Flying Pig Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, May 6
Cincinnati, Ohio
State #2
Weather - Hot and Humid

I originally found this race because of the medal, duh! I thought the pig medal was super cute and it was definitely worth running a spring race. I also enjoyed the whole "when pigs fly" motto. I love it! Once I found this race and decided to do it, I asked a couple of my CMU cheerleading friends if they want to run it too. They agreed and all is history!


Saturday, May 5

I drove down to Cincinnati with my Mom and it took us a good 4.5/5 hours to get there. Our plan was to meet Pat and Bri at the expo so, we went straight there. We ended up getting there before them so we checked out the expo. It was AWESOME! I thought Detroit's was a big expo but no, this was huge! I had a few things I wanted to buy and they had everything. My favorite buys: Flying Pig SportyBands and a Spibelt.



After we saw Pat and Bri, we had to eat! So we left them and went to Rockbottom. We ordered a pretzel appetizer and we each had a burger. I had mine with a side of Mac n' Cheese. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this restaurant was to my hungry stomach! I'm sad there's not a Rockbottom in Michigan.


*Stressed Out Moment #1: Finding the Start Line
After we lunched, we went hunting for the start line. There's nothing I hate more than stressing out about finding the start line or being late to a race. So, me being my paranoid self made sure I knew exactly where I was going for race day. We obviously weren't familiar with downtown Cinci so it took us a long time to find the start line. We ended up just stalking some people who looked like runners and they led us right to the start!



*Stressed Out Moment #2: Street Closures
Since we did everything we needed to get done in Cinci, we crossed the bridge into Kentucky and made our way to our hotel. It was there that I experienced my second SOM. I was going through the packet of information I received and started to freak out over street closures. How were we going to get over the bridge? How are we going to park? Thank God my Mom was there and figured out we need to leave our hotel no later than 4:45 a.m.


*Stressed Out Moment #3: Parking
I forgot to mention that after we got lunch and found the start line we went back to the expo to ask about parking. The  info guy told me parking was going to be a nightmare and that most lots are filled up by 4:30 a.m. UGH! Where are we going to park?! Should we just walk? I hate bridges. I'm not walking over a bridge. I refuse. Fine. Maybe I'll walk over the bridge. We drove.


Sunday, May 6: Race Day

I woke up at 4 a.m. and was ready to go. I set out all my running gear the night before, I was ready. Plus, I didn't want to have another SOM.


Rant of the day: If you know the majority of your hotel guests are running the Flying Pig don't you think you should offer breakfast at an earlier time? Nope, not the Marriott. If you ordered room service it would be there at 6 a.m. Great time since the race starts at 6:30 a.m. It would have been a nice gesture to the hotel guests to offer a race morning breakfast. Oh well.


4:45 a.m. Mom is doing her hair. I feel a SOM coming on. I diffuse it.


5 a.m. We are ready to leave so we call down to valet and valet is nowhere to be found. WTF?! I call the front desk and they call him on his cell. We ride the elevator down to the valet with the valet guy. OMG.


5:10 a.m. Finally leaving! We get to our first choice parking lot and it's practically empty. PRACTICALLY EMPTY! Remember when the guy told me it was going to be full by 4:30 a.m. It was 5:10 a.m.! What the heck! Positive note: We were parked in a really good spot. Right in the middle of the start and finish line. Not too close, not too far. Perfect. Plus, it was only $5 and that's cheap for event parking.


Mom took a little snooze in the car while I ate a granola bar and a muffin. Glorious.


6 a.m. Off to find a bathroom. There were real bathrooms in the stadium so headed up there to use them. Took me no joke, 15-20 minutes just to get into the bathroom. The line was horrendous. I always get jealous of the men's line when I have to stand in a ginormous line like this one.


6:20 a.m. Time to find my corral or as they call it my "pig pen." Mom went to find a spot by the start line and I started my hike to corral "F." I was supposed to meet Bri and Pat at Corral F but they were in Corral E. So, I wished them good luck and we went our separate ways.


6:30 a.m. Race starts!


6:50 a.m. It took me 20 minutes to get to the start line. It was very cool though. So many spectators, I loved it!


