Race Recap & Review: 2018 Harrisburg Half Marathon

Earlier this month, I ran the Harrisburg Half Marathon for the third time. I'd previously run this race in 2014 and 2017 but this year was a totally different experience because of the weather. It poured down rain before, during, and after this 13.1 mile journey through Pennsylvania's capital city. Not sprinkled, not lightly rained, it POURED.

Let's rewind and start at the beginning, shall we?

Some of our running ohana were in town to run this race. Nathan missed running this last year because of hurricane Irma (he lives in Orlando, FL) so he was able to defer to 2018. Steff and Joe (and their 12 week old golden retriever puppy, Thorsten!) drove in from Pittsburgh so Steff could run the half. Since this race was on a Sunday, we were able to spend a rainy Saturday going to local breweries and showing off some of the excellent beers in our hometown.

Cheers!

I mean, really? This face!

Saturday night, we all started obsessively checking the weather. It had been in the 90's earlier that week but the forecast for race morning was rainy and cold- in the 50's. We all talked about what we were going to wear for the race and then I remembered my father-in-law gave us construction grade garbage bags the last time they visited- perfect for a rainy run! (thanks, Les!) With the garbage bags packed and our race-day outfits laid out, we did our best to rest and not think too much about the impending cold rain that we were going to spend hours in the next day.

Altra Timps to the rescue for a rainy run!

Sunday morning greeted us with windy, cold temperatures, and pouring rain. UGH. For only the second time in my running career, I considered not running this race and just getting brunch somewhere indoors and warm. But, I got dressed anyway and piled into the car with my running ohana to make the 45 minute drive to downtown Harrisburg.

The last time I was dry all day.

When we got to the race, we had about 30 minutes to kill before the start. We all grabbed an umbrella and stood in the port-o-potty line (which wasn't too long, thankfully) so we could take care of all our pre-race business. 😏

Can you tell who's the most excited for this race?

As we made our way back to the car, we talked about our post-race meet-up plans. Since none of us were carrying phones because of the rain- and because we knew we'd want to warm up immediately after we finished- we decided that we would meet back at the car. After putting the umbrellas away, we donned our garbage bags and walked the short distance from the car to the start line...which had actually been blown down by the wind (they got it back up and standing before the race start). Fabulous!

Since I have no pictures of the race to help me remember the mile-by-mile recap, here's the short list of everything I experienced/thought about during the race:

• Holy crap, it's cold. The wind is blowing rain into my face. Awesome.
• Ok, someone has drinks... oh, it's Fireball! Yay, shots!
• Wow, that warmed me up. Coming up on mile three and feeling ok.
• Oh yeah, I remember this part, we are headed to the trail.
• Wow, there are tons of puddles on the trail! It's like a damn mud run out here!
• I'm so glad I wore the Timps. Altra trail shoes are awesome in the mud. 
• Ok people, it's just a puddle! We're already wet- just run through it!
• Thank god we're off the trail... oh shit, the road is full of puddles too.
• First runners coming through- they're at mile 11 and I'm at 7. Damn, I've still got a ways to go.
• Oooooh, more Fireball! Thank you!
• I've worn this bag for nine miles and it's getting hot. Time to make a garbage bag cape. 
• There's Matthew! Hello, love! Mid-race kisses are the best!
• Ok, mile 10, time to ditch the garbage bag.
• And we've got one more Fireball station- awesome!
• Holy crap, I think that puddle went up to my knee. I can either laugh or cry at this point, ha!
• Inching closer to the finish line... damn, my hips hurt. I've got to train better. 
• There it is! Almost done! Thank God! Only a few minutes off my goal time, awesome!!

Initially, I was hoping for a sub-2:30 at this race. After just missing it in May at Pittsburgh, I had been hopeful (earlier in the summer) that I could reach that goal. But after a lackluster few months of training, I was ecstatic that I was able to bust out a 2:34:08 in those horrible weather conditions.

If you want to see just how awful the weather was, here's a great gallery of pictures from PennLive, one of the local newspapers. Luckily, I have just one image from the race (courtesy of PennLive), and I think it's pretty rad. 😜

Living my best life.

