2018 Running and Health Goals

I can't believe it's that time of year again! Really? So soon? I feel like did this not too long ago, but 2017 flew by quickly! I had a good year even though it wasn't loaded with runs and races. I got married to my best friend, which is good enough for me! Now... it's onto 2018!

I've never been really successful with the whole New Year Resolutions thing, especially prior to running. Perhaps it's because I didn't have accountability and I didn't have the drive or discipline to keep it up. But I know that I have achieved some of my goals before. For example, successfully running a full marathon not once but twice so far in my running career.

Even though I wouldn't view this as a "how-to" post by any means, I do recommend that if you want to achieve something or change something in the coming year that you should...

Call it a Goal and not a Resolution 

That may not mean much, but I feel like a "goal" is more attainable sounding than a "resolution." It's like a mind trick. Just the other day I read the post, "4 Tips for Creating and Achieving Running and Life Goals in 2018" from Coach Debbie Runs, and think she explains/breaks it down much better than I ever would. Her post definitely helped me think about my goals (which I've been pondering everyone so often for the past few months). I loved how she tells you to not be afraid to pick a big goal (BHAG - Big Hairy Audacious Goal), to break it down into smaller goals to help you get to your big goal, get accountability, and that S%*t happens.

So, what are my Goals for 2018? Let's see...


The Big Goal

Run and finish a full marathon (maybe with a PR)
 
Because of the crazy year of wedding planning I opted to not run a full marathon in 2017. Because I had no goal set I kinda let my training go to the side. I'm now in the frame of mind that I want to achieve another full marathon. For a long time I planned/wanted to my third marathon to be my best thus far. That means refocusing on improving my fitness and my health leading up to the big race, and being the best shape that I've been in. Hopefully with that I'll set that PR (Sub 5:50:00) since I'll be working on smaller goals to get me to this point. This may seem a bit much after almost a year sans serious running, but I'm ready to try! If not, at least I finished another marathon!

I haven't picked a marathon out just yet, but so far the BCS Marathon in December is in the running. I've also contemplated the Dallas Marathon, the Metal Saw Marathon (Kingwood), and the Route 66 Marathon. Oh, the choices!

http://gymaaholic.tumblr.com/post/141166560609/
you-dont-notice-it-but-this-workout-is-one-step

The Small Goal Breakdown
My breakdown of my big goal is to improve myself overall. I know there are things that I need to work on to get me there. 

1. Run at least 3 half marathons races leading up to full marathon 
To date the last half marathon I ran was the 2017 Rock 'n' Roll Half in March. That was a less than stellar race because I was actually getting a cold that morning and didn't know it. The weather was hot and miserable, and the ride back on the Dart train was agonizing! Thankfully, I have a do-over chance next March with this race.

I want to run at least 2 halves before which ever marathon I choose. I'd be super excited if I can improve my finish time each time, but I'll be happy to finish strong. I've been contemplating jumping on a deal with Run Project to get discounted entry for four halves, which all would be before a December marathon. If I did that, I'd be at 5 halves, 1 5-miler, 2 5ks and 1 marathon in 2018. Am I ready for that? This is definitely something to seriously consider!

2. Improve Nutrition 
I know I set this as a goal for 2017, but I sucked at it. Like big time sucked at it. With us moving apartments in during the springtime and all the wedding planning during the rest of the year, I was stressed out and eating horribly. I tried my hardest to keep my nutrition in check, but failed miserably. After the wedding we started eating more vegetables and I was watching my portions (until Christmas came along), and I felt so good!

For Christmas I got two cookbooks - The No Meat Athlete and Shalane Flanagan's Run Fast. Eat Slow. that I've cooked from before. I'm definitely going to be utilizing my gifts to their fullest extend. Plus, I've found more blogs to read and learn from. I'm in charge of cooking at home, so it'll be my job to make sure we're eating healthy! Oh, and this includes watching my portions because... well, I married a chef after all!

3. Cross/Strength Train More
This is something I did well when I was training for my first marathon. Basically cause I had no life other than surviving work and letting running occupy the rest of my world. In 2016 for my second it was harder to do. I need to get my upper body (core and higher) into shape, which means hitting the gym and my home kettelbell a lot more. Basically, my training schedule should look like I'm doing some sort of activity every day. If I had the money and time I would consider Camp Gladiator or a real gym, but I'm poor, especially after the wedding. So, I'm determined to do this on my own capabilities and what I have for free.

4. Lose the Fluff 
Now, I know that I should not be setting a goal to basically get skinny. But that being said, I'm hoping with these other goals - improving nutrition and training better - that I'll lose some of the weight/fat that I've gain over the past couple of years. My weight has always been a troubling thing for me. I'm not fat. I'm not thin. You can tell I like my sweets. I  know I may not lose everything like I did the two years that I barely ate anything at all, but I want to trim up and look strong.

5. Remember that I'm Awesome 
I think everyone needs this goal. Every year. We all, especially us girls/ladies, need to tell and see ourselves that we're awesome and shouldn't compare ourselves to anyone else either its physically or in the realm of running achievements. I know that I struggle from time to time, especially when I know that I'm not doing so well fitness and weight wise. Some days I also feel like I'm so far behind on running capabilities because I took practically a year off from serious running compared to my running friends. So, this goal is just a reminder that I've done awesome things in the past and will always do awesome things (and, yeah, probably not-so-awesome things) in the future if I put my mind to it!

Image found on Pinterest -
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/509399407826679956/

My Accountability 
See Dot Run as always served as a way to have accountability, especially when I had no one else a few years back to go to. Now, I have my husband and some of my running friends along with the blog. So, I'm telling you now that you will help my stay accountable and strong!



Well, that's it. I'm gonna try my hardest to make 2018 amazing for me and my life. I know there will be ups and downs, but I'm determined. I'll say it now, by this time next year we're going to revisit this post and see how many of these things we'll cross off in success! Wish me luck!

What are you running and health goals for 2018? 

I wish you all the best in making 2018 awesome!  

And..  

Remember that you are not a failure if you did not achieve the final big goal. If you achieved even some or ALL of your smaller goals you still achieved something and you improved yourself compared to 2017. That along is amazing!

 

2016 SeaWeeze... Vancouver!

Hi everyone! Again, this looooong overdue!

I read through this recap before posting, and I cannot believe that I actually did this! It was an amazing trip! I'm so thankful that my best friend JM got to go with me to cheer me on! Plus, the timing was just crazy.... Little did I know that on the Friday that I was gone, walking around the Granville Island Public Market, my main squeeze MS was designing my engagement ring! Ahh!


So here it is...

RECAP! 
Wow! What a trip! I gotta say this was one of the craziest things I have ever done. I'm not one to typically sign up for an international race. But, in 2015 I was needing something to do completely out of the ordinary for me because I felt my life had been hell and I really needed to mix things up. So after hearing some great things about Vancouver from several people and discovering the race, I knew that the SeaWheeze Half Marathon was just the ticket!

After getting passed registration, which had sold out in 10 minutes, I was ready to go. It took a whole year of waiting and trying to prep for this! But, I'm not gonna go into that! Here was how it went!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
My best friend JM, who thankfully came with me, got down to my place to have dinner with me and my boyfriend (at the time boyfriend ;-)). It was the first time she ever met him, and it went pretty well! We went to our favorite little Chinese place for deliciousness. After MS went home my mom picked up us girls to spend the night at their house.

THURSDAY
Omigosh! It was so early when we woke up to get to the airport. Our flight was crazy early, which meant we had to be even crazier early to get through security and so on. However, when we got to DFW Airport, it wasn't bad. We already had our boarding pass and the line for security was short. We found our gate then roamed to look for breakfast. The flight to Seattle was looooong. Then we only had about 30 minutes before our connecting flight to Vancouver, but we made it right before they started to board the plane. The plane was full of ladies who would be running the half marathon. I hadn't fully grasped how popular this race would be until then.


