Slowin’ My Roll

March 27, 2014 by writeitdownjess

The other day I had some extra time before work, so I decided to go for a run along Crissy Field. Which, by the way, is easily one of the most idyllic runs in San Francisco.

I mean, seriously.

Seriously.

At any rate, I fired up my RunKeeper app to keep track of my distance and pace. I decided to do a mix of running and walking since I’m trying to ease myself back into running (it’s been a while). Once I was warmed up and jogging, I decided to check my pace and was really surprised at what I saw.

I was running a 9:45 minute mile. Say wha?!

Now, I will admit that when I was running on the regular, I was averaging at around 10:30 per mile. But I did notice that if I wasn’t paying attention and really pacing myself, I would speed it up to a sub-10 minute mile. The problem with that is I 100% cannot sustain that pace. My body is like “hey, actually this is effing hard and if you don’t slow your roll soon I am going to cramp so hard on you.”

I am, of course, thinking ahead to the Disneyland Half in August and how I will need to sustain a reasonable pace for 13.1 miles (that sound you hear is me crying a little bit, thinking of running that many miles). I know for a fact that my reasonable pace is NOT sub-10 minutes. However, my body just seems to automatically click into that faster pace when I go for runs.

So, this is where I ask you, wonderfully informative and smart Scoot readers, for your advice on the matter. How do I force myself to slow down? My goal is an 11-minute mile, which I think – or maybe HOPE – is sustainable throughout the half in August.

Help! Give me some tips on how to slow my roll in the comments. And tell me what your ideal pace is while you’re at it.

A Big Butt and A Smile (except when my pants are too tight)

March 26, 2014 by beewhobabbles

I’ve always been curvy. I’m a classic pear shape, which means I can get really small through my arms and waist but my booty is always there. Thankfully, running has saved me from getting a mom butt. Why is it that childbirth, and let’s be real here- entering one’s thirties- makes gravity grab onto your cheeks and just drag ’em down? At 21, I wore a bigger pant size but my ass looked damn perky. Now I have to run. And squat. And lunge. And eat fewer cookies.

I’m doing pretty well on the cookie front, since I gave those up for Lent, but I’ve realized that I need to eat a bit better overall. I’ve gained about six pounds and I’m not really sure when that happened, though if I had to pinpoint, it was probably when we bought (and ate) allllll the Girl Scout cookies. A few weeks ago, my pants began feeling snug, so I stepped on the scale and discovered I was up from the last time I weighed myself (about six months ago).

This past weekend, I decided to do a little bit of meal planning and on Monday, I logged everything I ate into My Fitness Pal. What an eye opener! I think of myself as a healthy eater who overindulges on sugar, but if my food log for Monday was any indication, I’m consuming way too many calories overall. Oops. I’ve been nursing or pregnant for so long, I guess I just lost sight of things. And I work out a lot! Too bad that’s only part of the puzzle (waaaaah, why can’t chocolate be a diet food?).

I don’t think My Fitness Pal is for me for the long term- it was cumbersome and time consuming for me to enter in all that data, and I still can’t figure out how to enter in any exercise besides cardio, but it was a nice reality check. I want to be fit, but I also want to look fit, and fit into my pants.

So healthy-eating club, holla! Where my friends at? I know Cyanne over at Run, Stretch, Go is incredibly disciplined about eating clean, and she shares her recipes. Any other blog recommendations for me? I’ll share with you! We ate this kale salad (along with grilled chicken sausage) on Sunday night and it was delish. You know I love my greens.

Do you food journal? What helps you stay on a healthy eating track?

Ramble On

March 25, 2014 by camoozle

In other words, the post in which Cam rambles about the various going-ons in her fitness-seeking world. I have lots to share! Some of it is exciting.

A. I purchased a new pair of running shoes.

Finally! They weren’t even one of the pairs from my list. I went to a shoe outlet in Lake Arrowhead, because, you know, I was on vacation and what else to do but shoe shop. I tried on a few pair but these babies caught my eye. They’re colorful and fun and wide…three of my favorite things. I tried them on and I’ve been kicking them ever since. I like them still…so far.

New Balance are my new flavor of the month.