Directly after finishing the race, I snapped a couple of pictures and headed to the warm car. From previous years, I knew there would be tons of food at the finish line but honestly, I just wanted to be warm and dry so I bee-lined it for the car. We decided to celebrate our race finishes with a trip to Troeg's Brewery for lunch and beers and then stopped at Hershey's Chocolate World for post-race chocolate snacks. All in all, it was a good day. 

While I can't say that I prefer to run in the rain, I can say that it's not terrible. I kinda feel this way about rain: there's nothing you can do about it so you might as well try to enjoy it. After all, we humans are wash and wear; we will dry out... eventually. 😜

Have you ever run a race in less than desirable conditions? How did you cope?

Cigna Inspires: Overcoming Cancer and Celebrating Life

Hey y'all- IT'S FINALLY WDW MARATHON WEEKEND!!

I'll be posting like a maniac on Instagram and Twitter this week/weekend so make sure you're following along to see all the Disney goodness!

In honor of this week-long celebration of running, I have another inspirational runner to introduce you to, Bindu Panapalli. Bindu has survived ovarian cancer and a resulting injury to her leg due to eight rounds of chemotherapy. Despite the challenges she's faced, Bindu will toe the line for the Walt Disney World 10k on Friday. Thank you, Cigna, for allowing me to share these awesome stories! Enjoy!

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Bindu Panapalli, 47 years old and resident of Glen Allen, Va. near Richmond, always felt a desire to help people with cancer through research. By February 2016, she found herself at the start of 18 months of firsthand experience battling the disease through three surgeries and eight rounds of chemo – she just didn’t know it at the time.

Her journey began with a scheduled surgery to treat fibroids and a hysterectomy, leaving her bedridden. Six weeks later, persistent pain led the doctor to find a bowel obstruction and scheduled another surgery. This time, the doctor discovered ovarian cancer and it spread. Six rounds of chemotherapy, which also caused numbness in her leg hindering her ability to walk, stretched from summer into the fall. By November, the third surgery removed the rest of the cancer, but the battle still required two more rounds of chemotherapy in February 2017 before she could finally say she would feel like she’s truly recovering.

“I never thought I would get cancer,” Bindu recalled. “Even before all this, I wanted to help people with cancer as a researcher. After the diagnosis and treatment, I volunteered at the cancer treatment center every Thursday encouraging people during chemotherapy treatment. I was even on the bone marrow donor list.”

By August, she felt ready to start thinking about a return to work. She researched what her employer’s Cigna disability insurance benefits offered including the vocational coaching program, so she requested referral. That’s when she met Robin Randol, her Cigna vocational coach, who offered assistance.

“Every customer’s needs are different,” said Robin. “What she wanted was to build up her physical strength, so we talked about self-care and various strategies and tips to address fatigue and stamina. She also wanted to find a new job that matched her passion. We talked about career goals, updated her resume, and I provided help researching job leads.”

Well-educated, Bindu’s background includes nearly enough for a doctorate from India. She hopes to take her work history, education, and personal experience to help people.

“I want to help people,” said Bindu. “I want to interact with patients. Not sit in a lab anymore, but a make a real difference in people’s lives. Now, that I’ve had this experience fighting cancer, I can be even more helpful.”

Robin helped prepare her for job interviews and gave her the encouragement she’s needed to help take back her health and move closer to a job for which she can feel truly passionate.

One of the training programs Robin offered was the Cigna customer referral program with Achilles International, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities participate in athletic events. Cigna partners with organizations like Achilles International to help customers achieve their health and return to work goals by providing: access to additional rehabilitation resources including ergonomic office equipment, software, education and accommodations to help customers stay safe and be productive at work, encouragement and support, resume review and job placement assistance.

As a result of her hard work and dedication, Cigna offered Bindu the opportunity to participate in the Walt Disney World® 10K presented by Cigna on Friday, January 5th as a member of Team Cigna. She will be guided on the race course by Jonathan Prokup, Cigna's executive sponsor of Achilles International and General Counsel for Cigna.

“I’m celebrating my 21st wedding anniversary in January at the race,” said Bindu. “When I cross that finish line, I want to raise a glass and celebrate life.”

