Crafton Firecracker 5k – Race Recap

Happy July everyone! I hope ya’ll had a fun & safe Fourth of July weekend.

My weekend was packed! Friends came in from my hometown & 4 of us went to the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday – it was a blast!

Monday was the 4th & I was signed up for the Thomas J. Witt Memorial 5k in the morning. This race ran through Crafton (which is only about 2 minutes from my apartment) & a few of my running friends were running it as well.

I basically rolled out of bed at 6:50, got my stuff together & left my apartment to get to the park around 7:15. I ate a Larabar on my way there & brought some water. I haven’t really been running all that much, but I did want to plan around an 11 min pace average. I had heard this race was hilly, but I wanted to see what I had in me.

I picked up my packet once I got there, which was super easy as it usually is when Elite times a race. Once I saw my friends, we took some pictures & wandered around the park until it was time to line up to start. The race started right on time at 8am, which was great!

Mile splits:

Mile 1: 10:59

Mile 2: 11:35

Mile 3: 10:12

Mile 2 was clearly the hilliest of the entire race. This was definitely a tough course, but I don’t think it was the hardest race I’ve ever done. Mile 2 contained some walk breaks – some of those hills were SUPER steep! Mile 3 had a huuuuge downhill & it gave me a ton of momentum to finish strong. At one point while I was running down the giant hill, I looked at my watch & it said 8:45 pace. HA! Nice, Ciara.

 

After I finished, Jenn wasn’t too far behind me (Sara finished ahead of me) & we were handed our finisher’s medal (yay, bling!) & some water. We were treated to a piece of cake, fruit gummies & a banana. Yum! The girls & I went to go check our official times & mine showed 33:43, pace 10:51. LOVE!!! Then I noticed that I had turned on live results on my Facebook page & that had a different finishing time. We guessed that the laptop was showing us gun time (which is unusual, I’ve never seen it do that before) & the Chronotrack time was showing chip time, which is the accurate of both times. So, chip time = 33:10! AWESOME!! That’s my best 5k since December. After the race, we sat around talking & eating cake.. and I even got to meet Jessie in person which was super exciting!

 

My only qualm with the race is that they didn’t close any streets. While the roads weren’t busy around Crafton, there were a few times I almost had to stop for cars to go through a stop light. Not a fan. Also, I had to cross a lot of streets with no one directing traffic & I felt like I was out on my own hoping I didn’t get hit by a car. Regardless, I’m always safe & looked both ways before I ran across a street.

I will probably make this an annual 4th of July race – it’s local & it was very affordable! If you’re ever looking for a small 4th of July race, this is one to add to your list!

-C

Dirty Girl Mud Run – Recap

I know this recap is a tad late – but I was waiting for the race photos to be posted & they finally are! I was so looking forward to seeing them because I felt like they had gotten a lot of good ones throughout the race. And I was right! They’re great. I can’t wait to share them with you.

When 2016 started, I had a goal on my list to do a mud run. I asked around to some friends if they knew of any races coming up that I could do that would check off that goal. My friend Jenn was a part of a group that was doing the Dirty Girl Mud Run, so I signed up in January! It was still pretty expensive in January – I noticed that most OCR races are pretty expensive.

Time flies, doesn’t it? The fact that we’re already halfway through the year boggles my mind. I was really excited for this race! I have been weight lifting for almost 2 months & I was ready & looking forward to testing out my new stronger muscles. The race was about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh, so Jenn & I car-pooled. Parking was also $10, so thats more of the reason why we rode together. We were a part of the first wave (9am), & the race had asked everyone to get there an hour before. We showed up around 8am, parked & got ourselves ready. Our team decided to go with a pink & black theme (and rolling up to the race, I noticed EVERYONE’S theme was black & pink… good luck finding your friends) & I wore a cheap pair of black capris & a cheap pink shirt. I had zero plans of keeping the clothes I wore to this race, so I went to Marshalls & got the clothes.. I didn’t pay over $10 for the entire outfit. I also chose to wear a pair of Nikes that are very worn out & that I wouldn’t miss. At the end of the race, Dirty Girl gives you the option to donate your sneakers (which I love) so I ended up doing that.

