Race Recap & Review: Shamrock 8k

This is part two of my Shamrock Marathon Weekend Recap. You can read part one/expo here.

Saturday morning we woke up at 5 am, got dressed, and were on our way to the beachfront by 6:15 am. With a race start at 7:45 am, we wanted to make sure we were parked and ready to go with plenty of time. We were able to get an awesome spot just three blocks from the starting line- and because of the weekend's races, we didn't have to pay for any metered spots.

It was a gorgeous and slightly chilly morning- around 50 degrees. Matthew and I got out of the car around 7:15 to head towards the start line. On the way, we ran into a former student of mine, Stef. I'm always amazed at how I get to see friends in a sea of thousands of people- it totally makes my day! She was doing the Dolphin Challenge as well. We got to catch up more with her after the race :-)  We snapped a few pictures and then went to find the start line.

Beautiful sunrise over the ocean. The finish was just to the right of Neptune.

Rainbow, FTW!

Matthew and I decided to run this race together and take it nice and easy because we had the half the next day. Promptly at 7:45 am, the race started. Within just a few minutes we were on our way- I think there was only about a minute between each corral.

This course was a simple route- we started running south away from the finish, made a few turns, and then came back up towards the finish on the actual boardwalk. While there were close to 9,000 people running the race, it never felt close to crowded. There were also a lot of children and strollers in this race- and there was still plenty of room! It was awesome.

Close to the starting line!

Lots of room to run and more of the gorgeous sunrise over the water.

People cheering us on from their balconies.

Course map in the program book.

Once we passed the mile two marker, I got a text on my phone with our updates- the runner tracker for this weekend was awesome and instantaneous. Miles two-four were running back north towards the finish on the boardwalk. Again, it was absolutely beautiful to run with this gorgeous scenery.

And what a sunny day we got! About 50 degrees and slightly breezy.

Smiley!

Enjoying the view.

We saw some people running on the beach and decided to join them- when's the next time we'll be able to run ON the beach during a race? :-)

Yeah, this was pretty cool.

I couldn't resist a selfie on the beach!

Right around mile four, we made a left turn to run back on the street. Then we just ran about a half mile north and then turned onto the boardwalk to run the last half mile to the finish. Turning on to the boardwalk a second time was really cool- lots of cheering spectators and just a few minutes until the finish line.

Turning back onto the boardwalk.

Can you see the finish line in the background?

You know I HAD to stop for a quick picture with Neptune :-)

We crossed the finish line in a little over an hour. Not too bad. Then we got our medals, all sorts of shamrock-shaped cookies, water, Gatorade, and then headed over to the beer tent. Inside, we each grabbed a cup of Irish stew and a Yuengling beer and then found a spot to sit and enjoy the band- they were amazing, by the way. We didn't have to wait in line for anything and the entire crowd was laid back and enjoying themselves. It was probably the best after-party I've ever been to at the conclusion of a race.


Stef and me after the race! 

Post-race beer is the best.

Spacious but rockin!

Panoramic view of the party tent.

Happy finishers.

Excellent medal.

Overall, this race gets an A+ from me. Incredibly organized, flat course, premium medal and after-party- don't tell anyone but this actually may have been better than a Disney race! This race was a runner's dream- they really are focused on the athlete and making this event enjoyable for every single runner or walker.

After the 8k, we headed back to our hotel to get cleaned up and enjoy the rest of our day. We ended up coming back down to the boardwalk to explore. Not even two hours after the race, they were already cleaning the port-o-potties and getting everything ready for the next days races. It was quite awesome to watch. And then I stopped to use a squeaky-clean port-o-potty, I know my running friends will know how awesome that really is :-)




8k shirt and medal.

You have to admit, he's pretty neat :-)

I knew that Christine from We Run Disney was heading over to the expo in the afternoon so we went back to the expo around three pm. With a little help from twitter, we finally found her listening to Bart Yasso speak. We chatted and got to meet her friend Lacey who was doing the marathon. It was really great to see her and talk about race strategy. Since she'd done this race before she gave us some great tips for the half marathon course. After a few minutes, we said our goodbyes and good lucks and then Matthew and I went to do another lap around the vendors. I ended up buying two shirts from Bay Six USA- they were only two for $25 :-)

Bart Yasso!

Lackey, Christine, and me.

I couldn't resist these awesome shirts!

After the expo we went to dinner with our friend Jamie and then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before the half marathon Sunday morning. One race of the Dolphin Challenge down, one to go. We got our race gear together and finally went to bed around 10 pm. We had a 3:45 am alarm set and dreams of half marathon awesomeness dancing in our heads :-)

Half marathon outfit.

