cherokee harvest half marathon and 5k

so last year i ran the half marathon, you can read about it here if you'd like. this year i signed up for the half again, but i didn't train properly. soooo, 5k it was.

cherokee is about an hour away, and honestly, there aren't many 5k's that i'd drive that far to run. but this one is well worth the [beautiful] drive. the leaves were all changing and the weather was perfect.

they started the race with a prayer just like they did last year and i really liked that. the course itself was pretty flat, very scenic.

check out all the swag we got:

long sleeved tech shirt, nike N7 tshirt, and a recover brands hoodie that is SO SOFT.

isn't that a pretty medal?

i was pretty happy with my time, all things considered. although i feel like i've been saying that about my running ever since the marathon. which was 7 months ago if you're keeping up. too long ago to still be an excuse! i'm excited to actually prepare for a race and give it my best effort. right now i'm looking ahead to the runthebluegrass half and the flying pig. not sure what race/races i'm doing in Cincinnati, but hopefully i'll get that figured out soon. the last thing i want to do is sign up for too much/too long and do half assed training because my heart's not into it.

so anyways, i HIGHLY recommend this race. either one, they're both great courses and they give out great swag. i always appreciate races that put the racers first and they do everything to make this an A+ event, and a great experience for the racers.

i wore this shirt for the first time and it was bittersweet. i bought it last year when sherri was still with us and planned on wearing it and sending her a picture. i know she's smiling down on me, but man i miss her a lot.

Inaugural Asheville Marathon on the Biltmore Estate:::: Recap & Review

inaugural asheville marathon on the biltmore estate, asheville north carolina

3.3.13

my first full marathon

time:  4:58:42 (PR)

overall:  646/1004

age group:  55/96

.:expo:.

the race expo was held saturday at the double tree hotel in asheville. 

it was one of the smallest expos i've ever been to. i was hoping that iFitness would be there because i want an attachment for my belt, but no such luck. i was also hoping that i could get a 26.2 sticker but no one had those either. i did purchase this shirt from recover brands:

all their shirts are made from recycled cotton and plastic bottles and they are so soft! i liked the design too, i'm pretty dang proud to show off those hills i ran!

i wasn't really impressed with mizuno's race apparel. the shirts were cute but the tech material was practically see through. no thanks. i did chat with the sierra nevada rep and am now totally excited for their brewery to open this fall. 

i was trying to figure out where to buy a spectator ticket [spectators had to purchase a ticket to watch the race since it was on the private estate, $32] for brad when i saw a woman with tickets. i walked up to her and asked for a spectator ticket. the tickets she had were actually for runners and we needed them to get onto the estate. it was total dumb luck that i stopped to ask her! i'm not sure why the weren't with our bibs or why we weren't directed to get a ticket from her. 

other cool things at the expo::

• balega designed a special sock for the race and the proceeds went to the race charity [leukemia and lymphoma society]
• the biltmore estate put out two special edition wines for the event. 

.:packet pick up:.

packet pick up was a bit unorganized. i got my bib okay but then everything got confusing. there was a wristband stapled to our bib and we were told we had to have this on to get onto the west side of the estate during the race. i thought this was super weird. if we have a bib on, we're obviously racing, so why do we need a bracelet? [side note: no one ever checked this bracelet so i'm still unsure of the point]. 

after i got my bib i walked over to get my shirt. i was told that they were out of the size i registered for. this is one of my racing pet peeves. if you're going to give away shirts first come, first serve, announce it before hand. when i pre-register for a shirt, i expect to be guaranteed the size i chose. i know this might sound silly, but this was my first marathon and i paid good money to race it. i wanted the shirt to prove it and i wanted said shirt to fit. [later the volunteer got my attention and let me know that they'd found some more shirts so i actually did get a shirt that fit.]

when i went back to get the correct size shirt i saw another volunteer giving out gloves [i hadn't been offered any]. i went and asked for them. i thought they were a wonderful idea and a great thing to offer considering the weather forecast for race day, but i'm not sure why they weren't being given out to us all. 

this is the shirt. i was really impressed with all the graphics on the website so i thought the shirt would be really cool. while i really like the graphics, i was bummed by the lack of color and once again, the mizuno shirt is practically see through. even in the picture above you can see the sponsors on the back of the shirt. 