The merchandise tent was cool – I didn’t bring any $$ with me, so I didn’t get to buy anything extra but Jenn ended up with a cool tank. We wandered around, dropped our bags at bag drop (very easy & smooth) & found the rest of the team. I didn’t know any of these other girls, but they were all very nice & there were I believe 12 of us. The great thing about Dirty Girl, is that this race is for women of all shapes, sizes, & fitness levels. At no point did I feel intimidated or nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to do this. It wasn’t going to be a big deal if I couldn’t complete an obstacle & I wouldn’t be punished with burpees like some other races (talk about intimidating).

Our race started on time at 9am & in the corral they were playing loud music & did our best to get us pumped up. It was fun! There was an older women (probably late 60s) beside me with a bib on, jean shorts & sandals (!!!) – We had no idea how she thought she was going to be able to complete this race. This race was a 5k – and it was put out into a field.. the terrain was not flat!

The obstacles were fun – inflatable slides, a slip & slide, lots of army crawls underneath things where you got completely muddy from head to toe. During one of the first obstacles where there was true mud, I got down on my hands & knees to crawl under & the first my knee did was hit a huge rock. It hurt like crazy – and I STILL have a huge bruise almost a week later! The only thing I didn’t like – there was A LOT of space, not enough obstacles in my opinion. I understand they had to fill 3.1 miles (it actually worked out to probably more like 2.5 miles) but they definitely could have utilized the space given – more obstacles would have been a lot of fun. The obstacles were not challenging to me at all – I actually wish this was a bit harder because I wasn’t sore afterwards, nor did I feel like I got a work out.

 

I conquered my small fear of heights but sliding down a fire pole, I waded through waist deep muddy water, & I slid down a HUGE slide into an enormous pit of mud. At the bottom, one of the workers then took a bucket of mud & dumped it on you. If you weren’t covered in mud then, you definitely were after that.

 

It was a fun event & you got a really nice medal for finishing. The clean tent was good – next time I will probably wear swim suit bottoms because I wasn’t able to completely get undressed to hose myself off. Once you hose yourself off outside, you go into this large open tent & change into clean clothes you brought. Glad Jenn brought a towel since the tent said it was rated “PG”. Well, there’s no nudity in PG movies sooo everything had  to be done behind a towel haha.

 

 

I really enjoyed the volunteers – everyone working there was so incredibly nice & they had so much energy & love for this event. Also, the photographers were great. They had us do different poses, & took multiple pictures which I really liked since most photographers just let you take one picture & move you along. This was not the case for the Dirty Girl Mud Run.

 

Would I recommend this race? Sure. Would I sign up again? Probably not. I am definitely looking into another OCR race, maybe something like the Warrior Dash – so that I can test my strength on a little bit more challenging obstacles but this race is great for anyone’s first OCR & for any woman, no matter your size or your fitness level!

Race Day Memories

Although running in the summer can be trying, it’s the time when I love to run smaller, local races the most. There are so many around the Pittsburgh area that is for a good cause, such as the Run for Alex race I ran the first weekend of June. For most runners, it seems summer is for speed & for testing out that speed in local, fast races.

If you’re new to running or new to the area, one of the easiest ways to find local running events is by using Eventbrite. The best part is there are more than just running events on their website. If you have a local event coming up that you need to sell tickets for, Eventbrite makes it incredibly easy to get the word out using their sell tickets feature!

In hopes to inspire you guys to participate in more local events, or create one of your own, I wanted to tell you about my most memorable race… and why I love this sport so much.

I have only been running about 2 years, but I have already had some really great (and not so great) racing experiences. You would think I’d tell you about my first half marathon, or when I ran a half marathon in my hometown of Hershey, or when I got a new personal record in a 5k. But, those who know me may already know I’m going to tell you about this past Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I’ve told this story many times, & touched on it a bit in the race recap here, but I didn’t get to express my feelings as much as I wanted to.

In the weeks leading up to May 1^st, I was excited. Raising almost $1,300 for the ALS Association & knowing I was running for an amazing charity was something I felt really good about. I put on the ALS singlet that morning & felt so proud to wear it. I just knew this was going to be a memorable experience regardless of how I did time-wise. I told myself I didn’t even care what my time was – just the fact that I was wearing this singlet with Mr. French’s name on my back was enough for me. If I could just bring awareness to one person about this terrible disease, my job would be done.

