2015 Kelly St. Patrick's Day 5k

from Charm City Run

This past Sunday, hubby and I drove to Baltimore, MD to run the 2015 Kelly St. Patrick's Day Shamrock 5k. This was our 5th year running it. It is one of my favorite races of the  year and I look forward to it each year.

Why? Mostly because you start the first half mile on a downhill and because I'm a back 'o the packer, you just see a sea of green laid out before you on Charles St. It's such an incredible sight to see. The downhill doesn't hurt either. ;-)

from Baltimore Magazine

This year hubby ran with me as he hasn't gotten out as much as he wanted this winter. We ran a pretty good race...well at least I ran a pretty good race for where I am training wise. LOL! We did the half mile run/1 minute walk and it went well.

We hit the 3 mile marker at 39:17 and I was so close to a sub-40, but I knew I couldn't swing .1 miles in less than a minute. We hit the finish line and my Garmin said 40:37. Darn it! Sooooo close! LOL! I should be happy though. Last year I ran this same race in 41:20, though it's a far cry from my best time of 36:43 in 2012.

Afterwards we tried to get into the post-race party at Power Point Live! Sadly, it is way too crowded for us back 'o the pack runners and we decided it wasn't worth the effort. That is the one thing I would say sucks about this race. The area for the post-race party is so small and with 4,300+ runners it's impossible to get anything. I wish they would change the party location so it was more open. Usually we would go to the James Joyce, but our friend Ada wasn't running this year. :-(

Did you run a St. Patrick's Day themed race this year? Will you? Did you run this one? What did you think?

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6 Month Review

Wow!  Can you believe it's July 1st already?  It seems like yesterday that it was freezing out and we were all wishing it was warmer.  Now it's warmer and I'm wishing it were colder.  LOL!  But, I'm a bigger fan of winter than summer.  Blasphemy I know.  ;-)

Thought I would do a big recap rather than just my typical weekly one.  It's been enlightening seeing where I am compared to the beginning of the year.  Some of it good, some of it kinda sad actually...

Exercise

I kinda impressed with myself on this front.  I've been using Daily Mile to record my miles this year.  I used it last year too, but I know I didn't do a great job on getting every workout in.  This year, I've been much better at getting on.  I like seeing the monthly numbers.  :-)

Running - 147 miles
Biking - 183 miles

Not bad!  Now, remember I said I didn't record my workouts as religiously last year as I have this.  I went back to Daily Mile to see what I did between Jan. and June 2010 and I came up with 34.53 miles.  ROFLOL!  I guess I did better this year than last.  ;-)  And I did bike at all last year, so I sure beat that record!

Races

I hit the road running this year in the races category!  I've participated in 5 races so far this year.  Not too shabby.  I've done a half marathon, three 5ks, and a failure of a duathlon.

Disney Princess Half Marathon - February 27, 2011

3:21:11

 Hubby and I at the St. Patrick's Day 5k - March 13, 2011

39:36

Yuengling Shamrock Marathon - March 20, 2011

Not my race, but hubby ran his very first marathon and I went to cheer lead and photograph!

 Preakness 5k - May 14, 2011

43:29

Keystone Warrior Duathlon (before disaster struck) - June 11, 2011

2:08:38

Baltimore Women's Classic 5k - June 26, 2011

42:02

Weight

Oddly enough, I've basically stayed the same since the beginning of the year.  The last record I have of my weight is right before Christmas and I'm the same as I was then.  Ugh.  Basically, this means I've been playing with about 6-7 pounds for 6 months.  I need to get my butt in gear to stay here and then go down.  I have lofty goals at this point.  6 months to lose about 30 pounds.  It's doable.  I've done it before.  But, this time it's the last 30 pounds.  Always the hardest mentally and physically.  

Job

Well, I started the year off employed, then not so much.  Then spent two months waiting to volunteer at either the State Museum of Pennsylvania or the Pennsylvania State Archives.  I had the chance to work the Civil War 150 trailer when it was in Harrisburg.  Which was pretty awesome!  Really enjoyed that.  Then, shortly afterwards, I interviewed with the Archives and started volunteering/interning about a month later.  

The Archives have been great!  So much more what I want to be doing with my life than anything I've done in the past (except when getting my MA).  I love basically everything I've been doing - researching, helping other people research, finding document locations, and cleaning historic documents.  And they have given me some amazing opportunities - learn to mend historic documents, behind-the-scenes tours of the Railroad Museum and the Cornwall Iron Furnace, a trip to the top of the Capitol Dome, and the chance to take the PHMC's Archives Without Tears 2-day seminar.  Absolutely incredible experience and fantastic people!  Loving it!!