Race Day: Course
It was a nice course. Definitely a lot to see! There were a ton of spectators throughout the entire race! The only places they weren't at were the bridges. But they were there before and after. I have never seen so many people come out for a race. It was truly a community event. Although I was listening to my iPod, I could hardly ever hear my music since there was so much encouragement from the sidelines. Kudos to Flying Pig on making this event such a great experience for spectators and runners.


Another thing I would like to point out is that there were hydration stations at every mile marker. Since it was 65 degrees at 6:30 a.m. it got a whole lot hotter by 9 a.m. Therefore, it was greatly appreciated. I don't believe the organizers of the Flying Pig were ready for how hot it was going to be. By the time I got to mile 6, which was about an hour and a half clock time, they ran out of cups so the volunteers were pouring water into the runners hands. Other than that, every hydration station was stacked and ready to go. 


Race Day: Lesson Learned
Like the flying pig organizers, I wasn't prepared for it being so hot either. I packed every piece of running gear I had. I ended up wearing a tank top, shorts and compression shorts. What I did NOT pack or invest in was Body Glide. I was chafing so bad I was bleeding from mile 3-9. The medics were passing out Vaseline at mile 9. Thank GOD! I have never had so much pain in my entire life. My pace went from 9:30/10 from mile 1-3 to 10/11 for miles 3-6 and then all the way down to 11/12 for miles 6-9. After I lathered up the Vaseline on my legs, I was running better but by then the damage was done. 

Finish Swine!

Official Time - 2:35.01
Official 6.8 - 1:20.54
Official Pace - 11:50
Garmin Time - 
Garmin Distance - 
Garmin Pace - 


Enjoy these pictures from the Expo and Course! 

Getting ready to cross the Start!

Crossing over into Kentucky

View along the course

view along the course

Bri, Pat and I in the recovery area

*SOM = Stressed Out Moment

Martian Marathon Run!

Hello Earthlings!

Since I am running a half-marathon in a couple weeks, I wanted to do a training race to take place of a long run. I heard great things about the Martian Marathon Run so, I decided to sign up and run the 10k.

The Martian consists of five events: Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10k, 5k and the Martian Mile. You would think the event would be insane and a huge cluster eff with five events. But no, The race was well organized and on time. I never felt claustrophobic like how I did at the Detroit Turkey Trot.

By the time my event started, it was rainy, cold and windy. I was not loving the weather and lost all interest of running. Remember my excuses post? This was definitely one of those moments. Thank God my Mom was there telling me to suck it up or I probably would have left. ha.

The course was smooth and somewhat hilly. We ran all around Dearborn and saw some cool sites. Like the campus pf U of M Dearborn, The Henry Ford Estate and through Hines Park. The only boring part of the course was mile 3-4. It was a down and back on a free way. Not real exciting but, it was flat and fast so I didn't mind.

Please note my amazing form. *sarcasm*

My goal time was 60 minutes or under. My last 10k was at Shamrock n' Roll and  I ran it in 1.07. Terrible! My calves tightened up from my new shoes and it was just the worst race. This time I ran it in 1.04. Still not my best but at least I knocked three minutes off my previous time. My PR is 59.58. I'm hoping to get there sooner rather than later.

Final Time: 1.07

My training for the next couple weeks include:
4/17: 5 miles
4/18: 6 miles speed work
4/19: 5 miles
4/21: 10 miles
4/23: 5 miles
4/25: 6 miles hills
4/26: 3 miles
4/28: 12 miles
4/30: 3 miles
5/2: 4 miles speed
5/4: 2 miles
5/6: FLYING PIG!!!!!!! RACE DAY!!!!

Suck it up! Excuses don't get results.

Wow! I have a lot to update since I last wrote my "Bucket List with a Twist" blog post. I have been doing a new exercise regimen which I will go in depth later.  I have the Flying Pig Half-Marathon coming up in about 4 weeks and if I can kick it into gear these next few weeks, I will be ready. If not, well, I guess I got sucked into the "Winter Blues." 


