Tag: marathon

Mountains 2 Beach Training Week 10

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What started out as a strong week ended in disappointment but I’m ready to put this behind me and move forward with training. Back to San Francisco on Friday!

Monday 3/4

KILLER WORKOUT – 1 mile warm up, 3 x 2 mile repeats at strength pace, 1 mile cool down. I was dreading this workout a little because I knew that it was going to be a tough one.. especially because it was also really cold!

Tuesday 3/5

I wanted to run again but I also wanted to give myself the rest after a tough track workout. Settled for a short run commute home after work; 1.5 miles at 8:46 /mile.

Wednesday 3/6

Yuck.. woke up to 29 degree weather. Another easy day in the books; 3 miles at 8:39 /mile. I’m definitely getting used to the weather and the hills in NC.

Thursday 3/7

Another Tempo Thursday with my 5:30a crew in North Carolina! 8.6 perfect miles at 8:55 /mile.. I almost didn’t notice that it was 23 degrees!

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Friday 3/8

Easy run after yesterday for one last run in Raleigh before heading back to San Francisco tonight! 3.1 miles at 8:57 /mile.

Saturday 3/9

I planned to run a shorter long run of 8 miles this week but it didn’t happen today. After flying home yesterday, almost fainting on my flight and getting home at 1:00am, I decided that I could use a day of rest. After all, there is always tomorrow.

Sunday 3/10

Disappointing. I had already pushed my long run back a day and I pretty much hit a wall immediately after I set out for my 8 mile run. Probably a combination of how I was feeling yesterday + jet lag + daylight savings. A short 3.5 miles at 9:12 pace.. but really a lot of walk breaks where I just stopped my watch completely.

TOTAL: 28

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Mountains 2 Beach Training Week 9

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Monday 2/25

It seemed like a good day to do two workouts… FlyBarre in the morning and track at night. And it was! FlyBarre was tough but track was tougher. The workout was 8×400 + 400 easy followed by 4×200 + 200 easy – 7.7 miles total including warm up and cool down.

Tuesday 2/26

Tired legs but I wanted to get some miles in. In the morning, I warmed up for 10 minutes on the bike followed by 3 miles on the treadmill. Then I finished off the day with 3 miles after work.

Wednesday 2/27

5 miles at 8:54 /mile – easy effort. I immediately checked the weather forecast when I woke up and saw that it was 45 degrees with a chance of rain. No big deal! I gave myself a goal of running “easy” at a 9:00-9:30 pace and just went for it.. hills and all.

Thursday 2/28

TEMPO THURSDAY! 8 miles at 8:31 /mile – 1 mile warm up + 5 x 5/3/2 tempo + 1 mile cool down. I set my alarm for 4:30a, started my run at 5:30a with Randy/Sarah and we got it done.

Friday 3/1

Active rest day with a FlyBarre Arms & Abs workout. I was debating on running or doing a second workout but decided to take the time to recover.

Saturday 3/2

Set out for a run around Raleigh. I knew that I would be happy with anything from 11 to 16 miles. Ended up with 12 very hilly miles, not to shabby!

Sunday 3/3

Hit the trails for 6 miles – wow!!! Sunday is usually my rest or easy day but I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to get outside on the trails. It was hilly but we took it slow and enjoyed the miles.

TOTAL: 44

Mountains 2 Beach Training Week 8

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Hello, North Carolina! I landed Sunday night and will be traveling for work for the next couple of weeks. I’m not sure how the traveling will affect my runs but I guess we’ll see how this goes!

Monday 2/18

First morning in North Carolina! This California girl needed a little more time to adjust to the weather so I opted for 6 miles on the treadmill this morning. It went surprisingly smooth considering it was 6 miles on a treadmill.

Tuesday 2/19

It was still cold but at least it wasn’t raining.. so I went outside – 4 hilly miles around Raleigh. Yes.. much hillier than I’m used to.

Wednesday 2/20

Rain.. cold rain. I decided to try out a new gym after work so I went for an easy 3 miles on the treadmill. This did not go well.. the gym was crowded and it stressed me out. I quickly finished up the 3 miles and went home.

