Race Report: Navy Air Force Half Marathon

I had run Navy Air Force Half Marathon last year and pulled out a big PR.  My husband wanted in on the action this year, so we signed up to both run it.

Packet Pick up this year was at Nationals Stadium which was much more convenient than heading into to base last year.

As we laid out our gear the night before, hubby made me a pace chart to get a PR and to go sub 1:45, which is what I really want to do.  That's love!

We arrived by metro and had plenty of time to use the bathroom (more than once) and seed ourselves in our corrals.  

I felt great most of the race and was on target for my 1:45 finish.  I did pull off to go pee behind a tree which lost me some time.  It was crazy running almost the same route that I had just biked the week before at Nations Tri.  I just kept thinking it felt so slow compared to the 18mph of the bike!  

At mile 10, I started to not feel well.  My pace dropped significantly and I fought to the finish.  

But a PR, was a PR by a few seconds so I had to smile.  

Afterwards, we went to brunch and I didn't feel like eating or drinking anything.  I just told my hubby I wanted to lay down, so I went home and did just that.  That following week I had a horrible cold and went to bed each night at 7:30pm.  It was so strange, as if the sickness hit mid-race :-(. 

Grade A: great course, great cause, great time of year!  

Race Report: Ellen's Run 5k

Ellen's Run is a great local 5k in Chevy Chase, MD (DC suburb) that benefits Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS programs and local mental health programs.

This was my 3rd year racing it and it always seems to bring a 5k PR...this year didn't dissapoint!

This year, my husband worked hard designing the course and drawing up the maps.  He was out early marking the course.  So proud of him and his hard work!

We brought along our babysitter so our daughter could enjoy the playground, snacks, games and face painting!  This race has some of the best post-race food around.  Thank you Honest Tea...we all enjoyed the post race hydration!  

Then they brought around the Georgetown Cupcakes.  Heaven for this kid!  

At the race, it was announced I placed 3rd in my 30-39 AG.

Jim was 1st in 30-39 AG.

About a week later, I received this in the mail- I was actually 2nd in AG!  Wahoo!  Thanks so much Ellen's Run for a fabulous time.  We will all be back next year!  

Grade: A.  Great local race with a small town feel.  Excellent post race food.  Run in Rock Creek Park at Chevy Chase, MD/DC line.  

Race Recap: Nations Triathlon

I signed up for this triathlon back in January as part of my New Years resolution.  I was following Lululemons advice to "do something that scares you".  Well, this scared me.  I felt I had running down, knew what to expect in a road race but a Tri was all new (scary) territory!

I had so many other races and other things to focus on that I really put the whole thing out of my head until late summer.  Then it hit me....wow, I'm doing this and wow, I'm really unprepared.  I contemplated taking a DNS, did not start...but then miracously I was selected to represent Maryland, get refunded and use the VIP tent post race- okay I'm back in!  

I had only been in the pool twice leading up to the race and I bought a bike 2 weeks before the race.  I had only ridden the bike (or ridden on any roads at all) once for the bike test drive and a second time in our neighborhood getting my clip and unclipping down only hours before racking my bike!  In which I couldn't unclip fast enough as a garbage truck raced down our narrow street so I did a controlled fall into a neighbors yard.  This is going to go well, I thought.

Leading up to the race, people would ask me the distance I was going to swim, bike and run.  I knew the run length but honestly didn't know the other two.  It was laughable how unprepared I was!  

But I pressed on.  The whole day prior I was so nervous.  I headed to the expo and decided there to switch down to the sprint distance to be safe.  I was not prepared for an Olympic distance swim.  

I purchased a pair of Tri shorts at the expo to wear at the race (a first for me!) and some new swim goggles.  Mine were no where to be found.  I went to the course debriefing which I found very helpful as a Tri newbie.  I gathered all my things, cap, bib, ankle chip and headed to the waterfront to rack my bike.  On the way down I had second thoughts and we stopped in to a bike shop and I had new pedals installed that had clips on one side and a pedal on the other.  This way I had an option.  I racked my bike without much time to spare and headed home to agonize over what I had gotten myself into!  

