Minneapolis-Star-Tribune-runningkellometers

I got my first real job downtown about 6 years ago (yikes, that's a long time) and I would like to say that I've gotten my own sense of style over the years. However, lately I feel like I've been in a bit of a clothing funk. I don't like to spend the money on clothes that I used to so therefore, I have very few new pieces in my wardrobe. The same old outfits are worn time and time again and I'm getting ultra bored with my wardrobe. In lieu of starting over from scratch, I thought it would be a great idea to have a closet consultation with none other than Erin at Loop Looks! I've known Erin for about a year now.

After lunch at Native Foods Cafe with Kim and Erin

Erin and I finishing strong at Zooma Great Lakes

Since my little "funk" continues, I thought I should embark on another "inspiration" post talking about all those that inspire me.

Today I'm going to talk about the running community. I first started running as part of the track team in high school. There was definitely a huge sense of community as you were part of a team and all that jazz. When I started running again in college and afterwards, I did it by myself. I would run on the treadmill, around the city, just because I liked to run. I would run with a few friends here and there but I did the majority of my training on my own (including my first half marathon).

It wasn't until I decided to tackle the marathon that I realized I wouldn't be able to do this on my own. I signed up for the local CARA group and started training.

With some of my training pals at the CARA compound before the Chicago Marathon 2011

After the Illinois Marathon (and half marathon) 2012

After the training for my first marathon was over, I didn't know what to do. I had all this extra time on my hands and I had made all these new running friends! The training group kind of dispersed afterwards so I decided to get in touch with my local running group, the FNRC. I had run with a few of the folks a few times, but over the winter, we really got the chance to do some bonding over the weather conditions and general running talk.

My first long run with the FNRC

First time meeting Maggie

After the marathon was over, I also decided to start this old blog. That opened me up to a whole entire world of the running blogger community. Some of these folks started off as acquaintances but have become friends over the months we've known each other. We do meetups, race, drink, eat and do all other sorts of things together. I really am lucky to be friends with so many great ladies.

My first ever  blogger meetup before the Shamrock Shuffle 2012

Girls weekend at Zooma Great Lakes 2012

Oiselle teammate meetup on the Chicago lakefront path

Chicago Blogger Holiday meetup

To me, all of these runners are inspiring in so many different ways! Whether it is my pace leader and pal Jeanne qualifying for Boston for the first time; Maggie PRing all the time getting faster and faster; Amanda W PRing when not planning it while overcoming injuries along the way; Amanda TTF who somehow manages to run marathons, complete triathlons while also raising a family at the same time; Kim who works full time, helps run a company with her husband, and maintains a vegan lifestyle; Sara who loves running marathons more than I ever thought possible; Erin who always looks adorable whether she is or isn't wearing running clothes; and Kelly who (has an awesome name) always shares great recipes and goes after her dream of becoming an Ironman, something I can only imagine in my wildest nightmares... And all the other ladies who I didn't mention but who continue to inspire those around them without even realizing it!

This post has got me feeling all warm and fuzzy... and very fortunate to have such great ladies in my life! I may be taking a little bit of a break but I know when I'm back at it, these ladies (and a few guys) will be there for me, no matter what. Who do you run with and how do they inspire you?

As some of you may know, my first marathon experience was no cake walk. (Well, I don't know if anyone's marathon existence has been "easy.") After watching my friends train through this past summer and run the Chicago Marathon, I gotta admit I was a little jealous. I know that it was the right decision for me to sit it out (because of the exam I was taking in early December). I was still able to go downtown, spectate and even run part of the race with my friends without worrying about the entire 26.2 distance.

Anyways, the point of this trip down memory lane is that I made a decision while I was studying. I wanted to try running another marathon. I had taken a year off and that made the desire that much greater. Using last year as a guide, I decided to run the Illinois Marathon. I was going to keep it a secret from most of my family and friends and run the race for me. But then, I told a few people about my secret (it was too hard for me to keep that big of a secret from my running friends). I trained through the winter last year... What would make this year any different? I could do my training just like last year and be ready to go by the end of April.


Well, the return of "normal" Chicago winter temperatures is what's different. My heart and lungs feel like they're working double time when the temps are in the single digits (and the "feels like" temp is in the negative double digits). And the fact that someone left our group at work and we all have to pick up some slack until a new employee is hired (aka a fair share of late nights at the office).

