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July 4th Weekend

July 5, 2011 by Kristy 11 Comments

7/5/11
7 miles speed
6 x 800m in 3:28. Actual times: 3:26, 3:27, 3:27, 3:25, 3:24, 3:24 <– fastest 800m I ever ran!

Another weekend, another weekend down the shore! We spend the majority of the weekend at my parents house with the exception of Saturday night. My friend Michelle is staying in Wildwood for the week with her family so we headed there for a night of (sensible) drinking!

The weekend in pictures…

At Coconut Cove in Wildwood. Most of the bar has a sand floor. So nice to take your shoes off and let your feet sink into the sand!

We love Key West. For our 30th birthdays, we did a big group trip down there. Those pictures will not be posted on the blog 😉

Next stop was Keenan’s…always a favorite.

Sunday was a BBQ at my parents’ house. Hawk hammed it up for the camera.

My sister and sister-in-law.

My niece Catherine. Hawk got lots of attention this weekend.

My niece Sarah (aka, mini-me).

A crazy thunderstorm rolled in at night.

Back to the grind today but fortunately it’s a short week! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

Strange Encounters

June 30, 2011 by Kristy 13 Comments

7/1/11
18 miles / 2:35 / 8:37 avg pace

Today I had one of those “am I dreaming, please pinch me” runs. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (no humidity) and I felt amazing. I just ran based on feel and didn’t pay too much attention to my Garmin. The result? Basically a marathon-paced long run! Woo hoo…what a great way to start the holiday weekend!

When I wrote about my 20-miler last Friday, I neglected to tell you about my “strange man” encounter. It just didn’t fit well with the whole how-to-survive-a-bachelorette-party theme 😉 Before I get into the story, let me preface by saying I’m the most paranoid and neurotic runner I know, in terms of safety. Where I do my long runs is very safe but it’s better to be skeptical than sorry.

I was nearing the very end of my run (mile 19.5) when I got a rock in my shoe. I tried unsuccessfully to wiggle it out of the way but ended up having to stop. I was directly across from my car and my plan was to run out 0.25 miles and then back to my car to complete my 20. As I was getting the rock from my shoe, another runner past me – a male in his 50s – and asked if I was OK. I told him it was just a rock and I was fine. He then proceeds to tell me that I was keeping a good pace for him and did I want to run the remaining miles together? Now, this has happened to me before so I didn’t think the question was an odd one. I tell him that I’m literally running another 0.25 miles and then turning around, hoping that he would be like “OK, see ya later, have a nice run”. His response? “OK”!

As I was tying my shoe I was debating on whether he was a killer or a kidnapper. He didn’t seem to be (from my very brief encounter with him) and my car was right across the street. It was almost 9am so there were lots of cars around (and other runners). So I stood up and started running with him.

Me and strange man (SM): Blah, blah, it’s so hot today, blah, blah…
Me: My name is Kristy.
SM: My name is Bill.
SM: Are you married?
Me: [a little shocked at the question] Yes.
SM: Me too.
Me: Well, it’s time for me to turn around. Have a good run!

With that I started booking it back to my car. Whose follow-up question to “hi, my name is” is “are you married”? WTF? Next time I see Bill, I’m doing some unplanned speed work!

Have you ever had any “strange man” encounters? On the flip side, I have met some wonderful people while running. It’s not all bad!

Product Review: North Face Stow-n-Go Sports Bra

June 29, 2011 by Kristy 17 Comments

8 miles easy / 1:15 / 9:22 avg pace (done on Wednesday night)

I saw this North Face sports bra on Tina’s blog a few months ago and had to have it. This is exactly what I was looking for; the solution to my RaceReady shorts. I wrote about my love (not really love, but practicality) for RaceReady shorts a few months ago and I got some flack about it. Yes, they are ugly but they hold everything!

I tested out this bra last Friday (on a 20-miler) and buh bye RaceReady shorts! It held 4 Shot Bloks perfectly and easily could have held 2 more (the exact amount that I carry for a marathon). The pouch (not sure what else to call it) is huge and even has a separate compartment for your key.

The Shot Bloks didn’t move an inch; I hardly knew they were there.
You can’t beat the accessibility…I mean they are right there!
Did I look like I had a 3^rd boob with all those Shot Bloks stuffed down my bra? Yes. Did I care? No. I do wear RaceReady shorts in public so you know I don’t care!
Stuff gets pretty warm in that region so if you’re a fan of freezing your GUs, this may not be the best plan for you.
The bra runs small. It’s intended for A/B cups (according to the description). If I ordered online I would have gotten a small (I’m not so well-endowed). Luckily I was near a North Face store and tried on the medium and it fit perfectly; a small would have been too small.
I guess I should mention that it also does everything a sports bra should: supports, wicks, doesn’t chafe, etc.

