Throwback Thursday

Several years ago, hubby and I hit up Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Half Marathon. He was running, I was there for moral support. The night before we wandered the city and the night was gorgeous! This photo is of City Hall that night.

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2014 Rocky Run 10k

This past Saturday my hubby, two friends, and I ran the inaugural Rocky Balboa Run 10k in Philadelphia. We slept over our friend's apartment Friday night and we all headed down to the Art Museum Saturday morning.

It was a cold, cold morning! Seriously, I believe it was 33* when we arrived at the parking garage. None of us were prepared per se for those temperatures as this was really the first weekend it had been that cold! We realized in the shade it was way colder than in the sun since we could barely stop shivering, but in the sun we were ok.

Our friends dressed up as a chicken and Rocky, from Rocky 2. It was hilarious more for the looks and comments they received than from others than anything. They even got on the the local television station. It was funny.

Center City Philadelphia looking down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Center City. It was early!

 

Hubby and I pre-race

The 5k went off at 7:30 a.m. and we saw them heading off as we arrived. The 10k went off at 8:15 a.m. and went off fairly on-time. As we waited for the race to start, there were a few drones flying overhead taking photos...we think! They played Rocky music the whole time and we had lots of announcements. The funniest thing were the guys selling Rocky hats and gloves in the corrals. Odd...but Philadelphia. And as I say this, there were people buying them, so...

Personally, I was too far up in the corral for my pace. I apologize to those who had to pass me, but my friends didn't want to go back further and thought I shouldn't either. I was uncomfortable, but...

We started off through the very large start banner around Eakins Oval, past the Art Museum, and out towards Kelly Drive. Many people passed me at this point as I am not a fast runner to begin with, but for some reason was feeling really sluggish this race. I thought many a time that I should have just done the 5k. Had the two gone off at the same time, I probably would have.

It was a good race, an out and back, very flat. Throughout the course there were DJ's playing Rocky music, there were three water stations, and the volunteers were great. It was freezing. How those volunteers stayed out there in those temperatures amazes me. I was running and warmed up, but them? They just stood around.

I saw my two friends and hubby on the course. This was the longest distance he has run since surgery. He hasn't gotten past three miles on a training run, so this was a stretch for him. He did great! He completed 5 of 6 miles running and only took some walk breaks in the last mile. He finished without pain during the race, after the race, or in the next couple of days. Woot!

As I came up to the finish, hubby was waiting. He got a few pics of me coming to the finish.

Afterwards, he found me {it wasn't hard, there weren't many people finishing at the time}. We got a finisher's photo together. I estimated about 30 behind me; I was close, there were 38.

Then I grabbed my medal. Which is huge! Seriously, one of the biggest and funnest I've picked up from a race.

We grabbed a couple photos in front of the Rocky backdrop too.

We met up with our friends, who had been finished for a long while. They had plans in the afternoon and we had to get back because we were meeting friends for a birthday dinner at home. It was funny how we all had things later that day.

On the way home, we stopped for our celebratory donut breakfast. Yum! And I earned an apple fritter!

Can you see how big that medal is??????

The race was fun! For an inaugural event, I was impressed with how organized it was. Hubby wished the water stations were spaced differently or were more. I would have liked food at the end. Maybe there was food at the end, but we didn't see it and I didn't see anyone with food as we walked to our car. Other than that, we both thought the whole thing was fun.

Anyone else run this race? What did you think?
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Training begins!

Alright people! Love Run half marathon training has officially begun! My plan started with a 2 mile run yesterday. I knew it wouldn't be a great run since I haven't run in ages and last week I had a cold/flu light. I also knew 2 miles wasn't that far and I could do it pretty easily even if I haven't run.

I put on my new jacket that hubby gave me for Christmas. It's awesome!