When we landed in Vancouver, the process of going through customs was looooong (thankfully not as long as our first flight). But painless. I was nervous as all because I hate the "unknown" and people have always said that customs is a pain. After we got through we then stood inline to buy our train ticket into downtown. Oh, boy! At that point, being outside in the sunlight and cool temps, I was suddenly overwhelmed. I can't believe it! We made it! Omigosh! I almost started crying!

We took the Skytrain to downtown and walked few blocks to meet our Airbnb host, who had been waiting for about two hours since we were stuck at the aiport for a lot longer than expected.The city was so clean! The air was so fresh feeling (granted everything is once you step foot outside of an airport!).

Our host and his wife was really nice. One thing that we learned right off the bat was the HOA of the building didn't like owners to rent out their units. So we were basically snuck in from the parking garage instead of the front door where security is. The unit was so much fun! It was a studio with a great layout. The best part was the view! The bed was on a platform so that you can lay in it and still see the water out beyond our windows and the other buildings. Basically, you could also see where I would be finishing my run! Sweet! There was also this yellow chair that we both loved. It was next to the window and was so comfy! It was also cool enough that we could open the windows for fresh air!

Alone in our home away from home we quickly feel deep into a deep nap. When I woke up I was a little chilled and hungry. When JM woke, we just stared at each other from across the room. "Ramen" was what we said together when we asked what we wanted for dinner!

We walked down to Robson Street, which was just a few blocks away! We knew there were some ramen places somewhere so we explored, noted where the Whole Foods was, and finally decided on Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. It was small, and very warm in there. But the ramen was good! 

After that we went to Whole Foods to get some groceries. Note to travelers. Whole Foods is great, but pricey (I swear more so than in America) so I recommend going to a place like Urban Fare to get groceries (which we didn't know about until later). You'll find everything you need there, including American items too. After groceries, it was time to get comfortable for the night.  
 

Day 1 in Vancouver!

 FRIDAY 
Morning! Packet Pick Up Day! And first day of exploration! First off... upside to buying eggs at Whole Foods... the freshness! OMG! The yolks were so orange it was amazingly beautiful!

After breakfast we walked long the harbor on the way to the convention center to get my packet. It was so pretty out there! The line for packet pick up was not as bad as I thought. Especially compared to the line to get into the SeaWheeze Lululemon store that was adjacent to the packet area. Holy crap! I'm glad I didn't go through with that! I knew the prices were high and the chances of finding my size could be slim. I have to say I'm not really a Lululemon person anyway. In fact, I felt like an albino, slightly-chubby giant compared to all of the other runners who were shorter and slimmer than me!

My packet was pretty cool, actually! It came in a nifty mesh duffle (which would be handy for when we fly home!), sunglasses, water bottle, Nuun (score!!), and a timing tags for both of my shoes. It was SO WEIRD not to have a bib to wear!  After we dropped the packet off at the condo we headed out towards Granville Island Public Market.

We took the metro train to the Yaletown - Roundhouse Station and walked to the waterfront. There were parks all over, which included plumbed bathrooms, which is really nice. Tip: There is a nice bathroom at the David Lam Park, which is hidden under a fountain/waterfall. We found a stop for a water taxi and hopped one. The water taxi was was fun, and a rare experience for JM and I to be on a boat! It was fun! The water taxi dropped us right off  market, which was perfect!

The Granville Island Public Market is. so. cool! It as a must-visit place whenever you are in Vancouver, I swear! I wish that my M was with us cause he would be in Heaven! There were so many fruit stalls, berries an fruits that looked so perfect and beautiful! There was also different meats and sweets. We had to buy a donut at one shop. I almost bought a cinnamon roll that was pretty much as big as my face. But I knew I couldn't get it cause I would eat it all and all that sugar would be bad for me the day before my race. For lunch, JM and I got fish and chips. It was so tasty and fish was so fresh!

We walked the whole island (thought I swear it isn't an island cause there is a park that connects it to the mainland) before we headed home for a nap. For dinner we got an order of hot food at the Urban Fare near by. I got the prime rib and fresh veggies, which was tasty, but perhaps a bit small on the serving size. We ate the dinner in the Harbour Green Park near the water, which was so nice. We definitely can't do that in Texas for most of the year!

After getting my clothes and gear all sorted out, I ate a sleepy gummy to help calm down from the excitement of the day and nerves so that I can sleep well before getting up uber early for the race. 

Vancouver Day 2 - Packet Pick-Up!

Vancouver Day 2 - Adventure!

SATURDAY... aka RACE DAY... aka THE DAY I RAN A RACE AND WALKED ANOTHER... aka I WAS ON MY FEET FOR ALMOST A MARATHON

The Race
 I woke up before dawn! I got to watch the sunrise over the harbor while I sipped my coffee! I was so happy that I had trained my body to do its business with coffee with before a run! Lol! I was nervous about the race. My main fear? That this was a girly race and I'm not girly like most of the women I saw yesterday.

I said bye to JM and was out the door. Thankfully I dressed right - tank top and shorts - for the weather! It was going to be in the mid 60s and sunny. It was waaaay cooler than Texas and naturally wanted to wear a t-shirt and capris, but I know better than that! I walked to the starting area, which was by the convention center. I hung close to a porta potty area and stretched. I didn't have to wait too too long for the staging time because I was was staying so close to the start line. I staged myself for the 02:45 pace group and tried to get into the groove with the very energetic pacers. It took a while for our group to make it to the start, but I was definitely feeling excited for being in another race and rocking out a good run!

Mile 0 - 4
Ok. So, I definitely felt the fact that I walked a lot on Friday exploring during the first few miles. My legs were sore! And in the city there are hills! Not crazy big hills, but little steep hills! I was keep pace with the group, which was nice cause they also served as tour guides! But, they weren't taking in walking breaks, which I didn't think of. Oops! Between Mile 2 and 3 I had to go pee, but I didn't want to lose the group. I waited till we were at the seawall near the area that I had walked through before. In fact, right after Mile 3 we were at the David Lam Park ... and that hidden bathroom under the waterfall. It was time to break away from the group! I wasn't the only runner who did that, and I felt a great sense of comradery with the other women cause we briefly would say something about our bladders going to explode and so on. I felt like I was part of the running community at the very moment! The Mile 4 marker represented me gong to an area that I had yet to explore during our visit!

Mile 5 - 7 
Right around Mile 5 we ran over a bridge to the other part of the city before racing to Mile 6, which as at the top of a hill! There were a lot of great spectators lone the Cornwall Ave stretch, and at the turn around were doggies to give kisses! Love! After the turn around we backtracked down the hill and back over the bridge before heading out to the famous seawall.

Mile 8 - 11
Here are my favorite things about the seawall... and, basically, what I like about the race in general... (1) It's flat! For the most part. (2) The view! I'm landlocked in North Texas. My water views consist of the lake or pond that I run around at my various parks. The views here in Vancouver... It's a bay, and beyond that.. a sea! Amazingly awesome! The beaches were so cool too. There was a sandy beach then a pebble beach too.

By this time in the race I was definitely getting tired. I would pause to take picture of cheer groups and the beach and the scenery to keep this section of the race fun. My legs were tired, but I kept going doing an interval run. Around Mile 11 or so was when the 3:00 pace group passed me. Dang it! Not much I can do about it cause if I pushed myself too early I was going to completely burn myself out. When we rounded the edge of the seawall on the other side of Stanley Park I was hit with another amazing view!