I also made the decision to make the switch to a more natural shoe. Nothing I’ve tried seems to be “made” for me and since I’ve been doing more barefoot exercise, like Barre and Yoga, I’ve come to accept that maybe my feet aren’t made for shoes. I’m going back to my hunting and gathering roots and trying out what nature gave me. I don’t intend to go full on nude, but definitely minimal. I’m going to slosh around in these New Balance until after the April Fools Half in 12 days. Then, I’m simplifying.

B. I’m playing dodgeball!

And I have never been this sore. It seems, during my regular workouts, I’m not exerting maximum effort. Only when there’s a chance of some dude hurling a rubber ball at my head do I really move my ass. Sure, it stings when you get pegged. But it’s a total rush and the perfect mix of core, arm/shoulder, and cardio workout. Moving directions so quickly really does a number on the bod. And if you get your SO involved, you get to throw balls at each other. It’s like free therapy.

C. I’m kicking ass at Body Back.

Yep, down 8 pounds in two weeks. I’ve been working out like a maniac and eating as clean as I can. It hasn’t been easy, the meal plan calls for no alcohol. Not even wine. I’ve also given up sweets, coffee, dairy, and fast food. Let’s have a moment of silence for those foods I’ll miss the most…

Brie Cheese

Cake

Soft-Serve Ice Cream

In’n’Out Cheeseburger with grilled onions

Chips and Salsa

Chili Cheese Fries

Did I mention cheese?

But I can still have tacos! Winning!

I love this program. I feel like it’s exactly the type of exercises I need to get rid of my pouch…you know, that flap of skin left over from my two c-sections. And I love my trainer. She’s an inspiration for health and strength, not just a smoking hot bod. But seriously, she’s smoking hot. Like fitness-competition-she’s-going-to-be-in-a-magazine hot. I’m kind of smitten.

Burn, baby, burn! Powering through Power Yoga. It hurts so good!

D. My kids are kicking ass in karate.

Did you know ADD is genetic? My dad has it. I have it. And I’m almost positive my children have it, in various forms. My daughter is more mentally distracted. My son doesn’t stop moving. Ever. We’ve tried baseball and cheerleading but the dojo is where we feel at home! My kids started taking karate at our local U.S.K.O. and they are loving it. I love the focus and self-discipline it requires of my kids. And these instructors are amazing the way they corral these kids and keep them under control. They both just earned their first stripe and they were so excited. They’re learning respect for their bodies and I can visibly see the boost in self-esteem and confidence. I can’t say enough good things about it!

Sweep the leg!

Juicy Juice

March 24, 2014 by bec2point0

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Heard of it? Seen it? Felt like it?

I watched this documentary by Joe Cross two years ago, and while there is a part of me that would love to tell you that I was so inspired that I went juice crazy, lost all my weight and am currently employed as a bikini model, only one of those things is true.

I went juice crazy. Or maybe just juice unstable?

When I watched this film, it was all the talk, and people were doing juice fasts and cleanses left and right. Three days. Thirty days. Sixty days!

While I had no desire to do any sort of cleanse or fast, I was interested in adding fresh, raw juice into my diet, so I ordered my Breville and starting juicing everything I could get my hands on. And over the past two years, my relationship with my juicer has been very much on-again/off-again, but we’re still deeply in love. If I’m not doing well with all things health, my juicer sits on the counter, collecting dust and silently mocking me. But, as soon as I start actively working on bettering my health, the first thing I do is pull out my Breville.

My baby

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead wasn’t where juice began, clearly. People have been eating raw and juicing for years. I can actually remember being about ten, and a friend of my aunt’s, who ate a raw diet, make me fresh carrot juice. I loved it! When I first got married, I asked for a juicer, and tried making my own carrot juice. Back then, high powered juice extractors were incredibly expensive, and their lower cost cousins were really not great quality. I think it took me a pound of carrots to make a single cup of juice. It was a short-lived experiment for me at that point.

But the movie, available on Netflix and Hulu, did introduce the idea of juice, and juice fasting, to a much wider audience (I read somewhere that after the film came out, Breville sales doubled). Three years later, juice is still a very popular ‘fad’, super expensive bottled cleanses are still showing up on Groupon, and people are still debating the health benefits of juice (So many vitamins! Too much sugar!) Juice, for some, is the gateway drug into a fully plant-based lifestyle. I’m not going to bore you with facts and figures and numbers and controversy. I know you all know how to Google.

