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!

2016 BCS Marathon Recap

OK! I'm skipping any photos for the sake of share! Here's my recap from the 2016 BCS Full Marathon, which I will have to say I really liked running! Better late than never right?


THE RECAP 

DAY BEFORE
My fiance, M, and I headed out around noontime for College Station to get to the hotel. We had stayed at Hyatt Place, which was very conveniently located about 5 minutes away from the Start Line. It was also a race hotel, which helped with the cost and stress of getting to the race on time. The room was nice, but a little funky. You could tell that it was an older hotel that was redone (or at least I thought so). The bed was a bit too firm for my taste, bit was nice. I never found out what type of "runner breakfast" deal they were giving the runner because the front desk didn't know. That was OK for me cause I didn't want to eat anything new race morning!

After checking into the hotel, we drove down to to Packet Pick-Up, which is where saw my running buddy HC and her hubby. The expo was really small, and was held in the cafeteria at the high school. Everything was a breeze to go through, which was great. No stress or sensory overload like other expos I've been too! I like the race shirt I got, and it fits great, which was something I was worried about when I asked for a Women's Large vs my usual Men's Medium (it's all in the cuts!).

After the procuring my bib, we made our way back to near the hotel. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Mmmmm! I love their rolls. I had a steak with green beans and a sweat potato. The steak was delicious, and I felt good that I was fueling with that, especially since I'm representing the TX BEEF Team during the race.

All this time, I was calm. I kept on realizing, "I'm running 26.2 miles tomorrow." But I never freaked out or got nervous. Back at the hotel I laid out all of my gear so that I could easily get dressed in the early morning.

EARLY MORNING PRE-RACE PREP
My alarm went off at 4:30am. I wasn't nervous yet. At least, not about the race. I was more nervous of trying not to set of the smoke detector in the room when I heat up my Eggo waffles for my breakfast and running fuel. Yep, that's right. I lugged my toaster with me to the hotel. I had my waffles in a cooler (now defrosted, which helped I think). I also brought my own coffee and drip cone cause I did not trust the hotel coffee. It all worked out! I even managed to poop before, which was something I've been training my body to do (thank you coffee!) during this training season.

When I had to get dressed was the when I started to get nervous. I was worried about the weather, but ended up wearing a long sleeve shirt (my Dallas Marathon shirt) and my Beef tank top. I only packed my capris and chose the ones that I ran in during training, but also at my last marathon. When we stepped outside I was surprised as to how warm it was. It was due in part to humidity.

THE RACE
We parked at the mall and followed the crowd to the Start Line area. I did my first porta-potty stop before finding HC and her hubby. We didn't have long till the start of the race. We pretty chatted lightly while I stretched and warmed up. During the entire pre-race time I was notably calm! I wasn't freaking out. I felt ready but also still thinking about the fact that I had 26.2 miles ahead of me. But, it wasn't a big deal. It was just a run. Weird, right? I had one more potty break, and I was ready.

Mile 1 - 4
HC and I ran together until we reached the first water station around the 5k mark. I thought we were walking through the stations, but she only did half the station and then she was off. I had to stop and stretch. I kept tabs on her for bit, but she was long gone by the time I saw the split for the marathoners and the half marathoners. It was a littler surreal that most of the runners were half-ers and I went down the road less traveled - where the badass marathoners went.

Mile 5 - 13
Around Mile 6 or so I had to pee and stretch. Another person from the Beef Team asked if I was OK after she saw me stretching, which was uber nice. I was doing good. Just keeping hamstring happy.  Pretty the next handful of miles I watched other runners. There was another runner who would take pictures as he went along, and I thought it was curious as to what he was capture, such as a school or or a house. This entertained me for a while.

Bryan is a bit sleepier of a town than I had imagined it. It was fun passing little houses, schools, but it was gone before I knew it. 

I saw HC as she crossed the 13 Mile marker. She looked like that she was about to start walking. I thought about yelling to her, but knew that she may not here me, which sucks. Even then, I had about a mile left to catch up to her and she may not want to wait for me. I run on in the opposite direction to reach the half-way mark of the race.

Mile 14 - 20
Once I past 13 miles and heading the direction of Heather, I completely lost her. I was back to being a lone. I was doing just fine. I was recognizing my that I was doing good, not as burned out at this time compared to the Dallas Marathon, but overall I have to aware of getting tired. Right around Mile 15 I new that I was getting bored and realized how far I had to go. My legs were feeling tired/achy. I was starting to get into my head. Uh oh. Thankfully, right around this time a small group of 3 runners were passing me.

