Review! Frederick Run Fest - Half Marathon!

On May 4th I ran the Frederick Half-Marathon (one week after I ran the half in DC) and it was one crazy weekend. I was running the Frederick Half-Marathon as the first of three races I have to run to complete the King Crab Challenge in MD!

I planned on leaving my college on Saturday, driving the the expo (getting my packet) and then driving to my house. However I got a little turned around and ended up driving toward my house! So instead of wasting tons of gas money and time, I decided (with the help of a phone call to my boyfriend) to just drive home and pick up my race packet on race day.

So race day comes (the following morning) and I wake up at 3am to drive an hour and a half to Frederick so that I am there in time for packet pick up (which starts at 5am). I wanted to get there early because I hadn't signed up for race day pick up and it was limited to 200 runners (I didn't make the cut). I was just hoping to run.

There was no traffic at 3am so I ended up making to the race at 4am, and in a race of 7,000 runners I was the first runner at the race start. Yeah... that was strange. I got my race packet at 4:30 and took a selfie for my twitter because I couldn't believe everything actually worked out!!

So I slept in my car until the race start at 7am. I ate some fruit snacks as breakfast, drank lots of water, but mostly napped. 

The whole run was pretty nice and fairly scenic. Of course I made some friends along the way, mostly men who were shocked at the 5'3", 115lb girl that was matching them stride for stride. Eventually I ended up running up behind a familiar blonde girl, my old running buddy from freshman year of college!! For old times sake we ran a mile together, but she told me to take off as some of the hills started to get to her. 

I felt great the entire race! Even in the last mile when I was 100% sure that I was working on a stress fracture in my foot. The last mile of the race was uphill and only a horse race track! Possibly the coolest race finish I've ever had the pleasure of running. I ended up finishing the race in 1:56:52 (faster than the race I had run a week before!!)

By the time I had finished I knew I had a stress fracture, but I still when to the med tent for an eval, and they confirmed: stress fracture.

So for now I'm bandaged up and working on 3 weeks minimum of recovery, most likely it'll be more like 6-8 weeks. Not an exciting thought at all, but it's better than a break! And don't worry ladies, my boyfriend has been there for me every painful step since then. And he's not allowing me to walk very much either, so lots of driving across campus :(

My official race results!!

Review!! Nike Women's Half Marathon!

On Sunday April 27, 2014 myself and 15,000 amazing women (and a few men) ran through the streets of D.C. on a half marathon course that began at 7am. It was an amazing weekend and I loved the whole thing! I didn't have high personal expectations going into the race, because I was in the middle of an upper respiratory infection at the time of the race, but I was still so excited!

My weekend actually started early Saturday morning (the day before the race) when my boyfriend and I drove a little over an hour to the metro stop that we took into D.C. It was only my second time riding the metro and, yes, even though I'm 20 I was scared. Thank goodness I'm dating a boy from D.C. who helped me make sure I was going on all the correct trains and getting off at all the correct stops the entire weekend. I have no idea how other people maneuver the metro without a personal tour guide.

When we finally got into D.C. we checked out the expo, where I got my packet, race shirt, and saw my name along with all the other runners placed into a huge mural on the side of the Nike Georgetown store! (I didn't take a picture of the entire wall, my mistake!)

It was so cool! I loved how they made us all into one unifying display! I didn't take many pictures when I was at the race expo or race because I was doing a lot of just taking in the atmosphere! BUT something I did see that was completely amazing was Joan Benoit Samuelson and Shalane Flanagan! If you know me at all you know that these women are in my top 5 for favorite all time runners (Flanagan being #1!). Here's the picture!!

All in all the expo was really nice to be at! I would have liked to see more accessible free goodies. I mean they knew it was 15,000 women, they should have had more than 15 people working at the free fun things if they are going to so boldly advertise it. I did some shopping at the Nike store and grabbed an awesome neon tank and black spandex! I love them both (yes I'm wearing them right now). The cool thing about shopping at the Nike store was that you didn't have to wait in line to check out! You could just find an employee and they could check you out with you just standing there!! 

I also volunteered at the Nike T-shirt distribution later in the afternoon!

Then Kevin, the boyfriend, took me out to dinner which was definitely nice. I was a little out of place at the restaurant seeing as I was in running clothes, but it was still great prep for the race! (Of course, I had pasta).

I ran the whole race with my GU Energy Chews (watermelon (: my fave!!) and SaltStick tabs! I felt solid the entire race and I really think that's because I was fueling my body perfectly the whole run.

I loved running around D.C. and all the little treats Nike had for us along the way. We got the typical water and Gatorade, but there was also a whole mile where they handed out little chocolates!! Yum! The entertainment on the course was pretty good, but I wish they had compared song lists (I heard Happy 5 times and it was horrible). My favorite band was scream-o one! It was a marching band... PLAYING SCREAM-O! It was such a great pump up (: The entire race was amazing, but I think the best part was crossing the finish line under 2:00:00 and hearing my boyfriend yell for me at the same time. Made the whole thing worth it.

Oh and of course my finisher's medal:

OH YES IT'S A TIFFANY'S NECKLACE.

SO GOOD.

SO SO GOOD.

I was so excited to have my first piece of Tiffany's, but after I finished all I wanted was to find Kevin and head back to our hotel and a shower. In fact I barely relished in the finish the way I usually do (I think Kev was more excited than I was!). We walked through the Finisher's village and one awesome thing that Nike did was have a line of clothes that you can only buy if you ran the race! I got a red long sleeve zip with FINISHER across the back. The way I figure it: If you're going to run for 2hrs and feel terrible you might as well get a shirt that brags for you out of it!