What are the "Winter Blues" you ask? Well, it's a term I made up to describe all of the BS excuses I used to NOT train this winter. Below I have some excuses that I used to justify to myself that it was okay NOT to train. 


"It's really cold outside"
I'm sure we all have used some sort of climate based excuse. Whether it's raining, snowing, too hot, too cold or maybe too windy. I will confess, I used this one a lot this winter. If you live in Michigan and are currently reading this, feel free to call me a wuss or something else. We all know that Michigan was NOT cold this winter. Yes, there were a few cold days. But, overall it was a mild winter. Some would even say it was perfect running weather. To me, it was an excuse to stay in bed and relax. To this I say to myself and to you, "SUCK IT UP!"


"I've been really busy..."
How many people have used this excuse? I will say, my winters were pretty busy. I am a cheerleading coach and winter is our competitive season. I had 3 hour practices every night and  had a competition almost every weekend. By Sunday, I was content with laying in my bed and doing absolutely nothing. I ran on the treadmill a few times. Hated it. Gave up after 15 minutes. I would like to think I tried to work out. But, we all know that wasn't true. Here is a quote that directly relates to my life, "Someone busier than you is running right now." To this I say to myself and to you, "SUCK IT UP!"


"I'm so tired"
I just read a blog post about this excuse. The main point was that everyone is tired. But, you can't let "tired" define you. Yes, I am exhausted at the end of the day. But, during cheerleading season I let my "tiredness" consume me. I was too tired to go out. Too tired to work out. I was just "too tired." Everyone is tired. I recently posted on my Facebook that I was too tired to workout and I needed motivation. My friend Jess said to go to the gym and stay there for 10 minutes. Most of the time you end up doing the whole workout. Genius! So the next time I am tired I say to myself and you, "SUCK IT UP!"


Training for the Flying Pig
Training for this race has been rough. This is the first race I've trained for by myself. No guidance or group leaders. Yes, I am running it with a group of friends from college. But, we are training for it in different places. It is very difficult to go out and run when you have to go out by yourself. I reconnected with a local running group and they have been helping me train. I am SO grateful for Jessica and John. They have been so supportive throughout this whole training process. 


If you have to go running by yourself, I would recommend breaking my cardinal rule. Which is, always run without music. Break it and break it many times. Thank God for Britney Spears, rap/hip-hop and all other sorts of music. If it wasn't for my brother's iPod shuffle and Lola (my dog) it would be a very hard training process. 


So, I have to ask...


What are some things that motivated you to get out and moving? 


and


What do you do if you have to train alone?

My Bucket List with a Twist (Updated: May 7)

As the new year came and went, I still didn't think of a resolution. So I started brainstorming.


Things I could possibly do in 2012:
- Lose Weight: Yes, of course I can shed a few pounds but, everyone wants to "lose weight" in the new year.
- Run a Full:  I ran a half in 2011, why not a full in 2012? 
- Bucket List with a Twist.


I decided on the bucket list with a twist idea. It's my Bucket List for Running. I have done a similar post on my "wishlist" races. But now, I want to expand the wishlist races to actual goals. Here it is: I want to run a race in all 50 states within 5 years! So, I have until 2017 to run 50 races! I should get a sponsor. This is going to be EXPENSIVE!


So far, I have three races planned in different states. The Kona Half-Marathon (Hawaii), the Flying Pig Half-Marathon (Ohio), Detroit Free Press Half-Marathon (Michigan). I plan on going to Las Vegas this year as well as Chicago. I'll have to do some research but, I bet I can find races while I'm there. OR plan my visit around them.



