13.1 NYC 1/2 Marathon Race Recap & Review

13.1 NYC was a great race! The main reason I love this race is because all the profits go to World Vision, whom you know I have an affinity for. Good news: I EXCEEDED MY FUNDRAISING GOAL! Thank you to all who donated. Truly generous people donated to a great cause. I was honored to be part of Team World Vision, and to run in the 13.1 NYC!

We arrived to the race around 7:45am. The start time was at 9:00am; thankfully the race organizers realized that the past two year's start at 9:13am was just too uneven for OCD runners. This left time for one, read ONE bathroom trip. Thankfully it was enough! This photo was just post bathroom, pre corral:

Mrs. Gray and I were SO excited to run! We got into the corral for 10:00/miles and got ready to rock and roll. Then some girl sang the national anthem, it was a DEAD RINGER for the Whitney one.

Miles 1-5: We were very conscious not to go out too fast. I wanted Mrs. Gray's first half marathon to be great, energized, and not a huge struggle at the end. We chatted and enjoyed these miles. I got sick of a tired/dead crowd of spectators, so I decided to talk to them! Quips such as "Thanks for coming out!" or "That's a great sign!" Got a few "woohoo's" here and there!

Miles 6-10: They were filled with shenanigans. We were having FUN! (See previous post) It's a race, but it's FUN! I saw my coach from the ING NYC Marathon, Juampa, and was glad for the support. At about this point I realized I had forgotten my long run/race pepto bismal pill....uh oh. I struggled for a bit but fought through it and came out on top...not in line for a bathroom break. Mrs. Gray was going strong. If I had a dollar for every time I said "How are you feeling? Do we need to slow down? Speed up? Do you need a shot blok? Drink water." I would be a mega millions winner :-D It was about this time that Mrs. Gray needed some musical inspiration. I kept my ipod off because a) music pumps me up to run faster (True story) and b) I needed to hear if she needed something.

Miles 10-12: Things got serious. I told Mrs. Gray, "At 8 miles, we've broken through the wall. After that it's smooth sailing." Then I followed that with, "A half marathon is a 10 mile run to a 5k race." So, the 5k race had begun. Mrs. Gray was a CHAMP. She was tired. She was ready to finish. We ran it out.

Miles 12-13: We saw the light at the end of the tunnel. There was a finish line! There was a "Just go around the water and we'll be done!" discussion. There was a photographer to photograph our desperate run to a happy ending!
Miles 13-13.1: The finish. We saw our supporters, and then hauled it to the finish line. Per a text discussion the week before, we opted to hold hands at the finish. We start together, we finish together, no runner left behind. It was a joyous finish and we were thrilled to find our family and friends shortly thereafter with fabulous signs and sweaty hugs.

13.1 NYC Props: THERE WAS A NEW WATER STATION! Last year I had not worn my fuel belt; bad move. The longest part of the race without spectators is this loop around a lake, and no water for almost two miles. I was pretty sure I got dehydrated. Thankfully there was a water station out there this year. Although I had a fuel belt, it was nice to know that other runners would receive water during the least shaded part of the course. Also, the bands and local high school cheerleaders and marching bands were FANTASTIC! GO TEENS GO!

13.1 needs improvement: the course? Not sure how they would change it, but there is a lot of turning around. However, spectators get to see runners repeatedly because the course circulates well so you can see a runner at mile 4, then turn around and see them at mile 6!  Also, the egg rolls at the finish line were WEIRD. No thanks. A bagel and a banana and I was OUT.

Congratulations to Mrs. Gray for a fabulous finish! You worked through excitement, endurance, exhaustion, and elation to complete your first half marathon. I am honored that you allowed me to walk through it with you. Let's do this again VERY soon!

Congrats to all my friends who completed their first half marathon, their "more than one" half marathon, PR'd, and ran in this awesome race benefiting World Vision!!!

