A test of endurance

This coming weekend I have a race....well I have two races. On Saturday I'm going to run the Baltimore Running Festival's 5k and on Sunday I'm running the Kid's Chance 10k. I ran the BRF Marathon Relay in 2010 and had a blast! I had some fun running friends with me and I ran the farthest I've ever run at 7 miles. It was what got me to run my first half marathon that following February.

Sunday I'm running the Kids Chance 10k in Harrisburg. My co-worker had been looking for a 10k to run as she had mastered the 5k {meaning she wanted a challenge} and I asked if I might run with her. I didn't want to take away her first 10k thunder. She said no, she should love for someone to run with her, so come Sunday afternoon {yes, it's a 2:00 p.m. start...thank heavens!} I'll lace up and run 6.1 miles.

This is a good thing because I need the challenge. I have a double race weekend in March that's really important to me - Shamrock 8k and Shamrock Half Marathon. My goal is to set PR's at both distances. So, getting in a double run weekend, even when I'm not running well, is good practice.

I have a feeling I'm gonna be a bit tired come Sunday afternoon. LOL!
Follow @NeverTrade2013

Glow Run 5k ~ Harrisburg, PA

Saturday night I ran my first ever night run - the Glow Run 5k in Harrisburg. This was a first year event benefiting a fund through Historic Harrisburg that replaces lights throughout the city. To me a good cause since I work in Harrisburg.

I had the great pleasure of running with my co-worker. We always say we should run together, but we live in opposite directions from Harrisburg and it's hard to find a race that works for both of us. So, this was perfect.

The race started at 8:30 p.m., so we met in front of the office at 7:45 p.m. This gave us plenty of time to find the race start and just chill out. We found the start and the sun was just beginning to set. It was gorgeous!

It was beautiful as we ran across the bridge, as you saw the sun setting over the Susquehanna River. I didn't take any photos during the race because at the beginning it was crowded and during the race I was just chatting the whole time.

But, we started off over the Walnut Street bridge to City Island. The sunset was beautiful! Perfect time of night to set off. We then wound our way around City Island. As we went past the baseball stadium we heard a "Go Mom!" We ignored it at first, then we realized it was my co-worker's son who was at the game! How fun!!

We made our way around City Island and back to the bridge. We crossed the bridge, then headed off to Shipoke. It was a fine run. We did a bit of walking mixed into our running as we both are coming back from injury. All in all we ran 2 of the 3.1 miles. Not bad.

We headed back to the finish line and got held up by traffic. The course wasn't closed and just our luck, the baseball game was ending. We lost a few minutes here before we could cross and finish. But we finished and grabbed our water.

We crossed this bridge when there was light. 

A bit dark after the race.

After the race, we all headed over to a bar on 2nd Street. We received one free beer post-race as part of our registration fees. We were a little nervous when we were handed this...

I have to say though, it was really good! I was shocked. I'm not a fan of Coors Light, then again, I'm not a big fan of any of those beers {Bud, Coors, Michelob, etc.}. My co-worker/friend sipped first, held her opinion. I tried it. Looking at her we both shared our shock at how tasty it was. There is a nice lemon/lime/citrus taste to it. Very easy to drink. A pretty good summer beer honestly.

We spent about an hour and a half drinking our beer, chatting, people watching, and just enjoying ourselves. We had a nice show from a woman who decided no matter what the song, she was dancing! Her significant other wasn't as into it, which made it oh so much more fun to watch!

I had a great time at this race. There are only a couple things I would say to improve it:

1. Schedule it on a night when the Senators are not at home. It was a bit crowded on City Island with fans/cars/runners/etc. and having to stop for traffic was frustrating.

2. Post-race snack. There were just a couple coolers with water. Before sending people to a bar for alcohol, add in some pretzels/bagels/bananas/etc. Better safe than sorry.

Other than that, the race was fun! We weren't even at mile 1 when we said we should do this race again! They did that great a job. If you're in the Harrisburg area next June, check it out. I think you will enjoy yourself. Plus it's very kid friendly. There were lots of kids and people with strollers running.

Have you run a night race before? Ever run a Glow Run?
Follow @NeverTrade2013

Armed Forces 5k Race Recap and Review

Yesterday I ran the Armed Forces 5k in Harrisburg, PA. Hubby and I ran this race last year and I liked it. Since he's not allowed to run currently, I ran this one solo this year.

