All I Really Need to Know About My First Half Marathon I Learned in Washington DC

If you don't understand the title of this post, you definitely missed out on something GREAT in Kindergarten. You can learn more about my favorite poster here.

This weekend was my first half marathon in Washington DC. It was such a great experience and I loved every minute of it! 

Pre-Race:

Jon and I left Pittsburgh around 6pm on Friday after work. We got into DC and checked into The W Washington Hotel around 10. It was definitely "upscale" and we were very under-dressed. But I was too excited to be there to care! We dropped everything off in our room and went for a little walk around the area. Our hotel was about a block from the White House and the Washington Memorial, so we checked those out before going to bed around 11:30. I slept awful because I was so excited/nervous for the race, and whenever I know I have to get up early for something important, I can never sleep well. My alarm went off at 6am, I got dressed, did some stretching, and had a convenient breakfast that consisted of a banana, mini-wheat dry cereal, blueberry bread, and a protein bar. The hotel didn't have complimentary breakfast, so I had to make do with what we brought. It was just the right amount of food for me! Around 6:45, Jon walked with me to the tent to pick up my bib and time tracker. It was pretty cold out (mid-40s), but thankfully the rain held off! We found my corral and Jon waited with me until around 7:20 when they said the race was about to start. He went back to the hotel, and I took off!

 White House at night

 Washington Monument

 Pre-Race (Jon took my jacket because I didn't want to do gear check. I was cold at first, but after the 1st mile, my short sleeves and capris were perfect for the temperature)

Race Time:

I've done 5k and 10K races before, but this one was my first experience with it being super crowded! They had almost 20,000 people participate in the race. Once my corral crossed the start line, mile 1 and 2 consisted of me dodging and passing people. These were some of my slower miles, which frustrated me a bit because I wanted to start off strong. But I'll live and learn and next time I'll do better at estimating my finishing time so I can be in a corral closer up to the start line with people who are running at more my speed. 

Here's some thoughts that went through my head on each mile:

Mile 1 - "Move it or lose it people!" "I'm pretty cold," "Lets pray I don't trip and fall"

Mile 2 - "Why are people already using the port-a-potty's? Did you not prepare and go before", "Oh crap, do I need to pee?" "Okay good, it's just my mind psyching me out"

Mile 3 - "Why are people already walking?" "Oh, hey look, there's a kid running in a tiger suit" "Oh, hey look, there's a man doing this on rollerblades...is that legal?"

Mile 4 - "Time for a Honey Stinger energy chew...or three" "I'm feeling good! I've got this"

Mile 5 - "Don't laugh at the 'Run Like Phoebe' Sign" "Wow, these signs are great! I'm loving the crowds energy" "Whoa that guy almost hit me! Jerk"

Mile 6 - "Time for another energy chew and some water" "I'm still feeling good, I'm right at the pace I want to be" 

Mile 7 - "What the HECK!?! Would you look at that hill!" "OMG I'm dying on this hill" "I want to walk this so bad"

Mile 8 - "Wow, that was intense, I'm so glad it's mostly downhill from here" "Time for another chew and water" "5 more miles to go! I've got this" "Move outta my way people!"

Mile 9 - "Wow, there are guys running this in KISS costumes" "Awww a Great Dane Puppy!" "I wish I could join the people on the sidelines cheering us on for a green beer"

Mile 10 - "Do I need or want another chew? No, I'm good...I don't want to slow down" "Almost there!" "Woot! I just hit 200 miles this year!"

Mile 11 - "Owwwww my legs are hurting...give me more downhills!" "Okay, random lady on the side of the street passing out M&M's...I'd never take candy from a stranger"

Mile 12 - "Ahhhh I can't believe I'm STILL running and haven't walked any of it" "This is insane" "I can't wait to take a nap after this"

Mile 13 - "This is surreal...I'm about to finish my first half marathon under my goal time" "I want to do another one"

Mile 13.1 - "Don't cry!" 

So there's a brief synopsis of my mental state during my race. I'm serious when I say I can't wait to do another one! Even though I'd prefer to do another one that isn't quite as crowded, because I did spend a lot of time and extra mileage passing people. My GPS said I ran 13.65 miles vs. 13.1, which is due to me not running in a straight line, passing people on the outsides, and not always taking the sharpest turns. 

