Racing through NYC - Part I

This past weekend I took a whirlwind trip to the east coast to run the More | Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon with my sister. 

See, about a year and a half ago (maybe 2?), sister asked me how she could get into running and I directed her to the best newbie resource I knew of: Couch-to-5k. Next thing you know, she's running her first 5k and nerding out about running and then the half marathon seed was planted. Muahahaaaa!

Y'all should know by now that I loooove sucking people into the world of running. It's a hobby of mine. Imagine how amazing it was to hear that my (older) sister was getting psyched to run a half marathon?? It's like double the fun. 

She settled on the More | Fitness Half because it was an all women's race (unlike Nike, this race is completely closed to men) and pretty close to home. At first I thought about flying out and cheering, then I realized the race fell in perfectly with my training schedule and felt compelled to register. In my haste, I failed to recognize how rough traveling would be (on the bank account and body) and debated just eating the registration fee and cheering from afar...very far.

Apparently the airfare gods were on my side as I found reasonable last minute airfare and my 36 hour trip to the east coast was in the works. Here's how it all went down...

Saturday

7:45am EST

Wheels down Newark. Delayed. Did not pack for 37 degree weather. Begin worrying about my sparse packing job and how I plan on surviving on 2 hours sleep. 

9:00am EST

WARMTH! Choux Factory breakfast with friend and her friend. Loopy and plane infested. I do not recommend meeting new people in that state.

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Itty bitty spot near the UN that serves tasty creme puffs (I recommend the original) at all hours. I opted for a chocolate choux (that I did not enjoy), an egg white veggie omelet (blah), and a massive coffee. It can get a little claustrophobic in there since it's a super narrow space with room for 2 small tables. Definitely get your choux to go!

9:45am EST

Bright idea to kill time by getting manicures/pedicures/massages. While this seemed like a great idea at the time, we soon realized that we didn't know of nail salons in the area. Ah well. Found one eventually. I love massage chairs.

12:30pm EST

Meet up with sister and race packets. Race swag was pretty good. Reusable drawstring bag, delicious smelling Lady Speedstick, nifty 34-oz water bottle w/ice insert, cotton t-shirt, calcium vitamin chew, lady products, and a kazoo. Hm. 

2:00pm EST

Wandering the streets of NYC. Checking out weird bear sculptures.

Late lunch with friend #2 at Chop't. 

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I miss Chop't. Full review here. My fave: Santa Fe Salad - fried onions + turkey (or grilled chicken), Tex-Mex ranch on the side. *drool* 

3:30pm EST

Trek to hotel to check in. Stock up on water, snacks, caffeine. Veg to horrible late afternoon hotel TV. No sleeping allowed!

6:45pm EST

Dinner with friend #3 that trekked in all the way from NJ even after a monster lunch (hooray!). 

Tasty sushi at Nomado 33 (full review here).

9:00pm EST

Race prep begins! Lots of pinning, outfit laying out, D-tag attaching and water drinking. Still not as tired as I should be. Wruh-wroh!

10:45pm EST

Eyes begin to close. Who knows if they actually stay shut.

Sunday

5:45am EST

Sister up and perky. Eyes pop open for some reason. Begin long wake up period. Snack on pretzel breakfast. Take 10 minute pauses between putting on items of clothing. 

6:30am EST

Freak out. Temps in mid-30s. Do not have enough clothes. No throw away clothes. Wind. It's official. Packing/planning fail. 

7:30am EST

Arrive at Central Park. Greeted by hoards of ladies decked out in pink and blue. Sister and I are in black/lilac and yellow/blue. 

Wonder how we will stand out for our cheerleaders. Cold. I moved to California for a reason. 

8:15am EST

Aaannnd we're off! It took about 10-15 minutes for us to actually cross the start line and it was CROWDED. Once we got moving, the cold and wind didn't feel so bad. Game plan - run together for first couple miles. Meet up after race.

8:40(ish)am EST

Spotted: our cheering section - nephews and brother-in-law equipped with signs around Mile 2! Wish I had gotten a picture :(

8:45(ish)am EST

Weather is now perfect for just sleeves...though I do look like a fool now that I see the picture.  

Zoom. Rocked headphones for the first time and they definitely helped me charge through the hills, which weren't as bad as I remember them being! I still wish other people didn't rock the headphones since I found myself saying 'excuse me' really loud and no one budged. Meh.