Bucket List with a Twist: Update! Planned Races for 2012-2014

Orange: Goal
Green: Planned for 2012
Blue: Planned for 2013
Red: Completed


Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California: Surf City Half/Marathon - February 13, 2013
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida: Gasparilla Race Half-Marathon - February 2014 OR Disney Race
Georgia: Soldier Marathon (Half) - November 10, 2012
Hawaii: Kona Half-Marathon - June 22, 2012
Idaho
Illinois: Chicago Half-Marathon - September 9, 2012
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky: Run the Bluegrass - March 30, 2013 (Half) OR Kentucky Derby Marathon (Half)
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan: Detroit Free Press Half-Marathon - October 2011
Minnesota
Mississippi: Mississippi Blues Marathon (Half) - January 5, 2013
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada: Las Vegas Half-Marathon
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York: New York Marathon (a girl can dream!)
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio: Flying Pig - May 6, 2012
Oklahoma: The Williams Route 66 Marathon (half) - November 2013
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming 

Total Completed 2012: 2/50
Projected Completion in 2012: 4/50



Let me know if you have ANY recommendations about which races I should run!

I start training second week of February! 

Happy running!

Danielle

The Completely Biased Gift Guide for Runners

Every company is putting together a "gift guide" for the holiday season. So, for my blog about running, I put together a completely biased list of things I would love to receive.

Please Note: I do not have a relationship with any of these distributors nor do I receive any sort of payment for putting their merchandise on my personal running blog.

Let me be honest, I have an Etsy addiction. Therefore, my list contains many homemade items. Since my main goal this Christmas is to shop local or from small business owners, this list has been tailored to give back to the community or to support the small man.

Click picture above to browse the Etsy shop

As you may know, I have a medal addiction. So, for my first gift on my gift guide is a "Run Like a Girl" medal display. I'm sure your runner would love this as well!

Click picture above to browse the Etsy shop

If you're a hoarder, like myself. Chances are you have EVERY SINGLE race bib you ever wore. In my case, I have the date and my recorded time written on the back. Mine are currently sitting on my dresser, collecting dust. But, I cannot part with them. So, Etsy comes to the rescue with a Race Bib Display. This would look super cute next to your medal display.

Click picture above to browse non-slip headbands

Long hair don't care...unless I'm running. It took me forever to try and find the right headband to keep hair out of my face. Here are some headbands that I think are amazing. They have velvet-type material on the inside that sticks to your head no matter what. On the outside, your options are endless. You can literally choose from a mass amount of vendors on Etsy to find the perfect color combination. In my case, you can't go wrong with a little sparkle.

Click picture above to browse Runners Feat

If you have a Pandora-type bracelet, this is a gift worth getting. Runners Feat offers a variety of marathon specific beads for the Pandora bracelet. I have the Brooksie Way half-marathon bead and also a 13.1 bead. I really want the above bead. Which is the Detroit Free Press half-marathon bead. He also sells super cheap filler beads. Take a look at his site. It's worth browsing. Let's see how many times I can say bead...

Click picture above to browse local races

Running can get expensive with all the registration fees. I personally would love to have someone pay for my next race. Although my wishlist races aren't local, it would be great to receive registration for a local race. Not only would that person save me money but, they can enjoy cheering me on too!

There's nothing your runner will love more than receiving a gift card to the nearest running store. I'm not talking about Dunhams, Sports Authority or other big box stores. I'm talking about the small, independently owned and operated running specialty store. The closest one to me is Hanson's Running Shop. But, there are plenty out there to choose from. Your runner will love to shop for their own gear. Shop local! Support the small man this holiday season.

Last but not least, a massage appointment. What runner would pass this up? There's nothing I love more than visiting my local spa and getting a good deep tissue massage. Running is hard on the body so it's good to have all of that tension rubbed out. Sounds wonderful right about now!

Other ideas you could do for your runner would be to visit a local craft or art show. They might have ornaments or crafts specific to running. Check your local paper or Patch.com sites for craft shows near you.

If you have any other ideas or comments related to Gift Guide for Runners, feel free to comment!

Happy Running!

Danielle

Racing with Music. Faux Pas?

I can't wait for June 2012. Why you might ask? Because I am vacationing to Hawaii! So, naturally I checked up on races in the Hawaii area and the annual Kona Marathon is going to be taking the place the same week I'm there. So, naturally, I'm going to run it. 

While I was investigating the website, getting a feel for the race, I noticed that they have a strict rule about running with music:

"Our top priority is to ensure for a safe race for all participants. For your safety and other runners safety and in accordance with The Road Runners Club of America and USATF Rule 1.44.3(f) we prohibit the use of electronic devices using headphones on the course at all times. You are subject to disqualification if you wear headphones on the course"

This got me thinking...Is running with music a faux pas in the racing world?

