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!

Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend Recap: Part 1

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. 

Y'all, I am struggling to put into words just how awesome this past weekend at the Runner's World Half & Festival truly was! As you might know from previous posts or if you were following along on twitter or instagram this weekend, then you know I was selected as one of ten bloggers chosen to be part of the Runner's World Half Run Crew. This blogger/influencer program had us learning, running, laughing, and networking with each other - and RW Editors and Altra staff- all weekend long.

To be honest, I was a little anxious heading into the weekend- meeting nine other bloggers/runners who were all faster than me (not like I stalked researched them on social media or anything)- would we all get along? Would they be friendly? I felt like I was back in elementary school, nervously heading into a new classroom for the year. But really, I shouldn't have worried at all. I left this weekend with a heart full of joy and a whole new crew of friends in my running family. 💖

❤

This post will recap Thursday and Friday (hang in there, it's a long one!); subsequent posts will recap Saturday and Sunday. Make sure you come back here for Parts 2 and 3 because the folks at Runner's World and Altra (and some others!) are awfully generous- just make sure you visit again this week! 😁

THURSDAY
Late Thursday afternoon, I arrived in Bethlehem, PA to the Comfort Inn and Suites, my home for the weekend. I met my super sweet roommate, Zoe from Miles Fitter, and we chatted a bit before our first event of the weekend- a private tour of Runner's World HQ, aka Rodale, Inc., with the legend himself, Bart Yasso. I also met the other bloggers and we all got to know each other as we rode over to Rodale on our super exclusive 15-passenger van. :-)

After getting a behind-the-scenes peek of how the magazine gets put together (and some other neat spaces at Rodale), we were treated to a fantastic dinner with Altra and Runner's World staff. I might have had a super fangirl moment when I got to meet Golden Harper, founder and creator of Altra, aka, the only shoes that my busted up feet can run in.

Sweet swag bag we got full of runner goodies!

Official.

I can get behind this mission statement. 

These roasted veggies were so good.

After dinner, we were split into teams and played trivia. Hollie from Fueled By Lolz and I were partnered together and we may have gotten two (?) answers correct? Either way, it was fun getting to know some of the RW Editors and other bloggers while failing miserably at running trivia.

Once back at the hotel, Theodora (Preppy Runner) and Lauren (Breathe Deeply and Smile) and I went out into town in search of some craft beer. We found a buzzing little place, Bonn Place Brewing Company, and enjoyed some beers and bonding.

If ever you find yourself in Bethlehem, try "Nemo" here :-)

We didn't stay out too late- we had an early wake-up call the next day for a shakeout run with Golden Harper (founder of Altra) and Ryan Hall, Olympian and current U.S. record holder for fastest half marathon (59:43)!

FRIDAY
Early Friday morning, 6:45 to be exact, we all met Suzanne (RW Editor), Golden, Ryan, and some other Altra folks for a nice and easy shakeout run around Bethlehem. I might have freaked out again because we were running with the founder of Altra and a former Olympian! What?!

As it turns out, everyone we were running with was super chill and super nice. I ended up spending the last half of the run with Ryan and talking about everything from adoption, to working for a college, to running, to life after competitive sports, etc. It was pretty damn cool.

We also ran into a professional photographer on one of the bridges and he grabbed this awesome shot. Thanks, Marty!

Me and Ryan. And Golden in the background :-)

We ended our run at the Arts Quest building/Steel Stacks- where the races would start and finish and where the expo was held. We had breakfast and then were treated to listening to Golden tell the story about how- and why- Altra was created. I learned so much about how Altra's foot-shaped and zero-drop technologies help runners achieve pain and injury free running. I mean, I thought I knew a lot about the shoes and the story, but Golden really explained the science and the reasoning behind why Altra shoes are good for your feet. Hearing him speak confirmed for me that I will always be an Altra runner.

A foot-shaped toe box is important, y'all!

After learning more about Altra, we headed outside for a "run better" clinic using these four principles: Proud Posture, Compact Arms, Low-Impact Landing, and High Cadence. I highly recommend you check out more about these running form best practices here. This clinic was incredibly helpful and I used several of these techniques to help me keep proper form over the weekend of races.

If you're wondering, yes, Golden did run up to the top of that arch. He's insane...ly awesome!