Conclusion

So, not a bad first half to the year. I'm signed up for my second half marathon already.  I'm running the Philadelphia Half Marathon on November 20, 2011 (Best Time of Your Life).  Hubby ran the half in 2009 and 2010, but this year he's challenging himself to the full.  So, I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and run the half.  Why not?  ;-)  We also have in mind quite a few 5ks, just have to decide which ones to go with.

I've got a weight loss goal of 30 pounds by the end of the year...when we go to Jamaica to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary!  So excited!  We'll be hitting Couples, an all-inclusive resort and renewing our vows on the beach.  Ahhh...

I have no delusions of getting a job by the end of the year, but I will continue on with the archives.  I really like it and since I'm not officially interning, I can stay on until whenever, which I plan on doing.  LOL!  I'm going to work my butt off getting experience and then hoping, praying, wishing a job somewhere opens up.  If you'd like to throw out some good vibes to the universe, I would be appreciative.

So, that's it.  The last 6 months in a quick review (with photos!).  Hopefully, the second half of the year is just as fun and exciting!!

Kelly Shamrock 5k (Baltimore,MD) - 39:36

Yesterday, hubby and I hit the mean streets (well, not so mean really) of Baltimore for the Kelly Shamrock 5k.  We did this race last year and really liked it.  I like it because it has a late start time, 1:15 p.m. (this is lovely for a non-morning person). 

We got to Baltimore a tad bit early, which is good since it gave us time to hit the bathrooms (not port-a-potties) and walk to the start line.  One reason this is a fun race is that it is the beginning of the Baltimore St. Patrick's Day Parade, so at the beginning there are TONS of people cheering you on (who are waiting for the parade to start).  We arrived at the starting area and started to stretch when we saw our friend from college.  We knew she would be there and had planned on meeting up after the race, so it was awesome we ran into her before the race.  We hung out with her and her dragon boat friends (she participates in the Baltimore County Dragon Boat competitions. They are really fun! And if interested, they are seeking members) before the race.  Everyone claimed to be slow runners.  Whatever!  Speed demons all!  LOL!

Everyone got into their spot on the course for the start.  Hubby headed up further in the crowd as he runs much faster than I, while I hung with our friend and her friends.  I knew they would pass me sooner or later, but it was nice to start the race out with someone I knew rather than standing all alone.  :-)  The race started and it took us about 4 minutes to get to the start (did I mention there were about 4,000 people running?).  And off we went!  Down Charles Street (which is amazing!) where you start the race on a great downhill allowing the slower runners the chance to see all the racers decked out in their green attire in front of them.  It's an amazing sight!  I overheard one runner say he was glad he was a slow runner because those in the front wouldn't be able to see this great sight in front of him.  :-)  That's the way to put a positive spin on being a penguin.

Shortly after we hit the straight away, my friends pulled away, which was fine.  I knew they would.  And I ran the race alone, as I always do.  But, this year, the race was different.  My main goal the whole time was to stand straight.  I didn't like how I finished the Princess 1/2 Marathon, all hunched over, so my goal now is to practice running tall.  This year though, the race seemed much easier.  Last year, I just kept wishing for the end.  This year, I felt strong and in control.  I also felt that I kept a good pace during the race, meaning I didn't start out fast and then slow to a crawl at the end.  I felt as if I slowed up a little, but kept a basic pace throughout the whole thing.

Hitting the finish line was great this year!  As I came into the straight away on Pratt Street, a lady yelled out great job stripped legs! (I had on cute white and green knee high socks)  It made me laugh.  As I turned the corner to the finish line, there was hubby and our friend cheering me on and then I saw the clock.  I estimated I was about 4 minutes behind the gun clock and as I came down towards the finish line, it was saying 43 minutes and 30 some seconds.  I knew if I picked up the speed, I might, just might, stand a chance at finishing under 40 minutes.  So, I sprinted.  And I finished at 39:36, a 12:45 minute pace.  Woohoo!  Maybe it's the running tall thing.  Who knows?  But, it was great to see that the race was as good as I thought it was.

After wards, we all met up and headed into the post-race area for our snacks and free adult beverage.  Sadly, the line was so long we just gave up.  We stood in the line for about 20 minutes and moved about 5 feet.  Not worth it.  And honestly, this is only negative in my opinion about the race, the awful post-race set-up.  We decided to hit up James Joyce Irish Bar in East Baltimore.  Tons of people there for St. Patty's Day and lots of racers.  We got some drinks, had a fabulous lunch, lots of laughs, and an all around good time.

So, this year's Kelly Shamrock 5k was great!  Great time, great friends, and great finish!