Last week I completed week 2 of London marathon training, logging 4 runs for the week, strength training, hot yoga, and travel to Arizona for the Rock N Roll 5k and Half Marathon.
The week started out pretty good. I did a 45 minute recovery run on the treadmill. Treadmill running is not my fav, but it is freezing in NYC, and running outside right now is just not an option.
Next was an interval run where I ran 5 mins on, and 1:30 off. I tried to increase my pace slightly for every 5 minute interval to test my endurance a bit.
I also did some strength training this day. Just a simple leg routine circuit that I tend to do often. I really need to switch it up. (workout is in the video at the bottom of this post)
Next up was hot yoga on Friday, which was really fantastic. I’m loving that I’ve added this back into my training regimen. I really feel fresh and re-energized afterward, and its a good prelude for my long runs on the weekend.
RnR Arizona Race Recap:
This was State #18 for me in my journey to run a half marathon in all 50 states. I have to say, I really enjoyed AZ. The weather is looney as heck though. You have to wear a winter coast in the am because it’s in the 40s, and then switch to tees and sandals because it’s 75 by noon! ….. The races were just OK for me. RnR always puts on great events so that wasn’t an issue. There was just basically zero crowd support out there. Most of the bands playing were ehhhh except these cool drummers on the mountain. The Gatorade mix was terrible. I don’t know what happened but it had a funky taste to it. ….. Post race amenities were great, chocolate milk…had a couple, Pringles, granola bars, post race massages, and I snagged enough SIS to last me through the next few weeks of training. ….. Would I recommend this race, yes. The Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area is cool, and the people were so nice. We even stumbled on upon an Afrobeats rooftop party which was the first cluster of brown folks that I saw for the entire weekend.
Check out my Vlog of this weeks Training, and of my time in Arizona for the weekend.
A couple weeks ago, I participated in The Race for the 2nd consecutive year. 2018 was the inaugural running of The Race, and I was legacy backer #100! The race is run through African American neighborhoods in Atlanta, and features a 5k and half marathon. I ran the half of course, and also volunteered at the expo handing out race bibs.
In the cute Hello Racer volunteer tee. I chopped the sleeves off of it.
Not the best quality, but here’s a snippet of me giving @fitwithcj his bib.
I got to see a ton of my run buddy’s.
I also had the opportunity to speak on India and Tommy’s The Run Duo Podcast, make sure you check out their show, it is dope.
A snippet of my interview
You can find the full podcast HERE, my interview is around the 1hr mark.
Now, on to the race! The race started super early at 7am, so my morning started at 4:30. There were 1700+ people registered, and while there was parking at the venue, it wasn’t enough to accommodate that many people, so I had to make sure I was in the parking lot by 6am to get a spot. The race started promptly which I was so happy about because I hate when races start late.
I treated this race as another training run since I am still in training mode for the NYC Marathon, so my plan was to take it pretty easy. Here are my splits:
My half marathon splits
I kept my mile splits pretty uniform the entire time. I am going to guess that when I peaked in the high 11s there was probably a hill involved. I hate hills, but while running in Atlanta it is inevitable. Check out the elevation chart, there was certainly a lot of up and down going on.
The Race elevation chart
The last 3 miles were really tortuous. It was a steady climb to the finish. The last mile especially was a doozy. Check out the hill behind me.
Crazy hill on the last mile.
Once I got up this hill, I booked it to the finish and picked up my medal.
Headed to the finish-line….free race pic!Getting my medal
Some post race pics
If you plan to register for The Race, make sure you add VIP to your registration, it is totally worth it. From the free food, massages, real bathrooms and not port-o-potties, you’ll get your monies worth and so much more.
Post race massages
Post race there was a day party at The Beverly. Super cute venue, I had a good time. The theme was t-shirts and denim shorts.
And finally Whiskey and eats on Saturday at ASW Distillery.
All in all it was a super fun and successful weekend, and I’ll definitely be back next year! I believe registration opens Black Friday, so don’t miss out!
So this past Saturday I tackled my 5th Brooklyn Half Marathon, and it surely was a doozy! My day started super early. When the alarm went off at 3 am I really wanted to say screw it and go back to sleep. It was just to dang early! My friends Janis and Allison were volunteering at the finish-line, so I bummed a ride with them down to Coney Island to cut down on my commute time for the day…thx a bunch Janis!
When I hoped out of the car I had to use the bathroom, so I truck it over to Dunkin Donuts, and of course they didn’t have a public bathroom. Luckily McDonald’s was right across the street, and they had a big, nice, clean bathroom, and their coffee is waaaay better anyway, so forget you Dunkin! I used the bathroom, grabbed some coffee, and I was on my way.
I walked over to the train where there were lots of runners getting on. They more than likely parked in Coney Island, and were taking the train to the start like is was.
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Views on the train
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Once I reached the Prospect Park area, I ran into a few of my running folks.
JP Mission-James
My homies from Atlanta! Donyetta, Odel, & Angie
My Adidas Runners NYC Crew
More of the AR Crew
#3StripeLife
I was running ok coming into the race. Nothing to write home about but, I had not done any long runs, so I knew I’d be in trouble after mile 6. Well that trouble came earlier than 6. By mile 4 my shins were achy, and I knew I’d be commencing my walk/run intervals.
My splits for the race
This pace chart shows when I walked and ran. All of the severe dips that you see are when I was walking. I try to keep a steady pace of Run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute. Sometimes I stick to it, sometimes I don’t. Most of this race I stuck to it, until I got to the end when I was just really over it all.
Pace Chart
As I was coming up on the boardwalk and nearing the finish-line, I was just so happy that it would all be over soon. I hadn’t run more than 7 miles in so long, so I was really feeling it. As you can see I was not smiling at all! This was my only pro-race pic taken by the photographers, when I know I smiled at that camera plenty of times. (insert mad face)
Once I crossed I ran into my boos who were giving out medals. Hey girls!
Janis & Allison
I had a change of clothes with me that I left in Janis car, so I booked it over to her car to change. Yes I changed in the car! On my way back I bumped into James (Nighhawk)
Me and James
Then I booked it over to the Adidas Runners NYC after party at Margarita Island, and it was awesome! Here are some pics:
Hi K-Rod!
All in all I had a good time at the race. I said afterwards that I wouldn’t do it again, but hey, ya never know! I really wish they would change the course though. The logistics of this race is almost as annoying as the NYC Marathon! Until next time!
My 5 Brooklyn Half Medals…aren’t they purdy!
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