Diva Half Marathon Expo

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Diva Half Marathon.  The trip was perfect!  The drive down was about 10 hours.  My mom, my daughter and I arrived in Myrtle Beach around 8 PM on Friday evening.  We checked into our hotel, got some dinner and then made a Wal-Mart run for some last minute essentials.  We went to bed that night with plans of hitting the Diva Half Marathon first thing Saturday morning. 

We got up Saturday morning, got some breakfast and headed out to the expo.  I was not sure what to expect for this Expo.  The only other Expos I had ever been to were Disney.  We got to the Expo around 10 am.  The cars were pouring in.   We parked and went in.  A very grouchy lady from the chamber of commerce handed my mom and I a bag of coupons and directed me to packet pickup.  There was no line at packet pick up.  I told them my bib number, showed them my ID, and they gave me my packet.  Very easy! 

Inside the packet was my bib, some bib pins, a draw string back pack and the race shirt.  I really like getting a goody bag, but it is nice to not have a bunch of papers to through away.  The shirt is awesome!  It is a ladies cut tech material, hot pink and super cute.  The draw string back pack is nice and also served as our gear check bag. 

After I got my packet, I walked around the vendor stands.  There was maybe 10-15 vendor stands at the Expo—much less than at Disney.  I checked out Running Princess and got an awesome shirt that I wore for the Diva half.  I checked out some other vendors and got a new headband.  My last stop was the Diva Lounge.  At the Diva Lounge, there were lots of tiaras, feather boas, and Diva bling to play dress up with.  There were also banners to take pictures with.  I also got to meet Kendrick, the official trainer for the Diva running series.  I have been following him on Facebook and Twitter for a while now.  He always gives great advice and answers reader’s questions.  He is a real class act. 

The highlight of the Expo for me was being recognized by two separate blog/Facebook friends.   I love meeting new people!  It was so great to meet you, Cara and Jenna!  I also met up with some friends from home.  It was fun to shop the vendors with friends. 

After the Expo, my mom and I spent some time on the Myrtle Beach board walk and beach.  For the evening, I went to dinner with some of the most wonderful women I know.  Thank you to Hope Epton for hosting and giving us a place to hang out together!  It was so great to see you ladies again!  After dinner, I went back to the hotel to prepare for the Diva half the next morning. 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy 

Memorial Day virtual 5k to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

I wanted to take time out of all my fun race reporting to tell you about a project I am working on.  As you know, I have been training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.  I will run the Nike Women's Half Marathon on October 14th, 2012.  I will be running for a reason much more important than the personal challenge of completing a Half Marathon.  As a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program, I have pledged to train on the behalf of all the affected children and their families to help raise money for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma research and patient assistance programs.

During my training, I have gotten close to a few families with sick children.  I am very sad to report that my sweet angel Kaitlyn has lost her battle.  I am very happy to report that Emily is still fighting leukemia at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia--and winning!  She is the first child to get an experimental treat that involves giving her body new T-cells.  The treatment is working for Emily and she is now cancer free!  

As you may or may not know, leukemia is the #1 disease killer of children and the leading fatal malignant disease of men and women under the age of 35.  Although the cause of leukemia remains unknown, recently developed treatments and steady advances in research bring us closer to a cure every day.  These research advances were only achieved as a result of contributions made by companies, foundations and individuals like you.

Like the medal?  It's double sided!  

My goal is to raise $3000 by October 1st. If you would like to help, please consider registering for my virtual 5k.  For the 5k, anytime on or around Memorial Day weekend, run, walk, skip or crawl the distance—BLING included!  As a thank you for registering, I will send you a finisher medal.  The medal this time is AWESOME!  It's two sided!  Please consider registering and helping me reach my goal.  With the generosity of people like you, there is every reason to believe that a cure for blood-related cancers is in sight!

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

To register, click here! 

Confidence

Confidence.  Without it we can accomplish nothing.  Confidence is very important for a runner.  It is what gets you to the starting line.

A good friend and I have both been (separately) mulling over the idea of attempting a full marathon.  We discuss it often.  She has attempted a full before but was swept at mile 14.  She feels that she must complete a full—to prove to herself she can do it. I don’t know why in the world I want to attempt a full.  I guess I feel like it’s a natural progression.  I started with a 5k, then a 7 miler, than a 10 miler, then a half marathon.  A full marathon should be next, right?

I think my friend has a very good reason for wanting to complete a full marathon.  She wants to do it for herself.  She is not working for someone else’s approval or to impress anyone—she is doing it for her!  I really respect that.  I guess my reason for wanting to do a full is similar, but my desire is nowhere near hers.  