Listening intently to the "run better" master.

Ok, so here's where the whining comes in, ha! After the clinic, we got a surprise- a pair of Altra HIIT XT shoes! Yay! Right?! We got the new shoes, which are basically designed for cross-training, and then we got to try them out with a 16 minute, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout led by Altra Trainer Emily. Holy. Sh!t. This workout was intense. There was a group of us that were definitely whining a little louder than the rest of the group, ha! Someone from Altra was taking pictures- I hope those never see the light of day. There's a reason I'm a runner and not a cross-fitter or really anything else that requires upper body strength- there might have been some rolling around on the ground when I was supposed to be doing push-ups. :-) The one positive of this workout? The Altra HIIT XT's were awesome! They have a lot of support on the sides of your feet/shoes so moving in any direction is not a problem with these. I can't wait to try them out the next time I'm doing any sort of cross-training.

After our second workout of the day, we were treated to lunch and an inspirational talk from Bart Yasso. He spoke to us about what it means to be an influencer and shared with us some of the stories of folks he's met over the years and the impact they've had on his life. Trust me, there was not a dry eye in the room when he was finished speaking. We also each got a signed copy of his latest book, Race Everything, and had some more time with the folks from Altra and Runner's World.

This guy. ❤

From there, we made a mad dash to the expo to pick up bibs for the weekend and then get ready for the 3.8 mile trail race that afternoon. I grabbed my bib from an incredibly handsome volunteer, shopped the expo a bit, and then walked back to the hotel to change and get ready for the race. I should probably mention that Matthew came up to Bethlehem for the weekend but stayed in another hotel so I could have the full blogger experience- he's the sweetest.

Volunteer Extraordinaire. 

To get to the trail race, we had to board shuttles at Arts Quest to get up to the section of the trail where we would start and end the race. Once there, we had about an hour to kill while we waited for the race to begin. I was able to spot another blogger in the crowd, Rylee from Man Bun Run, and we chatted for a bit about what was to come. I'd heard this race was pretty brutal and let me tell you- it totally was.

About 15 minutes before the start, they walked us all up a hill to get roughly corraled into a starting line based on pace. Matthew and I grabbed a space where we could and hoped we were seeded correctly.

Somewhere up there is the starting line.

I can't really say that we "ran" this race for a few reasons- the course was narrow and single-file at some points, the hills were really effing steep, and there were rocks and roots everywhere. Trail running demands so much of your attention- you have to watch every single step.

Matthew and I struggled with this course- it definitely showed me some gaps in my training; mainly, I need to incorporate more hill and trail work into my regular running routine. In short, I was not ready for this race.

But- we finished! It may have taken over 58 minutes, but Matthew and I completed the first race of the Grand Slam: 3.8 mile trail race, 5k, 10k, half marathon.

This blurry picture doesn't even capture how vertical this course was.

So. Glad. To. Be. Done.

Luckily for us, there was plenty of pizza and water out for runners at the finish. We got to see Lauren, Zoe, Theodora, and Rylee at the finish and I think we all were a little winded at the end of this one. I'm looking forward to coming back next year and crushing this race now that I know what I'm in for!

After the race, we had some downtime, so Matthew and I had dinner before he dropped me off at my hotel. The next day held back-to-back races, the dog run, and more events with the blogging crew. Zoe and I chatted for a bit, compared notes from the trail race, and laid out our things for the next morning before getting in bed- I'm pretty sure we were asleep by 10!


Stay tuned for Recaps Part 2 and 3! 

It's Race Weekend!

Y'all! It's finally Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend!

I am driving to Bethelehem, PA this afternoon and the weekend officially kicks off at 5 pm tonight with dinner and tour of RW Headquarters, courtesy of the RW Half Run Crew program- somebody pinch me because this feels like a dream!

There are so many things I'm looking forward to about this race weekend- here are the top five, in no particular order:

Finishing under the steel stacks.

As you know, the last time I signed up for this race, my foot was broken and I wasn't able to run. Having cheered for this race weekend both in 2014 and 2015, I know how amazingly cool the finish line is and I cannot wait to see those steel stacks at the end of each race.

Running Koda's first race!

"Wait, what?!"