Stay tuned for part three- the half marathon recap- coming soon!

Shamrock Marathon Weekend: Expo Recap

On Friday, March 14 at 1 pm we started the long trek from Shippensburg, PA to Virginia Beach, VA for Shamrock Marathon Weekend. This drive should have taken about 5 hours. Thanks to some wonderful Friday afternoon DC traffic, we finally got to the expo- tired and famished- around 7:45 pm. Luckily it was open until 9 pm so we had just over an hour to pick up our bibs and check out all the vendors.

We finally made it!

Bib and shirt pick up were a breeze. There were no lines and I was easily able to pick up my friend Kelly's packet thanks to a handy-dandy packet authorization form that the race organizers put on their website. Since Matthew and I were doing the Dolphin Challenge (8k plus the half marathon), we needed to pick up our 8k bib AND our half marathon bib. Unlike Disney, we didn't have to wear the same bib for more than one race. Which is awesome because I tend to be hard on my bibs.

All our bibs for the weekend. We have cute feet :-)

The expo was held in the Virginia Beach Convention Center and it was perfect for this type of event. We were in one large room divided into two areas- one for packet pick-up and one for vendors and official merchandise.

After getting our essentials (which included the bibs, two shirts, and a Shamrock official drawstring bag), we went to check out all the vendors. Lots of my favorites were here and surprisingly, there were a ton of other races all with great discounts. Matthew and I made sure to collect all the info we could- one of our goals for this year was to try new races. We chatted with the folks putting on Storm The Beach- a five mile obstacle race that we'll be completing this year on our Outer Banks family vacation. We also got some information on the Divas Half Marathon Series (Leesburg, VA) and the Runner's World Half Festival (Bethlehem, PA). Both of these races are a possibility this year- yay! :-)

Ooooh... can't wait to add this to the collection!

This one has Sparkly Runner written all over it, right?!?

We'd love to do the Hat Trick- 5k, 10k, and half in the same weekend!

We also learned about the coolest race ever- Sparkle Me Wild 5k- that happens throughout Virginia and North Carolina at different times of the year. As the race director put it- "It's a color run... with glitter!" This race is absolutely going on my bucket list!

I mean, my blog is Sparkly Runner, so that means this is a MUST, right?

I stopped by the BeeCause shoe charm booth to purchase a 5k charm for my friend Jen who just completed her first 5k a few weeks ago. I also picked up a little "48.6" shoe charm to commemorate my Dopey accomplishment.

We visited the Nuun Hydration table and got try lots of flavors of nuun- they had about 10 for everyone to sample. Then we got in line for ID check. At the end of each race, they give you four (4!!!!!) Yuengling beers in the party tent so we needed to get a wristband at the expo so we wouldn't need to worry about showing ID after running an 8k or half marathon.

Lemon-lime was pretty awesome.

The ID check for beer was under the rainbow. Cute. 

Matthew also got a pair of Superfeet- these are inserts that help with stability and arch support for athletes. I've been encouraging him to try these out as he's been a little unsuccessful in finding a new pair of running shoes that will give him the arch support he needs. The guys at the booth were very helpful and he ended up buying a pair of the blue inserts for 20% off. Yay for expo deals!

Helpful folks at the Superfeet booth.

At this point, we'd been there almost an hour and were getting pretty tired. We still had to drive to our hotel (about 20 minutes away), get settled, and then be up and ready for the 7:45 am start time of the 8k the next day. However, I saw a booth that I just couldn't pass up- Gypsy Runner.

Look at all the colors! How could I just walk by?!?!

This booth had some really cool arm sleeves. I had brought down a pink pair and a black pair but I saw a tie-dyed pair that I just HAD to have. So for just $17, those bad boys were mine! There will be pictures later, I promise :-)

On the way out, we also were able to see the Shamrock medals up close- holy cow! The half marathon medal was a big as my Disney Marathon medal! Seeing them really just got us so excited for this race weekend- even more than we already were. Overall, this expo was really fun! No crowds, very few lines, lots of organization- even with an estimated 28,000 people participating in the weekend's races, it felt really laid back and enjoyable. And there were plenty of vendors and lots of deals- all in all, a great experience.

And there were things like this to get us in the St. Patrick's Day mood :-) 

We left the expo and headed to our hotel. Unlike many other Shamrockers, we chose to stay a little farther from the oceanfront. Mainly because of cost- our Holiday Inn cost $89 a night and included round-trip shuttle service to and from the race on Sunday, free breakfast for runners on Sunday morning starting at 4:30 am, and a late check-out of 3 pm. Had we stayed oceanfront, we would have paid somewhere between $150-200 a night and wouldn't have had all those perks. Once we checked in Friday night, I was confident we'd made the right choice. Our room was beautiful and it only took us about 20 minutes to get to the beach.