The Cigna Customer Referral Program with Achilles International demonstrates Cigna’s promise to partner with customers “Together, All the Way” along their unique health journey. When injury or illness occurs, Cigna helps them get back on track to achieve their goals.

“For Cigna customers, participating in a race represents a healthy milestone on the road to recovery, but also independence,” said Robin. “As people gain physical strength, they also build confidence, which can positively affect all areas of your life.”

“Cancer is a part of me,” said Bindu. “It changed my life completely. Now, because of Robin, I’m back at work part time work with a new employer building towards full time. I want to thank Robin because now I can look forward.”

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Pretty amazing, right?!

If you're running this weekend at Disney (or anywhere else), GOOD LUCK! Remember, when your legs get tired, run with your heart. ❤

Accountability Monday: 12/18/17

Good morning!

It's been a busy week in the McShupp household as we prepare for a few weeks of holiday celebrations and lots and lots of travel!

With our Disney trip just around the corner (less than three weeks until we are in the house of the mouse!), we are finishing up all our last-minute to-do's, including our last long run that we'll complete this Sunday.

Training
Tuesday: Treadmill 5k, 37:51
Thursday: 5k outside in 19ºF weather, 37:57
Sunday: 6.27 miles, 1:18:35

12.47 total miles

Missed all my strength workouts this week and each run was a bit of a struggle. Ugh. Sometimes this happens during training- I'm just going to ride it out and keep my fingers crossed that our last long runs of this training cycle this weekend go smoothly. We are going to try for 10 on Saturday and 18-20 on Sunday.

It was a bit weird seeing all my friends that are also Dopey or Goofy training completing their last long run this past weekend while we scheduled ours for this upcoming weekend. Even though I wrote this training plan based on our schedules, our running ability, and our plans for the races, it still gave me a bit of panic to see other folks out doing their long runs while we weren't.

Hopefully, all goes well this weekend and we can enjoy about two weeks of Taper Town before the WDW Marathon Weekend begins!

Best Run
Even though my headphones died at mile .75 and my watch died at mile 5.37, Sunday's long run was the run that I felt the least crappy. That qualifies as "best," right??

Proof that my feet do leave the ground when I run. 😏

Bravo Moment
This weekend, I made brownies with black beans. Black. Freaking. Beans. In brownies.

I have no picture because they are not pretty. But they tasted kinda ok and were zero Smart Points, so there's that.

Runner Gift Wishlist Items of the Week
First this week, I've got a gift for you that isn't even necessarily for runners, the Yaktrax Walk Traction Cleats. If you know someone who spends a lot of time outside in the winter, walking over snow or ice, this would be the perfect gift for them! You already know I'm a big fan of Yaktrax- get some of these for a great discount (50% off until 12/23!) and find out for yourself how awesome they are.


Please note that by purchasing through the link above, not only will you get a sweet discount but I may also earn a small commission through the Amazon Associates Program: Sparkly Runner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. [If you aren't comfortable with that, you can always head over to amazon and search for "yaktrax run" instead. 😊]

The second gift this week is one of my all-time favorite products, especially because I tend to end up injured no matter how hard I try not to be- KT Tape! This stuff is amazing and affordable- I just bought a roll yesterday at Wal-Mart for $9.97. 

KT Tape has helped me tremendously with my knee and my feet- for me, nothing works better on my tendinitis than this stuff. If you know a runner in your life that struggles with any type of common running injury, gift them a roll of KT Tape- they'll love it- and you!

Minnie Mouse inspired KT Tape keeping my knee together
 at the 2016 Princess Half Marathon.

Don't forget! There's still time to get a discount for last week's featured gift- StrideBox!

Use the code SPARKLYRUNNER10 for 10% off 3 or 6 month gift subscriptions. 
Use the code SPARKLYRUNNER5 for $5 off your first purchase. 
And congratulations to Maureen @PerpetuallyInjuredRunner, who won last week's contest! With an IG handle like that, she's a girl after my own heart. ❤ Happy running, Maureen!
Quote of the Week With projected 18ºF weather for our long run this weekend, I'll be repeating this all day. 