Yup- part of the race weekend is a dog walk on Saturday afternoon and I've signed up our little pug for his first one-mile race! Now, we'll have to wait and see if he cooperates enough to make this happen and if my schedule allows me enough time to get back to the hotel and get him before the 2 pm start time (we've got a lot of stuff happening as part of the RW Half Run Crew program). But we're going to try!

Hanging out with Bart Yasso.

Me and Bart, RW Half 2015

Bart is really just the most chill, down-to-earth, coolest runner dude I've probably ever met. I love talking to him at race expos and I'm pumped to be able to hang with him this weekend. And as he is officially retiring from Runner's World this year, I'm grateful for the opportunity to see him one more time at the RW Half & Festival Weekend.

Meeting the rest of the Run Crew.

For the last few months, Run Crew has known each other through social media- I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in person and getting to know them over the weekend! If you can't tell by now, I'm a pretty strong extrovert and sincerely love meeting new friends :-)

Running with this guy all weekend long.

RW Half 2014

I mean, look at how cute this dude is! :-) Seriously though, running with my husband is one of my most favorite parts of any race weekend. And with both of us doing the Grand Slam (trail race, 5k, 10k, half), we've got plenty of opportunity to race together.


There are lots of other reasons I'm excited for this weekend- make sure you're following me on instagram and twitter- I'm sure I'll be sharing a ton over the next three days!


See you in Bethlehem! 

Accountability Tuesday: 10/17/17

Hello there!

It's been quite a few weeks since I've posted here; work has been pretty hectic over the last few months so lots of stuff in my life has been neglected, including this space.

But! All the "big" stuff at work is done, Matthew and I just returned from a relaxing three-night vacation in Cape May, and the Runner's World Half and Festival is this weekend! Online registration closes on Wednesday- use the code "SPARKLYRUNNER" at checkout to save 10% on any race. I can't wait for 26.2 miles of trail and road races!

Training
Saturday: 3.04 ocean-front miles, 36:45, 12:06 pace per mile
Sunday: 3.55 mile walk with Matthew and my Mother-in-Law, 5 mile round-trip bike ride to Beach Plum Farm

Two things learned from this year's fall Cape May trip: 1. Running along the beach will never get old. 2. Beach Plum Farm is a must if you ever find yourself in the area. It's a 62-acre, 300-year-old working farm complete with self-guided tours of the kitchen gardens, a beautiful barn and market, and no shortage of instagram-worthy scenery. Matthew and I had such a good time there- we can't wait to go back next summer!

Fall at the farm is gorgeous- I can't imagine how beautiful it is in full, summer bloom!

There were a TON of monarchs on the remaining flowers in the gardens and fields. 

We also found some sunflowers- and bees!

Beach running is always better in a pair of Altras.

Best Run
Obviously, this week's best run is this week's only run, lol. It actually rained on Saturday morning but it was still pretty magical running by the beach and in the sand. And by magical, I mean really, freaking hard- have you ever tried running in sand?! It's insanely difficult! I only ran on the sand for a bit before returning to the promenade- way easier and less crap gets in your socks. 😜

Bravo Moment
I ate and drank what I wanted this weekend (including wings, beer, and pizza!), tracked it all, and stayed within my daily and weekly Smart Points- on vacation. This is a huge bravo for me. It's always been a challenge for me to stay on track during a weekend or week away from home. Less control over what I'm eating, the mindset of indulging and relaxing during time "off," and lots of meals out usually leads to me eating and drinking more than I should or more than I planned. However, I packed snacks for this trip, tracked my food diligently, and chose meals that fit within my daily points budget. I won't say that I'm excited to weigh-in this week, but I'm not totally dreading it. That's a win in my book.

Carefully reading about the beer choices I made for a flight at Cape May Brewing Co.

Breakfast at George's Place, highly recommend for breakfast in Cape May.

Margherita Pizza at Louie's Pizza, highly recommend for any meal in Cape May.

Quote of the Week
Because we just got back from the beach, this seemed appropriate:

Have a great week, friends! 

Race Recap & Review: 2017 Harrisburg Half Marathon

Two weeks ago, on an almost perfect Sunday morning, Matthew and I ran the 2017 Harrisburg Half Marathon.

We're always smiling at the end of a race.

Since first running this race three years ago, a new course route was adopted and I loved about 85% of it. What didn't change was the easy packet pick-up, the small, not-at-all crowded field, and the awesome food/swag at the end of the race. 