The race went incredibly well. I had a hell of a time running with my friend Jen, chugging mimosas & seeing my friends & coach along the course. After we climbed up Blvd of the Allies in mile 12, you started the descent down to the finish line. There are people EVERYWHERE. It’s at this point I usually start to get emotional. (I’m a sap, so what!) The finish line was so close. I kept saying to Jen, “We’re gonna do it, Jen! We’re gonna finish!” The pace starts to pick up, & I start getting goosebumps everywhere because I’m feeding off the electric energy of the crowd. Experience tip: finish strong. No matter how you’re feeling, no matter if you’re sore & stiff & so glad that it’s over, FINISH STRONG. You are completing something that most people will NEVER do. You are about to finish running 13.1 miles. Listen guys, non-runners don’t understand the feeling. But runners – I’m talking to you. You know what I mean. You know the feeling I’m talking about. I get so passionate about this feeling. Yes, we train for 18 weeks & sometimes those training runs are awful, but some of them are great. It is a grueling schedule. We eat, sleep, & breathe running. The race is our victory lap.

The Pittsburgh Half Marathon was the most memorable victory lap I’ve ever taken. It is something I will never forget for years to come. This city changed my life. Running changed my life. These runners changed my life.

Even if running isn’t your thing, or it’s not what you’re passionate about; find something to be just as passionate about. Let something change your life. I’m so glad running did.

Run for Alex – Race recap

 

I had never heard of this race until a few of my friends said they were doing it & since I usually jump on the bandwagon, I decided to join! It was only $20 to register & it was for a great cause.

Alex Loose was 15 years old when she was hit by a car & killed while she & a friend were walking home from high school soccer practice. She was born only a few months before me, & her short life came to an end in August 2004. The fact we were the same age is crazy to me..  I have so far lived 12 more years than she has. 12 years of experiences that I have taken for granted & experiences that she will never get to have. What an eye opener this race was!

To read more about Alex’s back story, her foundation, & the amazing athlete she was, please click here. Her story alone is incredibly inspiring.

So, onto race day. A handful of us from Pro Bike + Run’s training group was going to this race so I ended up car pooling with Rachel & Bernadette. Bentleyville, PA is located in Washington county which is about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh. It was a nice drive through the country which is a nice change from the city streets I drive on here at home. My hometown is full of back country roads, so I kind of felt like I was going home. The race didn’t start until 9am, but they have a chinese auction before the race & you definitely want to get there early to scope out all of the awesome prizes!! The prizes were awesome – I got extra tickets & put my number in for Southwest round trip airline tickets, an autographed picture of Antonio Brown (hello, obviously), a few wine baskets (again, obviously), & put about 10 tickets in for this Penguins basket. There was sooo much to choose from! Also, in the fire hall where the baskets were there were a ton of tri folds filled with pictures of Alex & her 15 years of life. Everything was so great to look at. You felt like you actually knew her by seeing everyone’s pictures & projects they put together. Tons of sports accomplishments, pictures with her family & friends, & news clippings about her sports life & also her accident.

 

 

I looked around, took some pictures, & hung out with Jenn, Bernadette, Rachel, Sara, Lyndsey & her friend Krysta. Temps were feeling okay, there was a cool breeze, but I knew it was going to be a muggy run. Lyndsey asked each of us if we had any goals for the race, & I was really the only one who spoke up except for Jenn.. but I wanted to run it in less than an hour. So, Lyndsay offered to pace me. When she said that, I internally wanted to cry. If you know Lyndsay, you know she’s a badass. She just is. She is the mentor & pace leader of the 10:30 group & she came back this past fall from a pretty big injury. She’s also one of the most inspiring & motivating people I’ve ever met! She speaks on a spirtual & deep reflective way & I definitely connect with that. So, I decided to give it a shot. I don’t really have a ‘race pace’ – every race except for 1 5k I’ve always just taken easy. I’ve never ran uncomfortable before to get the time I’ve wanted. Well, there’s a first time for everything..