Mile 12 - 13.1 
Mile 12 was the marker that took me into the edge of Stanley Park. I knew if I had more time I would want to come back and explore the park because it looks beautiful and amazing! Mile 13 was right near the entrance of the park, but on the other side of the bridge. I messaged JM to let her know that I was close to the end. She was already somewhere near the finish line waiting for me, and tracking me on my Garmin GPS. I saw her somewhere before the finish. The pictures she took of me definitely show that my lower half was tired. My hips were at an angle, but I also look like I was finishing strong despite it. The finish was great! My overall time was 03:00:05. Not horrible!

Finisher Shoot 
After the finish I got my medal. This beauty is so heavy it could be used as a murder weapon! We had to snake our way up the ramp or the stairs to get out of the finisher shoot. I opted for the ramp, which a good idea cause I also got some other goodies like essential oil spray for pain relief and stress calming. I also got a SeaWheeze hat. I'm not a hat wearer unless I'm running, but I'll take it! I decided not to go for the Finisher Breakfast because it didn't sound very filling, and the line for it was absolutely nuts and didn't move for more than 15 minutes.


I found JM and I sat for a few minutes before I got her take my picture. Then it was back to walking up the little steep hills to the condo. I showered and JM cooked me breakfast. Then I completely passed out. On the floor. While stretching.

Vancouver Day 3 - Race Day!

Vancouver! Checkout that beauty!

The Fun After the Race!
Post-Nap adventures began. We had lots to do! Rocking a pair of bright pink shorts, a punk band t-shirt and a pair of brightly colored compression socks (I can't believe I forgot to have JM take of this outfit), I stepped out with JM, and we took the metro to Chinatown to walk around. Before we did I got some Tim Horton coffee to see what the hype was all about. Not bad! We also searched for a place to eat but couldn't find anything that jumped out at us. We walked around so much that we ended up in Gastown, which was a really nifty area! We were about to eat there, but realized that we were getting close to the last ride out to the Capliano Suspension Bridge, which was on our must-do-no-matter-what list. So we :: walked :: from Gastown towards the convention center. While we were there we got some gelato then it was back to our condo!

We refreshed ourselves and had another snack before we walked back to the convention center to catch the bus out to Capliano. It was a lot of fun riding in a big couch bus, and seeing parts of Vancouver that we wouldn't have seen on foot.

If you are ever in Vancouver, BC... you, must, must, MUST go to the Capliano Suspension Bridge. It is sooooo cool and fun! We walked across suspension bridge, which 140 meters (That's just shy of 160 feet!) long! The view from the bridge was gorgeous. There were other bridges and platforms in the trees, on the side of the mountain that were beautiful to climb and walk through. I did trip once up the stairs cause my legs were so tired, but I refused to let that bother me. We even walked across a bridge that was on a side of a cliff. Plus, it was made of glass!

The gift shop is great too, which is were spent a lot of our money. There are places to eat, but by the time we were done exploring they were closing down. Next time! The shuttle ride home was insane with traffic and bus driver who didn't care! Back in Downtown we got some pizza and headed home. I looked at my phone at the tracks movement... it says I walked and ran 22.6 miles! Crazy! Needless to say, we both feel a sleep easily that night! 

Vancouver! I had to include a picture of the gorgeous eggs!

SUNDAY 
Last day in Vancouver! We finished off our delicious and still uber fresh eggs before packing our bags. We cleaned the condo to the best of our ability before meeting up with the Airbnb host to check out. Then we walked around with our backpacks for a while.

We went to Central Library, and it was so cool! I can't even remember how many floors it had, but I believe it was 7! Wow! JM and I explored every floor. We also visited a very clean bathroom! After resting in the library for a while we went on the hunt for poutine. We knew we couldn't leave Vancouver or BC or Canada in general without trying it! After a couple fails from Yelp we found a spot and shared one. It was weird and yet tasty!

We walked back to the convention center area to rest some more. We did stop by a souvenir shop to grab a couple more presents for the family. We sat down and enjoyed the water and the breeze since we were burning out on the walking and we were tired and getting grouchy. Finally it was time to make our way to the airport. At the metro station we got some Tim Horton donuts to eat outside the airport.

Going through customs was not that bad! First we went through regular security, where I was selected for a pat down (it was bad at all and they were extremely polite and nice!!!!). After that we went through US customs, which just as easy! Whoa! Then we were in the airport, which was amazingly cool looking. Until we found our terminal. It was down a hallway. Then down an escalator. Down a hallway and up an escalator. The terminal was so tiny. And not as fancy as the rest of the airport. There was a bathroom and a little convenience store. That's it. We decided to head back to the main area for lunch (cheap Asian food!) before settling down at our terminal. We actually took a 45 minute nap before there was any action (aka other passengers showing up)!

It turns out our airplane was a little bombardier jet. With propellers! We had to walk to the plain and we were both excited and nervous! We had never been on a plane so small! It was so tiny inside! I couldn't fit my backpack in the overhead compartment by any means, but it juuuuust fit underneath the seat in front of me. We sat right below the wings, and could see the hint of the propellers. I tell you taking off and landing was an experience! Thankfully it was a short flight to Seattle!

At Seattle we were able to rest for awhile. It was getting close to midnight, and the airport was crazy busy! When we took off from Seattle, JM and I chewed on some sleepy gummies cause we had to sleep no. matter. what. I'm so glad that MS told me that this was absolutely necessary... otherwise we would've been screwed!

By the time we landed back home, our bodies thought it was 4:30 in the morning, but it was really 7:30am local time! Somehow we managed to find a way out of the concourse and found my mom! Then we had to find her car in the parking garage. Then it was home! We got JM some Starbucks coffee and food before she had to drive all the way back to Denton to get a training day session (she's a rockstar for pulling that off!).

I took a shower at my apartment before driving over to M's for breakfast. It felt amazing to be back with him and in his arms! (Yeah, that was a little mushy!). He made me breakfast before I completely passed out on his couch for a couple of hours. Haha!

Vancouver! Poutine and a propeller jet!

THE END... 
Well, that is is in a nutshell. Looking back, as I :: finally :: finish typing this post, it was an amazing trip! The trip was something that I really needed. It was an adventure. Finishing the race and coming home was almost like ending a chapter of my life that I started in 2015 before I met MS. It was a time for me and my bestest friend in the world to have an amazing time together. Vancouver is definitely on my list of favorite cities!

I do plan on going back to Vancouver for just a vacation even without a race. I would totally run along the seawall again. Just for fun!

Update on Dream Races

So, since I'm on a little bit of a big race hiatus this year I've been dreaming about more big races that I would like to run in the future whenever the opportunity arises.

HALF MARATHONS

• 3M Half Marathon - http://www.3mhalfmarathon.com/
• Austin Half Marathon -  http://youraustinmarathon.com/  (I know I ran this one already, but I'd like to give it another go!)
• Covered Bridges Half Marathon - http://cbhm.com/
• Flying Pig Half Marathon -  http://flyingpigmarathon.com/  
• GO! St. Louis Half Marathon - http://gostlouis.org/
• The Great Smoky Mountain Half Marathon - http://greatsmokymountainshalfmarathon.com/ 
• MO Cowbell Half Marathon - http://mocowbellmarathon.com/

FULL MARATHONS 

• Austin Marathon - http://youraustinmarathon.com/ 
• Flying Pig Marathon - http://flyingpigmarathon.com/  
• GO! St. Louis Marathon - http://gostlouis.org/
• Grandma's Marathon - http://grandmasmarathon.com/
• Marine Corps Marathon - http://www.marinemarathon.com/ 
• MO Cowbell Full Marathon - http://mocowbellmarathon.com/ 

I'm sure that there are gobs of other races that are waiting to be discovered, especially in Texas. I can't wait!

Do you have any half or full marathon races recommendations? 