All in all it was brilliant race, and I highly suggest it to all the women out there (The San Francisco half is opening registration soon!!)

My official race results:

Review! SaltStick Caps Plus (Courtesy of SaltStick Co.)

After much too long of a wait... HERE IT IS!

I have been training on my twice-a-week long runs with SaltStick® Caps for the past month and a half and I really like them! I tried out two types: SaltStick® Caps and SaltStick® Caps Plus, and definitely preferred the Plus, which you can get here!

SaltStick® was nice enough to send me samples, and was extremely patient while I logged my 100 miles on their product. It was easy to find someone to personally talk to, opposed to talking with a computer (which you all know is my pet peeve). 

Price wise you are paying high for a high quality product. However I've learned that skimping, money-wise, when it comes to what you are fueling your body with during a long run is just stupid. While SaltStick® is $29.99/100ct it's about 30 cents a capsule and 100% worth it. However, despite being justified, it is a steep price.

I have a tough time with salt when I'm running, but the Plus were just fine with my stomach! (So long that I didn't take them on a completely empty stomach). They are easy on your stomach because SaltStick® has added sodium citrate to this capsule and it helps to soothe you. Another thing I really liked about the Plus was the small amount of added caffeine, it was a nice little & subtle boost during my run! And I actually didn't take them with a gel, instead just an electrolyte tab!

Overall these are really great! And I highly highly recommend them (: They are definitely my salt of choice now! (sponsorship in the future? *wink wink*)

Company:	5/5
Affordability:	3/5
Quality:	5/5
Usage:	5/5
Overall:	A

Key Features! (from SaltStick.com)

• The ONLY electrolyte capsule formulated to closely resemble the electrolyte profile lost during activity: sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
• Only 1 capsule per serving. Suggested use: 1 capsule per 20-60 minutes during activity
• Buffered salt composition that helps digestion and absorption
• Sodium citrate soothes the stomach
• Each capsule contains 190 mg sodium, 53 mg potassium, 14 mg calcium, 7 mg magnesium, and 100 IU Vitamin D plus 30 mg caffeine
• Caffeine is a legal ergogenic ingredient that increases alertness and reduces fatigue
• Vegetable-based non-GMO capsule composition; Bio-available active ingredients. GMP production in a facility registered NSF Certified for Sport®.
• Fully soluble ingredients allows option of easy preparation of a custom caffeinated electrolyte beverage with a pleasantly mild salty taste
• Contains only WHAT YOU NEED. No: herbal, trace, questionable components added. Vegetarian and Gluten free.
• No sweeteners- no high fructose corn syrup, no sweeteners of any kind
• Does not contain any World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) or International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned substances
• Unique formulation is patent pending; Engineered by a Ph.D. chemist who is also a pro triathlete
• Saltstick® Caps uniquely includes vitamin D that helps the body absorb and utilize calcium.
• Great for effective rehydration during international travel, hiking and effects of alcohol and unfamiliar foods.

When shopping for supplements...

When shopping for supplements the biggest advice I can give it to do your research. Don't just trust the guy on TV because he happens to have made a work out routinue that went viral, or the person at GNC because they're in uniform. While some people like those know their stuff, they tend to be the exception and not the rule.

Protein powder, salt tabs, recovery drinks, and electrolyte tablets are expensive. Trust me. The bill can add up quickly. So I have a list of a couple things that I like to keep in mind when I go shopping. 

Do both general and specialized research. It's as easy as just googling something broad like "essential vitamins and minerals" to get started. The problem comes with doseage and when to take what. For example, iron is vital for all people, however women from around age 15-45 need more iron than other women, and women in general need more iron than men. Make sure that in addition to the broad research that you dig a little deeper to find specialized doseages for your sex and age. (Google your age to the nearest 5, ie: 44= google 45, to get more results!)

Evaluate your goals and what products will best help you accomplish them. Runners (and most women) want lean muscles. Lifters (and most men) want large, powerful muscles. Competition lifters tend to want huge muscles, but aren't always concerned about their functionality. Look for special training plans, nutrition, and supplements for your goal. For example, I'm an endurance runner, so I need lean, powerful muscles with tons of stamina. So I personally op to take casein, which is a slow releasing protein, after I work out. My brother is a lifter and he tends to take whey protein. I don't know any of the science behind whey, so I won't even attempt to explain that here.

There is tons of free literature out there to help you figure out exactly what you need  to achieve your goals. Make sure to double and triple check everything, and if it sounds too extreme there's a chance it is, so keep digging!

Consider the "race day" or "competition day". When I train in my long runs I take salt tabs every 45min-1hr. Granted that's a little more than most people take in the cold months, but I personally found that I like it. I've found that my body needs around 450-550mg of sodium per hour to be up to par. So I train with those same levels (even though it's in the winter) because come race day I want to be used to running with that salt regiment. 

When training for your big day, train in the same way you intend to compete. This is more for racing, because I know competition lifters have a slightly different procedure on comp day. There's a phrase "nothing new on race day" ad I endorse it 100%. Race day is not the time to figure out that your stomach hates your gels, or that your salt tabs don't have enough mgs, or that your socks give you blisters. Prepare and plan and you'll have a great race day.

Happy running everyone!