.:race morning:.

i got up around 430am and started getting ready. i had some natural jif on a slice of ezekiel toast. i coated myself in body glide and got dressed. 

i was having a worse time that usual figuring out what to wear! i wasn't sure if it was going to be snowing or raining so i had to prepare for everything! here's what i ended up choosing:

brad and i left the house around 545a and got down to the biltmore at 6ish. the line was backed up out of the gate. i took a detour and got us inside the gate a little quicker, but once we got in the line it traffic was creeping! i immediately start freaking out because i knew i'd be cutting it close to get to the start line on time. after about 15 minutes traffic started moving more quickly and apparently it was because they quit checking tickets [so much for the $32 spectator ticket we purchased]. 

after that traffic moved pretty rapidly and we made it to the parking lot. i took the shuttle to the start line and brad stayed in the car to try to get a little sleep. when i arrived at the start line i joined the restroom line. 

i cannot even express to you all how cold it was!! my fingers and toes were numb within a matter of minutes (with gloves on!). when i exited the restrooms around 655a i knew the race had to have been delayed. no one was even heading to the start line. i kept my jacket on and tried to get close to a furnace. start time was delayed to 715a. i waited until the very last minute and ran over to drop off my jacket and bag at the bag check. it was all i could do to get my playlist up on my phone [i had a second when i considered pitching it across the field because i couldn't get it to work and my fingers were so numb!]. 

.:the race:.

i just tried to tell myself that i would warm up when i started running. the first two miles i couldn't think about anything but how cold i was! i even stopped around mile two to check my shoe. i felt like i had a rock stuck in the tread of my shoes or something. thankfully it went away after about a mile. 

as you can see, the first  part of the race was pretty hilly. i didn't want to walk at mile 2 of a full marathon, but you know what, sometimes you've gotta do what's smart for you, and this was smart for me. 

i struggled to find my stride during this race. it took me about 2 miles for my body to warm up, but it took me FOREVER to feel like i was warmed up and ready to run if that makes sense. i didn't feel warmed up and ready to go until about mile 7 or 8. 

at the aid stations the water cups had frozen over on the top so you had to bust through the layer of ice to get to the water. my gu's had the consistency of peanut butter! all the aid stations were stocked like crazy. i saw Gu gels, chomps, roctane, brew, water, pretzels, coke, and cookies. it was great!


i was really excited to get to mile 10 because i knew i'd see brad and that it would help me. but i got to the cheer stop and i couldn't find him. i'm not going to lie, i had a small mental breakdown at that point. i'm not all co-dependent or anything, but i had it in my head for 10 miles that i would see him. at mile 10 we crossed a bridge over to the west side of the estate [not open to the public]. i tried to tell myself to enjoy it because i had never seen this side. i tried to enjoy the sights and sounds, but part of me was bummed because i knew we wouldn't cross back over to the spectator area until mile 20.  that was my first mental hurdle. 

around mile 12.5 we started down a hill and it was a crappy hill. it seemed like a dried out creek bed and it was full of loose rock. i couldn't look up at all because i was too busy watching where my feet were landing. so many people were biting the dust. to make it even better, it was an out and back so you couldn't pass. yuck. this was one of my slowest miles.

miles 15 and 16 weren't bad at all. i felt like i had found my stride and i was cruising along. mile 17 sucked a little because you entered a loop that you had to run twice. as i entered the loop i could see people who were on their second loop coming up a very steep hill, so i knew i had that to look forward to. luckily the loop was pretty nice. other than 'dam hill' which was aptly named. i was so happy to finish that second loop and head back toward the east side of the estate.

