Bondi Band Discount Code

I received an email this week letting me know that I was selected to become a Bondi Band Ambassador!!!!  Bondi Band not only makes headbands, but they also make compression socks, hats, neck gaiters, arm sleeves, etc.  I had just picked up a few more of their headbands at the Illinois Marathon expo, but my 1st ever Bondi Band was purchased at Walt Disney World for my first marathon in 2010.

 

You can order their designs or customize your own.  Just go to www.bondiband.com and use code Run4Medals at checkout to save 10% on every order!

Speaking of volunteering.....earn a free 5k or half marathon for just a few hours work

I just had to share an amazing opportunity with you!

I stumbled across this race when I was looking at the spring/summer St. Louis area race calendars.  This race is new to St. Louis, but not to the East Coast.  Race 13.1 now offers races of various distances throughout the Southeast and Midwest spanning the entire year.  With so many races on their calendar, they can offer a season pass to make running their races in multiple locations very affordable.

I was already sold by their swag and runner benefits, but what made me fall in love was their volunteer program.  Race 13.1 provides volunteers with "race bucks" for their service.  Race bucks can be used for Race 13.1 products or events....any distance and at any of their locations.  WOW!

I signed up to be a course monitor, which is a four hour shift.  For those four hours, I earn 80 race bucks.  One race buck = $1 which means I have $80 to spend on race registrations!  I will be volunteering at the St. Louis race but I have one year to use my credit so I can wait and run next year's race for FREE or decide to run the Detroit race, or the Little Rock race, or Orlando, etc.

You can get more details on the program here, and I will be sure to post about my volunteer experience after the race and after my race bucks have posted.

If you would rather run, use code STL131 to save 10%.  Although you could still fit in a volunteer shift at packet pick-up since you have to go there anyway....

If you want to run and support a local charity at the same time, use code YIN to have $10 of your registration fee go to Youth In Need.

A single volunteer (YOU) can make all the difference

I set a more positive record this weekend: I volunteered at a race for 15 hours, my longest volunteer shift EVER!  I spent the entire morning-day-evening at "info island" answering questions and directing volunteers at the Cowbell Uncorked: Off Road 100K relay.

What I love about this relay is that it is a base camp style relay, so we see the runners throughout the day as they complete each loop, one runner after another.  Around 80 teams competed in this event.  A few were two-person teams, meaning each runner ran 50k.  Most teams had 5 runners who each ran just under a half marathon over the course of the day.

The weather was great this year (last year it rained) and the predicted thunderstorm managed to stay north of us.  I was exhausted when I finally got home, but this experience taught me so much.  Seeing this side of a race made me re-think my comment about the lack of volunteers at the East St. Louis water stop during the GO! 7K.  You can have plenty of volunteers sign up, but they also have to show up on time on race day.  Volunteers are VITAL to race day success.  A single missing volunteer can mean the difference between a runner staying on the course or going off the course.  This happened at the race, and it was frustrating because my instinct was to run to that spot and start directing runners but I also had a job to do in the "info island" tent.  I just couldn't be everywhere at once.

I love volunteering at races throughout the year because it reminds me about all the work behind the scenes that runners never see.  Thank those volunteers along the course.  Give them a high five or send a friendly smile their way.  They could have chosen sleep over volunteering.  I seriously thought about it when my alarm went off at 3:00 a.m., but I grabbed my coffee and went.  The long hours were totally worth it and I encourage you to volunteer at races in your area.

I Challenge Race Recap

I think I will just start this recap with a Pros and Cons list before I get into my personal experience.

Pros

• PDF of the race booklet was sent out a week or so prior to the race and you could grab a printed booklet at the expo.
• PDF and booklet contained detailed parking maps and course information.
• Ample free parking at the expo/race start/race finish.

• This year's race course included severe weather shelters since the 2015 race was cut short due to thunderstorms.  This was the first time I have seen this much pre-planning at a race.  Great job!
• Because severe weather threatened the 2016 race too, we received updated forecast information via email and their Facebook page.
• Runners received a drawstring bag at the expo.