What happens when your race photog is funny

Ever have a personal race photog? I think that is what I'll refer to Mr. and Mrs. Anders as. They came as well prepared spectators with signs and a fancy picture taking device. Mr. Anders loves to put it on the mode that takes tons of pictures in quick succession. What you're about to see is how much fun we were having in our half marathon by way of photos! (Can't wait to see the official race photos, we actually posed for them!!!)

SURPRISE! Mr. Anders jumps out from behind a tree and surprises/SCARES us! He also decided to run with us for more photos!
It's just so funny to be running right now!
Keeled over, not good form. The guy in the background loved the spectacle.
Clapping because I'm laughing and trying to balance???
Got it together, like a good coach. (That is NOT a heel strike...)
Got my stride back. But wait, he's still there! MAKING JOKES!
Mrs. Gray, my little protege, keeps fine form. Me? Well...
Don't know how I stayed upright here. Consider Mrs. Gray and I opposites.
Wait! The baby! Watch out for the baby! THE BABY!
Ah, baby was safe and sound.
This was about 60 seconds of photos. They are so much fun to look back on!!!

Do you have any funtastic race photos that make you laugh? TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!

I coached my first 13.1!

When I say "coach", I use that term loosely! When I say coach I mean, I talked Mrs. Gray into running this half marathon, picked out a training plan and tweaked it as needed, monitored her progress, gave her advice and encouragement, and promised mimosas and brunch. Coach-like, right? So, here is our 1/2 marathon journey through iPhone photos:

Pre-race jitters: We were so excited! There may or may not have been tears during the national anthem....
We saw our "entourage", there were PLENTY of race giggles.
Every race needs some jazz hands and fist pumps!
And then, things got tough. Mrs. Gray and I battled through some tough miles, and she was truly a champ. No photos of the tough times. Those are being emailed to me by the fabulous Mrs. Anders, featured below, who was our official "race photog" and AMAZING sign designer!

Then, I coachingly said, "We must go to brunch!" Hello open faced egg mcmuffin!
Said photog Mrs. Anders and the half marathon finishers:
Perhaps I played upon racing fever? Why yes, I did convince my friend to sign up for her first ever 10k right then and there at the brunch table. Looks like I have another coaching job!
Congrats to all my fellow 13.1NYC runners who did it for the first time, PR'd, and FINISHED!!!

How was your weekend?! Did you race?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Race report coming SOON! (Trust me, the photos are going to be PRICELESS.)

42 DAYS UNTIL THE PITTSBURGH MARATHON!!!

1/2 marathon, you better be sunny, and goals.

Weather can rear its ugly head and "rain on your parade" at any time. I have a good relationship with weather. God listens. I prayed for six months straight that it would snow for our wedding; we got a huge snowstorm (Pastor said I should've prayed a little less!) My friend followed the trend and got married in Central Park in April and asked me to pray. Rain was forecasted 100% for the entire day. It rained as we left the reception. God, you're cool. So, when I saw the forecast change back to rain, I got bummed. It's a lot of people's first half marathon! Dear God, please let the rain hold off until, say, 11am! New forecast: PM showers. I'll take it.

Goals: There is only one goal. My goal is to get this girl across the finish line:
Details on said goal: We have grand plans for negative splits. We're going to start the first 1-2 miles in the 11's (GASP! We're average runners, no judgments). We're going to work our way into and try to stay in the 10's until mile 10-11. Then we'll see how Mrs. Gray feels. It is up to her. I want to her to cross the finish line tired, but injury free with a good feeling towards distance running. So, if she feels good, we kick it up a notch. If she's struggling, we pop in the iPod and run this race out. TBD. I like this coaching thing.

Clothing choice wasn't too tough. I'm recycling my marathon outfit since I'm running with World Vision again. The hat and gray long sleeve are weather TBD. I've never raced in a hat, but if it's raining, I should. I chose my clothing after rereading a great post about running in the rain. So, if it looks decently sunny and the rain will hold off, tshirt and shorts it is!
Carb loading rocks my socks off. I got this yummy number from a great restaurant. Whole wheat linguine and veggies. What we forgot to photograph was the fried feta cheese sesame blocks. Yum doesn't begin to describe them!