OMaD - Week 33

OMG! What a week! First spent the weekend with my boyfriend, then the first part of the week at work, then my best friend JM and I head out to Vancouver for a mini-vaca complete with a half marathon! Plus! Technically (unofficially) BCS Marathon Training begins this week!



August 7 - August 13

Day 220: 0 Mile - A good day, but an upsetting day because I tried to find a new pair of pants. So not only have I gone up a pant size, but I can't fin anything in my size 12 size... I felt so lousy and disgusted with myself. I even snapped at my boyfriend. Thankfully he was understanding and we talked it out, but I shouldn't have taken it out on him.

Day 221: 6.70 Mile - Initially, I was thinking of running 8-9 miles since this week, no matter what, was going to be different than my training schedule. But... it was hot. My back/shoulders were wrecked from sleeping wrong. I didn't want to run another 1.3 miles to get to 8. So I decided to stop at 6.70. P.S. I find that 7 milers are slightly unlucky for me... so I don't run just to seven anymore. I had dinner with my boyfriend since I probably won't see him until I come back next Monday.

Day 222: 0 Mile - Spent the morning getting things ready for my trip to Vancouver! Only two more days! I'm starting to stress out about getting everything done and to get everything packed into my backpack (that's right, people, I'm only traveling with a backpack!).

Day 223:  0 Mile - Last day of work before flying to Vancouver! My nerves are all over the place!

Day 224: 0 Mile - Today's the day! My bestie and I got up uber early to have my mom take us to the airport. Security wasn't bad, which is always my worries. We got to Seattle with 30 minutes to spare, whew! Canadian customs wasn't too bad either. I got to say, the moment we walked outside of the airport it felt AH-MAZING! We took the Skytrain into downtown and we walked to our Airbnb host and apartment. We were so excited to be here. Then we passed out for a nap before waking up and getting some tasty ramen on Robson street and going to a Whole Foods before walking along the Seawall.

Day 225: 0 Mile - First full day in Vancouver! We went to the convention center to get my package. Surprising, the SeaWheeze you don't wear a shirt bib - just two chip ribbons for your shoes. I really like the little duffel bag, sunglasses and water bottle that came with my swag. I wasn't able to go to the Lulumon store because of the CRAZY line to get in. Plus, I knew things would be expensive. After that JM and I explored and went to Granville Island! Such a fun place! The fruits there looked amazing! For dinner we went to a little grocery store, Urban Fare, to get some hot food at their cafe. I had prime rib, roasted potatoes and veggies. Yum!
 
Day 226: 13.66 Miles - Race day! I got up before dawn and watched the sky and water change colors as the sun came up. I was nervous because I felt a little out of place since I'm not much of a girly, yoga, Lulumon runner than a LOT of these runners are. But I had fun once I started running in my Beef Team jersey. The course was really pretty and quite hilly. I think I started out too fast, but my Garmin didn't help me with because of the buildings I running between. My overall time was 03:00:06, which is 20-30 minutes slower than normal. I knew the hills were going to get me along with the fact that I had walked around the city the day before. Plus, I did have to the bathroom that was off course cause I couldn't wait in a porta-potty line at the next water station. After the getting some more swag and skipping out of the food line, JM and I went back to the apartment for breakfast, a shower, and nap. After that we explored Chinatown, Gastown, then made it the shuttle for Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, which was amazing! At the end of the day I had ran/walked 22 miles! Whoa!!!  I wore my compression socks during the first part of city exploration, which helped a lot!


Total Miles this week: 20.36 Miles 

Miles to Date: 407.28 Miles

How was your week?

Exciting Updates!

Well, it's finally coming together! I'm uber excited to share with you all!

Vancouver! 
Everything is coming together for my run with the SeaWheeze half marathon in Vancouver, BC! I got my little Airbnb apartment about a month or so ago. Now, just over the weekend my BFF JM decided to go with me, and I booked our flights just the other night! Aaahhh! So exciting!!!! I'll be morphing my usual maintenance runs into half marathon training runs from now on and up to the middle of August! Now, if the rain would hold off, that would be great!

So in addition to training me and JM will have to figure out what we want to see when we're there. I want to go to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. My boyfriend says that we must to the Granville Island Market. I heard their public library is pretty awesome, and since I have a thing for books, I'll have to stop by! Vacation planning is so much fun!

Now, once I get to the middle of August there's no time to rest! Well, maybe a day or two. Cause I'm going straight into training for my second full marathon!

Hello, BCS Marathon 
Well, I've finally come to the decision that this December I will be running among other crazy awesome people at the BCS Marathon! I've heard great reviews from social media and from my awesome runner friend in Austin.


Initially I thought of running Dallas again, but I wasn't feeling the excitement that I got when I thought of running BCS. When in doubt talk to people! I talked to my mom, my boyfriend, JBD in Austin, and my old running buddy HC about it. After a lot of hemming and hawing I came to the decision that I should run BCS. Do what makes me excited! What's even greater is HC is gonna join me and potentially another running buddy! I'm excited for this one, and I love how my boyfriend did not hesitate to say that he would go with me.

I can't wait to share more details they begin to form during the summer!

Image found here.

2015 Tyler Rose Half Marathon Race Recap

I am a badass. I know I said that before, in my last half marathon recap, but seriously! I did kick butt during this year's Tyler Rose Half Marathon!

I ran this race last year as part of my Four Seasons Challenge with Mellew Productions. For the second year in a row this race has proven to be rather nice. I wish I had taken some pictures throughout the morning, but I didn't. Oh, well. I can't win at being an awesome blogger all the time!

It all started out with leaving town at 5am with the hopes that my phone GPS won't get us lost in the dark, in the middle of nowhere (I did print out a map just in case). When we eventually found our way to Hwy 20 outside of Terrell we had to stop at Buc-ee's to get a muffin (we were hungry and didn't know what to expect at the race). Food in hand then tummy we continued on our way. We arrived with about 45 minutes to spare (whew!).

We got our packets and our cozy feeling hoodies (it's going to be yummy during the cooler weather!). The pickup up was really simple and quick, which was awesome, especially after going through the worry of race day pickup at an out of town race. Then it was on to join the indoor bathroom line before gear check. After all said and done, we had 15 minutes to join the back of the group at the Start line.

The weather was nice - around 65 degrees or so by the time we were there. I knew that once the sun came out it would be warmer regardless. It was a little rough deciding if I should change into a running tee instead of my tank top. But, in the end I was glad I decided to keep the tank on.

THE COURSE
The course is definitely hilly, but nothing that I could not handle this time around. This was definitely not like the Badass Brazos Half Marathon course with its mountains! For the most part I ran up every single hill (See I told you I was a badass and killed it!).

Course support was minimal, but nice nonetheless. The first water station wasn't until after Mile 3, which was a little rough for H, who was planning on only walking at the water stations. I had played along with that idea, but after Mile 4 I decided that I would pick up a 2 mile interval plan instead. I followed that idea for the most part, but I did pause to stretch or walk through a water station/crest of a hill or two when I needed. I did see numerous medics around, which was nice. I didn't see very many porta potties (perhaps 3 all together), which felt like not enough. Thankfully I had no GI problems this time around, and I didn't have to worry about it. But I would've been up shit creek (haha!) if I did because of the minimal amount of potties.

Since Heather and I had 1.5 hrs to kill in the car that morning, we didn't talk much during the race. However, for the most part we stayed together. It wasn't until the last few miles did I leave her in my dust. She had an achy knee, and I finally did all the number crunching and figured if I dug deep enough and make it up the last hill OK I could possibly PR.

At the end, as you are finishing off Mile 13 there is one big hill you have to get up with oncoming traffic to your right. It's a little rough when you're tired, but it's totally do able. Then you, after turning left to head back to the Rose Garden, there are smaller rolling hills to get up. It totally reminds me of the Austin Half Marathon (Enflield Hill at 12 and the little monster of a hill at 13). But I did it and ran up it all!

