My First Half Marathon and A Great Learning Experience

I did it! I successfully completed my first half marathon and didn't die! The race was the Crystal Lake Memorial Half Marathon in Crystal Lake, IL. Along the way I learned several important things about myself and my race strategy. 

Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that you should always, always think ahead and prepare for your race conditions. The night before this race I found myself at Kohls trying to find a pair of running capris. The weather had been amazing all throughout this training cycle so I had never thought to actually go out and purchase anything longer, or warmer than shorts. It was supposed to be a nice 40 degree morning so I would have been pretty screwed if I hadn't looked at the forecast. Luckily Kohls came to my rescue and I walked away with several different capris and pants.

The morning of the race I got up about 30 minutes before I had to leave a rolled into my clothes. I spent around 20 minutes glaring at my cat because she gets to sleep in while I had to go run in the cold. 

Sometimes I can't help but be jealous of her life. 

I got to Lippold Park about 90 minutes before the walkers were scheduled to start, and sat in my car for 20 minutes so I could finish my tea and eat breakfast. Once, I saw some other people from Running Depot I left the warmth of my car and joined them. We got a really cute group photo before the race of all of us in our Running Depot singlets/t-shirts. 

Photo Credit: Running Depot

I had signed up with the runners so we started approximately 30 minutes after the walkers had started. While I had expected that this could create a bottleneck along the course it actually worked out really well. The walkers had enough time to get out of the narrow sections at the beginning and by the time we reached the narrow sections at the end they had spread out pretty well. 

The race started on time and for the first 3-4 miles I went out way too fast. Originally I was going to run with two individuals who had trained with me around my pace, but somehow I ended up running with the fastest couple in the training group. While this was a great confidence boost it really worked against me in the last half of the race. 

Between miles 4-9 I dropped from a fast run to a run/walk with 6/1 intervals. This section of the race had a few hills and one long stretch that was extremely sunny. The sunny section was along Haligus Road which was not closed to drivers. This created not only a warmer run than I had expected but also forced runners to be more aware of their surroundings and their race strategy. The runners were directed to run with traffic as opposed to into traffic, which goes against all my training runs. I was nervous to pass a few runners because the shoulder of the road was narrow and I did not want to risk having a driver come up behind me. 

The race doubles around in a neighbor hood and we ran back along Haligus and the earlier section of the race. It then shifted into a neighborhood that was flat and allowed me to stretch out and relax my stride. Running on Haligas had caused me to tense up and that tenseness had caused my lower back to hurt. While in the neighborhood I ran with some of the other Running Depot girls who had started with the walkers. Once I felt stretched out and more relaxed I opted to go ahead of them and continue the race at a fairly quick pace. 

From the neighborhood the race went back onto the trails at Lippold Park, I believe these trails are for the disk golf course. The trail was nice and flat, and also had a nice crowd along it. These people along with the runners who were cooling down by running back along the path really helped me finish strong. Every year one of the runners participants in the race while wearing a full fireman's suit. This gentleman finished before me and was running back along the path, in what I believe was his cool down. Just before he passed me I congratulated him and he responded with "you're doing great!" To me this was just a special moment that really made me glad I had participated in this race. If this man can run a race in an extremely heavy outfit and finish strong enough to run back along the path then I could finish with a smile on my face.

The last mile was perhaps the worst. There were so many people along the course and each one felt the need to tell me that I was almost there. After the first five times of hearing it I wanted to cry. I could hear the finish line party, but it still felt so darn long. It wasn't until I saw my coach screaming that I was done that I felt like I could finally breathe. Getting that medal felt like winning a million bucks. I had done it, I had finally finished my first half marathon. 

Also getting that bottle of water at the end was amazing. I could actually relax and drink it and not slosh half the bottle down my front. I have yet to master the running and drinking thing. 

I stayed at the end of the race to cheer everyone from my team in. It really was great to see everyone finish and finish strong. After spending 12 weeks with these people I was honestly more excited to see them finish that I was to see myself finish. We had all been in this together and we had all finished!

