Recap: ING Miami Half Marathon

February 2, 2012 By DanaJ Leave a Comment

This Sunday I completed my second half marathon, ING Miami! I had a great time in Miami and the race was well organized. This was my very first trip to Miami and I already want to go back. I’m thinking about signing up for the half again in 2013. Or maybe I’ll get ambitious and go for the full. Who knows :) The course was almost entirely flat. Kind of like running on a treadmill for 13.1 miles for anyone who has ever done that. I haven’t. But someone may have out there…That’s what it felt like at some points.

Anyway, Sunday was race day and it seemed like everything that could go wrong actually did. First things first, I woke up and started getting ready and my hair clip that I love and always wear to run in just happened to break.

Next, while on the train ride to the starting line my headphones decided to break.

I needed new headphones anyway…

This just sucked. To top it off, the weather was humid and somewhere in the mid 70s upper 80s. So I was slightly over dressed and I got super hot after mile 3. I normally don’t get hot and sweaty until 5 miles in and I had to stop to go to the bathroom because I drank too much water before the race. All of this sucked. But you know what? I STILL ran the entire 13.1 miles (it was 13.2 according to my Garmin, odd but true). So I’m proud of myself and I learned a few things in the process.

1. Never do anything new on race day – I told myself I wouldn’t do this, but then I did. I wore a new shirt and sports bra that I didn’t train in, plus a new headband and I had a new arm band. Well, I chaffed terribly due to the sports bra and the new arm band. The headband worked out alright and kept sweat out of my face. No more new stuff the day of for me…

2. Fly in 2 days before the race – I flew in 1 day prior to the race. That wasn’t the best idea at all. Next time I’ll try to at least fly in on Friday night so that Saturday can be a rest day.

3. I CAN run an entire half with NO music – I did several practice runs without my iPod but not more than 10 miles. To get through the race I prayed, meditated and took in the sites. We ran past the Miami port, American Airlines Arena where the Miami Heat play, over several bridges and past the Miami Herald so there were lots of things to look at. Plus along the way bands, drumlines and dance teams lined the streets. I also made up motivational quotes along the way. My favorite: Spread your legs and RUN! Now I want a t-shirt with the saying. lol

4. Hydrate! – I do a terrible job at drinking enough water before races. I should have had more water the day before not an hour before the race.

5. Be careful not to overdress – I was over dressed for this race. I wish I had just worn a sports bra. Would have been MUCH cooler. The sun wasn’t even out but that heat was killer!

Me post race with my metal

Me with my running roommates

I’m looking at doing another half marathon or two this year. On my goals list (which I promise to share soon) I wrote down that I want to run 300 miles this year. So, I have to make that happen!

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My First Race of 2012: ING Miami

January 27, 2012 By DanaJ 2 Comments

This weekend I am doing my first race of 2012! It’s the ING Miami Half.

(via)

I have 3 races lined up for this year already! Amazingly, I’m doing one race per month so far from January-March. This one is the only half marathon. The other two are fun 5ks with friends. Maybe I should add “do one race per month” to my smart goal list? I’m still working on that and I promise to share when I’m done. :) The ING Miami is my second half marathon. I did the ING in Georgia in 2010. Since I’m working on setting goals more with everything I do, I have to put out there what I would like to accomplish on Sunday during the race. No, I’m not trying to PR. At all. I believe I finished around 2:23 for my first half. I walked a little (about .5 of a mile around #8) too because there was a hill and I stretched. So my goal for this weekend is simply to run the entire time. Hopefully, I won’t get all competitive and push myself to run extra fast. I’ve been training and the course is pretty flat!

For my race training I used products from  Vega Sport. I sampled them one day at Whole Foods in Sandy Springs. I swear the samples always do me in at Whole Foods. That’s how I get into new products. I’ve tried Vega products before but what I really liked about the Vega Sport is the taste! Pretty good. I tweeted about the products and they reached out to me about training with them. I’ll do a full review of my favorites on Monday.

Products from the Vega team

Well, I have a busy day today! Packing, working, writing, errands and a quick run. Do you have any big plans for the weekend?

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My New Half Marathon Goal

January 18, 2011 By DanaJ 2 Comments

I am training for my second half marathon. I am doing the Publix Half Marathon. My goal for last year was just to finish! I completed that goal with a time of 2:19. My goal for this year is to finish under 2 hours. If I finish right at 1:58:59 I will be overjoyed! Having a time goal definitely means that I will have to train more effectively.

Running gear:

Brooks Defyance Running shoes

Garmin Forerunner 205

This will be my first time training using a Garmin or anything to monitor mileage. It has been very helpful so far helping me keep track of distance and speed.

iPod nano and wrist band

I don’t always take my iPod, and during the half marathon I turned it off after mile 6. I’m debating on if I should use or take it at all this year.

I’ve been searching for more information on how to finish with a faster time. One of the best sources is Runner’s World. And I also found some great speed workouts from Health.com. Over the rest of the week I will try to narrow down a plan and map out all of my runs. For now, I am committed to 1 hour dance classes for 2 days each week, and at least one social media related or networking event. Those commitments in addition to work and life. That means that I will have to schedule in my runs around those, but I know I can do that! I did it once already.

With my training so far, I am up to 7 miles. However, I have not started speed or interval work which are both necessary.

Have you ever run a half marathon? What advice do you have for running faster?

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Race Relax 5k

June 7, 2010 By DanaJ Leave a Comment

This past weekend I enjoyed running in the Virginia Highlands Summer Fest 5k! This was my second 5k but it was my first tweet-up/social media 5k event. I participated in Get Moving! Race and Relax with a group of diverse, talented and beautiful ladies. For some this was their first race, but for others this was just another race to add to the tally sheet. Overall, each of us were able to get together and enjoy the day first with the race, followed by a relaxing brunch sponsored by The Walt Disney Company at Einsteins ATL.

Me talking with The Broke Socialite

The pre race photo with everyone!

Our lovely event organizers Lorraine & Christie: The BlogRollers!

Me with Lisa

Me focused on finishing the race. This was one tough 5k with the hills of the Virginia Highlands and the heat. I wanted to set a PR, however, once I realized how hot it was and that I had not properly fueled up on pre race water, that wasn’t happening! I happily finished at 31:29. I didn’t beat my time from the Susan G. Komen 5k a few weeks ago. But I was satisfied nonetheless!

I smiled because I saw our photographer (@NuDad) ready to snap photos at the finish line!

All of us with the after race glow at the finished line!

Us with our trophies at Einsteins for brunch!

Our swag bag and all the gifts it gave! The bag was sponsored by Winesisterhood. The Disney Princess Half Marathon shoulder bag and spa gift certificate came from The Walt Disney World Resort. Our custom t shirts, trophies and pre race Cherry tart juice from The Cherry Marketing Institute.  We received spa samples (which I tested out as soon as I got home) from Pampered by Adrienne. Maria Bailey (@MomTalkRadio) added the Zippity Do’s hair conditioner (which is FANTASTIC and I definitely plan to buy) and BioGaia to our bags. It definitely felt like Christmas in June!

I can’t wait until the next Race Relax event. I really enjoyed myself and met some great social media enthusiasts I can relate to. The best part was getting to know so many new people before the race and at the brunch. I’m so thankful I got to be apart of this fun day!

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