Little of This…Little of that

So I was going to do a whole post about Berlin, and while I enjoyed the race and it was so great and well done. Berlin and Munich was a trip I have wanted to take since I was a teen, and the history of both places is just stunning and it is so amazing to see a country that doesn’t hide their history. And really that is all I would want to talk about lol.

As I did say the Race was amazing, and heck I ran with the current World Record holder. It was well set up, plenty of portopotties, great crowds, super flat and YOU FINISH RUNNING THROUGH BRANDENBURG GATE, which is the absolute coolest. Also, 2 big things Berlin offered that the other Majors I have done didn’t. Free Subway from Thursday to Monday for all runners and showers in the finish area, both super awesome and I now want both at all races.

So now that I have told you about that, it is time to get into 2023 and next year will be about checking off states, and I already have state 34 and State 35 booked.

State 34 will be Rock and Roll Half in Phoenix, AZ

if you want to join me, use this link https://click.email.active.com/f/a/vU9r9pqZFBKjTSIfHP1_Eg~~/AAOtGgA~/RgRk6pp8P0RbaHR0cHM6Ly9lbmR1cmFuY2VjdWkuYWN0aXZlLmNvbS9ldmVudC1yZWcvc2VsZWN0LXJhY2U_ZT03OTgwNjMzMiZyYz1YLTQ4SjBQOTFYJnJmPTYzVVZCN0pmNlcDc3BjQgpjBnwVCGM0Hpj7UhVjb3Jpbm5lYTY4MUB5YWhvby5jb21YBAAAAAg~

State 35 will be the Indy Mini in Indianapolis, IN

and if you want to join me, use this link https://runsignup.com/Race/IN/Indianapolis/IndyMini23?raceRefCode=gEPcf2dB

Very excited to get to more of the USA and continue with my goal of running a race in all 50 states, hope to see and meet you while I am out and about.

Little Rock Half

I know I know, behind again, hey life has been busy, but see I am getting to my review.

So, first off, this race was used as a training run, so I won’t really talk about how I did, it doesn’t matter so much, I will say it was very humid, and my winter body is not used to that so had to take it slow, no biggie, that’s what happens when northerners travel south.

Anyways, on to the race itself.. So one big thing I will say about this race is how close everything is. I picked one of the race hotels to stay at, and I had to walk across a bridge (.5 miles) to get to everything, bib pick up, race start and finish, everything it was great. Bib pick up was easy, very well organized and the expo was small but plenty of great stuff to check out, and they had some doggies to pet, so I didn’t miss out on that. They also had this lovely set up for photos

So all week the weather had been forecasting thunder storms so I was very worried the race would be cancelled, but we got so lucky and no storms happened, it rained a bit during the race, but we could deal with that, and I did mention it was very humid, again, they can’t do anything about the weather, I was just super happy the race could happen, I don’t mind sweating a bit. The race itself is a nice course, you go over some bridges and it is a bit hilly but nothing ridiculous, also, great crowd support plenty of people out in their yards cheering you on, which is always nice. My only complaint about this race, is lack of water stations, there really wasn’t enough, especially with how humid it was. The finish was in the same spot as the start, got through the shoot and got my huge ass medal (what this race is known for) now this is the half medal, the full medal was like the size of a dinner plate, it was nuts

it is also very heavy

Anyways, I would recommend this race, Little Rock is a cool city to visit (try Fly Away Brewing) and everything is so very easy to get to. The race is fun and the medals are just so cool. I would mark this down for your Arkansas race.

21 Wrap up and 22 goals

Usually I do this post earlier, but race in December and then the Holidays, I figured I would just want until today. Not much going on relaxing day why not write a blog post.

First up wrap up of 21:

Ran 6 races
Raced in 4 new States
WV, AK, ND, and KY
Ran my first and last Ultra

Overall happy with running, and running an ultra was a cool experience also, just happy to be able to travel again, man did I miss that. I will say, I wasn’t feeling great running for a lot of the year, I felt super sluggish, so I talked to my doc in August and met with a Nutritionist and revised my diet. I would say it helped, but of course will know more in 22.

Non running goals:
I managed to continue to not bite my nails and now get them done regularly
Read more, read 110 books in 21, pretty happy with that
Got vaxxed

2021 wasn’t a bad year, was it great, no but in my life everything went as good as it could with everything still going on

2022 Goals:

Running:
Get to at least 2 new states:
I already have Arkansas and Oklahoma booked so, this should be good to go. I am waiting to hear back about the Berlin Marathon, if I don’t get into that, then maybe 4 new states.
Run at least one speed PR: no more new distances, time to work on speed
Keep up with my eating and listen to my body

Non Running goals:
Read at least 50 books and work more on my bookstagram and booktok (BookishRunner4 on both)
continue to not bite my nails
spend more time with Lars

Excited to get into 2022, excited to get back to running and work on my speed. Ready to start reading some more and get more into the book social media.