I learned a lot during this race, such as making sure to not let my thoughts get the best of me and to always know the weather a few days before the race. The most important less I learned was to not try and keep up with people who you know are much faster than you. I burned out towards the end of the race and really had to fight to keep going. I don't think this negatively effected my overall race but it did make the end quite difficult. 

Results from my age group. 7th isn't too shabby!

Pros: Good course, well marked, nice medal, easy packet pickup.

Cons: They ran out of water at the end, the post race food was left out for the bugs, 

Haligus road. 

11.5 Miles, 1 rain storm, and an awesome medal!

I'm an awful person who completely forgets to post race recaps until months later. So enjoy my Fort2Base recap that's extremely delayed.

10 Nautical miles later and I can officially say I've been at Fort Sheridan and the Great Lakes Naval Base! On August 23rd, 2015 I ran the Fort2Base race, a 10 nautical mile (11.5 mile) race that starts at Fort Sheridan and ends at the Great Lakes Naval Base.

I got to the Rosalind Franklin University parking lot at around 5:30 am. Traffic was fairly steady but it moved and I was parked within a few minutes. I elected to sit in my car for a bit and debate about if I would need to bring a light jacket because of the rain that was expected. At around 6:00 am, I walked over and go on the bus to Fort Sheridan. The buses were well organized and the volunteers working the event were good about making sure that 10 NM participants got on the correct bus (the 5 NM participants were going to Great Lakes Naval Base instead).

Once at Fort Sheridan I hung around and warmed up. The atmosphere was fairly sedate but everyone was friendly and welcoming. Bag check was simple, and though the lines for the port-o-potties was long I felt like there were enough for an event of this size.

The race itself started on time and started in a slightly different path than what the original map had said. This added a bit of distance to the race that I did not expect and it ended up messing with my mental game.

At the start of the race you run through a neighborhood that had plenty of residents out cheering on the runners. I thought it was a nice place to start because it had space for everyone to spread out and find their pace, but it was marked well enough that there were no worries of getting lost.

Once we exited the neighborhood the race immediately entered the North Shore Bike Path. Miles 2 through just below 9 are on the Bike Path which allows runners to not worry about traffic or getting lost. There is only one spot that felt like you could potentially take a wrong turn at but there were enough people and markings to make sure that you stayed on course.

Once you hit mile 9 you are at the Great Lakes Naval Base. This was the worst part of the race for me. Somehow I had it in my head that I was about a mile further than I was actually at so I began to pick up my pace to try and really come in strong, I believed that I would be able to do under 2 hours. Once you're on the base you still have just under 3 miles until the finish. This might not seem like a lot but this is the section of the race where you hit a steep downhill (which was awesome for picking up speed and has a beautiful view of Lake Michigan), and what feels like, an event steeper uphill climb.

The downhill really helped my race, I focused on the view and just let my legs go into a "free run" pattern. It wasn't until someone commented that "what goes down must come up" that I realized the pretty view was probably not worth having that boost from the downhill.

The middle section between the downhill and "Heroes Hill" is nice and flat with a water stop that was well stocked and at the perfect location to rehydrate and take a bit of gel before the awful uphill climb.

When I reached Heroes Hill almost everyone was walking up it. To help encourage people the cadets (?) were there to run up the hill with you and "encourage" you. I ran up the whole darn hill thanks to one of the cadets who ran down to me and "encouraged" me by yelling that if he could do this all morning, then I could do it one time. I just had to thank him at the end, it was so tempting to walk up that hill but knowing that the service men probably run that hill on a regular basis was great encouragement to keep going.

At the top of the hill there is a photographer who tries to get pictures of everyone coming up the hill. Unfortunately I was not able to find a picture of myself from that moment.