That night, we got a big thunderstorm and I thought selfishly to myself...maybe they will cancel the swim.  Lo and behold, when I got up at 4am, the facebook page said they had cancelled the swim due to a sewage spill!  I got my bag together and had my hubby drop me off...but I left my water bottles in the car which meant I would have no personal water in transition.  No good.  

After heading out of the transition area, I found my family.  I had about two hours to wait until my wave so I watched each part of the race and the transitions to get a feel for what I was up against.  

I are an apple and hung out with my littlest cheerleader and huge trooper!  

My husband and daughter waited with me once we were in the corrals and Jim took this shot:

Only minutes to go....I was nervous!  Since the swim was cancelled, they still staggered it as if we were swimming.  No shoes, no helmets.  They had us step up 8 at a time on the line and would release us every 15 seconds.  I sprinted off the line (barefoot!) and caught up and passed girls from the wave ahead of me as we made our way into the transition area.  I grabbed my bike, tossed on my shoes and ran down the path out of transition as fast as I could.  I hopped on my bike and only hoped I would be able to clip in easily....I did and I was off!  I quickly picked up speed and fet Iike I was flying! I run this course all the time but to bike it was so different...I was going so fast!  

For most of the bike course I had plenty of room.  I felt like a broken record, "on your left", "passing", etc.  in a running race I don't pass so many other people because we are usually lined up by pace, this had us by age and gender only which there lots of differences in pace among each group.  I only had two riders pass me the whole course, which I felt very proud of!  I loved the course because I never normally would ride those streets for fear of traffic and definitely not at top speed.  The only downside was the bottle necks at the "no passing zones".  Those were hard because I didn't want to have to slow down and I felt stuck and trapped.  

I cruised into the bike finish line and saw my family.  I gave them a huge smile because I really was having a blast!  

As I approached the dismount area, I truly crossed my fingers that I'd be able to unclip without falling over!  My husband I joked the night before he could just lay out an air mattress that I could fall into if I couldn't unclip!  Luckily it didn't come to that and I was able to dismount quickly and run with my cycling shoes on (which was so wierd!) into transition.  At this point I was shaky, unclipping my shoes and helmet....lacing my running shoes...from adrenaline I'm sure, but also needing fuel and water.  I quickly are a Lara bar, pinned on my bib (forgot bib belt) and run to the water table.  I poured myself three mini glasses and then hit the road for the run.  I lost a lot of time in that transition not having my own water and not having my bib belt.  Lessons for next time!

I felt incredibly slow on the run.  My legs had a hard time changing activity and they felt heavy and tired.  I just kept plugging on and honestly the 5k was over so quickly!  I felt strong as I approached the finish line!  

As I crossed the finish line, the woman MCing the event said into the microphone, "cutest daughter ever" and pointed to me :-). I couldn't agree more and thought that was so awesome and such a personal touch!  When I saw her at the VIP tent later, she said she remembered my family from the expo yesterday :-). Too fun!  

I couldn't stop talking my hubby's ear off regarding how much fun I had!  I was beaming!  

It didn't even cross my mind to stay for the awards, so headed out to brunch to celebrate.  I keep checking the results and mine were no where to be found :-(. I didn't give up hope and enjoyed my celebrations!  

By late Sunday night, my results still weren't listed.  My husband being the math geek he is, pulled up all the photos he took and the time stamps and realized I probably was age group competitive....now I was getting really antsy!  I emailed Competitor Group and hoped for the best.  

On my walk to school Mon morning, I checked my email and Scott from Competitor Group had found my results!  

With it being my first Tri, I emailed Scott back to ask if I was reading it right and if I really was FIRST IN AG?  He said "yes indeed" and said they would mail me my award.  I was on cloud 9!  I couldn't believe it....and frankly still can't!  

I broke every rule in the book on this one.  Had only had my bike for two weeks and ridden it on my culdesac once, had brand new pedals I had never used, had not done one road ride (only spin), wore new Tri shorts I bought at the expo.  Everything said I shouldn't have been competitive...but I was!  My heart and spirit won out!  I was so proud of myself.

GRADE: A.  I would do this again for sure!  The price is steep, yes, but what an amazing opportunity to ride around DC.  Use code LIVEFREE to save $20 on registration. 

