Nike Women's Half Marathon Recap Part II

I have not been to Washington DC since I was one years old. It was time to play tourist. Here's a few highlights of our Nation's Capital. Since nobody wants to hear this boring stuff:

1. Lincoln Memorial. So weird to see something in person that you've only seen in pictures for 20 years.

2. Vietnam Memorial

2. WWII Memorial. This was amazing to see and so fortunate to be there this day. My grandfather served in WWII, but passed away in the early 90s. Since it opened in 2004, a program was created to fly in veterans to see the memorial, called Honor Flight. My mom and I were blown away by seeing so many veterans and I got a little choked up thinking about the grandfather I never really knew and how one of these men could have known him.

 3. Washington Monument

 4. Selfies in front of Mr. President's House in our matching shades.

It was tough to fit in all the sight seeing I wanted to do between the TNT events, weather interruptions, and race day, but it was fun to do a little bit of it. It would be nice to come back to enjoy the full experiences and take a few scheduled tours, oh well, DC I'll be back!

Saturday afternoon we had our Team In Training Inspiration Pasta Dinner. This event happens at every National TNT event. Chapters from all over the country come to celebrate their accomplishments, training, fundraising, and be reminded of what we did it all for: the mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

The only beneficiary for the NWM is LLS and since it's start in 2004, it was raised almost $150 million!

My chapter of NCFL raised almost $35,000 for LLS

 It was great to hear all the success stories and fundraising goals of the chapters. Because there were so many TNT participants they had to break up the Inspiration Dinner into two times. Which was sort of a disappointment because ours was at 3:30, which cut into our sight seeing, plus it meant I would need to eat again to ensure my "carb load" before the race.

Getting our last minute race info. Don't we all look so excited?!?

Laying out my race day outfit. I was ready! 

See previous post for specific info on my race day attire!

 And now a personal shout out to every single individual who helped me get to DC and had my back from mile 1 to mile 13.1 and beyond.

ROCKSTARS $200+

Paula Hamlin $1,000

Stephanie Paul $300

Susie Hamlin $225

Cancer Warriors $100-$199

Claire Theobald

Karen Hadley

Leslie West-Balestrieri

Cancer Crusaders $50-$99

Jason & Christina Evans          Tim & Nellie Hadley

Donna Davis                     Bill Alexander

Meg & Greg Pearsall          Megan Haeffele

Greg Heinz                       Brett Hamlin

FUN-Raisers $25-$49

Marcia Skupeika          Jessica Levine

Miriam Zavagnin           Sarah Eilbracht

         Nicki Mulvey            Tessa Goldsworthy

Janet Koenig           Danny Black

     Erin Smith                  Jessica Camacho

Angela Vincent            Susan Bryant

Marie & Jordan Muzik        Logan Hoffman

Natalie Gragnani               Kyle Plassmeyer

Ashley Schmitz             Cyndi Stephenson

Caitlin Forness           Lindsey Johnson

Alyssa Spurling        Sarah Gouttierre

Chris Roper                Amanda & Josh

Terri Hall            Kathy Hull

Lindsey Early         Nikki VandeVen

Diane Stockman         Sara Noftsinger

SUPERIOR SUPPORTERS <$24

Ashlee Dukes           Keisha Woodall

Paige Colletta       Emma Halterman

Kathlynn James       Aubrie Beysselance

Lauren Schweiss           Kelly Wahl

Kris & Sam Kanatzar        Jason Polsgrove

Anna Lowerre       Beth Kirby

Katie Abramczyk         Jessica Kretz

Tara Ziegler           Hanna Allen

Melissa Fate               Amanda Reynolds

Emily Shaikewitz         Carlee Brown

Greg Walters         Kimi Hines

Brooke McKee           Maggie Favhan

Amanda Kenny        Hannah Peterson

Cassie Western          Megan Bender

Tom & Amanda Ruffin       Megan Grothman

Danielle Tetrault        Ashli Pollard

Valerie Skupeika                Kelley Albers

Morgan Moravec              Brynn Hoffman

Tracy Adams            Jen Schulz

I seriously can't say enough thanks to everyone who showed support through donations, messages, and cheers. If you don't mind a little cheese, you all really were the wind beneath my wings.

Stay tuned for Part III tomorrow as I take you mile by mile as I showed the government how to run the capital!

Nike Women's Half Marathon Recap Part I

For my first ever Half Marathon and first event with Team In Training, the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC was a no-brainer. If I was going to do the fundraising, suffer through months of training, and 13.1 miles of nothing but pavement, I was going BIG or not going at all.

Plus, look at this little blue box. How sweet is that after all that running.

Alright, I'm getting a head of myself. Let's jump back to Thursday night.

