the best ever!

Absolutely, positively, hands down, bar none! If you have had the opportunity to run in any of the Nike Women’s Half Marathon series races, I bet you know what I’m about to share. Yes, the best finisher’s medal necklace EVER! Compliments of Tiffany & Co.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I paid for that finisher’s necklace in a round about way, but it’s the only medal necklace I ever wear. Nike was pretty smart, I thought, when they paired with Tiffany & Co.  What girl doesn’t want a piece of Tiffany jewelry that showcases her favorite sport and passion, running! Drum roll, please!

We Run DC 2013 & 2014

And then there was the Nike Expo.  My BFF & BRF, Holly, ran Nike with me in 2013 & 2014 and when we were at the expo we were like, TAKE.MY.MONEY.NOW! I mean who can’t resist a pair of these awesome sneakers. Not me 🙂

Run DC

Oh So Pretty!

Honestly I’ve run my share of 5k’s, 1/2 marathons, and marathons, but nothing compares to the Nike races I was fortunate enough to run in Washington D.C. You can read the race recap here.

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While I’m on the topic of extremely impressive race swag, I can’t help but to mention the Baltimore Running Festival.  Their UnderArmour race shirts are the best and they never, ever disappoint!  I have several half marathon shirts and a 5k shirt.  I just need the marathon shirt to round out my collection. I may, just may, earn that shirt this fall but I’m truly on the fence.  I would love to run Baltimore again in the fall because when I ran the half-marathon last fall, I came home with this:

Yes, I’m a sucker for commemorative race jewelry and chances are if Pandora is going to show up in Baltimore, I’ll be there too in some fashion.  In the meantime, I’m headed to the beautiful city of Pittsburgh on Sunday to run the 1/2 marathon.  Who knows what I’ll bring home from there, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

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Here We Go Again!

What girl wouldn’t love another piece of Tiffany jewelry or a pair of extra special Nike sneakers?

Well, good news was in the air last week.  I am excited to share that once again I will have the opportunity to participate in the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in Washington, D.C.  It will be my first “big” race for 2014.  And, what makes this race extra special is that my daughter will be running it too along with my best running buddy, Holly!

You can read about my race in 2013 here.

Nike Half 2014

We Run DC Race Recap: Thirteen Highlights of 13.1 Miles

Highlight #1

The City:  On April 27, 2013 , I traveled with my family and friends to participate in the inaugural Nike Women 1/2 Marathon in Washington, DC.

My Family

My Friends

Highlight #2

The Hotel:  Upon arrival we checked into our lovely hotel: The Mayflower Renaissance Marriott in Washington, DC.

Renaissance Mayflower

Highlight #3

The Excitement:  After we checked into our hotel we headed to the expo to pick up my race packet.  I had my picture taken and found my name on the We Run DC Wall of Fame.

The Expo

We Run DC
Wall of Fame!

Highlight #4

My Race Outfit:  Oh yes, I planned my running outfit oh so carefully! And, I was anxious to lay it out the night before the big race.

Since the race is sponsored by Nike and Tiffany & Co., of course I wore Nike gear that was Tiffany blue!

Looking Good on Race Day!

Highlight #5

Mother Nature:  The weather was absolutely perfect for race day. I couldn’t have asked for a better day!

The Starting Line
6:45 AM

Highlight #6

Running Buddies:  In order to participate in the race, your name was randomly selected using a lottery system.  Holly and I were both selected and had the opportunity to run yet another race together!

Best Running Buddies

Highlight #7

Running Celebrities:  We were so close to the starting line that we  got to see Shalane Flanagan!

Shalane Flanagan

Highlight #8

S.U.C.C.E.S.S.!!!!   I successfully ran another 1/2 marathon under two hours!  I was pleased to see that out of 15,000+ runners I was the 2,036th runner to cross the finish line and for my age group I came in 130th!  🙂

NWM 1/2 Marathon Stats

Highlight #8

Bling!  Speaking of the finish line, my “race medal” by Tiffany & Co. was there waiting for me.  Who wouldn’t be excited when they see the silver platter filled with those special blue boxes!

Crossing the Finish Line in Style!

Highlight #9

Oh, la, la…the necklace!

Race Necklace

Race Necklace

Highlight #10

Meeting New Friends:  I finally got to meet my new friend and fellow blogger, Susan!  She crossed the finish line about six minutes before me and we were able to meet each other for the first time after the race.

Amy & Susan

Highlight #11

Celebrating Holly’s new 1/2 marathon PR!  We both ran the race in less than 2 hours and were anxious to have our picture taken together.

Post Run Smiles!

Highlight #12

Shopping:  After the race we went shopping at the Nike store in Georgetown.  The employees were so nice to all of the 1/2 marathon runners!

Nike Georgetown

Highlight #13

Last but not least…the sneakers!!!!  I think this is by far my biggest highlight of the race!  When we went to the Nike store I purchased my very own Tiffany Blue Nike commemorative sneakers.

Yes, they have white ribbon laces. Yes, they have two silver charms on the laces. Yes, they have the date of the race on the tongue. Yes, I feel special when I wear them…I mean who wouldn’t if they had the opportunity to ~Run DC~

Oh So Pretty!

We Run DC

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and a wonderful race.  I hope I get invited back next year!

i.am.ready

last run complete

feelin’ good

12 weeks of training

44 runs

201.49 miles

ready to run
thirteen point one
🙂

What a Weekend!

Hello there readers!  It has been quite awhile, I know, since I have had any serious updates.  Let’s just say, this weekend was a running, reading, and rockin’ mom kind of weekend.