What I can tell you is that adding one or two servings of raw juice to my diet every day makes ME feel incredible. It gives me a boost of energy in the morning far superior to what I get from my usual coffee (I haven’t given up coffee, don’t talk crazy). It helps certain systems of my body keep a much more regular schedule, if you know what I mean, and I’m pretty sure you do since I all but spelled it out right there. After a few weeks, my skin looks better.

Apple Pie in a mason jar…sort of.

And? IT’S DELICIOUS.

With a good quality juicer, you can make a million varieties. If you currently buy bottled ‘fresh’ juice, or find yourself regularly frequenting your local juice bar (if you actually have a local juice bar, I’m super jealous of you), I highly recommend buying a juicer and making your own. Cost wise, it’s going to save you in the long run. And you can put whatever you want in it!

My personal favorite is Pineapple Pear Lemon Ginger, but that’s a pretty high sugar drink, so I save that one for once in a while. Mostly, I stick with Mean Green (kale, cucumber, celery, apple, ginger and lemon), Cucumber Melon (cucumber, cantaloupe and kale) and Apple Pie (Apple Carrot with cinnamon). But I’ve juiced pretty much every fruit and vegetable that has come into my house at least ones (plums = horrible).

Making my Mean Green!

Now, I still have zero desire to do a juice fast or cleanse. If that works for other people, awesome. A few years back, I was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, and could only have liquids and pureed foods for about six weeks. After that experience, I can tell you I will never voluntarily give up solids. I like food, and chewing, far too much.

But juice in addition to food? I’m all over that.

Do you juice? Want to share your recipes?? Pretty please!

Junior – a brave, loving and kind man

March 21, 2014 by vfreile

I meant to write an entirely different post today, then life happened.

On Thursday, a childhood friend died following an 11-month-long courageous and painful battle with gastric cancer. My heart is broken for his family – as he was only 37 years old and the father of three young girls, ages 2, 4 and 7.

I first met Junior in middle school. He whizzed a ball at me in gym class. This is absolutely fitting, as Junior was known for his love of soccer – he played for our high school team and traveling teams around Lancaster.

The last time I saw him, he had convinced me and several others to join him for a midnight swim in the Atlantic Ocean. None of us stopped to think about sand crabs that emerge when the sun goes to sleep. Ouch!

In the past few days, memories have been flooding to the surface.

Christmas Eve dinner with Barotti family was quite the event. We all gathered around the table to break bread – and felt incredibly luxurious when his mother placed several meaty main dishes on the table. She’s an amazing cook, for the record.

Junior once convinced me it would be great fun to “borrow” my sister’s car and drive around the high school parking lot while waiting for our siblings to emerge. For the record, I had my license and a set of car keys…. and we had been waiting nearly an hour for them. Of course, they walked out the school as I pulled into the parking space. (Sorry Sissy!)

My sister and his brother dated for several years, so we were often thrown together and we’d chat the time away. About what? I have no clue. But those conversations were gold.

His father was from Brazil, where Junior was also born. Mine was from Ecuador, where as I child I had never been. He encouraged me to do so, telling me that our heritage, our family, our roots, were important and to be cherished.

Junior married the love of his life one week after I married mine. We laughed about it, and compared details in planning and shared many “ME TOO’s” – as our wedding receptions were at the same site.

The day I learned his name wasn’t actually Junior was a hoot. I’m named after my father, he said. But your dad’s name is Mario? Your real name is Jose? I questioned. He laughed and shook his head. Right. Jose Mario Barotti, Jr. JUNIOR, silly.

At a time when so many teens are – let’s be realistic here – self-absorbed and difficult, Junior was the opposite. He was kind. He was thoughtful. He was fun-loving. He was genuine. His older brother Chris was just the same. And as you’d imagine, both brothers grew into incredible men.

I don’t understand why Junior’s time was so short. Why he was only able to know his three daughters briefly and why cancer forced him to leave his incredibly strong and loving wife Alli behind.

Another childhood friend proposed a beautiful, comforting image. Junior, who passed away while in hospice care, with his family by his side, was greeted in heaven by another childhood friend who died in a car accident in 1994, just weeks before Christmas.

