...But now for the exciting news I mentioned on Friday's post...
I signed up for the Washington DC Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon on March 16th....yes, March 16th! As in, 12 days from now! I have been wanting to do a half marathon since college and I finally bit the bullet and registered.
Why Washington DC you ask? Well, I'm leaving next Wednesday to visit Jon in Pittsburgh for a few weeks and I had asked him to take me to DC or New York for my birthday (which is March 27th, hint hint people). Since Pittsburgh is only a few hours drive away and he has a friend in DC that we can stay with, we opted to go there for the weekend. Well, lucky me! There just so happened to be a half marathon at that time. AND St. Patty's that Sunday! "Should be a good time" is an understatement.
I have never been to DC before and I am beyond excited! The run starts right in front of The Capitol building and loops through downtown, along the Potomac River, and ends at RFK Stadium. You can view the course map here. I'm hoping I'll be more focused on sightseeing than the length of the run itself.
Seeing as how I registered less than 3 weeks before the race, I needed to start preparing...quick! I was a little worried because the longest run I've ever completed was 7 miles. I needed to make sure I could do more than that and went out to test my stamina this past Saturday.
My mom and I went over to a local trail about 5 minutes from my house. She walked some of it while I was determined to set out for a 10+ mile...just to make sure I could do that much. I was very surprised by my efforts and ran all but 1 minute of it for a "blowing the nose" break. My knees were crying out for some much needed ice packs after that. I'm planning on going again next weekend to make sure it wasn't a fluke and that I can indeed run 10 or more miles without stopping (they say the last 3 miles of the half marathon are fueled by competitiveness and adrenaline...so I'll believe what they say and not attempt to run a full 13.1 miles for the heck of it).
I also went out to REI and purchased some gear I may need for this race. I'm imaging DC to be a tad chilly mid-March...especially at 7:30am...so I found some great items to help.
A belt to hold my tissues for my dreadful cold-weather runny nose!
And also to hold my energy chews (see below)
Thorlo Pad socks - the best running socks out there (in my opinion). They're warm enough for DC and have padding to prevent blisters.
Energy chews. I have yet to try any kind of chews out there, so this week I'll be testing each one out during my training runs. Stay tuned for the verdict on which one I'll pick for the race. I'm also open to opinions if anyone has feedback on which brands they prefer.
Found this bad boy marked down from $95 original price to $23 sale price! No brainer.
I also bought some shirts, shorts, capris, sports bra, and headbands at JcPenny's...not for the race, just because I can't pass up cute running gear on sale.
This is my first half marathon ever so I'm open to any words of wisdom and advice from y'all out there!
Back to serve my country at Jury Duty...if only I viewed it that way haha :)
3/4/2013: Miles run - 166.5 of 1000. Miles remaining - 833.5 of 1000
You will do great! I keep saying if I ever do another full ( big IF ) I'm going somewhere ive never been before. I did all my long runs during training with the Gu Chomps because I'm a big gum chewer so I didn't mind having to chew something up. They were the one thing I forgot to pack for raceday though so I commited a cardinal running sin and went with an unfamiliar brand (Powerbar raspberry..they were delish!) .. didn't affect me but I've heard horror stories so I'd try and find something your body likes for the big day. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I still don't know how you did a full marathon! 10 miles was killing me...but maybe one day I'll attempt to do a full...mayyybee one day. I tried the GU Chomps yesterday and they were tasty (went with the watermelon flavor), but I didn't see a big change in my run...but it wasn't a long run either, so I'll have to test them out again with a long run. But the flavor and texture worked for me. I'll test out the others before making a decision, but I was a fan. Thanks for the advice :)
DeleteNo way! I'm running the DC R&R half!! It's a great course!! It was my first half marathon back in 2010 before it was a R&R series. I was just like you - I had never really run over 6-7 miles so two weeks before the race I went out on a 10 mile run just to make sure it was possible. It turned out great! My joints definitely weren't ready for all the pavement pounding, but I survived and surprised myself by running the whole way! Perhaps I'll see you out there!
ReplyDeleteAs for shot blocs/chomps, I have tried all the different flavors and turns out I am super picky because I only like the strawberry Shot Blocs. The race also offers GU (Vanilla Bean, Mandarin Orange and Strawberry Banana) at mile 9 just in case you need a last minute push.
ahh that's awesome! maybe we can meet up. feel free to email me at runningathousandmiles@gmail.com so we can get to know each other a little better. are you running it alone or with anyone else?
DeleteThanks for the advice on the chews. I loved the watermelon GU Chomps, but will be testing the others this week. Good to know about mile 9...even though none of those flavors really sound THAT appealing haha
Ha, I had my very first GU at that aid station my first half marathon...it was chocolate...and I didn't have water with it...and it was horrible. But it kept my thoughts occupied for at least a mile!
DeleteI think chomps/shot blocs are definitely a better way to go.
My sister and brother-in-law and a few of my friends are running it, but I'm not specifically running "with" anyone. I'll send you an email and we can chat!
I ran the RnR DC Half last year! It is a scenic course with pretty good crowd support, but it's hilly! Just a warning because I wasn't prepared for how hilly it would be and when they take you by surprise they are no fun. Enjoy our great city!!! www.runnerintherealworld.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited about the scenery! But thanks for the heads up on the hills. I'm working on pushing harder and training on some hills, so I"m hoping it won't be TOO terrible. I'll be sure to check out your blog as well.
DeleteAre you not running the half again this year?
I'm running the Nike Women's Half in DC in April so I opted out of the RnR this year!
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