After laying out all our stuff for the morning race, we finally went to bed around 10 pm. The 8k was waiting for us- as was a 5 am wake up call- so we were thankful to get some rest. Stay tuned- 8k recap (and expo part 2) coming soon!

Outfit (minus rainbow socks and headband) ready for the 8k!

My Luckiest Half Marathon Yet

This weekend, I completed my 12th half marathon as part of the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon Weekend in Virginia Beach, VA. It was one of the most memorable and enjoyable weekends of my life. I will write race and expo recaps later this week but I wanted to write a short post while the half marathon is still fresh in my mind.

Coming into this race, I hadn't trained the way I wanted to. I'd only run 36 miles in February. I had a bad case of the winter blues. I ran a very hilly half last weekend. My list of less than desirable circumstances could go on and on but, bottom line- I wasn't expecting too much from this half marathon.

When we'd first signed up, I had secretly wanted to break 2:30. I didn't tell many people about my goal because I honestly didn't think I could do it. My PR was 2:36 and that was in October. I hadn't done the speed work that I wanted after Dopey so I went into this weekend just hoping to finish somewhere between 2:35 and 2:45.

Sunday morning I lined up with 9,000 other people in 40 degree, windy weather. I had run the 8k the day before and felt pretty good at the starting line. I thought to myself, "Just try to run as many miles as you can at an 11:30 pace." I knew that I was good for about 6 miles at that pace but past that, I had no idea if I could continue. My strategy was to keep an eye on my splits and try to get to each subsequent mile within 11 minutes and 30 seconds of the last one.

Starting line in a garbage bag!

I started running and almost immediately I started smiling. I felt great. I passed mile 1 and looked at my watch. Just under 11 minutes. I knew I needed to slow down just a little if I wanted to keep my goal pace. I focused only on the mile I was running, carefully calculating what time would be on my watch after every 11 minutes and 30 seconds. It was really windy at miles 7 and 9- both times I worried I was going to lose time because it felt like I had to work extra hard running into the wind. I kept finding someone running near me that was moving at a pace a little faster than what I usually run and then I did my best to keep up with them during my running intervals. I ran 2:1's for this race.

Before I knew it, I was coming up on mile 10 and my watch said 1:53. I knew that to beat 2:30, I'd need to run the last 5k in 37 minutes or less. My normal 5k time is just around 35 minutes- and that's without a 10 mile warm-up! I wasn't sure if I could run those last few miles at pace this late in the race but I was going to try like hell.

I was tired. My legs were aching. My lungs were burning. Every step required all of my focus and energy. I just kept telling myself "One foot in front of the other. Keep your feet low. Back straight. Deep breaths." I saw the mile marker for mile 12- my watch said 2:16. I just had to run 1.1 in under 14 minutes. My goal was in reach.

I started crying. Ugly, sobbing tears. I thought about my mom-mom. How I wished she was still around so I could tell her all about this race. How she'd tell me I was crazy but also proud of me. I sent a quick prayer up, asked her to watch over me and help me get to the finish. Then I put my head down and got to work. Just 1.1 to go.

We turned onto the Boardwalk. The sun was shining. The wind was whipping off the ocean. There were hundreds of people lining the boardwalk and cheering- some of them for me because my name was on my bib :-)

I could see the finish, just a few minutes away. Those few minutes seemed to stretch on forever but also seemed to pass by in an instant. I mustered whatever strength I had left and raced towards the finish line. Watch time- 2:28:50. I couldn't believe it. The goal I'd never thought possible had just happened. I'd finished a half marathon in under 2:30.

All smiles.

I immediately grabbed my phone and texted Matthew- "2:28!!!!!!" Then he called me and didn't even say hello, instead exclaiming- "You have a new PR!" That I did.

To most runners, a 2:28 PR isn't worth a blog post. But to me, to the girl who always walked the mile in gym class, the girl who's been overweight most of her life, the girl who used to hate all physical activity, this is a pretty big deal.

I was fast (for me) this weekend. I passed a lot of people. I dug deep and pushed through to stay on pace. When my body hurt, I relied on my mental toughness to get me through. And when my mental toughness wavered, I talked to my mom-mom.

My first half marathon took over 3 hours to complete. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could take almost 45 minutes off that time. Never before have I believed that I could get faster. Never before did I think I had the courage to challenge myself. On Sunday, I did things I thought once impossible. And it felt phenomenal.