The crowds didn't let up at all during this race and there were even walkers and runners that would run/walk 3 abreast and some would hold hands! So frustrating, especially when we got to the bottleneck-y parts of the course. Also, the finish chute was literally a chute. I do appreciate all the spectators cheering on, but they spilled out into the course and made the narrow lane even narrower. Plus, I found myself zigzagging a lot during that last stretch to the finish. 

I know, I know, this was supposed to be an easy long run, but it's hard to not get all fired up at the end!

11:30am EST

Post-race glow.

I wanted to cocoon in the pile of mylar blankets it was so cold. Not sure how I'm awake at this point...must be the proud (running) momma in me! Nothing like seeing a newbie excited about finishing!

Tired yet? Yeah, now you know how I felt! There's more to come in Part II!

Spirit fingers

Apparently I need to be around runners and races all the time...

As you know, I originally planned on running the California International Marathon as marathon #5 this past weekend. Of course, shortly after signing up and getting everything squared away, my legs decided they had other plans for me.

I couldn't let running buddy (lost count, but let's call her SF running buddy) travel to Sacramento alone...especially after I convinced her to run! So I packed my cheering gear and hopped on a train headed north to Sacramento.

I traded this familiar view (the ride between DC and Metropark)

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for this one (the ride between Emeryville and Martinez)

Just a couple notes:

1. Amtrak here is definitely not the same as Amtrak on the East Coast. This was like riding a double decker NJTransit or MARC train. So weird.
2. Downtown Sacramento on a Saturday afternoon...DEAD. Interesting.

I walked from the train station over to the expo before walking over to our hotel. Yes, I'm trying to load up on the walking. No, I don't like it.

SF running buddy (will now be referred to as SFRB) got in shortly after I did and we settled on an early dinner at Kru. I stuck with my standard rolls and tried a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll. Not really into it...way too much fish per bite.

Do you get crazy sweet cravings after eating sushi? I sure do. We did a little Yelp search and discovered nearby Mochii Yogurt. In addition to offering tasty (and pretty tart) fro-yo, they also make a ton of flavored mochi! I sampled the Tiger's Blood which was an interesting mix of fruity flavors...I think there was cherry and maybe a hint of berry and citrus?

I couldn't commit to it in my yogurt, so I went with the standard Tang with Yogurt Chips and Strawberries. There were a few too many chips and (I can't believe I'm saying this) the yogurt was a little too tart for me to finish my cup. Still tasty, though!

I also walked away with a little bag of mochi for you know, emergencies.

A bunch of the Yelp reviews said Mochii was pricey, but I was shocked at how much cheaper it was than say, Tuttimelon or any other place I've tried. Clearly I've been living in expensive cities for too long.

We were up SUPER early the next morning so SFRB could catch the shuttle to the start in nearby Folsom. I went back to sleep for an hour or so before beginning my run/walk to my cheering spot at mile 21. See, SFRB is speedy. Did I mention her goal was to qualify for Boston? Yeah, I didn't have a ton of time to get to 21.

I ran/walked a total of 8 miles (to mile 21 and back) and it felt AMAZING to get moving again. Part of me really wanted to run the whole thing, but I knew that even this was pushing it just a tiny bit. Ugh.

I soaked up the perfect weather (very light mist and 50 at the start, warming up to the mid 60s) and scenery...

Palm trees on one side, regular trees on the other and autumn leaves at my feet. So bizarre.

Crossing the bridge as the elite runners pass through (around mile 22)

A serene river photo

Stalking the crowd for SFRB!

After seeing all the lonely patches at the end of the race, part of me was glad I wasn't running. I've really only run big races and the crowd support is what gets me through the last few miles. Then again, another part of me was frustrated that I couldn't run...especially with the perfect conditions. Ah well. At least I was a cheerleader.

Oh, and SFRB...ROCKED the marathon. She knocked THIRTEEN minutes off her PR and BQ'd. O heeeeyy! I'm living vicariously through her :)

The hills are alive

With the sound of thousands of Nike Women's Marathoners!!

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This particular race will always have a special place in my heart since it was my very first marathon and my first visit to San Francisco. I was absolutely thrilled to cheer for some pretty awesome ladies this morning :)

Did I mention this was my first time as a cheerleader? Yeeeah.