at mile 21 we crossed back over and i finally saw brad. i was so excited, and he said only 5 more miles! boy did that seem like a lot!! i start to it and then i heard someone holler my name. it was krissie! she asked how i was doing and i told her that i was trying not to die! :)

this was one of the hardest parts of the race for me. an out and back at mile 21. when i could see the finish line but i had to run away from it. right along the river = crazy wind. and in case you were wondering, it had not warmed up. so i felt like this was really a test of my mental and physical health. i just keep telling myself that i can do hard things. and i prayed. A LOT.  

once i turned around i was pumped. i knew i could do it. but dang it was cold! also i almost got hit by a car around mile 24 or so. the estate was open at this point so there was a little bit of traffic. the volunteers were directing it and as i was approaching they were letting some cars by. the volunteer was trying to let one too many cars by and told me to 'hold on don't get hit by a car.' i don't think that dude understood. if i stopped i was going to be done! so i kind of skimmed the car and went on. 

i saw brad again around mile 25 and he even ran with me for a bit. i loved it and he did a great job of encouraging me. it meant the world to me. he broke off as we entered antler village and told me he'd see me at the finish that i just had one little loop left. that last loop sucked! i could see the finish line but i had to run all around to get to it! 

there was an icy paved hill during this time and everyone was walking it, and i reluctantly did the same. i was afraid to stop but i was more afraid to slip. i knew i wouldn't have a quick enough reaction to catch myself! 

after that we looped around and ran downhill the the finish. i surprised myself that i had a kick left! i could see the clock and i wanted to beat 5:00:00. i knew i hadn't started right when the gun went off but i wasn't chancing a repeat of the hot chocolate 10K. 

i can't even describe how i felt when i crossed the finish line! elated. proud. blessed. thankful. excited. cold. tired. grateful. 

i got my medal and a finisher's blanket and then i saw my friend linsday and some of the other lulu girls. i tried to talk but i couldn't even put a complete sentence together! i think i was a little delirious. she snapped this pic of me:

i made it to the beer tent for my free sierra nevada, then wanted to go home. i honestly couldn't think straight and all i could think of was getting warm. i stretched a little while waiting on the shuttle and then again when i got home. normally i'd take an ice bath after this kind of mileage, but that was just not happening. i knew i'd hyperventilate. 

so i took a hot bath with epsom salts and dressed in some warm comfy clothes. 

here are the splits from my garmin:

definitely not the prettiest chart i've ever seen. i'm encouraged by several things on in though, mile 10, mile 19, and mile 22. and i'm proud that i had a little kick left in me at the end. 


and lastly, i have to include this... the volunteers made this race. i was blown away. the only reason i was out there in that crazy weather was because i had trained for this race for 18 weeks. they were out there to support and encourage us and it was totally selfless. they were AMAZING. so if you were out there cheering, working those aid stations, wrapping us in blankets after the race, handing out medals.... THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. you all rock. 

Tsali Frosty Foot 30K in Pictures

I rounded up some pictures today and a couple of them are total comedic gems... These first two aren't bad and I actually really like the second one:

Brad took this next one as I was coming in, the race photographer must have missed me (probably got tired of waiting!):

You can kind of see the mess you had to run through that I was complaining about yesterday.

These last two make me laugh, but there is a story behind them! I was coming up on a guy and he started walking up the hill that the photographer was sitting on top of. So I was acting like a spaz and asked the photographer if you could photoshop us to make it look like we were running. This is what he got:

Too funny! PS the images with PROOF on them are from the race photographer, Christopher Graphics.

Tsali Frosty Foot 30K Recap

disclaimer::: this recap is going to be a change in format from usual... if you're looking for the details of the race without my rambling and personal nonsense, scroll to the bottom and you'll hopefully find exactly what you're looking for. 

on saturday brad, riley, and i loaded up and made the trip out to bryson city for the tsali frosty foot race. i'm so horrible about signing up for these random races that are kind of close to home, but not really close enough to drive the morning of, and i was very grateful that brad came with! i don't like to feel like i take over his whole weekend [pretty much his only time off], but it calmed my nerves to have him there.

