LoziLu Mud Run

 
Over the weekend I ran in my first women's only event at the LoziLu Women's Mud Run in Hampton Falls, NH at the Applecrest Farm Orchards.

Event organizers suggested arriving one hour prior to the start of your wave. I didn't think this would be necessary, but I'm glad I did it because the check-in process was slow with one girl checking in individuals and another checking in teams. To save time, your team captain can pick up all the packets and goody bags.

Team Badass Blogger Babes turned out to be a team of two, but that didn't bother us. Angela and I were ready to have some fun.

The 5K course was sprinkled with some crazy fun obstacles. We ran and crawled through mud, climbed over walls, walked up planks & beams, waded through waist deep water, climbed through a web of rope, over a rope wall, and more.

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My favorite obstacle was the slip-n-slide. I never get the chance to dive head-first down a hill into a muddy pit and crash into people along the way!

After finishing the course, we grabbed some items from the snack drawer, paused for a picture on the red carpet, then rinsed off in the spa area.

The awesome race swag included a LoziLu tattoo (which I sported during the run), a stainless steel water bottle, and LoziLu SweatyBands!

This was such a fun run! It is an easy way to mix up the routine we fall into when following a training plan. It is a great full body workout: my arms and hamstrings got more use than they have seen in a while. It's also an adventurous way to spend some quality time with your gal pals!

What do you think about women-only events?

Have you ever done a mud run?

Fitness Friday: Running Brilliance

 
Last week I received the most amazing email. Thank you Katie!

If you haven't heard about The Mezamashii Run Project here's a little summary. Mizuno is giving away thousands of running shoes and relying on runners to spread the word about their brilliance instead of spending gobs of money on advertising. You can learn more on the website.

When I came home from my trip to Cincinnati, I found the box waiting for me.

I already have a couple pair of Mizuno Wave Rider 15s that I absolutely love.

Yesterday I tried on my new Wave Inspire 8s. Awesomeness!

The Wave Inspire 8s are a support shoe compared to the neutral Wave Rider 15s, but appear to be just as lightweight yet offer a little more cushioning in the heal base. I selected the Wave Inspire 8s to use on my longer training runs.

I tested them out on a 6 mile (mostly trail part road) run. The first thing I noticed when I put them on was that they felt a little roomier in the toe area. I was worried that too much room would cause some rubbing, but everything felt good during my run. 

During my run, I was pleasantly surprised to feel some air on my feet. I've never noticed this with my Wave Rider 15s, so I thought I might be manufacturing some fabulous new quality. I was not. The sensation continued throughout the run, and after a thorough inspection I noticed that the Inspire 8s do not have the thin layer of material on the outside. 

Even though the Wave Inspire 8s are a support shoe, they are not the heavy clunkers that we typically envision. Mizuno shows us that you can have stability without adding extra weight. In fact there is only a .2 ounce weight difference to the Wave Rider 15s. 

The Wave Inspire 8s will be my new go-to shoe for longer training runs. 

What running shoe do you wear?

Do you change up your shoes for short/long runs?

*FYI - I was given a pair of Mizuno running shoes as part of the Mezamashii Project. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.

TrainingTruths: Workouts & Watermelon

Last week I was on vacation in Cincinnati and decided to take a little break from running to try and let the PT's work on my calf muscles work. I skipped my second run of the week and only ran 4 as part of a hometown race on Saturday. My weekly miles totaled 8 which is far less than it should be at this point in my training.

Workouts:

#TrainingTruth: I'm worried I'm not going to be ready for my half marathon in August.

Last summer I followed my half marathon training plan faithfully. This summer has been so different because I've been dealing with and battling the never ending calf issues. My PT asked me to keep my runs shorter which completely interferes with long runs on the weekends. My last half in May was a struggle and I really want this one to feel better and easier, but right now I have no idea how this is going to turn out. I hate that feeling.

Food:

#TrainingTruth: I love salted watermelon in the summer!

Watermelon is a juicy sweet snack that instantly quenches your thirst during the heat of summer. It is packed full of vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and it is low in calories. Eating watermelon can help reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure.

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Then I come along with the salt shaker. I grew up putting salt on my watermelon. I'm a saltahlolic. I prefer salty foods over sweet dessert type foods. Salting watermelon makes it taste sweeter because it creates a contrast on the taste buds. When I grab the salt shaker, I find myself on the receiving end of a lot of strange looks.

But did you know that in Italy, France, Japan and Spain it is common to serve watermelon covered with salty ham (prosciutto) and salty cheeses like feta?

I know most people say that salt is bad for us, but the truth is we need salt. Sodium helps maintain the right amount of water in our bodies. Athletes should be extra careful to replace the salt lost during workouts. If you have good blood pressure, then having a salty-tooth is not bad for you. Also, our bodies naturally get rid of excess sodium.

