Philadelphia: Pre-Race Exploring

Well, hello. There are many things I could catch you up on from the past three weeks but, instead, I'm here to tell you about about Saturday. It was the first of two days spent wandering the city of Philadelphia on foot during my first destination race weekend.

I'll back up and remind you that my training for the Philadelphia Half Marathon was somewhat haphazard. I started in August after riding my bike (and not running) for two months. It took me a long time to build up my mileage as I trained myself to run a new way and transitioned to minimalist shoes. I ran fewer weekly miles than most training plans would probably recommend but I supplemented my running with a lot of cross training: weight lifting, biking, soccer and frisbee. I did a better job than I ever have of foam rolling and stretching during this training schedule, mostly because of how sore my calves often were from the transition.

Philly. via @jbassettphoto

Then my taper was not ideal. The weekend before my race I did my last long run, played soccer, rode my bike 18 miles, and played frisbee; leaving me pretty sore only 6 days before the race. I did get a lot of consistent sleep, I didn't drink caffeine, I ate well, and I drank much water and little alcohol during the final taper week. Mentally, I was so normal, which is completely abnormal for me. Before every other half I've run, I've been a basket-case: full of nerves, blogging about every last thing that could go wrong or right. This time, I barely even thought about the race until Friday afternoon.

Then came Saturday morning. I woke up and I was pumped. Josh and I packed up and hit the road by 10am. We arrived at our hotel a little before 1pm. I wasn't aware when I registered that the hotels in downtown Philly book up on race weekend almost immediately. We were stuck staying by the airport. We grabbed a shuttle from our hotel to the airport and a rail train from the airport to "city center". By the time we arrived, it was after 2pm and we had yet to eat lunch. I was starving and the taper crazies started to set in- I was determined that not eating immediately would cause me to keel over and die during my race the next day. I was getting "hangry". We walked into Jake's Sandwich Board which had rave revues on yelp, to determine that they were "out of bread" and hoped to have more ready in 30 minutes. I wouldn't wait that long so I ducked into the nearby Cosi and ordered a Chicken TBM melt.

I have food in my cheeks.

After lunch, we walked to the expo at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It was Josh's first race expo and the biggest I'd ever seen. I picked up the necessary goods and bought some neon accessories to keep me warm the next day.

Then I let my photographer lead the way on our walking tour. We went through Chinatown to Independence Square and I had flashbacks of my 5th and 8th grade school trips to this historic city.

When we got there, my legs and feet were feeling tired so I sat in the grass while Josh looked around. I was paranoid about wearing myself out. Like I said, the taper crazies had set in.

We'd both seen the liberty bell and opted out of the long line to see it again. Instead, we walked to the plaza behind Independence Hall and I sat on a bench under the beautiful yellow trees to rest my legs while Josh took pictures. He got a lovely one of me buried in a text message conversation, looking like Cousin It. I was so busy in my phone that I missed the bride he saw stroll through the square.

We went for a walk toward City Hall and came to a block of Christmas lights that reminded me of Little Italy in New York City. We also passed a run-down building with bay windows facing the street that had a lot of potential. One of my dreams in life is to own a home with a giant, sunny window seat so I declared that we should buy the place and fix it up.

We got to City Hall as the sun was setting and walked around it. We referred to yelp for a dinner recommendation and ended up at Zavino, a wine bar also famous for their pizza . It was delicious but a little frustrating to order the most simple pizza on the menu and no alcohol. Destination races are exciting but you can't really enjoy a city to its fullest the night before a half marathon.

After dinner, we walked by a boutique with a love statue ornament in the window so, obviously, we went inside. We wanted many things in this adorable store, Verde, but restrained ourselves and left empty handed. Before boarding the train, we stopped in a CVS for breakfast provisions. They appeared to be out of peanut butter but I found one jar that had rolled behind a stash of crackers. I also grabbed a box of granola bars and the last blue gatorade in the place. Runners love their last-minute peanut butter and gatorade apparently.

An alley spotted on our walk to dinner. via @jbassettphoto

After a long journey back, we arrived at the hotel by 8 PM. I laid out my clothes and was in our king size bed at 8:30. We left the TV on so Josh could watch football and I hoped it would soothe me to sleep on a night that I'd likely be tossing and turning in angst. By some small miracle, I fell asleep almost instantly and slept soundly through the night...

All photos courtesy of Josh Bassett Photography.

Hadley's 26.2

Tomorrow morning, my friend Hadley will run her first marathon. She is following in her dad's footsteps who ran his first marathon in Washington, DC many years ago. She will be challenged by the rain that is predicted for only the second time in Marine Corps Marathon history but she is strong and brave and her motto has become "hurricane Sandy's got nothing on Hurricane Hadley!"

I wish her the best of luck and can't wait to cheer her on from the sidelines!

Go Hadz!!