 

 

Finally it was 9am & the race was starting. I completely underestimated how hard this course was. I was told there was a hill that you only see in your nightmares, but I figured the rest of the course was okay. Boy, I WAS WRONG. Most of it was on some back roads, & right before mile 1 I caught up to Lyndsay ahead of me. We had already gone up a big hill before I even caught up to her. and it was already so hot.

Mile 1-3

Mile 1: 10:32

Mile 2: 11:02

Mile 3: 13:08

Mile 3 was where the “hill from your nightmares” came in.. and my friends weren’t joking. I kept saying to Lyndsay how I was going to walk this hill & she basically told me I wasn’t going to be doing that. I asked the men around me “is this the hill? is this it?” & the one guy said “yep, this is it…” as we’re both basically huffing & puffing trying to get up this hill. I got maybe a quarter of the way up & I had to walk. I started power walking & then after a little bit of that, I literally had to pull myself up. I even had to stop walking for a minute to catch my breath. It was so steep & it was so humid. One of the guys next to me said “and just when you think it’s over, it isn’t.” Great. Just what I wanted to hear haha. Once we got up the hill(s), we stopped at a water stop & I was able to get a little bit of my energy back. The course winded down past this farm & past a school & on the left we passed the location where Alex’s accident was. The fence was covered in pictures of her. It was definitely emotional, but I took it as motivation.

Mile 4-5

Mile 4: 10:28

Mile 5: 10:10

Lyndsay had asked me, without looking at my watch, how much farther I thought we had to go. I knew it was a little bit less than 2 miles. Then, she asked me if I’d ever done fartleks before. I said no. At this point, I was thinking this girl was crazy, she was actually going to have me do fartleks in the middle of a race! But I know she wanted to try & make up some time. So, she had me sprint between telephone poles. I believe we did about 3 of them. The guys around us were getting a kick out of it. I may have hated it then, but looking back I’m so glad Lyndsay had me do all these different things. It was the most unique race experience I’ve ever had. She asked me if I wanted to do more, but I told her that I knew we didn’t have much longer left & I liked the pace we were going & I was comfortable (sort of) at that pace. So, she said if I promised not to look at my watch the rest of the race, she would keep this pace. We agreed & kept trucking along. Down we went this huge hill  & as you see by mile 5’s pace, we picked up some speed. We rounded the corner & I could see the long stretch to the finish. It was amazing. There was so many people lining the streets cheering for us. There wasn’t that many people around us, I actually think it was just me & Lyndsay & maybe one guy close behind. Lyndsay then basically  told me to sprint to the finish & we did… once we started sprinting, the crowd seemed to get louder & louder with cheers. I love finish lines. I love finishing. It truly is a one of a kind feeling knowing you accomplished something most people don’t ever do. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

Finish time: 55:42

I did it!! Sub 1 hour, & did even better than I could have even imagined. Lyndsay really got me through this race. If it wasn’t for her, I would have gassed out way early. She had the most uplifting things to say. And I also learned a lot from her in those 55 minutes. What a truly incredible person you are, Lyndsay! Thank you again.

 

 

As soon as we were done, Turba came across the finish line in 56:00 exactly. We then waited for the rest of our friends to finish. Once everyone finished, we all immediately went over to the ice cream truck & was handed ice cream sandwiches. I’m pretty sure that was the best post race snack I’ve ever had. I think that needs to happen at the end of every race now haha. It was so funny.. we all just stood in a circle not saying a word & just scarfing down those ice cream sandwiches. It was the best. They had so much food to eat too. We all loaded up our plates, checked to see if we won anything from the auction (no winners in my group), sat at the picnic table & talked about our races.

This was truly an exceptional day for me. I will most definitely be making this race an annual one. 🙂

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Recap

I have spent the last couple of days wishing I could go back & do Sunday all over again – but for all of the best reasons. Not because I would correct mistakes I made, but because I had a great time running it!

The 5k was the day before – me & a few of the girls I run with normally just took it easy & had fun. Check out this fun picture of us crossing the finish line!

On Saturday, my mom & I went to the expo & walked around for a good 2 hours.. which probably wasn’t the smartest idea. My feet hurt like crazy even though I was wearing a retired pair of running shoes! After the expo, we got back to the hotel we were staying at downtown & I got to take a nap. Once we grabbed dinner & came back to relax, I’m pretty sure I passed out before 9pm. LONG weekend continuing here!

