Hershey Half Marathon 2013 Recap

Before I say anything regarding the actual race weekend, let me just say that I was definitely under-trained for this race. I ran the Pocono Lake Region half marathon three weeks before and tried to run as much as I could in between the two, but it wasn't nearly enough. Anyyyyyyway...

We arrived in Hershey around one o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday and had a bit of a hard time figuring out where we needed to go in order to get our packets. The email we got beforehand said to go to the Ice Palace/stadium, but there were no signs for the Ice Palace and we ended up at an arena where Disney On Ice was finishing up. One of the security guards there pointed us in the right direction and we eventually made our way to the correct place.

The expo wasn't anything spectacular, but it was organized well and it took us all of three minutes to get our packets and activate our bibs. We each got two tickets to the park included in our packets, so we headed there for a little while and rode a couple of roller coasters. There were on and off rain showers the whole day, so around six o'clock we decided to go check in to our hotel and hang out there until our dinner reservations at eight.

I thought our hotel was about a mile from the park, but it turned out to be around two and a half miles, so we decided to just drive to the start instead of walking on Sunday morning. I'm glad we did because it was freezing after we finished and it was nice to get into the car and turn the heated seats on. ;) We arrived on time in the morning but ended up starting about nine minutes after the official start because we were waiting in line for the potties.

The beginning of the race was miserable for me. The support and spectators were great, but it was so chilly! I wish I had pants and gloves on. I wore a random half zip fleece sweatshirt that I found in the back of my closet with the intention on tossing it once I warmed up, but thankfully I had the sense to tie it around my waist and hold onto it. I didn't end up taking it off initially until mile four and I ended up putting in on to warm up a few times during the race.

Okay so, the course! The first few miles were very boring. You basically run out of the parking lot and along the highway before making your way back to the park, which was the interesting part! It was so neat to run through the park. I kept thinking about how awesome this was and how much more awesome it'll be to run one of the Disney races through those parks.

There were a couple sections where you looped around and passed by runners that were heading into the area that you just left, which was pretty cool because there was a lot of cheering and encouragement going on between the two sections.

Eventually we made our way out of the park and out into the town of Hershey. We ran past the old Hershey's factory stacks.

 And on a lot of highway.

 I had some great chin action going on.

And apparently I didn't think to actually look for the photographers on the course.

In what seemed like a freezing eternity, we finally saw the Hershey stacks again which signaled we were around mile eleven. I was really hurting at this point. I hadn't been stopping at the water stops because I brought my handheld bottle with me, but I made it a point to walk through each one I saw past mile seven because I needed the break. I didn't want to start walking the whole thing because I just wanted to be done, but I was definitely in pain.

As we made our way back to the park, there were lovely volunteers handing out chocolate as you ran by, which I stashed in the pocket of my handheld because, despite how much I love chocolate, the last thing I wanted to do was eat. We ran across the parking lot, which had a lovely crosswind blowing directly into my face, and looped around the stadium. The finish line was set up about halfway through the pathway in the stadium, so I ran as fast as I could, wanting to be done and out of the cold. 

I got my medal from an adorable little boy who also gave me a high five and went to track down some water and this lunch bag full of food. I'm really excited about the lunch bag (I don't have one!) and honestly, I love free food. I've said it before and I'll say it again, any race that gives out chocolate and giant cookies is good in my book. 

The Hershey Half has this cool system where they email you once you pass the halfway point and again when you finish so you know your times right away. I never really had a specific time goal for this race, but my general half marathon goal is to finish under 2:30 and I did that with just 21 seconds to spare!

I'm not thrilled with my time, but I know I didn't train enough for this race and I did have fun, so it's all good. Unfortunately, I ended up with some bad pain on my inner right shin for five or six days after the race, so I spent a lot of time resting and icing it. I'm hoping to try to go out for a short run tomorrow and see how it feels. But anyway, I'm very happy with my experience at the Hershey Half. It was organized very well and the course really was beautiful this time of year. It was less hilly than I expected it to be (yay!) and there were plenty of water and restroom stops. Plus, look at this adorable magnet I got for my car!

Pocono Lake Region 13.1 Recap

I wanted to write this post as soon as I got home on Sunday, but I also wanted to let the experience sink in a little bit before I spilled my thoughts on the interwebs. Also, I was exhausted and didn't really want to do anything other than lay down and eat. :P

I suppose we should start from the beginning, huh? Joe and I set our alarms for 5am and 5:15am respectively and I ended up getting out of bed at 5:20am. I had oatmeal with peanut butter and chocolate chips for breakfast and was actually pretty calm. I made sure to pack my stuff the night before, so I double checked everything and got ready to go. We were in the car by 6am and made it to the finish line location to catch a bus to the start line at 6:30am.

