Marine Corp Half Marathon 2014

This race recap is long over due, but I think this is a really good race so  I am going to do one anyways. 

Last Sunday, I made the trip to Fredericksburg, VA and ran in the Marine Corp Half Marathon. 

This race holds a special place in my heart. 

It was the first half marathon I'd ever ran. 

My twin sister and I have ran it together for the past 5 years. Unfortunately, she moved to Charleston, WV this past winter and couldn't be there:-(

This is the race that I broke my foot in two years ago.

This year, I decided not to race. A friend in my office asked me to pace her and help her beat the two hour mark. 

As much as I love racing, taking it easy (for me) and enjoying the experience is pretty great, too.

This race is ALWAYS a good time. The expo is big. The race is organized reallllly well, has plenty of volunteers, and always starts on time. 

You start and finish at the same place, too. I really like this.  Shuttles sucks.

 This picture is of the Marines walking in the final runner. They were singing and marching with him the entire way. It literally brought some people to tears.

 You can just feel the patriotism around you. The commodore. The passion. 

While there is a KILLER hill at the end (the incline on your treadmill would be set at 12 to mimic that hill) and it's a little busier than I like my races, it's one I'll do every year. 

Running Sans Watch.

    The other day, I was getting ready to go for my run, walked outside, and could feel the air. 

You know what I'm talking about. That heavy, muggy, humid feeling that makes you not want to run.

I knew I didn't want to skip it though. I mean, summers in the DMV aren't know for their fresh, crisp heat. It's humidity allllll the way. So I may as well get used to it. 

I drove to my running trail before noticing that something else didn't quite feel right. 

I accidentally wore my lifting shoes! Fail! I had them on earlier to walk my daughter to the bus stop and totally forget. 

Hell if I was turning around though. It's annoying enough I have to drive somewhere to go run. Damn country back roads. 

I decided I needed to do it a bit different today.

I took off my GPS and just ran. Dun Dun Dun.

My runners can empathize with how damn hard that is to do. We are competitive little bitches with ourselves. Almost 100% of the time. 

The run felt GREAT! Hot and sweaty and a great chance to get out there in the sun. 

Without killing myself over numbers. 

Then, of course, I ate. 

Romaine Lettuce, Orange, Yellow, and Green Peppers, Dried Cranberries, Goat Cheese, Sunflower Seeds, and Chicken Apple Sausage.

a deliciously salty salad. 

My goat cheese addiction is still going strong. 

Do you ever run naked? (sans GPS)

Is it humid where you are?

What's your favorite salad combo?

My First HOT Run of the Year

Hey there! How are things going? 

I cannot believe it's the weekend already. Let's hop right into things shall we? First and foremost, the winner of the race entry for the Williamsburg Half Marathon is RunningWithSass! Congratulations!!

Man. As much as everybody was bitching about the cold weather staying here forever, I'm certainly not too happy that summer is here and it's only mid-May. 

Thursday morning was a bit rough for me, so I decided to wait to run during work. 

But first, a volunteer organization was at our work serving steak lunches for free. Even though I'm not a huge fan of steak, this girl doesn't turn down free. 

So I had about 2/3 of a steak and the ice cream. 

and then I realized it was 78 degrees.

Meat and dairy before a HOT run? Suuuuuper idea, right? Determined, I left anyways. Not feeling to confident about my decision.

This beautiful little oasis saved my life though. (One good thing about running in DC is there are quite a few water fountains around)

DC water has never tasted so good!

(Check the new Brooks PureCadence 3 in the picture! I traded in the Transcends.....they just weren't working for me)

To my surprise though, the run totally rocked! I ran 5 strong, hot, sweaty miles and felt great. 

It's about time I switched my fuel from healthy grains to ice cream:-)

What is your best pre-race meal?

I have been doing dates recently. Delicious, quick energy.

Is it getting hot where you are?

It's going to be 91 degrees on Monday!