• Option to purchase a day pass to the student recreation center for post-race showers.
• Option to purchase tickets to the pasta party so you wouldn't have to find carbs on your own.
• TONS of volunteers who worked all morning in the rain and still had smiles on their faces.
• Wave starts.
• PLENTY of porta potties around the start line/parking lots and along the course.  At one spot on the course there were six porta potties clustered together.  Amazing!
• Great scenery along the course and it was very flat!
• Plenty of support from the community along the course for all the events.
• Race day live broadcast on several local radio stations.
• Post-race food trucks and entertainment just outside the stadium both Friday night and Saturday.

• Great t-shirts and medals
  
  
  
  

• Finishing on the 50 yard line and being on the big screen!
  
  
  
  

Cons:

• None!  I really can't think of any.

My Experience:

The 5K Friday night was dry, so the pictures above are from Friday.  It pretty much rained all day Saturday and rained the entire time I was out on the course but luckily, we didn't have any thunderstorms.  Before I went to my corral, I did seriously consider going back to my step-brother's house and skipping the half marathon entirely.  Then I remembered that I paid $100 for the I Challenge, which re-motivated me.

I had somewhat planned ahead and wore a poncho but my clothing, shoes, and socks were still completely soaked almost immediately.  By mid-race, I developed blisters on the bottoms of both feet which resulted in me walking the entire second half.  I also did not expect the cold that accompanied the rain, so my hands and arms were bright red and felt frozen the second half of the course as well.  I eventually reached the point where I could not wait for the race to be over.  I was miserable!  I did find some comic relief in the observation of laundry detergent suds oozing from of my clothing when I stopped to stretch.  Apparently I use too much or use the "small load" setting too liberally.

After crossing the finish line and grabbing the delicious post-race food I headed to my car, turned the heat on high, and shivered under my heat sheet.  Looking back on my finish time, I set a record.....this was my slowest half marathon to date.  Yeah!  At least I set the bar low for the next half.

This race was still top-notch despite the rain and the blisters.  I intend to run this race again in a few years to redeem myself and hopefully the forecast will be better next time.

GO! St. Louis 5K and 7K (NOT the Go Short, Go Long Challenge)

In my last post, I told you about my recent back injury and how I took a couple weeks off of running after my 1st attempt to return to running failed.  Although I continued to walk at least a mile every day to keep my streak going through the Run The Year challenge, my weekly mileage overall decreased.  So as GO! Weekend approached, I constantly questioned myself about whether or not I would be ready to run the half marathon as part of the GO Short, Go Long Challenge.  Luckily this year, GO! offered a 7k on Sunday which started at the same time as the marathon, half marathon, and relay races.  We all crossed the Eads Bridge into Illinois together and then the MLK Bridge back into Missouri before the 7k ended at Laclede's Landing.  I could still complete two races in one weekend as planned and earn two medals and two shirts, I just wouldn't qualify for the challenge and the extra medal.  Then earlier this week, I called GO! to make the downgrade to the 7K.

The 5k was actually my first attempt at jogging again and although it was slow, I felt good.  NO back pain at all, but my right stride still felt a little shorter than my left.  My mom and step-dad also completed the 5k yesterday morning.  

I highly recommend this 5k because it allows you to see great sections of Forest Park.  Access to porta-potties was easy, there are medals at the finish, and the post-race food included Chick-Fil-A, yum!  Metroing to the 5k would be the best option because parking for the race and then trying to exit after the 5k as runners for the other races are trying to park, gets chaotic.  Luckily we parked closer to the golf course and further from the start/finish, so we were able to completely avoid the traffic jam.  

Today was the 7k.  I got downtown just before 6 a.m. and parked at Union Station like I do for any downtown race except Rock 'n' Roll, since the last few miles of their race runs in front of the exits to the parking lot.  I tried to meet up with my co-worker who was running the half, but porta-potty lines and overflowing corrals made it impossible.  

