Atlanta Dogwood Festival Mimosa 5K

The boyfriend and I ran a 5K a couple of weekends ago. We'd been talking about running a race together and chose the Atlanta Dogwood Festival Mimosa 5K because of it's location. We live right near Piedmont Park so it was super easy to walk to the starting line.

That 8 AM start time kind of sucked. It's been pretty warm in Atlanta this month but the high for April 9 was 62 degrees. It was like 40 degrees when we woke up. Even though it was cold, I decided to wear my brown Oiselle Roga shorts. I love these running shorts and I got them for a sick discount because apparently no one but me wants poop brown shorts. Last summer, I went to our local running store to try a pair on and I had to size up from the size 6 because they were too small for my booty. I bought the size 8 but had to tie them tight around the waist. Now that I've lost weight, the waistband is getting too large and I might have to accept that Roga shorts aren't made for runners with small waists and large bums. I completed the outfit with a Fabletics long-sleeved tech top and my Saucony racing flats.

Atlanta Pride Run 2014

Yesterday I ran the 2014 Atlanta Pride Run and Walk 5K. It was my first 5K race in 2014 and the only short distance I've raced since the Oyster Bay Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. I came in first in my age group and in 6th for women. My time was 23:41.20, not my fastest 5K time by any means, but it was hot, there were a lot of hills, and everyone was talking about how slowly they ran (even the sub-20 finishers.) I'm feeling good about my time. Even while I was running the race, I thought about how I needed to reset my expectations because I have never raced in Atlanta before.

The race was held in Piedmont Park and I live right there so I walked over. I was hoping there would be baggage check so I didn't have to run with my iPhone and keys but I was out of luck. I imagine baggage check is unnecessary when most participants drive to the race. Thankfully I had thought to wear my iFitness running belt.

Caumsett 50K 2013

Because this is what you do when you finish a 50K

I finished another 50K! It felt much harder this year, but I was able to finish really strong. I was running sub-7s as I came in.

I really appreciated your messages! Unfortunately Soundcloud killed my phone battery somewhere around 14 miles, so I didn't get to see most of them until I finished, but it was awesome to see all of your support when I got back into the car.

10 miles down, 21 miles to go

I ran the race in 5:21:49.21 (slower than last year), and I am okay with this time. I came in 40th place, I was the 9th woman, and I came in 2nd in the 25-29 division. I got two medals, one for finishing and one for coming in second place.

 

Stayed tuned for more posts about the Caumsett 50K this week.

Packet Pick-up and Early Morning Slurpees

You know you are going to have one hell of a successful day when you wake up at 6 AM and ask, "Where am I?" and "Who are you?"... out loud. I was at the 34 year-old's and the 34 year-old was next to me. I was also fully dressed, including my contacts and shoes.

I definitely should have thrown up before going to work.

Obviously I decided it was time to hightail it out of there (because at 6 AM you really only see runners and crackheads on your way home) and go to 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. I seriously struggled to get the top onto my Slurpee cup and that's how I knew I was still very drunk.

6 AM Slurpee run

Last night the Professor and I headed out to Brooklyn to the Gibson to pick up our race packets. We were concerned about making the round trip in under and hour because of Occupy Wall Street taking over the bridges, but we managed to pop in and out.

The prettiest race bib I have ever seen.

Awesome tech shirts. I can't wait to wear mine.

The back of the shirt and the Brooklyn Marathon sponsors.

This timing chip system is worn on your shoe.
You must return it to receive an official time.

Mahlon Mayhem to Massachusetts

T and I took off for Oak Ridge, New Jersey on Saturday morning. We made good time, arriving with over an hour to spare. Good thing too as we took a wrong turn 500 feet away from the parking lot and ended up on some random backroad where we saw a bear, yes a BEAR, in someone's front yard. We're literally driving down the road, when I stop and say, "Dude, there's a black bear eating those people's plants." Obviously we took a bunch of pictures while discussing what to do if we encountered a bear during the race.

We arrived at our destination and caught a ride up to the Mahlon-Dickerson Reservation. A 100K, a 75K, a 50K, a 25K, and a 12.5K race were being offered. We had signed up for the wimpy 12.5K, but with two marathons looming, we decided not to risk severe overuse injuries. The other races had already begun and we waited for 10 AM to roll around. Soon it was our turn to take off into the woods.