What my GPS said

My splits - You can see Mile 7 was the Hill of Doom!

Official Results

Post Race:

Once I crossed the finish line and held back the tears (don't ask me why I was getting emotional...), I grabbed as much free stuff as I could hold and went to look for Jon. He ran about 4 miles from the hotel to the finish line to meet me so that I wouldn't have to get back to the hotel by myself...such a good guy! He was a great supporter and I probably wouldn't have done this if I was alone. Once I found him, we took the subway back to our hotel. I quickly showered and laid down for a glorious 2 hour nap (Thank God for late check out)! After our nap, we grabbed some lunch and went to see a few more monuments before heading to Baltimore to visit his friend Steve and celebrate St. Patrick's Day. 

Post race - Give me that bagel and free Jamba Juice! I actually grabbed 2 Jamba Juice smoothies, because I was going to give Jon one, but it took me a while to find him so I ended up drinking both :) Sorry babe!

Post-Race bands that we didn't listen to. 

I was definitely a slow, Grandma walker the rest of the day. I'm still pretty sore from it all. We are going to the gym this evening and I plan on taking it very easy with a little walking and possible light jogging to the my joints moving again and release the lactic acid in my muscles. 

Here are few more photos from the rest of our DC visit after the race.

Yes, I'm wearing flip flops in 60 degree weather...my feet needed to be free!

3/18/2013: Miles run - 203.5 of 1000. Miles remaining - 796.5 of 1000

Carb Loading

What do I love most about preparing for races? Carb loading the day before! I have been craving carbs intensely this week, so I gave in and just ate them because I knew I'd need the energy for tomorrow's half marathon in DC. I'm filling my muscles to the brim with Glycogen! Let's see, I had pasta on Tuesday (haven't had pasta in months!), a big turkey sandwich on Wednesday, chicken mole enchiladas last night (I cannot pass up mole...even if it is at a Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh), and sushi today for lunch (tons of rice). I'm definitely staying off the scale for a few days!

I did an easy 3 miles last night on the treadmill and taking today off to rest. I'm ready for tomorrow! Jon and I are off to DC in about 2 hours. Everything is packed and I'm crossing my fingers I didn't forget anything. The hotel doesn't start serving breakfast until 7am, so since I'm planning to be out there by 6:45ish, we're going to need to stop for groceries!  A good breakfast is essential.

On a side note:

Has anyone else notice the new fancy Mileage Tracker plug-in I installed a few weeks ago to the right of this post?

Dailymile.com is awesome! It's a great alternative to my iExcel sheet I have been using to track my mileage. Plus, it's pretty :) 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Wish me luck and pray it doesn't rain too much.


3/15/2013: Miles run - 190 of 1000. Miles remaining - 810 of 1000

Running Clubs

Hello from Pittsburgh! 2 more days until the DC Half Marathon. I'm sure y'all are sick of hearing about it by now, but I'm waaaay excited since it's my first one ever! 

Today I wanted to write about running clubs. I've come across a few I found online in the Austin area, but honestly, I'm a bit intimidated by them. I've never been a huge fan of running with a partner, much less a big group of people, but I've never really even given it a fair shot...so maybe it's about time I try it out. 

Running is most commonly known as a solitary sport, so when people decide they want to run in groups, it can seem a bit out of the ordinary. Running can get lonely at times, but it's also great "alone time" to collect your thoughts, relax, and zone out. But, if you're more of a social person and are looking for that in a workout, running clubs might be a good fit. 

Here are a few benefits of running clubs:

-Safer - Saftey in numbers, people.
-Conversation - If you want to stay at a relaxed pace and have a full on conversation, more power to you. However, I prefer no talking when I'm in the zone. 
-Increased Motivation - find someone to push you and make you get up early for that 5 mile run!
-Better Performance (sometimes) - This depends on what you're looking for in the running club. If you want to be pushed, then yes, they can affect your performance. If you're in it more for the social aspect, then your performance may not change.
-Meet new people and expand your social circle
-Learn new routes
-Pass the time quicker
-Gain advice and learn from others who may be more experienced than you - such as nutrition, injury prevention, race preparation, gears and shoes recommendations, etc. 
-Belong to a group - they usually send out newsletters, have get together's (Happy Hour, anyone?), meetings, discounts on races and gear, etc.
-Bring out your competitive side- no one wants to be last in the group!