I know 21 was very hard for a lot of you, I hope 2022 is better and I send my love and hugs to you .

BMW Dallas 50k

So I know I am a bit late on this, but it is the Holiday season, so I did have other things to do. It is finally nice and slow at work and Christmas is over, so lets get to this review.

So, my only complaint about this entire race was bib pick up. It was at a huge convention center, that had other things going on, and there was little to no signage outside telling you where you needed to go. So my mom me and my Aunt were asking everyone where it was, we did finally find it, but the signage could have been way better. Also note, my mom tripped and broke her elbow, great way to start a trip (also note, it was a hairline fracture, she is doing a ok and we still had a great time) Once we found the expo, it was super easy to get my stuff and they had a nice amount of shopping.

Race morning was a brisk 32 degrees, which is fairly normal for me at this point, but everyone else was pretty cold lol. The race start was super well organized and they had great race announcers with fireworks and all that, it was so cool and very well done. I was in coral A, which I think all the 50k people were in. Probably cause we would take the longest. The race itself was great, lots of running through neighborhoods with people out cheering and some amazing views running around a lake. Big shout out to the people of Dallas for coming out, and to the Firefighter in the Mac Jones jersey, you are very cool. Finish was great and easy to grab stuff and get everything and then meet up with my family. The race was really well done, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Now for how I did, well I wasn’t planning on speed and I did run/walk this. I finished in 7 hours and 12 minutes. Might have been faster if my bladder hadn’t made me stop 4 times, not sure what happened, as that has never happened to me before, but hey, body likes to make racing fun. I am very happy with my time, and overall, I am super happy I did this, nice little check to my running list, Ultramarathoner. Will I ever do one again…. HELL TO THE NO I will stick with my fulls and halves and be very happy with that.

Pretty Sweet Medal

Aunt Jo, Me, My Mom

2018 onto 2019

It’s that time of year, Holidays, New Year, time to go over how 2018 went and what my goals for 2019 are.  Won’t lie I love these posts cause, man, I love planning things, especially travel, and I did lots of that in 2018, hoping to do even more in 2019.

First up, review time.

2018 was not my best running year, I spent a lot of injured, which sucks, I didn’t hit any of my time goals, but alas, it was bound to happen, and while I am disappointed, there isn’t much I could do about it.  I trained as best I could but when your body goes against you, you won’t win that fight.  I have been seeing a great new PT, who is really helping with my hip and leg issues, and I started with a great coach this year, and I will be staying with her cause I know with a healthy body she will very much help me get my time goals in 2019.  One goal I did reach was getting to 5 new places to run a race, I got Alabama, DC, California, Washington and Virginia checked off my map

I enjoyed all my trips, and you can read all about them in my previous posts.  Heading to the west coast for the first time in my life was so much fun and it was awesome to see such awesome cities in San Francisco and Seattle.  Lars came with me to San Fran and we had such a good time there

Birmingham, DC and Richmond were great too, especially DC, that is easily one of my favorite cities and I would go back all the time if I could.

I also clearly need to take more pics when I travel, oops, another goal for 2019

So now, onto 2019 goals

First up Time goals and their Races
Sub 2 hour half at Run Madtown in Madison, WI

Sub 4:30 full at TBD I am in between 2 races for this The St Jude Memphis Marathon in Memphis, TN or the Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon in Pass Christian, MS (if you have thoughts on either race let me know)

And what will I do to make these goals happen, more strength training, and keep up with my exercises that the PT has taught me, also, listen to my coach and body, I need to be better about the body one, the coach I always listen to lol

Travel goals:
At least 5 new states, and finish off the east coast

So far I have the Charleston Half in Charleston, SC in January , Madtown in WI in May and Baltimore 10 miler in MD in June so for the east coast I just need DE, which I believe I have found in the Blue Hen 5k which is the day after the 10 miler so I can get both states done in one weekend (birthday weekend) and then I will be done with the east coast YAS.  Then I just have to decide on the Full so that will get me either TN or MS.  And I might be considering a half in Arkansas in March, but shall see on that. (it has a glow in the Dark medal I mean, come on)

So that is the summary of 2018 and the goals for 2019.  I am already on my way to working on the 2019 goals, I am pretty excited for what this new year brings and can’t wait to see more new places, I hope I can meet some of you along the way.

Also for those wondering who my coach is, she is Kristen Griffin from Find your Stride Coaching  www.findyourstridecoaching.com

 

What Races have you done?