Brats, Apples, and Hiking Galore

My friend Julie's parents have a beautiful home in the Virginia countryside, only a two hour drive from DC. Each year since we graduated college, she has invited Josh and I out there for a fall weekend, usually in conjunction with her birthday. It is always a lovely place to get away and it's a fun place to celebrate her. This year, she planned her Oktoberfest birthday bash well in advance and I have been looking forward to it for a few weeks.

After a busy Saturday morning, we drove out the the house with our friends Brendon and Jenny, stopping at an apple orchard on the way. We arrived at the house late in the afternoon and spent a few hours drinking pumpkin beers in the beautiful, chilly air behind the house.

We were served a delicious October meal that was perfectly on par with everything Julie has ever cooked me. It was brats, home-made pretzel buns, sauerkraut, salad, and cheese crackers with fondue. Dinner was followed by the birthday cake I made her modeled after her beloved blog. It was funfetti from a box, much less gourmet than the meal that preceded it, but it was pretty and that's all I was going for. Check out my post on Cake Styling for more details on making the cake.

The combination of heavy fall beers and the yummy meal left me feeling more full and tired than I do on most thanksgivings. I fell asleep for a few minutes in the basement and then rallied to cozy up by the campfire while everyone else roasted marshmallows. Sadly, I was still too full for that...

After a warm sleep in the basement, I woke up Sunday morning to chai tea and pumpkin pancakes. It is really great to have a friend who loves to cook so much. Because even on her birthday, she is still the one serving you!

While I was out of the room, the group decided to go on a hike. I was, obviously, all for this but knew no details of where we'd go. In terms of attire, we were an eclectic group. I was in nike frees and a sports bra. Josh was in hiking boots, jeans and a flannel shirt. And others were in leather boots.

When we turned uphill from the driveway, into the woods without a trail at our feet, I knew that most of us were ill-equipped for this hike. It turned out to be 100% bushwacking and 80% steeply uphill. My frees weren't great on the leaves or the rocks but I enjoyed the adventure and unpredictability of the terrain.

At the top, we sat for a few minutes admiring the foliage around us. I knew that a steep descent would be harder and less fun than a steep ascent. I slipped once coming down but, otherwise, sped along and hoped not to get lost. It ended up being about 30 minutes up and 30 back and made each one of us sweat, no matter our footwear or our level of style.

We departed after the hike, sad to leave this peaceful country behind. Julie seemed to have a happy birthday weekend and I always feel lucky to get to celebrate with her!

Did you do anything relaxing or outdoorsy this weekend? Did someone feed you endless amounts of deliciousness? Do tell!

Cheesy Mac with Sausage, Feta and Tomato

This weekend, I actually made a menu plan for the entire week. That never happens. But Tuesday night I got home from my run and wasn't feeling what I was scheduled to cook. I guess that's why we never decide a week in advance what to have for dinner each night.

So, instead of following the plan, I raided the kitchen to see what I could throw together. It was chilly and cloudy outside so I was in the mood for something with a touch of comfort. But I also wanted to enjoy some time on the couch so I was hoping not to spend too long preparing dinner.

I pulled a box of elbow macaroni out of the cabinet and was reminded of the many times in college when Josh and I thought we were making "gourmet" mac and cheese by cooking our own macaroni and throwing fancy cheese, olive oil, and salt in it. It was settled- I'd experiment with a creative, healthier mac and cheese based on the ingredients in my fridge.

Here's how it went down:

1 box elbox macaroni
3/4 c. cherry tomatoes, quartered
olive oil
1 package uncooked spinach and feta chicken sausages (or other chicken sausage)
1 c. shredded mozerella
4 oz. crumbled feta
8 thin slices fresh mozerella
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Pinch dried thyme

I cooked the pasta according to box directions while cooking the sausage over the stove, breaking apart into crumbled pieces as it cooked. I mixed the cooked pasta, cooked sausage, tomatoes, shredded mozerella, feta, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and stirred together. I spread into a casserole dish and topped with fresh mozerella and thyme. I baked it at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese was melted. I served with spinach and felt perfectly warmed but not too greasy after this lighter version of my favorite comfort food. Josh loved it too which worked out well since we had almost 2 meals worth of leftovers! We will definitely be making this again.

Do you ever throw something totally random together and end up loving how it turns out? What is your favorite comfort food?

Letting Go of Busy

Work has been busy recently. I hate to say "I'm so busy", especially after Julie led me to this post and this one. But that's life. I had many out of the office meetings last week and spent several late nights working. When Friday rolled around, and the last of those late nights was through, I just wanted a break. Granted, I had plenty on my to-do list and I could have easily filled my Friday with work. But I decided that everyone deserves a break and asked my boss if I could take the afternoon off after working so many long hours.

I left the office at noon and headed directly to my parent's house where my brother was visiting for the weekend. From their front porch, I called into a meeting and then spent the afternoon eating an outdoor lunch and talking with the fam. That is, after we forced my dad to remove the headphones playing his precious Science Friday in his hears. It was the first time the four of us had been together since July. And it was the first time we'd been alone together in longer than I can remember.