You can find a running club in your area here. I'm definitely going to check one out after I get back to Texas in a few weeks. 

I'll be hitting 200 miles on Mile 10 of the Marathon on Saturday! Woot!

3/14/2013: Miles run - 190 of 1000. Miles remaining - 810 of 1000

Joint Pain Update

Just a quick update post today!

Back in January, I blogged about having some knee pain during my runs, which I thought was a little odd for a youngin' like me (ahhh I'll be 25 in 2 weeks from today...nooooo!). I researched a bit and started taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin. At first, I was taking an entire pill every day and it was causing my stomach to become a bit upset. So I cut back and starting cutting the pills in half and taking half a pill daily, which helped tremendously with the stomach issues. 

It took a few weeks, but I have definitely noticed a big difference in my joint pain. My knees no longer hurt during runs (even on the tough pavement) and they're pain-free after my 3-6 mile runs. Anything longer than 6 miles, a little joint discomfort is natural and normal for me.  But overall I'm very glad I started taken the supplements so that I can continue with my goal and keep on running! I highly recommend them if you're like me and have some general discomfort in your knees during your workouts. 

Today is my rest day since I'm traveling to Pittsburgh this evening. Tomorrow will be an easy 3 miles, followed by another rest day on Friday before the DC Half Marathon on Saturday. The forecast says it's supposed to be a low of 36 and a high of 64 (my kind of temps) but with a 40% chance of rain...bummer! I do NOT want to run in the rain, but I will if I must. I'm starting my "non-rain" dance now. 

3/13/2013: Miles run - 187 of 1000. Miles remaining - 813 of 1000

Chews Review

Does that title rhyme, or am I just weird thinking that it does? It's probably just because both words have a "w" in them. 

Anywaysssss, 2 weekends ago I bought some gear at REI for my upcoming half marathon in DC this Saturday. Included in my purchases were 3 types of energy chews that I wanted to test out before the race this weekend. I'm a chew newbie (that should rhyme too since they both have a "w" in them, right?) and I wanted to test out a few before selecting one for my upcoming long distance run. I wasn't sure what to expect (maybe the placebo effect), but I had to give them a shot and see what all the hype was about. 

I purchased 3 types:
1. Clif Shot Bloks in Chocolate Cherry Flavor
2. GU Chomps in Watermelon Flavor
3. Honey Stinger in Pomegranate Passion Fruit Flavor

I tested each kind out this past week and I definitely think they made a big difference in my performance. I enjoyed the taste of all 3 (even though Chocolate might not be the best choice for Texas weather...I forsee these melting in my belt pocket as it gets closer to Summer). 

The Clif Shot Bloks are $2 for a pack of 6 "bloks" and have about 33 calories per piece. Each piece has 2g of sugar, 9mg of sodium, 2.5mg of potassium, 4g of carbs, and 17mg of caffeine. They are 95% organic. The pieces were a little big for my liking and trying to chew them while running threw off my breathing a bit. Before my 4 mile run, I ate one "blok" and had another after mile 2. You can see it kicking in at the beginning of my last mile (good news for this weekend when I hit that 4 mile marker...that's usually my make or break point for most of my runs). 

Overall I'd give the Clif Shot Bloks a 3.5 out of 5.

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The GU Chomps are $1.59 for a pack of 8 and have 22.5 calories per chew. Each piece has 2.75g of sugar, 12.5mg of sodium, 10mg of potassium, 5.75g of carbs, and no caffeine. 4 pieces will give you 100% of your daily Vitamin C and Vitamin E needs. The watermelon flavor definitely caught my eye at the store, as that's typically my favorite type of flavored anything (especially Starburst and Jolly Ranchers). However, even though it still tastes good, it's not quite the watermelon deliciousness I'm used to. It has some hint of citrus (at least according to my taste buds), which I'm not a big fan of. These didn't have the same impact on my performance as the Clif Shot Bloks. My GPS and I didn't really notice any difference in my pace (I didn't take a picture of my splits because they weren't that different from the norm). 

Overall I'd give GU Chomps a 2.5 out of 5. 

