Wineglass Half Marathon

Of all of my races I signed up for, this was the one I was looking forward to the most. A glass medal is so unique. In addition, you get a free wine glass and mini champagne bottle! Definitely my kind of race. 

Expo/packet pickup
The expo this year was at the Corning Glass Museum. I overheard another person saying how much nicer it is now that it is at the Museum this year. It gave me the impression that it was elsewhere before. 

There was a sign to go downstairs into the shop; however, there weren't any other signs letting us know where to go from there. I found the expo, but not the packet pickup. Eventually I just asked someone and was directed to the far end of the building. 

Behind the escalators there was a table set up for the bibs then a table for the shirt/wine glass. You receive a long sleeve tech shirt (pink for girls, blue for boys, ugh really?), wine glass, and mini bottle of sparkling wine from a local winery. 

You walk down the hall to double check your timing chip then enter into the expo. 

It is in a meeting room which could be a touch bigger. There were local running shops along with local vendors (honey, wine, etc). There was a large store with lots of branded Wineglass Half and Marathon gear. I picked up ear warmers since the temperature just kept dropping. All I had were caps and I just wanted something to cover my ears. 

Early to bed since the race was scheduled to start at 7:45 with the last bus leaving at 7 am. 

Race day:
A balmy 35 degrees at the start which means it was slightly less (I think 33/34) when I was waiting for the bus. All racers had to meet at the finish line in order to catch a bus to their respective starts. My parents were up with me so my dad was able to drop me off close to the finish line around 6:40. It is definitely not a good sign when you have to scrape ice off of the car before you leave so I was freezing waiting in line. It was not obviously clear which line was for the half marathon and which was for the marathon. I went to the first line I saw and hoped I picked the right one. I made friends quickly since it was a decent wait until we finally got on the very warm bus. It was a quick (15 minutes?) ride to the starting line near a school. We got off of the bus and were greeted with a huge line of porta potties (yea!). My advice: look around at the different lines. Some lines were for only a couple of bathrooms while others used 5 or 6. I picked a quick moving one and got to the start with plenty of time. 

walking to the start

The sun was finally coming up so I was starting to warm up. Unfortunately the race started at 8 and not 7:45 am.

view from the starting line

My race:
I felt much better for this race vs the one I did two weeks prior. For one, it was cooler. Cold is always better than hot! My muscles weren't too sore and my knees didn't bother me. The first couple of miles were just me trying to warm up. Once I hit mile 4 I started striping off layers. The next few miles really just flew by. The scenery was gorgeous with rolling hills and fields.

One road was closed off and just for runners, but then you turn onto a semi-busy road and you are stuck on the shoulder. There are cones and policeman, but I still was not a fan of this. At one point there was a guy who really had to go pee and just ran into the cornfield. Between mile 8 and 9 is when you turn off the roads and into the park/school. 

Around mile 9 I noticed I was doing really well and could possibly PR. I tried to start picking up the pace, but this is where it became tricky getting around people. The path narrows considerably in the park. This is also where a water stop was so people were stopping or walking in the path. You couldn't go around them on the outside so you were stuck slowing down or even stopping yourself. I can tell it did slow me down since I was doing negatives split since mile 9 except for the water break mile. The time between mile 11 and 12 seemed to take forever. I was really pushing myself trying to get that PR.

Soooo close. My Garmin clocked in at 2:14:43. My previous PR was 2:14:20. I did this at the Hershey Half Marathon in 2013. It was my first half and not knowing what to expect, I took it easy. Afterwards I felt great and could have keep running. This go around that was not the case. I definitely was beat. The back of my knee finally started to hurt and I physically felt drained. In order to find our your official time, you scan the QR code on your bib. Annoyingly this meant I had to download an app to see what I did it in. I crossed the finish line at 2:17 and change, but I also knew I started around 8:02. The results were a little behind and stopped around 2:10 time, 2:12 gun time. The website then did not publish an update for another hour and a half UGH! I was dying to know my time. When they finally did update it, it only gave the overall gun time, not your net time. At this point I thought I'd never know my real time. Later that *night* they finally updated it properly with the gun and net times. 22 seconds off my PR :(

best part- finally enjoying the sparkling wine!

My slowest mile: Mile 1- 10:47. My fastest mile: Mile 13- 8:38. Really pleased with my timing. I kept it steady in the mid 10s until mile 9 when I was hitting around 10 minute mile. By mile 12 and 13 I was at 9:14 and 8:38.