Race Report: Riley's Rumble Half Marathon

Registration and Cost:  You can't beat the cost of this one! 

MCRRC members: Register for free on race day. If you already have a club-issued bib and timing chip, wear them. Otherwise, you can pick them up at the registration tables. (If you have not picked up your chip yet, bring a $5 deposit.)
Non-members:  Register online for $21.40 ($20 race fee + $1.40 online processing fee) through August 1. (You can register in person on race-day morning but, because there is no runner limit, you could be waiting in a lengthy line. Pre-registering also means we can't misread your handwritten entry or mistype it to the computer. We want your name spelled correctly in the results!) At the race site, you will be given a bib and timing chip. The chip must be returned immediately after the race.

Expo and Packet Pick Up:  No expo.  Pick up packet on race morning. 

Start Line:  Low key and not too crowded at the start.  The lines for the porta potties went fairly quickly.  No pace corrals and the start is not chip timed. 

Course:  MCRRC says, "Riley's Rumble is the evil half that your mother warned you about. Don't be seduced by the lush bucolic countryside of rural Montgomery County. This race will challenge the best runners. If you want the 3 H's (hills, heat, and humidity), this is the race for you. It is a good workout if you're preparing for a fall marathon but Riley's is not a good idea for your first half marathon. As an alternative, consider volunteering for Riley's and then running Parks Half Marathon (our 'better half') which takes place in early autumn when the weather is usually significantly cooler."

They aren't joking when they say it is hilly.  The entire 13 miles I felt like I was either going up or going down.  The uphill on mile 11 was a killer.  I walked up a portion of it because I felt perhaps that would be faster, ha! 

There are no bathrooms along course.  I held it and made it.  There are plenty of water stops serving water and Gatorade.  I stopped at every water stop and walked through making sure I got plenty of hydration.  I have learned the hard way this summer!

The course is tough, but the volunteers are amazing and full of humor!  Not a lot of crowd support, but some of the signs will make you laugh out loud.  One sign said, "Bathroom stop ahead!" and I thought awesome...I didn't think there would be any!  Then as I got closer, it had an arrow and said "find tree".  Gave me a good chuckle! 

There was also a popsicle station.  I grabbed one and the cold felt so good in my hands, but I realized I just couldn't run, breathe and eat it all at the same time so I tossed it with half left. 

For the amount of hills and the humidity, I surprisingly felt pretty strong.  I was able to talk with the runners around me. 


Finish Line:

Coming into the finish line, nine minutes off a PR.  I consider this a win with the course and the humidity!  (Not to mention all the water stops!)

The finish line had plenty of water and snacks available to runners. 

Grade: A.  I will definitely do it again next year.  You can't beat the price...for me, it was FREE!  If you live in the area...you should seriously consider becoming a member of MCRRC! 

Women's Health Magazine Run 10 Feed 10 Race!

 

 

 

I am proud that I have been chosen as a Women's Health Magazine Action Hero!  I will be participating in a great 10k race for a great cause called the Run 10 Feed 10. 

 

 

 

About RUN 10 FEED 10

Right now, 49 million Americans are going hungry—they don't know when they will get their next meal. The reality is there IS enough food in the world today for everyone to get the nourishment they need for a healthy and productive life.

HUNGER IS THE WORLD’S MOST SOLVABLE PROBLEM.

It's something we can do something about. Together, we can make a huge impact in a very simple way. All you have to do is RUN!

This fall, Women’s Health will once again host our run with a mission. Run a 10K with us, and you will instantly provide 10 meals for those going hungry in your local and surrounding neighborhoods. You can join us by racing in New York City, Chicago or San Francisco, or you can join us at Fun Runs nationwide. If you don't live in one of our host cities - you can still participate! Sign up to run your own 10K or start a team and host your own RUN 10 FEED 10 run. The money from your registration and fundraising efforts will go to those metropolitan areas nearest to you.

 

 

 

Please consider joining me!  You can save $5 OFF any city's (or individual) registration by using code: WHDAHLEM.   Do something good for yourself and for your community.  As a teacher, I know that hunger affects more than just bellies, in affects a child's ability to learn.  Let's #dogood together!  All of the money raised goes to the Feed Foundation. 