I'm having the worst time ever, can't you tell? ;-)

Thank you, wonderful readers, for all the support and love on social media over the weekend. It meant so much to me to have all of you cheering for me from a far. And a very special thank you to Matthew (who also rocked a 2:06 this weekend!) for always believing in me, even when I find it hard to do so.

Happy and proud finisher.

I can't wait to share all the other fantastic moments from this weekend with you- spoiler alert- we had lots of good times with lots of good friends. Stay tuned throughout the week for more of the "Shamrock Marathon Weekend Love-Fest." :-)

In continuing with the "achieve the impossible" theme of this post, I want to hear from you! What's something you've accomplished that you once thought impossible?

Two Days Until We ShamROCK!

In just two days, Matthew and I will be headed down to Virginia Beach, VA to run with 28,000 of our closest friends during Shamrock Marathon Weekend. This weekend features kids races and an 8k on Saturday followed by a half and full marathon on Sunday. We've signed up for the Dolphin Challenge- the 8k followed by the half. There is also the Whale Challenge- the 8k and then the full. Maybe next year for that one :-)

Medals for the 8k, Half, and Dolphin Challenge

This is going to be a special race for a few reasons-

1. We get to run with some of our favorite running friends: Christine from We Run Disney, my former roommate and best friend Kelly, former co-workers Sarah, Ashley, and Laura, and some other Half Fanatics and Team #runDisney folks.



Kelly and me at her first half marathon- Frederick 2013

2. We get to visit with an awesome friend, Jamie! She and I have been friends for 10 years (wow, 10!) and it will be super fun to meet up close to her home.

Look! A non-running picture! :-)

3. If I successfully complete the half on Sunday, I will "moon up" to level Uranus in Half Fanatics. There are several ways to advance through the levels- by completing the race on Sunday, I will have done 8 half marathons in less than 365 days- enough to moon up.

I'm on Neptune now, but hopefully I'll be on Uranus by Sunday!

4. This is a brand new race for us and it's FLAT. Like pancake flat. And it finishes on the beach. And there's Yuengling and Irish Stew at the finish. Very cool.

And we get to pass this guy when on the way to the finish! Source

We are also very excited to get away for a few days. Friday will be all about the expo, which has some of my absolute favorite vendors attending. We'll run the 8k on Saturday and then have the whole day to explore Virginia Beach. On Sunday, we'll run the half marathon and then enjoy the Sham-rockin after-party on the beach. Sounds like a fabulous racecation to me!

I'll be updating twitter and instagram all weekend with pictures, results, and other fun stuff so make sure you're following along!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and happy running!

Race Recap & Review: Chambersburg Half Marathon

This morning I completed my eleventh half marathon in Chambersburg, PA. Matthew and I added this race to our calendar for two major reasons: 1) It was super cheap- $55. 2) It was 10 miles from our house. I wanted to do this race because I am trying to "moon up" in Half Fanatics (basically reach the next level of fanaticism) and I needed one more half before the Shamrock Half Marathon next weekend to do so.

We signed up online for this race a few weeks ago. In doing pre-race research I discovered that this race was small- less than 300 participants- and over 80% finished in two hours or less. There was an option to purchase the race for $40 (no t-shirt) or $55 with a long-sleeved gender specific shirt. We chose the shirt option.

We arrived at Chambersburg Middle School at 7:30 am to pick up our bibs and shirts. We also picked up some flyers for upcoming races and chatted with some friends that were also running the race. It was a little cold this morning so we stayed inside until the race was about to begin.



Ready to race!

Around 8:20, everyone moved outside and directed us towards the start. There was no starting line, just an area where the race director was speaking through a megaphone. He explained that this was an open course meaning that traffic would be on the roads and that we needed to run single file as much as possible. Headphones were also not allowed at this race because we would be running in traffic. Both Matthew and I wore headphones for music- we just kept the volume low and only had one earbud in.

After a moment of silence for a member of the Chambersburg Road Runners Club who had passed away a few years ago (the race was dedicated to him), the director shouted "Go!" and off we went! I started in the back of the pack knowing that I would soon be alone on the course. With another half next weekend, I was planning on running this one pretty slow and hoped to finish somewhere around 2:50- 3:00. The course limit was three hours.

Bye, speed racers! See you at the finish line!

There were about three people in the back with me- one behind me and two in front of me. We were all spread out over about a half mile distance. By about mile one, I caught up to one of the gentlemen in front of me. I was pretty sure I had seen him at another local 10k this year. I got close enough to ask him and sure enough, he was the same guy I'd seen at the Christmas Dash for Cash a few months ago. Turns out, he's also a Half Fanatic and I'd actually emailed him a few days ago because I had seen his name listed on the Half Fanatic website as running this race. We chatted for a few minutes about running and local races, wished each other a good race, and then I pulled ahead.