A marathon is a huge deal. It is a big commitment both physically and mentally. I thought I was there and ready, but instead I've decided to sit this spring out. I'm already dying of boredom at the mere idea of doing any of my runs on the treadmill.

The thing about marathons that is so wonderful is that they'll always be there for you, when you're ready for them. There are so many of them and they're everywhere. It looks like spring 2013 isn't the time for me, but that doesn't meant that fall 2013, spring 2014, or fall 2014 will have the same answer...

Have you ever committed to a race and then decided not to do it? I waited to register for the Illinois Marathon so this decision doesn't leave me with an unwanted bib. Although, I am disappointed I won't get the chance to meet Kathrine Switzer at the expo.

As some of you may know, my dog Pepper is my favorite running buddy.

We love to run together as often as we can. She also absolutely loves all types of people (adults and children) and would never hurt a fly. (Well, maybe a fly. I've seen her try.) She is really great when she comes to our group runs, behaving well within the group (even if people are running ahead). She is also really great with other dogs and is non-confrontational while we're running. She is so focused on going forward, she doesn't stray (unless there is a rabbit or squirrel, taunting her)

Can you spot the happiest dog in the world? The center of attention?

Because I think she is such a great dog (although, my opinion may be biased) and she has so much fun when we're out there running together, I've been dying to sign us up for a 5k. I've seen dogs at races before, and I just know it is something that Pepper would absolutely love. She would love the excitement on race day, the attention from other runners, and the running too (duh).

However, time and time again, I keep coming up to road blocks when finding a 5k for us to participate in. Looking at different websites for small, local 5ks, there isn't usually a policy on dogs. I've emailed 4 different (small, local) races to find out about their policy on dogs. Some have said "We'd rather not" or "No"... While others never responded. If there is going to be a policy, I wish that more races would publish this policy on their website so it becomes common knowledge.  I understand not all people are dog people and there are certain liabilities with having dogs at races.

I've even emailed race directors, received a "no" response, and then shown up on race day only to see dogs (plural, more than 1) participating in the event. Being a strict "rule follower" by nature, I was upset by these "rule breakers." The defensive part of me thinks... Why have a rule if it is not going to be enforced? Another part of me thinks... Should I be a rule breaker like these other folks? Quit asking questions and just start showing up to races with my dog? Have you ever seen dogs when running races? Did it make you think one way or another about the race, or dogs in general?

Maybe this is an untapped market for a new type of race? A dog-friendly 5k! I've seen it done in other states (California mostly) but I haven't heard of anything around here. Would you participate in a dog friendly race? Perhaps the FNRC needs to put together a "grass roots" kind of thing where all dogs are welcome. Have you ever participated in a race with your dog? What race was it? Did people treat you differently, during or after the race?

The day of the F^3 half marathon started out like any other race. I met up with Nicole, Amanda, and Maggie to carpool to the city. We got to the city much earlier than I expected and we were able to find a nice parking spot right by the start with no problem. We stayed in the car to keep warm for as long as possible before meeting up with some bloggers and some FN Runners. Nothing felt particularly out of the ordinary.

Carpool crew (L to R): me, Maggie, Nicole, and Amanda

FNRC, plus 1 blogger

I started the race with Erin and I know we run well together from our Zooma experience. We started off at a conversations pace of about 9:30. This is usually easy for me but it just seemed like a struggle. We kept it going until about mile 4 when I had to dial it back. I knew I had some mental blocks that I had to try and break through if I wanted to finish this thing. I wished Erin good luck and I slowed to about a 10 min pace. Soon afterwards, I ran past some of the Chicago Running Bloggers and their signs made me smile! Thanks so much for coming out to cheer us on!


As I kept going, I felt more and more sluggish and the nausea started. I was moving at about an 11 min pace at this point. After getting sick, I stopped to walk and one of the course marshals asked me if I was okay. I knew what I wanted the answer to be, yet that was different than the truth. I wasn't okay and this just wasn't my race. Instead of trying to struggle through the next 7.5 miles, I decided to throw in the towel and DNF. I had to listen to my body and my body was telling me to stop. There are a bunch of different factors that could be reasons why, but I don't want to over analyze the possibilities. It just wasn't my day.

