Why would you Eat a Smoothie with a Spoon?

That’s what I asked when I first observed the smoothie bowl craze. Why eat liquid with a spoon, and why would you want to chew on nuts and berries with freezing cold liquid in your mouth? Hello brain freeze and ouch, teeth!

Then, I tried one. It was delicious. While eating it, it dawned on me that we eat frozen yogurt and ice cream with toppings…this isn’t much different. Consistency was also key, as it wasn’t really liquid but thick like yogurt or a milkshake. Cool, so it was tasty, I no longer questioned it, and I went on my way assuming my smoothie bowl consumption would still be few and far between, but met with less skepticism.

Well, that would be a short post….there is more to it and this is where I think the smoothie bowl may more appealing to the most of us. Anyone else buy fresh fruit, like berries, banana, maybe mango, to put on yogurt? Anyone else have problems with it going bad or getting mushy before you can use all of it? I know I do because I buy it on Sunday when I go to the grocery store, and eat yogurt for breakfast a few times per week. By Friday, bananas are turning brown and berries are getting mushy and preparing to grow mold.

Well, my genius solution upon realizing I like smoothie bowls was to freeze that leftover fruit (and spinach! I even freeze and add wilted spinach) and use it for future smoothie bowls! One might say, “Well genius, you could have used it for regular smoothies before that.” But the problem is that I don’t find smoothies particularly filling, and I have a huge issue with getting seeds in my teeth when I drink blended berries (maybe just me though). Regardless, I felt like a genius because with the smoothie bowl I could add everything I like to the smoothie, then add substance with extra fruit, nuts, and seeds that I could eat along with it. More like froyo with toppings and an actual meal. I LOVE these after run or a lighter version with protein powder after weightlifting.

Smoothie bowls come down to two things; the base and the toppings. The possibilities for toppings are endless from shredded coconut and walnuts, to granola or gummy bears if you like. My favorites are more fruit, dark chocolate chips, chia seeds, and walnuts or pecans. The keys to the base are; frozen fruit, yogurt (I prefer Greek), milk (I use almond), and a natural sweetener if you are a sweet tooth (I like Stevia, honey, or maple syrup). Then you can throw in a multitude of other things.  Below are two of my favorite recipes!*

*I am not nor claim to be a dietitian, this is based on what I enjoy after a workout and have read in various publications. Make any substitutions as necessary to align with your dietary restrictions or doctor’s recommendations. 

Blueberry Banana Oat

In a blender combine:

1 cup Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup Almond Milk

1 frozen half banana

3/4 cup frozen blueberries (or whatever you have frozen)

1/4 cup rolled oats

I teaspoon maple syrup

Handful of baby spinach

 

Toppings:

Sprinkle of fresh blueberries

Handful of chopped walnuts

Tablespoons of dark chocolate or carob chips

Crunchy Raspberry Banana

In a blender combine:

1 cup Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup Almond Milk

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/4 cup granola

Teaspoon of Honey

Toppings:

Sprinkle of fresh raspberries

Handful of chopped walnuts

Teaspoon-ish of chia seeds

Tablespoons of dark chocolate or carob chips

*For a lighter protein-plus version remove the oats/granola and maple syrup from base, add half scoop of protein powder. Remove chocolate chips from toppings. 

So there you have a few ideas! And there are a million options out there, plenty of blog posts with recipes. Mine are based on the things I already eat or keep in my house, so I am not purchasing extra items to make smoothie bowls. They are a little less glamorous, but convenient and delicious. Hope you have fun inventing your own version of a smoothie bowl!

Breaking 1:32 (Rehoboth Beach Half Marathon)

Only three weeks after the fact, I have time to sit down and write about my recent half marathon in Rehoboth Beach. That may have worked out well because my time was adjusted a few days ago, due to an error with the timing mat, and I’ll tell you guys a little later how that worked out 😉

The Backstory

So what fun is a race recap without a good story to back it up? No fun, I tell you, none! Running the Rehoboth Beach Half had a specific purpose and sprouted from an ideation that began back in March 2017. Prior to the Rock’n’Roll D.C. half-marathon I had completed two half-marathons, neither at a hard effort and both as training runs for a marathon. I really wasn’t that interested in half-marathons, it was go fast or go long for me. My PB was a 1:37+ going into the race. I decided to run on feel and see what happened, no specific goal in mind. Well, what happened was I ran 1:33:13 on a hilly course in D.C (of course you can read about that if you like). It gave me a bit of a half-marathon itch, if you will. I thought, wow what can I do if I deliberately train for a half marathon?

About a month later, I ran and bombed at Boston. I had already decided Boston would be my last marathon for a while, but after the train up and slow recovery, and fun I had racing shorter distances during the training cycle, I decided that I would only be running World Majors and bucket list marathons in the future. No more of this 1 or so per year. I had done Chicago and Boston so the next most accessible race would be New York City, but it is hard to get into with the lottery. The guaranteed entry times had seemed out of reach…UNTIL NOW! One can achieve the guaranteed entry times in either a full marathon (sub 3:13) or a half marathon (sub-1:32 for my age group). Having just run a 1:33:13 I thought “I could shave off 1:13.” Especially on a flatter course! I decided to run a cool weather half-marathon in November/December and heard about Rehoboth Beach from my friend Calesse. Cool weather, super flat, not far from home, December 2nd = perfect!

I decided not to rely on my own experience and actually purchase a training plan. I didn’t think I needed a coach to drop 73 seconds, so I purchased a 10-week training plan from Runner’s World after using their 5k training plan to get back under 20:00 over the summer. I began training at the end of September and found myself doing longer runs than I had expected for a half (14 and 16 milers) and more intense track workouts than I have ever done, but I LOVED them. I honestly loved this plan. It was manageable and challenging. It gave time for rest, which is important for my mechanically inefficient body. The plan was actually for someone who wanted to run under 1:30 so with the extra challenges I felt really confident I could run 1:32, especially after a 10k PB in November.

Race Weekend

My husband, Jeremy, accompanied me to Rehoboth Beach to be my pace man for the race. I was confident I could do it on my own, but why not have my good luck charm? Especially if anything went wrong during the race, I could lean on him for support. The drive was as smooth as the training plan and our pre-race dinner at Lupo Italian Kitchen was fantastic! Check it out if you ever head to Rehoboth Beach! After dinner, however, a few things went awry…

We got back to the hotel room and were laying out our clothes for the next day when Jeremy realized he forgot his GPS watch! My pace man forgot the one item he needed to help pace me! I couldn’t give him mine because I would just be anxious and annoy the crap out of him if I was constantly checking our pace. Deep breath, I could do this. Jeremy was officially going to be there for moral support, cool cool cool cool cool.