Then it was off to my normal running route! I knew all I really needed was a one mile out, then turn around. It's easy to get behind that. LOL! I parked the car, headed up to the school I start at, and headed off. I run on sidewalks because I honestly don't trust people who drive. I suppose they could hit me on the sidewalk too, but I figure it's a bit harder to do.

I ran really slow. Way slower than I used to run. I say used to because since June I have been an extreme runner slacker. I admit it. I own it. I've been battling internal struggles and it didn't cause me to run. I knew this run wouldn't be fast, but I went anyway.

And I was right. I was slow. As slow as when I first started running 5 years ago. Eh. Whatever. I have faith that based on past running I'll speed up. Anyway... I got my two miles in. Two 15 minute and 10 second miles. LOL! Oh yes. Speed demon!

But, you know what? Who cares? I ran my two miles then came home and did my stretches. My plan also called for hitting the gym for a spin class, but due to last week's illness I decided this week is a run only week. No classes so as to ease into the program. Classes will happen next week.

Anyone else running the Love Run this March? Have you started official training? If not the Love Run, are you training for a big spring race? Which one?
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Half Marathon #7 Scheduled

The past few months have been pretty bad in terms of running. I haven't been out on the streets much, even when I had a race. But, I ran the KidsPeace Trick-or-Trot 5k Saturday and had fun. It was the first time I've run in awhile where I had fun.

And since I had fun, I signed up for The Love Run! I've been looking at this race for a few months and wanted to sign up. Hubby isn't running Shamrock again, so I didn't want to make us drive back to Virginia Beach for me. The Love Run is in Philly and since I had to skip the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November, this gives me the chance to run in Philly in March in a first time race.

I'm really excited! And I'm in need of a good race, so I know I need to:

lose weight

strengthen my core

add flexibility

gain stamina

build muscle

I started using My Fitness Pal to keep track of my food and exercise. The past two days have gone well. I've tracked both in the program and it's interesting seeing the stat of "if you ate like this everyday you would be x pounds in 5 weeks." I like that, Right now it's saying I'll be about 10 pounds lighter. I'll take that.

So, I'm committing to all the above to run a strong and happy The Love Run Half Marathon. I want to finish that race (hopefully with a PR) like I did at the end of the Shamrock Half Marathon in March 2012. I had a 25 minute PR, but more than that I felt like I could run for another 2-3 miles. I felt good. I felt exhilarated. I was happy. I want that again (and the 25 minute PR wouldn't be turned down!). 

I've got five full months to get myself in tip top shape. I can do it. I'm looking forward to it.

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Happy Anniversary to me!

Way back in the December of 2011, when this was going on

Brian and I exchanged anniversary gifts.  Brian enjoyed opening his present of tickets to the Baltimore Orioles.  My present were tickets to this

 

Before we go any further - Brian, if you're reading this, you may just want to stop.  I'm just warning you now.  

Ok. Back to the concert.  I've been a Tim McGaw fan forever.  The first time I saw Tim, it was in 1995 at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia with Little Texas and Blackhawk (neither of whom are still together).  Since then, hubby and I have figured out I have seen him approximately 7 more times.  LOL!  Saying he is my favorite musician would be an understatement.  He is one of the sexiest men I've ever seen (see Brian, I told you to stop reading...).  I generally get to one concert a year.  His.

So, yesterday we headed to see Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney at the Brothers of the Sun tour.  We got to town a tad early, so we stopped at Xfinity Live for a drink and to watch the end of the Phils game.  Should not have bothered...

About 4:30 p.m., we walked over to Lincoln Financial Field for the concert, even though it started at 4:30 p.m.  I thought the first opening act would be Grace and the Nocturnals, then Jake Owen.  I was wrong.  After being told to throw out my aerosol sun block (which I will be emailing them about), we started the long walk to our seats.  LOL!  A big ole 63,000 seat stadium takes a bit to get around.  And in all that walking, we missed Jake Owen.  :-(  We made the last song and all the bowing.