My alarm went off at 5:30am & I sprung out of bed. I am definitely not much of a morning person, but I was too excited! I ate a Honey Stinger waffle & got my things together. I told my mom she could putz around the hotel & come out to the race area around 9am, since I wasn’t going to finish until after 10am. No sense in standing outside by herself for 3 hours! Of course, like her little girl going off to her first day of school, she had to snap a picture.. 🙂

Pro Bike+Run (formerly Elite Runners & Walkers.. same great store & staff!!) had their group picture at 6:15am down by Gateway Center.. so I left the hotel around 6am & walked over. So many people were already out & we all started talking about what our plans were for the day & when we should use the bathroom.. I love these chats because only runners find it normal to talk about our bathroom issues! haha! We got to snap a few pictures before heading to our corral..

The race starts promptly at 7am, but I was in Corral D (whats up 12 min pace! no shame!) so I didn’t cross the start line until about 7:30am. Letting tens of thousands of runners cross the start line takes a while. It was drizzling pretty good at this point.. but I was comfortable in my shorts & singlet. I was running with my new friend Jen – & I was excited! We had so much fun running together for the course preview that I knew this race would be enjoyable with her. Nothing like having 2.5 hours to get to know each other!

Highlights/notes from the race:

• I stepped in a puddle around mile 1.5 & unfortunately got a blister! No fun around miles 7-8.

 

• While running through the Strip District, I passed a woman drinking a beer (actually, a Mike’s Hard Lemonade……..at least drink real beer, jeez) & I shouted “Drink one for me!” — I really like interacting with the spectators, FYI. & she shouted back “Well, you should’ve made a better decision then!” – Jen promptly said.. wow. That was harsh! I did get a chance to yell back that this was the best decision. And it was.

 

• Around mile 4 I saw a huge painted sign that said “MIMOSA” so naturally I was looking for those folks to have mimosas in their hand. They did not.. so I yelled out to the crowd.. “Where’s the mimosas!?” & someone shouted.. “Back here! Under the tent!” I then proceeded to leap over their front lawn, under their tent, & I quickly grabbed a cup & poured some orange juice, while some guy I didn’t even look at poured champagne in at the same time. I said thanks & ran off.. All I could hear was people laughing.. it was hysterical & I was SO excited to have a mimosa at mile 4.

• Our pace was pretty on point! I had plans to go 12:30, but we were staying under a 12.. with our watches only a little bit short of the mile markers. We were going way faster than I expected, but I was feeling good about it.. I even thought I might PR!

• Turning on the Birmingham Bridge was where I started to struggle a bit. Birmingham is a decent hill, followed by an even more decent hill, followed by the biggest hill of the course. I walked a few times, but it didn’t hurt us enough that it affected our pace. I saw my coach on the bridge, & that is always a huge boost for me.. he knows just what to say to get my ass in gear!

I saw so many friends & so many fun signs along the way & I really enjoyed myself. I was so happy to cross the finish line.. there truly is no feeling better than crossing the finish line after you have just run 13.1 miles.

Final time: 2:38 – only 1 minute slower than my current PR. I call that a win.

This race meant so much to me. When I was struggling, I kept thinking of a sign I saw early on in the race “Purpose with every step”. I was doing this for a purpose. And every step reminded me of why I was running this race & who I was running it for. I am completely honored to be a part of Team ALS 2016 & I can’t wait to be a part of the team for next year’s event. Thank you everyone so much for the support.. it’s now time to let my focus on running take a back seat & focus on getting my body stronger! I’m excited for new beginnings 🙂

 

Run for a Reason – Pittsburgh Half Marathon

Happy 6 days until race day everyone! Today I wanted to share my reason for running. I have shared this in a  video & a little bit on my Facebook page, but never on here where I have more space!

In the fall after a pretty intense race schedule, I wasn’t sure if I was interested in running the Pittsburgh Half in May. In  2015, my plan was for that race to be my first half marathon, but I got injured along the way & the only thing I could do was cheer on my friends from the running group as they completed their goal of doing this race. I also wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend the race fee, which can be pretty expensive if you wait long enough.