About an hour later, around 9:00pm I realized that I had forgotten a sports bra! The veteran travel runner I am, who always brings a sports bra just in case, forgot a sports bra for this race. I started panicking about chafing and how I could wear my thin long sleeve without a bra, then considered what running in a regular bra would be like…I had basically assumed I was screwed because any sporting goods store or running store would be closed. Jeremy came to the rescue and reminded me that we have places like Wal-Mart that are open late. Sigh of relief! Sure enough there was a Wal-Mart about 15 minutes from out hotel. We made the trip and I got a nice little Danskin number for about $5. And it worked just fine!

We got back, settled in, set our alarms for 5:00am and…..didn’t wake up at 5:00am. I actually set my alarm for 5:00pm so we didn’t wake up until almost 6 when Jeremy’s backup alarm went off! The race started at 7:00am and I am a stickler for my morning routine. I scarfed down half a bagel with peanut butter, drank some Nuun, and had some coffee all too close together and too close to the start. I was freaking out about cramping because I didn’t have time to digest my food. My stomach was aching during the warm-up jog. Again deep breath, and told myself I could run through digestion issues and it would all be okay, just focus on the plan.

The plan, by the way, was to run a consistent 6:55 pace to give myself some cushion, since i had to run a 6:59 pace to achieve the time goal. I planned to stick to that 6:55 through the first ten miles then pick it up during the last three if I was feeling good.

The Race

We entered the starting shoot just as the sun light began to appear on the horizon. It was 38 degrees with no wind. Perfect! Miraculously, when the gun went off my stomach was fine and I didn’t have any issues from my first step to the last. It may have all been in my head! We started toward the front and things spread out fairly quickly. The first 6.5 miles were all on paved road with one section that was an out and back. I always enjoy those, mostly for the distraction and seeing all of the runners supporting each other.

We split from the full marathoners right after the 5k and it was an open road. I don’t even remember much of it except checking my watch and being annoyed that the water was in plastic cups! I spilled alot more on myself than I usually do with paper cups.

Right around 6.5 we left the paved road and ran onto an improved surface trail. It was something like packed dirt covered in a mix of sand/stone/gravel? Little did I know, I would be running that for the next 5.5ish miles! It was narrow, hard to pass people, and sucked. If you’ve ever run on sand, it wasn’t that bad but same concept when the surface gives that much and doesn’t provide the push-back of a paved surface. I picked up the pace after we hit the turn around point and I think that was mostly out of being angry at the trail and wanting to get the hell off of it. My hammies were on fire!

Once we hit that paved road again I felt like I was floating! We had about a mile to go and aside from the hammies was feeling strong. At this point I did the math and realized we would be well under 1:32. I got pretty excited about that and picked it up a little more. The final mile had some cheering fans and that was welcome after the solitude on the trail.

The final stretch had a sharp turn to the right and BOOM there was the finish line! I looked on the clock and saw that it was about to hit 1:35!  I knew there were a few seconds between our chip time and the clock time, so I surged across the finish line and hit pause on my watch. It read 1:30:00 EXACTLY and considering I stopped it after the finish I had a good feeling I may have broken 1:30 on the chip time! I was ecstatic! We reached our goal, I had met the guaranteed entry time for NYC marathon, AND I had surprised myself and possibly broken 1:30!

Splits:

6:50, 6:52, 6:50, 6:48, (realized we were well ahead and tried to settle back to the 6:55 goal), 6:57, 6:50, (then entered the gravel trail) 6:53, 6:57, 6:46, 7:00 (yoyo’d with getting stuck behind people on the narrow trail), 6:47, 6:46 (wanted to get the hell off the trail), 6:34 (final mile!)

Overall pace 6:52 according to the official results!

Never Satisfied

The funny thing is, I set a goal and achieved it, but the thought of breaking 1:30 had become even more exciting than reaching the goal I had been working toward for 10 weeks. I think many other athletes can relate to this feeling. Well, when I checked the chip times a few hours after the race, per the timing company, it said I had run a 1:30:00.5 exactly. It also said I had gotten 6th woman overall and 2nd in my age group but I didn’t care, I just couldn’t believe I was that close and didn’t break 1:30. Then I looked up Jeremy’s time and it said he had run 1:29:58.6 and that confused both of us. We had started together and I had actually hit the finish line a split step ahead of him.

Not sure which time was wrong, I wrote to the timing company and asked how that was possible. Our clock times were 1/100th of a second different but out chip times were 1.5 seconds different. The rep from the timing company informed me that they had a timing mat malfunction and my chip registered on the back-up mat. Jeremy’s time was correct and mine should be 1:29:58.5! Such a tiny thing, but I had now officially broken 1:30 in the half-marathon! That was just some icing on the cake to the true satisfaction in setting a goal, working hard toward it, and achieving it. But still, a nice twist to the end of the story.

Now, I just have to hope that this time is good enough to get me into NYC based on the demand for guaranteed entries! It is kinda like Boston, sometimes you have to qualify and then some. I will keep you posted!

p.s. totally recommend this race for anyone looking for a fast half! It was fun and well-organized for a smaller race!

 

Pushing, Passing, and Puking: Navy 5 Miler Recap

I’m back!

The last post I shared was about my leg injury from a softball collision and I had no idea where my running would be come these Fall races I had scheduled.  Thankfully, I have come a long way since then and am officially healed up, cleared to train as I please, and in Physical Therapy to ensure I a) don’t have any lingering imbalance due to the injury and b) can work on some strength deficiencies and inefficiencies in my running to keep me strong and make me a better runner!

With that, I ran my first race since the Birthday Bask 5k back in July! I opted out of a Labor Day 5k due to injury recovery, and that brought me to the Navy 5 Miler. It is a race tacked on to the larger Navy-Air Force Half-marathon each year.  I came into the race feeling good about running just under a 7:00 pace but was not expecting much more based on current level of fitness and recent training runs. But, as many know, races change everything and training runs are not always indicative of race day performance!

The Start

The race started at 7:45am and race conditions were 69, cloudy/foggy, and 94% humidity. You could barely see 30 feet in front of you. Luckily, the fog parted within the first 15 minutes of the race and the sun started to come out, burning off some of the humidity.

