Thankful and MIZUNO GIVEAWAY!!

I hope everyone had and amazing Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with loved ones!  We are still celebrating and have been very busy.  So this is what has been happening the past few days:
Worked Tuesday and Wednesday midnight shift...Tuesday I warmed up riding the Expresso bike and did 6 miles of hills before heading into Amy's spin class!  Wow this was a great class with lots of miles and speed.. 28 miles total in 60 mins.  On Wednesday I ran 9 miles in 68 mins and did a lot of hills and decline ( after Richmond I made a promise with my quads to do more hills ).  Since I knew I was not going to sleep much on Thanksgiving I decided to take a rest day and enjoy my amazing family!!  We always go to my cousins house and there are about 30 of us there so it is a lot of fun and laughter as well as a feast!  We also shared the day with Nana and my hubby's side of the family which is also such a great time with fabulous family.  Then Nicole and I were crazy as always and went out Black Friday shopping at Midnight!  This definitely worked off the feast from earlier in the day.  After shopping I gathered up all my boys and we headed for the beach to spend time with my hubby's other side of the family!  Since I was feeling a little stir crazy from shopping and being in the car I laced up my Mizuno's and went out for a run.  7 gorgeous miles in 50 mins at the beach = PERFECTION!

 We went into Rehoboth and saw the beautiful tree lighting ceremony and sang Christmas carols:

The boys loved this and it really sparked off the Christmas season!  If you are ever in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Black Friday make sure you check this out. Also if you are in town make sure you go to our uncle's Bar/Restaurant Rigby's.   The boys are so funny and loooove hanging out with their Uncle John:

Uncle John and Cam rocking Eagles hats

Listening to them chat is priceless!

Ok here we go...I was lucky enough to be selected as part of Mizuno's Mezamashii Project and as you can see above my beautiful Wave Riders!  Mizuno's Mezamashii Project is allowing me to giveaway a few pair to some of my lucky readers!!!!!  This is such an amazing opportunity and I am so happy to be able to share my love of Mizuno with all of you:

                                            
For your chance to win...

1. Click on the above link and go checkout what this is all about then in the comments leave a comment on what pair of Mizunos you would pick and what are your current running shoes.

For an extra entry:

2. Follow @derunningmom on Twitter

3. Follow @MizunoRunning on Twitter

4. Share this giveaway and www.derunningmom.com on Facebook.

Contest will end on Friday, 11/30 and winners will be chosen by Random.org.
You will have a total of 4 entries!!

Best of luck!!

Happy Running!

Philadelphia Marathon Expo...We have a Champion

Friday Angel and I decided to take a drive to Philly to checkout the expo and geek out about all the gear.  The expo was located at the Philadelphia Convention Center and was pretty easy to get to..we parked right near Chinatown and paid $10 for 2 hours of parking.

 We walked maybe 2 minutes to the expo...this got me excited and sad at the same time!

This race sold out in September shortly after the Philadephia Rock and Roll half marathon so we waited too long to register and missed out.  Lesson learned!

This was a fairly decent sized expo with a lot of the basic running stuff plus some new and exciting products.  We saw our " iFitness belt friend" from the Richmond expo:

She is so sweet and perky!  I am a HUGE iFitness belt fan and absolutely love mine!  I have had it for about 3 years and I wear it on almost every outdoor run and race.  It has held up so well and does NOT move or cause chaffing!  I actually bought another one at the Richmond expo just to have in case mine breaks or just to have as a back up!  They are about $18 - $40 and hold so much.  I usually have my iPhone, keys, and some $$ in mine...it also hold up to 4-6 gels and you can get either with water bottles or without:

      
So worth it and would make the perfect Christmas gift for any runner out there!!!

Then we saw these:

Recovery Pump are boots that go from your feet to your thighs and delivers medical grade compression to help rid the muscles of fatigue, soreness and inflammation.  They zip right up and use sequential compressions to help accelerate muscle recovery...so after I got my boots on I reclined back and enjoyed the massage!  They are a local company and the owners we super nice and informative..I did grab more info on the boots and plan on looking into them more.