Picture Credit: Gamefacemedia.com

Once you complete the hill there is still around a mile left of the race. This mile is flat and has a few water stops. Because I got confused about the distance I skipped a few of these which was a huge mistake. Towards the finish line I could feel a huge migraine starting and wasn't able to shake it for around an hour after the race.

Picture credit: Gamefacemedia.com

When you cross the finish line you are instantly handed your medal by one of the service men, and given a bottle of water, a towel, and a bottle of flavored water. There are several kiddie pools set up for runners to rinse off or cool down and there is an extremely impressive spread of food for the runners (chips, cookies, granola bars, cracker jacks....). My dad who had run the 5 NM told me that the organizers were not stopping the runners from coming back for seconds.

After the race I walked around for a bit and visited the various booths. Because it had rained earlier several booths had either not shown up or had taken their tables down.

What I loved about this race was that I could get my medal engraved for a small fee! I waited in line for about 30 minutes (and one lovely burst of rain) and it was worth every penny.

Pros: Great course, great atmosphere, plenty of water stops, option for medal engraving, awesome medal and t shirt.

Cons: It rained, the race photographers seemed to miss a lot of people, the distance was longer than advertised. I had about 12 miles and others were saying they recorded everything from 11.75 to 12.25.

Overall, I had a lot of fun at this race. I would love to run it again next year. Now that I know the distance is off from what is advertised I shouldn't get so upset with my progress and will be able to have a better plan.

Screenshot of my results from Fort2Base.com

Name Change and Some Exciting News

So, if you've somehow been following me for a bit you might have noticed I changed from Sunshine's Wonderland to Run. Ride. Read. Repeat.

When a friend went searching for this blog she stumbled across a different one under the name Sunshine's Wonderland. So, I elected to change from my Disney CP blog name to something that focuses more on what I currently do with my life. I run, ride horses, and read (a bit too much).

In terms of my life, I'm only seven days out from the Fort2Base run. This race seems like it will be a great predictor race for the Crystal Lake Half Marathon in a few weeks. I'm aiming for under 3 hours for the half, which will hopefully get me a good placement in the Disney Princess Glass Slipper Challenge.

Yes, I signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge. Well, my mom signed me up. Thanks mom!

When I lived in FL I always wanted to run one of the RunDisney races, and now that my life (and finances) are more stable I think this is the perfect "starter" race! Being a student and an intern the past few years really stopped me from taking several opportunities. Now that I'm done with that period in my life I can't wait to seize the day!

Along with the Princess I have also signed up for the Pixie Dust Challenge during Disney's Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend! This will not only allow me to see Disneyland for the first time, but I will also earn my Coast-To-Coast medal! In pink!!! Pink always makes everything better!

While there are no longer spots in any of the Princess Weekend events through RunDisney, there may still be some through charity spots or travel agents, You can find those participants here!

Tinker Bell, on the other hand (at the time of this posting), still has spots through RunDisney for the Pixie Dust Challenge and the Half Marathon.  The link should take you directly to the Active registration site. If you wish to register for the 10K or 5K, you may be able to do so through charity spots or travel agents.

I promise I'll start posting more pictures and fun things on these posts. I need to figure out a better system with my camera first.

In the meantime, have a picture of my little stumpy man! He just turned 8 and still loves to bother his pack brother and sister! Although, the cat still manages to push him around.

So, let me know! Who else is running in Princess or Tinker Bell? Which races are you doing? If you're not doing any of the Disney races, what do you have on your upcoming race schedule?

Door County Hairpin Run 2015

Obviously I fail and life and keeping this blog updated. Life seemed to get in the way, what with work, running, riding, and just general things that take time. While I managed to write posts and save them in drafts, I never took the time to actually publish them. I apologize in advance for throwing all these saved posts out this weekend.
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On July 4, 2015 I participated in Door County's Hairpin Run. The Hairpin is an annual 5K that occurs on the 4th every year. This is the second time I've participated, and the first time that I participated as a "runner".

