Month: October 2017

5 reasons you should run the Annapolis Running Classic!

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I distinctly remember what made me sign up for the Annapolis Running Classic half marathon in 2013.

I had just run the A10 about two weeks earlier, and felt pretty good about myself. I reasoned that if I could run 10 miles, well, then I could surely run an extra 5K beyond that and call myself a half marathoner. I saw the Annapolis Running Classic was being held in November, so I paid my registration fee, started training and ran the race in a time of 1:53. I loved everything about the race and knew I wanted to do more half marathons (and eventually, marathons!)

Sure enough, the 2017 Annapolis Running Classic will be my fourth time running this race, and my 14th half marathon overall. And this year, I’m serving as an ambassador for the race for the second year in a row!

That means I have a discount code to share: Sign up using ALLISON17, and you’ll get 10 percent off the registration fee for either the 10K or the half!

Undecided about whether you want to commit to this race on Nov. 18? Here are five reasons why you should sign up today.

  1. The Annapolis Running Classic is one of the most scenic races you’ll ever run. All 10K and half marathon runners start at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, then head through historic downtown, around City Dock and across the Weems Creek bridge. The 10K and half marathon courses split at Route 450, and half marathoners head right and run across the Naval Academy Bridge. The half marathon course goes over the bridge twice, just like the A10 does. Sure, it’s the hardest part of the race, but the views from the top are amazing!
  2. BEER. You thought I’d name this first, right? In all seriousness, the Annapolis Running Classic has a really sweet post-race party. Obviously, most runners love a cold one after a race, and finishers this year get their pick of Fordham Copperhead and Gypsy Lager, Michelob Ultra, Bold Rock Cider and Old Dominion Root Beer.
  3. Oysters! Runners get a dozen oysters after the race, both grilled and on the half shell. Oysters not your thing? There will be lots of hot soup and other snacks, too.
  4. The Annapolis Running Classic gives back to the community. In the race’s first six years, more than $220,000 has been donated to local organizations.
  5. You get a really pretty medal, and a quality premium. This year’s medal features the historic Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. The ribbon for the medal features a photo of the Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday Night Races set against the backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. This year’s premium has not been revealed yet, but you can see last year’s here.

Have I convinced you to sign up? If so, don’t delay– the 10K is about 75 percent sold out right now. Plus, the prices for both races go up on Oct. 31.

Any questions? Let me know!

As an Annapolis Running Classic ambassador, my entrance fee for the race was waived. All opinions are my own!

The 2017 Baltimore Running Festival: Two races, 16.2 miles

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I almost changed my registration for the Baltimore Running Festival to the full marathon at the last minute.

It was tempting. I’m certainly in physical shape to run a full right now — I did one of my 20-milers last weekend, and a 19-miler before that as part of my Rehoboth Marathon training. But your body does need adequate time to taper and rest for the 26.2-mile distance in order to run your best, and I was afraid that pushing it too soon by jumping into an unplanned marathon would derail my overall training goals. So, I went with my original plan and ran the Baltimoronathon.

What’s that, you ask? It was actually two races — the 5K race at 7:30 a.m., followed by the Baltimore Half Marathon at 9:45 a.m.

And I am so glad I did! I ran better than I ever expected– second in my age group in the 5K, and third overall female in the Moronathon. The Baltimore Running Festival is a huge race and I never thought I would place in any of the races. I believe I have at least one award coming in the mail!

Runners most definitely got a nice boost from the weather today. It’s been so unseasonably warm here lately, and today was in the 70s. But for the 5K and at least part of the half, the temps hovered in the 60s, which, in my opinion, is perfect running weather. And I can’t complain about running in shorts and a singlet on Oct. 21.

The 5K and the half started in the same place at the Inner Harbor, but followed different routes. 5K runners ran down Key Highway and toward Port Covington, then turned back toward the Inner Harbor for a finish on Pratt Street. It was a flat and fast race (very much unlike the full and half marathons!) I clocked 21:55, fast enough for 2nd place among women in the 35-39 age group. I was really ecstatic over my splits, which according to my watch were almost perfect: 7:07, 7:04, 7:01. That never happens. Maybe I’m not so terrible at pacing myself during 5Ks after all.

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The only annoying thing about the race was the crush of runners at the start. I felt like I was dodging a lot of people for maybe the first quarter of a mile or so. But that’s typical for most big city races.