Since I was cheering on a bunch of half marathoners (real life friends and a Twitter/blogger buddy!) and a super speedy solo marathoner, I needed to do some serious planning. Naturally, I ran to the cheering spots (gotta multi-task!) and managed to rack up 8 miles with a few pauses here and there. Not too shabby for my first post-Chicago, post-sick run.

On my way to cheering spot numero uno, I managed to see one of the first runners as she zoomed past the 4.5 mile mark.

So fast, you can barely see her! I thought it was kinda cool since I've never seen the front of the pack before :)

I veered off the course for a bit to run along the Crissy Field Promenade before cutting across to the runners' giant climb. I really really wanted to park myself at the top of this hill because I remember it being the steepest, longest, most brutal climb of the race. I also remember thinking the hill was totally worth it for the view.

Amazing. I only wish it was a clearer day!

This was also the last major incline I remember from running the race. Seriously, everything else was a speed bump compared to that monster. Three years later, I ran up a dirt path alongside the runners and it was still tough!

SO, my sign said 'Last Hill'...though, now I know I probably should have specified, last super steep hill. Some people were really not nice about it. I got called liar a bunch of times and some people were REALLY snippy. Meh? So I kept yelling 'I mean, last big, steep one!' Ah well. You win some, you lose some.

I had a tough time spotting people, but luckily I told friends what to look for and they ended up having to shout my name so I could see them!

(yeah, I braved the chill just so they could spot me and maybe so I could finally rock my gear from Chicago ;p)

Wooo! Two out of four rockstars charging it up the never ending incline!

I hung out until a little before 9am and started my run toward Lake Merced to cheer on my full marathoner buddy. I ran back down toward Crissy Field and saw more runners as they started their ascent (so many runners!).

Rocked out to the song that was stuck in my head all afternoon because someone had it on repeat at the bottom of the hill...

I might need to add it to my running mix. haha.

One hour to make it to Lake Merced...it was a tough call. Run? Cab? Take a chance w/the rerouted bus routes and then run?? I planned on running to a major street and hopping into a cab, but I managed to get to a bus stop just as one was pulling up. Sweet!

See, Lake Merced was another rough spot for me when I ran 3 years ago. It's a 4.5 mile empty stretch along the lake's perimeter and you run right next to traffic. Since it's so far out, there aren't a ton of spectators out there...and it pops up right when you need people the most - miles 19-23.5!

A friend of mine agreed to come out and cheer with me so she parked herself with a sign around mile 22 just in case I couldn't get there in time. We were equipped with water and Chomps just in case our runner needed them!

My bus dropped me off just north of the lake and I ran along the eastern side...little did I know I would be running alongside the marathoners for TWO miles. Flashbacks!!

Everyone was looking great and so strong, despite the change in weather (at this point, it started raining and the temperature dropped a little)! So many purple TNT singlets...so proud of everyone for fundraising AND rocking the challenging course :)

I eventually made it to mile 22 and we waited for speedy to come by. We saw her after awhile and it was like we were two proud mommas! She looked FABULOUS for 22 miles in...chipper and fast! We ran with her for a minute or two, but she was too fast for us...we were worried that we were slowing her down. Still waiting to see if she made her goal of 4 hours :)

Congratulations to ALL the half marathoners and marathoners!! You guys tackled some serious hills and bad weather and still looked amazing. I loved watching you all and taking a little side trip down memory lane :) Enjoy the recovery and the sweet necklace...you earned it :)

10.10.10 - The date for redemption.

Oh yeah, it was also the date to motivate.

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Two years ago, I arrived in Chicago to tackle my second marathon. I arrived alone and unprepared, but surprisingly excited to take on the challenge. My training was horrible that summer - I lacked the discipline and motivation to properly train (I ended up only doing a handful of long runs). I don't even think I made it to 18 that summer. Terrible. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have run that year. The only thing that got me out there was the fact that I had already paid for my registration ticket and hostel!

Flash forward to the present. I signed up for this year's Chicago Marathon for a few reasons:

1. I'm a nerd and get excited at the idea of running on 10.10.10
2. I kept reading about other bloggers signing up and it made me want to run it again
3. It's flat, it's fast and I was determined to finally drop my marathon time to under 5 hrs.

I think they're pretty good reasons, don't you?

I was determined to redeem myself during this year's race. I was sure the hill training and extra speed would pay off.

