My 5th and final Rock 'n' Roll St. Louis

Here's the deal.  I have been over the Rock 'n' Roll race craze for a while now.  I have run Rock 'n' Roll in San Antonio once, DC once, and St. Louis five times now.  At least for St. Louis, the number of half marathon finishers keeps decreasing.  In 2011 there were over 17,000 finishers.  In 2015 there were just over 8,000 even after they offered a Living Social deal.  I had no intention of running the Rock 'n' Roll half in 2014 but then they offered such a great discount that I couldn't refuse.  Then early this year I received an email stating that I would get a commemorative bib and bottle opener key chain if I ran it one more year to make it five in a row.

And so....I ran it one more year and now post-race I can honestly say that this was my last year running the Rock 'n' Roll in St. Louis.  I need to mix it up and run other Missouri races and start back on my quest to run a half in all 50 states.  I also wasn't impressed with the swag we got this year.  It was just ho-hum.  Remember when we used to get the black bags stamped with the Rock 'n' Roll logo for that particular city?  Well those days are over apparently over!

Sweet Swag

Boring Swag

The shirts were cute this year though.

But the commemorative 5-year bib and key chain took stops at three different booths before I was finally directed to the correct staff.  Even during the race, several runners asked where I got my 5 Years Running bib because they never found where to pick it up at the expo.

Despite the ups and downs mentioned above, I did have fun during the race.  I ran with a co-worker of mine who was in the Fleet Feet training group with me, just a different pace group.  I had trained with the 8:1 group (8 minutes running: 1 walking) but I ended up running with her pace group which was 5:1.  The hills in St. Louis never go away, but somehow the time flew (even if my pace didn't:) because I always had someone to talk to.  So in 2016, I will have to find different late-October half marathons to try. On to new routes and roads!  I only have one more half marathon left in 2015, then a few short races to close out the year.  I can't believe it is almost November....

Happy training!

Going Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

My blog is going pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 

For me, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a month of remembrance for those lost, celebration for those in remission or now cancer-free, and an education opportunity for everyone. 

I remember when my maternal grandmother was fighting breast cancer.  I was in junior high at the time and I hadn’t heard much about cancer at that age and back in those days, I don’t remember cancer being as prevalent as it is today.  I am from a small town, and I remember our family having a benefit for my grandmother to help cover medical expenses. We sold food, baked goods, and even tickets for miniature train rides.  It seemed like the entire town came out to support my grandmother. 

Then I remember her on hospice.  Taking naps next to her in her hospital bed, which was in the living room.  Brushing her thinning hair.  Then I remember that last Christmas together where she gave all of the grandchildren handmade quilts.  I won’t even use that quilt today, 20 years later, because I don’t want to damage it in any way.  I want to leave it exactly the way she gave it to me.

Today, I hear about cancer constantly.  My step-mother passed away due to lung cancer in 2010.  My dad had prostate cancer around the same time that my step-mom was battling cancer.  My great-aunt (grandmother’s sister) had ovarian cancer.  A high school classmate has breast cancer.  One of the instructors at the gym had breast cancer.  The list goes on, and on, and on, and on.  People I am directly related to, acquaintances, and friends of friends.       

Since my grandmother had breast cancer and my great aunt had ovarian cancer, my mom has discussed our family history with her doctor.  If there is anything out of the normal going on with her body, she goes to the doctor.  Now I admit, I don’t do the breast self-exam as often as I should, but I recently went in to my doctor because I was having an unusual pain in my left breast.  The doctor didn’t feel anything abnormal and recommended reducing my caffeine intake and taking Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil.  She also said that if the pain continues, I should come back in.  So far the reduction in caffeine and the supplements seem to be working because the pain has subsided, but I was completely terrified as I anxiously awaited that appointment last week. 

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “If you see something, say something” if you have ever taken public transportation in a major city.  I heard it daily on the metro when I lived in DC.  Well when it comes to breast cancer: If you feel something, please do something!  Whether it is a sharp pain, tingling sensation, or just that one breast feels different from the other, get it checked out!  The sooner cancer is detected, the better chance you will have at beating it.

There are many great resources out there for more information, but I recommend this blogpost from the Bankers Health Care Group.  It won't take you long to read and the info-graphic is very concise.  Check it out and be sure to get checked out by your doctor if you have any doubts or concerns. ANY!

