Hershey Half Marathon 2013

Hershey Half Marathon

October 20, 2013

Course time: 3:10:04 PR!

I have to say this is the best race I have ever ran. And it is definitely one you should run atleast once in your lifetime. 

Going into this race I knew it was going to be hilly and I was ready for it and sorta looking forward to it. Maybe because I knew during the course I would be awarded chocolate. I have thus far picked my races solely based on swag. I have no shame in this,but I must say I love Hershey, I have been to the park and the attractions twice and I love everything Milton  Hershey represents. I have been on the Hershey tour and saw the Hershey school and really love the cause the money t th is race was going to. 

So the race in one word. ...AMAZING! I laughed I cried I sang I hugged and I high-fived my way through the beautiful rolling Pennsylvania fields and on to a half marathon PR.

The course starts in the parking lot of Hershey park and loops through the Hershey arena and then through the Hershey amusement park. After that the course goes around the backside of the park and past the Hershey zoo and up a short steep hill past a beautiful golf course. At the half way Mark is the huge 1.5 mile hill past a few hotels which was also the relay teams switch off area. I had mostly power walked this hill as planned so make up time going downhill which worked great for me. Then the course goes downhill for a while and then another steep hill for half a mile which landed us on the beautiful campus of the Milton Hershey school. Let me tell you these kids are extremely fortunate this campus is amazing, I'm not sure of the acarage but it's vast. Now about a half mile onto the campus here is where the magic happens. ..the students form human tunnels so the runners can run through and other students are making the water stations and everyone is hiding out their hands for high-fives! I must have high-fives a hundred people that day.lol.

After we leave the campus  it's downhill for about 1.5 miles then we head downtown Hershey and down main st where it's gets even magical. Here comes the chocolate! In two lines across from each other are kids from the children network and they are handing out mini Hershey bar and Resee's peanut butter cups.I almost cried, so cute. At this point I think it was 2-3 miles left and I was pretty tired,I think I lost my running buzz. Then we headed back to Hershey park,the finish line was through the parking lot and into the Hershey arena. The finish line was great I was able to easily find my mom and get some refreshments. As we was leaving I saw a merchandise line and checked out the table and Bam! I found the Hershey kiss 13.1 car magnet and had to get it. So this race was amazing I might not have gotten sub 3 half marathon but I'm definitely glad I got a PR.

Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon

Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon

September 28, 2013

This year I turned the big 3-0 and back in January I made my self a promise that for my birthday I will run a half marathon . I trained all summer through crazy heat waves and while fasting and some how managed to achieve my goal. YAY me!

Now here's the race report: 

So because it was my first half marathon and also my birthday I took the day off work to leisurely drive down to the Cape and check in my hotel room and check out the expo. Be advised do not book a room in the main Sea Crest hotel building. The beds are horribly sunk in and out dated , definitely not worth the overpriced room rate! I was not about to have a horrible night sleep so immediately got a room change in the new modern rooms over looking the beach.  Nice comfy beds and awesome views.

So the expo.... or should I say packets pick up plus snacks, because thats all that was really in there. There wasn't much going on in there maybe like 4 tables of vendors besides the packet pick up tables.

At the Sea Crest Hotel about to enter the Expo.

So here is my race swag from the expo:

A cute reusable tote bag, perfect for a lunch bag.

A good quality yoga mat , which worked well as a makeshift foam roller after the race.

An aluminum water bottle.

A tech tee (sizes ran small so it was tight on me)

And of course the race bib and safety pins.

The Swag from the expo.

The race:

 The half marathon started  at 8 and went off without a hitch . I was so excited I made the number 1 mistake in races... I started off way too fast and by mile 1 I felt it. Very bad idea, I had to keep telling myself , calm down -slow down, breath. That helped a bit. So I got my mojo back and was running pretty well keeping pace to finish under 3 hrs . That was until about mile 9, for some reason my calfs was getting really tight and my feet started aching and thats when I began walking breaks. The course also got very boring around mile 10 it literally ran through peoples back yards. There was no view of water only people taking out there trash and sitting on their porches drinking coffee. Oh and by the way around 10 am the sun came out on full blast and I was burning up and super thirsty. All I could think of is how I wish I had a hydration belt or vest or back pack. Also there were hills that I didn't expect. The last 2 miles was extremely painful I walked all of miles 12 and most of miles 13 . My knees and calfs and lower back were throbbing in pain and it felt like my feet were on fire. As I was about to round the corner to the finish line I saw my family holding up signs rooting for me and I got excited and was given the much needed motivation to finish the race running. I raced through the finish line and straight to the medic tent for ice.

Right after the race. With a purple glove of ice.

The medal was actually a sterling silver running girl stamped necklace. I got the large PR medal because it was my first half marathon.

Overall race was just okay, I'm glad I completed my first half marathon during my birthday weekend and I'm glad I didn't give up. But the course was not that fun its was only scenic the first 3 and last 2. I would not be doing any more races in cape cod. 

course time: 3:16:18

The actual "medal" was the sterling silver runner girl necklace.
The "PR" medal for this being my first half marathon.