The finish is a bit tricky in the fact that once you enter the garden and pass under one timing chip sensor you still have to turn right and run down the perfectly green lawn to the real finish line. The first sensor is great in the fact that they know who you are and they will announce your name as you come running in (I love that!). You have to slow down quickly after you cross the finish so that you don't run into other runners, medal givers, water givers or trip into the fountain behind everyone.


FUELING
Well, since I'm marathon training right now and thinking about fuel I thought I'd mention my fueling. I can't take certain fuels one would find at a running store because of my thyroid pill (no calcium, no vitamin C, no iron for a few hours after taking it). So! I obviously went with what I've been trying out on my training runs - blueberry Eggo waffles with peanut butter. I tore the waffles into pieces and made little sandwiches. It was kept in a ziploc baggy and McGyvered to my belt. It worked out well. No tummy troubles, as I mentioned earlier. At around Mile 5 I took a bite. During the later miles though I eat a bite or two. I did notice that I would get a hunger cramp because I didn't eat enough and the water made it a little worse. I would have to walk a little, but after I got some more fuel in I felt better. Whew!

POST RACE
After H crossed the finish line we headed indoors. We both loved smelling the heavy rose scent that the Center had (which was probably a good thing because there were lots of runners this year!). We grabbed some food - Kellogg Nutri-Grain bars and a egg, potato and cheese tacos. Yum! We got our bags for gear check. Then we headed out to the showers! Yes, showers! Thanks to the Green Acres Baptist church for bringing their shower truck! Inside the trailer (sectioned off Men's/Women's) were three shower stalls. There was a little stool in front of each stall. In the stall, behind the curtain, was the shower head and a soap dispenser with body soap/shampoo combo. The knob was a bit high above your head, if you were short (which I'm not). I brought a camping towel to use, but apparently I you could ask for a towel. I also brought some face soap in my hopeful attempt to not break out again! There wasn't any air circulating in the showers, so you were still a little sweaty when you get dressed, but it was totally worth it all. I loved the moment we stepped out and the cooler air hit us and cooled us down. Aaaaaah!

We found my car, and we headed straight to Chuy's Tex-Mex! One of my most favorite places to go after a race. I asked for a big ol' cup of unsweet tea (a rare thing for me) and a big ol' cup of water. So good. Then chips and salsa. Then chicken fajitas! So good! Yum!

Then it was off back to Dallas.

OVERALL THOUGHTS 
Thinking back on it now, this is such a good race. The course is nice with lots of pretty houses to look at. Mile 10 - 11 are flat, which helps when you're trying to pick up momentum at the end (which I totally took advantage of!). There were hills to make to challenging just enough, but nothing too hard. The spectators on the course were nice and cheered for you even if you were a stranger (just like Austin). The start/finish venue is nice. It had indoor pluming, tables and chairs to sit at, indoor gear check, a rose garden to take pictures in (gah! I can't believe we did the whole thing without taking a picture. That's so unlike us!). There was plenty of parking. There was a shower truck. Nice.

WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN
Yes, definitely!

FINISH TIME
02:34:38 - that's a PR, baby! 

Did you race this weekend?

Image(s) found here.

I'm a Tip and on the Squad!

So I mentioned briefly during my last One Mile a Day challenge update that I had some good news and I did something a little crazy. Well, I thought those two things deserved their own post!

First Awesome News!

I'm a Beef Tip! Hahaha! Yes, I said Beef Tip. After applying a loooong time ago, and filling a survey not too long ago, I have been invited to join the Texas BEEF Team. This community, which is supported by the Texas Beef Council, promotes the benefits of eating beef as a high-quality protein in an athlete's diet. After I take an orientation webinar in October to get be ready to be part of the team in January 2016. So far I know I'll have to join in on certain races and volunteer at least once in order to qualify for a complete membership in 2017, which includes the Team reimbursing me for certain race fees!

I'm quite excited to see where this will take me in my running exploits! I enjoy being part of a community with a common interest, and it would be awesome to have a group of teammates cheering for you when you're running a race! Plus, I can do the same for them too!  Oh! Plus, my running buddy H was also invited on to the team too! Also, my running friend J is already a member. Exciting!

Second Awesome News! 

I'm on the squad! I feel like I went just a little crazy the other day, but I  also feel a little badass. I signed up for the 2016 SeaWheeze Half Marathon! I learned about this race put on by Lulumon through another blogger, which may very well have been Ange over at Cowgirl Runs (I can't remember). Vancouver has been on my mind in general since May, and knew I wanted to go there when I got the chance. Well! I learned about the race, and I thought this was the perfect excuse! Plus, it's an August race, which means I can make my annual vacation into a run-cation!

So! Knowing that this race is extremely popular I told my boss what my plans were and that I would give her a leave request as soon I knew the race was possible. Then the next day, the moment the clock stroke 12pm CST, I hit the registration button. I was wait-listed immediately. In dire hope I stepped away from my work desk and got the registration list pulled up on my phone.... I got in immediately! Then it was down to 7 minutes to accurately type my information in on an small iPhone screen! Wow! Oh, then my boss started talking to me too! Whoa! Crazy! But I managed it! I didn't get a confirmation email for almost 20 minutes after I had registered (which was a little different than the instant email for other races), but I checked my credit card statement I saw the charge on the account. I knew I was in! Whew! Intense. Crazy. Now I'm telling myself I need to save money so that I can afford a nice vacation to tag onto the trip up there for the race!


So, yes! Not that these are life changing things... but I feel like a whole new thing/part of my life is opening up! I'm not putting my life on hold for one reason or another. I'm on a team that could open up opportunities for who knows what. This SeaWheeze Half Marathon is getting me to out of the country (yes, it's just up to Canada, but still!) for the first time since I was in college. I don't know what will happen to me next year (no one knows their future like that... which sucks in a lot of ways), but at least I know I have some things to look forward to!

I'll keep you guys posted on things as I venture forth!

Peace, Love, Rock 'n' Roll, and RUN! 


Images found here and here.

2015 Badass Brazos Half Marathon Race Recap

Not that there was any doubt before... but I'm now officially a badass! I completed the Badass Brazos Half Marathon the other Sunday!

This is a brand new race put on by the Run Project, and is located down in Waco, TX along the Brazos River. I was roped into it by my running buddy H a few months back. I've had good experiences with the Run Project's Too Hot to Handle races, and knew that their promotion of water stations every mile and ice towels along the course was a true thing. Granted at the time I wasn't thinking it would be a 105 degrees every day for weeks, but I knew it was going to be hot. The heat was the least of my concerns, as it turned out!

I have to say that this was by far the hardest course I've run on. Hands down. And it wasn't the heat that got me! I have to admit that I didn't really study the course like I typically do. If there isn't an elevation map I tend to create the course on Garmin Connect so I can see the elevation to see what I'm up against. This time I did not do this. Uh oh. My brother, who lived in Waco, said that there were hills in the area. He didn't mention that they were mountainous hills! (He responded with an "Oops!" when I told him later he lied to me!).

What I thought I had to worry about... 

Checkout that elevation!
PS... I know my pacing sucks...

COURSE

So! The course. We started out at the Waco Convention Center, which was a great spot. We followed the Brazos River heading into Cameron Park. Beautiful area. Soon enough we getting to some residential area. Then we hit the first hill. I ran up this one, but then wondered if that was a good thing to do. A group of ladies, who turned out to be locals, said that this wasn't the only hill. There were more. Oh, fun. At the top of the hill there were some great views, such as at Lover's Leap. Pretty much from then on, H and I said we'd go for a finish time that was in the 02:40s somewhere instead of the 02:30s, which was the original goal. 

