A Very Patriotic Accountability Tuesday

Good morning, friends!

To those of you reading in the US....

I am writing today from the most beautiful beach town in America, Cape May, NJ! We are here celebrating the birth of America and the birth of my fantastic husband (a smidge early)! So far, we've had fabulous weather and I'm only -4 smart points for the week- a small miracle considering being away from home/routines is really tough for me.

I got cleared from my doctor to start some light walking so this morning Matthew and I will be participating in our very own little Independence Day Fun Run [Walk]. The race we usually do this time of year, the Wildwoods Beach 'n Boardwalk 5k, was cancelled for 2017 without any explanation. Which is a shame because we love this one and have done it the last two years in a row.

What do you do when your favorite 4th of July race is cancelled but you couldn't compete anyway because you're recovering from pneumonia? You plan a patriotic outfit for tomorrow and intend to walk a few doctor-approved miles anyway to celebrate the USA. 󾓦🎆🚶

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jul 3, 2017 at 3:46pm PDT

Anyway, here's what's been happening in my world in the past week:

Training
Wednesday- 1 mile walk with Matthew and our pup, 20ish minutes
Sunday- 3.25 mile bike ride while Matthew ran, 34:29
Monday- 60 minutes of bike riding (maybe 5-7 miles?) all around Cape May

Best Run
N/A. Though yesterday's bike ride was pretty fun.

Bravo Moment
Y'all, I have two bravo moments this week!

1. As a way to save money- and eat well while on vacation- Matthew and I brought groceries down to the beach and have been making our breakfast and lunch every day. Not only does this help us keep more cash in our pockets, but it also helps me budget my points for the day much easier than if we were dining out for every single meal. We've been making overnight oats (oats, blueberries, PB2, vanilla soy milk, and cinnamon) and chicken salad sandwiches (canned chicken, spicy brown mustard, light mayo, and 647 bread) to stay on track and stay on budget; both points-wise and money-wise.

2. I posted a candid picture of me in a bikini on Instagram. I had actually made Matthew take a posed shot that I wanted to use on the blog (oh, the life of a social media/blogger spouse!) but he took some candids that I actually liked more. Mainly because they are more accurate of what I look like, weight-gain and all. I re-read this post recently and it really resonated with me. I've noticed myself shying away from the camera and only posting/sharing pictures where I look "thin" in the last few months- basically since my weight has gone up and not come back down. But really, who gives a crap that I've gained weight? I still wear a bikini in public and feel [mostly] comfortable when I do. And honestly, this is what I look like right now, in the summer of 2017. I don't want to look back on this summer and only have pictures of the beach and the waves; I want to have pictures of me and my amazing husband enjoying the surf and the sand and making memories together.

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Jul 2, 2017 at 9:46am PDT

Quote of the Week

truth. 

Enjoy your Independence Day, friends!

Race Recap & Review: Firecracker 5k and Summerfair 10k

Who doesn't love a holiday race- or two?! This past weekend, Matthew and I got to race in the Waynesboro Firecracker 5k on Independence Day and then the Summerfair 10k on Saturday. Lucky for us, these races were close to home and the weather was perfect each morning- upper 60's, low humidity, and breezy.

Waynesboro Firecracker 5k
This annual race celebrated it's 17th year with over 500 runners in attendance. Matthew and I signed up on the day of the event for $22 each. There were options for cotton t-shirts or tech shirts for an additional cost which we elected not to do. We have tons of race shirts :-)

On our way to the race, we stopped at a McDonald's to use a real bathroom. There we ran into friends from Team #runDisney that we had met at WDW earlier this year- small world, right?! Scott and Susan live in the Harrisburg area and I hope we will see them at other races around Pennsylvania.

The race started right on time. The course followed some neighborhood roads for the first mile and then an out-and-back on Main Street. It was absolutely gorgeous to be running on the 4th of July. There were lots of spectators and waving flags.

 

Red, white, and blue.

Runners at the starting line.

I just love flag-lined streets on the 4th of July.

Patriotic mile markers!

Main Street in small-town America. It doesn't get much more 'merica than this.

I crossed the finish line in 34:22- not bad for an easy 5k. We each grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the car. There was a fair/festival going on but we didn't participate. We ended up having a low key 4th- pool time, dinner out, and local fireworks. After all, we had an early wake-up call the next morning for the Summerfair 10k!

It wasn't quite Disney, but it wasn't bad either.

Summerfair 10k
On Saturday morning, we ran the 4th annual Summerfair 10k. This is free event- that's right, a FREE race! How cool is that?! It was held in Carlisle, PA, adjacent to Dickinson College. This race is part of an overall series of events, Carlisle Summerfair: family-friendly events offered to the public at no cost.

This event offered two options- a 5k or a 10k. The courses ran the same first mile, the 10k went on it's own for a mile, and then rejoined the 5k for mile three. Then the 5k split off to finish and the 10k completed another loop of the course. There was a water stop at miles one and four. Both races started at the same time.

I'd guess there were about 100 people participating- including one of my students at the university, a colleague, and a fellow Weight Watcher from my Wednesday meeting. I think I'm officially a PA resident; I've started seeing people I know at local races :-)

Course map.

Nicole (SU student) and me before the start.

Matthew looking ready to conquer 6.2.

The race started without much fanfare as most local races do. There wasn't chip timing, so I started my Map My Run app when I started running. I decided that I would keep my headphones out until later in the race because honestly, I was afraid of getting lost!  This was an open course with just a few volunteers and once the 10k split off from the 5k, I felt like I was all alone on the course. Luckily, the course was well-marked with spray paint on the ground. However, I know how I "zone out" when I'm running with music and I didn't want to miss any of the markers.

Course markings directing us to make a turn.

Mile and course markers.

So, the first three miles were without music. And I have to say, it wasn't terrible! I actually enjoyed just listening to what was going on around me and being able to regulate my pace without music. Also, I started out way, way too fast. My first mile was 10:44. Miles two and three were 11:33 and 11:26. I have got to work on that first mile and slowing the heck down!

 

After I started the second loop, I put my headphones in. Since I'd already run the loop, I sort of knew which way to go so I felt more confident listening to music. Miles four and five were 10:57 and 10:50. A little after mile four, I passed a guy who had been in front of me the entire time. As I'm running past him, he says to me, "You make this look easy!" And honestly, it felt easy! At that point, I knew I had just under two miles left and I was kicking it up a notch to try and run negative splits. With that comment in mind, I just kept booking it down the course. Around mile five, I passed ANOTHER dude! It was so awesome! I love that run/walk keeps me strong until the finish and strong enough to pass folks in the home stretch.

 

I turned the corner towards the finish and checked out my time- it was only 1:07. My 10k PR is 1:09:30. So, I was pretty excited to see that time. However, my distance was a little short. When I crossed the finish line, my Map My Run app said I'd run 6.07 miles in 1:09:17. I think the course may have been short but either way, I think I still would have PR'd if I'd run the extra .13 miles. And besides that first mile, I ran negative splits- yay!

 

This last little bit of the course was beautiful!

Happy 10k finishers!



Love to see the numbers decreasing.

 

For a free race, it was awesome. Well-organized, nice and flat course, and two water stations. It would be nice to know if it was a full 6.2 mile course but even if it wasn't, it still was a really great event. And the price was right :-)

 

Overall, it was a fantastic holiday weekend full of races, fun, and freedom!

 

QOTD: How was your holiday? Did you run over the weekend? As part of a race or on your own?