This was a great race!!! I ended up going with a friend of a friend, Christie. We were roomates for the trip. I flew to Nashville around 2pm on Friday, the day before the race and just made it to the Race Expo in time to pick up my packet and my number!! We stayed at the Maxwell House Hotel outside of downtown. They really catered to the runners, having a great pasta dinner the night before the race and a shuttle to take us to the race start bright and early! We woke up at 4:00am to catch and early shuttle to the race start. Had a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and my pre-race drink on the way to the race. We were at the start pretty early and there was a little rain shower beforehand. The race ended up starting early because they were calling for some major thunderstorms to hit later in the morning that day. We got the race started without incident. The course was much hillier than I had expected!! Up and Down, Up and Down, Up and Up and Down . . . neverending! I wasn't really prepared for the hills but tried to battle through the best I could. Finished the race in 2:16 - about a 10:20 min/mile pace.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Country Music 1/2 Marathon - Nashville, TN
After the race was the true disaster! We waited forever for our shuttle bus which as it turned out many other people were waiting for too! It was raining and windy with nasty thunderstorms rolling through. Christie and I got tired of standing around, especially after just finishing the race, so us and about 6 or 7 other people who were all staying at our hotel decided to start walking back to the hotel, 3.5 miles away! It was pouring, thunder and lightening and one of the wettest walks home ever! There was flooding on the sidewalks and roadways that we were on trying to get back to the hotel. We got home . .. but I was definitely soaked more than I have possibly ever been.
We got back to the hotel and I stuffed my sneakers with newspaper to help them dry out and then we took a nap to recover!!
On Sunday, the next day we spent time touring Nashville, the outlets and even took a trip out of town to check out a local winery. It wasn't the best wine, but at least we had a picnic amongst some beautiful scenery!
The flight home was relatively uneventful. I'd definitely recommend this race again - it was alot of fun!!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
The Path to Homeownership
Bryant and I are in the process of purchasing our first home together. So far we've been lucky in the process in finding the perfect place for both of us - older home, historic, needs some work (what Bryant loves to do) and is in a great neighborhood here in Philadelphia. We are set to close on May 14th! I'm hoping all goes well from here on out!!
Time to start getting excited!
I'm starting to get pretty psyched for this year's race schedule!!!
Just like last year, I have quite a few races on tap, some new ones and some from last year.
Here we go!!!
Saturday, April 24th - Country Music 1/2 Marathon - Nashville, TN
Sunday, May 2 2010 - Broad S
treet Run (10 miles) - Philadelphia, PA
This is a Philadelphia Classic that I have run
a few times before. This time, I'll be running with my sister Jaime for the full race, Jackie for half the race and meeting my dad at the finish (he always finishes ahead of
time.)
Saturday May 8th 2010 - Open Water Swim Clinic
I participated in a few
of these last year and they were super helpful in acclimating to swimming in open water and practicing some techniques. This time, I'll be meeting my sister Jackie there for her first ever open water swim!!
Saturday May 15th - Jersey Short Kickoff Sprint Triathlon - Bayville (Toms River, NJ) - Women's Race
This will be my first race of the season, and Jackie's first triathlon ever! It's going to be a ton of fun on a great course and it's always fun to participate in an all ladies' event.
June 20, 2010 - LavaMan Sprint Triathlon
This is another great race put on by Jersey Short Multisport, a sprint distance race that will be a first-time race for me. Can't wait!
Sunday July 25, 2010 - New Jersey State Triathlon - Mercer County State Park
I did this race last year and had a great time and it was my second Olympic Distance race. I was happy to be allowed to wear my wetsuit last year and hopefully it will be the same this year!
And . . . . now for the grand finale race of the Triathlon Season!!
Sunday August 8, 2010 - Ironman 70.3 Boulder - Boulder, CO
This is the big race for me this year . . . I'm nervous at this point, but feeling pretty confident that I can do it. I have a great support system b
ehind me with my family, friends, coach and tri club all there to support me. I couldn't do it without them!!