At every hill H and I faced we walked up. For one thing we knew with the increasing heat and distance the more we ran up hills the more exhausted we'd get. There were times when the course were stretches of flat roads, which was great cause you could catch up on the time that was spent walking (oh, and running downhill helps too).

The finish was nice and climatic. For the last 0.10 of the race you got to run across the the old suspension bridge to the finish line. The closer you got to the line, the more people were sitting on the bridge, resting/waiting, and they'd clap for you. The only thing with this, however, is you had to be careful speeding up your pace cause the bridge had old boards. I was afraid I'd trip myself and have a complete face plant that would not only painful but also embarrassing!

SUPPORT 

As they promised there were water stations at every mile (not necessarily at each mile marker but really close) depending on the terrain. The water was cold, which was impressive! They also had red Gatorade that I did not drink. At one point there were the ice cold wet towels that you could drape around your neck or but on your head. That was wonderful! I pretty much did a combo of sipping the water then pouring it on top of my head or splashing it down my back or on my front and I used the towels for me neck.

Occasionally there was a person with a supersoaker water gun that, if allowed, would shoot you with water. That was fun and refreshing!

At the start/finish line we were allowed to use the indoor bathrooms!!!! YAY!!!! There were port-a-potties along the course. One or two here and there. We happened to pass some permanent potties in the Cameron Park, which was nice. I'm going to admit that they needed more port-a-potties because at around the halfway mark I was starting to face some GI troubles, the first time ever in a race. I would pass one potty and think I'd be OK (plus I didn't want to leave H hanging). But at around Mile 9 I had to walk longer because I was getting the occasional chill and cramps. Eventually at Mile 12 there was one last potty and I ran in and was totally saved! Despite not finishing in the time I really wanted to do, I was able to finish the race feeling waaaaay better. If I had to wait till the Finish to go potty, it would have been torturous and perhaps embarrassing!

After you finish and get your medal, you can get yourself over to the Athlete's Food Tent (oooh, I'm considered an athlete!) to get bananas, Uber Larabar, and a egg and potato burrito. There were other tents around to promote other races and so on, but I wasn't really paying attention to those after I finished.  

OVERALL THOUGHTS 
Not bad! The heat wasn't bad at all, even though I wish it'd been cooler. "Challenging" is most definitely the polite correct word to use when describing the course. The water station was one of the best things of the race. As was the starting/finishing location. There was plenty of parking by the convention center. We got to use the indoor bathrooms before and after the race. The Finish was really nice, and there were plenty of photo opportunities for all the runners. Packet pickup was outside right near the Finish (versus being inside the convention center), which was nice too.

My only recommendation is that they try to get more potties out there on the course. Just in case a runner is in desperate need.

Finally, I really wished I could have kept up with H and we finished together. I like it when we compete in who crosses the Finish Line first. But when I was having my GI troubles she went on ahead. She finished 4 minutes before I did. 

Oh! And the media is HUGE!!!

WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN?
Maybe. If I trained better for the mountains I could do better on the timing. But also if it doesn't get too hot. That being said, Run On did a great job for this race, which is definitely appealing for a second try!

FINISH TIME
Official finish time: 02:47:36 

In case you didn't know....

In case you didn't know... this is what I call "Race Buddy Solicitation."

On Sunday, while I was doing my thing on the elliptical, my phone goes crazy with ba-bings! from my running buddy H. She was wanting me to do the Badass Brazos Half Marathon in Waco that is at the beginning of August. She won a free entry, and a fellow runner is planning for the 10k. So, technically, all I need to do is pay for registration, drag myself out of bed at an ungodly hour for a car ride to Waco, run, eat, then ride home. Not bad.

It's tempting.

Hmmmm. My analytical brain is going...

PROS

• Get my butt kicked before Marathon Training begin.
• It's a Run On! race (quality).
• Water stations nearly every mile. 
• Free ride to and from race. 
• Gas covered by another runner.

CONS

• Get my butt kicked before Marathon Training begin.
• It's at the tail end of my vacation week (something me and my besties are trying to figure where to go!!!)
• It's in August! In Texas. Hot!!!
• It's $65! Ok... more like $72 or so with race insurance (I feel like I need that insurance). 

Hmmmm... I think I can find the money for it or at least I think I can.

I'm partially sold. We'll see what happens.

Would do this race?

Ooooooh! Smoky Mountain Half Marathon

I was scrolling through my Facebook News Feeds, which seems to know me way to well nowadays, and I saw a sponsored link for the Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon. For once, I was the sucker and clicked on the link.

I am now sold on this half marathon! Seriously!

First off, I discovered that the race Start is just 20 minutes away from a best friend's house. Score! It ends in an area that she and I love (there's a great ice cream place there!). Score! The course is "slightly uphill" and seriously, the elevation isn't that bad looking. Score! The race is September (aka nice weather!). Score!

Check out that "slightly uphill" course with a 3.5 hr limit.

I vacationed in this area two years ago in August. It was wonderful. Beautiful. Perfect. I'm in love!

I'm doing this race!

The thing is... I have to wait till 2016. This year's race doesn't match up with my Marathon Training this fall. Booooooooo! So, yes, it's on my 2016 race calendar, fo sho!

I can't wait!

2015 Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Recap

I ran the Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with my two running buddies H and S they past weekend. I have to say that it was fun and turned out way better than I was expecting! I think the best part was that with my running buddies again. I'm not sure I would've been able to do it without them!

HEALTH & FITNESS EXPO (aka Packet Pickup)

The expo was really nice. I got approval to take a two hour lunch to drive downtown to Friday afternoon to pickup my packet. I understand their reasons, but I wish someone could've gotten my packet for me! Anyway, the organization for the packets was great and once I got my bib, shirt, bag I was off to shop as quickly as I could! I ended up buying a Fitletic Ultimate Running Belt 1 like my RB's cause it can hold my phone, cards and eventually one or two small bottles (extra add-ons) during my 5k - 10k runs. The best part of the belt... it doesn't bounce or jiggle! I haven't run with it yet, but I'll let you know how it goes soon! 

Ooooh, new belt!

RACE DAY 

The morning of the race my buddies and I caught the DART train at the ungodly hour of 5:30am - in the rain. Oy! We got to the Convention Center at 6am and found the start line. I got a banana and some water. Visited the clean potties (yay! for being the first one to use it!). It was chilly, but it stopped raining and you could hear the race crews saying that there weren't be any more (yes!). Thankfully the weather was just right for my "go-to" outfit... my bleach shirt, compressions, and hat.

I often wonder if I need to broaden my shirt choice, but I like this one! 

We didn't gear check until until 7:30am cause we didn't want to give up our warm jackets until we really had to. Gear Check was pretty awesome. There were 13 or so UPS trucks lined up an you found one that had the letters that your last named fitted within. Once the race started the trucks moved to the finish line at the American Airlines Center. While we hung out near gear check I visited the bathroom two more times and stood near a generator for a portable street light to stay warm.

While waiting in Corral13 I got to meet up with my running friend and former co-worker Jane from back home! She also got to meet my current running buddies/coworkers too! Back in February we quickly hugged each other after we finished the Austin Half Marathon, but that was it. This time we got to take a picture of each other and talk and start the race together. She was extremely excited that I told her was I doing the Dallas Marathon in December, and had offered any help needed for training. I didn't see her after that, but we talked on Facebook afterwards. Out of 10,000 people we managed to find each other. This was awesome!!!

The start was really nice. Instead of just counting down just once at the very beginning with Corral 1 the MCs started each corral with a countdown. Not only did this help with spacing, but it also helped make it feel like the race really started when you cross the line, especially after you had to wait about 15-20 minutes before it you could cross the start. Does that make sense?