Then it was Grace and the Nocturnals.  I thought they would be on first.  I mean, it is a country concert.  Ugh.  She was a powerhouse of energy and has a good voice.  I knew nothing she sang, so it wasn't the best part of the concert for me.  I said to Brian I wasn't impressed enough though to get any music from her.  

Honestly, the whole reason I wanted to go to this concert was to see, as my friend Erika says, hot Tim.  :-)  And he did not disappoint.  He opened the show with "Felt Good On My Lips" which got the place rockin'!  Oh my heavens.  One of his best recent hits.  So fun!  Great start to the night.  Want to see some pics?

Mmmmmm.....

 Still hot

 For some reason, I like this photo

 Not a bad view

 Tim McGraw is Tug McGraw's son and as a kid was a HUGE Tug McGraw fan before he even knew Tug was his father.  Eventually they became friends and spent Tug's last days together.  Since Tug helped the Phillies win the 1980 World Series, Tim wears the ring to his Philly concerts.  After singing "Live Like You Were Dying," he showed his ring off.  How 'bout that standing O?

Tim's set was shorter than I would have liked, but he wasn't the headliner.  In between sets, we took a self portrait.

Then it was time for Kenny Chesney.  He came up in the middle of the floor seating.  It's been done before, but still fun to see.

What is the impressive part of his opening was how he went from that circular area on the floor and the stage.  He flew.  Yup.  Flew.

Brian believes he used the over the field camera they use during football games to ride to the stage.  It was kinda neat.  Give him credit for originality and courage!  His show was good.  Like Tim, he did a mostly upbeat show with just a couple slow ones mixed in.  But, Kenny is kinda an upbeat guy.  Though I'll be honest, the levels were awful.  Multiple times during the concert it was hard to hear what he was singing.  Then again, there were many times he just started laughing and couldn't sing.

Of course, the encore was the Tim and Kenny song "Rock Star."  The place went kinda crazy again.  :-)  Love a Tim concert in Philly.

It was an amazing concert!  Tim is just as sexy as he's always been and sounded great!  It was a fun night out.  Though Brian should not be reading anymore, thank you sweetie for a fabulous anniversary night!

Reflections on the Philly Half Marathon

Pro

1. It was my second half marathon!  Woohoo!  Very exciting to know I trained and completed two half marathons in one year!!

 2. This half marathon was in one of my favorite cities, Philadelphia.  I was so looking forward to running the streets and seeing all the cool sites. Philly has such a rich history and it was fabulous to see it while running.

3.  The first 9 miles flew by.  It was amazing.  I couldn't believe how quickly they went and how little effort it seemed to take.  I was shocked.  I was happy, but shocked.  Even the hills between miles 7 and 9 were fine.  I'm not a huge hill person, but they didn't seem impossible.

4. I PRed.  I ran basically the race time-wise I expected to run and PRed by 5 minutes.  I will say slight disappointment that my 10k estimated my finished to be 16 minutes faster than I actually ran, but eh.  It is what it is and I have a new PR.

5. The crowd support.  I'm not one for being excited about people cheering me on.  I run by myself in my training runs and crowds yelling for me usually turn me off, but the crowds in Philly were different.  They called my name, they cheered loudly, they had fun signs.  I even joked with some people and high-fived others.

Cons

1. The hill between miles 9 and 10.  Seriously.  The worst hill I've ever dealt with.  Worse than the hill between Mount Wolf and Manchester.  Without that hill this race would have been 100 times better!  And I would have had a better finish time!

2. The lack of directions at the start for the corrals.  It was chaotic and hard to find where I was supposed to line up.  Good thing I'm slow and I knew to just walk to the back.  The signs for the corrals were not as well marked as they could have been.

3. Lack of port-a-potties on the course itself.  The start and finish areas were packed with them, but once out on the course, it was hard to find.  I stopped about mile 5 to use one because I didn't know when the next one would be available.  Not good when you have 25,000 people running at the same time.