We got there plenty early because it was day-of packet pick-up. I was number 275 and it was a quick pick-up as they had the bibs in groups of about 25. The shirts this year were new and they are nice. Same design as last year, but a pretty blue color that is very soft. It's not a tech tee, but it is comfy and I may wear it Thursday to the Rev's game for Armed Forces night.

This year, there is a real starting line. I was happy about this since last year there wasn't one. I had no idea when to start Garmin because as much as they had chip timing, it was just a gun time chip timing. Turns out the same this year, but at least I knew when to hit start.

As I walked to the start, I chatted with a nice lady who was also running. We talked about our normal race routines and wished each other luck as we heard the air horn. I crossed the line and just couldn't move. Too many people in too narrow a space. The course was different than last year and we ran counter clock-wise around City Island, then over the pedestrian bridge. Up the steep hill we came and I saw hubby waiting for me. He grabbed a couple pics and then off I went with everyone else past Metro Bank Stadium to the end of City Island, around the bend, past the mini golf course, and back where we started from.

This is the first time around. The building in the background is the Harrisburg Senators ball park. They are the minor league affiliate of the Washington Nationals.

After we did a lap around the park, we headed off to the bridge. 

Once over the bridge, we stayed to the top path along Front Street and crossed across the Walnut Street Bridge. Then we kept going until we hit the turn around point. We headed back and went down to the path along the water front.

As we went down the path to the waterfront, there was a gentleman who kept asking the volunteers where we were on the course in terms of distance. I yelled back 2.4 according to my Garmin. He ran up to me and said thank you. He continued on to say that he had been using me as his pace runner, saying to himself follow the girl in the white shirt and black pants. Now he was going to run with me to the finish. Wow. I'm a slow runner. I do not say that to put myself down, I say that because my times are slow. I'm ok with this. Sure, I'd like to be a bit faster, but I'm still out there and that's what counts.

So, my new friend and I were off! We ran for a bit when he stopped to walk. I kept going, then he caught up. We then basically ran the rest of the race together. I learned that this was his first race. He mostly does lifting, but tries to add in the elliptical. He then said his name was Chris. Ummm...what? I had to laugh when I said, "Me too." How ironic, huh?

We both walked up the last steep hill before the bridge, then we turned the corner and ran. I was feeling a bit tired at this point. But, we were off across the bridge and came up to the finish line.

There's me in the white t-shirt and there's my new friend Chris to my right. We came up to the finish line and he kicked it a bit and finished just before me. I'm ok with that. He was so happy to have someone to run with at the end that I was happy for him.

There's me just before the finish. It was a good run. I was really happy with all my times, except my finish time. I know that doesn't make much sense, but...here's why:

.5 mile: 5:33

1 mile: 11:11

1.5 mile: 17:23

2 mile: 23:--

2.5 mile: 30:16

3.1 mile: 37:29

Those early times are crazy fast for me. I don't ever remember running a half mile time at 5:33. I guess helping Chris that last half a mile is what caused me to slow up and miss my goals. Initially my goal was a sub-35 minute, but I know I didn't train for it. Going into the race, I wanted to beat last year's "official" time of 37:09. I missed both.

But, here's the thing. I ran this race in honor of my dad and my grandpop who were both in the military. My shirt is the Coast Guard logo since my dad was in the Coast Guard when I was born. He also served in the army during Korea, but that was a bit before my time. My grandpop served in the Air Force during WWII. Both had since passed away, which is sad, but I like running this race in their memory and honor. I really wanted to PR it for them. But, after thinking about it, I think they would both be proud of me for helping someone else in their first race. Someone who wasn't sure how this whole race thing worked. (At one point, I was asked if there would be water at the finish.) 

So, I still ran this race in their honor and memory. And while I didn't actually achieve either of my race goals, I think I achieved something just as special. 

Pros:

* Nice, new shirt (very soft)

* Course different from every other race in Harrisburg

* Military members free (not me, but I think it's a great thing!)

Cons:

* No early packet pick-up

* No chip timing (start and finish)

* Food/water far from finish line with no signs/volunteers to direct you

I like this race basically for what it stands for - honoring the military - and that it raises money for the YMCA. They do good work. I'll do it again next year, schedule permitting. It's a good race and it's local. I like the local part. Maybe sometime soon there will be start and finish chip timing.