Click here for larger version of graphic

My first experience with TRX Suspension Training

Have you ever heard of TRX Suspension Training?  It isn't a new class at my gym, I just haven't had the time to take a class until this past Monday.  Finally today (Saturday), I am no longer sore.

TRX Suspension Training was first used by the Navy SEALs because of its' portability and because it utilizes your own body weight.  The class I took had a boot camp setup where we spent two minutes at each station.  Throughout the hour, we covered each muscle group at least once, hence my soreness.  I was completely drenched in sweat by the end of the class and my body was so exhausted that I had no strength left in me to complete the last round of pull ups.  It is definitely worth a try if you have it available at your local gym, or the portability intrigues you and you want to purchase the system for yourself.

Click here for more information, including a great video about TRX Suspension Training.

Have a great week!

Where have I been?

So my blog has been silent since May.  Where have i been?

Last summer I was running a lot of 5k's and posting race recaps after each one.  I was pretty busy.  This summer has been the total opposite so far.  I mentioned in my last post that I was battling plantar fasciitis.  It all started when I was training for the GO! half marathon in April and it was only in my right foot.  When I was running, I didn't feel any pain.  But when I woke up every morning, I found that I was limping the first 5 minutes until my right foot "warmed up."  The pain was just awful, but then it would go away for a while.  At my full-time job I sit at my desk most of the time and I am always cold.  When I would get up to walk away from my desk, the pain would return and again I found myself limping until my right foot warmed up to moving again.  Even when I was working at the gym, I could feel that my right foot felt different from my left and sometimes I would feel a little pain.

When I realized that it just wasn't going to magically go away, I started Googling how to treat it and one of the suggestions was of course "rest."  So this summer, I took a break from running long distances.  I kept a tennis ball at my desk to roll my foot over throughout the day, which seemed to help.  I bought the Gaiam Restore Hot & Cold Therapy Kit for use at home, and I LOVED how it made my right foot feel afterward.  Slowly I started feeling like myself again.  Slowly.

Then yesterday, the Fleet Feet fall half marathon training program had it's kick-off party.  One of my co-workers was also returning to the program and since the kick-off did not include a group run, we decided to meet up before the party to get in a quick run.  We ended up run-walking 2.5 miles and it felt great despite the awful humidity!  When we got to the kick-off party, we met our new pace groups.  This time I opted to be in the 8:1 group, which means 8 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking repeated during the long runs.

I am so pleased with the members of my pace group this season.  We have a gentleman that was talked into running his first half marathon by his brother, yet he hates running.  Several runners who are returning after a hiatus from running and other members who are also running their first half marathon.  Then you have our leader has run 31 half marathons.  So a wide-range of ages, paces, personalities, and experiences and I look forward to training with them and getting to know them this season.

As I look at the training schedule they provided us, I like the structure and how each day is laid out with what to do, how long, and what intensity to do it at.  I can follow a schedule fairly well.  Sometimes I still feel pain in my right foot, so I am still going to continue rolling my foot both at home and at work because I want to get back to running.  I have really missed it!

Post race to-do's

It has been several weeks since my first half marathon of the year, but I just now completed the last items on my typical post race to-do list.  Other than posting the race recap to my blog, there are two other things that I do.

Within a few days after the race I also post a race review to BibRave.  I don't remember how I even came across this website, but I enjoy writing reviews for restaurants and businesses so writing reviews for races just made sense!  You can create an account so that all of your reviews are grouped together.  You can choose to follow certain athletes so that you are notified when they post a review.  You can also "Upvote" their review if you found it helpful.  BibRave is much like any other review website in that it gives you a REAL review from a coAthlinksnsumer's perspective rather than the race director's perspective.  It can be helpful when you are trying to decide between races and how to spend your hard-earned money.  Check it out and start adding your reviews today!  Click here to see my profile.

A few weeks after the race, I go to Athlinks to see if my race results are posted.  Most of my race results will post to the website 1-2 weeks after race day, but some smaller races do not show up on this website for whatever reason.  Honestly, I don't know why some are tracked and others are not.  Either way, 90% of my race results show up and I can claim them and save them all under my name,  That way, I don't have to go to each individual race's results page to find my times.  They are all in one place.  Click here to see my account to see what I mean.  Go ahead, search your name to see your results.  Now there may be other athletes with your name, so be careful when claiming your results.

Other than checking the items above off my to-do list, I have been trying to get over the plantar fasciitis that has developed in my right foot so I have been taking it easy and working my way back up from ground zero.  More details another day.  Happy Memorial Day!