On the plus side, I got to head to the finish line early and see the elites finish. I was most excited about seeing Tera Moody finish! I also got the chance to talk to her after the race, and congratulate her on her Houston finish earlier this month. As we were chatting, some random guy came up behind Tera and gave her a big hug, lifting her up. Apparently he thought she was someone else... Awkward... But Tera just laughed it off an we kept on talking. She lives and trains in Colorado so we talked about the difference in sea level and different running terrains. She was really friendly and I'm super bummed I didn't get a pic of us together! What kind of blogger am I?

I then headed back to my car for a little bit and waited for my other friends to finish. It seems like everyone had a really great race despite the temps an conditions (some of the terrain was quite snowy).

Post-race, posing with medals (which also doubled as cowbells)

After the race, we headed to the Cubby Bear for the post-race party and some beers. With my nausea, I decided it was best to not have any beers so I enjoyed an ice cold glass of water.

The FNRC at the Cubby Bear

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic race. It was well organized and well staffed. Even when I was off on the sidelines, waiting for a ride to the finish, I overheard some of the walkie-talkie conversations and they had each other covered. I wish there would have been more warming tents at the start as they got pretty crowded before the race. All of the post-race eats were great (except, a bottle of water would have been nice versus cups) and I especially enjoyed the donuts. :)

Packet pickup was offered in the city and a few different suburbs and that was definitely helpful. The shirt we got is a nice short sleeved tech tee. I thought it was strange to have a short-sleeved shirt for a winter race, but given my long arms problem, I'm not going to complain.

I hope to run this event next year and cross that finish line smiling. :)

This past weekend was the F^3 half marathon. I'll have a full race-recap later on this week. If you follow me on DailyMile, you know I didn't finish the race. I just had an off-day and didn't feel like myself. As I tend to be hard on myself, and I'm making a point to not let this event define me or my 2013 season. I completed 6 half marathons in 2012. I just did a 10 mile run 2 weeks ago and felt fine. Saturday just wasn't my day. Maggie brought up a good point on DailyMile. "Days like these don't define us as runners - it's how you handle this and bounce back that make you who you are." I think this is a really important point that we can all learn something from. Being a runner isn't always full of great workouts and PRs. If it was, what would be the fun or the challenge? There are days when a workout just doesn't go as planned. There are days when a race doesn't go as planned. But that isn't going to stop us from going out there again and giving it another try. That's what makes running so much fun to me. I'll be back out there this week, and I know it will be fabulous. :)

Having a bad day and still smiling while running the F^3 Half Marathon

I think this is a great time to talk about inspiration. After the Olympics were over, I talked about what had inspired me during the games. Now that I've been in kind of a rut lately, I'm looking beyond myself. I'm going back to some videos and finding some inspiration. I posted a video on my Facebook page on Friday of Ms. Lauren Fleshman tearing it up in the 5000m. (There are a few familiar names in this race too. Amy Hastings, Desiree Davila...) It is from 2010 but it is still freaking amazing. Hearing the announcers, just adds more to it. If you have never seen this video before, I highly suggest you watch it.

Then, there were some big indoor meets over the weekend. Thanks to Flotrack, I'm pretty much obsessed with all things T&F related. I've been following along with the story of high schooler Mary Cain and over the weekend she destroyed the 41 year old high school record for the mile (previously held by Debbie Heald who was highlighted in a recent issue of Runners World). (You can watch the video here.) This girl is only 16 and she is already breaking records and racing with pros. I can only imagine what is in this girl's future and I can't wait to follow along for the ride!

Also, Galen Rupp ran a pretty outstanding indoor mile, missing the American record by a margin. For someone that excels in the 5k and 10k events, it is pretty amazing to have such a fast mile time. Galen is pretty fun to watch compete and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does this season and in the years to come! (Full video here)

Watching these professional athletes really gets me fired up. I find these athletes running these events much more inspiring than reading quotes. To help keep myself motivated, I may turn this "inspiration" thing into a series of posts.

I don't know if there is a short answer to this question, but what or who inspires you?

Last year I did a lot of races, some cheap and some more expensive. This year I've decided to be much more selective and I'm starting to think about my budget limits and what races are worth paying more for and which aren't.

I'm not a race director and I do not know any race directors, but if you know one, I'd love to chat and find out more about what goes into race pricing!

A few weeks ago, the pricing for the Chicago Marathon was released and lots of people were upset with the increase from last year. Compared to other major marathons, and the increased popularity last year, I'm not really surprised the price was raised. (The race costs $175.) It really is a superior event. You run through the streets of Chicago in many neighborhoods you'd never have the chance to do so otherwise. It is well supported, well organized and the city really embraces the event. Plus, living less than an hour away, it really is right in my own backyard. The Chicago Marathon and I have some unfinished business and I hope to cross that finish line some day. But I digress... The point I wanted to make is that the Chicago Marathon may be expensive to some, but you'll get an experience unlike any other. I don't really think it is that expensive for what you're getting out of it.