It got me thinking about life and priorities. Before my summer away, a week like the one I'd had would have left me feeling stressed and anxious. But I think (at least, I hope) I'm better now at internalizing a stressful workload and not letting it negatively affect my life. I believe in working hard and achieving success. But I also will never be the kind of person who makes work my top priority. Family, love, friends, health and happiness will always come first. My to-do list may be never ending but I know I will get things done and sometimes life will have to get in the way.

And I will try not to complain (or boast, as one article calls it) so much about being busy. It's true that we live in this culture where our lives are purposely filled with much to do and sometimes we may think that busyness translates into fulfillment or success. I will say that life was much simpler and more peaceful when I was biking all summer and had nothing else to be busy with. But the demands of daily life will rarely be without busyness. 

What I'm trying to do is accept that, and manage it in a way that lets me happily live my life without a lot of stress. I will get my work done but I will also take days like Friday when I need to. In the grand scheme of things, they are what I'll remember.

What about you- are you always busy? Do you think it's a complaint, a boast, or just a simple fact to tell people that you are? Do you know when to take a break?

10K: Run for the Parks Race Recap

This morning, I ran the Run for the Parks 10K in West Potomac Park in DC. It was advertised as a fast, flat course but a big part of the appeal in registering was the signature Saucony jacket that participants received. I also hadn't run a race since March and didn't want my next one to be Philly. It turns out that running this race was really good for my confidence and excitement in preparing for the Philadelphia Half.

In terms of prep, I didn't take things very seriously. I ate pasta for dinner and drank some day-time beers while watching Florida football on Saturday. I slept seven hours and then got up and dressed. I never planned to race this but wanted to use it as a training run. I hadn't run six miles since May and never thought I could beat my personal record which I set last November when I was in great running shape.

As I ate my peanut butter honey oatmeal, I re-read my recap of that Turkey Chase 10k for motivation and was reminded how hilly it was. I had made my goal in spite of the hills but I started to dream of setting a PR on this "flat and fast" course. It was a dream but I didn't actually believe I'd do it.

My wonderful Joshua came with me and stood in the rain while I lined up to start. I looked down at  my wrist a quarter mile in and read a 7:46 pace on my garmin. I was high on adrenaline but knew I needed to slow down. I finished the first three miles in 8:08, 8:21, and 8:36. The average pace for my fastest (only) 10k was 8:21 so I started to realize a PR on this day wasn't likely and I was ok with that.

At mile 3.1, we came to the turn around and I got a wonderful boost of speed and energy. The first half of the course had flown by and I was confident I could do the same thing backward...and faster. I picked up the pace but was careful not to push too hard. I ran a steady fourth mile, at the end of which I was pretty sure I'd PR. I started to wonder if I could finish the race in under 50 minutes, shaving 2:38 off my time. I took it one mile at a time telling myself to push to mile 5, then to mile 6, and then to the finish. I pushed myself so steadily for those three miles that I couldn't push any more when the finish line came into sight. I saw Josh, with his big golf umbrella, standing next to the finish and I smiled as I approached the finish line.

I finished in 50:42 feeling a great sense of accomplishment. I placed 88/642 among women and 282/1,048 overall. This set a new personal record that was 1:55 faster than my previous 10k time. It also resulted in an average pace of 8:11 min/mile which I think is the best pace I've ever held in a race.

For a long time, I've been unsure of my running [near] future. I've been training myself to run a new way and experimenting with different kinds of shoes. I've had no clue whether I'll be able to run the half marathon I'm training for in a month and a half. Today made me believe that I'm totally fine. From today on, I will run in my Nike Frees and I will train for a half marathon like I trained for the others. I believe that I can finish 13.1 in Philly on November 18 and I believe that I might be able to PR. If I don't, though, that's ok too.

I appreciate Josh's coming with me and hanging out in the cold rain. Waking up early and doing this made us both feel good about cozying up in our apartment for the rest of the day. I spent it drinking tea, catching up on my favorite shows, and cooking a delicious fall meal.

Optimism and confidence are wonderful things and I thank the Run for the Parks 10k for giving me both. Here's to six great weeks of training between now and the Philadelphia Half Marathon!

How was your weekend? Did you sweat in style or in the rain?

*all photos by Josh Bassett Photography

Nikki in Chicago

Tomorrow morning one of my best friends, Nikki, is running her third Marathon and she's doing it in the windy city of Chicago. She's been planning for this race since January and I am very excited for her. Thinking about her race puts my my short little 10k in perspective but I think it's cool that we'll be running at the same time in the morning. That is, if I don't bail on my race which could end up being in 50 degree rain...

I've wished her much luck but I wanted to do it on the internet as well. She's a speed demon and I know she'll rock it!! Good luck Nikki P!


Are any of you racing this weekend? Have you run Chicago? I hear it's pretty sweet.