I started out in the lead, but a woman who looked like an experienced trail-runner quickly passed me. I know my own abilities and decided it wasn't worth it to try to keep up. I held second place for a while until Annoying Guy in the Red Shirt came up behind me. I allowed him to pass. One of the weirder things about running while multiple races are taking place is trying to remember who you are competing against. When you see incredibly fit people moving at a slow pace or evening walking, you have to remember that they might be running over 60 miles while you are running under 8.

The course was different from the Greenbelt Trail. It was mostly flat and much more rocky. There was one stretch that was covered in small, sharp rocks that I could feel through the sneakers I am wear testing. I wish I could tell you more about these shoes, but I'm under contract to keep my mouth shut. All I will say is that they look awesome but I don't recommend them for technical trail. The course was a lollipop loop so we got to cover this lovely rocky stretch TWICE, and by the end of it I was begging for the tree roots and steep inclines of Long Island.

There was a good crowd out there, which you tend to find at trail races. T commented on how different the atmosphere is than at a road race. People are laid back and friendly, even though they must possess a certain kickass attitude to subject themselves to long-distance trail runs. I saw a guy I had seen earlier on walking part of a hill. I decided to walk too, and as I approached him he told me that there was only 1.5 mile left in the loop and to get going. I took off and knew I could come in strong. I had forgotten to eat my KIND bar so I tried to gag down as much as I could before I hit the pending wall.

As I cruised down through the remaining trail, I came across Anthony, a runner who was attempting his first 100K. I had noticed him because of his tattoos and his sick Salomon trail shoes. He was fading but I guess I inspired him to kick it up a notch because he said he was going to use me to pace him. We went hard and fast until we approached the trail head. I threw down my water bottle and my hat (which I hadn't worn since mile 1 - it was incredibly annoying!) and sprinted in across the finish line. I completed the 12.5K loop in 1:12:22, beating my goal of 1:20:00. I finished second place for women and third overall.

I waited for T to come in at 1:34:34. Her time was creepy considering her bib said 134, but sometimes bib numbers are signs of things to come. Let's remember when I wore number 21 and PR'd a 5K at 21:36. We both won beer glasses for placing. Sadly we could not stay to barbecue with the other runners because we had a ferry to catch in Rhode Island.

After lunch and shopping in Westport, we finally beat the traffic and made it to Quonset Point for the 5:30 ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Much joyous debauchery ensued. I woke up the next morning to a half and half screwdriver and things quickly deteriorated from there. We spent the day boating and beaching before heading back to the mainland. We arrived back in New York at 1 AM on Monday morning and I can honestly say I have suffered from a debilitating hangover since then until this evening. I am not as young as I used to be and this morning's 6.6 mile run almost killed me.

16th Annual Bayville 5K

I determined that my tattoos could withstand a little sneaker action and decided to run the Bayville 5K. The course is very similar to the Michael Trauma course, but instead it began and ended at West Harbor Beach. The weather was beautiful, and we couldn't have asked for better racing conditions.  I decided to do things a little differently this time and started up at the front of the pack. I think this was a good decision as I finished my first mile in 6 minutes and 43 seconds. Miles two and three didn't go by as quickly as I would've liked, and the run from the police booth back to West Harbor beach felt like it took forever. I finished in 22:14.7 - nine seconds longer than the Michael Trama race. I think my extra weight is slowing me down.

I won my age group (it's actually not that hard considering very few 19-24 year old girls run these races) and received a spiffy medal. This guy Chris came up to me after the race to thank me for beating his friend. This guy had pulled ahead of me between miles 2 and 3, but he didn't bring enough to the finish line. I easily passed him with 500 yards to go. This just proves that every little bit counts, especially at these Long Island races where there is room to move around.

Mile 22 Bags

I just discovered Mile 22 Bags. This Missoula, Montana based company will make you custom-made bags out of your race bibs, t-shirts, pictures, and other memorabilia. How awesome is that? They are also strangely affordable. The Finish Line Bag, a classic tote that comes in small or large, is priced at $70 and $80 respectively. I'm eyeing the messenger bag that is currently in development.

I think these bags have a lot of potential. They would be especially cute if you chose a theme, such as marathons, races run in a given area, or maybe the bibs from the same race but different years. Another idea would be to pick items of a certain color - I'm always partial to blue.

Check out the different Mile 22 Bags at http://www.mile22bags.com/bag-styles/