Just like we planned H and I ran the race together. We were doing 2 mile intervals to get our bodies use to the idea of doing this (we plan on doing this for our marathon training later this year). We also planned to stay in front of the 02:45 pace group so that we knew we would finish before that - looking for that PR time. What sucked though was I needed to pee the moment we started running. My bladder was hyper that morning possibly due to over-hydration but especially since it was lady's time (ugh!). All the port-a-potties had big lines - the downside of such a big race. I held it until around Mile 4 or so then I got in the shortest line I saw. Just as I was stepping into the loo the 02:45 pace group ran past! Ack!

Let's turn it up to 11, Spinal Tap friends!

We had to run faster to catch up to the pace group, and I think that's what burned me a bit later on in the race. We did eventually pass the group, which was an great. I felt good up until Mile 9, which was then things were getting hard for my legs.Granted there was a mountain of a hill around this time too. Mile 10 - with a 5k left to go - and I was dragging. H was doing great and she kept me going, which I was very thankful for. When we got Mile 12 - at the last hill - we walked our last interval. After going up it was all downhill. I love finishing a race going down!  We basically sprinted to the finish line. I was so done! I beat H by a SECOND! Mwahaha!

Finishing time: 02:38:09! A new Personal Record!

The course was actually really nice. Good scenery. We ran through Dealey Plaza. Ran over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. I loved going down the roundy-roundy ramp (technical term in use here) after the bridge. There were just enough hills to make it challenging, especially at the end. There were a good amount of water stations and good amount of port-a-potties. What I also found extremely cool was there were running medics. These jersey wearing runners ran the race and would ask how everyone was doing. If you were having any sort of issue they would help you. This is way better than getting to a water station and waiting for a medic or waiting till you get to a medic station. I got to say... that was pretty cool!

Post-Race food in the finishing chute included little packets of craisens, Lay's potato chips, bananas, bottled water, bottled Gatorade, and cartons of chocolate milk. I took it all, and consumed it all!

H and I got our medals engraved for $20. Then got our bags from the UPS folks.

I have an idea for big races...I hope someone sees this.... Please, please have a spot for runners to change clothes that does not involve a toilet!

 I don't typically shy away from changing my shirts and such with people around, but I really wanted to change my bra (If I had remembered to pack it - doh!) and to a dry pair of Runderpants. I didn't end up doing that cause the port-a-potty was my only choice of changing room. Just changed my top layers instead. Not entirely fun, but it was manageable.

Instead of waiting to get Tex-Mex when we got yummies at the Samson's Gourmet Hot Dog tent. I just got a 9" dog with cheddar cheese, ketchup and mustard. The bun was amazing!I ate it in under 10 minutes!

YUM!!!

After momentarily getting lost finding the DART station I could finally text the family how it went an how achy I was (I will mention here that the station needed more seats!!!). The ride home was long, involving a transfer, not entirely the comfiest, but it was so much nicer than trying to drive through the traffic.

The race was great. It would have gotten my complete "Awesome Stamp of Approval" if my legs hadn't tired out toward the end. I would definitely do it again. Right now they're offering a low-cost registration fee for next year. I think I just might do that!

Oh, and did I mention that I ran the entire race without a single earbud stuck in my ear? That's a first! 

Did you run a race recently? What was it and how'd you do?!

 Images found here and here.

2015 Austin Half Marathon Recap

I did it. I ran one of my dream half marathons! The Austin Half Marathon!

After training at White Rock Lake and Flag Pole Hill for months, waiting for work to approve a day off so I could get my packet, and obsessively watching monitoring the weather for more than a week I was going to Austin to be 1 of 15,000 runners to be part of the 24th Austin Marathon and Half Marathon! Other than my trip to Tyler, TX for the Tyler Rose Half this is by far the biggest destination run I've done thus far! Exciting! (I'm going to be use in the exclamation point " ! " a lot in this post, so be prepared!).

TRAVEL
I am uber thankful to have my pit crew (aka mom) to drive from Dallas down to Austin for me. That meant I could snooze and adjust my sitting position as much as I could during the 3.5+ hr drive! Surprisingly, the roads were clear until we hit north Round Rock, which was unusual because I never experience traffic for no apparent reason in that area (and I lived there for 12 years!). And, of course, there was traffic when you got closer to downtown Austin. The real traffic really began when we tried to get to the Palmer Event Center for packet pickup! Wow!

8 minutes my foot! It was more like 15, at least!
P.S. - The Long Center is next door to Palmer Event. 

MARATHON MARKETPLACE 
The Marketplace was a hoppin' place! Packet Pickup was quick and easy. They organized it by race then bib number. What goodies did I get in my packet?

• Race shirt
• I got a Women's Large and it isn't to snug! Yay! 
• Bib 
• Safety Pins
• Event booklet
• contains info on pre-race events, spectator info, and the all-important race day course, start line staging and finish chute and fun stuff! 
• Clif bar sample 
• Vitamin samples 
• Men's Collagen 
• Gummy vitamins for kids 
• Where's the stuff for women??? 
• All of this came in your clear Gear Check bag
• This is the only type of bag accepted at Gear Check 

We walked the vendors, which was fewer than what I was expecting. We bought some Nuun. I bought some new shirts that I can wear whenever (they're a bit big on me, but good to lounge in after a run).

THE HOTEL AND ROOM 
I was extremely fortunate enough to have a friend pay for my hotel room (thank you, thank you, thank you!) - and it was the Austin Hilton (next door to the Austin Convention Center). Uber nice.

Our room was on the 17th floor and had a skyline view! Wow!

Just on the other side of the icicle style Frost Bank tower is where I'll be staging myself for the race!

The bed is one of the most important thing that I rate whenever I travel, especially when I need to run. The beds were actually a little too firm for my taste. I like sleeping on clouds. But the pillows (you got four!) were quite nice!

The bed headboard had little reading lights installed in the headboard. Cool. The nightstand had a gadget that lets you control all the lights and AC in one spot. Nice.

The bathroom was clean, spacious, and had instant hot water and it got HOT! Very nice!


PRE-RACE DINNER 
After experiencing the traffic downtown, we decided to walk to dinner! There's a lot of places to eat downtown, especially if you're near the convention center. Having eaten there before a few years back we went to the Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill cause I knew the food there wouldn't be too out there or spicy (my second choice was going to be PF Changs, but I couldn't trust myself to behave!). The wait was about an hour, which was to be expected since it was race weekend... but it was also Valentine's Day (boo!).

They have selection of tastiness. I really like their Cornflakes Fried Chicken salad, but I wanted something with more carbs since I really didn't have much of a lunch. So, I went for The Turkey Press. It was very tasty. I had asked for no boursin cheese (since I never had it before I didn't want to have a lactose problem all of a sudden - especially the next morning.), but they put it on anyway. The sweet potato fries were yummy, and came with a roasted tomatillo dipping sauce, which was just spicy enough that I was afraid of heartburn the next morning. I am glad to say, that I didn't not have any tummy troubles! Yay!

Oh, and they offered free popcorn, which was buttery, a bit spicy, and quite salty and it worked while you waited for the main course. They also had jalapeño cornbread, but we passed on it.

P.S. If I wasn't running I would've so tried their Ruby Slipper Martini!

THE RACE
The weather was near perfect. It was 55 degrees with 4-10 mph wind and very high humidity. As any runner should know you want to make sure you wear the right about of clothes. I ended up wearing my capris, a tech tee shirt, a hat, and for the first couple miles some arm sleeves (aka my $2 tube socks). During parts of the race I thought, "Maybe I should've worn my shorts or tank top?" to counter the humidity, but then the wind found me and it changed my mind!

Wasn't thinking about taking race-day clothes picture.
Oh, and my hat is somewhere - hiding. 