The course:
Flat. Technically I think it is considered a downhill course but it really is just a flat course. You definitely cannot tell you are going downhill. There was a minor hill at the beginning of the race and another "hill" to go up to a railroad track. It manages to stay flat while going through the rolling hills of Southern New York. 

The half marathon begins 13 miles from Corning while the full marathon  is 26 miles away. 

It was my first point-to-point race. Parts of the course were very scenic especially the start, but parts were eh. For awhile we ran on a road which was alongside a highway. There were not too many spectators along the course. You go through a couple of small towns which would have a few. Since it was a point-to-point I anticipated fewer fans. The finish line for both the half and full marathon went through the center of the town and had fans lined on both sides of the streets.

Final thoughts:
I would definitely recommend this race. In fact, I hope to come back here someday and do the full marathon. The race would be a touch better if it was a week or two later to coincide with the changing leaves. To me this is the perfect size race- just big enough to get all the goodies and perks of an expo, but not too big that you are overwhelmed and just a number. Best part- the food! Hello pizza mmm. Yes, they were handing out slices of pizza after the race. The rest was fairly typical post-race munchies. Circling this one to do again in the next couple of years. 


Next race: Runner's World 10k

Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon

Ek the time is here! My first half marathon since my accident- 7 weeks, 2 weeks, and 5 days later. It almost felt like I had been in training since I could start walking. I was nervous, anxious, excited, every emotion you can imagine. 


Expo/packet pickup:
As you would imagine, the expo was huge. It was in the Philadelphia Convention Center. First stop- filling out a waiver.

You pick up your packet based on your bib number (you will receive an email with this information). Unfortunately for me there was one lady working two lines. 

Next line- getting your t-shirt. Right across from the pickup is a place to exchange your shirt for another size. 

Finally into the expo. First thing I see, porta potties as fitting rooms. Funny.

The expo had numerous stores, but I skipped them all. I was overwhelmed by the size and had a husband with a broken foot waiting for me. 

Race day:
With an 8 am start time and my hotel being within walking distance of the start, I woke up at a very nice 6 am. This might be the latest I've ever woken up for a race. It was fabulous. Of course I didn't sleep well the night before so I was still tired. The hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 6:30 so every runner tried to get room service between 6 and 6:30. Needless to say, my breakfast came late (and wasn't what I ordered). My stale English muffin would have to do because I was changed and out the door by 7:20. I followed the crowd and was at the start with plenty of time to spare. I was able to see some of the elite runners including Deena Kastor.

There were roughly 20,000 or so runners plus all of the people out supporting them. I have no idea why I wanted to rush because I was in corral 17 (I think there may have been 24 or so corrals). 

It was a crowded mess to get to my corral. I think there was someone checking the earlier corrals to make sure people were going where they were supposed to be. By my corral they didn't care at all. They had speakers at a couple of different corrals to keep the music going while you waited to start. At 8:00 am they started with elites then every so often would have another corral go. It was 8:35 (!) before I crossed the starting line.

My race:
Immediately my knees hurt. I could tell they were acting up beforehand and they did the entire race. It is the outer part of the knee so I think it might be IT band related. Around mile 5 I felt a shooting pain right up my IT band, but it didn't last and I didn't feel it again the rest of the race. I also experienced horrible blisters on both of my pinky toes. I usually put band-aids on the toes next to it because they are prone to being bothered. I either did not pain attention to the seam of the band-aid or they were rough. I tried hard to block out the pain, but it definitely affected me.

It was crazy crowded trying to run.

My husband posted up right after Logan Square which would be just after mile 1 and mile 4. This was a huge lift especially after mile 4. 

It was easy to feed off of the crowd the first few miles. I had to keep trying to hold myself back. Some of the bands were decent too. About mile 5 is when you start going into the park and away from the crowds. I was so into the crowds and seeing my husband that I forgot to fuel myself at mile 4. My standard is two Shot Bloks- one caffeine and one regular. 

The park portion of the race had some great running trails. It was really nice running through this part. I tried to not focus on my toes and knees and just enjoy it. 

There was a minor hill but it did not bother me. I started noticing more and more medical stops. I also started noticing more and more people requiring medical stops. Somewhere in the 6 to 8 mile range there were a couple of random people with boom boxes. I thoroughly enjoyed having this extra music along the quiet path. One of the guys was doing a dance show for us runners. I also saw two runners in squirrel customers. Straight up head to toe squirrel customers. Love it. I popped a couple of caffeine Shot Bloks at mile 8 and it really gave me a boost. This was also about the time where you go over Falls Bridge and turn around back towards the Finish Line. Or as I like to think of it 'the home stretch.' 