4. Post-finish line had several issues:

1. By the time I finished I was given a Marathon medal.  While sweet, I ran the half.  There should have been separate finish lines for the full and half so each race received the right medal.  And when I finished there were only three half medals left.  There were some pretty darn upset people I'm sure after me because there were more than 3 people on the course when I finished.
2. It was crowded with too many volunteers at the same spot - handing out water, handing out medals, directing traffic.  The water people should have been further along.  The congestion was incredible and I've never seen the like.  It was impossible to understand/see/know where to go.
3. With all the people handing out water, there were only two people handing out the blankets.  The ratio was a bit skewed.  It was almost impossible to get a blanket.
4. Food. Big fail.  I got in line, waited close to 5 minutes without getting close to the food, then got out of line because I felt sick.  The set up was completely wrong.  I just ran 13.1 miles (others ran 26.2) and we have to wait 10 or more minutes for a granola bar or banana?  Come on!  More areas where food is located, more space, and quicker lines.  
5. The photo station should be before the water, blankets, etc.  I got my photo taken and had to dump everything I had to get it shot.  
6. Overall, it seemed like once you crossed the finish line everything was just one big cluster you-know-what.  Too crowded, no organization, and too many people.

 Overall Impression

Overall, I really enjoyed the race.  I loved the first 9 miles and I think miles 11 through 13.1 would have been more enjoyable had there not been a 90 degree angle hill I had to go up from miles 9 to 10.  I felt as I ran through Old City, along Delaware Avenue, and up Chestnut Street that this really was an amazing race.  One I would recommend to anyone.  Now, I would recommend it, with the caveat that you have to do hill training.  They say this course is flat and for the most part it is, but miles 7 through 10 have elevation and that mile between 9 and 10 is just killer.

But, if you want to see the best of Philadelphia, go for it!  It's a wonderful way to see the city, get your run on, and have a fun Sunday morning.  

And as much as I am complaining about mile 9 to 10, I'm still happy I PRed.  I'm still happy I ran it.  I'm still happy I felt practically normal come Monday.  I obviously trained better this time around than last.  
 So thank you to everyone who organized and volunteered.  Thank you to the police, fire fighters, and EMTs at the race.  Thank you to all the friends and family who cheered not only their loved ones, but everyone who ran by them.  Thank you to all those who hung signs on the side of the road and those who carried them as they cheered.  And thank you to all my friends and family who believed I could run a half marathon even when I didn't!

Mental Mindset (running)

The  last time I ran 10 miles it looked like this.  Yup, snow everywhere.  It was the end of January and I was 6 weeks out from the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  I was nervous, but kinda excited.  Not only was I going to run 10 miles for the first time, I was going to do it in the snow.  Bad-ass baby!

And I did. It was kinda boring. I had to run around lots of snow, un-cleared sidewalks, and watch out for ice.  But, I did it.  And it would be the longest run before the Princess Half Marathon.  For reasons I can't remember, I never managed to get my 12 miler in.  I would like to say it had something to do with snow, but I have a feeling it had more to do with being lazy.  I didn't run that week.  The following week I ran 8 miles.  I had high hopes of running my 12 that day, but uh, it was the windiest day ever. Windy as in siding was coming off someone's house, a mailbox came out of the ground, and someone's lawn ornaments were rolling down the street.  That 12 mile run went down to 10 then 8.  I decided I wanted to live to see the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

And I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon the following Sunday.  Ran the whole thing with only having run 10 as my longest training run.  And last Saturday I had a 10 mile training run.  Now, I have no desire to run.  I feel like it's time to run the Philly Half Marathon.  I am ready to go.  I'm not prepared for another 8 weeks of training, of running, of not racing in the Philly Half Marathon.  What's up with that? 

As I've said in the past, I love this program.  I love how it works with my lazy running attitude.  I'm just not sure I was prepared for being this  prepared for Philly already.  I'm going to need major motivation for the next 8 weeks...

