so we started first. I kept up with them for about 2 minutes!

The course was beautiful, mostly flat, and filled with spectators! They had water at every mile. It was glorious.

I mentioned in my expo post that I haven't run more than 7 miles since May. I went into this race with no expectations.  I hoped for a finish time around 2:30, since that is my average finish time. My best time is 2:28. My dream goal is 2:25 but I am not optimistic.

I had some tightness left over from paddle boarding on Wednesday. At each mile, I waited for Runtastic to tell me what my time was, but it was always behind. I think the trees were messing with it. At mile 4, it even talked slowly, like Dori talking to the whale in Finding Nemo!

Okay, now I start to worry! Is the GPS off? Are the mile markers off? Usually, runtastic hits the miles early, not late! 

At about mile 6.5 we turned around and started back. Wow! That was fast, and my time is still amazing. Hooray!

You couldn't beat the scenery, and the volunteers at the water stops were amazing! I even got water from Girl Scouts twice! Go Girl Scouts!!!

Around mile 8, I started to get achey. I was doing math in my head at every mile at this point, because a PR was definitely possible. Mile 9, still on track! Mile 10, still on track. 

Now I am getting ready eyes. Will I do it? I have gotten this law before, only I slow down at the end. I am trying not to get too excited, but as I get closer, I realize that it is going to happen! I am going to PR!

Take that, Krispy Kreme!

As I entered that last mile, the spectators doubled and everyone was cheering and yelling. Being a Biggest Loser Race, a lot of first time runners were there, and their families are out in force!

At about mile 12.5 I saw the hubs, camera in hand, an that's when it became real. I was so close to the end, and my time was still amazing!

Nice face, right? I was telling he hubs what my PR was going to be: five minutes faster! Holy Heck!

I rounded the last corner and could see the time clock and was still shocked to see it! 2:23! I was amazed! My hips ached, my legs ached, my feet ached, but none of that seemed to matter anymore!
Official time: 2:23:21
It was amazing! It is an official 5 minute PR!My best time before now was Staten Island, a 2:28:12 finish. So I guess I was about 0:0:09 short, but I don't think I will quibble over that!
I got my medal, and tried to walk off some of the stiffness and get my breath back. I have exercise induced asthma and, although I no longer require an inhaler, I do sometimes have a hard time recovering right away.

I wanted to get an 'after' picture in front of the Biggest Loser wall so I got in line. I got closer to the front and realized Pam was there! She loved my SparkleSkirt! We also listened to Dan perform some songs.

 After a few texts, I hooked back up with Adam and Tawni for some post-race photo ops on the beach!

What an amazing day! I cannot stop thinking about it! This one will be a favorite for awhile, I think!

Today is my 2 Year Runniversary! Two years ago today, I started the C25K program! I am amazed at how far I have come!
In honor of my 2nd Runniversary, I am giving away 2 Season's Best Recipe Cookbooks from the Pampered Chef spring/summer 2013 line!

Just leave a comment below to enter! I will choose a winner next Monday!

Biggest Loser Expo

Let me start off by saying that I am blogging for the first time from my iPhone, so forgive any errors I make! I just discovered the app, which has me super excited! It is a long drive home and now I have something fun to do!

Friday morning, the hubs and I got up super early to start the 8+ hour drive to Erie, PA for the Biggest Loser RunWalk Half Marathon weekend! I am such a huge fan of this show, and I have been fangirling for weeks about this race! I am attending as a Guest Blogger, so that has me even more excited! 

We passed the area my parents live in, so we met them for breakfast at Perkins in Bloomsburg, PA for a nice break in the drive! I took a lot of pics of the scenery, although it was not very exciting! 

We arrived in Erie at around 3:00 and checked into the Hilton Garden Inn. We love Hilton's hotels and try to stay as often as possible. This stay was free, since we had lots of points saved up! 

After we checked in, we drove right to he Expo at the Bayfront Convention Hall on Presque Isle.

It sat right on the lake and the views were amazing! We parked right away with minimal discomfort and headed inside.

After waiting on a long line to sign the waiver, we moved into the Expo. The room was smallish, and they had a few tables, but it was mostly a packet pickup and seminar area. They were holding a class about stretching when we get there. 

After I got my bib and backpack, I headed to the Solutions desk. As a Guest Blogger, I was promised a refund on my registration and some bonus swag  at bib pickup, but there was none waiting for me.