Oh wait, the Groupon includes dessert!? Yes. Not one, but TWO. Ugh. Ok, I guess we'll go for it. Not pictured because it was devoured so quickly was the frozen chocolate covered cheesecake with walnuts (It was even on a Popsicle stick). For realsies, it was out of control. Then there's the Devil's PB&B, pictures below. Peanut butter frosting, bananas and chocolate cake coated with amaretto. This is in my fridge. Will it last until tomorrow night? Nope.

Tomorrow is packet pick up/meet up. I have to rush into Manhattan after work to pick up my racing materials. I also get to possibly meet some wicked awesome runners/bloggers/girls. Women? Eh, I don't think girls is a derogatory statement. It's a term of "endearment".

Have you raced in the rain? Are you racing this weekend? TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!

2 Days until the 13.1NYC Half Marathon!!!

44 Days until the Pittsburgh Half Marathon!!!

1/2 Marathon Taper!

I have a half marathon in 3 days. Just saying.
I know I know, a lot of people don't believe in the half marathon taper. I, on the other hand, needed it as an allergy ridden individual. I am feeling better today, which I attribute to the unexpected rain this morning. Let's hope it washed away everything until Saturday!!!

I ran 2 miles today. I was going to go for 3, but I had a frozen yogurt date with a friend and her cutie pie little due Little C. Sadly, I forgot to take extra photos :-(

Strawberry, cookies and cream, strawberries and granola. YUM.

I'm thinking of my pre-race meal. I generally eat at home, so I'm thinking chicken with rice and beans. Maybe not beans. Maybe salad? Oh I don't know. Maybe I'll have spaghetti?! I feel very blazay about it. Mrs. Miller: RESPECT THE DISTANCE! I will. I promise.

I'm excited talking race strategy with Mrs. Gray!!! We're both super stoked to go on this 13.1 mile journey together. Her first time running it. My first time coaching it. Too good to be true! Yea! (Clap clap clap)...this is what we do when we make a decision. So sad but so true. Goals coming tomorrow.

What do you eat to fuel for a race?! Give me some ideas! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

3 Days until the 13.1NYC Half Marathon!!!

45 Days until the Pittsburgh Half Marathon!!!

Glad Game Monday VIII

I haven't been glad in a while!!! I think I missed a few Monday's...oops! I'm SURE I was glad those days too. So, here we go...don't forget to tell me about what you're BURSTING AT THE SEAMS glad about!

I'm glad for unparalleled amazing March weather! Lambeau's tongue says it how it was ridiculously warm today, aka 73 degrees:
I am glad that my husband and I currently have similar work schedules. Mr. Miller was always coming home later than me, even with my after school hours. Now, he's home by 4:30. It is so great that we get to spend more than an hour or two a night together, especially when I'm a goner by 9pm!

I'm glad that our off season clothes don't go into far off storage. As much as I dislike overflowing dresser drawers (We have 2 and a half size one...), plus under bed storage and over the closet storage, having my warm weather clothing easily accessible has been a gigantic PLUS this year! By the way, I love shorts. (Note: Lambeau's tongue is still going CAH-RAZY)

I'm glad that we have a balcony. This is the best part of the apartment! Balcony breakfasts coming soon...May....anyway, it's the best for spring. We grilled on our mini grill and ate a delicious dinner of buffalo chicken sausages, sauteed peppers and onions, annie's mac and cheese, and a refreshing PBR al fresco. Mmmm. Dinner of 1/2 marathon champions!

I'm glad I tried a new salad. I was almost, ALMOST getting tired of my Boar's Head lunch meat Chicken breast salad...almost. (I can eat the same thing forever. and ever. and ever. if I like it. Remember: I don't like change.) So, I had this wild and crazy idea on Sunday after I made a yummy frittata recipe (I added red peppers and omitted the butter), I thought maybe my daily lunch salad needed a make over. So, I decided to go cobb style! 4 strips of turkey bacon (30 calories each), 1 egg (70 calories), diced carrots, red peppers and celery (50 calories max) with a little shredded cheddar cheese (70 calories), topped with some DELICIOUS lowfat Ken's honey mustard dressing. (Tomorrow I'll spice things up with half an avocado, just because I can.) Maybe it was the egg, but I was WAY more full than normal today. Yes. Exciting. This will be placed on repeat. all. week.