We also had the chance to stop by and chat with the race director of the New Jersey Marathon.  I have had my eye on this race since last year and think it would be a great PR/BQ course!  It is May 5, 2013 and sure to be a FAST/FLAT course. 

Joe ( race director ) was so friendly and spoke very highly of the course.  This was actually voted one of the "8 Spectacular Waterfront Race Destinations" by Fitbie.com.  If you register before 11/29/12 it is $95 for the full marathon or $70 for the half marathon.  There is also a half marathon relay that is $85 until 12/31/12.  What a better way to spend Cinco De Mayo then to run a race and then enjoy the Shore!!

Angel - HINT HINT!!!  I will hopefully be there cheering, volunteering or possibly running just depending on how I am after Boston.

We also met Matt from Slacklace who was awesome!  This is a great idea and I cannot wait to try out the laces Matt gave me to test out!

Matt owner of Slacklace

Look at all those colors!

Neon Green!

These laces have a little give and stretch so when your are running and your feet expand/swell they allow that space your feet need!  They allow for natural movement of your feet while running.  I am trying mine out tomorrow on my run and cannot wait!  I tend to tie my shoe laces VERY tight then the top of my feet tend to hurt toward the end of my long runs.  So I think this is going to work well for me!  I picked the neon green because my Mizunos have the same color! Meant to be..We shall see!

I also stopped by the Yurbuds booth and said Hi to Michael who was so amazing and helped my dad out in California at the Disneyland Expo... My dad raves about his Yurbuds and swears they were the best purchase!  

Great job Philadelphia Marathoners and I hope to be there PRing next year!!

On Saturday after working I squeezed in a quick run before heading to Chase's Championship football game...9 miles in 66 minutes and felt great!  It was a good thing I ran before the game because my nerves would have been shot.  His team did so well and played their little hearts out!  There is nothing better then hearing your sons name announced over the load speaker for making amazing tackles! Yup I am a total football mom... They won the championship and ended the season UNDEFEATED!!  Proud momma and wife!

Mom of #71

Amazing Coaches!!

If anyone is planning a spring marathon please checkout the New Jersey Marathon...If you register now $20 will go to Sandy relief funds!

Happy Running!!

Race Day Richmond: Part 2

Yesterday I ran a nice easy 3.5 miles and did the stair machine for 20 minutes.  I tried to take a full week of recovery but only made it 5 days...And it felt great!! 

Ok back to recap:  The marathon start time was 8 am with the 8k and half marathon starting earlier.  We were only 7 miles away from the start so we figured if Danny dropped us off close to the start with 30 minutes to spare we would be good to go but our GPS took us 2 miles past the start and put us on W. Broad St. instead of E. Broad St.  Due to major road closures we were unable to get back to the start and at one point we ended up on the actual race course around mile 2 in our Suburban!!!  At this point Angel said "lets just run to the start".  So we had a nice brisk 2 mile warm up before the race even started.  We met a nice man on the way to the start who had the same issues we were having and agreed that this was a little chaotic.  It was very crowded and confusing to get into the corral and we were in the portapotty mid squat when we hear the announcer say "1 minute until race start"!!  Talk about adrenaline rush...luckily everyone in Richmond is SUPER friendly and supportive and the fellow runners open the gate so we snuck into the corral.  There was no time for race day jitters which was a positive!  I hit the 5K mark at 21:04 and told myself to SLOW down but when you are running with all the speedy people around you and heading downhill it is hard to slow down (rookie mistake).  At mile 6 I saw Katherine from NeonBlondeRunner.com and she gave me the boost I needed at this point.  She also was so gracious and opened her home to a lot of the NYC runners as well as had an amazing pre-race carb dinner on Friday night!  I have been following her blog since last year and am so glad we finally got to meet!  She is full of positive energy and so sweet!  Thanks Katherine!! 