When I found out I could run for charity, I went on the Pittsburgh Marathon website & looked at all of the charities I could choose from. When I saw the ALS Association on the list, it was a no brainer. I immediately signed up & started fundraising. I could feel it was the right choice in my gut!

The last 4-5 months of being on this team has been a complete joy. It is so great seeing other runners come together for the same cause & who have a similar story to mine. I attended a smaller high school in Central PA & it was there that I met Mr. Mark French. He was a long time athletic trainer & teacher at my school. A lot of students would take his Athletic First Aid class & they would take it multiple years in a row just so that they could have him as a teacher. He coined crazy phrases & words that he used regularly & they were hilarious. “When in doubt, fire out” is by far his most famous. I can still hear him saying it to this day, even though it’s been almost 10 years since I’ve been in one of his classes. When I was applying to colleges, he wrote me a recommendation letter & he even let me read it. I wish I would have kept a copy for myself. It would be nice to read when I miss him. In 2008, he was diagnosed with ALS, & sadly passed away in June of 2009.

A memorial for him was held in my high school’s auditorium after he passed away & I’m telling you.. that place was overflowing. There was not an empty seat in that place & there were people who even had to stand in the hallway. Pictures played on the big screen, people spoke, & his brother played “How to Save a Life” by The Fray on the guitar. I still have a hard time listening to that song when it comes on the radio. A few months later, a friend of mine from school & I were chatting online & she mentioned to me that before we graduated, Mr. French told her to watch out for me.. & that I was his diamond in the rough. I was 2o years old at the time & as most young adults do, felt that I had no direction in life.. but the fact that Mr. French knew I was destined for something great meant that I had to trust him… because he knew everything. He ALWAYS knew everything. He used to tell you things about yourself that you swore you didn’t tell a single soul. But he knew it.

Many functions & fundraising events have gone on in his name. Dodgeball tournaments which have funded the Mark French Scholarship and made an annual donation to ALS research, ALS walks & I’m sure many more.

This year at the Pittsburgh Half marathon, his name will be on the front of my bib, & his name will be written on my back under “I Run For..”. 6 days before the race, I have raised $1,295.00 for the ALS Association & I couldn’t be prouder. I hope he’s proud of me too.

I think of you constantly, Mr. French. Your teachings have made an impact on everyone you’ve ever come in contact with, & I will never, ever forget  the impact you had on my life. I miss you every day! Until I see you again someday.. (but not too soon)

Love,

Ciara

Hard Cider 5k – Gettysburg Recap

My half marathon training has not been consistent, therefore I have not been updating weekly! And I apologize for that! I wish I had something to tell all of you – but I do have good news at least.. I WILL be running Pittsburgh Marathon weekend! It will just be for fun, thats all 🙂

This past weekend I traveled back to my hometown & ran the Hard Cider 5k in Gettysburg. Gettysburg is about a half hour from my hometown & it is so beautiful there! I arrived in Mechanicsburg at my best friend’s (since we were 5!) house around 8:30pm.. she thankfully picked up our packets that night before I got there. The shirt is SO cute! I ordered a medium, & it fit perfectly. It’s even a longer shirt.. which I love! Here it is:

The race let groups of people go in waves.. We signed up for the first wave at 9am. We left the house around 7:30 & got there a little after 8am. This race was located at Hauser Estate Winery.. and let me tell you, it was gorgeous there:

Parking was in a big field. You could see out in the distance little orange cones.. in the field. This entire race was through this huge field that the winery was on. And the start line was up one big hill. You’ve gotta be kidding me… As we were driving up to park, we saw more orange cones.. going up a HUGE hill. I knew I would be walking the majority of this race. Pittsburgh is in 2 weeks & I’ve had knee cap issues since mid February so I needed to take it easy.

I met up really quick with my brother’s friend & said hi. He’s the one who got me to do this race sooo.. thanks for that. (sarcasm) After that, Alyssa & I went to sit in the car until start time. Oh, I chose to wear capris & my long sleeve “Challenge ALS” shirt. This shirt is black. I would soon come to regret that decision! We lined up about 10 minutes before start time. I just kept thinking how bad this was going to suck! They let us go right around 9am & within the first half mile.. most people were walking. Whoever created that course is RUDE. After the first hill, I spent most of the huge downhill just trying not to lose my footing. The course was grass, dirt, & the ground was mostly slanted. I was hating every minute.