Here's a shout out to Brielle Performance Center and my Coach, Carrie Slavinski
I am still waiting to see if I get into the NYC Marathon via the lottery tomorrow, on April 7th, so I will post as soon as I know. If I don't get in with the lottery I will probably do the Marine Corps Marathon again :)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Skiing!!
(L) Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Pool! Best place to relax at night after skiing!
Here I am looking slow on the ski slopes!
I had my first ever skiing experience in Colorado at Sunlight Mountain. We went up to Glenwood Springs for 3 nights and went skiing 2 of the days. Once I got myself a pair of ski boots and borrowed skis, goggles and helmet we headed to the mountain. Since Bryant doesn't have the patience for teaching me to ski, we purchased a group lesson which ended up being a private lesson. I had an amazing teacher and I caught on fairly quickly on how to shift my body weight for turns, how to stop and most importantly how to stay upright! I had a great time - but even on the green hills I had my fair share of wipeouts! Good thing Bry was there to 'rescue' me a few times! Even though my first day was rough, I felt pretty good overall. So much so that we bought tickets for a second day the following day and ended up going back! I did even better on Day 2 with the exception of Bryant taking me on one of the 'blue' trails by mistake. I ended up sliding down half of a steep hill on my bottom and running down the rest of the way!! Overall it was an amazing time and I couldn't have been happier and luckier to have the husband I have!!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Frozen Foot 5K
Well, this was my first race back after doing the Marine Corps Marathon back in October. I took the rest of the fall/winter to hone in on my strength training and interval running and cycling workouts. I ran this race on the campus of Colorado University's Boulder campus in Boulder, CO. Bryant and I were in Colorado for a winter vacation to include some time at my favorite place - the hot springs at Glenwood Springs and my first skiing experience at Sunlight Mountain!
The 5K was fun and probably one of the first 5K's that I have done in a long time. Overall it was a fun race, small field of runners but that's to be expected when it's about 20 degrees and there is snow and ice on the ground (the race definitely lived up to it's name!) I ran the race in 29:32 for an average pace of 9:30 min/mile. Not too bad considering the conditions. I was definitely starting to get winded halfway through - I'd only had 2 days to adjust to the altitude. I made a mental note that when I come back for the half-ironman in August that I give myself plenty of time to acclimate to the altitude.
My wonderful husband came out with me in the cold and snow and took the pictures above!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
My New Triathlon Ride
I finally decided to go for it and purchase my "dream bike" this weekend. I got the Cervelo P2 triathlon bike. Now, when I show up to a triathlon, people are going to expect me to be fast! I guess that means I need to start working my ass off in this off-season to make that happen :) I'm so happy and excited already! I'll pick it up on December 28th after I have it fit! Can't wait already - this is my Christmas gift to myself this year and for the next several years! haha. I have to thank my most supportive fiance who convinced me to "just get it".
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Marine Corps Marathon 10.25.09
Me approaching Mom and Bry between 18 and 19!
Dad approaching Mom & Bryant between 18-19 looking like a pro!
Taking a break with Bry around mile 18.5! Just the motivation I needed to continue!
We arrived in Washington D.C. on Friday night and stayed in Metro Center close to Chinatown and the Convention Center. We ate dinner at the Capitol Brewery - I enjoyed some great white pizza and pumpkin beer. Ended up going to bed pretty early that evening which worked out well.
On Saturday, my parents arrived to D.C. from Baltimore and we met them at the hotel before going to the Convention Center for the Expo. The expo itself was an experience. It was very well run and efficient to check in but it got a little crowded on the floor around the exhibits. We walked around the mall and hit the National Art Museum. We stayed at a hotel which had a kitchen in our suite, so my mom and I went shopping to get the needed ingredients for a pasta dinner. We cooked a great pre-race carbo loading dinner which worked out perfectly since it was humid, raining and windy outside. After dinner we walked down to the Capitol Building since we were really close and took some nice night pictures. Bryant and Mom continued on to tour some of the other monuments while dad and I headed back to the hotel to prepare for race morning and get ready for bed.
