A Day of Celebrations

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Steph

Sweaty Stats: I’m on a loser streak right now, what’s going on!?! Wednesday I had some amazing and fun things to do after work and didn’t get home until almost 10! Thats crazy-sauce late for me because I’m an 81 year old woman at heart and on a work night I like to be IN BED by 10!

EDITED TO ADD:

If you haven’t had a chance to check out my race day prep or Rock and Roll recap, take a look! You may find some good tips and see how much fun the race was!!

So what fun things did I have to do you ask? First we went to my little cousin’s high school graduation. It’s crazy to see these lil kids that you saw in diapers growing up! Agh…I’m getting old. It was a fun day to see not only my cousin reach this milestone, but a lot of his classmates and friends were my former students too! Um, kleenex box anyone?

2 Handsome Guys!

Then we headed over to the hospital to meet my bestie’s new baby boy. Talk about love at first sight! I didn’t want to let this munchkin go. I was ready to take him home with me, but my husband said something about hospital kidnapping rules…chicken.

I could get used to one of these!

Is there anything sweeter than seeing your husband holding a baby and loving it!?!

So although I may be behind on my workouts and a lil deterred from my eating habits, there’s nothing I would have traded about today. Graduation and baby all in one day…yup, that’s a good day in my books!

Do you start feeling down on yourself when life gets in the way of your workout routine or eating?

How do you make up for it?

Any celebrations coming your way?

SD Rock and Roll Marathon Recap

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Steph

Sweaty Stats: NONE and NONE! I didn’t do any exercise Monday or Tuesday, I know…who am I?! I feel that I ~~could~~ should have done some elliptical work, the end. On Monday I woke up a bit tight and decided to let my body rest. Then Tuesday…no excuse, I chose Taco Tuesday over the gym, hey…it happens. I did go on a pretty long walk with one of my ~~friends~~ cheerleaders from the race, so that helped me loosen up too, that counts right?

These girls were up bright and early!

So let me start by saying how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon series! They really know how to do it right! I’ve done the most of the bigger races that San Diego has to offer, and although they’re organized and executed very well…nothing compares to the amazing vibe that the RnR race gives off! But I’m getting ahead of myself, back to the beginning.

Representing!

Since I was running the half and not the full, my start time was 6:45 (full marathoners were at 6:15). Fortunately we live in Downtown San Diego so we were able to take a cab to the start and not have to deal with walking or trying to find parking. Unfortunately we were a bit too comfortable with the fact that we live so close to the start and got there with only a few minutes to spare.

Hmm…Maybe we would’ve been on time of we would’ve taken less pre-race pics!

As with all the other RnR races, everything was organized down to the T. It never felt chaotic even though there were thousands and thousands of runners gearing up to start.

The first 3 miles felt really sweaty and humid. I wasn’t expecting this and had to work through the first few miles more than I thought I would. At about 4-5 miles I was feeling better, loose, and ready to roll!

My cheerleaders were texting me to cheer me on and let me know where they were waiting to see me ~~fly~~ jog by. I bought this awesome lil gem at the race expo and LOVE it! It fits my iPhone in its case in a way that doesn’t make me feel like I’m fussing over it, but I had access to my texts and camera right at my fingertips. Now you have to understand why I loved this phone holder…I HATE holding anything in my hand while I’m running. Doesn’t matter if I’m running to the nearest Wine Steals or half marathon, if it’s in my hand, I’m hating life. I also have a hard time with arm phone holders because I tend to chafe on long runs and races. I’m usually a “stick it in my bra” kinda girl! Since I had this amazing case, I am able to bring you amazing race pics like this one at mile 8. You’re welcome.

Every aide station was absolutely stocked and ran like a well oiled machine. The stages with live bands were placed perfectly throughout the course, and running through neighborhoods really brought out the crowds to cheer everyone along as well. I didn’t get pics of the amazing costumes and fun signs set up because I was running, hello!

Some more love from my girls cheering me on

The last 2-3 miles were on a down hill slope, and felt amaze balls! We finished up in Downtown by Petco Park where we picked up medals, goodies, and walked right over to a bar to eat and celebrate. All in all, it doesn’t get much better than that! No logistical nightmares AND you can easily walk to half a dozen restaurants, bars, and cafes within minutes, success!

Some more representing!

Yes, I pimped out my husband too

What’s your favorite organized running event?

What makes it so great?

Are you already planning your next? YES!

How to Prep for a Race

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Steph

Sweaty Stats: I did it! The SD Rock and Roll Half Marathon was Sunday morning and I felt great crossing the finish line!

I’ll have a race recap up tomorrow, but today I want to focus on the prep that goes into getting ready for race day. I signed up for the race, I trained for months, and (most importantly) I bought my race day shirt, but there’s still more that goes into getting ready for that early morning wakeup call on race day. I have a bit of a routine to get ready mentally and physically.

First Up: The Expo

I really enjoy going to race expos, walking the aisles of running goodies, and getting even more excited for race day. I know a lot of people try to get in and out of the expo to avoid the crowds, but I feel that it really helps get me mentally prepared for the race. Seeing how many people are out there and ready to rock their own race really pumps me up!

Now I totally understand that for those top runners that are running races every month (or more!) then this becomes very routine, but for us normal Joe’s that only do a couple a year…I say enjoy the whole experience!

So we picked up our race bibs, picked up some goodies from the expo, and are headed out…now what?

Next Up: Dinner Time

This year we had a late start to the expo, so when we left it was just about dinner time. We had already planned on having pasta for dinner…and what better place than The Old Fashioned Spaghetti Factory?! Since we rarely eat pasta, I forget how delicious it is…and this dinner was no exception.

Did somebody say carb loading? Top one is mine, and bottom is the hubby’s.

Finally – Getting everything ready…and I mean everything!

I always get everything out and ready the night before. There’s nothing more frustrating than being up early on race day and looking for your favorite sports bra. There’s enough energy that goes into the actual running, so you don’t want to waste any of it on looking for your gear.

I have my Nike running capris, new* Nike running top, Gap sports bra, Nike socks, my custom ID Nike Free running shoes, Knockaround polarized sunglasses, running phone case, earbuds, and a Run Now bracelet in memory of the Boston marathon that we got at the expo. I spared you full view of my underwear…their hiding under the sports bra in case your wondering!

*Disclosure on the new top- I already have other running tanks like this new bright one, so that’s the only reason I wore something new. DO NOT wear anything new on race day. Been there, done that even though I knew I shouldn’t have and I suffered the entire race!

Aside from getting my clothes and accessories all laid out, I also have my prepping and fueling goods ready to go too!

Sunscreen, chap stick, and chaffing stick are a must for long runs, so race day is no exception. I use the friction block stick along the back of my ankle where my shoe may rub, and all along where my sports bra would rub (you get the picture). And yes, I wore deodorant but forgot to sneak it into the pic.

I had all my fuel ready to go too. About 1 1/2 hours before the race I had some pretzel sticks with peanut butter, and then about 30 minutes before I had 1 black cherry blok and 1 margarita blok. The black cherry has more caffein, and the margarita has more sodium. I sweat VERY salty and have found that this helps me feel stronger throughout the run. I took the sportbeans with me, but didn’t use them. In between the morning munching I drank water and Gatorade.

I take 2 bloks with me in a sandwich bag to fuel during my run. I cut the top of the baggie off so that it’s easier to get while I’m running, and since they’re sticky, they don’t fall out so it’s a win-win for all!