And because we're so close to Christmas (and because I'm a sucker for pug puppies), here's your Monday dose of cuteness!

Santa, I wouldn't mind one of these under the tree this year. ❤😏

Have a great week!

Gratitude in 2017

For the first time in four years, I missed posting an annual blog for Thanksgiving. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, I put together a list of all the things/people I was grateful for and posted it here on the internet for anyone and everyone to see.

But I missed it this year. Not because I don't have anything to be thankful for, but because I wanted to dedicate a post specifically to folks that I've never thanked in writing before- strangers! Not all strangers, of course, but the kind of strangers you meet through running races.

Kids standing on the sidelines of a race with their expectant hands out, waiting for sweaty high-fives.

Volunteers shouting "water" or "Gatorade" at an aid station until their voices are hoarse.

A coffee-drinking couple sitting on their front porch, sleepily clapping as the runners pass them.

Enthusiastic cow-bell ringers, shouting encouraging words, motivating runners to keep moving forward.

Clever sign makers whose messages always elicit a moment of laughter during a tough section of a race course.

Medical personnel quick to jump in and help in both life-saving and blister-saving situations.

Police and security keeping all runners, spectators, and volunteers safe.

Some of my favorite strangers :-)

As a runner, sometimes I tend to think that races are all about me. My race, my pace, my experience. But that experience wouldn't be anything without all the strangers that come together to make it happen.

I've always been grateful for strangers in the running community but during an experience I had a few weeks ago, I had such a deepened level of respect for all the people who make a race what it is.

My friend Jeff, whom I affectionately call "coach," turned 50 this year and one of his goals was to run a 50 mile race for his 50th year on earth. He chose to run the JFK 50 miler, a race that winds through highly technical trail, tow path, and road in an extremely challenging 50 mile course. He set this goal a year in advance and some of our friend group reserved the date on our calendars with plans to help pace him during the race.

Coach and me after the 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon

Then the race changed its policies and folks were no longer able to run/pace with the race entrants. After exchanging emails with our group, some of us decided that we would come down and crew (meet Jeff at certain parts of the race and basically be his pit crew) and cheer for him- unbeknownst to Jeff.

Through the expert coordination of our friends Lauren and Chelsea, myself and another friend, Steff, successfully surprised Jeff at mile 15.5 of the course and then were able to see him at two other points of the race.

Selfies or it didn't happen.

While you're waiting for someone to run 50 miles, you have a lot of downtime. In addition to exploring the surrounding areas (and finding super cute coffee shops and restaurants), we would get to each checkpoint a little early and cheer for other runners and then after we'd seen and helped Jeff, we'd stick around and keep cheering for folks.

Cheering is serious business that requires a serious wardrobe.

At about the halfway mark, there was an aid station set up and staffed by my local running group, the Chambersburg Road Runners Club. These volunteers were out in the cold rain (it was the WORST weather in the morning), preparing food and serving runners. It was so awe-inspiring to see these people, who didn't have any runners in the race, showing up and working their station to help runners. They were making soup, cutting up fruit, and refilling water bottles. For complete strangers.

Jeff, slurping down some Ramen from the CRRC volunteers.

But these volunteers weren't the only ones standing around in the rain cheering for runners. We kept seeing the same folks at each aid station/checkpoint, each waiting for their runner like we were waiting for Jeff. And each continuing to cheer for other runners once their runner came through.

Towards the end of the race, we headed to the finish line about an hour before we expected Jeff to come through. We were all so inspired by the runners and we wanted to cheer for as many folks as we could.

We got out our clappers and cow bells and screamed until our voices were gone. We danced, chatted back and forth with the DJs, and cheered our hearts out.

Cheer Crew Extraordinaire.

When Jeff came through the finisher chute, I cried as I cheered. I can't articulate the emotions I was feeling- it was one of my most favorite experiences in the running community. He just finished running 50 freaking miles! In one day! I am still so impressed with his tenacity, strength, and grit. Way to go, Coach!

Once we made sure Jeff was ok, Lauren took him inside to so he could get a shower and get changed and Chelsea, Steff, and I made our way back to the finish line to cheer for the very last finishers.