It was really motivating thinking I'm in the home stretch! I just kept repeating this phrase over and over. By mile 11 I was starting to get emotional thinking about my journey. I knew if I didn't hold it together I wouldn't be able to breathe. 

so true

I don't remember seeing a mile marker 13, but I am sure there was one. I just knew we started going up a hill and the crowds started getting deeper. To get to the finish I went just under a bridge then down a straight away.

7 weeks, 2 weeks, and 5 days after my fractured pelvis, half marathon is complete!

Sparkly medal

I expect for my Garmin/Nike Plus app to be off of the 13.1 mile mark. You don't follow the exact middle of the road and you end up weaving in and out of people, but they were off after the first mile. The 1 mile marker was .2 of a mile after both my Garmin and app said they should be. This was a downer the whole race. Every time I thought I finished a mile I'd be like just kidding, you still have a bit to go. Eventually it increased to .3 and by the end my Garmin and Nike Plus both read 13.5 miles.

The course:
I have viewed a few different Philly race courses and they all seem fairly standard. This was a fairly flat course with a couple of very minor hills. 

The start looped around Eakins Oval then up . Around mile 5 you go up through Fairmount Park where the bulk of the race is. The first three miles I think there were 4 bands, but then nothing again until mile 6. There may have been one more on the way back down the park. It was surprising to me they would not spread out the bands a bit more or put more at the end. I need more motivation at the end, not the beginning! The crowds were larger for the first 5 miles then very few the rest of the way. The only real gathering of supporters in the park was by the turnaround bridge. The positive was the park was beautiful and such a great running area.

I vaguely remember looking at the elevation chart and thinking between 4 and 6 there looks like a minor hill. It was very minor. Even the biggest looking hill (at mile 13!) wasn't so bad. Of course it didn't help that it was at the very end. It also was a little tricky because sort of close behind me I could hear a siren. There were a couple of times an ambulance of sorts would try to work its way through the crowd. This seemed really tough right at the end when the course became narrower and people were working hard to finish. I would think they should have an emergency exit for the ambulances and not use the finish line.

Final thoughts:
I am torn. I liked the course, but not necessarily the Rock n Roll series. I think the size was too big for my preference (20k or so runners). This made it feel like you were being shuffled around like cattle. This also meant I didn't cross the start until 8:35... a whopping 35 minutes after the elites started! Considering the cost I wish they provided a bit more at the end of the race. I have been to races where it feels like a feast. I think they had water, chocolate milk, thin pretzels, granola bar, and a banana. I didn't notice any bagels or other fruit. I definitely will go back for another half marathon in Philly. It was flat and included city and park parts


Next race: Wineglass Half Marathon

Six months post accident

Today marks six months since I was hit by a car while running. While I found information on pelvic fractures in the elderly, I could not find much for younger people and nothing for runners. If someone has a pelvic fracture and has questions (or needs to vent), I am always available.

Flashback:
Super Bowl Sunday (February 2nd) I was scheduled to go for my 10 mile run during my Glass Slipper Challenge training. I successfully complete a HOT 5 mile run the day before so in order to beat the heat, I ran at 6 am. My plan was to run up the hotel zone in Cancun. I figured this would be the easiest and safest route since I did not have to cross any roads. A little over half way through my run, I heard a loud noise and turned to the side. I had a split second to process a car was sliding towards me. The pain was excruciating. I was on all fours screaming (I am not too proud to admit this). Later, I figured this was because I was putting pressure on my broken pelvis. 

Despite the corruption of the tourist police of Cancun, I was eventually able to find out that the guy who hit me was drunk. He went over the median, two lanes of traffic, and the curb to hit me. This was at 7:10 in the morning. The ring in my pelvis was stable so I was able to fly home and did not need surgery. My American doctor diagnosed me to have three fractures in my pelvis which required 6 weeks of non weight bearing on my right leg. I could not move. It took all my strength to get out of the wheelchair to go to the bathroom. By week 2, I noticed significant muscle loss in my right leg and butt. I started physical therapy later that week and continued physical therapy for 16 weeks. This was a huge turning point for me because it helped wake up my muscles so by my 6 week checkup I could start walking with crutches. A week later, no crutches (yes, I still got sore if I tried to push myself too hard the first or two after I started walking). I missed almost all of my winter and spring races, but salvaged the NJ Half by signing up for the relay and walking my portion of the race.