I woke up wired race day morning and headed out for my 3/4 mi walk to the start. I threw on a trusty pullover since, you know, dark mornings usually mean a slight chill in the air, right? Wrong. Had to be a least 65 at 6:30am. Wruh-wroh!

Checked my gear and weaved my way to the giant blue 4:45 Nike pacer sign. I had hoped to meet up with Val since we were planning to run around the same pace, but of course we were wearing the colors everyone else decided to wear. D'oh!

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I ended up getting trapped in the massive crowd at the start, but I told myself to chill out and just stick with my pace tattoo. I could find the pacers later. The first 1/4 mile or so zoomed by...next thing I knew we were zipping past my hotel (ha!) and nearing the first mile mark.

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One minute ahead of pace. Calm down.

I felt like I finally hit a comfortable pace around mile 2...not too fast, just a smidge faster than a comfortable jog. Enh. I was now hitting my splits consistently...4 min ahead of my pace band. I'm sure anyone running near me from miles 1-6 could hear me chanting "calm the f down. Keep a steady pace." O yeah, I was talking to myself.

I kept this up for the first 16 miles...teetering between 3 and 4 min ahead of pace. I was running strong and steady and felt like I could maintain this speed for awhile. All of a sudden between 16 and 17, it hit me. The sun, the heat, defeat. I finally hit a split. Then I watched everything go downhill. I went from hitting my splits to 1 min slow to 2 min slow, to I stopped paying attention.

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I want that puppy.

Nerves/hypochondria set in and I started taking sips of Gatorade and water at every aid station. I stepped my pace back big time and focused on what my body sounded like. Breath (huffing and puffing or calm?), heartbeat (pounding or not?). My brain went into overdrive. Why? I've been here before. I know how to run in the heat. (o yeah, that was chant number 2) I guess I was just super freaked out that I wasn't prepared. And I was bummed I wasn't going to meet my goal. The goal I had trained all summer for.

Around mile 21 in Chinatown, I looked up and saw part of my cheering section! My brother and his girlfriend drove down from Ann Arbor to cheer (slash hang w/their friends in town, obvs) and snagged an awesome spot along the median. Woo!

I got a burst of energy soon after that. Maybe it was the crowd, or the giant pink dragons, or Jamie was sending good vibes from the crowd (even though I didn't see him), or perhaps it was Chariots of Fire blasting as we turned a corner. Yeah. Could have been that. Haha.

At some point during all this (I have no idea when because I must have blocked it out) the event level went from yellow (less than ideal) to red (potentially dangerous). Seriously Chicago, cut a girl a break! This was like a repeat of 2008!

I struggled through to 22, telling myself that I had to make it to the Redhead and her awesome cheering skills! I think I ended up missing the Redhead by 20 min or so and decided it was finally time for a pee break. Guess all those liquids finally got to me. HA.

Not the best idea since I watched all my energy go down the hole. I left that porta potty surprisingly drained of all energy and I didn't think it was possible to go any further. At mile 23, I had mentally given up. I'll admit it, I also turned into a giant baby and had a silent boo hoo session as I shuffled along.

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I knew there was no way I was going to make my goal of 4:45 so I reassessed and decided I just wanted to come in under 5 hours. Slow and steady. Drink and walk through the water stops.

The last few miles were tough and they seemed to drag on forever. More chanting took place along the way...this time it was more like me yelling at myself. I knew I could finish. I had done it 3 times before. I knew I could run in the heat. It was all I ever trained in. Why was this so difficult?

Next thing I knew I was 800m from the finish (hallelujah!) and I knew that little speed bump was coming up. Muahahaha. The speed bump I refused to let beat me. Charged it through to the finish...4:57. Done.

I have mixed feelings about this race. I'm happy I shaved 13 minutes off my PR and that I finally dipped below 5 hours. I trained properly this time. I ran 14 minutes faster than 2008. I got my redemption.

I know there's no such thing as a perfect race or perfect conditions, but I can't help but wonder what if the heat didn't get to me. What if I stuck with my pace band?

Meh. What ifs are no fun. There's always next time...

Still got it.

Today was a good day. A very good day. Let me tell you why...

My morning started at 5:30 with a wakeup call from Jamie to make sure I was up and out of the house in time. Hooray for race day!