Personally, I do not run with music. I used to but, before my first race, a 5k, my friend John told me to not run with music. He told me, "there's nothing like your first race. Why would you want to block it out?" Touche, John, touche. So, I ran my first race, the Corktown St. Patrick's Day 5k, without my iPod and it wasn't bad at all! I loved being outside, enjoying the sights of downtown Detroit, the drunk people on the sidelines cheering us runners on and of course, runners receiving/giving encouragement to runners. The best thing about the race was seeing/hearing all those things and creating a great first race memory.

But, what about other runners? Contributing in today's blog post is New York Marathoner, John F. Martin,Chicago Marathoner, Jackie Kosakowski and Detroit Free Press Marathoner, Patrick Beirne.

 

New York Marathoner, John F. Martin.
Photo Credit: John F. Martin Photography

"Never, ever. I'm a purist. I much prefer (and need) to listen to my body. I also don't like being isolated from the environment - music takes away too much. And during a race, there is no reason for it. All the sounds and sights of a big race shouldn't be missed. At both full marathons I've run, there was live music and/or crowds cheering the entire race. It's insulting to all of them to run with headphones, I think. Then there's the safety factor - if you can't hear a car, a bike or other runners, risk of injury (or worse) increases exponentially."

Chicago Marathoner, Jackie Kosakowski
Photo Credit: Race Day Photographer

"I will race more often than not with music. But, my headphones and iPod were broken most of 2011 so I didn't really train with music this year. In the past, I usually did.  It's hard for me to answer that. I used to prefer it but once my shit broke I got used to not running with it. Now i run to my Netflix. But, I mean yeah I guess I do like running with music. Or i dont know - im indifferent I think. Outside I don't care but inside I guess I do prefer to run with music."

Detroit Free Press Marathoner, Patrick Beirne

"I can't run without my iPod. For me it is my breathing. If I can hear my breathing, than psychologically it just makes me feel tired. The music covers up my breathing and I run so much more effectively. I know that races supposedly don't allow you to use music, but truthfully I think that is just for competitive runners. For recreational runners like myself, I really don't think anyone sees a problem with it. I have heard the argument about being aware of your surroundings and all but that's never really been a concern for me."

So there we have it folks, some say they need music, some are indifferent and some, like me, prefer to not run with music. Although, I do have to agree with Jackie. Running on a treadmill sucks and I do prefer some sort of entertainment. 

What do you prefer? Running with or without music?

Anyone running the Turkey Trot tomorrow? I will be running the 10k! =)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Wicked Halloween Run 10k

6.2 miles?? EASY!

My goal for the race was to be under an hour. It was a relatively flat course. If I ran below a 10 minute pace, I could hit my goal time.

Some of the costumes were hilarious! Some person dressed up as a horse. How that person ran 6.2 miles in that thing is beyond me. I dressed as Harry Potter. My brother's girl friend bought me a Gryffindor shirt for my birthday as a joke and since it was a t-shirt, it was the perfect outfit to run in.

The weather was perfect running weather! I started off running 4 and 1's with a fellow BW3 at a 10.30 pace...This was way too slow for me and I didn't really feel like interval running so after the first mile of intervals we split ways and I ran the rest of the 5.2 miles. I knew I needed to increase my pace by a lot if I were to make my goal time. My Garmin told me I was running between an 8.30-9.20 pace. I never went above 9.20.

I never felt out of breath and I didn't stop for water at all, I didn't need it. It was a great run and I never once thought it was grueling. My knee did tighten up but overall it was fine.

Final Time: 59.58

PR'd by 2.42!

On my way home from the race, I realized my mentality about running has changed. 3.1 is a fun run, 6.2 is a short race, 13.1 is a long run and I'm itching to do 26.2. Who would have thought?


What are some great marathon you've ran?


Upcoming Races:
Sunday, Nov. 13: Bid Bird 10k (hoping for another PR)
Thursday, Nov. 25: Turkey Trot