Shortly after that I was cleared to run. It was 12 weeks and 3 days after the accident. Four weeks after I started running I was able to complete my first race- Hibiscus 5 miler. 

blurry action shot

Today:
I am mostly symptom free there are still a couple of issues. My achilles feels like there is a knot or something movable on it. It was bothering me since I started walking, but with a recent week off of running it has been pain free. 

Recently while walking I felt a pain in my pelvis (roughly 5 1/2 months post accident). I am not sure if I just twisted my leg slightly while walking or what, but every once in awhile I felt a pain. It did not seem to bother me running until a week or so later. After the Electric Run I took a week off from running, cycling, everything except strength training. The next run I had was in Mexico City and it went well. I do not feel pain, but it feels like my pelvis/hip area is always popping in and out of place. Example: like cracking your elbow or another joint. Oh yes I did survive running in Mexico this time. I ran along a major road but then into a park. No cars here.

There are smaller issues that I am not sure will clear up. My hip flexors are always tight if I am not always stretching them (like at my desk during the day type stuff). I seem to have worse circulation in my right leg. Whenever I crouch down where my leg and knee are bent then stand up, my leg then feel like the it was asleep and painfully waking up. This is only after a few seconds. Other than those issues, all of my other pains and symptoms have cleared up. I am still a lot weaker and slow than before, but am working on it. My longest run post accident has been 7 miles and I plan on duplicating that next weekend.

Moving Forward:
I have an aggressive plan for the fall. The Philly Rock n Roll Half Marathon in September, the Wineglass Half Marathon in October, and the Philly Marathon in November. I am seriously considering downgrading the marathon to the half marathon. While for the most part I am meeting my mileage marks, I am so much weaker than where I feel I should be for training for a marathon. The deadline I give myself is the end of August. I will see how my body responds to adding more miles while I really get into half marathon training. Even if I have to downgrade, being able to compete and complete these races will be a huge accomplishment. It is not about winning a race, but about being able to run. I feel fortune and blessed to be at the point I am. I just want to get out there and run.



Don't forget to vote for me for the Runner's World cover contest 

or if please consider donating towards the Wounded Warrior Project. Every dollar helps! I am running my first half marathon post injury and hoping to raise $500.

Wounded Warrior Project

I decided against Team in Training for now. Originally I wanted to do TNT for a sprint triathlon, however, they were not offering on this calendar year. I chose to table the idea until 2015 and find another charity to run for. 

Support Wounded Warrior Project

The military has always held a special place in my heart so Wounded Warrior Project came as an obvious choice. I spent a very short amount of time in a wheelchair and have new found appreciation for those with physical disabilities. These veterans need our help. The mission of WWP from the Wounded Warrior Project website:

• raises awareness and enlists the public's aid for the needs of injured service members 
• helps injured service members aid and assist each other
• provides unique, direct programs and service to meet the needs of injured service members

In September I will be running my first half marathon (Rock n Roll in Philly) back from being hit by a car. I am fortunate enough to be able to recover and be able to compete in this race. Some others are not as fortune and need our help. As I train, I am trying to raise $500 for WWP. Please consider any amount for each dollar makes a difference. 

Support Wounded Warrior Project

Thank you in advance!

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Hibiscus 5 Miler recap

This race offers a half marathon, 15k, and 5 miler. I originally had signed up for the Hibiscus 15k, but since I only started running a few weeks prior there was no way I would be able to run 9.3 miles. I downgraded a month or so before the race and concentrated on training. The week before I was able to run 4 miles so I was pretty confident about the 5 miler. This was going to be my first race since my injury that I was going to be able to run. Going into it, my hip felt fine. I have no more pain from my fractured pelvis. What I do have to worry about is endurance and strength. Everything is still weaker which means I wear down a lot sooner. 

The expo:
There was none. There were three opportunities to pick up your packet. I chose the one in Kailua since this is where I was staying. Kailua is a town about half an hour from Honolulu. I received a sweet blue shirt which said 'Half Marathon' on it. I feel kinda badly taking one since I was only doing a 5 miler, but hey, it's a free shirt. 

shirt design and bib

Race day:
All three races had an ungodly early 5:30 am start time to avoid the Hawaiian heat. To get there in time, I had a 3:20 am wake up time and was out the door by 4:30 am. I wasn't quite on Hawaiian time so it was not overly painful waking up at that time, but a lot of green tea was still consumed. 