Me and Mag Mile Runner during the 2012 Chicago Marathon

There seems to be a new trend though, races charging a "premium" price for a "premium" event. The meaning is that the larger price tag comes with perks that you wouldn't normally get at a "regular" race. The thing is, if you use these extra perks or not, it doesn't matter. You will be paying the same price tag as everyone else. This past year I signed up for some races with larger price tags where some lived up to expectations and others did not. I'm not going to name names of races, but sometimes the more expensive ones just weren't worth it. And sometimes the cheaper races were just that, cheap. With so many options out there, it is nice when you find great events that are fun and worth the price. Have you done one of the "premium" events? Was the premium price worth it?

There was once concept I learned in the race registration world last year and that is "menu pricing." I don't know why more smaller-medium sized races don't do it. You sign up for what you want (general race price, race shirt, chip timing) and if you don't want it, you don't have to pay for it. I imagine there would be some headaches associated if computer systems don't sync up properly or if people change their mind on race day, etc. That is why it probably would work best for small-to-medium sized races. Would you like if more races did "menu" pricing? There have been some races that I just can't justify spending the money on, but I'd like to run them.

When I run any race (5k, half marathon or full marathon, I guess), there are a few things I'm looking for.

1) Course - I'd really like a nice, different course. In Chicago there are so many half marathons on the lakefront path that are just "out and back." Give me something different, something that I haven't seen before, something that gets me excited! If a Chicago race actually closes down city streets, I'm willing to pay a premium price to do something I wouldn't normally get the chance to do. And please, please include an ACCURATE elevation chart if there are hills. When you're running a longer distance (like a half or full marathon), it is great help to manage your own expectations and training on race day.

Get Lucky 21k with Sara aka Gingerfoxxx  I did this race just for the medal

2) Medal - Can I have something that looks nice, a little embellishments, perhaps a nice decorative ribbon to commemorate the achievement? If there are other events, along with a half marathon or full marathon, that offer a medal, can we have something that differentiates us? I ran a race where 5k and half marathon participants received the same swag. Not that I think that 5kers don't deserve a medal, I just would like something a little extra since half marathoners pay more and go 10 miles farther... If the medal is really cool or something that is unlike anything else, I would pay a little extra for it.


3) Swag Bag - Some races have a bags full of random flyers but a decent expo where you can score some cool free stuff. Other races charge more because they are giving you some things in your swag bag. In my opinion, I shouldn't be paying for stuff that comes in a swag bag. If I wanted to pay for it, I would buy it from the store. Please don't tout this as a perk because not everyone wants to pay for something they don't want or will use.

History of the Shamrock Shuffle shirts

4) Shirt/Jacket - Jackets appear to be coming more popular, especially in fall races. Although these jackets come at a much higher price tag. I already have a bunch of jackets that I like so I could kind of give or take them. I only wear jackets at certain times of the year and I have extra long arms so not many of them fit me properly to begin with. I don't want to pay for something that I don't want or am not going to use. I might be in the minority here but I really love a nice-fitting short sleeved dry fit t-shirt. I wear them year round (even underneath my layers in the winter) including wearing them to the gym. Just please, please give me something gender-specific ("unisex" is not gender-specific), whatever you do.

Disappointed with post-race promises

5) Post-Race Food/Party - After a race, there is nothing better than downing a banana (sometimes 2 or 3) and then munching on a bagel while drinking a bottle of water before getting an ice cold beer. Some races have promised big parties with lunch boxes, chocolate, pizza, beer and lots of other stuff. All the other stuff is great, as long as we get our bottles of water, bananas, and bagels. Beer is always a nice added extra.


6) Packet Pickup - Many races in large cities do not do race-day packet pickup, which I completely understand. However, it would be really great if packet pickup was at a convenient location (accessible via public transportation), in the downtown area (the Loop). Having it at a western/central suburb location for one of the days (or 2) would be even better. If packet pickup isn't convenient for majority of people (only after work, during the week, in Lincoln Park), there is a good chance I won't do the race.


What are some of your must-haves for a race? Did I leave anything out? What are some things you'd pay extra for?