Blurry, happy, finish line selfies are the best kind. CONGRATULATIONS, JEFF!! 

Every time I've run a race, there's been someone- a stranger- that has helped me significantly by doing something small. Every "Looking good, runner!," "You got this!," "Stay strong!" shouted from the sideline has helped me find the strength to keep going when I felt like quitting.

I hope our cowbell-ringing, clapper-clapping, shouting and cheering group of ladies were able to be somebody's stranger at the JFK 50 miler. Cheering is the very least I can do to give back to the community that's given me so much.

So, thank you, to every stranger I have encountered out on the race course. You are appreciated more than you'll ever know.

Have you ever encountered a stranger on a race course that made your day? Tell me about it in the comments!

Accountability Monday: 11/27/2017

Good morning, friends!

I hope you are reading this feeling refreshed and ready to start another week- and month! Can you believe it'll be December by Friday?

It's my absolute favorite time of the year for so many reasons: time with family and friends, time away from work, gifts, colder weather, Christmas lights, peppermint mocha everything- I could keep listing things but that's another post entirely! Basically, I adore the month of December and am looking forward to another fun-filled holiday season.

Training
Tuesday- Treadmill 5k, 38:23, 12:23 overall pace
Thursday- 7.06 miles, 1:30:36, 12:50 overall pace
Friday- 16.01 miles, 3:32:01, 13:15 overall pace. Last four mile splits: 13:03/11:52/11:31/11:42
Sunday- 30 minutes on the stationary bike, light strength workout, foam-rolling, light yoga/stretching

26.17 total miles

Y'all, that 16 miler on Friday was no joke. Matthew and I ran the first 12 together and it felt like a struggle- I was over dressed, dehydrated, hungry, and just grumpy. I ran the last four by myself (after grabbing some Belvita breakfast biscuits and a bottle of water- which was incredibly helpful) and was shocked to see the paces I was able to keep. 11:31?! After running 13 miles?! Who am I?!

Some runs build physical stamina, some build mental stamina. Today's 16 miles were the latter. Now onto thanksgiving dinner number two. 🍁🍗🍷 #optoutside

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Nov 24, 2017 at 10:33am PST

Best Run

Though the first part absolutely sucked, the 16 miles on Friday was my best run of the week. Each run teaches you something- this one reinforced for me the importance of staying hydrated and fueled properly. I'm grateful for the crappy runs; they help me appreciate the great ones. 

Bravo Moment

I hit every single workout I wanted to this week and I feel great! I have very little muscle soreness overall- even though foam-rolling yesterday was rough- and I feel like I'm getting stronger, mentally and physically, during this training cycle. 

Quote of the Week

In a season full of happy distractions, it can be hard to stay focused on what you really want. What I really want is to get to the start lines of the WDW Half Marathon and WDW Marathon healthy, happy, confident, and strong. So I have to keep myself on track, laser-focused, and taking steps each day towards my goal. 

Stay the course, friends.

What keeps you focused on your goals?

Have a fabulous week, folks! 

Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend Recap: Part 2

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary entry to the Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Part 1 Recap (start here)

When we last left our weekend story, Zoe and I were headed to bed early Friday night. I woke up early Saturday morning, a bit sore but ready for the double-header of races: 5k at 8 am and 10k at 9:30 am. Zoe and I got ready and walked downstairs to meet up with the rest of the crew from yesterday including Kiera and Takia from City Fit Girls and Laura from Mommy Run Fast. Eric, from Dirty Old Sneakers, had to return home to a work emergency and we defintely missed him Saturday morning!

We were staying about three quarters of a mile from the race start so we left the hotel around 7:15 am. Matthew's parents and family friends, Mr. and Mrs. C., were also en route to the race start as they were driving in for the day to see me and Matthew in between the 5k and 10k. Matthew's hotel was a few miles outside of Bethlehem, so on race morning he drove into the Steel Stacks parking lot and hung out there until I joined him at the start. 

Once at the race start, we grabbed a few pictures and then got ourselves lined up for the 5k. There aren't corrals for this race, rather there is signage for pace and everyone was expected to line up where they belonged.