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The Honey Stingers are $2.30 for a pack of 10 and have 16 calories per chew. Each piece has 2.7g of sugar, 8mg of sodium, 4mg of potassium, 4g of carbs, and no caffeine. They are 100% organic. The entire pack of 10 will give you 100% of your daily Vitamin C needs. The Stingers are also the only one of the 3 to provide any protein (1g in the entire pack). Even though each brand's flavor was tasty, the Honey Stingers Pomegranate Passion Fruit was by far my favorite! I tested these out on a 5 mile run last week and had some pretty incredible split times (in my opinion at least). I had a chew before I started, one before mile 3, and another before mile 5. I have run 8:02 and 8:10 miles before, but they're usually done at mile 1 or 2, not at mile 3, 4, and 5! I'm usually slowing down my pace a bit by then because I'm tired...but not with Honey Stingers.

Overall I'd give Honey Stingers a 5 out of 5. They are also the ones I'm going with for my race this Saturday. 

Here's why:

The effect they had on my performance

Big fan of the 100% organic deal

Least amount of calories

Get more chews per bag

Some protein 

Best tasting

There ya have it! I'm hoping they'll help me with my goal of completing the 13.1 miles in under 2 hours on Saturday.

I'm off to Pittsburgh tomorrow. TWO whole weeks with the boyfriend! Yes, TWO!!! Adios Texas. 

3/12/2013: Miles run - 187 of 1000. Miles remaining - 813 of 1000 

My First Bulu Box Review

Last week I was excited to announce that I was offered the opportunity to become a Bulu Box Ambassador. I gladly accepted and received my first box last Thursday. 

Here's what I got:

Dream Water - "Dream Water is non-habit forming and offers a an effective way to help get a restful night’s sleep without many of negative side effects associated with several of the OTC and prescription sleep aids on the market. It's available in a 2.5 oz. shot in the great-tasting flavors of Lullaby Lemon w/ hints of tea, Snoozeberry (blueberry and pomegranate flavors) and Pineapple PM." (Source)

My Thoughts - I received the Pineapple flavor and thought the taste was alright. It's great if you have a late night sweet tooth but don't want to add any additional calories to you diet before bed. I feel like it did help me relax before bedtime and helped me fall asleep, but it didn't quite help me stay asleep. You can get a 4 pack for $14.99 at Bulubox.com. 

ProLab Quick Fire - "ProLab Quick Fire is a powerful pre-training formula that drives explosive training performance ot push your workout to the next level. Its quick loading effects fire up a full range of both mind and muscle energy systems. Each dose helps launch Nitric Oxide fuled blood flow and supplies nutrients to fuel muscle contractions, feed prolonged endurance and heighten mental focus." (Source)

My Thoughts: I added the sample size fruit punch flavored packet to my water bottle before taking 2 1/2 hours of my Aunt Tamie's classes at the gym on Friday. Considering I had a small breakfast, I definitely think this helped me push myself and keep me fueled to make it to the end. Even though I'm not a fan of many fruit punch flavored products, this one actually tasted a bit like bubble gum (not as sweet, but still a hint of it), so I didn't mind it at all. You can get a large 130g container for $10.99 at Bulubox.com (that's a great deal!).

Redd Remedies atEASE PM - "A good night’s sleep is as important to health as a good diet of nutritious foods and exercise. Sleep presents the body an opportunity to repair and rebuild. It also gives the mind an opportunity to process the stresses and events of the day. While we may focus on sleeplessness and restlessness at night, sleep problems can actually begin during the day. Anxiety and nervous tension are some main causes of restlessness.

At Ease PM™ has 4 key functions that provide a wonderful night’s sleep:

• Promotes neurotransmitter balance
• Promotes healthy brain function
• Calms nervous tension at bedtime
• Promotes restful sleep" (Source)

My Thoughts: I took this little pill in conjunction with the Dream Water, so I'm not sure which one actually had an affect on my ability to fall asleep quickly. I'm sure they both contributed, but I can't quite give this a fair review. I wish the sample size would have been more so I could have tried it out for a 2nd night without the Dream Water. You can get this for $25.99 for 50 capsules on Bulubox.com

AeroShot Energy - "AeroShot is the revolutionary new way to get your energy. It delivers a unique blend of caffeine and B vitamins with natural lime, raspberry, or green apple flavor in a fine powder that you draw into your mouth and swallow. So you get a quick boost of energy that starts working right away." (Source)