I am glad that I am 51% of the way toward my fundraising goal! Thank you to all who have donated!!! If anyone is interested in honoring World Water Day (3/22/12) by donating toward providing clean drinking water for impoverished villages in Africa, by all means, CLICK THE LINK! You won't be sorry. Tax deductible. Enough said.

I am glad it's RACE WEEK! I hear rumors I might meet some virtual friends, aka bloggers and tweeters I've become acquainted with. Also, I'm glad the extended day forecast, which called for rain, was changed because God answers prayer. Not 80 degrees like this coming Thursday. Partly cloudy and 59 as the high. Perfect. Not too hot, not cold, just RIGHT.

What are YOU glad about today? Are you bursting at the seams!? Are you still wallowing in the Monday "where has the weekend gone?!" woes?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

5 Days until the 13.1NYC Half Marathon!!!

47 Days until the Pittsburgh Half Marathon!!!

Running With Allergies Tips

Do you suffer from allergies? I was never an allergy sufferer. However, around age 22, I started getting allergies. Imagine, I grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut surrounded by trees and woods, and I move to NYC and get allergies! This allergy season seems to have come early; I normally struggle with them at the end of April to the middle of May. Well, here I am in March with 60+ degree weather. every. day. I think I'll take the early allergies to continue enjoying an abnormally mild winter.

So, how does a runner fair in an allergy stricken body?! I have been having a pretty rough time. I have developed quite the cough (I think I've got the black lung pop...anyone know that line?!), I've been waking up at 3-4 in the morning, having coughing fits, and struggling to go back to sleep. I took off Thursday, Friday and Saturday because I was having trouble walking and not coughing. I finally did some research today and found some advice for those of us wheezing, runny nosed, coughing, groggy allergy ridden runners!

Top advice I found: (Source)

1. Check your local pollen count. Here is a site I used. Of course NYC is second to highest!

2. Shower right after getting inside. What you're allergic to could be on your clothes and continue agitating you.

3. Exercise in the middle of the day. This one intrigued me. The pollen count is lower so it is less likely to irritate you.

4. Run after it rains. It didn't seem to make a difference for me, but it is something I'll try. Oh, wait, no rain all week! Beautiful weather! Rain for next Saturday. Half marathon day. Nope. Got to pray for a great day!

5. If all else fails, run inside. It makes sense, but when it's so beautiful out, this is incredibly hard to do!

I completed my last long run before next Saturday's 13.1NYC half marathon! Congratulations to all of you who completed the NYC Half Marathon and DC Half Marathon! YOU ALL GOT PR'S! That's just crazy. Good work girls, it motivated me for a long, slow, 8 miles. I was considering cutting it down to 6 miles, when I happened to see a friend running in the park! We met through a mutual friend, and always talk running at get togethers, but never have discussed running TOGETHER! So, we joined forces and knocked out 4 comfortable miles. I'm so excited that I may, just may, have a new Astoria running partner! I ran with a cough drop in my mouth at all times and did pretty well. I'll be going to the doctor tomorrow because this cough just won't stop.

Speaking of PR's and running partners...Mrs. Gray had a birthday! I forgot to post this picture last week, and I just loved it too much to let it pass! I'm so excited to run with this lady! She is simply fantastic. She is going to PR no matter what (It's her first 1/2 marathon, after all!), but it's going to be amazing. We're already planning finish line photo poses! ;-)
This weekend, Mr. Gray had his birthday party! We had fun celebrating in the Meatpacking District. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends, and we were so glad to celebrate them!!!
Do you run with allergies? Do you let it get you down, or do you fight back and go to cool parties?! TELL ME ABOUT IT!

6 Days until the 13.1NYC Half Marathon!!!

50 Days until the Pittsburgh Half Marathon!!!