I’m so, so happy with this bra! I can finally wear normal shorts for a marathon (Lululemon Willpower shorts, of course)!

Front view:

I cut my Shot Bloks in half so I can eat 3 of them at a time (every 4 miles). It makes them easier to carry too.

Deep pouch:

I bought this bra myself and was not asked by North Face to do a review. However, I am willing and able to accept any products in exchange for a review 🙂

Lehigh Valley Marathon: Week 4 Recap

June 29, 2011 by Kristy 6 Comments

Last week I hit 47 miles! I’m dropping back my mileage a bit this week but next week I’m hoping to hit 50. I love how this drop-back week still includes an 18-miler. That just isn’t right!

MON: 8 miles easy (was supposed to be either a hill repeat or speed day but my legs were not feelin’ it)
TUE: 8 miles tempo
WED: rest
THU: 8 miles easy
FRI: 20 miles hot and steamy
SAT: 3 miles easy
SUN: rest

Notice the lack of yoga or strength training recently? When things get busy, it’s always the first to go. My motivation for yoga or ST is nowhere near my motivation to run. It’s a constant work in progress.

Originally I had planned on alternating hill repeats and speed work this cycle. I really need that steady dose of speed work so I’m ditching the hill repeats. My long runs are fairly hilly and I think they’ll provide me with the preparation I need for LVM.

I’m also doing a 2-week taper for LVM. I was a complete nut case during the taper period for the NJ Marathon. Three weeks is too much time for me, mentally and physically (even though my mileage only really dropped 2 weeks before, I hate doing my 22-miler 3 weeks out). I did a 2 1/2 week taper for Steamtown and it worked out just fine.

Have you ever tried a 2-week taper? Do you prefer it to the traditional 3-week taper?

Bachelorette Fun: Saturday Night

June 28, 2011 by Kristy 4 Comments

6/28/11
6 miles tempo / 50:40 / 8:26 avg pace
*3 miles at 7:45 pace. My actual times were 7:48, 7:57, and 7:57. I struggled with the last 2 tempo miles. I hate having to do 2 hard days back-to-back but I’ll be away this weekend so I had to get it done.

As promised, here’s part II of our weekend!

Saturday started out perfect…with a 3-mile run in Avalon with Sara! I’m training Sara and her 2 co-workers for the Philly Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. Sara is superwoman – works full-time, mom of 3 (oldest is 7!), and she’s training for her 4th half marathon. This run is exactly what I needed after my 20-miler on Friday. We had a great run and got to gawk at the many gorgeous homes along the water.

DSCN1198 — This isn't a hotel...this is someone's house!

We spent the majority of Saturday on the beach and sipping cocktails along the water. Ahhhh…

Saturday night was more drinking and dancing…best described in pictures 🙂

DSCN1202 — The bachelorette all ready for a night at the shore!

DSCN1213 — And it was Trish's birthday! Cookie cake is the best.

268430_2178702068165_1265289090_32596097_5837110_n — Group shot (Trish is really enjoying her birthday!)

It was an awesome weekend and I can’t wait to do it all over again in 1 month at Amanda’s wedding!

Bachelorette Fun: Friday Night

June 27, 2011 by Kristy 6 Comments

6/27/11
6 miles speed

After a fun-filled weekend of going out, drinking, and little sleep, I was dreading the track this morning. Dreading it. I peeked at my plan last night praying for something semi-easy but instead saw 3×1600 at 7:11 pace. Ugh, mile repeats…my nemesis. I took the liberty of increasing my “rest period” between intervals to 400m instead of 1 minute.

1st interval: 7:11. Right on target.
2nd interval: 7:08. Really?!
3rd interval: 7:05. Huh?! I should eat junk food, not sleep, and drink beer more often! I can’t believe I wanted to skip this workout when my alarm went off this morning.

Onto more fun stuff! I’m totally milking this bachelorette recap into 2 posts, so let’s begin with Friday 😉

Friday night was relaxing…sitting around chatting, dinner, more chatting (and drinking), and then going to the hotel bar later on. My legs felt great despite the 20 (very early) miles that morning and I even managed to stay up until 2:00AM! Some pictures…

DSCN1167 — Me, Amanda (bride-to-be), and Michelle

More pictures tomorrow! Off to work for a very long day. It’s going to take me a few days to fully recover from the weekend…just in time for the 4th of July!