So I always talk about my goal to run a race in all 50 states, and I am always asking for race recs and you know, maybe a free place to stay, but I haven’t really listed the states I have run in and what race I did.  I also already have some booked and some states I already know what race I want to do.  So without further ado, here are my lists

MA – Multiple

RI – Multiple

NH – NH 10 Miler

ME – Beach to Beacon

VT – Vermont City

CT – Hartford Quarter Marathon

NY – Celebrate Life Half

NJ – NJ 10 Miler

PA – Philly Marathon

NC – Outer Banks Half

GA – Craft Classic Atlanta

FL – Disney Wine and Dine

OH – Flying Pig

IL – Chicago

NE – Omaha Half

TX – Cowtown Half

AL – Mercedes Benz Half

DC – Cherry Blossom 10 miler

Other races I have booked for this year:

CA – Bay to Breakers

WA – Rock and Roll Seattle

VA – Richmond Marathon

So barring any major injury, at the end of 2018, I should have 20 states and DC done

Races I want to do:

SC – Charleston Marathon 

OK – Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon 

AK – Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon 

AR – Little Rock Marathon 

HI – Honolulu Marathon 

MI – Detroit Freepress Marathon 

IN – Indy Mini Marathon 

IA – Bix 7 

MT – Missoula Marathon 

NV – Rock & Roll Las Vegas

KS- Running with the Cows 

CO – Boulder to Boulder 

MN – Mankato Marathon

WI – CellCom Green Bay Marathon 

ID – City of Trees Marathon 

AZ – Lost Dutchman 

OR – Eugene Marathon 

WV- Marshall Univ Half 

MD- Baltimore 10 miler 

DE- Blue Hen 5k 

KY- Urban Bourbon Half 

TN – St Jude Marathon 

MO- Go St Louis 

NM – Santa Fe Thunder Half 

So the only states I don’t have 1 race picked for is MS, LA and WY  so if you know of some fun, cool, flat races in those states let me know

New Bedford Half Marathon

Sorry I am behind on this recap, been pretty busy lately, lots of travel, and oh yeah, I got a promotion at work.  All good things, but now to tell you about a race I ran 2 weeks ago.

I was not going to race this race, I am not half marathon race trained at all, but wanted to do better then I did in Alabama.  Knew going into the day that it was going to be VERY COLD, because Mother Nature has decided she does not like us in New England and just decided to keep winter going.  The race started at 11, so at least it was later and the sun was out, but it was about 20 degrees at the start with a whipping wind, so felt more like 12 degrees, nice right, makes you want to live here right?  Anyways, race started and I felt good, actually managed to start off slow, which I almost never do, and was feeling good.  Went over the first hill and I was still feeling good, I was heading into Mile 5, where I knew I would see Lars again (bless him for standing in that weather, he really does love me) and I looked at my watch to see how close I was to 5 and realized I was running a 10:30 pace, GODDAMN.  I got through 5 and was feeling so damn good, was sticking with a 10:30 to 10:35 pace and was super happy with that.  Got to mile 7 and saw a local friend, got a hug from her, and then I was onto the water views, awesome right, NOPE, SO MUCH WIND and then, the pace dropped, and dropped fast.  The wind was like running in to a moving wall that was just pushing me backwards.  My pace dropped to about a 12 and at times a 12:30, I got through the mile 10 water stop where a volunteer told me I was almost back in town and the wind would die down.  He was right, but I was toast after that.  I did manage to run a bit faster but not much and my awesome pace was done.  I finished at 2:29:42, which is so much better than Alabama and even better then NC.  So I am pleased with that.

The race itself is nice, it’s a smaller race, but lots of people out along the course, and tons of cops and volunteers.  I enjoyed it, even with the super cold weather.  Would I do it again?? Maybe, but knowing how Marches have been the past few years, I may stick to running away from the water and wind.

Next up, is the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC, super excited to visit DC again and run in my favorite US history City.  Hopefully it is warmer

Mercedes Benz Half

Race recap time

So I picked the Mercedes Benz Half to be my Alabama race in my goal to run a race in all 50 states.  And let me tell you, it was a good pick.  It is a nice mid sized race, let me tell you about it.

When I signed up for the race, the race recommend the 2 race hotels, The Westin or The Sheraton.  I chose the The Westin, a very nice hotel and about a 5 minute walk from the race start and finish.  Plenty of restaurants nearby and you can easily walk into Birmingham.  The weekend I was there it rained all weekend, so I didn’t get to explore much, but I did get to check out the city a bit and it is a nice place.  I also got a race discount with the hotel, which is always nice.

The expo was a smaller one, but nice.  Very easily got my bib and swag, and they even had the shirt switch right near by just in case you picked a size too small or big.  There were some shops there, so I scoped it out, and of course bought myself a race sweatshirt, because I have an addiction to sweatshirts.  The building where the expo is located has many venues in it, so it’s a bit hard to figure out where to go, but the people who work there are super nice and helpful.