The two men – both free of their pain – hugged and were reunited after nearly 20 years apart. And they are now waiting, with open arms and open hearts, for the rest of their loved ones to someday join them.

If you knew Junior, please share a memory of him. (silly or serious) Rest in Peace, my friend.

Guest post: There’s a first time for everything

March 20, 2014 by scootadoot

“What was I thinking?” This is the question that kept running through my head on Friday night – the night before my first half marathon. Less than six months before I thought anyone who ran more than a 5k for fun was insane. Less than six months before that I was among those who swore I’d never run unless someone was chasing me. With a knife. And there was a delicious fruity and alcoholic drink waiting for me when I was safely away from said knife-wielding maniac.

Well, there I was, my alarm set for 4AM, running gear meticulously lain out – double and triple checked (because I’m a little obsessive like that) waiting for sleep. It came intermixed with dreams of showing up naked or, even worse, without my race bib. Thoughts like, what if I have to use the bathroom on the course? and what if I break an ankle half a mile from the finish line? plagued me. At one point I woke up cursing the friends who talked me into a race with promises of glory and pride and bling! Did I mention that among these friends was your favorite runner and mine, Meridith? Thanks, Mer.

I decided that 3:45 was close enough to 4am and rolled out of bed. Up and at ‘em! I threw on my clothes – what a process it was to figure out what I was going to wear! All winter I had been training in sub-freezing weather, but that morning it was 50 degrees. Yikes! Too warm for cold weather gear, not quite warm enough for my regular stuff. So I found a happy medium. Then it was time for breakfast. Peanut butter and sliced banana on wheat toast. For the record, yuck. But it works.

After a few last minute words of advice from my runner husband and a kiss for luck, I was out the door by 4:50. My stomach was still churning when I met my friends at the rendezvous point for carpooling into DC. Thank goodness for the former DC-dweller turned suburbanite who drove us downtown, because the rest of us would’ve been completely lost. Fast forward: we park in the lot, hit the portajon, take Metro to the starting line. It was there that we discovered the VIP portapotties. Yes. V.I.P. porta potties. Complete with red carpet and velvet ropes. Who knew? After seeing the lines for the not-so-important-people restrooms, I briefly wished I had forked over the cash for the climate controlled, easily accessible luxury.

Then it was time to find our corrals. Since the girls I rode in with are considerably faster than I, we headed in opposite directions. I found myself in corral 30 and luckily made a new buddy – another first timer with fast friends in an earlier corral.

Corral pals!

She made waiting for the start so much less stressful. Don’t get me wrong, I was still bouncing on my toes anxious but, had Angie not been there, I might have had a very different experience.

The energy at the race was fantastic! Because it was a Rock ‘n’ Roll event, there were great bands along the course and those who lived on the course put their boomboxes on their front porches or had their car stereos blasting. Good thing too! The local cell and data network was so overloaded because of the influx of people that my Pandora app wasn’t working! The volunteers at the water and Gatorade stations were fantastic, but the cheering crowds, some with signs, some handing out beer, made the race!

I started out strong. I kept telling myself to slow down and try not to bonk. It totally worked for the first 5 ½ miles. Then came the hill. I will have nightmares about this hill for the rest of my life. The elevation climbed from 24 feet to 197 feet in less than 1/3 of a mile. When I tell you that it looked (and felt) like we were going straight up, I do not exaggerate. Probably 85% of the people around me had to walk it, and some even did so backwards to take the strain off their hamstrings and shift into using their quads. It was rough.

Accurate sign is accurate.

My legs were fried by the top and it really messed with the rest of my race. At that point I made a conscious decision that I would basically power walk uphill and only run the downhills. I wasn’t happy about it, but I did what I had to do to get it done. Thankfully, the end of the race was downhill so I was able to run through the finish line and smile for the cameras.

I collected my medal (which, if it wasn’t so darn heavy, I would wear it until the ribbon gave out) and headed through the finishers’ chute. I was very happily surprised when I turned at the sound of my name and realized that Victoria, another of my favorite Scoot a Dooters, had found me in the midst of 25,000 people.

All in all, it was great day. I am incredibly proud that I completed the course and have a shiny new medal to show for it.

I am hopeful that the whole experience will be like childbirth in that it’s pretty painful, but worth it, and a few days later you want to do it all over again. It better be since Meri and Vic suckered me into signing up for another half in six weeks. Yikes!