Let me explain

Okay so life got crazy and I put this blogg aside . I didn't even realize I never published my Boston 10K race and now its almost a year later and none of my races or running info is up. So for the next couple of weeks i'm going to play catch up and post all my past races and update you on whats going on this year.
Stay tuned.

B.A.A 10K RECAP.

Hello World

I am reporting a day after my 10k with achy feet and a happy heart.Yesterday I ran the Boston Athletic Association 10K and boy was it an event. 

So I already had a bizarre running week the past Sunday I ran a 5 miler in under an hour and was feeling amazing, totally ready to kick ass at the 10k the following Sunday but unfortunately that was the highlight of the week..Monday i didn't run at all, I'm thinking it was raining hard or i was stiff i don't remember. Tuesday i did a half assed 1.7 mile run with 4 speed repeats. the speeding was good it was raining and i was miserable but i end up cutting the last 1 mile cool down off craving my dry home. Wednesday i did laundry, my knee was really bothering me from tuesday's wet run and i tried to de-stress myself with reading.Thursday i did manage to push out 2 miles but im thinkning it was a walk run because i was still nursing my knee. Friday i felt great and anxiety free and ready to bring on the 10K again 5 hours of sleep.

(Can you spot my name?...its on the BAA banner)

Race Day :

Woke up 5 AM with a goal of leaving for Boston by 6am and arriving for boston around 7 (the race starts at 8am) But after eating and getting ready I didn't leave the house until....6:37!

Once I got to Boston I immediately jumped into the port-a-potty line ...it was long ,very long. It took almost 20 mins to use it and as I was waiting the announcements were going off ,which freaked my out, I was afraid I want going to be able to reach the starting line in time. I was also sweating since the forecast was for a high of 90 degrees with 90% humidity. So while in line waiting to use the port-a-potty I did a "soccer change " and removed my t-shirt and ran in just my sports bra and  jacket.

I seated my self at the last corral because I needed some time to walk out some nerves and to get my mental game in check. So the first 2.8 miles went pretty amazing for me I had my pace on check to finish in about 1:15 as I did in my last training run .

That is until I turned the corner and was faced with a H-I-L-L. I was not prepared for this at all. Im my race packet the elevation chart was pretty flat. So I took a deep breath and chugged along. I was doing okay up until 3/4 when my legs felt like lead and I couldn't help but walk. So I walked up to the top of the hill and was rewarded with a water station. Thank GOD . It was soo hot and I was soo thirsty I drank 4 cups, 2 with gatorade and 2 with water. Luckily it was down hill now so I began running again and I was doing okay but my mental game was really shot . It was soo hot and once again I was getting thirsty.

 I was ready to quit when around the 5 mile marker I meet a wonderful lady, who saw I was struggling and offered to finished the race with me. She was amazing, she kept a light convo with me and distracted me from the heat.  We even did some run walk intervals together.  She really got me through that last mile and then I heard my mom scream my name and saw my sister holding up a sign  and that was the much needed motivation I needed to finish . I was so excited to see the finish line that I jumped up and slapped the time clock and high fives about 7 volunteers. 

So to sum it up great race experience , this was my first big race and now I know what to expect. 

Course review: Fun yet challenging. I would run this race again.
Course time: 1:27:44

I did it!

Rounding the corner to the finish line.

This is when I saw my brother and son 

So pretty random but we say these tour guys in the Boston Common and I couldn't resist.  

Me and the boys

Family pic

pic with the ladies

Inspiration

Guess what.....

I am officially registered for the now sold out B.A.A 10K ! oh yeah, oh yeah!!!...that is all... or maybe not on Cinco de Mayo i went out for a 5 mile run hoping to push it to 5.5 miles in  light of the Mexican fiesta instead a ran a whopping 6.22! so so happy now i feel i am ready to go the distance a finish and hopefully beat my time of 1:17:01... I registered a finish time of 1:15:00 but hope i pull more of a 1:05-1:10 since my run involved some hills. The Boston race is supposed to be a nice flat out and back course so I'm thinking I'll defiantly be able to knock a few minutes off my time. So until next time..GO RUN!

Welcome

Eat Run Sleep Live

Hello all. this is a record of my journey into becoming a runner. I have attempted to become a runner for several years and never thought i was good enough ..that is until now. I'm reaching a mile stone in my life the big 3-0; and i figured it was about time to stop dreaming and start doing.

Running attempt number 1: Age 18 freshman at college ... after  years of being the chubby kid in highschool , i felt liberated my a new fresh experience re-inventive running duration: 3 weeks! Life got crazy I got pregnant , left college and became a mom and once that happens everything else stops..no more dreaming just surviving.

Running attempt number 2: Age: 20 Sophomore in college.... after a few years of balancing mommy hood and higher education I felt I found a burst of inspiration to be a single mom who had the ability to have it all. I started walking everywhere, back and forth from home and school and work study , i lost weight and was engaged and was researching beginner running programs; almost running duration 2 months.Then life happened again i was once again a single mom and  my dream of running was put on the back burner once again.