we got into bryson city around 7pm and checked into our motel. we stayed at the ridgetop motel at the suggestion of microtel bryson city [the host hotel, but it was booked by the time i called]. they matched the discounted race rate that microtel was offering and it was only 9.99 extra to bring riley. it was an older motel, but it was clean and we appreciated being able to bring riley and also the owner told us not to worry if we needed to stay a little longer than the normal check out because he knew we were racing.

after we checked in we headed out the the nantahala brewing company. we watched the football games on their big screen and brad tried a bunch of their beers. he was really impressed with the flavors and i just loved the whole feel of the place. it was super outdoorsy/natural and you can even bring your dog [always a huge selling point for me if you haven't already noticed!].

i can't wait to come back here in the summertime! it would the perfect hangout after a day on the river!

sunday we got up around 7 and brad drove me out to tsali [about 15 minutes from the hotel]. he dropped me off and i picked up my packet then gave him all the extra stuff i didn't need. he headed back to the hotel to lay around and i got ready to run!

this is a picture of the start line and you can see the race director, aaron up front (in the black facing us) giving directions. aaron owns foot rx in asheville, which is a great local running store. they are the ones that put on the black jack 5K that i did in december [which resulted in me running this race in the first place].

after a short run up that paved street you can see in the pic, we hit the trails. words can not even do justice to describing how wonderful these trails were! they were a little muddy from all the rain we've had, but they were totally manageable. and the views!! i only stopped to take one picture, but i thought it was a pretty good one, just to give you an idea.

we ran all around fontana lake, it was hard to keep my eyes on the trail instead of all the beautiful scenery. as far as the trail went, it was mostly technical, single track... but it was very runner friendly for  the most part. some climbs, and some rutted out biking grooves, but very rolling for the most part.

here's the elevation chart [which can i just mention how PROUD i am that after having my garmin for almost 2 years i figured out how to upload my data]:

there were 3 aid stations along the course [i think] and the volunteers were amazing. they refilled our handhelds and offered to help in any way they could. i chose to use the nathan quickdraw handheld and it worked really well. i filled it with water and refilled it at every aid station. i also drank 2 cups of whatever sport drink was available at each station.

in addition, i had 3 gu's along the course, at miles 6, 11, and 15. that seemed to work pretty well for me, although i noticed a couple of times that i felt 'empty hungry' like i needed some solid food.

this race was a mental one for me, but any time i started to feel down or think negatively i just reminded myself that i GET to do this. God ALLOWS me to do this. and it was just what i needed. in the past month 2 past classmates of mine have passed away in car accidents. such terrible tragedies that are hard to wrap your head around. it's a somber reminder that nothing is promised to us in this life and we need to soak up every minute, so i tried to do that.

i mostly ran alone during this race, however i followed a group of 4 women for much of the middle. we ended up talking at one of the aid stations and two of them were actually in the pace group i ran with for my first half! such a small world! one of them is trying to get accepted to pace the biltmore marathon in march, how great would that be!?

it was a long race and it hurt. i had to stop several times to attempt to stretch out my hips, they were what gave me the most trouble. as with any new race distance, my goal is just to finish with a smile on my face. so when i rolled in and saw my boys there waiting on me, i did just that. one of the volunteers even made a comment to me when she was giving me a water about still smiling and that's one of the best compliments she could have given me!

there was a lot of great food after the race, a local cafe, The Green Sage, even had chili for all the runners. i was really excited about that because i love their food, but after the race i just couldn't stomach the thought of eating it. do you ever get like that post race? i've been doing it more and more lately. nothing sounds good and sometimes just the thought of eating upsets my stomach. it usually goes away after about an hour or two, but it's weird.

this was right before we loaded up the car to head back to asheville. i'm pretty dang proud of myself for running this race and really like that i can always look back on my 30th birthday and know that i accomplished something to remember!

when we got home i MADE myself take an ice bath. i didn't even wash the mud off before getting in.

then i showered and got ready so we could go eat and see zero dark thirty [it was great, and jessica chastain was wonderful]. check out our sweet shirts from the race:

.:race details:.