There was parking at the Honolulu Zoo and by Diamonhead plus any street parking you could find. The zoo lot was a little after 5:00 am so we went up and down the streets looking for parking. Finally we found a spot kinda far away. I remember thinking 'well this will be my warm up.' Unfortunately I really had to pee before the race and not surprisingly there was a massive line at the bathrooms in Kapiolani Park. I learned while waiting in line that they do not put up porta potties because of the multiple bathrooms in the park. What the race organizers do not realize is that our building (and I assume others) only had 3 stalls. There were times the guy bathroom would be empty and females would start taking turns going in. 5:30 came and we saw the runners go by. Finally around 5:40 my bladder was drained and I was at the start line.

My race:
While I was not stressing about starting late, the people at the start line were trying to rush people through. I haphazardly threw my iphone into my armband and started my Nike Plus app. Unfortunately my Garmin was still on the Big Island. I left it in our rental car and seriously debated flying back to the Big Island to pick it up. It would have been cheaper than buying a new one! Luckily the people at Avis found it and would be shipping it back to my house in PA. 

The race apparently had about 2000 people sign up and 1700 runners on race day.  Since I was starting 10 minutes late, this meant very few people were around when I started out. 

beginning of the race

The first section of the race runs along the park. My legs immediately felt heavy. All the walking and hiking had taken its toll. I kept trying to focus on the race and my music and not think about how I felt like I was carrying bowling balls on my feet. 

blurry picture courtesy of my husband

Miles 2 and 3 were dominated by the climb up and around Diamondhead. These were also the best views of the race. You could look out over the ocean and see the sun shining down on the surfers. Wish I could have taken a picture of it, but my new armband very tightly seals my iphone in. Too hard to get in and out. Even though I slowed down considerably going uphill, I really started passing people. There were quite a number of walkers doing the 5 miler. I also started seeing people going the opposite direction. I assume these were all of the fast 5 mile racers. By 2 1/2 miles I kept looking for a turnaround point, but still nothing. It wasn't until mile 3 that the 5 milers started to turn around. There was no turn around sign or marker but I noticed a bunch of walkers turning onto another road. I decided to go with my gut and follow them and asked the policeman down the road if I was going the right way. Thankfully I was. Once I turned around it was all down hill and I got a second wind. Nike Plus said I went from a 12:00 minute pace going up to a 10:14 pace going down. The last stretch runs alongside the Kapiolani Park. 

I could see the finish line in the distance and it just motivated me to "sprint" as fast as my legs would take me. 

right in front of the finish line, I'm in the pink

After the race a guy I was running close to said I inspired him to go faster since I was "sprinting" down the hills. Heck I just let gravity do its thing! My official time was 1:00:05 with a 11:27 pace. My unofficial Nike Plus time was 59:58 at a 11:14 pace. 

Every racer got the same half marathon medal. Again I felt badly having a medal that said half marathon, but I wasn't about to turn one away. 

After the race I was also able to meet up with a fellow Instagram runner- @paleorunner808.

Before we left the park, my husband treated me to shaved ice. (PS: apparently in Honolulu shaved ice is a snow cone. Definitely not the case in others parts of Hawaii. Very disappointing.)

The course:
Hilly. Hot. I did not anticipate the long hill up about 1/4 of the way through the race. It felt like I was going uphill the whole race. But what goes up, must come down. The second half was much easier since it was downhill. 

(source: Tropical Triple Crown)

The half marathon, 15k, and 5 miler all start at the same place and finish at the same place. This means three turn around points on the course below.

(source: Tropical Triple Crown)

The 5 miler course split off right around mile 3 at Fort Ruger Park. This was not marked off at all. I only knew to turn because I saw some walkers make the turn. Not sure if the 15k had their turn around point marked off. Also, the course also seemed to be quite off 5 miles. My Nike Plus app had me at 5.34 miles. I did the course on Map My Run and it estimates 5.35 miles. Unfortunately this messes up my estimated pace. The math is not hard- 5 mile race at 1 hour and I have an 11:27 minute pace?

Final Thoughts:

I would do the course again mainly because I like smaller races that still give the impression of big races. There are definitely improvements to be made though. The course needs better signs and more refreshment stands along the way. It was hot and humid so water was necessary. One great aspect about the race was the yummy after race snacks- tons of fruit (watermelon, bananas, oranges) plus snacks (chips, oreos, energy bars). There was a huge tub of water you could refill your dixie cup with. 

Next up: Red Rose Run (still not signed up for, but planning to sign up)