Ok so from mile 6 to mile 16 is were it gets a little blurry!  After mile 6 is a big downhill then the "rollers" start.  Here in Delaware especially Middletown area it is fairly flat and unfortunately this training cycle I lacked hill training...I normally enjoy hills but mentally I was not prepared for them either.  This stretch of the race is also the most beautiful and you run past the James River and through gorgeous foliage and houses. 




I saw Danny at the halfway mark and apparently I looked like crap!  I was fighting my mental demons at this point and finally decided to suck it up and enjoy the race and all the amazing people around me! 

Feel the pain!

Uphill

 

Angel at the half

Mile 17-18 we crossed over the Leigh Bridge which was flat and beautiful!  The crowd support was amazing and I loved seeing all the creative signs....My fav "crapping your pants is a possibility!".  That made me laugh.  I hit the 20 mile mark in 2:35 and then started to walk the water stops and took some Honey Stingers for fuel.  I was on pace to get my goal time but mentally I began to bargain with myself.  From mile 20 to the finishline it was fairly flat and fast.  Katherine came out and ran with me for a few at mile 22 which was so kind of her!  The last .20 is straight downhill.  I just kept saying to myself  "if you fall, tuck and roll".   I knew I had a BQ (Boston qualifier) and this was a PR but I wanted to get a much better time...I will get my goal hopefully in January! 

The finishline was in a perfect spot and Anthem put on a great after party!  Look at that scenery!  I love the medal too:

LOVE my Mizunos!!!

They had the best massage therapist at the finish...His name was Norm and he should be at all the marathons around the world!

I also saw Katherine at the finishline and had the chance to meet Meggie who also races for Oiselle.

This was an amazing experience and I would love to redeem myself here at this race again.  I feel the course was challenging but yet fun and fast.  The people alone are worth coming to run this race.  Richmond is beautiful and the weather was perfect!  I hope to be back and catch up with some more VA runners very soon.

Flower from hubby!

I highly recommend this race...Make sure you train for hills and allow plenty of time for travel.  I would get there early Friday and drive to the race start or stay closer to the start of the marathon.  Also allow plenty of time to get to your corral on race day. 

See ya in the future Richmond!

Happy Running!

Road to Richmond...Part 1

Since I made a pact with myself to not run this week I have been cross training:  Yesterday I walked 2 miles @ 5% incline and did a weights workout.  Today: 20 minutes stairmonster followed by Cheryl's spin class ( note to self..DO SPIN MORE) then 13 miles on expresso bike.


Here we go...So after working midnight shift I was able to grab a quick 2 hour nap before we loaded up the car and headed to Richmond...We were a little later on the road then planned but such is life.  The GPS said 3hr 40 mins to get to our destination.....IT LIED!!  Since it happened to be a Friday and we had to go through D.C. we sat in traffic for close to 3 hours.  I was in rare form and my normal happy go lucky self turned into a diva.  My poor hubby took the brunt of my frustration...Sorry Danny!  We finally arrived at the expo which was pretty easy to find and had sufficient parking.  We went right in and got our bibs and shirt without having to wait at all.

Super friendly workers

The expo was definitely on the smaller side but super easy to get around and had all the running essentials...GU, Accelerade, Powerbar, samples, clothing, shoes, future races, etc....After the expo we went straight to the hotel to check in and grab dinner because we were all starving and it was almost 7 pm.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn which was about 7 miles from the race start.  Since my hubby was driving us to the start we figured this distance wouldn't be a big deal.  The hotel and staff were super nice and they even offered a hot breakfast bar as well as regular breakfast items starting at 6 am.  So after we dropped off our luggage we went out to find a place to eat.  Where we were staying did not have much of a selection since we were in the "industrial district".  We did a google search for "best pizza in Richmond" and it lead us to..