date: january 12th and 13th (50K on saturday, 30K and 8K on sunday)
race organizer:  foot rx asheville
race day pick up? yes or you could pick up the night before at the host hotel
start time:  8:30 (30K)
did race start on time? yes
adequate restrooms?  yes, i think there were 3-4 port-o-potties
aid stations:  3, stocked with water, sports drink, GU chomps and roctane, bonk breaker bars
course spectator support: i actually saw more people than i thought i would considering it was a trail race
course terrain:  technical, single track. several tough inclines but mostly rolling
shirts:  30K runners received Mountain Hard Wear half zip technical shirts (each distance got something different)
medals:  none
would i race again?  absolutely
any complaints?  my only complaint is that the finish line is right in the middle of the post race area. i literally was dodging children and adults to finish. it would have helped to have it roped off. i know that most everyone was finished already, but it sucked a little.
what you need to know:  you'll definitely need a hydration plan for this race, most runners carried their own (handhelds, belts or backpacks), parking is a little difficult so get there in time to park and take care of whatever you need). sign up early!!! the 8K and 30K sell out, i was only allowed to sign up because someone else dropped out!

Friday Fun

Today was a catch up day! I had planned to get up early to go to yoga but I hit my snooze button about 14 too many times for that to happen. Which stinks because my body needed it. But I guess it needed sleep too.

I did make it to my hair appointment though, want to see a pretty picture?

Me in my no makeup, foil mohawk glory. You're welcome for that!

Then Rileybear and I had to go to the vet for his annual appointment. He was such a sweet boy, got 3 injections like a champ and another vaccination in his nose. Poor guy. Thankfully two of the vaccinations will cover him for three years.

I had to run a few more errands and pay some bills, then I got some organizing done around the house. When I'm stressed it helps to me to organize or clean [makes me feel like I have some control]. I'm not stressed in a bad way if that even makes sense, just have some stuff going on.

One of the things I'm stressed about is my 30k on Sunday. Thankfully the weather is supposed to be really nice. This will be the furthest I've ever ran, plus it's a trail race so that'll be another challenge. I'm trying to decide what to do as far as hydration is concerned. I could use a handheld or my Camelbak. Who knows, but I'm pretty sure it'll turn out okay either way.

If you all don't here from me on Monday or Tuesday I'm probably laying out on the trails somewhere! Hope you all have an amazing weekend!

2012 race awards:::: my favorite races, bling, swag, courses, etc.

i LOVE recaps, reviews, year in numbers, etc. i've had this one on my mind for a while, and seeing as how i'm finished with non-virtual races for year, i figured i'd go ahead and do this one!

without further adieu i present to you the 2012 race awards, as judged by me::::

best bling::::
lots of nice bling to choose from. i loved the flying pig medal because it was double sided and there was a pig tail on the back. too cute! i also really liked the clay medal from the cherokee harvest half. it was hand made and you've gotta appreciate that. my least favorite was the xterra harbison half... sticker on a lightweight piece of metal, thin plain white ribbon. yuck. 

but hands down, run the bluegrass was the winner for this category. the ribbon was thick and double sided, i like how it loops through the medal instead of ending with a jump ring like most. i love how the ribbon looked like racing silks so it actually stood for something. the medal was heavy and i love the horse shoe. my fave. 

best swag::::
flying pig half marathon. in addition to women's specific asics tech shirts, we also received duffle bags and posters. 

best course for a pr::::
downhill at dawn. the name is not misleading. the first 3 miles are out and back, so you have about 1.5 miles of slight uphill. from that point you sail down the mountain. SAIL. 



most scenic course::::
this was a hard choice that ultimately ended in a tie between run the bluegrass and RnR savannah.  run the bluegrass is run all around keeneland and horse farms. beautiful farms, horses, fences, i loved it. RnR savannah was another beautiful course that was full of history. this course was changed from 2011 because runners complained that they didn't see the pretty parts of the city. RnR did a great job fixing that problem, i really enjoyed this course. 

honorable mention in this category has to go to the cherokee harvest half marathon. beautiful creeks, streams, woods, lots of nature!