I stuck around in the same vicinity as another woman.. we were keeping each other going. I don’t even remember at what points were the hills.. but the whole thing was basically up hill. During mile 1, we were basically on top of a slanted hill.. I had to walk & it was basically like I was limping.. that’s how slanted this hill was. There was no way I could run this even if I wanted to. During mile 2… this hill…

This was the last huge hill, thank GOD. It was so unbelievably hot. I was wearing black, I was in long sleeves, & it was almost 75 degrees with no shade. Awful.  Also, I need to mention that there was a “Hungry Apple” challenge, where the runners had to eat a donut at the end of each mile. I could’ve used one at the end, that would’ve been cool. In the last half mile, we ran through the vineyard.. covered in little sticks. I was pissed because I was thinking.. why wouldn’t they remove these? My feet kept getting tangled in the sticks & I was just trying not to trip. Alyssa was at one end of the vineyard & as I passed her.. we both agreed we would NEVER be doing this again. Finally, the finish line. My finish time isn’t even worth mentioning, so I won’t. BUT – a testament to how awful this course was… Alyssa easily is sub 30.. sub 28, even. And she finished in 32:xx. Just saying. Still, she did excellent for the way the course was.

At the finish line, we got our medals, our commemorative glass & a can of Jack’s Hard Cider. YUM!  No matter how much I didn’t enjoy a single minute of this race.. The swag was awesome, & this winery is beautiful. I would for sure go back but JUST to visit the winery.

12 days til Pittsburgh Marathon weekend 🙂 that will be my next race recap so keep an eye out!! it’s going to be a GREAT one.

Race Recap – Spring Thaw

First race of 2016 was a success! I’m looking forward to writing more race recaps for you all. They’re my favorite stories to tell! (well, most of the time)

Going into this race, I really wasn’t sure what to expect from myself. I have skipped more than my fair share of training runs & my left knee cap has been really bothering me the last week or so. A while ago, I had planned on racing this, but the closer the race got, I figured I’d just go out there & take it easy & hope for the best.

Luckily, this race went way better than expected. There are three distances to choose from: 10, 15 or 20 miles. I went with 10, since I have no plan to ever run above 13.1 miles. The race is located out in North Park – & the course is just loops around the lake. This lake is so beautiful – both in the winter & the summer. I don’t run out there a whole lot, so whenever I do get to run out there, I enjoy it.

The race started at 10am & it was cold!! If it wasn’t for the wind, it wouldn’t have been too bad. To my surprise, I dressed perfectly – except I didn’t wear gloves. I should have. When running into the headwind, my hands were literally frozen – but I got to warm up when the wind was at our backs. I ran with Jenn – of course! We make such a great team. I have really enjoyed running with her these last few months, & I’m glad I finally caught up to her pace wise! Our first loop around the lake was nice.. it wasn’t crowded, & Jenn & I were basically just hanging out & going for a nice run. The pace never felt too hard, it really did just seem to go by really quickly.

1st loop (5 miles): 58:59. Sweet. So far, we were on pace to PR. Originally when I planned on racing, I wanted to PR – which was anything under 2 hours. Little did I know I could do this without feeling like I was racing!

2nd loop was okay – I was kind of dreading going another loop around since I already knew what to expect & exactly how much I had left based on landmarks. The volunteers at the waterstops were great – I stopped probably 2 or 3 times during the race. By mile 8.5 or so, Jenn & I both mentioned we were getting a little stiff. But we were so close! We powered through & saw our coach Matt around mile 9.25-9.5 & that last 3/4’s to half mile were run at a pace of 10:23 haha. I always love sprinting to the finish line – it always feels like I have nothing left to give but I get myself across the finish line like a champ.

2nd loop (5 miles): 57:57   (negative splits!!)

Finish: 1:56:55   11:42min/mi

That time really made me happy – I didn’t feel like I was pushing myself at all & the fact that loop 2 was faster than loop 1 was awesome. Afterwards, we ate pizza & got stretched out by Keystone PT & got sports massages (I really need that after every race!)

