Last Race of 2012!

The weather this weekend & today is BEAUTIFUL.  Absolutely perfect for a run or bike.  It's hard to believe we just had a hurricane and a snow storm less than a week ago - well, at least until you open your eyes and take a look around.  Yesterday, Khamiya and I ran an easy 8 and change north to Sea Bright until officers wouldn't allow us any farther.  The damage that some of the homes along the shore suffered from Sandy (and Athena) is inconceivable.  Our apartment, which is also 1st floor on ocean side, had minimal damage and for that we are incredibly thankful.

Sunday, the Philly Half  will be my final race of the year.  I haven't decided whether I plan to try PR'ing yet, but I guess that decision will have to be made soon.  I'm crossing my fingers that the sinus and chest congestion I've been toting around lately clears up by this weekend - either way, I'm not the least bit worried about it.  (Now what I should be concerned about is the 6 or so lbs I've put on since the marathon from eating like a "typical American" - but that's up for discussion another day).  More importantly, I was able to convince my younger sister to run :) AND our parents will be around to spend the weekend as well.  One of the blessings that living relatively closer to home (as compared to NC) brings.   This will be Angie's first ever half marathon (or race longer than 1mi for that matter) and so I've decided to do a mini pre race interview with her!

A little backround info: Ang graduated this past May with her Bachelors in Accounting from Lebanon Valley College in PA.  During her time there she was a 4 year starter as a member of LVC's Volleyball team. She is currently working full time for ParenteBeard and taking classes for her masters at Villanova School of Business. Angie is 22 and NOT single :)

As a first time half marathoner, what have you done to prepare for the race with weekend? Did you follow any specific running program?
Since I signed up for the race in August, I have been semi-following a running program. I looked over Hal Higdon'sTraining Programs and a Runner's World program that had different programs for beginners, intermediate , and experienced runners. I attempted to make my own mix between beginners and intermediate. I would typically run 2 or 3 shorter runs throughout the week and one long run on the weekend. My definition of short and long definitely changed throughout the process as well.

(Me:) Do you have a goal in mind for the race?
(ANG:) While it is definitely to finish since this is my first one, my goal is to do so under a 9:00 minute mile pace. (under 1:48:00)

Do you plan on changing your diet during the days surrounding the race and do you have a race morning breakfast in mind?
I don’t plan to extremely change my diet, but I do know I will not eat something like Taco Bell the night before the race (the experience is not pleasant). I plan to eat moderately healthy as I normally do before the race.  Morning of...I'll just eat what you eat.

What was your favorite part of the training?
My favorite part of training may have been about a month ago. I was starting to feel myself getting faster on my shorter runs and still feeling strong after my longer runs. Both of those feelings were a great sense of accomplishment.

What is the longest you've run, to date? Approx what is your weekly mileage?
The longest I have run to date is 12.1 miles. My weekly mileage is approximately 19 miles, but before starting training in August it would have been closer to 9 miles per week.

Have you experienced any running related injuries or pain during your training?
Yes, I managed to throw up after one of my longer runs. I think it may have been due to the Taco Bell I ate the night before (surprise surprise) or it may have been from being too hot. By this I mean that I wore a tight long-sleeve shirt and a long-sleeve shirt over top of that. It was probably closer to 60 degrees so that was obviously unnecessary. The next weekend I ran in a cut-off and I felt much better. Other than that, no new aches or pains as compared to before I began training for the race.

Do you plan to run with music?
Yes, running with music takes my mind off of what I am actually doing. My mind travels a mile a minute. I can hear one word in the song and it can make me think about something totally different. If I am not thinking about how tired I am or how in pain my knees are, then I am more likely to run faster.

Do you have any favorite training gear?
I am very glad I purchased a specific pair of Asic sneakers before I started training. I have very rough knees from playing volleyball all throughout college.  My knees and hips used to feel awful after running at all, but since I started wearing these sneakers, my pain has definitely decreased - but obviously is still there sometimes.

Now that we are less than a week form the race, how do you feel? 
I am very excited to finally reach 13.1 miles, since I have never run that far before. I am simply excited to cross the finish line. 

13.1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13.1

Needless to say, Ang is definitely race ready and hopefully will have a great experience. A fellow friend, Kelsey Miller (who had run the Runner's World Half Marathon a few weeks back) will be running the full Philly Marathon - her first 26.2 as well.  A big good luck to them both and everyone else out there running this weekend!!

On that note, I'm heading out for a quick bike ride before the sun runs out on me. Happy training folks and I'll send the good news early next week!

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13