The start of the race was as exciting as if I were running the half marathon.  It was crowded for the first few miles but as we crossed the Eads Bridge into Illinois, it started to thin out.  We ran through East St. Louis and past the first water stop.  Luckily I still brought my own Gatorade because there was literally a line of runners waiting for water to be poured into their cups.  I am not sure if this was due to a lack of water or volunteers.  We made a short loop through a vacant commercial district, and then started the slow uphill climb to the MLK Bridge where I snapped a photo of one of my favorite skylines.

As we were on top of the bridge, I kept hearing runners commenting on how far off their gps watches were from mile marker 4.  I am guessing that they moved the mile marker since it was so windy on the middle of the bridge.  As we ran back into Missouri and downhill, we made a very sharp turn towards another downhill that led us into Laclede's Landing.  As we ran down the hill, the turnoff for the 7k finish became clear.  The full marathon, half marathon, and relay runners turned left and the 7k turned right.  We ran a short distance on a cobblestone street before crossing the timing mat.  A block or so from the 7k finish line were the post-race refreshments and an optional buffet and a dj playing in the background.  

Although my finish times were turtle slow both days, my back didn't hurt at all and today I felt like my strides were back to normal.  Whew!  I am so glad that I took the time off to let my back properly heal, even though that rest meant not being prepared for the half today.  I just keep telling myself that there will always be another half.  

Congratulations to all the runners this weekend!

Remember to write a race review on Bib Rave.  

Look for your race results (a week or two post-race) and create an account on Athlinks.

Another injury...

I haven't posted anything in a few weeks because I was injured and my last race was horrible as a result.  For all the boot camps and classes I take that focus on functional exercises, all it took was lifting one box the wrong way to injure myself badly enough to derail my training for three weeks.  I took it easy the first week, but still worked out and foam rolled after every workout.  I felt better by the end of the week, so I thought I was healed enough to run again.  On March 12, I attempted the St. Patrick's Day Parade Run 5 Miler but within the first mile I could feel the pain in my back return.  I walked a while and then tried to run again, but I could feel that my stride on the right side was significantly shorter than the left side.  That was the exact point when I started to break down mentally on the course.  It was right around the 2 mile mark.  I felt so defeated that I just wanted to cry.  I distinctly remember ripping off the timing chip on the back of my bib at that point.  I knew I would be walking the remainder of the course and I didn't want my awful time recorded.  I did finish and my time was a lot slower than I had hoped, but at least I crossed the finish line.

The week following the race, my back was more sore than the days immediately following the injury.  It was awful.  You don't realize that your back contributes to nearly every single movement your body makes until you injure your back and feel pain with every step and every move.  I bought a jar of Tiger Balm and used it religiously.  I used a heating pad at night.  My mother lent me her TENS Muscle Stimulator, which I grew to love so much that I ordered one for myself.  I found a yoga series on Hulu that I used daily the week after the race.  I tried to walk at least 1 mile each day just to keep my legs used to the movement.  I used the Power Plate at my gym to massage my back and legs and then I got a 90 minute massage the weekend after the race to relieve any remaining knots.

This past week I continued the yoga sessions, walking, and used the Power Plate a few times.  I feel a lot better and the pain seems to have subsided, so hopefully I have given my back plenty of time to heal this time around.  Tomorrow I am going to attempt to get back into my normal gym routine.  On Mondays it is cycling (taught similar to a Soul Cycle class) followed by a boot camp, so we will see how it goes.

So I guess there are two lessons here:

• There is a proper way to pick up and carry a box and you will be sorry for days if you do it wrong
• Never take a pain free run or walk for granted.  All I wanted every day of those weeks I felt pain was to be free of that pain.  I saw people running and was so jealous!  Don't take it for granted.  Whether you pray, meditate, or just think to yourself be grateful for every step you get to take!

I hope your training is going well!