I keep asking myself—am I really capable of this? Can my body really complete 26.2 miles?  I believe that just about anyone is capable of finishing a half marathon, if they train well.  A full marathon is a different beast.  It is very hard on the body, both physically and mentally.  Is it really worth it?  These are the things that keep going through my mind when I think about doing a full marathon.

How do you know when you are ready for a full marathon?  How do you get the confidence to get to the start line? 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

Overlapping Training Plans

I have so many fun races coming up!  Each race comes with its own training plan.  With these races spread over the next year, what races do I train for officially?

In the immediate future, I have the Diva Half marathon on Sunday, and then the San Diego Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  I committed to do the San Diego Half long before the Diva, so I have been following the SD training plan.  Coincidently, the SD plan has me do 12 miles the weekend of the Diva, so it fits into the plan very nicely. 

My fall race training is what I am not sure about.  I have Disneyland September 2^nd, the Diva Long Island October 7^th, my most anticipated race of the season—Nike San Francisco Half on October 14^th  with Team in Training, then Hershey Half October 22^nd, then finally Disney Wine and Dine Half November 10^th.  Official training for Disneyland started on May 1^st.  Official training with the Team starts in mid-June for Nike. 

What plan do I follow? 

My plan is to jump right into the Jeff Galloway training plan for the Disneyland half as soon as I get back from San Diego.   Since I will already be trained, after DL, I plan to follow the Team plan until Nike, and then jump into the Jeff Galloway plan for Wine and Dine.

What do you think of my plan?  Have you ever worked overlapping training plans?  How did you mesh the plans together?

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

Race Nutrition

I have two half marathons coming up in the next three weeks (Diva Half in Myrtle Beach and the San Diego Rock and Roll).  Race nutrition has been on my mind.

During my first half marathon, the Disney Princess, I did not take any during race nutrition with me.  I ate a bagel and banana before, but nothing during.  There was a Clif Shot station at mile nine, but gels are just not for me.  Although I do enjoy the taste of some of them, I can't take the texture--especially while running.  By mile ten, my stomach was growling.  I really could have used some nutrition, but still have not found anything that I like.

I came across this article on active.com while I was trying to find alternatives to the usual gels.  I love that some of the options are all natural stuff I can buy right in my local grocery store.  Dates and dried fruit are now on my shopping list.  I plan to try a "race trail mix".  The idea of watermelon would be so refreshing along the course, but it is totally impractical in my opinion.  I don't know how you would carry it.  One person that commented on the article said she has her husband meet her at specific spots on the course so she did not have to carry her nutrition with her.   She suggested potato chips as the perfect mid race nutrition.  At first, this seemed strange to me, but it makes perfect sense--potato chips have carbs and lots of salt.

The article also has a recipe for home made energy gel.  The recipe looks very easy to make with just a few ingredients.  If I figure out a way to carry it during the race, I will give it a try.   I think I could down this one while running.  I love all of these new options.  They just may replace my good old pop tarts.

What is your favorite race nutrition?  Do you do anything unusual?

A dream is a wish...

--Amy

Amish Paradise

Here is an article from last month’s Runner’s World magazine I wanted to share with you.  The article is about Amish runners.  Since I live in South Central Pennsylvania, just outside of Amish country, I found this article particularly interesting.   

Before I read this article, I had no idea there was such thing as Amish runners.  I used to see Amish every day, even riding the school bus with them for a time.  The Amish, as part of their religion, shun modern conveniences.  They do not have electricity in their homes.  They do not own cars or tractors.  They work their fields by hand and ride in horse drawn carriages.    The idea of them being great runners makes total sense to me.  Running requires lots of hard work and dedication.  Those are traits most Amish people have.

What did you think of the article? 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

Spirituality of Running

I would not consider myself a religious person, but I would consider myself a spiritual person.  I do not regularly attend church, but I certainly am a believer.  Last week I wrote a post about not listeningto music when I run.  I told you how I like to listen to my surrounds and take in the people around me. 

While I was running yesterday, I thought some more about why I run and how it makes me feel.  When I run, I feel more in tune with my body.  Not only do I feel more in tune with my body, but also with my mind.  When I have an important decision to make or feel overly stressed, I go for a run and can think clearly.  I can sort things out easier.  I can simplify things.  I guess that is what they call a runner’s high.

When I am running and working my body hard, I feel more spiritual.  I feel more spiritual when running than I ever have in church.  I feel closer to God when running.  I have moments of clarity when I am running like I have never experienced before.   I think running clears my head and lets what was always there shine through.   

Have you ever experienced anything like this while running?  Do you feel like your mind opens up? 

A dream is a wish…

--Amy

Need any Bondi Bands?  All proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!