Keri is a stay-at-home mom to twins who loves to travel and over-indulges in historical fiction. She has been known to tone down her innate awesomeness in order to make those around her more comfortable.

Everyone has to start somewhere! We want to hear about your firsts – whether it be your first run, 5k, 10k, half marathon, or marathon. What did you do beforehand that worked well? What would you do differently?

Mother Runner Giveaway Winner and Spring Break Fun

March 19, 2014 by beewhobabbles

Hey runner friends! Last week, I told you about the Mother Runner event in Orlando, and how I purchased some pretty sweet goodies for one of you. This morning, I picked a winner-

Congrats to Nicole, who won via Facebook entry! Check your email, Nicole, so I can send you your prize! Thank you to all who entered.

It’s Spring Break here in the Babbles house and our days have been packed with fun, fun, and more fun. This mother runner is very tired, but I adore having all of my babes at home with me. Here are some of the things we’re enjoying this week:

The Disney Infinity game. We all have our favorites, and Rapunzel is mine. (Shocking.)
photo 5-10

Movie Mornings in our pajamas. We don’t watch tv during the school week, so the opportunity to watch tv while eating breakfast is a welcome change for these littles. (Did Disney pick a good week for the Frozen dvd release or what?)

photo 1-13

Speaking of Frozen, of course we picked up our dvd yesterday! We stood in a pretty long line at the Disney Store, where I also bought this adorable coffee mug-

photo 4-11

The bowling alley and arcade, and time with their Uncle and soon-to-be Aunt. These girls love air hockey!

photo 2-18

These crayons. My older girl and I sat for over an hour and colored with them. The glide on the paper like an oil pastel, and then once you brush with water, you get the watercolor effect AND they sparkle brighter than Edward Cullen.

photo 3-13

I also love that nail polish (Deborah Lippmann She Bop) and the treadmill, because that’s the only way I’m getting to run this week. One thing we don’t love is sleeping in. The kids are all still a little off from the time change. Or they’re just early morning people like their mother.

Anyway- Happy Spring Break if you’re on one, and Happy Wednesday if you aren’t. Time to go pack lunches for today’s outing.

Any Disney Infinity players out there? Favorite Frozen character? Favorite arcade game? Favorite Spring Break activity? Talky!

RnR USA: Racing in Washington DC!

March 18, 2014 by vfreile

It was well over a year since my last Rock n’ Roll marathon event and I was long overdue.

So when my friend Traci asked me to join her for the 2014 Rock ‘n’ Roll USA marathon and half-marathon, the decision was simple. We headed south Friday, the day before the race, and after a quick stop to drop our bags at the hotel we headed to the race expo, held at the Armory. We’d left behind about 20 inches of snow from a mid-March blizzard and were itching for warmer weather.

We were in and out of the expo quickly, as we were on a schedule and needed to get to Virginia. The expo had quite a few vendors – running gear for any and all was aplenty! But we retrieved our race packets and changed Traci’s corral quickly. She bought a new shirt and visor and we headed right back out door.

On race morning, we left early and took the Metro in from Virginia to Central DC. We arrived just before 6 a.m. – well ahead of the crowd of nearly 25,000 runners. We were able to drop our bags (to collect after the race) with ease and found an indoor restroom to use multiple times before we headed to the starting corrals along Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the National Mall.

We headed into our corral, right next to the Museum of Natural History, about 15 minutes before the 7:30 a.m. race start and chatted race strategy for a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to toss the throwaway clothes.

Farewell, old friend

It may sound silly, but I was rather attached to this pair of pants and honestly, I wasn’t completely willing to discard them. They’d accompanied me to numerous regattas over the years, including The Head of the Charles and even Worlds in St. Kit’s. They also came with me to celebrate my most recent marathon in NYC. But I knew they would go to good home, as all discarded clothing is collected and donated in the DC area.

Before I knew it, we had started moving toward the starting line. 12 minutes after the first wave started the race, we joined them on the course.

The start

Within the first mile, we ran past The White House and the Washington Monument. Our second mile brought the Lincoln Memorial and a run-by of Arlington National Cemetery. The next few miles flew by – we hugged the Potomac River, we ran through a wooded area by the National Zoo and up one darn steep hill toward Calvert Street.