I ran by myself for the first two miles, got myself in check after going out faster than intended (per usual), and logged 6:28 and 6:42, respectively. I was hanging out in 5th place and didn’t expect to do any better than that with the distance between me and the women ahead of me.  Right around mile 2.5, when we started running into the half-marathoners who started about 30 minutes ahead of us, a tall lean woman passed me and settled in about 6 feet in front of me. She seemed to be running a little faster than I was, and I felt like I could keep up with her…so I did. With all of the half-marathoners around us I couldn’t tell who was who. I locked onto this woman and became her shadow for the next 2 miles, running 6:39 and 6:40.

The Surge

Around 4.25 I pulled up next to her, thinking about when I would make a surge, probably 1/2 mile to go. Suddenly, a Naval Academy runner came up on our left and started to pass us. Innately, as though my legs took over and my brain was their prisoner, I took off. Guess the move was coming with 3/4 mile to go. I ran ahead of the the Midshipman until we hit the “hill” going from the tidal basin up to Independence Avenue. I realized I was losing steam and might have made a stupid decision. Suddenly I heard someone yell “Go Navy!” and she responded “Beat Army!” as she passed me! At that moment, Army veteran that I am, I decided ‘Fine, you can get me on the hill — I need some hill work — but I WILL get you on the kick.’

We came out of the hill with her about 20 feet ahead of me and 1/10 mile to go. I dug deep, and kicked it in. With 100 meters left I started to dry heave! I did something I’ve been told not to and looked behind me to see where she was…I had a solid 15 foot lead and I was not going to lose it. While holding it in I dry heaved across the finish line (passed another midshipmen) and a few steps later, puked. My husband was there to both take photos of me making the ugliest faces imaginable (see IG) but also to walk with me and keep me upright as I proceeded to puke AGAIN, and more, some on my shoes. I didn’t realize until later I smashed my goal of sub-7:00 with an average 6:37 pace. I was also damn happy I beat those midshipmen, represented the Army, and women in our late 20s against college students — or so I thought….

And in case you were worried about me getting sick, I immediately felt better 🙂 Note to self – no more Picky bars before races, I’ll stick to after. I haven’t puked during or after a race since maybe high school? I think I told the story about the pepperoni hot pocket and my first cross country race.

The Plot Twist

*Cue suspense music* Upon looking up the results and AFTER my bold Instagram post…despite the finish… the Naval Academy runner had bested me by six seconds according to chip time! I was actually 6th overall woman, and 2nd in my age group with a final time of 33:09. The results page is still a little screwy as far as placings and age group results, but my temporary nemesis definitely ran a faster time. The woman I shadowed told me afterward that she appreciated me pushing her and loved seeing me surge at the finish (and I think I was mouth breathing heavy so she was really nice). Ultimately, it was a lot of fun to have a hard fought, puke-inducing finish, and as far as the photos are concerned….I crossed the finish line first! 😉

Go Army!

Running into a head on collision

Terrible Timing AND Base Running

I am about to go to a running and writing retreat called Wilder in Oregon over the weekend – one that I am super pumped about, had to apply to get in (twice because I was rejected the first year), and is led by Lauren Fleshman – and I CAN’T RUN right now.  I haven’t run since Saturday, August 12th. And guess what? The reason I can’t run has nothing to do with running! I was playing in a softball tournament game on Sunday, August 13th and had a wicked collision at home plate with a catcher that really stood her ground.  The entire team thought I would get home easy, no need to slide (it is slow pitch so I don’t do much sliding anyway), and apparently the outfielder threw a laser to home plate that beat me by enough for the catcher to have the right to block the plate. It all happened very fast and next thing I knew she wasn’t moving and BAM – collision.  My left leg from the ankle to the knee took the impact, and that was that – swelling, bruising, and limping. And lots of ice.

I put off going to the doc, assuming nothing was broken because I could bear weight, and just iced and elevated. Things seemed to be getting better throughout last week, I just still couldn’t land or push off my leg – two things important in running. When I tried, I got a sharp pain below and to the outside of my knee, more in the fibula/peroneus muscle region.  Then, over the weekend it started to get worse, more pain when walking, it even hurt to kick my legs while swimming on a rafting trip for Jeremy’s birthday. All the while, still no ability to land or push off on my left leg, and lots of pain going up and down stairs.

Time for the Doctor

I gave in and went to the doctor Tuesday. She said there was bruising down my peroneus muscles, and it is still swollen. She was also confident there was no fracture in the fibula or tibial plateau, more likely a tendon , or bone bruise – which can take weeks to heal 🙁 I got x-ray results back yesterday – no fracture! The official write-up said “patellofemoral effusion” aka bruise and swelling according to my good friend and DPT, Courtney Yon.  Also thanks to Courtney, I will be going to physical therapy September 8th and seeing a doc who specializes in helping runners “return to running.” Hopefully the PT’s eval can help figure out exactly what I did, heck hopefully I can run a little by then! Considering bone bruises can take weeks to heal, that is me being optimistic.

At least Lauren Fleshman made me feel ok about being injured…

The positive news is that I can still go to the retreat and participate in as much as possible, including the writing and yoga. We received an email from Lauren and the first line was “here’s the most important thing: Whatever fitness you have right now is enough. Whatever amount of writing you’ve been doing is enough. If you are injured, we will be creative. If you are blocked, we will open up. This is your retreat, our retreat, and nothing is perfect and everything is as it should be. All you have to do is show up as you are.”

That is pretty encouraging, right?

The negative news is that the retreat is for runners who write, and writers who run. I will be missing half of that equation and I am really bummed out about it. Particularly to have an injury NOT from running – can’t even remember the last time that happened! I am also really bummed to currently have no idea when I can expect to heal and be able to run again. For now, I need to be patient and wait until that PT appointment.

But Patience ain’t easy

Even in the last 10 days I felt like I am missing part of myself. My summer training went great and I was so eager to carry that over into Fall races, but instead I feel the fitness slipping away. I have been lifting regularly, doing elliptical, and spinning since none involve impact on landing or really pushing off, but it is a strange feeling to be able to do everything but run and jump (and traverse stairs like an adult).  Back in 2015, while training for Boston Marathon, I really messed up my IT band. After the race I didn’t run for over a month while going to physical therapy in the meantime. However, I was more patient with that experience because it was caused by running and my own structural weakness coupled with high mileage. This time – it was a freak accident nearly outside of my control and the timing just sucks.