The start line was at the Honesdale elementary school and they had the school open for us so we could use the bathrooms and wait inside in the warmth. It was about 45º out by the time we started running at 8am (exactly on time!), which I complained about but first but was really happy about once I got about a mile in.

The beginning of the course was shrouded with fog and made for some absolutely stunning foggy farm landscapes. The whole course was gorgeous to be honest and really made me appreciate the area that I live in even more. It was laid out and marked very well and the support was amazing. There were water/Gatorade stations every two miles and the volunteers were the best. Even people who lived along the route were out cheering the runners on. I saw two portapotties as well, I think at mile 4ish and again at 11.

How much prettier does it get really?

I know I did the training, but I was shocked at how easy the first 8ish miles went. The course was very hilly and I heard a lot of people saying how it was one of the hardest half courses they've run. I just kept taking it one hill at a time and running on feel. When I started to feel tired or out of breath, I slowed my pace until I was (relatively) comfortable again.

The last 3 miles were the best and the worst. I knew I only had a 5k left at that point and knew I was going to finish, but my legs had really started to ache. The final half mile was up a gradual incline that led to the Wallenpaupack high school parking lot and down onto the track. My IT band on my right leg was acting up and I was ready to be done, but I honestly expected to feel much worse. I guess all that training really did pay off? ;) 

The way they had the finish set up was so awesome. I've never really competed in anything in my life, so it was a great feeling to have the announcers call my name and see my family cheering me on as I ran to the finish line. Joe finished about half an hour behind me. He did walk/run intervals since he has been having knee issues and I'm so proud and happy for him that he finished.

I stopped my watch when it hit 13.1, which was a bit before the actual finish line. My official bib time was 2:21:07 and my watch time was 2:20:23. My goal was to finish in less than 2:30 so I'm extremely happy! I'd love to get down to around 2 hours, but I was pretty consistent for this race and I will definitely take that for now.

We spent the rest of the day icing, stretching, and eating. I had a bagel and banana after I finished, but my stomach would not settle down. I couldn't stand still for more than a minute or so before it started bothering me. Later on in the day it started to feel better, but I still got a nauseous feeling whenever I would stand up and move around after sitting for a while. I'm thinking this means that I didn't eat enough during the race and that I need to bring more gels with me next time.

Overall, I am so happy with my first half marathon experience. It was such a positive environment; everyone seemed so excited to be there and didn't hesitate to be encouraging to the runners. I don't have a single complaint about anything, the entire day went off without a hitch as far as I'm concerned. The course was challenging but I definitely think I will run this race again next year. Nothing beats the feeling that I have knowing that I accomplished such a seemingly impossible goal for myself.

I guess my next goal is to build something to hang this lovely piece of metal on?

Half Marathon Training: Week 12 & Overall Thoughts

It is done! I've done all the training and all that's left to do is run the race. This week was really easy, except for when my nerves finally started to kick in!

I took it easy and didn't push it at all for any of these runs since I was still having slight pain on the inside of my calves. For this post, I kind of wanted to sum up my thoughts about the whole training period and what I liked and didn't like.

I think that running four days a week worked for me, but it was hard to fit it in with my work schedule sometimes. I also think the 5 mile run mid-week later on in training and the long run on the week was a bit too much for me personally. I think that's what lead to me feeling so burnt out at the end of the schedule.

I think the program could stand some alterations, but I'm not sure what exactly I would change. I would definitely recommend it though, as I think it does a good job of preparing you for the distance.

I've been randomly getting overwhelmingly nervous when I remember that the race is on Sunday, but I guess that's probably normal. We'll see how it all shakes out I suppose! 

P.S. This.

Half Marathon Training: Week 11

So, I kinda slacked this week. It wasn't intentional, I just was feeling burnt out and decided that I needed a break. After my 5 miles on Wednesday, I started to have shin splint-like pain in the insides of my calves so I decided to skip the 3 miles the day after. I woke up on Sunday with the intention to do my 12 miler, but I took the dogs outside and felt how chilly it was and went, "nope, not today."

I guess maybe I feel a little burnt out on training at this point and honestly, the thought of going out in the chilly morning to run for over two hours all by myself didn't really sound that enjoyable. I figure that I've already proven to myself that I can do 11 miles though, so I know I can do the 13.1.

It was so chilly the morning that I did the 5 miles. I really don't know how long my "I want to try to run outside during winter" thing is going to last. It won't be so bad if I can run in the middle of the day when it's warmest I guess, but the odds of that happening are probably slim to none.