My race day necessities:

Team In Training Singlet

KT Tape for my jumpers knee that never seemed to fully heal

iPhone running case and headphones

Nike 2" Luxe Angular Tempo Women's Running Shorts {here}

These were great. I read a lot of blogs and looked at pictures of people running races and saw that most of them wore shorts. I tested out these and another pair that had spandex shorts underneath. These had the attached underwear that reminded me of what I wore in HS track and the shorts itself were really breathable and light.

ASICS GT 2000 V2 purchased at a local running store in Orlando-Track Shack They give a discount to Team In Training participants and host many events all year round. You can also find them {here}

Black Adjustable-Strap Sports Bra {here} 

I've worn a lot of sports bras over the last 15 years and these are my favorite. Due to God's sense of humor, when I hit puberty, I stayed that way and these are similar to a training bra. They are really comfortable for those that need less support.

Balega Lady Endura 4 No Show {here}

I was told to buy a pair of good socks by a TNT alum who has done a marathon and half marathon. These felt great! It's a good investment to get a pair.

Cliff Shot Blocks

Headband from Old Navy. Got to keep that crazy hair in check

And for this race only, a satin white hair bow, my Tiffany&Co touch.

My running playlist: I like to mix it up. I make sure to include rap, hip hop, classics, soft rock, pop and county…on shuffle of course.

Beautiful Day- Back Home

Beware of the Boys - Panjabi MC

Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

Come on Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners

Dangerous (feat. Akon) - Kardinal Offishall

Dangerous - Ying Yang Twins

End of Time - Beyoncé

Everybody (Backstreet's Back) - Backstreet Boys

Get Buck in Here - DJ Felli Fel

It's Time - Imagine Dragons

Larger Than Life - Backstreet Boys

Let Her Go - Passenger

On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons

Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy

Right Round - Flo Rida

Run Run - The Rival

Run the World (Girls) - Beyoncé

SexyBack (feat. Timbaland) - Justin Timberlake

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey

Some Nights - Fun.

Story of My Life - One Direction

Swing - Savage

Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Turn Down for What - Dj Snake & Lil Jon

We Run the Night - Havana Brown

BMOC 2008 Opening Music- you bet I brought this awesome mix along

Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane

Toy Soldier - Brittney Spears

Have you had Enough - Hinder

The Jackson 5 Medley (Immortal Tour) - The Jackson 5

Summer Love - Justin Timberlake

Super Massive Black Hole - Muse

I Belong to You - Muse

Errtime - Nelly

Decode - Paramore

Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls

Ready to Run - Dixie Chicks

My flight was leaving at 6:15 in the morning on Friday. That required a very early wake up call to drop my car at a park and fly. 

The flights were fast and easy. The first one I was able to sleep. We had a very quick layover in Atlanta, which was unfortunate for my plans to eat breakfast, get a coffee and a magazine because NONE of those happened. I have the worst iPhone 5 in the history of iPhones. I turned it off during the first flight at 77% and when I turned it back on, it was at 38%..yay. It died soon after that, so I spent the next 1.5 hours on the second plane ride reading Skymall twice, Spirit Magazine, and picking my split ends.

I was better prepared the flights back and I'm about to throw my iPhone out my car window.

I was able to fly with three of my TNT running mates which also made it more enjoyable and exciting. 

The main transportation in DC is the metro. It's fun to be in a place with public transportation and much cheaper. Was only $4 to get from the airport to our hotel. And we saw some pretty inspiring displays in the lobbies.

After dropping off our bags we hit up the Nike Expotique to pick up our race packet and do some damage at Nike Georgetown.

The Expotique was awesome! Talk about making a girl feel special, personal touches every where.

 

It wasn't too hard to find my name, I just had to do a lot of walking along the first row, and as coincidence would have it, my dog's name is directly below mine!

 I surprisingly had self control during my trip to Nike Georgetown. I only got a hat, training tank, and a 13.1 shirt.

Next up, the sights and sounds of DC, TNT Inspiration Dinner, and prepping for the big day!

2 Weeks Till DC!

I can't believe that in just two weeks (a little less now) that I will be in Washington, DC and completing a half marathon!

Yesterday, Team DC had our Bon Voyage Party at our coaches house. We enjoyed food, talk about our upcoming trip and receive all our information for Race Weekend!

It's exciting and scary that it's so close!

Our Team In Training Singlets that we will wear along with the thousands of other Team In Training ladies from all over the country! My teammate Jessica, this is her FOURTH event with TNT, says she likes to try and guess the different chapters by the symbol on their jersey as she runs. I might have to take her up on that as I may get a little bored out there.

My good friend, training companion, and coworker Megan and I both earned Top Fundraising Awards!

I raised $3,700 and she raised $3,500!!

 

I missed "Peak Week" in training last week, as I started to battle an awful cold. I knew I didn't need it sticking around, so I took a sick day from work, slept 14 hours, popped DayQuil/NightQuil and I was 100% the  next day.

I'll have to remember that next time I get a cold when I think I just fight it for three weeks.