Turns out, the woman who made the promises was no longer with the company! Ugh! The girl at Solutions handed me a tech shirt (I was promised several) and said to email her after the race about the refund. The hubs was not satisfied and went to look for someone on charge. In minutes, I had a second tee and my refund. 

Much better! It was very stuffy in the room, so we went out to see the view. 

Gorgeous!

We went to dinner at Olive Garden for some carb loading and then decided to see Erie's Festival. Unfortunately, we got there too late. All of the stands were closed and it was not very exciting.

Bummer!

What to do now? Check out parking and travel times back at Presque Isle!

They were starting to set up, which added to the excitement!

All in all a great day! I did not get to meet Dan and Jackie, since they were not at the expo until later that night, although I did stalk his bus at the expo.....

That's not creepy. Right?

More later about race day! I have not run more than 7 miles since May, so this could get ugly!

Throwback Thursday

As I approach my 2 year Runniversary, I am packing for this weekend's 8 hour drive to Erie for the Biggest Loser Half Marathon!

I will be posting on Monday about my Runniversary, but for now I will post a pic of a run I did last year at this time!

Grace is on my left, Nancy on my right

This picture is from the Barking Mad About Breast Cancer Virtual 10K, and it was the first time Grace had ever run that long! We were all so proud of her!
Check out this year's Virtual Race here!
I have a custom medal being made right now! There are also over 5 prizes in the pile, and more will be added every time we hit a decade! There are almost 60 registered racers now, and it tops out at 100!

How long have you been running? Have you ever run in a Virtual Race?

Wordless Wednesday with a 5K shubeez

shubeez has added a 5K shoe tag to their collection! They still carry their usual as well: marathon, half marathon, Boston, Pi Day, Believe, and Bee Pink. Be sure to choose Barking Mad in the affiliate pull down menu when you order!

Dopey Training, Week 6 plus a Kona Kase Review

This week was a lazy week for me! I had the duathlon coming up, so I just stuck to running! I did my challenges each day, which involved pushups, squats, planks, and core work, but that was about it!

Monday: My friend Cheryl asked me if I wanted to run, and even though it was not my usual day, I couldn't resist running with her! She is one of my favorite running buddies, because she really pushes me to increase my pace!

Dopey calendar, week 6 is covered in stars now!

Tuesday: squats, plank, pushups, and Cobra for the August Core Focus Challenge
Wednesday: Another great run with Cheryl, a little shorter this time, and a little slower, but still a great sweaty run! I couldn't resist taking a pic of my neighbor's flowers. He has the nicest flowers! I used my running buddy again, and it didn't budge! I am loving it!

 Thursday: squats, plank, core focus, and a finished crochet project for the teenie....an Ewok hat!

date night was also Thursday night!

 Friday: squats, plank, pushups, and core. The hibs went to packet pickup for me, and also got cupcakes! Good thing I have been running a lot!

We walked to dinner, and had yummy Mexican food

 Saturday: Asbury Park 5K, lots of walking as well. No PR, but really close! Also did plank, push ups, and core work.

Sunday: duathlon, dog walk, and plank, as well as lots of other walking!

I am hoping to add in lots of activity this week, but we will have to see! Biggest Loser Erie is this weekend, and I don't want to be sore for that!
I was given the opportunity to review the July Kona Kase as a Sweat Pink Ambassador. I was provided with the Kona Kase free of charge in exchange for a review. As always, all opinions are my own!
My kids were probably just as excited as I was to receive a Kona Kase last month! The teenie was packing for a trip to a Leadership Conference, and the boy was hovering around, trying to get his hand in the box!

the boy gobbled these down. He really liked them, which says a lot because he is picky!

These are stashed away to try during an upcoming long run!

yummy! Just the right amount of sweet and yumminess!

I kept these in the car for a hunger emergency, and had them while I was out on the road. YUM!

we shared this, and decided it was perfect! I love craisins, and it was a great on-the-go snack!

I don't do gels, so I gave this to a friend! She loved it, and will be trying more as her runs get longer!

on yogurt. YUM!

the teenie and I each ate one of these yummy coconut cookies!  They were sweet, but not too sweet, and we really enjoyed them. I was kind of mad that she snagged one while she packed!

What is your favorite monthly goodie box?