When you register for this run there are two different entry options. The first is as a "walker" which means you are not chip timed, the second is as a "runner" which means you are chip timed and you will be able to see your finish line video. My first year I participated as a "walker" because I signed up the day before, and the race is "capped" at 1100 runners. Be prepared that this is an extremely popular race.

Because I did compete as a runner this year I was able to receive an accurate time of 32:16. Not necessarily a time I'm happy with for a 5K, but for this specific race I'll happily take it.

Picture Credit: hairpinrun.com

The Hairpin starts in the main intersection in Fish Creek, WI (If you've been there before, it's the intersection with the awkward 3-way stop by Hideside.) on Highway 42. The road is not blocked off until just before the race starts, which does get a bit scary when runners decide to ignore traffic and line up in the road early. Once the road is officially closed the runners pile into the street and line up for the start. This race does not utilize any type of corral system, and pretty much assumes that runners and walkers will know where they belong.

Despite this race occurring on July 4th, there is no National Anthem sung or any acknowledgment that it's a national holiday. Once the road is officially cleared and the runners are lined up, the race is started. This year someone (race organizers?) flew a drone over the starting line and I believe it was used to track the first runner.

Once the gun goes off you are instantly treated to a HUGE hill. I hate this hill, The hill takes roughly half a mile to defeat and I added on a few more tenths of a mile darting around walkers or slower runners. I don't think I would hate this hill as much if it weren't for having to focus on getting around everyone.

Once the hill is completed you turn into a little neighborhood type area. Now the neighborhood is where the race really becomes fun. All along the course there are people cheering and just creating a festive atmosphere. This year, one family went above and beyond and set up their own water stop around the 1.5 mile mark (according to my GPS). Because I didn't realize they weren't part of the race I didn't give them more than my customary thank you. So, random family who is super awesome, thank you for going out of our way to help the runners. It's people like you who make this race fun!

Back to the course. This course goes uphill for about the first half, with that first hill being the worst. Then it goes downhill for the second half. It gets the name Hairpin from a hairpin turn while going downhill. This turn is a great marker for me because it signals that I'm almost done with the race. But it's also a marker you have to be careful with. Because it's a sharper turn and it's downhill, I did see two people slip and almost fall. Please be careful with the turn, take it wide if needed or slow down!

Once you finish the race they have a timing area set up for you to view your time and a refreshment area with water, Gatorade, cookies, and bananas. At the end of the refreshment area there are coolers, so you can keep refilling your original cup and not have to get in line again.

Overall, this is an enjoyable family race that I would recommend for anyone up in Door County over the 4th of July.

It should be noted that while the highway is closed for the race, the other roads are not. This year I had to turn around and wait for my mom and brother to finish the race. While waiting a car drove through the finish line. According to other runners this lady pulled out of her driveway and started driving on the race course! She was going fairly fast when she crossed the finish line and left a good number of angry participants in her wake. Several parents were angry because they were letting their children walk the course and run up ahead. Those poor kids (or runners with headphones!) could have gotten hurt! My mom attempted to speak to race organizers about why a car ended up on the course, and she got blown off. Similarly, a runner walked up to a paramedic to ask where the police were and he got blow off. Despite the race being a "safe, closed" course I would not plan on it staying clear. The organizers and police patrolling the course did a poor job handling the situation and should have made it clear that cars can, and will enter the course.

Removing Acrylic Nails

As someone who loves bright colors and making a statement, I love doing my nails. But, I hate when my nails peel and break. To avoid this I've had acrylics, on and off, since I was a senior in high school. While doing a calculation for how much I need to save before paying back my loans with this paycheck I realized that I pay about $1,000.00 per year on acrylic nails. This realization made me pause for a minute and realize I could be using this money for something else. So, I kissed my acrylics goodbye and set to work removing them.

~*~Disclosure~*~ I honestly recommend getting a professional to do this, but for those of you who are like me here's how I typically remove my nails.