Please send positive vibes because I need them to help me keep my head up. I know this isn’t the end of the world, but it still stinks. I leave for Oregon tomorrow. Part of me imagines that I suddenly wake up pain free and can run 8 miles with these other bad a** people attending Wilder. But most of me expects to sit out the runs, while focusing on the serenity of the wilderness around me, the flow of ink from my pen, and the beautiful moments that are sure to occur. A runner who writes, just currently not running 😉

-Shaina

 

Quest for a sub-20:00 5k (again)

I wrote a post back in May about my plans to change focus from long distance to the 5k.  Using a Runner’s World 5k training plan, I planned three attempts to achieve a sub-20:00 5k.  This is something I have done a few times before, I have a 19:01 5k PR (on a VERY flat course), but it has been two years and those times were run in the Spring and Fall. I challenged myself to run a sub-20:00 during the lovely Washington, D.C. summer, and see if Runner’s World’s plan could get me there. I chose to do it on the same course to measure what I assumed would be progress from race to race.

Each of these races were held by Potomac River Running who also sponsors my race team. They seriously put together awesome events, even if the course is hilly and tough, they are always fun 🙂

Celebrate Fairfax 5k

The first attempt was the at Celebrate Fairfax 5k on June 11th. It was an 8am race starting out at 78 and percent humidity.  D.C. has some insufferable humidity and I have gotten fairly used to it, but regardless of training and adjustment, humidity just freakin’ sucks. The course was also slightly different from the course that =PR= normally sets up in Fairfax and I personally think it had tougher hills.

I went out way too hard and ended up running a sub-6:00 first mile…and immediately regretted it when I saw the hill on the back end of the course. I was listening to RW’s advice that the first mile you should be pushing it but it should feel “easy.” That sub-6:00 did feel easy but there were still 2.1 miles left.

 

My energy died on the second mile with a nearly 7:00 mile, then came back and evened out the pace finishing in 20:23 and 20 seconds over my goal.  I took stock of the race and decided that I ultimately went out too fast, and I needed better hill work. The RW plan called for 6-8x 10-20 second hill sprints…that isn’t very long and doesn’t get you very far up a hill nor does it replicate the types of hill on the =PR= course.  Jeremy and I decided to change the approach and run longer repeats up Capitol Hill (about 1/5 mile per repeat) and do five per workout.

 

 

Freedom 5k

The next race was three weeks later, the Freedom 5k on July 2nd. I was feeling good about this race after a solid three weeks of workouts and the new hill routine. The temps and humidity were about the same as the last race and I felt more prepared to deal with it. We lined up for the race and when I crossed the start line, my GPS watch failed to start.  It just refused to work. I fidgeted around with it for the first half mile and decided to say screw it, I was going to run off feel and try to stay with the women ahead of me.

It kind of felt like cross country again, back in the days when I didn’t wear a watch and it was just truly racing. It actually felt great! I have no idea what my splits were, but I kicked it in the last 800 meters like I usually do, passed a few people, and came across the finish line in 19:48!  A 30+ second improvement from my last race and got the sub-20:00!  Is GPS free the trick?!

 

Birthday Bash 5k

The final race was the Birthday Bash 5k on July 23rd.  Funny enough, it was two days before my 28th birthday (I’m twice as old as =PR=).  I went into this one after six miles of hiking on Friday and a softball double header on Saturday so my legs were pretty tired and I didn’t have really high expectations since I already had my sub-20:00! My plan was to work on pacing and maintain, if possible, the 6:26 pace needed to run sub-20:00.  I actually did a much better job this time, according to my watch I ran 6:13, 6:25, and 6:38.

I honestly only accomplished that because I had my teammate out there leading the way.  For the last 1.5 miles I made it my goal to try to stay with her since she was running at my goal pace.  I was sucking down air and definitely struggling, the photos show my agony haha. With those splits I thought I was solidly under 20:00 but when we got closer to the finish line I saw the clock and realized that I might not make it. I could not run a 20:01! I gave it everything I had and surged across in 19:59. Made it by ONE SECOND.

Birthday Bash 5k Finished 19:59

In the End…

..if there was one theme to all of these races, it was my look of sheer misery at the end of the races. Not determination, or focus, or joy. No, haha, I look miserable! I promise I felt more pulled together than I looked!

So a ten-week plan, three races, and two (barely) sub-20:00 5ks.  I am definitely looking forward to some cooler Fall races and also maybe a flatter course! I do recommend the Runner’s World plan but consider adjusting the hill workouts based on the types of courses you plan to run.  The basics of that plan are speed work every week, alternating hill repeats and tempo runs, easy runs, and increasing long runs of 7-10 miles with tempo miles worked in.

And now that this quest is complete, what next?  We have races on the calendar throughout the Fall, but the next one for me won’t be until Labor Day weekend (for now). MORE IMPORTANTLY I will be attending the Wilder Running and Writing Retreat hosted by Lauren Fleshmen out in Bend, Oregon. I am so incredibly excited and can’t wait to share my experience! Until then I will just be focusing on maintaining this summer 5k speed 🙂

-Shaina

 

Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity

I recently attended  a webinar hosted by the National Institutes for Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) called “Physical Activity: Making Sense of Current Research, Persistent Myths, and Common Barriers,” presented by  a professor from Brown University.  Ok that was a mouthful, but I must give credit where credit is due. Anyway, the webinar gave some great insight to common barriers and effective methods for overcoming them when it comes to physical activity AND its nemesis: sedentary time.  Some of these tips are relevant whether you are someone who rarely goes to the gym, or someone who runs everyday but finds them self sitting a lot and sedentary in between (ahem – myself).  I wanted to share them with my less scientific and more enjoyable spin.

If you are curious about how much exercise you should be getting, a common number for an adult is 30-60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity 7 days per week. This guide from CDC gives some examples of what those combinations might look like. And a table at the end of the post shows what the heck exemplifies moderate and vigorous.

Tips for reducing sedentary time (called the SITT formula)

Research suggests that sedentary time (prolonged sitting) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of death of U.S. adults). And now, sedentary behavior is being linked to type 2 diabetes, muscular weakness, and other negative outcomes. Regular physical activity doesn’t necessarily give you an advantage if you’re being sedentary the rest of the time (ahem – desk jobbers, self included). Here are some tips on how to combat inactivity/sedentary time.

1. Sedentary behavior frequency: try to reduce the number of times you find yourself inactive for a duration of an hour or more

Plan active time when usually sedentary: walk in place while watching tv or try a stand up desk at work

2. Interruptions: Taking breaks in sedentary time

Get up and do strengthening exercises during TV commercials; push-ups, planks, curls with a dumbbell.

Set a reminder on phone to get up and move every 30 or 60 minutes; at work do squats, planks, or a lap around the office

3. Time: duration of sitting.

Set time limits on sedentary behaviors – only 1 hour of TV in the evening or 1/2 hour of Internet time

4. Type: mode of sedentary behavior

Reduce TV watching and sitting on the couch

Stand up or walk while talking on the phone

Try walking meetings at work or taking the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator whenever possible.

