Race Recap: Thunder Road Half-Marathon!

What. A. Weekend.

It's one of those Mondays where I could really go for another weekend (but really, that's every Monday). My parents were in town for the weekend and we had a great time exploring Charlotte, eating lots of yummy food and walking up a storm.

But, I digress. I also ran the Thunder Road half-marathon this weekend! After 12 weeks of following Hal Higdon's Intermediate training plan (with speed work galore) the moment had arrived!

As you can see, I take Hal very seriously (neurotically?). It's as if he watches over my running shoes and tisks-tisks if I miss a speed workout or tempo run. Although I certainly didn't do every run Hal asked for, I did do most! I think I've decided that 4 runs a week is more than enough for me, so Hal's suggestion for a 5th run went down the drain towards the end of training. Sorry Hal! I did keep up with strength training and foam rolling *much* more this time around, which I think helped immensely in preventing injuries and making me speedier-ish.

Friday night involved Pure Pizza and a Birdsong beer, as promised. The temperatures Saturday morning were a tad chilly (around 37 degrees at start time) so I bundled up. After my trusty pre-race breakfast of toast, Justin's almond butter, a banana and coffee, it was time to get the show on the road.

After getting dropped off at the start, I somehow, totally unintentionally (I promise!) walked straight into the VIP runner section in BB&T ballpark. I was all "wow how awesome is it that all runners get to use ACTUAL toilets before the race!" and "geez how neat is it that we get to hangout inside the ballpark before the start!" I strolled around all pleased as punch until I left the ballpark and saw large signs for "VIP ENTRANCE ONLY" at the ballpark entrance. Whoops! But also - HA! Great success.

The race started promptly at 7:30am which my chilly and anxious self appreciated. I must say at the get-go, that this is a *hilly* course. I had heard rumors to this effect, but I'm not quite sure I was aware that it is really and truly ALL hills. So yes, this means that you go up and you get to go down the hills. But there was very little by way of "flat" on the course. Let's just say that it kept things varied and interesting, shall we?

See what I mean?!

It was a beautiful morning for a race, and the crowd support for most of the course was awesome. I saw a ton of signs that said "Keep Pounding" --> the Panthers rally cry. My slightly tired and running delirious self was highly irritated that no one thought to make a sign that said "Keep Pounding... the pavement!" 

In an effort to keep this from being a novella, I'll sum-up the miles as follows:

Mile 1: Feeling great! Patting myself on the back for making a stellar playlist. Forgot to start my GPS, grrr! Start my GPS.

Mile 2: I keep a look-out for my parents and Torsten. There they are! They have cowbells!

Mile 3: Oh, this is uphill. Still feeling strong!

Mile 4: Oh, another uphill. Billy Joel's "My Life" comes on and I'm groovin.

Mile 5: Oooo a pretty neighborhood! Which house should I live in...

Mile 6: THE LONGEST GRADUAL INCLINE.

Mile 7: YES it's time for my Honey Stinger gummies! Man, it's hard to eat while running. How am I still maintaining this 8:36 pace?

Mile 8: Hey! This is my running route! Home turf now!

Mile 9: The most brutal hill up E. Morehead St. Unfortunately, we drove this road on the way to the start and I knew it was coming. Much heavy breathing ensues.

Mile 10: HOW am I still running at an 8:36 pace?? I'm tired! [Between you and me, I may have said "ohh I'm tired" aloud at this point.]

Mile 11: Ok, almost there! I can do this!

Mile 12: STILL almost there. I would have killed for more crowds at this point.

Mile 13: Time to sprint! Immediately followed by the realization that I'd started sprinting too early. BUT THEN, two young whippersnappers (they were probably actually just my age) decided to sneak up on me and my *competitive drive engaged*.  I left them in the dust! Read: I beat them by about 2 inches.

FINISH!! Official time --> 1:52:37. 

Time for:

All in all, I loved running this half-marathon in my new city. It's a beautiful course and the crowd support and bands along the route are great. I'm really happy with my time (though I missed a PR by 3 seconds -- I blame the selfie I took at Mile 6). I'm also excited to not be training for a half-marathon anymore! I see some delightful 5Ks and relaxation in my future.

What did you do this weekend?! What's your favorite race course of all time?

Charlotte: Foxcroft Wine Co. Dilworth

I, myself, am tremendously excited about this weekend. My parents are driving up from Atlanta today and I'll be toeing the line for the Thunder Road Half-Marathon bright and early tomorrow morning! To top it all off, we have reservations at Kindred on Saturday for some much needed post-13.1 and spectating refueling.

Like the good RD-to-be that I am (read: I just really love food), I've been fueling all week for race day. The highlight of all of this fueling came last night when Torsten and I tried the brand spankin new Foxcroft Wine Co. in Dilworth!

While Foxcroft has another location in the South part of Charlotte that I've wanted to try for ages, this location is much more convenient. And good thing, because it's AWESOME.

Spotted: a charming patio with twinkly lights! Will be stellar in the warmer seasons. Not a great photo (hey, I was hungry and thirsty and in a rush to get inside!) but you get the idea.

This window is like the adult version of the windows at FAO Schwartz or a candy store. All the wine!