Race morning I woke up at 5:15 to get dressed and start my breakfast which consisted of spaghetti from the night before with some parm cheese. I drank some gatorated and water as well. I packed everything for my race check bag, including my pre-race sports drink. We met at 5:55 to go and catch the Metro to the race start. We didn't have to wait too long for the train to the start. Once we arrived at the start area it was still pitch black outside. We made a few stops at the port-o-potties and continued our pre-race hydration. We walked at least a 1/2 mile to the area where the bag check was. When we got there we got rid of our long sleeve shirts. I decided to wear shorts, a tank top and arm-warmers. It was chilly at the start (about 50 degrees) but was forecast to warm up to the low 60s by the time the race ended.
The start area was alive with static electricity. There were so many people around the start! The introductions were great and the fly-over by the military planes was breathtaking. I was pretty nervous at the start thinking "what have I gotten myself into" and "how the heck am I going to run 26.2 miles?!?"
It took me about 10 minutes to get to the start from where I was lined up. The first 8 miles of the course were pretty hilly which was not expected! I saw the topographical map of the race which showed a 160ft elevation gain over the first 8 miles and thought "that's not much at all" but let me tell you there were a few tough hills for sure. Luckily I made a friend on the course that I could talk with for that period of time which kept my mind off the course. I lost her around mile 9 or 10 when she started to fade. The course was great around the Georgetown Reservoir and through Georgetown itself. Running along the Potomac and East & West Potomac Park was also great. The weather was perfect! I was glad I kept my arm warmers throughout the race because the breeze was cool at times. From the park we started to run along the mall. Beautiful with tons of spectator support! This is where I caught Bryant and Mom with the diet coke. I took a minute or two to hang out with them and stretch between mile 18 and 19. This was enough encouragement to continue the race! The last 10K was definitely a challenge for me. Beating the bridge was rough and running through Crystal City was kinda boring but with each mile I knew I was closer to the finish. I felt great cardiovascularly and nutritionally but orthopedically, my feet were killing me - especially my right ankle an foot. I stuck it out though as we reached mile 24 and 25 around the Pentagon and when I heard the music around mile 25, I started to really try and push my way to the finish. Running up the final incline towards the finish was awesome! I finished in 4 hours and 44 minutes. This ended up being a 41 minute PR for me. I finished my first marathon in January of 2005 in Carlsbad, CA in 5:25! I was excited to get my medal from a Marine at the finish. I felt good overall. It took me about an hour to find my dad in the finisher's area afterwards. He finished in 4:29 :)
It took a really long time to get to the hotel after the race because my dad wasn't feeling well after the race and there was a huge crowd to get into the Metro station to catch the train to the hotel. Once we got back, my parents headed back to New Jersey and Bryant and I headed back to our hotel for Sunday night. We walked to dinner in Georgetown which actually made the sore legs and feet feel better. I took a brief nap before the Yankees-Angels game came on. They won and clinched their berth to the World Series! Perfect end to a great day!
We headed home on Monday and I was feeling good physically but tired in general. I slept most of the ride home to Philly and took another nap when we got home.
I felt good all week and treated myself to a sports massage on Wednesday evening. It really helped stretch out my sore hamstrings and tight IT band! Definitely worth it as part of the post-race recovery phase. I went back to the gym cross-training workouts Wednesday and Friday. Felt pretty good overall!
This was an overall great experience for me! Now, its the "off-season" for me which will include focusing on the swimming again, building up some cycling miles and spending time at Fusion and the Lithe Method. I'll be working hard towards looking good at my wedding on January 30, 2010!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this whole challenging triathlon and racing season! This marathon was the perfect end to the season! I'm hoping to do it again next year with my sisters running along with me :)
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