I knew that hill was coming, but ouch. STEEP!

I ran the half to pace Traci for the first part of her full marathon. Our goal was to stay as close to 10-minute miles as possible, even building in a bit of a buffer as we ran. Every so often, I’d call out our pace — letting her know if were were going too fast or too slow.

Shortly after we passed the Mile 7 marker, Traci let me know she needed a bathroom. We spotted a gas station and veered off the course. Why not? It couldn’t hurt to ask.

Inside, the clerk waved Traci into the employee-only restroom as soon as it was vacated by another relieved runner. I stretched and thanked him repeatedly as she was otherwise occupied.

Two minutes later, we were again on the road and on a mission to make up at least half of the lost time. We sprinted by a hill on Harvard Street and zipped past Howard University before we pulled in the reigns.

We were back on track.

We didn’t chat a whole lot those last few miles together. We were busy admiring the views – particularly of The Capitol building as we ran south along North Capitol Street.

The half course included 12 live bands and the full course had twice as many on-stage performers. I loved the live music as I ran ran past each stage. Also on the course were thousands of DC residents and fans, many holding witty signs and offering beer to runners. No really, it’s beer, a few fine folks chanted as we ran by.

Traci and I split apart shortly after mile 12, and I cheered her along, knowing full well she was on track to meet her time goal of 4:30.

My last mile was my fastest of the race. I zipped past other runners and cheered as I bolted along those last few streets. Several last turns and I reached the finish line just outside RFK Stadium. 2:06:31. I’ll take it!

I grew up not far from DC and my family visited many times each year. But as an adult, I hadn’t spent much time in our nation’s capital. I actually hadn’t been there in over a decade, outside the airports. Running through DC – past monuments and neighborhoods – yielded a flood of childhood memories.

I bee-bopped my way around the post-race party for the next few hours and cheered a few friends to the finish. I spotted friend Keri shortly after she finished her FIRST-EVER half-marathon!

With Keri, who is GLOWING, after her first half! Congrats lady!

I also enjoyed a post-race beer at the concert beer garden. The beer’s included in your race entry. Sweet!

my blinged-out beer

A jammin’ post-race concert is always a large draw for the Rock n’ Roll Marathon races, and RnRUSA was no different. Indie-folk rock band The Head and the Heart headlined the post-race concert to a lively crowd.

With The Head and the Heart, after the concert

Then it came, the notice I’d been waiting for – the text that Traci had finished her race! She surpassed her goal and bested her previous marathon time by 30 minutes! It took me another 30 minutes to locate her – but we connected at our prearranged meeting spot and together headed back into the beer garden for her celebratory drink!

Traci and me, post race!

We had a fabulous day and look forward to running again in 2015!

Have you run in our nation’s capital? (In a race or just for fun?) Have you ever paced a friend? What’s your post-race drink of choice? BEER? Gatorade? chocolate milk? Tell me in the comments!

2014 Adrenaline 5k – PR Assist

March 17, 2014 by Meridith

Jay and I are quickly approaching 11 years of wedded bliss. There’s a lot we have in common, the core being that we are both nerds. We totally and completely geek out over things that we are passionate about. For example, we were both at the Veronica Mars movie Friday night, giggling and chair dancing. (Okay, maybe I was the only one chair dancing.)

Some things he geeks out over, I just… I don’t understand. Like Lord of the Rings. Let’s not even talk about the fact that I didn’t see Star Wars until he forced me to watch it in my late twenties. Or his reaction when I fell asleep while we watched.

To be fair, the pendulum swings the other way as well. I geek out over running. And try as he might, he just isn’t at the same level of Running Geek as I am. Bless his heart! That’s why when he actually signs up for a race and seems slightly excited for it, it makes me even more stoked. Think puppy with peanut butter.

I’ve participated in the Haddonfield Adrenaline 5k for the past three years; the first year I was fairly new to racing and he was there for emotional support, last year he joined me on the course for his first ever 5k. This year we decided to stick together so that I could help him PR.

This race is in its 9th year and the reason why I think it’s an area favorite is because of one simple fact- it’s a race for runners, by runners. The Haddonfield (Moorestown/Mullica Hill) Running Company has been in business for 17 years and hosts the event; they know what runners want.