Medal Monday featuring Frank

Happy Medal Monday!  Today I am featuring one of the very first running bloggers I met (virtually) when I started blogging myself.  Meet Frank, who blogs at The Fat Runner.  His favorite medal (by far) is the medal from the Walt Disney World Marathon, which was his first marathon.  It is his favorite medal because it was his greatest running accomplishment so far.  He says the Walt Disney World Marathon was fun and as magical as he had hoped.  The last 5K of the race was difficult, but thinking about his family got him to the finish line!

Follow Frank's running adventures by checking out his blog: http://afatrunner.blogspot.com/
Like him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFatRunner

Do you have a favorite medal?  Email me (willrunforamedal@gmail.com) a picture of you and your medal and tell me why it is your favorite medal.

Have a great week!

First Power Plate workout

Have you heard about Power Plates?  I had never heard of them until I bought a Groupon to E2 Fitness Studio for 10 Cardio Accelerator sessions.  I started the Cardio Accelerator sessions back in January and was spreading them out, so I used session 6 today.  I would often talk to E2's owner/manager after my session and he spoke highly of the Power Plates that were also in his gym and he tried to convince me to take one of his classes.  At first, I wasn't interested so I said no, but I Googled them because I was curious.  Session after session, I saw the Power Plates in the gym and my curiosity grew.

Last week I emailed the owner to see how many Cardio Accelerator sessions I had left, and he FINALLY convinced me to stay afterwards to try his 30 minute Power Plate workout.  Before class, he explained a bit about the science behind the Power Plates, but you can click here and read more about them yourself.  The exercises weren't any different than what I do on my own or in classes (lunges, squats, planks, stretches, etc.), but the vibration under my body really accentuated each move.  I will keep you posted as I take additional classes but so far I feel great and I am wondering whether or not I will be sore tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

GO! St. Louis Half Marathon race recap

It has been one week since the GO! St. Louis Marathon and Family Fitness Weekend.  Saturday morning was the Read, Write, and Run children's fun run, the Mature Mile, and the 5K all in Forest Park.  I spent Saturday morning working one of the t-shirt pick-up tables at the expo.  It was a four hour shift but because we were so busy, the time just flew by.  Not only do you get a free t-shirt for volunteering but as I mentioned before, your volunteer hours also accumulate and can earn you free GO! St. Louis apparel or free races!

After my volunteer shift, I met my co-worker/training buddy so that we could pick up our packets and walk through the expo.  We then decided to eat on The Hill, which is St. Louis' famous Italian area.  She chose Favazza's, and the weather was perfect for sitting out on the patio.

Favazza's on The Hill

I was excited about this race, but also nervous.  I didn't make it to as many training runs or run as much as the training schedule indicated.  The longest training runs were rough and my legs just felt tight, but I was still excited to be part of the Fleet Feet group and was glad that I didn't train on my own this winter.

The Fleet Feet Training group - Full and Half Marathoners of various paces

This was the 3rd time I have run this particular race but this year's course was different and in my opinion, more interesting since we ran over the Mississippi River into Illinois and back.  I was only able to snap a few pictures at the beginning of the course since I was running with my training group for part of the course and it started sprinkling within the first five miles.

Our 10:1 pace group

Our group started together running 10 minutes and walking one minute before repeating the process again.  I was able to stay with my group until we were crossing back into Missouri.  This is where two of us fell behind and I saw the group slowly disappear in the mass of runners.  At first I wanted to fight to keep up, but I have run most of my races solo so I was OK with finishing on my own.  The great thing about being part of a large training group was that I never felt alone because I kept seeing other Fleet Feet runners and we would yell words of encouragement to each other.  While I was on my own, I wasn't sticking to the 10:1 pace.  I just ran and walked when I felt like it.  Then just past the halfway point, my pace coach appeared out of nowhere. She was at the base of a hill that I had every intention of walking up, but she wouldn't let me walk it.  We started back on the 10:1 pace, but by that point I was pretty exhausted.  Luckily, she is a talker so we kept talking (I was mostly listening) and that helped the miles pass.  There were so many times that I wanted to walk, but she wouldn't let me.  The hills seemed so steep, but she wouldn't let me walk and kept encouraging me.  Her energy and determination to keep me moving was amazing.