Follow @NeverTrade2013

YMCA Armed Forces 5k

Yesterday, hubby and I ran the 11th Annual Armed Forces Day 5k in Harrisburg.  A few months ago we had thought to go on vacation to Williamsburg, VA for a few days and saw a an Armed Forces race down there.  We thought we would add that to our vacation, then ended up not going.  So, when I saw this race through the YMCA, I decided I wanted to run it.

I ran this race in memory of my dad and grandfather, both of whom were in the military.  My dad served in the Army during the Korean conflict, then the Coast Guard.  My Grandfather served in the Air Force during WWII in Great Britain.  Both have passed on and I thought it would be a great way to honor their service.

The race started at 8:00 a.m., so we left the house at 7:00 a.m. to get to City Island and pick up our packet.  There was no early packet pick-up, all day of.  We arrived, parked the car, then headed over to the Harrisburg Senators ball park for packet pick-up (Double A farm team of the Washington Nationals).  We got our bags, bibs, and t-shirt and had time to take it all back to the car.  Afterwards, we came back to the stadium to get in line for the start.  Here's where I think they fell down on the job.  They lined us all up on a narrow lane to start the race running around City Island.  The first thing I noticed was they did not have anyone sing/play the National Anthem.  Ummm...this is a race in honor of Armed Forces day, how are we not singing/playing the National Anthem?  Then, without warning, a horn went off and the race started.  Everyone near me (including myself) were confused.  There was no warning and honestly, no start line.  And with no chip timing...

But, off we went around City Island and then across the pedestrian bridge to Harrisburg.  It's a familiar course to anyone who runs races in Harrisburg, but I liked that we started with a loop around the island before heading over to the mainland.  I felt good as we ran up until about three quarters into the first mile, then I felt like crap.  I hit the bathroom twice at home and when hubby hit up the port-a-potty before the race, I was fine.  Then three-quarters into mile 1, I had to use the bathroom.  Ugh.  And since this was a 5k, no bathrooms on the course.  Bah.  And throughout the race my stomach felt worse and worse. 

I kept running though.  I decided to run the whole thing, no walk breaks.  Which would be the first time in about a year that I did that.  I ran up the first hill and around the pretty garden and headed back.  Back down the hill, then about midway between the two bridges I literally felt like I was going to be sick.  And I stopped to walk.  Slightly disappointed in myself, but I thought I was going to be sick.  So I walked for about a minute thirty.  Then decided I would reach the finish line quicker if I started up again even if it was slower than I would normally go. 

But then something odd happened.  I got a fast song on the Nano and sped up a tad.  Not much, but a little.  Then I decided to run up the final hill before heading back over the pedestrian bridge to the finish line.  After getting up the hill I started running faster.  I passed two people on my way and then kicked it.  I sprinted to the finish line.  I ran faster the last tenth of a mile faster than I've ever run.  Even hubby said he's never seen me run that fast!

And I crossed the "finish line" (again, no real line).  The time on the clock when I finished was somewhere in the 37s, but I know that's not all that accurate.  I am going with my Garmin instead.  I know I had about a 20 second lag time before hitting the "start line" and I didn't stop Garmin at the exact "finish line," so I'm calling this a 36:40 finish.  Honestly, it's probably more than that, but since I don't know where the official lines were I think this is a fair compromise. 

Which means, I set another PR.  :-)  My last 5k race was a 36:43, so Armed Forces 5k was about 3 seconds faster.  Woohoo!  This is PR number 8 in a row.  Crazy!

Here's a couple photos from yesterday!

Chris in front of the pedestrian bridge

I wore a Coast Guard t-shirt to honor my dad.

 Hubby and I after the race

A funny (to me) after the race story.  We usually hit DD after a long run or race, but since we don't pass any on the way to the house from Harrisburg, we stopped a local donut place called Maple Donuts instead.  We each got our donuts, but their coffee isn't the greatest, so we went next door to McDonald's for coffee.  And then, we proceeded to drink our McDonald's coffee and eat our Maple Donuts at the picnic tables outside McDonald's.  LOL!  I kept thinking a Mickey D's employee was going to come yell at us for eating someone else's food at their table, but nothing.  I'll be honest, when DD isn't available for iced coffee, McDonald's has a nice alternative.  And they have a sugar-free vanilla syrup which is pretty good.

Did you race this weekend?  How did you do?