Bottoms Up on Dock St.

Danny and his well deserved beer:

Famous bread sticks!
 

We were so hungry that when the food came out we started grubbing right away:

This was the BEST pizza I think I have had:

HEAVEN

Thin crust with mushrooms

The waitress here was awesome and gave us a few suggestions as to where to go post race and grab a bite to eat...Yes we were planning ahead!  After we were all stuffed and exhausted we went back to the hotel and planned for the race:

 

I was super excited to be racing in my Oiselle gear and representing a fabulous company!!  This is such a passion of mine and I am in love with their clothing and what the company stands for..I hope I made them proud! 

We were tucked in bed and asleep by 10:15-10:30 pm....

Rest of recap tomorrow!

Happy Running!







Quick Update...

Wow what a weekend!!!  I will do a full recap post tomorrow but wanted to check in an say hello.  The Richmond Marathon was a blast and a challenge at the same time!  My official time was 3 minutes off my goal time but considering the circumstances I will be happy with it...3:28:47.   I am feeling pretty awesome for running a marathon and focusing on recovery and regrouping for my next race which is the Rehoboth Beach Half Marathon on December 8. 



But for now here is my finish line photo and I am wearing my medal proud!

 

Anyone racing Rehoboth in December?

Happy Running!

Richmond Here We Come...

So we are packing up and getting ready to head to Richmond, Va!  I am very excited to go to this race and hope to meet up with some fellow bloggers and Oiselle Team members!  This will  be my first big race in my Oiselle racing uniform and I could not be more excited....I just hope I make my team proud!  Fly free and Dream big! 

See y'all in Richmond.

Happy Running!

Last Run Before Richmond..

Wednesday was my last run before heading to Richmond for the marathon.  I had 5 miles on schedule and I was hoping this was a "good" last run before race day!  My wish came true...I did 5.60 miles in 40 minutes and felt great.  I was tempted to keep going but my new mature runner brain told me to save it for race day!  I ended up doing this run on the TM because it is FREEZING here in Delaware and raining/snow flurries.  When I got home I had a box sitting at my door:

New Wave Rider 16's

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to be a part of the Mezamashii Running Project and have to say THANK YOU to Mizuno for this amazing opportunity!  I will do a full post on these amazing shoes and get excited out there because you to could WIN a pair...Once I get back from Richmond!  If you are not familiar with Mezamashii it means brilliant or eye opening in Japanese.  Mizuno wants people/runners to capture that brilliant run by allow people to see for themselves the amazing feel of their shoes!  The customer service of Mizuno alone has me as a lifetime member!!  But more to come on this topic in a future post...Can you feel my passion about them?

I am in love with my Mizuno Wave Riders and they have helped me come back from my injury last April.  It is amazing how much better you feel when you have happy feet.  I cannot wait to give these beauties a test run but want to save them for after the Richmond Marathon.  I believe in sticking with what has worked for now especially if all is going well! 

Thursday was a rest day and I had a final check in with my PT before the race.  I am so grateful for the help I have been given with recovering and preventing further injuries!  I am feeling pretty confident and excited for this race.  Angel was in rare form today and had a ton of energy to burn so we power walked around her hood while her little man rode his bike.  What a better way to burn energy then to go shopping at BJ's Wholesale and scope out all the organic and natural products they carry!  I do not have any pictures of our shopping adventure because a certain little man was playing games on my phone.  But we had a blast!  I am working midnights tonight then we will be heading to Richmond after I get off.  I packed last night and look like I am going away for a week!!  I want to make sure I have all my bases covered  and since we are driving I can bring more. 

Anyone else racing this weekend? 

What are some of your race day essentials??

Happy Running!

10 Mile Tempo and Taper Week

I had to work all weekend and fit in my last 10 mile run before taper week.  Friday I had my PT check up to make sure all systems are in check for race day because this past week my right foot started to act up a little bit and was feeling a little tight.  After getting that worked out I am feeling more confident.