Common Exercise Barriers and how to address them 

1. Lack of motivation

This tends to be one of the BIGGEST barriers, so it gets the most attention. There are five ways to address motivation and they can be pretty darn effective. Once you have motivation on lock, the other common barriers might not be an issue!

1) Determine WHY exercise is important. Write out a list of values and put it on the refrigerator

2) Work on managing unhelpful thoughts. This is about optimism. If you have a moment of self-doubt or negativity, acknowledge it and envision yourself pulling that thought out of your head, balling it up, and throwing it in the trash.

3) Sign a behavioral contract with yourself. Literally write out what you promise to do, then identify a reward if you keep your end of the contract (like a serious bowl of ice cream on Fridays), AND what you have to give up if you don’t keep your end of the deal (like donating to your LEAST favorite charity).

4) Find an exercise you enjoy. Its about having fun! If you absolutely hate running, it hurts my heart, but I understand. Try other options depending on your budget. Try a gym membership and a bunch of different classes if you are a group exercise person. Think of what you enjoyed as a kid, loved swimming? Is there a pool nearby? Go outside the box and search until you find it.

5) Add accountability. Unlike a contract with yourself, accountability is about making a promise with other people involved or sharing it publicly!  So that could be signing up for a race or training program with friends, posting about your promise on social media, making plans to go to the same spin class with your colleague every Wednesday…you get the idea.

2. Bad Weather. Plan for an alternative, depending on the time of year. If you are an outdoor person through and through and the idea of a gym makes you cringe, then buy the gear necessary to exercise in the rain or snow. But not lightning, stay away from lightning! Snow storms are super frustrating, but if you can handle a gym there are plenty of alternatives for cardio. There are also creative options like running the stairs in your building or burpees in your garage.

3. Fear of Injury. Talk to your doctor, talk to your physical therapist, talk to your therapist. If there is a concern about injury, whether from a past injury or a lack of confidence, talk to the right people to determine if the activity is safe for you, then consider a coach or a personal trainer who can work with you until you are confident enough to do it on your own.

4. Lack of Energy. A lack of energy could result from a multitude of issues, including the quality of your sleep. But if you can’t increase your hours of sleep/quality there are other tricks to find the energy you need for exercise. First, and you might gasp when you read this but stay with me, try exercising IN THE MORNING! Yes, get up earlier and workout when you wake up. The longer you wait, especially on a work day, the more likely you feel exhausted by the end of the work day and your exercise is the first thing that gets tossed out the window. I have been working out in the morning for 10 years now and I would never trade it.  Off that soap box, another tip is to drink more water throughout the day and try drinking caffeine before you work out. Caffeine can give a nice little boost to not only your alertness but the quality of your workout. Have iced coffee from the day before if you don’t want to brew a pot in the morning.

5. Lack of self-efficacy (the belief that you CAN do it and that it will WORK). I once had a friend in ROTC who told me to always look at my reflection in the store windows when running around Cincinnati.  To be exact he said, “Go ahead, look at your reflection and tell yourself how damn good you look! Be confident and proud because you’re out here getting it.” That was in 2007 and it has stuck with me since. I am not quite as cocky and confident as that friend but SEEING yourself get out there “getting it” can really boost your confidence.

Similar to concern over injury, if you lack confidence in your ability to do an activity correctly, consider a coach or trainer who can help you through the steps until you have enough skill to do it on your own. I specifically think of weightlifting for that one. Another option, is to join a group that participates in the activity, like a running crew. You can often find them on places like MeetUp.com. You can also find a beginner class. I lack confidence in doing Yoga but between videos and beginner classes I don’t feel like a total moron now, just inflexible and awkward, but that is OKAY!

6. Social Influences. If your friends and/or family don’t exercise regularly or don’t support you, or worse actively question/make fun of you, sticking to an active routine can be difficult. There is the telling them to F**k off approach, secretly hide your exercise from them approach, or the sit down and have a heart to heart about why physical fitness is important and try to get them on board approach. If all of that fails, chin up — You do you Boo. Work out in the morning if you cannot tell your friends no to a happy hour without getting harassed.

I totally acknowledge that for anyone who has kids, that is a whole other set of barriers and I cannot speak from a parental perspective, but I know there are a TON of active moms out there who have strategies and ways to get their exercise in, often including their kids 🙂

Other Helpful Strategies for Regular Physical Activity 

1. Goal Setting

Use the SMART Principle: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound

Example: I will walk for 20 minutes each day during my lunch break and record my time in a journal.

Example: I will run three miles without stopping one month from today by increasing my running time by one minute every other day.

2. Self-monitoring

Write down your exercise daily; many people are into Bullet Journals to make the logging fun, or a simple notebook will do. I see people at the gym with their notebooks tracking their lifting every day. There are always notes on your phone too, but there is something so satisfying about writing things down with a pen and paper 🙂

Use a physical activity monitor like a Fitbit or Heart Rate band. These days, even the iPhone’s Health App is pretty good at measuring steps and connecting to other apps to gather information.

3. Add positive exercise cues

Make it easier to remember to workout and seize opportunities for exercise. Keep your sneakers in your car, set an alarm on your phone, or post a schedule of when to exercise in an obvious place.

There are so many ways to exercise other than running, walking, or gym equipment. You might not know how calories burned looks relative to other forms of exercise, or what the heck moderate and vigorous actually mean. Here is a table shared during the webinar. It is based on a 200 pound person though, so you might have to do some math. For example, if a 200 lb person burns 566 calories running a 7:30 mile for 30 minutes, a 125 lb person would burn 353 calories. (200/125 = 1.6 and 566/1.6=353) I love math, so let me know if you have any questions!

Exercise Table

Hopefully you found some helpful nuggets in there! Like Michael Jordan said, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

-Shaina Cales 

 

Savory Stuffed Peppers Recipe

I don’t have a lot of original recipes, I love to cook but I also love cookbooks.  Anything I do have that’s original probably came from my mama, and maybe I tweaked it. This stuffed peppers recipe is really her recipe too, but with my twist to it. It is delicious and is basically Thanksgiving in a pepper. For those meal preppers, these are great for pre-planning leftovers too. So let’s get down to it!