Close parking – CHECK
Packet pickup both prior to and on race day – CHECK
Fun/fast course – CHECK
Party after at the store – CHECK
Another party that evening at a bar – CHECK (not that we were there, but parties are always a good time!)

Since it’s a favorite among the area residents, we always see a good handful of people we know at this race. It’s not uncommon to post “Who’s going to be at the Adrenaline 5k?” on Facebook and have resounding YESES come back at’cha.

Hail, hail, the gang’s all here!

It was a bit rainy prior to the race which was a surprise and we all watched the clouds overhead to see what Mother Nature was going to throw at us. However, she was just playing around this time. Probably because she knew it was Megan’s 40th birthday!

Close to 9am, Jay and I moseyed on over to the starting line, waving to our fast friends and placing ourselves toward the back of the pack.

Just over 900 runners.

The game plan was pretty straight forward, we’d run the first straight away and then switch to 1:1 intervals for the remainder of the race. I decided to ditch my watch and just go with what Jay felt comfortable with, taking my cues off of him for pace.

Promptly at 9am, the race started and we crossed the mat around 1:06. From there, I followed Jay. The first half mile or so, I hung directly behind him so that he could weave and find a comfortable spot in the pack. The race is through the local town which is super cute, so I spent a good portion of the run checking out the houses and waving to the residents along the route.

We took advantage of the down hill (that comes before the uphill in this race) and Jay grabbed a quick drink of water around 1.8 miles. There’s one uphill and it comes just before the mile 2 mark. I wasn’t sure how Jay would approach it but when I tell you that he FLEW up that hill, I’m not exaggerating. He seriously pushed and it was crazy impressive!

As we wound our way back to the main road and the final stretch of the race, I could tell that he was ready to be done. During these times I tried to push the pace on the walking intervals so that he wouldn’t slow down too much.

There were adorable little girls giving high fives in the middle of the street that helped make that last stretch more fun (I was having fun the entire time but I was trying not to be too rah-rah cheerleader). You can see the finish line about a quarter mile down the road and it definitely helps the morale to know you’re nearly done.

Once we were about a tenth a mile away from the finish, Jay was ready to push hard and finish strong. Right around this time, our friends were along the route, cheering as we went by! We crossed the finish line, he stopped Runkeeper and realized he’d hit a personal record, cutting his time by nearly a minute.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Brandi and Sean found us and we got a couple of post-race snacks (they had an assortment of bagels, bananas, oranges and water) before heading over to the Running Company store for the post-race party!

Two of my favorite race buddies.

Why yes, those WOULD be Jersey cakes. Jersey pride!

The store hosts an ah-mazing party, with food from the local catering company, Apron. There was an incredible sweet potato salad that was called Born to Run salad that was so good, it would have made Bruce sing. We chatted with friends, snacked on food, and drank beer (yes, at 10am). And since we were there, Jay and I got our long overdue running shoes.

All in all, an incredible time, as expected! We’ll be back and maybe, just maybe, I’ll turn Jay into a full-fledged Running Geek.

What do you geek out about? Ever run with a friend (or a husband or a wife) and “help” them PR? Did you see Veronica Mars? (Because we should TOTALLY geek out together over that.)

Guest Post: Mermaid Run in San Francisco

March 14, 2014 by scootadoot

Last fall, I participated in my fourth Mermaid Run in San Francisco, which is hands-down my favorite event of the year for many reasons.

First off, the 2010 Mermaid Run was my first-ever 10k. The race takes place in my favorite American city, the course is stunning and the weather is perfect for running. The event has a small(ish) participant field and is one of the most organized runs I’ve participated in, the energy is amazing and swag is awesome!

My participant shirt, finisher necklace and race bib

2013 was an exciting year for the Mermaid Run San Francisco, as race organizers added a new distance, a 10-mile race dubbed The Sirena 10.

But even better than the new race length was its course, which would include an out-and-back trek on the Golden Gate Bridge. I could not pass up an opportunity to run across the bridge, so Sirena 10 it was!

Registration opened up right around my birthday so my son gave me one of the best gifts ever, registration for this run… thank you Rob!

before the race

The 2013 race was held on Sunday morning so I arrived in San Francisco early Saturday afternoon and headed straight to the Sports Basement Presidio to retrieve my race packet which consisted of my bib, participant shirt and a Mermaid Run headband. Packet pick-up for this race is always well organized and efficient, so I was in and out in 15 minutes leaving me with plenty of time to enjoy the city before grabbing some Korean hot pot for dinner and turning in early to ensure I would be well rested for my run in the morning.