On race morning, Matthew and I arrived on City Island around 6:45 am. With an 8 am start time, we wanted to make sure we got a good parking spot and were able to get our bibs without feeling rushed. Packet pick-up was a breeze and we got a primo spot in the lot- mission one accomplished. 

After hanging out in the car keeping warm for a bit (it was a little breezy and cool), we walked to the start at 7:45 am. Because this is a small field (less than 800 runners), there weren't any corrals- we just lined up towards the back. There were pacers available for several finish times up until 2:30.

View from the back of the pack.

Before the race, I had connected with Matt (on instagram as @tallguyruns) as he was training for the Harrisburg Half as his first-ever half marathon. Because this is such a small race- and because Matt is like seven feet tall- I spotted him waiting for the start and we were able to wish each other luck before the race. 

Matthew and I decided to run this race separately so we could use the results as proof of time for our upcoming races in Walt Disney World. My race strategy was pretty simple- finish under 2:40. As pneumonia had kicked my ass all summer, my thoughts/plans for a sub-2:30 went out the window months ago. I hoped to keep my pace hovering between 11:30-12:00 minute miles and finish feeling strong and under 2:40. 

With the new course, we started out on the market street bridge and actually ran on the other side of the Susquehanna River for about a mile. Coming back across another bridge (no clue of the name) into downtown, we had a stunning view of the Harrisburg skyline for at least another mile. It was one of my favorite parts of the race. 

❤

The course took us along Front Street and into the Greenbelt- a trail that runs through part of the city. I was thankful for the shade- as the morning went on it started to heat up quite a bit. Just before we entered the trail, I got to see my friend Scott handing out beer at mile 4. Of course I stopped and had some. 😄

Friends with beer are the best.

This was a nice change of pace from the city streets.

After the greenbelt, we headed back downtown along the river to my least favorite part of the course. Basically, this was an out and back that felt like it went on forever. I hate courses like this because they really mess with your head. You watch all the runners going in the opposite direction for miles knowing that you have to eventually reach the turn-around point and then come alllllll the way back. 

My lack of training also showed up around this point in the race- my legs and hips were just screaming at me to stop. That's what a summer of barely-running and battling lung issues will get you. 

But there was one cool aspect of this part of the race- I got to see Matthew flying down the road! He was in between the 2:10 and 2:20 pacer and I knew he was going to be close to reaching his goal of 2:15 (he finished in 2:17). 

Heading towards the long stretch of the out and back section of the course.

Hi, Matthew!

Eventually, I made it to the turn-around and finished those last few miles along the river. Scott showed up again around mile 12 with more beer. Obviously I drank some more. 😄

Is there really anything better than mile 12 beer?

With my sore legs and aching hips, I was ready to be done with this race. I had been watching my time and knew that I would be able to finish well under 2:40 as long as I didn't give up and kept pushing.

Another back of the pack benefit? No crowded race pictures! Photo: Penn Images

I rounded the last corner and headed onto the Walnut Street Bridge back to City Island and the to the finish- my official time was 2:35:53 with an overall pace of 11:54/mile. 

Last bridge!

Beer me.

Directly after getting my medal, I was able to stop at a computer/printing station and get a little print-out of my results from the timing company- that was pretty cool. After catching my breath and finding Matthew in the crowd, we headed back to the pavilion (where we'd picked up our packets) for a full-spread of Panera sandwiches, cookies, and other snacks. We also bumped into my blogger friend Lindsay who I've known for about four years but never officially met in real life which was pretty neat. 

Delish.

Check out that bling. And those shoes! 😍

After hanging around for a bit, Matthew and I left the race for a visit to Troegs Brewery for a celebratory beer and ridiculously large soft pretzel.

Because running. 🍻

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Sep 10, 2017 at 9:20am PDT

All in all, this was a really well-organized, fun race. I love the small field, the ease of parking and packet pick-up, and the relatively flat course. While the out and back section isn't my favorite, it was still pretty cool to see the runners in front of you. And of course, when you've got friends on the course with beer, that makes it a good race all around. 😉

This is a great, small, simple half marathon so if you ever find yourself in south central PA in September, you should definitely check this one out.


Do you have a favorite local race? What do you love about it?