I had been playing cat and mouse with this trio for the past couple of miles. The husband and wife duo were running intervals, and keeping another young woman keep the faith. I decided to tag a log. Eventually, during the next mile, I told them I was piggybacking off of their interval. The husband was definitely a fellow with a good sense of humor (goofy in most respects) and his wife was the more serious person. They were a wonderful distraction. I didn't think about my legs. I also had a regimented interval to follow, which was nice. Granted, it did slow my time down. At Mile 20 we were now getting to the A&M campus.

Mile 21 - 25
My pace was calmer. I'm feeling really good! I'm feeling accomplished already! My goal of 6 hrs was looking good, but then I was getting slower. I lost track of timing. Due in part that I was slightly worried to peel away from the trio because I would lose my mojo. Oh, well! I did split from the group at around Mile 24.

Mile 25 to Finish
I was excited to finish! I was so close! I pace sped up, but I still did walking breaks to make sure I didn't burn at the end. I remember seeing the 26 Mile Marker was amazing! I think I actually stopped to take a picture... and to stretch! I remember bounding around the corner to the finish line, I had the biggest smile (even the MC noted it!)! M was there in the stands video recording me.

I crossed the finish line, and I felt good. I felt proud. I felt relieved.

They put the medal around my neck, and I kept walking. I eventually stopped, and sort put my head between my knees. I was full of so much emotion, I started crying.

M was at the fence, and I went over to hug him. He was worried I was hurt, but it was just happy tears.

We walked together, and eventually found HC with her family. Everything was good. I felt great. Walking back to the car was a little hard, but I did it.


POST RACE
What is awesome with the BCS is that the Start/Finish is right near a Chuy's Tex-Mex! SCORE! M and I got a table pretty quickly, and I ordered fajitas just for myself. While we waited on that ate so many chips and salsa! I did change my clothes in the bathroom since M had to check out of our hotel earlier. The meal was ah-mazing!

The road trip back was really good! I didn't fall asleep as quickly as I expected. Granted, I wanted to make sure I navigated M correctly. We found our way to West to pick up some kolaches at the Czech Stop on the way home to the Dallas area.


OVERALL THOUGHTS 
I remember being surprisingly calm the night before and the morning of. It seemed like any other race. Though my finish time was slower than my first marathon (2015 Dallas Marathon), but I felt so much better! I didn't hit a mental wall like I did before. I knew I was getting close to getting into my head around Mile 15, but since I piggy-backed off the intervals of the one couple they distracted me. Next time around I know not to get into my head.


WOULD I RUN THIS RACE AGAIN?
Yes! I want to run this race again!


FINISH TIME 
Official finish time: 06:19:30

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.

Make Tracks for the Zoo 5K Recap

In May 2014 I visited my amazing and genius brother in St. Louis. It just so happened that the zoo was having their annual Make Tracks for the Zoo 5K walk/run that same weekend. The race, which benefits this amazing zoo, takes you around the famed Forest Park and ends with yummies inside the zoo before it opens! Awesome! I had to do it. I even talked my brother into running it with me (he was going to walk me over there any!). It was all uber exciting since it was my first race outside of Texas to boot!

It was a cool but sunny morning. Just a few degrees below perfect race weather. Living really close to the park we just walked over, which was a good warm up. Race day packet pickup proved to be pretty painless (I'm always wary of them), and I got one of most favorite race shirts. It's green and has a cheetah cat on it! Only downside that I remember... no gear check (oh, and bananas... keep reading to find out). So! My brother rode his bike out to stash our stuff in his locker at Washington University, which was closer to us than home. 

This picture does not give the American flag size justice! 

The race starts just down street from the Saint Louis Zoo entrance, and takes you past some of the big features of beautiful Forest Park, such as the World's Fair Pavilion, The MUNY, the Jewel Box. It also takes you up some pretty awesome hills too. It was one of first few races that I did that made me think... I need to train on hills! Whew!

So, yes, I had a little difficulty navigating the hills, but I managed (I had walked them a couple days before while we explored the park, so we were acquainted already). My brother, whose is far more athletic than I (not to mention taller) slowed down his pace to stay with me, which was much appreciated! That's sibling love, people!

The race ended at the start. The post-race yummies were served at a side entrance for the zoo. They had everything from yogurt, apples, cinnamon raisin rolls, chocolate milk, water, sports drinks, and coffee. They did not, however, have bananas. How ironic is that? We're at the zoo and there were no bananas to eat! I missed my banana!

Where's the banana?!? 

After we ate breakfast we visited some more of our favorite animals at the zoo before moving on to greater adventures outside of Forest Park. 

This is definitely a race that I would do again. For those with children, this is a race for the family too! Just bring bananas!

Source of course map here. Source of logo here.