Total Time: ~ 50-60 minutes (25-35 prep, 25 baking)

What you need:

  • 6 Bell Peppers (Red, Orange, or Yellow)
  • 1 Cup uncooked Quinoa
  • 1 package of Jennie-O All-natural Turkey Sausage
  • Pepperidge Farms Classic Stuffing (This is the dry bread crumb kind but I can’t always find it and unfortunately go with StoveTop when I’m in a bind)
  • 8 oz Cremini mushrooms (I save time and buy pre-sliced from Safeway)
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 1 cup Shredded carrots
  • Dried Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, and Rosemary (about 1 teaspoon each, but if you like one more than the others then add more — I LOVE Rosemary)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Unsalted Butter

**If you are vegetarian or vegan, skip the sausage.  If you are gluten free, skip the stuffing. This recipe is already friendly for anyone who is Dairy-Free!

How to do it:

Ok, this requires some multi-tasking and helps if you have a friend or a partner to cook with. Of course my mom mastered this by herself, but I had to practice a few times to make this meal without help and get the timing right.  Note you will need one large skillet, one small skillet, two medium pots, a Pyrex dish, and two cutting boards.

1. Chop the onion into bite size pieces. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Follow Package Directions to Cook 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing in their respective pots on the back burners of the stove.

 

3. While waiting for water to boil, heat the medium skillet on medium-high and add a little bit of olive oil.  Slice the sausage and then add to the skillet.  Use spatula or large spoon to break apart into little sausage pieces and cook until no longer pink. Once finished turn off heat.

 

 

 

4.Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute 3-5 minutes or until translucent. Add the mushroom, carrots, and spices and saute until the mushrooms have released their juicy goodness (3-5 minutes).

 

 

 

 

 

5.Once each of the four (quinoa, stuffing, sausage, veggies) are done and all the burners are off, mix everything into the large skillet already containing the veggies.

 

 

 

 

 

6.Take the six Bell Peppers and cut off the top of the pepper.  Pop or cut out the green stem.  Carve out the seeds and the soft white insides from the Peppers.

 

 

 

7.Take a Tablespoons and spoon the filling into each pepper.  Pack it down into the pepper and level off.  Place the top of the pepper back onto the stuffed bottom.

8. Place the peppers in the glass Pyrex dish and place in the oven for 25 minutes.  The top of the pepper should brown nicely.

 

9. Remove from oven and let cool, then serve with any leftover stuffing on the side. Enjoy!

*** I eat one pepper with some stuffing on the side and am usually satisfied. Jeremy eats two, so the serving size varies but that gives you an idea 🙂 

 

 

-Shaina

Marathon to 5k: A Running Refresh

Ahh the face in that picture, right? The beautiful suck of running a hard-fought 5k.

In my last post I mentioned how I was ready to step back from Boston and experience races in other places.  In reality, I am taking a step back from marathons and I’m really excited about it! I ran 3 marathons in the last year and I am both burnt out on them and ready to take a break from their toll on my body. I also ran two of them because I was convinced by other people, and I have come to realize that you cannot be convinced to run a marathon, it has to be a choice.  Sure, friends can give you encouragement, support, and help you believe in yourself…but marathons require too much dedication and emotion to be convinced to endure one.   I’ve decided that unless its a World Major I haven’t yet run or one of my bucket list races, I won’t be doing any random marathons. That means my next goal is NYC in 2018. And that is ONLY if I am able to qualify by running a sub-32:00 half marathon in Rehoboth Beach, DE in December.  So definitely  a whole 18 months away from the marathon, maybe more 🙂

Sometimes hitting the refresh button is exactly what we need to find new inspiration, or fall in love with our sport all over again.  The daily grind can become stale and having NEW goals is a huge motivator. That brings me to my new goals. My first and true love is the 5k.  I won’t go into detail as you can read all about that in my Humble Run-ginnings post, but I started with Cross Country and the 5k was my first distance experience beyond sprinting in Junior High track.  So when you need to hit refresh, why not go back to the roots?

That’s exactly what I’m doing and I really have Runner’s World magazine (RW) to thank for making the decision. I was thinking about focusing on speed over the summer as the heat and humidity in DC really get to me, and I would rather go short and fast than slog out long mileage in miserable weather. I was thinking about the 5k because I was feeling an itch for it. But I didn’t have an actual plan. Then I came across an article in RW about transitioning from marathon to 5k. Sounded perfect! THEN, in the June 2017 issue RW did a special on crushing a 5k..including a detailed 10-week training plan, tips on approaches to race day, and exercises to improve stability. THEN, guess what is 10 weeks away? The Potomac River Running Birthday Bash 5k on July 23rd.  Two days before MY birthday. Well, that was settled.  Thanks for putting that plan in my lap, literally! The universe has aligned.

I tweaked the plan a little to accommodate a few other races.  Of course, I won’t give up lifting either, so where RW says “cross-train” I lift and/or elliptical. For authenticity sake you get a photo of the actual plan I wrote out on a sheet of printer paper 😉  It involves going hard on the hard days, but taking the time for rest in between. Twice a week I will do those stability exercises which focus on improving springiness and your body’s ability to bounce back from the hard impact of a fast road race.  This plan is applicable for anyone, beginner to advanced.  I used the intermediate to advanced distances for my speed work and the intermediate distances for my long runs.  If you have any questions about the adjustments you would make, feel free to contact me or, if you don’t mind purchasing the magazine, check out the Runner’s World article!

The Plan

For anyone who follows me I will be sharing updates on Instagram from the training and my two “check-in” 5ks along the way.  The Celebrate Fairfax 5k on June 11th and the Freedom 5k on July 2nd. They are both on the same course as the Birthday Bash so I can really see how effective this plan is! The course is hilly, so I don’t expect a PR but I do hope to see improvement over those three races. My PR is a 19:01 set on a very flat course in October 2015. In 2016, which included two marathons, I ran three 5k and they were all just over 20:00. The fastest was the race from the photo up top, ALSO on the same course as my three races this summer. SO my goal in all of this is to stay healthy and run under 20:00 again!

Let’s do this!

-Shaina

13 Reasons NOT to Run the Boston Marathon

That title is entirely sarcastic, and the list that follows (also sarcastic) explains why I am one of those people who love Boston.  The idea for this post stems from attempts to convince myself that I don’t like Boston, that I don’t want to run it again, that it isn’t all that great.  And the reason I attempted to convince myself of those things was because my worst marathon performances since 2009 have all happened at Boston.  The only two times I have run a marathon and not qualified for Boston were AT Boston.  The only time I have walked during a marathon was the 2017 Boston Marathon. And with all of these seeming “failures” I tried to convince myself I don’t need this race. But as I did that, I only found myself smiling and realized I was denying my true feelings about Boston.