Once we were finally making our way to the finish, we ran by the Fleet Feet tent and everyone screamed.  This was a great spot for them because you see the finish line, loop around the block, and then head uphill to the finish and I really needed that last boost before the uphill to the finish.

My coach stayed with me all the way until the finish, and then she went back to find the other woman in our group who fell behind on that bridge.  I don't think I have ever been that happy to be done with a race.  I was just exhausted and so thirsty!  Although my 2:42 time was nowhere near the time I had hoped for, I knew that I wouldn't have even gotten that time had my coach not been there.  I thanked her for being there for me on race day, but I get a little emotional when I think about how great it was to have her there.

The Fleet Feet training experience was a great one, so I am already thinking about joining their fall training group, which starts in July.  I had another half marathon lined up in May in Indianapolis but my parent's kitchen renovations had some unexpected delays and I am moving into St. Louis County next weekend, so this spring is just too hectic for all of us to go out of town.  I was incredibly sore for several days after this race, so I think I may start all over with my training, literally ground zero with a couch to 5K program until the half marathon training program starts again.  I also know that I am not going to get any faster until I can drop some of this extra weight, so I am going to spend more time at the gym and try to eat better too.  So although my time wasn't what I had hoped and the race was literally painful, I learned a lot about myself and have many new goals going forward.

Have a great week!!!!

Giving Back

Over the past several weeks I have been giving back to the running community by volunteering at races and packet stuffing events and I had a blast at each event!  It all started with the locally-famous St. Patrick's Day Parade Run in downtown St. Louis.  My cousin is the course director and I have both run the race and volunteered in the past.  This year I managed to get the boyfriend up VERY early to volunteer with me.  He ended up enjoying it because he had the megaphone and was yelling words of encouragement as well as letting them know that the water stop was on the right.  He loved the power his volunteer assignment gave him!

The next weekend I volunteered at a water stop for the Run for 21K half marathon and half marathon relay.  We had a large group of volunteers and we even had a pom pom group!

The Tuesday and Wednesday evenings after the Run for 21K water stop were filled with packet stuffing for the GO! Marathon and Family Fitness Weekend.  GO! St. Louis rewards their volunteers by letting them accumulate their hours towards free merchandise and most importantly, FREE RACES!  So after the two nights of packet stuffing, all of my volunteering in 2014, and my upcoming volunteer shift at the race expo, I will have 19.5 volunteering hours and you get a free half marathon with 20 hours.  Only one more shift, most likely at the GO! relay this summer, and I can run the half marathon next year for FREE!  So not only is it fun to give back to the running community, but you usually end up with at least free shirt and snacks and sometimes a free race entry in the process.  Give back when you can, you won't regret it!

1st experience with Endless Relays

This is the track work details I receive Monday via email:

Track Work Details

It is time for a little speed play. Your schedule reads Endless Relays. Here's the scoop.

Purpose of Endless Relays: The purpose of this workout is to provide you with short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity coinciding with short rest periods.

How to Play Endless Relays: Begin by choosing a partner. You will run 400 meters (or one lap) while your partner rests. After you complete one lap, tag your partner who continues the relay by running 400 meters (or one lap) while you rest. The relay continues until the clock dings 40-minutes.

If you can't make it out to the track, simply perform a two-minute work bout, followed by a two-minute rest bout for a total of 40 minutes. Work intensity should be fairly aggressive (a Rating of Perceived Exertion of an 7-8 out of a 10-scale)

Please bring a watch to hold your own rest intervals.


As I am writing this, I am exhausted! My partner and I each ran 8 times around the track to get us to the 40 minutes. It sounds awful, but I wanted her to run her 400's slower and slower because I wanted more rest in between my 400's, but she and I both stayed fairly consistent the entire time. My 400's looked like this (no judging or giggling since I know you would run it faster):

Lap 1 - 2:28

Lap 2 - 2:25

Lap 3 - 2:24

Lap 4 - 2:23

Lap 5 - 2:22

Lap 6 - 2:23

Lap 7 - 2:31

Lap 8 - 2:22

Now that I am done with this workout, I can honestly say that I liked it and will probably repeat it sometime. At several points I wanted to walk a bit of the last turn because I tend to start out too fast and then fade. But I didn't walk because my partner would see me as would all of the other runners waiting at the line for their partners to finish. The other runners and having a partner waiting for me to finish definitely motivated me tonight, so grab a friend and hit the track for Endless Relays!