Supplies:
Pure Acetone
Cotton Balls
Aluminum Foil
Nail File
Nail Clippers
Orange Stick
Buffer Block
Hand Lotion (I swear by H2O+'s Hydrating Body Butter for a quick moisture addition)







Tips:
*Do this outside, if the acetone spills it won't eat through your floors. Plus, you can work on your tan!

 *Do one hand at a time so you can still read, text, or do something to pass the time.

*Use a glass bowl to put the used cotton balls and aluminum foil in. This kept the acetone from ruining my patio furniture, and didn't allow the garbage to blow everywhere.

Directions:
1) Using a cotton ball and acetone, clean off the nail polish that is on top of the acrylic.

2) Soak a cotton ball with acetone and wrap it around the nail of the first hand you plan on doing. Place a small square of aluminum foil on top of the cotton ball and wrap this around your finger. I always extend the foil past the cotton ball, towards my knuckle so the acetone is less likely to drip.
Repeat this with all the nails on that hand and sit back to wait. I typically wait about 15 minutes to let the acetone "eat away" the acrylic. During this time feel free to read, text, or whatever.

3) Making sure your orange stick is within reach remove the first piece of aluminum foil. Using the cotton ball that was on the nail, rub the acrylic towards the end of the nail (away from your hand). You should use a considerable amount of pressure, but not so much that you feel like your nail will break. Once you feel that the cotton ball can no longer push the acrylic, take your orange stick and lightly (VERY LIGHTLY) prod the acrylic to remove it a bit more. Repeat this with all the nails on that hand.

4) Depending on how much acrylic is on your nails this is the time that I elect to trim my nails down. A good pair of nail clippers should be able to cut through a small layer of acrylic along with your nails. If there are any spots of acrylic that seem loose you may be able to use the nail clippers and gently pry them away.

5) Re-wrap the nails with fresh cotton balls/acetone and aluminum foil, and sit back to wait again.After 15 minutes, use the cotton ball and orange stick to work away the acrylic again. Keep repeating this until all the acrylic is gone.

6) Follow steps 2-5 on your second hand.

7) Take your nail file and shape your natural nail to a short neat shape. I would not do a square or pointed shape because your nails will be very thin and easily broken.

8) Using the buffer block smooth and shine your nails. My Walgreen's has a nice block that is four sided and each side is labeled for its function (File Nails, Remove Ridges, Smooth Nails, and Shine Nails).

9) Once your nails are buffed to your preference be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and use an extremely moisturizing lotion. I would wait a few hours before applying any type of polish, your nails will need the chance to breath and soak up any type of moisture they can.


Good luck!

Half Marathon Training Week 1

Somehow I've made it through Week 1 of the Half Marathon Training program I am participating in, and didn't feel like I wanted to die.

My running plan for the week consisted of the following;
Monday: 2 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: Cross Training
Friday: 2.5 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday: Rest

Because I felt awful on Friday and had a killer migraine I decided to switch Friday's plan with Sundays, so at some point this afternoon I plan on putting in the 2.5 miles.

The group run on Wednesday was interesting to say the least. I might have gone too fast and ended up running with one of the pacers. We kept a great pace that did not follow the run/walk plan, but I was able to really feel like I had worked out properly. My splits could have been better, but I think that the whole run and talk to something thing slows me down.

For the Saturday group run I had another runner in training who ran with me. We did a quick out and back on one of the local bike trails, which I will have to try out once it stops raining here. My biggest mistake with the run was that I had dressed for the weather at my house, not for the weather at the meet up location. It always amuses me how much of a difference there is between two points, 10 miles away from each other.

Overall, I am happy with the program. I just need to learn how to keep my pace more consistent. If I keep up with having splits like these then I feel I will burn out extremely quickly at the actual Half.

Currently Reading:

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

The Strain by Gulillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Book Review: Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder

Photo Credit: CarrieSnyder.com

Girl Runner is a strong contender for my favorite new book of the summer. It is the story of a former Olympic runner, Aggie, and her life. From the title you would expect it to be strictly about Aggie’s running career, but it evolves into so much more. This story shows how running impacts Aggie’s everyday life, provides her an escape, and makes her the woman who narrates the story.