Starting with Friday and a running update…the Runner’s Rut struck once again, however I told myself to get over it, and I reluctantly ran 5 miles.  But, wow, did I overcome my rut when I saw my stats.  You see, I have a secret goal in mind for my upcoming 1/2 marathon (which is April 28th btw) and I was beginning to doubt myself.  After Friday, I felt like I might be back on track.  Here are my stats:

Back on Track?

Now let’s talk about Saturday!  I have been attending BODYPUMP classes at Gold’s for about a year and a half,  but this  Saturday’s class was *out-stand-ing*!  I went with Holly and her friend Kim to a super, sizzling, and spectacular BODYPUMP class.  Another colleague that I work with actually teaches the class and invited us to the new release of BODYPUMP 85, hosted by an official Les Mills trainer nonetheless!  The class was energizing and buzzing with excitement.  Yeppers, we left there feeling unstoppable.

BODYPUMP 85 at Gold’s

After BODYPUMP Matt & I rushed off to see our daughter run at a Track & Field Invitational.  She set the track on fire for her two events and we couldn’t be more proud of her and her teammates!

Fab 4 plus 1!

And finally Sunday arrived!  This was Matt’s day…drum roll please!  He participated in his 2nd triathlon with Holly’s hubby.  For the triathlon he swam 300 meters, biked 16 miles, and ran 3.1 miles in 1 hour and 33 minutes.  Way to go…a personal best for him!

Sprint Triathlon

Last but not least, after the triathlon, Holly and I banged out an 11 mile run. Running buddies are the best! A great run it was.  Here is how it unfolded:

11 Mile Training Run

So now I am ready to kick back and relax with my book: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.  It’s a good one, but I will probably crash and burn before I even finish two “kindle pages”, which is less than one book page.  Oy vey!

P.S.

The Boston Marathon begins on Monday and I can’t wait to follow my friend over at BRB! Susan, I will be cheering for you! 🙂

P.S.

I updated my Exercise Log…check it out!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend!

Thanks for Visiting My Blog!

Welcome March!

Week #4 of my training for the Nike Woman’s Marathon Half in DC is now complete.  Overall, I had a very successful week.  I was able to get in three sessions of strength training and all four of my training runs.  Two of the runs were on the treadmill, but the other two were outside.  Here are the stats for my outside runs:

Saturday 4 Miler

Sunday 7 Miler

The cold temperatures for my seven miler were killing me, but I knew I couldn’t complete seven miles on the dreadmill treadmill…so outside I went.  By the completion of mile #1, believe it or not, I was completely warmed up!  Needless to say, I was quite pleased with both of my outside runs this weekend. 🙂

While I am running I am always thinking about how I am going to reward myself for my efforts, and today I decided my reward would be a smoothie made in the Vitamix.

Breakfast Smoothie

I never measure any of the ingredients when I make a smoothie, but I can share the ingredients:

Wyman’s frozen blueberries

a whole cored pear with skin

Bob’s Red Mill flaxseed meal

Chobani vanilla yogurt

Orange juice

It was the perfect treat after an intense week of working out!

I hope you had a awesome weekend!

Thanks for visiting my blog! 🙂

Workout Wednesday {1/30/13}

Whoo hoo!!!! There are just *FOUR* more days until I officially begin my training for the Nike Woman’s Half Marathon in Washington, DC.  I am actually looking forward to the training because it will get me back into a more formal exercise routine.  Currently, I am focusing on strength training, but I hope to be able to continue with the strength training as I complete my weekly runs. A balancing act it will be, but I’m up for the challenge!

For strength training I am attending Les Mills classes: BODYPUMP and CXWORX.  If I am not at the gym, you can find me in my basement hating and loving my kettlebell workout.

Kettlebell Workout

I started with the 5 lb. weight and the 20 minute workout and I am proud to say that I have graduated to the 10 lb. weight and the 45 minute workout.  We also have a 15 lb. kettlebell in our basement, but it will be awhile before I can swing that bad boy around without killing myself! Pink Runner has been begging me to try her Pop Pilates DVD but I haven’t gotten up the courage to give it a whirl…just yet anyway!

In between my strength training and the depressing winter weather, I have slipped in a few runs.  My last run was on Sunday when I completed just over 5 miles.

5.16 Miles

I have a race on Saturday, so I hope I can get out there at least two more times.  I know that if I don’t, Saturday’s race will definitely KICK. MY. BUTT!

Happy Running!

Happing Racing!

Thanks for Visiting My Blog! 🙂

Race Day?

So, today was to be a race day, and I was to run a 5k with Matt and our local Road Runner’s club.  Yes, oh yes, I can give you the excuses for why it didn’t happen, but I won’t.  Just know that it didn’t happen…and I do feel a bit (just a bit) guilty!  I did, however, run in my neighborhood to make up for my missed race :).    Here’s how it panned out:

Race Day Run?

There is no doubt about it, I am one who thrives on a routine and structure.  That’s why I am a bit excited to begin my 1/2 marathon training in two weeks.  And, I am super excited to be running in Washington D.C. for the Nike Woman’s Half with Pink Runner.

Nike 13.1

Pink Runner takes good care of me and she devised the training plan we will be using for the upcoming race.  Doesn’t look too bad!

Well, I have two more weeks to dabble around with an unstructured running schedule. I’ll continue to run a few times and do some cross training.  Shhhhh! I even have a 5 miler race scheduled in two weeks too! 🙂

Happy Running!

Happy Racing!