Run for the Chocolate 5K Race Recap

Let me just start by saying that the weather in the Midwest is never consistent.  As I am typing this our heat is off and all of our windows are open because the high was over 50 degrees today.  I ran my long run in capri's.  Last Saturday the high was 22, so it was in the teens with a single digit wind chill when I woke up for the Run for the Chocolate 5K.  When the alarm went off, my fiance asked me if I knew how cold it was outside and if I really wanted to get out and run.  I debated my decision for a few minutes and then I decided to go for it!

The race started and ended at the Bissinger's Chocolate Factory on North Broadway.  I arrived early enough to park in the secure lot behind the building, but there was plenty of parking available on the street and nearby lots.  The good thing about arriving early was that I could see the start/finish line from my car, so I was able to stay in my warm car until a few minutes before the race started.  

Waiting to start 

Despite the cold, there were still several hundred participants at the start line, even a few in shorts.  The race started with a slight uphill climb onto Broadway.  Then we went down streets of North St. Louis that I would not feel comfortable driving down alone, but when surrounded by runners on a sunny day, you feel fine.  We then connected to a nicely paved trail that runs adjacent to the Mississippi River.  We even ran by a few of the flood gates, which was interesting to see.  I have also never seen cars smashed down and stacked on top of each other so when I ran past the recycling company, I had to take a picture.

Despite the cold, the sky was beautiful that morning and I managed to capture it in a few photos.

Heading back to the Bissinger's

Running under Interstate 70

You can find a little bit of beauty in the blight

There was another uphill coming back up to Broadway at the end of the race, but then a downhill towards the finish.  As soon as you crossed the finish line, you were given a chocolate heart and water.  Then as you went back towards the parking lot you were rewarded with hot chocolate complete with chocolate covered marshmallows and fondue.  

 And the swag was pretty "sweet" too.

 In the end, I was glad that I got myself out of bed and out into the cold for this race.  It was a lot of fun and I got to see some "interesting" sections of North St. Louis.

Two 5k's to start off 2016

By now you have probably heard of the Run The Year 2016 challenge where you run 2,016 miles either as an individual runner or by splitting the total mileage as a team.  In 2015, I signed up for the challenge as a team and I was nowhere near my half mileage of 1,007.5 miles.  Nowhere near!  I only completed two half marathons and a few 5k's last year compared to 2014 when I completed 14 half marathons and quite a few 5k's and races of other distances.  But last year I battled plantar fasciitis on and off, which completely destroyed my confidence.  I loved my training experience with Fleet Feet, but my heart just was not in it!  So here we go....a new year, a new start.  Another chance and the motivation by way of a challenge, to continue running throughout 2016 and not fail a second year.  So this year, I *only* have to run 1,008 miles by December 31st.  Doable, right?  I hope so, especially since so many runners complete the challenge SOLO.

So to start the New Year off right, I ran the Commitment Day 5K in Ellisville, MO on January 1st.  The race started and ended at Lifetime Fitness, which sponsors the race at various locations across the country.  I was so self-conscious about my time (since I had not run in more weeks than I want to admit), that I removed the timing strip from the back of my bib.  I didn't care about my time, I just wanted to feel that excitement when I crossed the finish line.  I really enjoyed this race.  Why you ask?

1. The race didn't start until 10 a.m., giving you time to sleep in a bit.
2. Plenty of parking.
3. FREE access to Lifetime Fitness for the day.  This gym was incredible!  I even work part-time at another local gym and I was very impressed.
4. Nice short-sleeved race shirt.
   
5. Pre-race group stretch and warm-up session.
6. Post-race coffee, water, bananas, protein bars, AND fresh waffles!

On Saturday, I was sore.  I hate admitting that after only 3.1 miles, but it is the truth.  I needed that wake-up call.  My parents came in town for an overnight visit and so that my step-dad and I could run the Way of Lights 5K in Belleville, IL.  This is a night run through the Christmas lights at Our Lady of the Snows.  I left my timing chip on my bib this time, and although my time was slow, I see it as a starting point and just hope that I don't get any slower this year!  The race was fun, unique, and well-attended.  So well-attended that they ran out of bananas by the time I finished and my step-dad took one of the last bottles of water when he finished.  You could pay for one of several post-race buffet options, but I was not interested in paying for post-race food having been spoiled by the Commitment Day 5K food the day prior.