One thing that I did find slightly disappointing, but did not detract from the story, was that the Olympics are mentioned very briefly. I had thought there would be this whole big section dedicated to it, but in reality there is a few chapters that deal with the Olympics while the rest focus on the pre and post race events. Though, in retrospect this could be seen as how some things happen briefly but make a huge impact on an individuals life. 

This book caused me to feel a range of emotions from cheering Aggie on to anger at some of the events that Aggie encounters. I would recommend this to everyone from runners, to those that cringe at the thought of running.

Ms. Snyder is an author who I would expect great things from in the future. 

Book Review: The Season by Sarah MacLean

Photo Credit: SarahMacLean.net

Every so often I like to pull a book from the Young Adult season for a quick and easy read. The Season was one of those choices.

This book tells the tale of three friends, Alex, Ella, and Vivi, and their experiences during the 1815 Season in London, England. The girls encounter mystery and adventure during the Season, along with a hint of romance.

Overall, this is a fun, quick read. It never gets too elaborate or exciting which was disappointing. But it does force the reader to try and guess what the final outcome is. I will definately be looking into additional works from Ms.McLean

Half Marathon Training Begins

Life loves to get in the way of plans and dreams. You plan on one thing and the complete opposite of your plan will happen. Such as planning to move back to the state you love, but life decides to have you to stay in your hometown. When I lived in FL I had a group that I would run with, I had people who would encourage me and help me achieve my goals. Moving back to IL I suddenly found myself alone; no friends to run with, no one to encourage me or help me train. Long story short, being a runner without a support group isn’t fun. So, when I was in my local running store getting fitted for a new pair of shoes, I jumped at the chance to participate in a Half Marathon training group.

The 12-week training group is hosted by The Running Depot in Crystal Lake, IL, and consists of two group runs (Wednesday and Saturday) and about three solo runs with suggestions about cross training on “rest days”. There are also weekly motivational emails and five informational sessions covering various topics. What I already like about this program is that there is a run group and a run/walk group. The “goal race” is the Crystal Lake HalfMarathon, with the Fort2Base being a “training race” towards the end of the program.

Today was the first day of the program (aside from an information meeting on Thursday night). Initially, I intended to participate in the run group, but after some soul searching on the drive over I decided that doing the run/walk group would be a better choice for my first half. The last thing I want to do is injure myself and potentially lose the chance at a race I have planned for February.

The group consists of individuals of all ages and paces. Today, as a way to determine where everyone is at in their training my group did a 3/2 run/walk and averaged a 14’27” pace.

Fitbit stats from the run

This pace is considerably slower than my normal 10:30 pace, but I figure I can always jump to the training group if necessary. Feel free to laugh, I know I’m relatively slow.

Overall, I’m super excited to participate in this group and can’t wait to do my first half with them!

Currently Reading:

Dangerous Deceptions by Sarah Zettel

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

The Strain by Gulillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

New Shoes and New Opportunities

The worst realization that I can have on a training run is that my current shoes need to be replaced. I hate replacing shoes because I never know what my options will be, and I tend to be extremely picky. Unfortunately for me, today my precious Asics of 6 months decided they were done with me. So, off I ran to my local running store to get refitted. Though the girl who assisted me brought out a pair of Brooks which fit amazing and felt amazing, when I put on another pair of Asics I knew these were the right shoe. 

So, now I am the proud owner of these beauties.

While at the store the sales girl suggested that I try out their Half Marathon training program that begins next Saturday. At the moment I am attempting, on my own, to train for the same Half that this program intends on doing. Though I hesitate at spending money on a coach I wonder if this is a better option than training alone. Plus, it would be nice to get to know more runners in my area. 

Currently Reading:

The Season by Sarah  MacLean 

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (re-read)