When I was 19, I ran Boston as my second marathon after having qualified as what I would call a fluke, at 18.  I was humbled by that race as I was utterly unprepared and didn’t know enough about proper training or have the discipline to do it.  I struggled to a 3:31 thanks to some good weather (50 and overcast), but I also made friends, people who took me under their wing on the bus to Hopkinton and kept me company in the Athlete’s village since I had no idea what was going on.  Fast forward 6 years, and I vowed I would have a better Boston planning to run with my sister-in-law and training in Afghanistan to qualify at the Prague marathon.  I was determined to have a great finish, maybe even a PR.  But, I over-trained and made it to the start line with IT band tendinitis, so I had to throw away that plan for a PR and hope to finish.  Then this year, I was careful about training and made it to the start line healthy, planning for something more like a 3:28, and the heat ended up taking a serious toll on me.

Regardless of those 3:40+ finishes in 2015 and 2017, both times I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with people I love.  This year, it was my husband Jeremy, who ran a 2:52 to get into Boston and as he has said “May never work hard enough to qualify again.” We ran every step of this year’s race together, we struggled together, cramped in the heat together, and both stopped and walked for our first time together.  And crossing that finish line together was even that much sweeter because we had to work hard to even get the opportunity to do it. Finally, I have so many great memories with my family who have flown to Boston for the race.  My parents have been there with me each of the three times I’ve run.  The last two times my aunt, who is an LMT, came all the way from Washington State and worked some massage magic pre- and post-race. Plus, they enjoyed drinking beer and touring the city as much as spectating, so it truly is fun for the whole family.

The truth is, Boston has a special place in my heart and no matter how much I try to convince myself, I will always love and cherish this race. The following are all the reasons I hate(love) the Boston Marathon.  I think they are many reasons those who chase Boston continue the chase, and the reason those who have run multiple times love to come back.  They are the reasons I know I will return.  Not any time soon, I plan take a step back and experience races in other places like Big Sur, NYC, and the World Majors in London and Berlin, so maybe in the next few years….but who knows? The allure tends to sneak up on you!

13 Reasons

1) That dang energized crowd and unending support. From the start line to the finish line there are people lining the course, screaming and cheering. The spirit of the city and the towns along the course are captured in the crowd.  From handing out oranges and gummy bears to holding hilarious signs, the crowd is spectacular. This year even more so, with towns turning on their fire hydrants and bringing out garden hoses, those who live along the course bringing ice, freeze pops, and wet towels to help us cool down. I don’t know if I would have made it without the extra help from the spectators.  When I run past the Wellesley girls, I forget I’m even running. Their scream tunnel and kisses may be my favorite part of the course aside from the finish line.  When we stopped to walk, fans supported and encouraged us with warmth and kindness.  I have never experienced anything like it at another race. Chicago would be a distant second.

2) Ughhhh visiting the historic and lively city of Boston. From the Freedom Trail including Paul Revere’s house, John Hancock’s grave, and Bunker Hill to the preservation of the oldest places in the city intertwined with skyscrapers and modern design, Boston has such an energy and positive vibe. The trip to the marathon includes a history lesson that deserves to be embraced. On top of that you have multiple famed colleges, good food, and great breweries.  Of course all of these things could be enjoyed at any time, but there is something special about sharing it with fellow runners.

3) That stupid really cool Boston Marathon jacket. Well, the first time I ran I was 19 and didn’t know the jacket was a big deal, so I bought a hoodie.  Yes, a hoodie. But I made sure I corrected that mistake the next two times.  That jacket is a badge of pride but also a symbol of camaraderie. You see it, and know that person is a fellow marathoner. It is a point to congratulate someone on their accomplishment and maybe make a new friend.  And they don’t just sit in the closest, I actually wear mine for cold windy runs because it is an excellent wind breaker!

4) Gahhh crossing a finish line surrounded by cheering people. There is no feeling like it! Making the turn onto Hereford and then on to Boylston, it is a tunnel of screaming and cheering.  Amazing fans who have probably been standing there for hours and they don’t lose energy or enthusiasm. I cried all three times I got to that point (I am a very sensitive emotional person) because I was overwhelmed by the energy and significance of that moment.

5) Who wants to be inspired by countless runners who’ve overcoming adversity or physical challenges. There are always inspiring people at any race, especially those I’ve run affiliated with the military. I am moved by the strength of the human spirit and it is on display in full force at Boston too.  From blind runners that come from around the world, to veterans and amputees, to the survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombings of 2013. There are people that overcame so much more than any of us with two fully functioning legs and all of our senses.  Those people don’t want attention, and definitely not pity. But I think it is only fair to at least acknowledge their accomplishment and how they inspire the rest of us.

6) Nobody wants to hang out with fellow runners in a place called the Athlete’s Village. Port-o-john’s beyond your wildest dreams, free bagels and water, sunscreen galore, and bags everywhere to donate throw-away clothes. The Athlete’s village is quite a site and an experience.  Good luck finding a place in the shade, but if there is enough room for a butt, you will be welcomed to sit.  It is unique to this marathon, compared to others I’ve run.  Likely because of the point to point course, but a ton of fun and the best chance to just “run into” someone you know! — like I did with my friend and teammate Hannah!

7) A course that has water and Gatorade every…single…mile.Plentiful hydration stations? Who wants that?! Ha, no more words needed.

8) A Unicorn on the medal?! When I was six, I wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian or a unicorn. I will gladly receive anything that has that magical mystical creature as part of its branding. Yup.

9) You pretty much have to drink Sam Adams. That should actually say everyone.  Its only the original American craft beer that now boasts an array of styles and flavors that should leave no one unsatisfied.  Plus, they brew the 26.2 beer FOR THE MARATHON. I have toured Sam Adams  2 of my 3 times in Boston for the marathon. I’ve also met Jim Koch and he is an awesome guy who happens to be from the same county in Ohio where I spent my teenage years. So I might be a bit biased, but Sam Adams is pretty damn good beer. “For the love of beer. For the love of Boston”

10) Who can handle being surrounded by authentic Italian food? I mean when you need to carb load…the entire North End of Boston is filled with delicious authentic Italian restaurants. But even more important..Mike’s Pastry and the cannoli.  OMG I dream of the cannoli.  My family included.  We make a specific trip to Mike’s Pastry to load up on cannolis so they are waiting in the fridge when we get back from the race.  I eat a cannoli before I shower, eat dinner, or drink a beer.