My Thoughts: This simply felt like shooting flavored chalk into your mouth. It comes in a dispenser that pumps out a powdered form of B vitamins and 100mg of caffeine onto your tongue. It's an interesting and creative new way to take a supplement, but I'm not sure if I'm a fan. I received the raspberry flavor, which was pretty tasty. I just wasn't expecting a mouth full of a chalk-like substance to come out. You can get this for $2.99 for a dispenser on Bulubox.com.

iTrain $50 Gift Card - "Jam-pack your MP3 player with workouts from the premier source for downloadable fitness programs featuring the best music and top celebrity trainer voice-overs. Try iSculpt and iStretch to keep fit and flexible!"(Source)

My Thoughts: This is kind of like having a personal trainer right in your ear. If you like having a fitness coach guide you through workouts and tell you what exactly you need to do, then iTrain is a great program for you! I went to the website and browsed around a bit. I have yet to redeem my gift card because I'm not sure which workout I want. Good thing is, the workouts range in prices starting around $9 a program, so I could pick multiple ones if I'd like to use my gift card up. Since I'm training for the half marathon this Saturday, I've remained super focused on only running. But I think after next week, I'll select a workout or two, use my gift card, and check out a variety of other exercises out there other than running (but don't worry, I'll still get my run on for my goal!). 

QSpeed CoQ10 100 mg - "QSpeed™ is a delicious, natural-orange flavored, sugar-free fast-melt tablet that melts in your mouth in seconds. It is formulated with only the highest quality of naturally fermented Coenzyme Q10. Utilizing patented fast-melt technology, QSpeed™ in a clinical study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition has been shown to support exercise performance and to increase muscle CoQ10 concentration. QSpeed™ CoQ10 fast-melt tablets also support heart health and enhance cellular energy production." (Source)

My Thoughts: I HAVE to be honest here and say I haven't gotten a chance to test this out yet. I didn't want to mix it with the Prolab Quick Fire I took on Friday before the gym and I was a little under the weather this weekend so I wasn't able to get another intense workout in, so if I would have taken this, it would have been wasted. I will take it tomorrow before my 4 mile run and let y'all know my thoughts. But you can get 40 tablets for $24.95 on Bulubox.com.

If you don't want to purchase the products separately, you can sign up for their monthly subscription box like I do and get similar sample products delivered right to your door. It's only $10/month - a great deal!

If you use the code BULUGAN879 at checkout, you can get the first month FREE (a savings of $10)! 

3/11/2013: Miles run - 183.5 of 1000. Miles remaining - 816.5 of 1000 

Quick Friday Post

Welp, Friday is officially here. I'm keeping this post short because I have quite a bit to catch up on after an unfortunate event happened this afternoon and put me behind on things. 

After I went to 2 1/2 hours worth of my Aunt Tamie's classes at Gold's Gym this morning, I was in my first ever car accident! (No worries, I'm fine and no other cars were involved). But on my way to go to lunch with my friend, Chelsea, I ended up skidding off the access road into a median. Guess that's what happens when it rains for the first time in months and the roads are slippery. Worst part about it? I was in a loaner car from the Mercedes dealership (No, I unfortunately don't drive a Mercedes, but I had taken my dad's in to get serviced and they gave me a loaner). 

There didn't appear to be much damage to the body of the car, but the tire came off the wheel and the metal part was on the road, so I couldn't drive it. A tow truck came and took it back to the dealership, Chelsea came and got me for lunch, and then my mom ended up picking me up from Chelsea's office after work. Kind of a wasted afternoon, but what can you do? Atleast I still got to have lunch with Chelsea and see her cool office!

Needless to say, it's been a long day. I was planning on running 3 miles this afternoon (along with many other errands and tasks on my to-do list), but nothing got accomplished. Good thing I did get in my morning workout though. Guess I'll just have to tack the 3 miles onto my long run I have planned tomorrow. Yay for another 10+ mile Saturday! 

Regardless of my misfortune, it could have been WAY worse and I'm glad I'm okay and no one else was involved. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend - and a great Spring Break for all of those lucky enough to get one! I'm a bit jealous, but I guess having this week off work counted as mine? I'm ready for new job to start on Monday! 

3/8/2013: Miles run - 177.5 of 1000. Miles remaining - 822.5 of 1000