Want to know what I did on Sunday when I was being a bad runner and skipping my run? I made soy candles! Those of you who know me in person probably know about my candle hoarding tendencies and truthfully it can be a very expensive hobby. I found some really cute candles on Etsy, then started doing some research on how to make them myself. Long story short, I ordered some supplies and have made two batches so far and I love it! I love making things and I really enjoy spending my time crafting.

As I'm writing this, there's only 4 days left until the half! O_O

Ellie 50 Shades of Lime Top & My New Obsession Leggings Review/Photos

Good morning everyone! I have a review of some really awesome work out gear for you guys today. Ellie is a fabulous brand that offers great quality (and cute!) clothes for running, yoga, and any other activity you might be interested in.

As an Ellie Ambassador, I received two of their pieces to test out and review. I chose the 50 Shades of Lime long sleeve top and charcoal gray My New Obsession leggings.

The 50 Shades of Lime top is made from moisture wicking fabric, so it keeps you dry while exercising. I've worn it running during some of the cooler mornings we've been having and it's great for keeping me warm in the beginning of my runs and cooler towards the end.

My only complaint about the top is that it rides up while I'm running. I've worn it with a few different bottoms and it stays better with some and rides up more with others. Just depends on what you're wearing it with, I guess. However, THUMB HOLES. I don't think that needs any more explaining. Simply awesome.

I literally do not have one single bad thing to say about the My New Obsession leggings. They are, quite literally, my new obsession.

They fit perfectly and are so soft and comfortable. I've even worn them out with boots and a long top because they're so awesome. I never have to adjust them when I run and they keep me warm without making me overheat.

The one downfall: pantylines. But that's pretty much unavoidable (unless you go commando, in which case, power to you!) and doesn't bother me in the slightest. However, I know it may bother some of you so it's worth mentioning.

Are you ready for a treat? If you use this link to order from Ellie, you'll get 20% off of your order! And in addition to ordering regularly off of their website, Ellie also offers a subscription service called the Fit Fashionista Club. The FFC costs $49.95/month and each month you get to pick any two pieces from their website for them to send you! If you've ever gone shopping for high quality work out gear, you know what a deal that is! You can use the link at the beginning of this paragraph to sign up for the FFC as well.

Be sure to follow Ellie on Twitter and Facebook and let me know if you order anything and how you like it! xo!

The products in this post were provided for my honest review.

Half Marathon Training: Week 10

This week went pretty well except that I skipped my long-ish mid-week run. Things just got busy and I had no time to fit it in. C'est la vie. On the bright side, I've only skipped two days of training in the ten weeks so far, so I'm pretty proud of that!


My 11 mile long run this week went so much better than the 10 miler two weeks ago. I got outside early and it was in the 50s/low 60s through the whole thing. I was starting to get frustrated about how hard it felt, but then I asked myself, why should it feel easy? I've never run that far or that long before, why do I think it's going to feel nice and easy and pleasant? It's supposed to be hard!

It's about time to start looking for some more cold weather gear. My main list right now consists of: ear warmer, gloves/mittens, some kind of tech fleece pants, warmer socks, and probably a running jacket before too long. Hellllooooo, xmas presents! Any recommendations for good running clothes for the cold?

Speaking of cold weather, fall and pumpkin everything are officially here and these bagels are delicious. Seriously, go out and buy some.

See, I told you fall was here.

Less than two weeks left until the half from the time I'm typing this! I'm starting to get a little nervous :X

Half Marathon Training: Week 9

Another late post! The past few days have been crazy as hell so this is the earliest chance I had to write this. The race is getting soooo close; I can't believe how fast time seems to have gone. 

I'm feeling pretty good about my runs lately. I got some new shoes and they've helped majorly so far. I don't feel like I'm running on the bones of my feet by the time I get done running and my pace has slowly been speeding up again. They even helped me run a 10k PR! :D

These are my beautiful new babies! I was skeptical that I could find a color that I loved more than purple for my running shoes, but these are amazing. So pretty. Not to mention super, super comfy.

I visited my sister at college over the weekend and we took the train from her campus into Philadelphia to do some shopping and get lunch. The train wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be!

I also convinced her to wake up early with me and run because I'm selfish and I miss running with a partner! Her campus is GORGEOUS and we had perfect weather for our 3 miles.

Her horse got to go to college with her!

I spotted these cookies in their market building, but exercised enough self control not to take them home with me. I can't guarantee that will happen the next time I see them.

I'm hoping my long run this week goes awesome and I can actually have some serious confidence for the half!