I finished the race before 8 and then had tons of time to kill before the half started, so I pretty much just walked around the Inner Harbor and tried to hydrate.

And didn’t that come back to bite me in the ass! About 10 minutes before the gun went off for the half, I realized I had to pee, and didn’t have time to hit the port-a-potties. So I tried to tell myself it was just nerves. NOPE! Had to stop around mile 3 to relieve myself. I hate stopping during a race, but I reasoned I’d be able to run faster if my bladder wasn’t screaming at me. This is always my struggle — I try to drink a lot of water, but then I have to pee constantly. Sigh.

I ran the Baltimore Half last year, and the course was like I remembered — HILLY. Especially miles 3-6 (which I believe correspond to miles 16-19 of the full marathon). It’s just one hill after another. It’s tough, but there’s a lot of downhill on the last few miles of the race. Still kinda brutal on the quads, but I try to look on the bright side!

There are two things I love about this race. One is the amazing crowd participation. Baltimore really gets into the Running Festival and so many people line the streets of each neighborhood the race goes through, holding up funny signs, ringing cow bells and handing out water, oranges and in some cases, beer. It really motivates me to keep running when I feel tired.

The other thing I really like is the loop around Lake Montebello at mile 7-8. It’s flat after several miles of hills, and it’s scenic — and you know you’re more than halfway done at that point and are heading toward the finish!

Speaking of the finish — all runners finished at the Inner Harbor, which was a much-hyped change from previous years. Before, the finish line was at Camden Yards. I ran into one of my Rip It friends afterwards, and we both agreed we preferred the finish at Camden Yards. If I remember correctly, the celebration village (AKA BEER TENT) was pretty close to the old finish line — not so much the case today. I mean, who wants to walk that far for post-race beer after 13.1 or 26.2 miles? (Of course I still did!)

To accommodate the new finish, there was a slight change to the course at the last mile and a half that involved a fairly steep, albeit short, hill. I’m pretty sure I yelled out “WHAT THE &%$%$ IS THIS HILL?” to another runner, who echoed my thoughts.

In the end, I finished in 1:45 and some change. It was about three minutes slower than last year, but then again, last year, I didn’t run a fast 5K first! Because I did the Baltimoronathon, my half marathon time wasn’t recorded as part of the results for that race. (UPDATE: I lied! My time was recorded after all. I finished in 1:45:29, 16th in my age group.) BUT I was very surprised to see that I was the Moronathon’s third overall female finisher! Total time was 2:07:25 for both races.

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I felt pretty good after finishing the half and obviously high-tailed it to the aforementioned beer tent. Runners got two drink tickets and I used mine to get two Dogfish Head Seaquench Ales, a favorite beer of mine. It’s probably more of a summer beer, but whatever, it still felt very summer-like out there.

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My friend Staci says I should see if a brewery will sponsor me, much like Nike or Wheaties sponsors Olympians. If any brewery owner is reading this, and is interested, contact me!

After hanging out for a little bit, I hopped in my car and headed home — and it was then that I realized I’d made a crucial mistake by paying a few extra bucks for parking near the Inner Harbor. Traffic was so bad after the race that I’m pretty sure I spent as much time sitting in my car as I did running. Had I opted for the free parking near the stadiums, I would have had a much longer walk to my car, but I think I could have jumped right on the highway. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Did anyone else do the Baltimore Running Festival this year? What did you think of the finish line changes?

 

Runaway Bridesmaid: The Bridesmaids 5K

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Like most women of a certain age, I have a whole collection of bridesmaids dresses that I’ve only worn once, and will probably never wear again. I’m not hating on any of the dresses — they’re actually all really nice — but it’s not like I go to fancy parties on the regular. Seriously, my Halloween costumes get more use!

So, when Rip It Events announced a new race this fall, the Bridesmaids 5K, I jumped at the chance to recycle one of my dresses!

The Bridesmaids 5K was held Saturday night in Columbia, and about a hundred men and women showed up dressed in their best wedding attire. Most of the men wore tuxedo T-shirts, but a few wore actual suits. The women came in a rainbow of bridesmaids dresses, both long and short, and there were even a few women who wore their wedding dresses! (I would have dearly loved to wear mine again, but my mom paid to have it preserved, and I know she would have been sad if I trashed it during a race!)