This was my first official race that I wore my brand new Nathan Intensity hydration vest. I bought this to replace a belt pack and my handhelds. I like to be free. I got to say, it worked out really well! I was really nice skipping all the water stations, and you could focus on not slipping in crushed waxed paper cups. My shoulders were a little tight after running with this (I didn't drink as much of my 2 liters as I thought I would), but it really worked out. Great investment! Wish I could justify wearing it during 5ks too!

We walked the 4 blocks blocks to Congress Ave and was there around 6:15am. After walking around a little bit it was time for me to get in a line to have a potty break (I always needs to go twice before a race. Always. The first visit was right before we left the hotel.). Here's a tip: When picking a line to join find one that has men in it. Unless they have other business they're quicker going in and out!

When it came to staging I stuck myself around the 5:00:00 marathon pace time (it's all done on the honor system here, peeps!), which was about two blocks away from the start. Mom and I chatted - aka plotting her path to a safe side walk and where she was going to be during the course. I got high-fived from two women behind me for doing the Beat the Blerch Virtual Half Marathon (I was wearing the race shirt). The nerves weren't rearing their ugly head so far! Bonus!

The race started right on time, but by the time I crossed the start line it was 12 minutes after 7am. I swear I had mixed emotions when as I walked up to the start - It's weird and awkward to run a big race without a running buddy (a lot of people in my pace area had one), but then I remember I'm doing one of my dream races and I got happy again. Then I saw my mom right before the start. Sweet! Then moment I passed over the start and began to run. The adrenaline kicked in! I was off!

My pace was pretty steady for the first half of the course. Between miles 1 - 4 the course had you going up steady hills (gaining about 200ft in elevation), which helped quite a bit in keeping me from going too fast. I was still going faster than I had started out doing in other half marathons, which made me worried a bit. But I was averaging close to a 12:30mpm at first then lower to just under 12:00. That's slower than what I've been pushing during training. I was also not doing any sort of intervals with my Garmin - I planned on a minute walk whenever my body told me it was time to do so. After Mile 4 we turned around and headed back towards downtown.

I got to see my mom and her motivation sign at around Mile 6 (1st and Cesar Chavez).

Thank you Geico for having blank signs for family to use at the Marketplace! 

Because my pace was steady I never really got winded (at least not until some of those hills), but my legs were definitely feeling those hills that I already ran up and down. I didn't have to walk until I reached Mile 8. My legs felt like jelly for a moment, but I was able to start running a minute later.

When I hit somewhere between Mile 9.5 and 10.5 I had to walk up the crest of some hills cause they were a just steep enough on tired legs. Having grown up for the most part in Austin/Round Rock area it was really fun passing by places I use to see all the time!

At Mile 11 I stopped for a minute to stretch my achy hip flexors - knowing I had to prep myself for The Hill at mile 12. Now. Let me tell you - I've seen pictures of The Hill. But yeah, it's different when you see in person! A friend of mine who was also running (and who has done this race loads of time) and I decided to call it Monster Mountain!

Yep. Those pictures above is of the Monster Mountain! I started out well. Keeping my hips under me and trudging up the hill. But just a over half way I had to walk it up, but right at the top I was able to keep on running. Whoa!! Perfectly enough, Katy Perry's song Roar started playing when I was going up the hill and I was singing along until I had to walk. Screw you, Monster Mountain!

Also, I have to mention that the spectators who were on that hill cheering the runners on were AMAZING! They had loud music, cowbells, signs that read "This Hill is your B*#@%!". Awesome.

After going down the backside of Monster Mountain I was at the 12.5 Mile mark - just 0.6 miles to go! I was watching my Garmin, and I was debating whether I was going to, at least, match my previous PR time of 02:47:52. Hmmmm. I really, wanted to not go past that time, but I seriously didn't know if my legs could carry me fast enough.

There was a slight hill right before you got to the side of the Capital Building that had to be walked, but after that I knew I was close. Oh, so close! I ran.

And ran. Only a few blocks away.

And ran. It felt like it was taking forever to go another bock!

Look at watch at the Mile 13... 02:38:42 ... holy shit! I ran faster!

The spectators cheers were amazing! I turned  the last corner on to Congress, right in front of the Capital. Ah! The finish line! Sweet! The MC shouts over the mic - telling people to get ready to help bring the runners in. I'm in the chute... running the last block to the line. My eyes dart around to catch a glimpse of the pit crew but I'm really focused on that finish line.

Run

Running

Still running

All of a sudden I hear the MC say my name as I run over the finish line. Arms go up in victory!

Ran across the line. Sweet! 

Oh! Stop the Garmin.

And I slowed down to a stop.

I just finished a half marathon. 13.1 miles! Amazing!


FINISHING
My chip time was 02:40:41. That, ladies and gents, is a PR! This is 007:11 minutes faster than my last half marathon (The Tyler Rose)!

I would've danced around, but I was so tired! I was so happy to stop running. My legs were so ached! Oh, boy, did my knees hurt!

But I did it. I completed one of my dream races! The cheering around the finish line was awesome!

POST RACE FUN 
There was quite a bit of stuff in the finish chute! You got bottles of water and cups of gatorade. You got your medal (this baby is a heavy one!), and a little further down there were photographers ready to take your pictures while you walk toward the exit or you could stop by a booth and they'll take your picture with a backdrop (I did that after I figured out where my pit crew was and we talked through the fence). Then there was the food! They had assortment of mini bagels, bananas, granola bars and an assortment of chips. Yum! After exiting the chute to join the rest of the world, I found an section of empty street curb to sit down and I scarfed down a blueberry bagel and banana with my water. I had half the mind to lie down, but I didn't.

Outside of the chute there were food trucks and other vendors. One that I really wanted to see was the engravers... they will engrave your medal with your name and your chip time... for $20! Done! (I know that it's a little risky (?) to engrave your unofficial chip time before the official time is announced, but I really wanted to do it!). 

I also got a coffee from the food coffee truck Lucky Lab Coffee Co.. I got a basic dripped coffee with steamed almond milk. Really well priced! It was yummy and perfect to keep me going a little while longer!

If you see this truck - give them a tip!!!

There was a huge line for the PR gong, so I didn't do that. Maybe I should've tried (I was a little self-conscious all of a sudden too - damn.) ... oh, well.

I got to briefly see and hugged a former-coworker-friend-fellow-runner while I was getting coffee too, which is so great! She's a great supporter for me on Facebook these days!

After about an hour recovery we needed to go back to the hotel to get clean, pack and check out by noontime.

By the way, a hot shower after a run like this (especially in a nice hotel)... HEAVEN! 

POST RACE MEAL
Wearing a comfy pair of sweat pants and a light hoodie, compression leg sleeves and proudly wearing my medal we found SUSTENANCE. FOOD! We drove back to Round Rock to eat at Chuy's Tex-Mex. They have the BEST chicken fajitas anywhere, and is perfect for a recovery meal. We had to wait about 40 minutes for a table, but thank the Lord they had chips and salsa available in the bar. I ate a whole basket while we waited... otherwise I was going to eat my mom's arm off!

Mine. All. Mine! 

Yummy!!!

I RUN FOR KOLACHES... AND CINNAMON ROLLS  (Aka the trip home)
One great thing about living in Texas the kolaches! I'm part Czech, and grew up eating the occasional kolaches (they're a denser than the yeasty TX kolaches, though). One of the best stops between Dallas and Austin... The ol' Czech Stop right off of 35! Well worth the line! Yum!

Drooool 

NEXT DAY ANALYSIS 
My legs ached. One knee hurt a bit. But I was doing good. I slept well. (I didn't really sleep well the morning of the race... maybe it was the firm bed?). I was extremely happy when I analyzed my Garmin stats.

Of my 02:40:41 time... I ran for a total of 02:32:03. I only walked/stretched for a total of 00:07:38.

I feel. Awesome!

When's the next race?


Image of hydration vest from here.