 

I still wasn't feeling 100% when I woke up last Saturday for our long run, so I chose to sleep instead, especially because I had to work 10-5 that day. The last thing I wanted was run 10 miles at 6:30 am and then be on my feet at the gym for 6 hours.

 

But the training won't run itself. So, I'm trying my best to get a run in every day this week. I'm following the We Run DC app and their training schedule:

 

Monday: 4 mi

Tuesday: 9 mi

Wednesday: Workout 45--I have to work that night, so this may be my rest day

Thursday: 5 mi

Friday: 4 mi

Saturday: 8 mi

Sunday: Rest

 

I have to work Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays evenings (which suck) so I have to work in the run sometime either before or after. I didn't work until 5 today, so I got my 4 miles in. Such a cool 80 degrees at 4pm, made for a humid and sunny run. But I ran through very nice neighborhoods, so I was able to stay in the shade.

I tell you, the wildlife in Florida is amazing. As I'm running lizards dart in every direction. It's like they see you coming and choose that's the best time to run across the sidewalk. I figure, their loss if I run over them. Also, squirels are at every corner.

When I ran the Riverside Dash, it followed along the St. John River, which is about the width of the Missouri; birds were EVERYWHERE!

 

I swear I feel like I lost my motivation. I just can't find it. I don't know what's going on while I run, I'll be thinking motivation and then my body will just stop. Seriously, it's like I didn't even make it stop, it just does.

I'm still looking for that "runner's high"

 

We'll see how that 9 miler goes tomorrow...I don't make any promises.

 

 

What Comes After a 15k...

Three weeks from now I will have completed my first Half Marathon! 

It's crazy how fast it is approaching! I'm not 100% ready yet, but I'm so close. Since I struggle with running on my own, I decided to sign up for as many organized races as I could to help with my training. Like any sport or performance, practice and training are different than the real thing. Races are still a mental battle, but it's not only a battle with myself, but with the others around me.

This morning I completed the EA Sports Riverside Dash 15K in Sanford, FL. It was an easy and straight course that went right along the beautiful St. John River.

Source: Google Images via internet

I didn't do too bad, until mile 6. I got a wicked side ache that kept from doing any running at all. It came out of no where and I haven't gotten any side aches in my training so far. I tried all the old tricks: breathing through my nose, putting my hands above my head, drinking water, etc. But nothing worked. 

It killed for the next mile and half and totally slowed me down. It felt like I was being stabbed in the side, where I couldn't even run. It turned into a dull stabbing pain the last three miles.

I cannot let this happen to me during the half marathon. 

Does anyone have any tips on how to get rid of them?

 Team In Training does Riverside Dash!

In one month I've finished a 5k, a 10k, and now a 15k! What's next?

Half Marathon!

Source: Google Images via Internet

I am still fundraising for 4 more days! Let's see those numbers go up!
Kate's Fundraising Page

Fundraising & Running Update

Longest Miles: 10.79

Money Raised: $3,700.36

Percentage to Complete: 116%

Amount to raise to ROCKSTAR STATUS: $499.36

Days till Race: 20

TNT Update 4.5

When does a runner in training stop hate running?

Where is this "runner's high" I've been hearing about?

Really, I want to know, because it doesn't seem to get any easier.

I ran the 10k and it wasn't easy, but I felt pretty good while I did ran and had energy through it all.

The following weekend we were scheduled to complete 12 miles…ya right. I settled for 8, but ended up doing 10.79. It was SO hard. I barely ran and the last 3 miles I thought I wasn't going to finish. I wanted to collapse. The worse part about running is that you have to finish, unfortunately your car won't come pick you up.

I'm running at 15k in the morning, God help me.

I also learned a hard lesson in hydration. 

I'm awful at remembering to drink water during the day and it caught up with me Thursday afternoon. Brandon and I signed up to run a 5k fun run for Tijuana Flats Restaurant charity Just in Queso and Special Olympics.

There is reason we have our long runs at the crack of dawn, because Florida gets VERY hot in the afternoons. We seemed to go from "winter" right into summer and at 6:45 pm it was 80 degrees and sunny.

I got through the first 2 miles and then started seeing spots…not good. I stopped for a little bit and started up again when I wasn't seeing the spots, but I wasn't feeling good anymore.

Mouth was feeling dry and my hands started getting tingly. I just wanted to finish and realized I need to change my thoughts on water.

As far as my fundraising goes, I still can't believe all the support I've gotten. Running does get a little easier knowing there are so many people who have "my back"

I am still fundraising till April 11th, let's keep it going!!!

100 donations of $10! 

Kate's Fundraising Page

Fundraising & Running Update

Miles: 10.79

Money Raised: $3,700.36

Percentage to Complete: 116%

Amount to raise to ROCKSTAR STATUS: $500.64

Days till Race: 21