I chose to wear the purple dress I wore in my sister’s June wedding. It’s short, and it’s sleeveless, making it relatively easy to run in. Plus, I have purple running shoes. Fortunately, the race was on a Saturday and not a Sunday — being a Steelers fan in Ravens country, I would never wear head-to-toe purple on Sunday around these parts. Ha.

Because I’m in the thick of my marathon training, I had 10 miles to knock out on Saturday, so I ran seven before the race. The weather was pretty cool during the late morning, but by the time of the race, the sun was glaring and it was toasty. Is it not autumn? I’ve had quite a few sticky runs lately and I am over it. It’s mid-October! But I digress.

The run was a “fun run,” meaning it wasn’t timed, meaning I probably didn’t need to push it as hard as I did. All runs in Columbia are usually pretty hilly, but this one didn’t feel quite as punishing as some of the other races. I finished in 21:47, with positive splits: 6:51, 7:02, 7:14. I just don’t think I’m that great at pacing myself during 5Ks. The Glow Run was a fluke. But more importantly, I had fun, which is the whole point!

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To that end, the race was sponsored by AIDA Bistro and Wine Bar, so every runner not only got a wine glass for finishing, but two drink tickets! I usually run for beer, but I don’t exactly hate wine, either. Although I used one of my tickets for beer, and gave the other to my husband, who was nice enough to volunteer along the race course.

AIDA also gave all the runners a 15 percent off coupon for dinner, so that’s where Micah and I ate after the race. Check them out on Facebook — they posted a few live videos of the race!

Rip It Events has one last race this year — the Columbia Turkey Chase 10K and Relay, coming up the Sunday before Thanksgiving on Nov. 19. If you’re interested, shoot me a message and ask me for your 10 percent discount code!

As a Rip It Events ambassador, I ran this race for free. Opinions are entirely my own! 

Halfway done with training for the Rehoboth Marathon

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The Rehoboth Marathon is just two months away!

Yesterday was my longest run to date of this training cycle — 17 miles. As I was running along the Baltimore-Annapolis Trail, enjoying the absolutely perfect fall weather, I thought about how much harder the training is going to get in the next few weeks.

This weekend calls for 9 miles on Saturday and 19 miles on Sunday, then I have three 20-milers sprinkled over the next six weeks. This plan I am following is all new to me — with previous marathons, I’ve followed a plan that called for one 20-miler, then the taper. It’s challenging, but I’m confident in my abilities and so far, I feel really good.

(In non-running related life happenings, the husband and I are also in the process of buying a house, so I’m trying to jam house tours into my weekend schedule, as well. Fun times. Who needs a social life?)

Here’s what I’ve learned after the first two months of training for my fourth marathon:

Running long and slow is HARD. I have more trouble with the “run slow” part, which probably sounds really cocky. But like most runners, I’m in the habit of pushing myself as hard as I can, including on long training runs. But running as fast as you can isn’t the point of the long run — it’s to build up strength and endurance so you aren’t burned out on race day. Makes sense. It’s just hard to put into practice. But I think I did all right on this weekend’s long run. Tried to take it nice and slow — just like Usher said. 🙂

Eating the right foods is important. That’s not exactly groundbreaking information, but like running long and slow, it’s sometimes easier said than done. An example: This Sunday, I was fairly lazy. I didn’t get up until 10:30 (I wish I was one of those runners who’s up at 6 a.m. sharp pounding out those miles! But I like sleep.) Then, I wanted to watch the Steelers-Ravens game (go Steelers!) at 1 p.m. I didn’t actually make it out for my run until 4:30 p.m.

For a late breakfast, I ate a bagel with sunflower seed butter and banana (protein and carbs, good choice), but then my pre-run snack was … a piece of beer bread and three Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins. FAIL. I brought an energy gel along on my run, but I was pretty hungry by the end of it. Not good.

My expensive gel pedicures are a necessity! My husband complains about the cost until he looks at my feet. They’re a freaking train wreck even after the best pedi my money can buy, so imagine if I didn’t take care of them. Right now, I’m rocking a sexy blood blister on my left foot. Based on past training experiences, I know a black toenail or two isn’t far behind. Whatever. Sandal season is almost done for the year anyway!

Two months down, two months to go. Bring on the next eight weeks!