So after being up for 26 hours I decided to take a quick nap before my 10 mile run on Saturday...I had to sneak it in before going back to work so I went to the Y and ran on the TM.  I started off on the slower end with my first mile @ 8:19.  I then set my speed to my uncomfortably comfortable pace and finished 10.1 miles in 73 minutes.  This run felt great and made me feel pretty good about heading into my taper week.  Since I work midnight shift I got to work an EXTRA hour and actually watch the time fall back!  So not fun to repeat that hour...totally felt like groundhog day!  At least I had great company to get me through the night!  When I got home in the morning I was beyond tired and my body was screaming for sleep so I decided to not set my alarm and just let my body wake up when it was ready.  I honestly cannot tell you the last time I just slept and woke up without an alarm!  My hubby is awesome and didn't bother me and kept the kids quiet while I slept.  I think I got a total of 12 hours of much much needed rest!  So my Sunday was a true REST day. 

Today's workout was a 7 mile run in 49:21...with .60 mile cool down...I started this run outside and it was COLD!!!  I obviously was not prepared for the cold wearing my shorts and t-shirt!  At least I had gloves thanks to my oldest son for leaving them in the car!  I am very happy with my run and followed it up with some kettle bell wall sits and core work. 

 I am loving this combination of Injinji socks and Mizuno Wave Riders!  My toes have been feeling a little claustrophobic lately and they loved the space in these socks!  I highly recommend them if you get a chance to try them out. 

Also,  I am completely in love with ProCompression socks and they are currently having a sale on their argyle compression socks!  I have a pair of the blue ones and just ordered another pair of the pink argyle.   Just go to their site and enter code SOM112 at checkout for 40% off and FREE shipping.  Like I said I am a huge fan and they are truly awesome socks.



Anyone else racing this weekend?

Happy Running!

Holiday Cup!

Yesterday was all over the place for me!  I started off the day going to Cam's preschool Halloween parade and party then I had planned to do my speed work session but by the time I got going I couldn't get into the groove.  My pace was all over the place and I was tense most of the run...I found out some surprising family info and my mind was everywhere else but my run.  I was able to get in 9 miles in 67 minutes and tried to keep this a tempo run with a few accelerations in my speed.  My run was cut short because I had to pick up my little guy and take him to the doctor for this horrible cough he has had for a few days...I want to be sure it wasn't something too serious.  He is such a trooper and does not slow down even if he is not feeling well and he was NOT going to miss out on trick or treating ( good thing Dr. said he was OK to go ).  We had such a great time last night and enjoyed Halloween with amazing friends and family!  Chase, Cameron, Jordan and Hannah were so cute and we look forward to many more years trick or treating together. 

Post trick or treating Ghost Skater

Tickle me Elmo!

Post trick or treating Jordan and Kim

Post trick or treating Ghost Pirate!

It is amazing how quickly the kids got out of their costumes after they were done trick or treating!

Hannah

Hannah switched costumes and became Aunt Stacey!  Love her!!  She was dressed up as Merida from Disney's Brave but I have her picture on my other camera and am too tired to go find it right now!

Today I planned on making up for my lack of consistency yesterday and did 5 miles with 800 meter repeats in 34 minutes...total sweat fest and felt great to go fast.  I also did a kettle bell session with shoulders, biceps, triceps, lunges, squats and abs!  So glad to be done this workout.  While I was lifting I noticed the different forms and amount of weights being lifted at the gym.  I really pay close attention to my form and proper lifting but there are a lot of people out there slinging heavy weights around and with terrible form.  One kid who was 5' 4" 164 lbs lifting 315 lbs doing a set of deadlifts and felt a "burning sensation" in his groin...I am not a body builder but I know that this cannot be good!  I will stick to my sports specific weight training and hope for the best.

I was so excited to see this today:

What is your favorite weight training exercise?

Happy Running!