Just after mile 3, I could see the first of many major hills. I asked a volunteer if the upcoming hill was a joke and he just laughed. Ugh. This course was advertised as "rolling hills with a few challenging hills." Yeah. Right. This was by far, the most challenging half course I've ever ran. I don't think there was ever a time when it was flat.

Hard to see, but there's a course volunteer on the left and a giant hill on the right in the distance.

This course was a simple loop with a short half mile out and back section. While I was running towards mile 7 on the out and back, I was able to catch up with Matthew for a few moments.

Always cheesin :-)

I reached the turn around point and there were these awesome cows so close to the fence. I HAD to take a selfie with them!

The benefit (?) to running in PA.

After having my day made by the cows, I returned back to my focus of getting to the finish line. There were lots more hills on the way back- mile 10 nearly killed me. Fortunately, the training montage from Rocky IV, "Danger Zone," and "Eye of the Tiger" all helped push me along. I love my playlist :-)

If you look closely, you can see a runner in a pink shirt ahead of me. Mile 10 is at the top.

As I approached mile 11, I was getting closer and closer to the runner that had been in front of me the entire race. I could tell she was slowing down and didn't seem to be having a good race at the time. Around 11.5, I caught up to her and asked her if she was ok. She said she was just tired and ready to be done. I wished her well and continued on. I was feeling strong- I had been running 12- 12:30 minute miles and felt really good. I knew I was going to finish this race within the time I had wanted to.

As we got closer to miles 12 and 13, I started to recognize where we were. Another runner was in front of me. She must have slowed down considerably because for the majority of the race, I could only see the woman in pink in front of me. I wanted to pass her before the finish. Just as we rounded the last corner, a volunteer let us know we were only .25 miles from the finish line. I kicked it up a notch and passed her.

I could see the finish line and could see Matthew standing there cheering me on a little before the finish. He ran up next to me and said "You are going to beat 2:50!" And I yelled back, "I'm gonna crush 2:45!" And then I sprinted to the finish, got my medal and looked at my watch- 2:43:30. My third best half marathon time on a hilly course. Not too shabby :-)

We stopped for a few pictures and then went back into the school to get some water and pizza. They had a quick awards ceremony and everything was finished by noon. There was also a vendor there selling tech t-shirts with fun sayings- Runtelligence. I bought something for next weekend and I'm really excited to wear it!

Happy finishers!

Not my favorite medal, but well-earned.

Runners waiting for their awards.

Pros of this race- low entry fee, long-sleeved shirt, GREAT volunteers- seriously, they were cheering for every runner, even those of us in the back of the pack. I got lots of compliments on my Sparkle Athletic skirt. There were also four water/Gatorade stops.

Cons of this race- HILLS! Lackluster medal, no port-a-potties, and an open course. There were several times when I was worried about being hit by a car because of the limited visibility on some of the hills. And some jerk drivers who were driving way too fast on the back roads.

One of many spots of limited visibility on the course.

Overall, I felt strong in this race. I was shooting for 13 minute miles and ended up pacing 12:29/mile. And this felt really nice and easy for me. I never felt weak or tired. I took a Gu at mile 5 and again at mile 8. I also ate a sandwich and had a cup of coffee before the race- I think I did really well with fueling on this course.

Medal, race shirt, and my sparkle skirt :-)

Will I do this race again? Probably not. It was challenging, and I did it, but I don't need to do it again. Matthew agrees. We did talk about volunteering next year for this race, just no need to run those hills again :-)

Elevation from MapMyRun.

With this race behind me, I'm focusing on the Shamrock Half Marathon and Dolphin Challenge next weekend. Virginia Beach, here we come!

Are you doing any St. Patrick's Day races?

Happy running!

2014: Finding Joy in the Miles

Now that we're three months into 2014, I thought I might actually make some public resolutions :-)

2013 was all about training and challenging myself. This was the year that I chased down some demons and finally proved to myself that I was a real runner. I made new friends, earned some new PRs, and ran hundreds of miles. 2013 was a great year.

2014 is going to be all about enjoying the moment. Enjoying each mile for what it is; not what I think it should be. Enjoying races with friends and family, spending quality time running together. 2014 is going to be awesome.

In the next few months, we've got the Shamrock Half Marathon, Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Akron Marathon Relay, and the fifth anniversary of the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. All of these races will be with friends and family and I can't wait to make new running memories this year.

There will still be PRs to chase and training goals to be accomplished, but above all, the most important goal will be to find joy in the miles.

Happy running.