The race was great, again, 5 minute walk from my hotel.  It is a self seed race, I HATE SELF SEED but it’s a smaller race so I get it, but seriously people, if you are going to walk, don’t start with the 10 minute runners, come on now.  The race is hilly, but nothing crazy, and you go through all of Birmingham, which is so cool.  You run by some Historical things and through many of the neighborhoods, and it really is a beautiful course.  The half and full run together until about mile 11 where they split off.  There are plenty of signs to let you know.  Also, plenty of water stops, and plenty of gatorade too.  The volunteers were great and the local police did amazing job directing traffic, I even saw one cop doing push ups with some runners.

I didn’t go to the afterparty, it was rainy, and I didn’t feel great so I just went back to my hotel.  I did get a finisher towel after the race and the medal is so cool

There was not a ton of crowd support, but it was a rainy weekend so I chalk it up to that. But Birmingham itself seems to love the race and there were still some people out cheering us on.

I would highly recommend this race, especially if you are not into huge races, it a nice sized race, but nothing overwhelming and it is so well run, everything was so smooth and easy.  If you want to run in Alabama, run this race.

Lowell’s 1st Day Run

It’s been a bit cold in my neck of the woods, like, haven’t had a cold snap this bad since 1918 cold (god I was hoping to never hear that year again).

Yes WTForecast

I signed up for the 10k of this race a few months ago, not knowing I would be living in a frozen tundra, luckily they allowed everyone who wanted to, switch to the 5k so I did that.  This morning was 4 degrees with a wind chill of -12, not fun.  But I signed up, so I am going to run.  I layered up, and I also found myself some great new mittens (Target) and was ready to go.  The race starts and ends at the Lowell Elk’s and thank god the place is HUGE so we could all fit in it.  They gave you your medal up front as they didn’t want anyone just standing outside (too dangerous) Thankfully Lars came with me (have I mentioned he is the FREAKEN BEST) so he could hold my swag.  The race start was a bit rough as the chute was pretty much all ice, but once on the road, no ice.  There were cars though, and no one really to direct them (again too cold for people to stand around) so that was rough, but I get it.  The race itself is fairly flat, and probably has some decent views but it hurt too much to look up into the wind, so I didn’t really get to see much.  The finish is the same area as the start so, icy again.  But safely made it across, and finished in 33:33 (hey I should play that) I mean, I wasn’t expecting any speed today, I am just happy I ran the entire thing and didn’t die.

I hope I can do this race next year and that we will have normal winter temps so I can really get a better feel for it.  But I would still recommend it, just not at the temps I ran it in lol.

Well January race is done, one month down, 6 more to go.

Southern Fried Half

I usually don’t theme a race, they generally have their own.  But the training for this race was just so bad, and in memory of the great Tom Petty, I made the theme of this race, I Won’t Back Down.  And you know what, I didn’t

You all know about my hip issues and being sick, I was hoping this would be my try at a sub 2 hour half, but my body just said no to that.  I have written posts about it, so I won’t go into it again.  But I was able to run the whole thing and I finished in 2 hours and 30 minutes, so I happy and I know I can run again.

Getting to the Outer Banks was not bad easy flight, easy drive.  I will say, in the off season, this place is pretty quiet, but still really pretty.  We stayed at Shutters on the Banks and I would highly recommend that hotel, very nice and great prices, and they have an indoor pool and hot tub WIN.  There are tons of other hotels as well.  There are plenty of places to eat, my favorites were Black Pelican, Kill Devil Grill and Outer Banks Brewing Station.  We also checked out were the Wright Bros took their first flight, that was really cool, and I would recommend that as well.

The expo was small, but nice plenty of cool things to buy and bib pick up was easy.  Race morning, drop off was easy, Lars was able to drop me off then head off to get his coffee with only a few detours and then head to the finish line.  This is a point to point race, so for those he usually just hangs at the finish line.  They had us in corrals that were not over crowded, I could totally move around and even get some last minute stretches in.  The race is overall pretty flat, there is not a lot of crowd support, but people were out cheering us on.  Plenty of water stations and tons of portapotties.  Then at mile 9 you start to go up the bridge, the bridge from hell.  Such a long steep hill, holy crap but once you are over and down, it’s all flat again.  The finish line in Matteo is so nice, and it is such a cute little town.  There was music and all sorts of food and drink, a really nice after party.  They had shuttles for everyone to get you back to your car and then getting back to the hotel (after a stop at Duck Donuts GO THERE) was pretty smooth.

Overall I liked the race and enjoyed my time on the Outer Banks. I would recommend anyone to visit it, even if you don’t race, just a cool area.  And this makes state 16 done in my quest to run the 50.