best spectator support::::

flying pig half marathon. if you want people cheering you on the whole way and lots of signs and costumes to distract you, this is the course for you. i have never seen so many people along the way, and this was the first time i truly understood how much spectator support can help you!

best course support::::
i ran a lot of races with adequate course support, but the one that stood out to me for the year was the xterra harbison half. i think anyone who's ever done longer trail race can tell you how important those aid stations are, and this was no exception. a guy jogged out to run me into the station then refilled my camelbak while i had some gatorade. SO HELPFUL and MUCH APPRECIATED!

best shirt::::

this is hard to decide. i've gotta do sub categories.
best short sleeved shirt:::: run the bluegrass [nike drifit, women's specific, great blue color]
best long sleeved shirt:::: three way tie between strawberry plains, downhill at dawn, and cherokee.

best small race::::
cherokee harvest half marathon. they did a wonderful job with this race. great course support, great finish line, raffles, adequate bathrooms, great shirts, great food after the race. 

coolest race experience::::
of course this goes to RnR las vegas. if you're on the fence about this race let me push you over... DO THIS RACE! yes it's expensive and yes it's huge, but IT'S SO WORTH IT. running down las vegas boulevard in the dark, seeing all the costumes, seeing all the lights, AMAZING. 

all the above links will take you straight to the event website for 2013.  click here to go to my race review pages. 

what was your favorite race of 2012?
what award category would you add?

also, check out kiley's Christmas virtual race!

30k for my 30th birthday!

i have issues. i love to run races.

earlier this week when i realized i technically had saturday morning free [brad's parents were going to be here, but brad was working saturday morning and i figured i'd be done by the time they got up] i immediately started googling for local races.

i found just what i was looking for... one of our local running stores [foot rx] was having a blackjack 5k. have you all ever done one of these? it was my first, but it definitely won't be my last! here's how it worked:::

• race day registration only (yay, since i waited so late to sign up i was really thankful that i didn't get charged an arm and a leg!)
• $10 to sign up (double yay) which goes into a pot
• when you sign up you get to draw your first card
• you get a second card at the halfway point
• when you cross the finish line you can hit and take one more card if you like. 
• the pot is divided between however many people get 21, or if no one gets it whoever has the highest total without going over.

there were 20 of us running and it was a great time. my first card was a 10 so i was hoping for an ace at the halfway point. i drew a king. when i crossed the finish line (30:07) no one had hit 21 so i stayed. one of the last few people hit 21 so i hit and got another face card. oh well. 

it was a great time and a great way to get my total mileage for the day up to 12 miles (i did 7 on the treadmill before the race, then another 2 outside after the race). 

another good thing that came from me doing the race::::

i had been looking for races that line up with my marathon training plan [aka 'if i'm going to do long runs id rather do some of those miles with the encouragement that the racing environment brings'] and i found the Frosty Foot 30k [also put on by Foot Rx]. unfortunately the 30k was already sold out when i found it. but aaron [owner of Foot Rx] mentioned on saturday that if anyone still wanted in to let him know. i spoke to him after the race and i'm in!!! 

i'm supposed to run 16 that day, so a little more than what i'm scheduled to run. that should be okay, right? my larger concern is that it's a trail race and the elevation profile isn't posted... how do i end up in these situations? funny thing is, i couldn't be more excited!

vacation part 1::: vegas

last saturday b-rad and i were up early to fly out to vegas. i got some gorgeous pics of the fog/mountains/sun coming up as we were leaving.

we landed in vegas as scheduled around 1 (via atlanta) and took a shuttle to our hotel, new york new york [no we did not plan this, it just worked out that way!].

our room wasn't ready yet so we dropped off our luggage and made another important journey [the most important thing on brad's vegas list].

he'd been talking nonstop of animal style burgers and fries since we booked the flight.

after in and out we went back and checked in. we were pleased with our room, it was smaller than the last room we had in vegas [at the venetian] but the price was great and the rooms were clean and had everything we needed. well, scratch that, i would have loved a fridge, but no dice.

we took the monorail down to the venetian for the expo and packet pick up. [i bought two monorail passes via the RnR website at a discounted rate and they came in handy. i don't mind walking but the strip drives me crazy because you can't just walk. you have to go up and down stairs almost every block].