If salting your watermelon doesn't appeal to you, try this Watermelon Salsa recipe from allrecipes.com.

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Ingredients

2 cups finely chopped seeded watermelon (do not puree)

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

1 cup sweet onion, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste

Directions

Stir the watermelon, pineapple, and onion together with the cilantro, orange juice, and hot sauce in a bowl. Cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to asses ourselves. It's not judgement. It's a way to share and learn and make changes when necessary.

To participate all you have to do is share your #TrainingTruths:

1. Tag a Twitter post with the hashtag #TrainingTruths
2. Comment on the Running Escapades Facebook page 
3. Leave a link to your own blog post in the comments

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Manchester 5K

 
Last night was the Manchester Mile and 5K. The race was organized by Millennium Running, a local running company that was founded by John Mortimer in 2010, and they put on awesome events. The evening started off with a 5K at 5:30 followed by a downhill Mile at 6:20 that recorded the fastest mile last year at 3:44!!

I signed up for the 5K with my CRP. It was my first ever evening race.

My husband decided to run the 5K too, so we met up with my CRP at bib pickup and registration in Derryfield Park. Derryfield Park is pretty much on top of a hill and we could feel a nice breeze. It was a beautiful day for a race and hanging out in the city.

While we were waiting we ran into a teacher-running-friend from school, Jen.

Jen, Daisy (CRP) and me

I also ran into Janine, a fellow FitFluential Ambassador, and her mom. Love their outfits!

I did not prepare for this race at all and thought of it totally as a fun run. I had a light lunch around noon consisting of a salad and some Quaker Rice Snacks - nutritious, I know. I didn't look at the course map (if there was one) and checked the location on the way to the race as I navigated. I did manage to grab a few of Sports Beans and my Simple Hydration Water Bottle when we left the car.

Turned out to be one heck of a course!

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I started the race keeping pace with my CRP (who claimed to have an achy IT band) and we jetted through the first mile at 7:56! I couldn't keep that pace going into mile 2 which was almost entirely uphill, so we drifted apart as my pace slowed to 9:13 and she kept going. The last mile was a huge downhill to the finish so my pace bounced back to 8:26 even as I struggled with a screaming bladder.

Post race view of the downhill mile

After sprinting to the port-a-potties, I found CRP and then my husband. We chugged some sports drinks and water, chatted, and waited for the start of the One Mile. That's when someone asked my time. I checked my Nike+ GPS watch and saw my time, but I couldn't believe it. Later, after checking the results posted by Millennium Running it was official. I PR'd the 5K with a time of 26:38! We watched the finishers of the Millennium Mile, grabbed some delicious pizza slices, and sat down in Pulaski Park to eat. When the awards presentation was over, we enjoyed the nice mile walk back up to the car.

How do you prepare for evening races?

Have you ever run a race in the dark?

 My first "in the dark" race might be RTB depending on the leg I get...

Hyde Park Blast

Last week while I was home in Cincinnati visiting family and friends that I haven't seen since Thanksgiving, I ran in the Hyde Park Blast. I ran this event in 2007 before I moved away. Back then I was just a newbie runner with no clue what I was doing and very little miles being logged.

Since then I have been a running machine!

Ohio has been having a major heat wave with daily temperatures in the 100s! So with that in mind I set my goal for this race:

1. Finish 4 miles in under 40 minutes would be great.
2. Finish near my '07 time would be awesome.
3. I wasn't really expecting to better my time which was
    37:16 in 2007 - but it would be amazing if I did.

Registration and bib pickup was held outside Lululemon. When we arrived the store was already doing some demonstrations on their front porch and the square was coming alive as people checked out the booths.

We spent some time wandering around, finding the rest rooms, and enjoying the music.  

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Ten minutes before start time, we made our way to the starting line which was about a block north of the square. Since the road was completely closed for the event, there was plenty of room to stretch and hangout before the gun.

Race day essentials: Nike racer back,
Mizuno Wave Rider 15s and Simple Hydration Water Bottle

The four mile route took runners through the historic neighborhood and it was hilly.

The course support for this race was supreme. Not once did I worry about traffic or route direction. The organizers provided plenty of water support and (I think) added an extra stop because of the crazy temperatures. I brought my Simple Hydration Water Bottle, so that I could take water whenever I needed it and was able to cruise by the water tables all the way to the finish line.

After crossing the finish line runners were directed around the square where we received a much needed bottle of water, a free prize pair of earbuds, and a free beer. The post race food booths were also ready with doughnuts, scrambled eggs, frozen yogurt, and bananas. I also stopped by the Blast booth to grab a super cute T to go along with the race shirt all runners were given.

We weren't able to stay all day and enjoy the rest of the events, but I did get a notification of my results while we were having lunch. At first I saw that I had a 3 second PR, but then I realized it was nearly TWO MINUTES!! 

Have you ever run the same race more than once?

What is your race streak?

I've run a couple of races three times...