Zoe, Theodora, Lauren, me and Rylee

Who's ready for a 5k?!

Matthew and I lined up at the 12:00 minute/mile pace sign and talked a bit about our race strategy... basically, take it nice and slow and enjoy running with each other. The race started in staggered waves based on pace; we were in wave 3, aka the last wave and the party wave! 

The 5k course was pretty scenic with a few rolling hills. Compared to the trail race, which had an elevation gain of 579 feet (!), this 5k's elevation gain of only 77 feet felt flat and fast. We chatted our way through 3.1 miles and finished with an overall pace of 12:22. One of the things I loved about this race was that we were able to see our speedier friends on an out-and-back section of the course. It's always fun to be able to cheer on other runners during a race! :-)

Matthew's family met us at the finish line and we had about a half hour to catch up with them before we had to get back out to the start for the 10k. 

Speedy Lauren headed towards the finish... 

... with Laura right behind her!

Best sign on the course. 

2/4; 6.9 miles complete. Now we 10k. #rwhalf #grandslam

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Oct 21, 2017 at 6:32am PDT

After hanging with Matthew's family for a bit, we left them in the ArtsQuest building and went back to the start to toe the line for the 10k. The weather was warming up quite a bit so I took off my long sleeved shirt and left it in my bag and with bag check before the second race. 

Again, we lined up at the 12:00 pace sign and again we started in wave 3. The 10k course follows part of the 5k course in reverse and was much hillier- there was an overall gain of 176 feet. We ran through several downtown streets and the course was truly beautiful. And it ended up being near-perfect weather for running, if not a bit warm. 

Around mile 5, Matthew's mom texted him to let him know she had a surprise waiting for us at the finish. We speculated on what it could be but for some reason we never guessed what it actually was... beer! They actually bought us two beers and passed them to us right after we finished- even before we got our medals! Another benefit to having the ArtsQuest building so close to the start and finish lines; access to beer! 

They know the way to our hearts.

Thanks for watching us race, fam!

Everything about this race weekend was easy; bag check, start lines, lots of port-a-potties, an option for a "real" bathroom in the ArtsQuest building, etc. It was convenient to have all the races start and finish in the same place and convenient to have the ArtsQuest building/expo directly next to the races. The whole process was uncomplicated- which I appreciated immensely as there was so much going on during the weekend.

After the race, I shopped in the expo a bit and then headed back to my hotel to shower and then drove out to Matthew's hotel to pick up our sweet pup, Koda, for his first-ever race!

Koda and I made our way back to the Steel Stacks- the 5k/10k finish line was the start of the dog run, I pinned his bib to his harness, and we got ready to line up with all the other dogs.

"Mom, I'm ready." #rwhalf #dogrun

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Oct 21, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

I can only describe the dog run in two ways: controlled chaos and pure, unadulterated joy. I giggled the entire time I walked Koda in the race- it was so absurdly funny to me to see all the dogs (there were probably close to 100) with bibs and costumes on trying to run a race. The official dog run was two, half-mile laps but since it was getting pretty warm out and Koda has some struggles breathing in hot weather, we only did one half-mile lap and called it a day. And just like a real runner, Koda had to stop and poop halfway through the first lap, ha!

You can see more of the dog run in this Runner's World article; you might even recognize a few familiar faces about halfway down the page. :-) 

After the dog run, Matthew took Koda back to his hotel and I headed back to my hotel to get ready for drinks with the Runner's World Editor-in-Chief, Betty Wong Ortiz (!), and the pasta party. 

Bart marveling at his own face on the cake :-)

Drinks with Betty (and the rest of the RW crew and bloggers) were awesome and the pasta party had some delicious food- it was definitely the tastiest pasta party I've ever been to! The dinner also was a sort-of tribute to Bart Yasso as he is retiring from Runner's World this year. There was a slideshow of pictures of Bart through the year and there was even a cake with his face on it :-)

After the pasta party, we walked back to the hotel, said our goodbyes/good nights, and tried to get a good night's sleep- a 13.1 mile tour of Bethlehem waited for us in the morning!

Stay tuned for part 3- you don't want to miss it!