Running attempt number 3: Age 24 College Graduate and full time Employee. I actually was running this time around . I graduated college, got hired right out of college and was single but in a really good place. Feburary 2008 I saw my reflection in the hall way mirror at work and was disgusted with what I saw, while working and commuting 1.5 hour home and back i went our to lunch frequently and gained 25lbs. So i committed to lose 25lbs before my 25th birthday in September. So i did some google-ing and found the couch to 5k program and I did great. I started the program March 3rd and finished May 2. I lost the 25lbs in    g9 weeks . I reached my goal and felt ecstatic that i could call myself a running so that following week i set my ipod to run a 5k and i finished in it 24 minutes . I was so shocked I was capable of such an unbelievable time. But then im not quite sure what really happened but I never made that bridge over to race world that I always dreamed of. I know work got a  bit stressful and I has studying for my certification in  my field for that October . My runs became more sporadic and then the heat of the summer was really hard on me so I ran less and less until I wasn't running at all. Then I attempted to so run a few months later but my running fitness was gone so i walked and then just lost interest.

Running attempt number 4: Age 27 Full time employee and new apartment owner. I moved closer to work so my commute was no longer 3 hours per day. I was living on my own for the first time and I felt empowered to run again. I think at this point I only put back on 5-10 lbs of the weight I previously loss. I came across the Disney Marathon weekend in a magazine advertisement and I was hooked. It was August  and I thought Id have enough time to embark on a marathon , I wanted that mickey metal badly but didnt think i could do it alone. I knew I was insane so I asked a co-worker to buddy up with me so we could attempt the Chip and Dale relay...two months into training she gave up,  I lost motivation  and that didn't happen. 

Running attempt number 5: Age 28 Full time Employee and a new job. So I changed jobs within my field. New place, fresh chance for reviving my running career. Disney was still calling my name so in August 2012 I felt I could squeeze in training for the Disney princess half marathon in 2013. I restarted the couch to 5k program starting at about week 4 and by the end of September I ran an ipod 5k in 36 minutes and once again I was ecstatic because I felt this was it I was going to finally be a real runner. Then October came around and as I was running down hill on a misty afternoon I stepped wrong and twinged my knee and officially became injured. So I read a whole bunch of advice online and took a break waited a few days and tried again...pain still persist so I waited some more.... my recover ended up becoming defeat I knew there was no way to make my deadline so I quit once more.....  

Running attempt number 6: Age 29  Full time employee and same job... So this is it. Im turning 30 I have to stop letting myself down .As of January my only goal this year is to run a half marathon by my 30th birthday, So the first week of January I did something different I searched for a race to enter. I searched for a race during my birthday weekend and found the ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon . I thought about how stupid I would fell if I registered for a race , paid and didn't finish so with this pressure... I entered the half marathon. And the rest is the present....

Hopefully this will be my last attempt at being a runner. Hopefully it will really stick this time around. 

Present time.... So far I have run a real official 5k. This past March I entered a Celtic 5k along with a co-worker and finished in a whopping 42 minutes... it was the worst experience of my life . I was scared I made such a huge mistake, the nerves was unbearable but i'm glad I did it. My whole family was there to support me and it was wonderful having someone in my corner in a sea of 3000 participants.

 A week later I set out to run 3 miles and ended up running 5 miles for the first time ever my longest distance to date. then went on vacation and my runs got sporadic and slowly got back up to running for 5 miles in an hour. And today I finished my first virtual 5k. It was the spring celebration virtual marathon ,5k ,10k, half marathon and I entered a time of 36:19 and couldn't be prouder. So i may have missed out on being a fast runner since I don't have my youthful legs anymore but hopefully I can be a smart runner and stay focused and successful. 

So I have sort of become race obsessed once I found out about virtual running I end up signing up for 5 of them at once. They're cheap , they give out awesome bling and I don't have to travel for them, whats not to like. 

Here is my Race schedule for 2013 (so far):

March :

Celtic 5K (3/10)

May:

Spring Celebration Virtual 5k (5/1)

Memorial Day  Virtual 5k (5/25-5/20)

June:

Summer Sunset Run Virtual 10K (6/21-6/23)

B.A.A 10k (still waiting to register for) (6/22)

July:

Running Mad Virtual 10k (7/1-7/31)

Virtual Half-Marathon & 5k Challenge Summer heat series (7/20-7/28)(doing both)

[Side note during the 2nd week of July to the 2nd week of August I will be fasting the month of Ramadan so I have no idea how racing and training for a half is going to work out but ill figure it out some how.]

August:

Run for your lives Zombie 5k obstacle course new york (not registered for and may not have time for it)

September:

MY BIRTHDAY (9/27)... Virtual birthday 5k?

ZOOMA Cape Cod Half Marathon (2/28)

October:

Hershey Half Marathon (10/20)

Blue Moon 10K (10/26)

November:

Virtual Turkey Trot???

December:

Space Coast Half Marathon ...Big Bang Series!!!! (12/1)(not registered yet)

2014 goals:

Hershey 10k

Disney Princess half marathon

Hot Chocolate 15k/5k Philadelphia

Runners World Half Marathon

Rock & Roll Half USA, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Providence, New Orleans, Las Vegas

Space Coast Half Marathon 

and this doesn't include all the virtual runs.... So welcome to my journey enjoy!