Race shirt

Post-Race food for purchase

Running through the lights

On the drive home, my step-dad and I agreed that while the race was fun, we likely would not make it a yearly event.  

Last Sunday, I remembered that I was running after work on Monday with a co-worker.  I thought, we not run Sunday too so that I can say that I ran four days in a row after so many weeks off?  Well that running streak has now continued 10 days.  I have ran (meaning walk-run in intervals) at least a mile every day and so has my Run the Year 2016 partner.  Hopefully we can keep this streak going for a while.

Happy New Year!

All I want for Christmas, is new running shoes!

Brooks Adrenaline 16's are now available, which means the Brooks Adrenaline 15's are on sale!  So one cold, November weekend night the fiance and I went into a Dick's Sporting Goods and found the Brooks Adrenaline 15's in my size on sale.  I asked (or begged) for them to be my Christmas gift along with new running socks and on Christmas Day, my wish came true!

Aren't they beautiful?

I have strayed from Brooks Adrenaline only time and I came right back because they are so reliable and comfortable.  

Years of Brooks Adrenaline running shoes

I love saving money on running gear since races keep getting more expensive, so I don't mind getting the previous version on sale when the latest version is released.  I think I will keep my new shoes in the closet until my training group starts mid-January, and just continue to wear down the current pair.  My first race of 2016 is New Year's Day, so I am looking forward to starting off a new year with a good run.

Happy Holidays!!!

Half Marathon Training - Spring 2016 Edition

In 2015, I decided to train with Fleet Feet - St. Louis for both of the half marathons I ran this year and I LOVED the program!  You can read more about my experience here.

Fleet Feet's long runs are early Saturday morning with rotating locations and varying mileage according to your pace group and goal race.  Their track workouts are on Tuesday evenings at a local junior high school.  I really enjoyed being a part of this program but my fiance requested that I switch my long runs to Sunday mornings so that I would not wake him up so early on Saturdays.  I knew that there were two other major running stores in the St. Louis area offering half marathon training programs, one of which offers long runs on Sundays, so I agreed to try a different program for my Spring 2016 half marathon training.  

On a cost scale, Fleet Feet is the most expensive at $140.  Their program offers:

• Individualized training program with a suggested workout for each day for your pace and goal race
• Discount card for in-store purchases (I believe it was 5%, but I never used it)
• Training t-shirt
• At least one coach in your pace group
• Saturday long runs at rotating locations
• Tuesday track workouts

Big River Running offers three programs which cost $99, $50, or FREE depending on which level you choose.  I chose the $50 or SILVER program which seems to offer exactly what Fleet Feet was offering me minus a training t-shirt, for almost $100 more!  Even if I ordered the training team sweatshirt, I would still pay less with Big River Running program.

The newest kid on the block, True Runner, offers a FREE half marathon training program with Wednesday track workouts and Saturday long runs.

You get less of an individualized program with both of the free training options above, but you still get some guidance for track workouts and long runs and most importantly (for me at least), you still get the camaraderie that group training offers.

I am very anxious to see how the Big River training program compares to Fleet Feet.  So far my experience has been great.  A few days after I signed up, I received a survey to help determine by pace group and learn about my running history and goal race.  Then a day or two later I received my training plan via Google docs.  I have already emailed one of the coaches several times with questions (this is included in my package), and received quick responses every time.

Our kick-off meeting is January 6th with our first long run bright and early on January 10th.  On January 11th, I also start a 6-week evening boot camp.  Prior to all of that I also have two 5k's lined up, so it time to get back in the gym and stop eating all these sweets and drinking holiday mochas and lattes.  Ugh!

Happy Holidays everyone and happy training!