I am an Iron Girl!

I officially have 13.1 in the books!  Let me start by saying it was a great race, and I am very proud of my time (2:10:10)!  I was able to convince my husband and mom to come to the race and the girls were there for the first time!  That was a great feeling.  When I came around the corner I could see them and they all started waving!  Madalynn Grabbed my hand and ran with me a little bit, and then I sprinted to to finish line!  It truly was an awesome experience.  There was a KILLER hill in mile 6 that I had to walk a little, but I made it.  Now for my critiques (better word than complaint, right?)

Security bracelet - It was put on my arm on Friday at the expo, and no one even checked it on race day.  Perhaps had I not been wearing one I would have been stopped at some point, but I seriously doubt it.  In my opinion, it was an unnecessary step.

Course short - Now this might be my Garmin's fault, but I noticed around mile 8, the marker was much sooner than when mine and other watches were beeping.  And I am not talking about .01 miles, I am talking about .2 miles!  According to my Garmin I only ran 12.89 miles.  Strange. 

Pace groups - it was previously advertised that they would have 7,9,11 and 13 min pace groups.  As a 10 min/mile runner I was disappointed that there was no 10.  At the last minute they added a 10 min mile pace group, complete with a homemade sign, but he was clearly unprepared to pace us for 10 min miles.  I managed to stay with him for 6 miles, but his splits were 9:43, 9:39, 9:26, 9:45, 9:33, 9:22.  Of course its nice to picture yourself going fast, but in my case when I lose energy on the first half of the course, I drag on the second half of the course. After I left him my splits were 10:30, 10:08, 10:51, 11:07, 11:07, 10:20.  I understand that he was there last minute, but still.

Porta Potties - normally I don't complain about them because I expect long lines, but they seriously should have had more.  They had maybe 20 total, for 2k + runners?  And not to mention the hand washing stations both ran out of water, and I didn't realize this until after I put soap on my hands!  Woops!  And there were only a few on the course, at mile 6.5.  Not that I would have stopped, but I heard other people complaining!

Kids stuff - Considering this is an all women's event, you should have prepared for alot of moms to be running, with kids that would like to have stuff to do.  I've seen some races have a section for kiddies, which always helps when trying to entertain them.

Now some of the good stuff!

The medal & bracelet were AWESOME!  So unique!!!!

After course food provided by wegmans was great & plentiful!!!

Free Muscle Milk - Awesomeness!

Free goodies for kids @ the Mix 106.5 tent - two thumbs up!

Parking & location were super easy.  I got there no problem, and my husband as mother came later to see me finish and had no issues - super bonus!

Positive and uplifting atmosphere - awesome!

I am writing this blog as both the girls are sleeping.  I would be sleeping too but I am still so pumped up from this morning, it's impossible!  I'm sure tonight I will be out like a light!

Stay tuned - next weekend I run my second half marathon in Frederick, completing the Titanium Girl Challenge!!!

Getting close!!!

It's getting really close to the Titanium Girl Challenge! The first part is the Iron Girl Half Marathon on April 29, and then followed by the Frederick Running Festival on May 6. My friend Renee is running the FRF with me, but the Iron girl I will be flying solo. Really hoping they have pace groups! I found that the pace group at Cherry Blossom really helped me.

With the challenge on the horizon, I am starting to plan my race schedule & training leading up to the big day. 26.2!

A couple of people recently asked me what training method I follow. Mine. Lol. I read alot on the internet, different theories, different schedules, etc and then make my own. Most importantly I listen to my body. I am not going to run just because the schedule says so if I am hurt. Because then I will be hurt even more. And I cross train. I do classes at the gym, mostly cycle and yoga right now, but sometimes I do things like the eliptical. When I devise my summer months training I will share them here. I tweak it often, and realize it's a plan, and sometimes the plan just doesn't happen!

Last weekend I did 14! It had a few roucgh miles, but a few awesome miles. All in all it was a good run!!!!!

Cherry Blossom Ten Miler!

Today was the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, and despite most the cherry blossoms being gone due to the crazy weather we have had, it was an awesome race.

On Saturday we picked up my race packet. My girls came with me, and my brother and sister. We parked at the greenbelt metro station and took the metro in. This was the girls first ride on a "train" and they loved it. After we picked up the packet and made a lap around the expo, we headed to Dupont circle to have lunch at my sister's work, Flippin Pizza! LOVE their pizza, and it was a good carb load! Headed home and attempted to rest my legs the rest of the night.

Race Day: I live in Baltimore and figured it would take me 30-35 minutes to drive to the metro, and then I allotted for 30-40 minutes on the metro, figuring their would be delays. My alarm went of at 5:30 and I was out of the door by 6:00 AM. I didn't want to spend too much time waiting for the race to start, because it was on 40 something degrees. I debated on what to wear and which layer to place my bib on, and later wished I had done it the other way, but oh well. I got to New Carrollton station around 6:40 and boarded the train. I arrived at the Smithsonian exit at 7:10. Some people on the Metro were worried about getting to bag check, which closed at 7:15, but I had planned ahead and did not need to check a bag. My water bottle ouch fit my key, license, money and some GU chomps. I did attempt to go to the bathroom but MAN the lines were long, and I wanted to make sure I found my pace group! I found him and introduced myself. The Corrals were very crowded and I was a bit concerned when we began to get closer to the start time that I would lose him. As we walked towards the start, I realized my watch had gone into some menu I wasn't familiar with. I attempted to fix it as we were starting. I was frustrated and pissed that it wasn't working! I couldn't remember how to fix it, and it kept telling me the GPS was off. (When I got home I realized it was a very easy fix, but I was just flustered and couldn't figure it out). The pace guy, Jeff, had on two watches which were working fine so I gave up so I could enjoy the race! Running through DC was awesome. It was a very flat course and we started on the grounds of the National Monument, passed the Jefforson memorial, ran over a bridge (lol can't remember which one) and saw other various sites. I was feeling good running with Jeff and other people in the pace group, and he was hitting the splits right on target. One of my favorite moments was at mile 5 someone said we are half way there. A kid (lol, probably 19 year old boy) sang "Woah were half way there" and we sang back "Woah, living on a prayer." Along the way we did see a few cherry blossoms still in bloom, it was kind of like a game to find them. I started to doubt myself around mile 7, wondering if I could still keep up the pace, and that's when Jeff told me I was doing great. Gotta love that positive motivation. At mile 9 Jeff was encouraging people to go ahead if they felt good. I waited til about 9.5 miles and pulled ahead a little. My official time was 1:39:44. Jeff's was 1:40:05. A mear 5 seconds above the goal! Pretty damn good, and he was my lifesaver since I screwed up my Garmin. Food & Water distribution was very organized, and I was able to get my medal (first medal!!!!) fairly easily. A stop at the porta potties, a walk around the grounds and I headed to the metro. I stopped for a soft pretzel on the way which was so yummy! The metro back was very slow, with lots of delays, but I made it to my car by 11:00 and home around 11:45. Steve had left with the girls so I was able to shower and relax before they got home!

An absolutely wonderful race!