dinner the first night was okay. we ate at chin chin which was a sushi/chinese type place in our hotel. then we played some blackjack.

on sunday [race day] we got up and ate breakfast at il fornaio [in ny,ny]. it was convenient and really cheap because they were doing a 2 for 1 deal for runners. i had a waffle with strawberries and it was delicious! kind of nice to carb load at breakfast since i never get to. after breakfast we played some craps then went to a sports bar to watch some of the football games. brad stayed there while i went to get ready for the race [full post on that coming later].

after the race i met up with brad and we took the monorail back to the hotel so i could shower and get ready for dinner. we had reservations for julian serrano [in aria].

most of the tapas were great but those meatballs were not. they were apparently made ahead of time and were served after they were reheated, however mine didn't get reheated. yuck. we have an amazing tapas place in asheville though, so i'm pretty partial to it. [if you're ever in asheville you have to try it, it's called curate].

after dinner... yes brad has on a suit and i have on jeans. my only dressy outfits required heels and that was not happening an hour after 13.1 miles.

on day 3 we mostly walked around and looked at the shops.we had a great lunch at max brenner [in the forum shops] and i fell in love. we split a chicken caesar salad and a bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich [and those fries with the sandwich were the best!]. then for dessert we had this chocolate lava cake with ice cream, berries, and a mini shake. the little tin had warm chocolate sauce in it. sooooo good.

 after lunch brad went to play craps and i went to the atrium in the bellagio. it was decorated beautifully for Christmas.

i can't remember what we did or ate on monday night, so obviously nothing too exciting! we went ahead and packed up because tuesday morning we were flying out to NYC. more to come!

Firecracker 10K:::: Brevard, NC

firecracker 10k

brevard, north carolina

july 4, 2012

1:08:30 (PR)

on wednesday i got up early to head to brevard to run the firecracker 10k. when i ran this race last year it was my first 10k and i love holiday races to i really wanted to do this one again this year. 

i was also really excited because i found these nike shorts a couple months ago and knew they'd be perfect for a 4th of July race. i've never raced in shorts before... this will come into play later. 

this was my first race in my wave rider 14s (i'd been running in the ruby red 15s but they've got too many miles on them now). i am not digging the white shoes. they have a little pink and black on them but i think i got used to the bright colored ones. unfortunately for my vanity (but fortunately for my wallet) i have another pair of these exact shoes in my closet because i found them for $39.99 at TJ Maxx. i think i'll get some bright shoelaces or something to make them more fun and break up the white. 

i was excited when brad got up to come to the race with me. i know he'd rather have slept so it meant a lot to me when he got up (i didn't ask him to). 

anyways, back to the race. the rotary club puts this race on and i think they do a great job. lots of little old men with big smiles on their faces! love them!

there was a 5k race also. i thought there was a pretty good crowd for such a small race. there were 109 in the 10k and 316 in the 5K.

it was still fairly cool when we started and they'd changed the course from last year (less hills this year) so i was feeling pretty relaxed and looking to hopefully bust out  a new PR. and then i started running.

quick side note:  i don't know if you all have noticed or not, but i only race in capris or tights. these legs are not made to run in shorts. but obviously i wanted to wear them because they're cute and colorful. and i figured it'd be hot. and it's ONLY 6 miles. right. 

so, you know where this is going. i wasn't even a half mile in when the chafing started. and it was misery. i was having to take walking breaks just because i felt like my thighs were on fire. i was pretty sure if i looked down that my skin would be peeling off (i never exaggerate). 

so needless to say it went downhill from there. my mental game went to a really crappy place and i started thinking to myself... you're struggling to run 6.2 miles, how in the world are you gonna run 20 plus this? not good at all. i was extremely happy for this race to be over. 

i did manage to put a smile on my face for the finish and brad got a couple of pics of me.

you live, you learn. i won't be racing in shorts again (unless i've run the distance in them before). i won't disrespect the mileage. i will get my head in the game.