Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Exciting things on the horizon

After my post yesterday, I decided I was jazzed about signing up for a race. Since I'm not really excited to sign up alone, I inquired on Facebook to see if anyone was interested in signing up for one with me...a 5k, 8k, or 10k. Who was the only one to answer my pleading? Why, Kara!

I'm not gonna lie, I'm totally intimidated by her running skillz. I'm pretty sure the longest distance I've ever "ran/walked" at one time is maybe five miles. What race did she suggest? The Hot Chocolate 15k in DC at the national harbor.
It scares me a little that we're running so close to I-95. If you've
ever been to DC or northern VA, you know what I mean.


























I know that she can do this in her sleep, but for me it will no doubt be a challenge. A challenge that I'm ready to take on. I think I actually may have even registered before she did. I was blinded by the free chocolate at the finish, and the sweet wind-resistant race jacket.

I'm currently considering two races before then; a 5k and a 10k. I'm working on getting Amanda to sign up for the 5k with me. The 10k will be more of a begging/pleading effort. I've added a "races" tab at the top of my page, to strengthen my motivation and hold myself accountable.

After some thought, today I even made a purchase. Since I currently have enough money in my checking account to keep my gas tank full and to maybe eat until payday next Friday, I used the 0% interest card that I recently got to help move around a bit of debt and pay for some etsy supplies, to buy myself
A sweet Garmin Forerunner 305. Now I can hang with the cool kids!
(I had to assure Pinky that I will still use her for gym workouts.) Pinky
is good people.






















I was a little bummed to find out that this is the only color it comes in. I'm not a big fan of red. It reminds me of anger, and of this dude I dated once who referred to himself as "Rage" and loved the color red. I may be coloring mine with nail polish. (By the way, I'm totally serious about this dude. I have the most awful taste in guys, apparently).

Now, since I've only ever ran and trained for races in semi-warm weather and this race is in December (ten days before my 30th birthday! YIKES!), I need some serious help figuring out what types of clothing/supplies I will need to run in cold weather. What types of shirts, pants, ear warmers, gloves, socks...help me! Also, will I need a Camelback to run nine miles? I feel that I will, since I get thirsty on 3-mile runs. What about Gu or another electrolyte or hydration item?

Speaking of Gu, remember last week when I posted about poop and mentioned that I was challenged to do so? Well, Kari and I started discussing people posting gross things about their baby's poop on Facebook and the conversation went like this
(it reads bottom to top)

















I did end up posting about it, but I really just did it because I'm all for a fun (or funny...or possibly gross) challenge. I didn't really expect a *prize*, but yesterday I got home to this in my mailbox!














Kari, you rule! Thanks so much! I've never tried Gu, but now that I'm going to be training for a few races...further than a 5k (it feels good to say that), I have an awesome excuse to try these! To you all who use Gu, what's your favorite flavor?

Remember, I need your suggestions for cold weather running gear. Aaaand GO!



Photobucket

5 comments:

  1. First of all, 9 miles is hard, no matter how experienced you are. :)

    You shouldn't need a camelbak for the 15K because it will be cold. I'd get a handheld bottle (like a Nathan Quickdraw) or a belt (if you can stand feeling sloshy while you run).

    I'm so excited for the Hot Chocolate race!

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  2. Glad you liked your prize :)!

    And I'm very interested in hearing more about this Rage character.

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  3. So, the thing with cold weather gear is you need LAYERS! I wear a sweat wicking long sleeved shirt against my body then some sort of fleece jacket on top of that. For the bottom I usually wear running tights and if it is really cold I wear wind pants on top of those. I usually have gloves and a hat (or something to at least cover your ears). You will be surprised at how warm you actually get when you start running! :)

    I am totally jealous of your race!! It sounds amazing :) I can't wait to follow your training!

    And I am with Kari...I want to heat more about this "Rage" fellow. ;)

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  4. I'm so excited for the race! I'll probably wear my Nike thermal tights, a long sleeve tech shirt, and my UnderArmour Coldgear hoodie. I have hatphones if I want a hat and running gloves too.

    FYI, I just read today that people wearing red have a higher chance of winning a race. Garmin is just trying to help.

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  5. Oh, I'm doing the hot chocolate 15k too! =D Doesn't it look so awesome? I wish it was cold now. Sigh.

    You'll totally rock the 9 miles, especially if you start training now. Yay!

    If they set up the aid stations okay, you may not need a water bottle...My half marathon had them every 1.5 miles, which was perfect. I also despise carrying things, so it was worth the risk of thirst, haha.

    And, um, let us know how the GU tastes. I'm scared of it. Haha.

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