I hopped on an empty cable car headed toward downtown and chatted with the super friendly drivers. Next thing I knew, I was on a plush shuttle bus to our half marathon start at Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park.

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My shuttle got me there by 7:15...a half hour before our running group planned to meet. Eventually I started to see some blue Run the City shirts congregating and made my way over. Our fearless leader snapped some group pictures, gave a motivating pep talk and off we went to our respective wave starts.

I huddled near a heat lamp until my 8:30 start...yes, heat lamp. Where else are you going to see a heat lamp and folks running around in garbage bags in the middle of July?? Love it!! Here's how the rest of the day went down:

Cruised through Golden Gate Park and felt fabulous. So fabulous I didn't realize how fast I was going until I checked my watch at the first water stop. 7:50something. Time to chillax. I ended up dropping my pace a little too much and didn't quite make all my splits. Ah well, it was close enough.

Golden Gate Park is big. Very big. It felt like we ran through there for-eh-ver. Don't get me wrong, it was a great run. I just didn't realize the first 6 miles were in the park. Ha. That'll teach me to pay attention to the course map next time!

The next 6 miles were a testament to the planning skills of the race directors. Technically, they were coordinating 3 different races (full marathon and 2 half marathons) on the same course. That takes a whole lotta skill. To minimize congestion along the race route, they had the course alternating between parallel streets so some runners would run on one street, while another batch ran another route. Check it:

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When I first looked at the map, I had no idea how that alternating course thing was going to work out. I pictured tons of runners getting confused, maybe running more or less than 13.1, pretty much disaster all over the place. I'm impressed with how smoothly things went. There was very little confusion, no real clusters of people to weave through...really great approach!

Once we hit mile 9, I started getting nervous since we were approaching the portion of the course that is known for being pretty desolate.

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Thankfully there were lots of DJs parked on corners BLASTING music and our coaches were scattered between miles 10 and 12. It's amazing what a little music and familiar faces will do to your energy level. Next thing I knew, I was hitting the splits on my pace tattoo :)

Zoomed through the next few miles, turned a corner and saw a friend that came out to cheer (yay!!) and before I knew it, we were on the Embarcadero with the finish line in sight. Full marathoners and half marathoners got split into two chutes for the finish. Looked down at my watch and kicked it into gear. Crossed the finish line in 2:03. Hells yes. Not quite 2:02, but a PR is a PR. :)

Couldn't have asked for a better race. Just a few things that stuck out for me:

1. Very well organized. Coordinating two half marathons and a full marathon with two different start times on the same course is quite a task. Having them go so smoothly that this runner didn't notice any logistical problems is amazing.
2. Finisher medals and sweat bags are reusable. You know how race medals kinda just pile up and you really don't know what to do with all of them? Mine turns into a key chain. The full marathoners' medal turns into a coaster. The bags are made of a durable material and were really easy to keep track of since you sharpie your bib number on the designated squares. I'll probably tote mine around to runs.
3. Music where and when you need it. DJs galore. Loud. Awesome.
4. Finish food: Water, Cytomax, bananas, Pirate's Booty (in like 2 or 3 flavors), a baked good I didn't take, nectarines, Bear Naked granola, Jamba Juice smoothies. So many things to choose from!
5. Only thing I'd change. All our markers went like this: 7.9, 8.9, 9.9, etc. It threw me off at first, but eventually I got used to it...it just required more brain power than I was willing to use mid-race ;)

I'd definitely recommend the 2nd half marathon to anyone looking for a moderately challenging course (the hills are gradual and pretty scattered) in the middle of the summer.

After the race friend and I met up with the running group for some mimosas and then a genius

someone of us decided tacos were in order. Not just any tacos. Nick's Crispy Tacos. The one in my neighborhood too!

Friend and I each got a Pescado taco (one Nick's way, one not) because they are clearly my new favorite.

We also sampled two others, the Carnitas (braised shredded pork in corn tortilla with pico de gallo & pinto beans) Nick's way and the Pollo Asado (grilled chicken in corn tortilla with pico de gallo & black beans). Originally we planned on splitting those last two, but they were so huge and messy.

I thought the Carnitas taco, was ok...still not as good as the Pescado. In hindsight, the Carnitas would have been better not Nick's way. I think I just don't like pinto beans with melted cheese. Anyway, it was a taco with meat. It made my belly happy either way.

Very good day. Very good day indeed :)