Sirena 10 Runners lined up at the start

My hotel was a little more than a mile from the start at the Marina so getting there in plenty of time for the 7:30 am start was a breeze for me – a 15 minute walk on Divisadero Street and I was there. It was chilly and windy waiting for the race to start but runners and spectators were having a great time chatting, snapping photos and enjoying the stunning vistas the Marina has to offer.

The three event distances (10m, 10k & 5k) had staggered start times to account for the difference in the course for each distance, right at 7:30 the Sirena 10 runners set off.

We headed out Yacht Road and on to Mason Street towards Crissy Field, right away I noticed that there wasn’t any crowding on the course and was extremely thankful for those staggered start times. Before I knew it, I passed the first mile marker and we veered left on Crissy Field Avenue toward the Presidio.

I’ll admit it. This is the part of the course I had been dreading. While the next two miles would get me to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, it also meant one thing, running uphill.

I wasn’t excited.

Once I made my way up to Fort Point Historic Site and caught my first glimpse of the iconic bridge, those rotten hills were forgotten.

first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge from Bay Trail

Many runners stopped mid-stride to capture the amazing view of the bridge before continuing on to mile 3 and our run across the Golden Gate Bridge.

I’m not going to lie, this is what I had been waiting months to do.

I walked across the bridge years ago. Last summer my son Rob, boyfriend Tony and I rented bikes and rode across the bridge, from San Francisco to Sausalito.

And of course I’ve driven across the great Golden Gate countless times.

But I wanted to run across it. And I was about to…. well, after I took in the absolutely AMAZING view, snapped a handful of pictures which included a shameless selfie or two.

The view right before mile 4 was breathtaking.

I found my happy pace around mile 4 and headed for my happy place as I started to make my across the bridge.

I was in awe of not only the view but of all the amazing women who were already making their way back across the bridge toward the finish. I happily clapped and cheered on the lead runner and several of the others behind her as I made my way to the end of the bridge, Vista Point and mile 5, the halfway point and turn around.

The view from Vista Point.

Running back to San Francisco we were running toward traffic. Quite a drivers waved and honked as they passed by. And I got rather excited when the Bacon Bacon truck passed me, which, in turn, made me start planning my post-race bacon-centered meal.

The run back felt effortless. I was truly swept up in the moment and loved taking it all in. Before I knew it I reached the end of the bridge and mile 7.

One fabulous perk of having to run hills at the start of the race is that those same hills become your best friend on the return route. DOWNHILL!

I ran back down Bay Trail and Long Avenue before we merged with those running the 10k on Marine Drive, we made our final turn at the Warming House at Fort Point and ran those last two miles to the finish.

I am a Mermaid Athlete.

2013 was by far was my favorite Mermaid Run! The course was stunning, and I kept thinking to myself while I was running is how lucky I am to get the opportunity to run in such an amazing city with such magnificent views and have perfect running weather in early November.

With the hills, I was concerned I would fall off pace and slow way down, but much to my surprise that didn’t really happen. I was only 5 minutes off my normal 10 mile time. And I paused more than once to snap some photos!

I definitely rode my runner’s high well into the day. The Mermaid Run San Francisco remains my favorite event of 2013 and you can bet I’ll be back next year! I hope the Sirena 10 will be as well.

2014 race info

Are you interested in running the 2014 Mermaid Run? Registration is underway for the Nov. 9 event.

Early registration fees end May 31 and range from $40 to $70 (depends on which distance you pick!)

Can’t make it to the San Francisco run? There’s also a Mermaid Run in East Bay on May 10. That weekend series includes a 5k, 10k, half-marathon and 18-miler. Registration is between $45 and $75 through May 8.

Oh and in case you were wondering, I did have that bacon after the race. Like the run, it was perfect.

Heather is a mom, runner, crossfitter and contract administrator. She blogs at Heather in the Middle and can be found on Twitter at @hsb0372.

Do you have a favorite annual road race? Have your ever run across an incredibly large bridge? (That’s a hill in itself!)

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