 

You not only will be raising money to feed the hungry in your local community, but you will cross the finish line with a sense of pride, accomplishment and some great SWAG.  Check out the Feed 10 bag.  I love mine and use it all the time! 

 

 

If you don't want to run yourself, but you want to donate to the cause, please consider making a donation of any amount to https://www.crowdrise.com/colleendahlem1/fundraiser/colleendahlem  You can also purchase products like the bag above through Feed as well to help the cause. 

Also please vote daily through Aug 18th to get me a spot on the cover of Runners Workd Magazine!  It would be a dream come true!  

http://covercontest.runnersworld.com/entry/331/

Product Review: Apera Bags

 

I've been meaning to share my new gym bag for some time.  I've been using this great Apera bag (the yoga tote) since winter and I love it!  I made the switch over from an Athleta gym bag.

First, I love the clean white look of this one.  They have other colors too of course.

Secondly, so many pockets!  There is a place for EVERYTHING.  I don't even use all the pockets.  I love the separate compartment for my spin shoes...keep those stinky things away from everything else! 

I even have some pockets that are still empty!  I would use these if I was bringing extra stuff to the gym to shower and get ready there.  And those pockets will come in handy as I start bringing my suit and swim cap for my triathlon training! 

 

I use one of the side pockets to store all my playlists for the spin classes that I teach.  So handy!

 

 

If you want to check them out, you can find them at www.aparabags.com.  They are having a summer sale with 20% off using code SUMMER2014 and 40% off all bags in the color blue! 

 

And they are for a good cause:

Apera will donate one bag to a Special Olympics athlete for every three bags we sell.

 

Let me know what you think of your Apera Bag! 

 

Disclaimer: I was provided a bag to review, but the thoughts on the product are my own.  I love it. 

I did a Video Gait Analysis at Potomac River Running and I am giving away a FREE onsite training program ($159 value)!

Potomac River Running, a local family owned chain of running stores, invited me out to their Rockville store to try out their new video gait analysis and shoe fitting process.  I was a little skeptical because as a seasoned runner, I felt I knew myself as a runner pretty well.  I was wrong.

Joe started out by taking a measurement.  A size 6, so I sized up to 6.5 running shoe.  Just as I had been doing.  

 

I first tried the Brooks Pure.  There was something about the fit that just didn't feel right to me.   I tested them out on the treadmill and confirmed they weren't for me.

 

 

In my past success with Nike, Joe recommend I try on some Nike Zoom Vomeros for a pure neutral shoe and I decided to give this new style a shot.  I do still love my lunar glides!

While you run on the treadmill, you can see a close up of your feet on the TV screen.  My gait looked fine on screen and to the human eye.   It was determined I was a neutral runner, which I knew...then the surprise came!  

With an iPad, my gait was video taped.  When slowed down, the video footage revealed that was I was a heel striker with my left foot and a mid-foot striker with my right foot.  Crazy!  Once I saw it on video, I really became hyper aware of it.  It may be hard to change now since its so ingrained, but at least now I'm aware.

The other thing that we looked at on the video was my cadence.  The video revealed I need to work on my turn over. I'd been hearing a lot about running to cadence, but really haven't worked it into my training yet.  Time to bust out a metronome app!  Here's an article from Women's Running magazine all about it here. 

 

I had a great experience and such a fun afternoon with Potomac River Running at their Rockville Town Center location.  Go check out any of the 9 PRR locations throughout the DC metro area for a FREE analysis to learn something new about yourself as a runner!  

Thanks to Joe, Jorge and the entire team at Potomac River Running!  

 

AND they are incredibly kind and generous that they are giving me a FREE training program at any of their DC locations to raffle off to a lucky reader!  They offer programs for new runners and old!  Running 101 up to the Distance Program, in which I am hoping will lead me to the BQ I am chasing!  Come join me!  

 

Even if you don't win, just for entering they will send you a PRR gift certificate! You can't beat that.  These guys are amazing.  Support your local running stores and programs!
 

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