Foxcroft was lively on a Thursday but we arrived at 6:30 pm (the early setting sun has my whole "wait until a trendy time to eat" thing go down the gutter) and had no wait. There were, however, many people waiting from about 7-8.

You can either order wine off the menu OR you can browse the walls and walls of bottles for a wine to uncork. It's a $10 corking fee *unless* you spend over $30 so naturally we found a Pinot Noir (from my beloved Willamette Valley in Oregon!) for $31.99. 

We honestly could have ordered everything on the menu, but after much deliberation decided on the Ricotta with olive oil and olives and toast (they have a more eloquent name for it that has slipped my mind), the truffle fries (because obviously), an amazing Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, soy sauce and chili dish, and the lamb sliders. All were delicious.

I'm so excited to have a place like this nearby! 

So that was my Thursday evening! Tonight will include some pizza and my traditional pre-half marathon beer (carbs and hydration). Send some speedy vibes my way in the morning! Looks like it's going to be a chilly one...

Half-Marathon Training Update!

Hi, I'm Emily. And I'm running another half marathon. I'm signed up for the Thunder Road Half Marathon in Charlotte on November 14th!

That makes the race approximately 6 weeks from today which means that I'm halfway through my training! I guess it's time I give you an update, eh?

This will be my 8th half-marathon and thus far my training has ranged everywhere from nonexistent (for my first half-marathon the farthest I'd ever run was 6 miles... do not recommend) to religiously following Hal Higdon's Novice Half-Marathon Training Plan. Love Hal!

For this upcoming half-marathon I wanted to spice it up a little bit and decided to add some speed work into the mix. I [mistakenly] thought that speed work would be filled with sunshine and rainbows. Ha! I bumped myself up to good old Hal's Intermediate Program and Hal isn't messing around with this one.

So without further ado... A glimpse into the first 6 weeks of training [and trying to run fast] for this half-marathon:

The first week of training! I discovered a new track for my first speed workout. Mindset: I've got this!

Third week of training: Found a pretty park near Winthrop's campus for a morning run. Mindset: this isn't too bad!

Fourth week of training: It's mid-September. Mindset: WHY IS IT STILL SO HOT OUT.

Fifth week of training: Beautiful 7 mile run to Freedom Park. Mindset: It's Fall! I love Fall running!

Sixth week of training: Oh hello, treadmill. Mindset: What is with this rain. Go away rain. This is not Fall running.

So, as you can see, the last 6 weeks have had many ups and downs with running (literally, Charlotte is quite hilly). I'm still holding out hope that the rain, rain will go away and come again another day. While I still don't look forward to tempo or interval runs, I do feel mighty accomplished when they're over. And variety is the spice of life, right? RIGHT?

Anyone else training for an upcoming race? How's it going in your neck of the woods? (Copyright: Al Roker)

End of Summer Bucketlist

Hi friends!

Have you heard? It's August. Yes, August! I'm just as shocked as you are -- I don't know where this summer went! Between a move from DC --> Charlotte, a sojourn in Atlanta, my first grad school course and several weekends of travel, this summer has flown by.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm not *the most* excited for Fall. All things pumpkin, football, flannel, apples and cozy are calling my name right now. But in an effort to "live in the moment" etc. etc. blah blah blah, I've put together a lil End of Summer bucket list to make the most of these last hot, muggy days of summer. Here goes...

End of Summer Bucketlist

1. Walk to get ice cream after dinner. It's a classic.

2. Try a new brewery running club (I'm eyeing Triple C and Sycamore)

3. Eat a picnic on the beach (family beach trip in T-minus 4 days!)

 

4. Go to a drive-in movie screening (I've never done this and figure I better get to it before they die out -- sorry for being a Debbie Downer)

5. Stand-up paddleboard at the Whitewater Center (I'm cheating - I did this one on Sunday!)

6. Check-out the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on a Saturday

7. Make Strawberry Shortcake (particularly this Joy the Baker version -- drool)

8. Go for a BIG HIKE in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 2-3 hour drive to most of the "good hikes" around Charlotte usually dissuades me, but I'm going to man up for at least one big adventurous hike this August. Roan Mountain and Black Balsam Knob are the current front-runners.

9. Read 3 books before classes start and my life is taken over by textbooks. Currently reading yet another Jojo Moyes book -- The Ship of Brides - and, unsurprisingly, loving it.

10. Make homemade granola! Eat it all!

11. After completing number 6, make these mouthwatering Open-faced heirloom tomato sandwiches for lunch.

12. Get my North Carolina license plate at the DMV! This isn't exactly the "most exciting" item on my bucket list, is it? Nothing says summer like an outing to the DMV!

13. Go to another boot camp at the Crossfit in Dilworth (Mondays @ 6:30pm for $5! What a steal!)

14. Drink a bottle of rose outside -- on a deck, on a patio, on a rooftop, on the beach, wherever. Not picky!

Flashback to last summer at a winery in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I would DEFINITELY drink rose here.

15. Play tennis!

16. Sign-up for a Fall half-marathon. So very excited for Fall running.

If I can accomplish even a fraction of those before summer ends, I'll be pleased as punch.

What's on your end of summer bucket list?!