Weekend Fun

Weekends are designed for fun and relaxation.  I can't honestly say this weekend was relaxing, but it sure was fun! Friends were in from Wisconsin on vacation and we hit up Philly to visit and have a good time.

I must preface this with the fact that it was unrelentingly HOT in Philly this weekend.  Temperatures were over 100 degrees and it was just hard.  I'm not a hot weather person.  Just not my thing.  Give me winter.  Nice cold winter.

Friday night found us at the Camden Riversharks game.  The Riversharks are a member of the Atlantic League, where our very own York Revolution reside.  The Riversharks were playing the Road warriors though, so we chose to root for the home team.  It was a slug fest!  Close to 40 hits total and an 18-10 finish.  Crazy!  Couple shots from Friday night!

We had great seats in the second row behind the third base dugout.  Apparently the seat in front of me hadn't been sat in for awhile.  LOL!

 The view from our seats.  Not too shabby!

 Von Hayes, the Riversharks manager.  He used to play with the Philadelphia Phillies in the 80s.

 See how hot it was?  This poor man wasn't even the starter!

Saturday, again the temperatures were oppressive.  Instead of torturing ourselves with the outdoors, we hit the Franklin Institute.  Such a fun place!  For some reason there never seemed to be so much fun stuff when we were there before, but this time it seemed like everything was open.  We had a blast playing with all the inter actives.  Such a fun place!  If you haven't been, GO!  One of the best places in Philly...especially when the temperatures are topping out at 104 degrees.  :-)

The human heart!  So fun!  This is one of the things the Franklin Institute is known for - the heart you walk through.  How neat is that?

Beautiful image of City Hall in Philadelphia in the electricity room.  Gorgeous.

  Seismograph.  There is a place where you jump and can see how the impact makes an earthquake.  How fun is that???

Trying to surf.  My kind of lesson.  No bathing suits and no water!  Well, I like water, but I'm not sure I would do so well on an actual surfboard.

 Just outside the sports area (where I tried surfing and racing in a cycle made for people who cannot walk) is a Chase Utley uniform.  Had to have my photo taken with my favorite player's uniform...that seems kinda creepy...

Sunday dawned hot, but a tad cooler than Friday and Saturday (95 rather than over 100).  We hit up the Historic District to check out Once Upon A Nation, a set of 13 benches where stories about Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War are told.  We also grabbed tickets to see Independence Hall in the afternoon, then stopped to be mustered into the Continental Army.  ;-)  It was a busy day!

American flag at Betsy Ross house. One day I will go inside...

 Once we had been mustered into the Continental Army and trained, we were marched over behind Independence Hall to hear the Declaration of Independence read.

 These fabulous reinactors "read" the Declaration of Independence.  It was amazing!  The gentleman at the top of the pyramid trained us (and promised us rum!), while the gentleman down one and to his right mustered us in (he also printed the Declaration of Independence).

 The court room in Independence Hall.  Beautiful, isn't it?  Why do we not design like this anymore?

 The site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  George Washington sat in the chair all the way in the front.  I almost laughed when the tour guide said, "George Washington sat here."  

It was a hot, but fun weekend!  It was great seeing our friends and it was fun seeing the city through other's eyes.  Hope these images share the fun of the Philly region!

Philadelphia Half Marathon

Alright, so apparently this is race update week!  LOL!  For the past two years, my lovely hubby has run the Philadelphia Half Marathon.  Two years ago, this event was his very first half marathon.  After running the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach last month, he decided to up his game and run the Philadelphia Marathon this year.

With that, I decided to have him sign me up for the half.  Why not?  I've now run one half marathon, there's no reason why I can't run another one, right?  So, he signed me up for the Philadelphia Half Marathon.  I'm somewhat looking forward to it (as much as one can look forward to running a half marathon!).  And what's nice is we'll make a weekend of it, so a nice little trip before the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Now to find something to do in August or September...