11) Just can’t stand meeting really awesome people from all over the world. This year Japan, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Germany, Denmark, and Australia were just a few of the countries I saw represented while I was running. I will never forget 2009 when I got passed on Heartbreak hill by a 70+ Japanese woman with a flag around her shoulders. What a bad a**!

12) So over legit swag bags and post race goodies. That Adidas long sleeve shirt that you are allowed to exchange with ease, and this year a Sam Adams bottle opener (that was my favorite), plus the car window sticker and then all the free stuff that you throw in your bag as you walk through the expo (so many Kind and Clif bars this year). And the poster, with your name on it. Not that I have ever hung one, but I still have all of them…because my name is on them!  Then, post-race you are handed a bag FILLED with snacks.  Although this year our hungry family ate the Hawaiian rolls and other snacks before we got to them 😉 Spectating is hard work.


13) Nobody wants to have to qualify to cross the finish line with someone they love. The last point here focuses on the fact that you can cross the finish line of any other race in the world with someone you know or care about, but with Boston, you have to work for it.  You have to both (or all depending on how many) qualify in the same time window, get into the race, and make it to the start line healthy.  It is a bit more of logistical challenge.  And plenty of people cross the finish line alone, actually most people.  That is the norm so this sentiment is really for anyone who has experienced the joy of running with someone they know or love. It is pretty damn cool. This year I started the race with my husband and my cousin and words cannot express how special that was to me, or them. It may never happen again and is something I will cherish my entire life.

Do you guys have any other reasons you hate(love) running the Boston Marathon? Like getting to take a trip with your family or the awesome expo and chance to meet elite runners? Let me know!

Also – I wholeheartedly acknowledge that not everyone seeks to qualify for Boston, or even runs marathons. This is not meant to alienate, but hopefully helps you understand some of us oddballs. And, if nothing else, maybe you want to take a trip to Boston now??

-Shaina

2017 Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler Recap

Recap

What a race!  I ran my first Cherry Blossom ten-miler and I am in love! It was a great course experience AND the first time I’ve run a race officially entered as a member of the Potomac River Running (PR) team. Cherry Blossom is one of a few races in the DMV that allows team entries and gives team awards.  There were so many PR singlets out on the course and every time I saw one I found a boost of energy. So let me tell you about this race 🙂

I was seeking a Personal Record because this would be the flattest ten-mile course I have ever run and I am in a fairly good place with my training right now.  My goal was to break 68 minutes.  I also had another incentive since the race organizers were offering a commemorative mug to anyone who ran faster than the women’s winning time in the first Cherry Blossom 10 miler…. in 1973.  Kathrine Switzer (a legend aka the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an official entrant) WON the race in 71 minutes and 19 seconds.  Women have come a looooong way in distance running since 1973 and she was a pioneer!

We actually cut it really close to making the start due to long gear check lines.  Jeremy sent me ahead and I made it into the start corral about four minutes before the race started.  I was around the 7:30 pace group, so a little further back than I wanted to start, but it worked out, just a lot of dodging people (and traffic cones).  Jeremy made it with about 30 seconds and had to start further back in the corral.  No worries, this was an individual effort since he was also running his first race as a member of the PR team!

The first mile really was just about avoiding collisions and getting in a good position due to the sheer volume of runners. All I remember was avoiding feet and ankles, and almost tripping over a traffic cone and yelling “Holy Sh*t!” to which some guy apologized and I told him I was yelling at the cone not him…which probably just made me sound strange.  After mile 1 we turned onto the Memorial Bridge and experienced our first down and back where we could see the runners ahead of us as we made the turn around the traffic circle.  Just after that we ran a stretch along the Potomac, past the Kennedy Center, with another out and back. It was on that stretch I spotted two of my teammates who were ahead of me and waved at them.  Those little moments pump me up 🙂  While I do love the out and back for that reason, the sharp turns were killer and forced everyone to slow down quite a bit.

After that stretch we ran back down past the tidal basin and came into some awesome fan support. It was then that I saw someone dressed as a Lemur in what I believe was an adult onesie with a ringed-tail.  It made my day.  Right after that, I came up on another teammate, Liz, who after a quick hello told me “There are still a lot of ladies to catch” and for some reason that lit a little fire.  It was right before we ran around Haynes Point too, which is several miles of super flat road just covered in Cherry Blossoms.  I picked it up a little bit and genuinely had a good time.  There were a DJ playing Sia’s “The Greatest” (CHECK IT OUT) which got the adrenaline flowing, a jazz quartet, AND a marching band at different locations around Haynes Point. Music really gets me going, and I don’t wear headphones when I race anymore, so I LOVE hearing it on the course.

During the final mile I really wanted to push hard. There was a huge crowd, I was having fun and feeling great, and why not? I ran my fastest split of the race.  I have to admit that sometimes, especially at the end of a race, I totally talk to myself.  Sometimes affirmations or inspiring song lyrics… And sometimes the things that pop up in my mind are so strange, yet they help me push myself when I need it. I distinctly remember that during this race one of the thoughts that popped up was “believe that eagle tattoo on your foot has real wings and it will help you fly.”  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   But hey, we all have our methods and it worked!

The final 200 meters were awesome, slightly down hill to the finish and I felt exhilarated.  Then I crossed the finish line and dry heaved. But my watch read 67 minute and 45 seconds and that meant a PR! I looked up and saw Jeremy AND my teammates and it just solidified a good race with a great finish.  I think I’m still on a high as I write this, and I will definitely be running this race again!

Splits

My watch recorded an additional tenth of a mile so its splits and final pace of 6:43 were just a bit off from the official time and pace of 6:46 per mile.

Mile 1- 6:48

Mile 2- 6:45

Mile 3- 6:43

Mile 4- 6:48

Mile 5- 6:46

Mile 6- 6:45

Mile 7- 6:42

Mile 8- 6:43

Mile 9- 6:47

Mile 10- 6:30

 

I’m not going to do the full-blown review of this race because honestly, its just awesome.  Who doesn’t want to run a race down the National Mall, around the Tidal Basin, and along the Potomac while the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom?! The only thing I will say is that the pre-race gear check was utterly disorganized and extremely slow (and I am saying that in contrast to the Rock’n’Roll Half where the bag check was utterly organized and extremely fast) so hopefully they fix that for next year.  In addition, just know you have to pay a separate fee for a medal if you want one.  I chose to pay to upgrade my race shirt so I could get a women’s small instead of unisex and forwent the medal.  Jeremy instead took the generic t-shirt and paid for the medal. Otherwise, fantastic expo, course, fan support, water support, and finish line! I HIGHLY recommend it 🙂 — Just remember there is a lottery to get in!