Overall, this race was a really nice one. It’s a great half marathon/marathon training race. Next up: Just a Short Run 1/2 marathon 03/26!! Did anyone  else race this weekend? How did it go?

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Training

If you haven’t read previously, I am running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon (first timer!) for the ALS Association. Currently, I have two half marathons under my belt & I’m so excited to run this race in my favorite city!

I am training with Elite Runners & Walkers (12 minute pace group, what’s up!) for a duration of 19 weeks. During this training season, I will be running two races, Spring Thaw 10 miler in February & Just a Short Run 1/2 marathon in March. I can’t wait to spend my many Saturday mornings with some of the best people this year!

Last year I started out injured, but kept running – & finally had to back out in mid-March. I wasn’t able to run the Pittsburgh Half (which would have been my first) but I am ready & raring to go this year. Fingers crossed for a healthy training season.

Technically, training kicked off last Saturday, but I was out of town, & I will also be out of town this coming Saturday as well. I have been trying my best (to no success) to get my runs in on my own. I have decided that my first true long run Saturday will be January 2nd. Once the holidays are done & I am finished traveling, it will be much easier to find the time to run. In the meantime, I am doing spin classes & some PiYO.

Week 1 begins 12/28, so keep an eye out for my weekly training updates!! Can’t wait to have you guys along for the journey.

#GameOnPGH !!

Trot for Tots 5k Recap

This was my first time running a race a second time – & I’m glad I chose to do this race this year because I always love it. Check out my 2014 recap here to read how I PR’d on this course last year!

Since I PR’d on this course last year, I wanted to see if I could beat it. I hadn’t been able to PR a 5k this entire year due to injury & when I came back from the injury, I was significantly slower & I also didn’t really sign up for many 5ks with plans to break my previous record of 32:50. I knew after my injury that it was lofty to try & beat that.

This fall – I ran many races & continuously proved to myself I was getting faster – & when I thought about doing Trot for Tots 5k again, I knew I wanted to try & PR. It is a flat course out & back on the Panhandle Trail & it’s a race for a good cause as well.

My brother was in town because we went to the Steelers game Sunday night (WE WON!! An amazing game to go to) so he came to the race with me Sunday morning. We got there around 8:30am & I met up with some friends & we all chatted about our plans. It wasn’t too terribly cold; I had on a long sleeve FILA pullover, capris & an ear warmer.

The 5k race started at 9am right on time. Jenn & I lined up together & she said she wanted to try & go for a 10:30 first mile. I was down with that.. that’s where I wanted to be at least for the first mile. Once we got started, my legs felt like jelly. No energy in them whatsoever. This in itself made me super nervous that this race was not going to go the way I had hoped. Jenn wasn’t feeling great either, so she pulled back but I wanted that PR so bad that I knew I had to keep going. First mile beeps… 9:43. I thought.. “HOLY CRAP NO.” <— y’all runners know what I’m talking about. Crap, crap, crap. That is NOT good. All I kept thinking was I hope I wasn’t going to bomb the rest of the race. Second mile beeps.. 10:26.. much better. I had slowed down & that was what I needed. But, my legs still weren’t feeling great

I saw my coach Matt running back to cheer people on right before the finish.. I probably only had .3 to go. I was struggling hard – but he, no joke, screamed at me for a good 10 seconds telling me to push, that I needed to learn to race with the pain, & that he wanted me to catch up with the group in dark green right ahead of me. Well, can’t say no to Coach… I caught up to the group in green but was ready to quit. Once I caught up, I ran stride for stride with them for a minute or two. I round the corner & see the finish & my friend Jason is on the sideline yelling at me.. being the amazing guy he is, he ran me in & pushed me the last .1.. my brother was there too cheering for me- & I crossed that  finish line SO happy to be done & realizing that I just PR’d!!!!!! Everything hurt – my stomach, my legs, my lungs, but in the best way.

Final chip time: 31:15 🙂 that is a 5k PR 12 months in the making people! What a great race with amazing friends… & my brother! I will definitely be participating in this race next year as well. This was my last race of 2015! What a way to round out the year… Here’s to spring training!

Did anyone else race this weekend? How did you do?