Thursday 2/21

Woohoo back to Flywheel! Felt great to do something else and I even ran 3 miles after work. Kept the effort super easy.

Friday 2/22

I decided to do an active rest day today so I tried out FlyBarre – Arms & Abs. It was SUPER challenging and I loved every minute of it.

Saturday 2/23

A little sore from FlyBarre but somehow knocked out 17 miles in the cold rain! It felt great to meet up with my old running group – I could have run a full marathon!

Sunday 2/24

Easy day.. I wanted to try out another gym so I biked 9 miles and ran 3 miles.

TOTAL: 36

Mountains 2 Beach Training Week 7

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False alarm, I’m thankfully not injured! I took this week “slow” at first, which was actually really fast and luckily, the pain went away by itself.

Monday 2/11

4.5 miles at 8:23 /mile. I went out with the intention of going slow, I even consciously took shorter strides to avoid adding more stress to the pain. Overall, not too bad though.

Tuesday 2/12

5 miles actually slow on the treadmill. It sucked but at least there was no pain!

Wednesday 2/13

Rest day.. trying to avoid injury so I gave myself a break!

Thursday 2/14

First day of funployment!!! I started my morning off with a 6.4 mile run at 8:13 /mile but had to cut it short to get home to the puppy. Then I went back outside for 3.2 miles at 7:50 /mile. KILLED IT!

Friday 2/15

1.1 mile to literally RUN errands.. I didn’t really feel like running today.

Saturday 2/16

14 miles at 8:30 /mile ish.. started out strong. It wasn’t supposed to rain but then it poured. I had to stop and wait for a break because the water was irritating my contacts. Eh oh well, I finished.

Sunday 2/17

3.3 miles on the treadmill! I flew out to Raleigh and decided to hit the gym at the hotel before going to sleep.

TOTAL: 38

Mountains 2 Beach Training Week 6

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Did I get my mojo back?! Almost did… until my psoas starting hurting towards the end of the week. But that is to be continued…

Monday 2/4

4 miles outside in the rain and wind, followed by my leg circuit.

Tuesday 2/5

5 miles at 8:50 /mile. Decently easy run in 41 degree weather! Even though this is nothing compared to what I ran in when I lived in North Carolina, this was COLD. I had to look around for my running tights and gloves! I was wanting to do a hill workout but my legs said not today.

Wednesday 2/6

8 miles at 9:01 /mile. So I was planning to run 4-6 miles but Emily texted me and asked if I wanted to run (she was planning to run 10 miles). I agreed to try for 8 miles if we ran slow; and we did. My legs were bust after but it felt good to get a longer weekday run done!

Thursday 2/7

EPIC. 5.2 miles at 7:47 /mile. I planned to take it easy but everything just felt good. I started at an 8:18 on the first mile, then progressed to 8:01 /mile on the second.. quickly went to 7:25 /mile and 7:31 /mile… AND finished with 6:54 /mile!! This was fun but I may have pushed it a little too hard.

Friday 2/8

Following yesterday’s epic run, my psoas feels like it is pinching a bit. Rest day it is and hopefully it will be fine for tomorrow’s long run.

Saturday 2/9

Not fine… planned to run 14 miles and finished with 9.5 miles. I got to the turn around point and started to slug my way back home in pain. Luckily, Christine had driven to her run nearby so I gave up and asked for a ride home. I was disappointed but as I limped my way back, I kind of knew that I made the right decision.

Sunday 2/10

Ok, I went for it again. I went out for an easy shakeout run and planned to go REALLY slow just to test things out. I swear it felt like a 10:00 /mile pace but I somehow finished 3.2 miles at an 8:27 /mile. My psoas was a little uncomfortable but not too horrible overall.

TOTAL: 35

Race Recap: The San Francisco Marathon

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One week post-marathon and it already feels like a lifetime ago.

Many of you already know my proposal story at last year’s The San Francisco Marathon. I couldn’t quite top that this year but I still had a blast. I had the pleasure of being a part of the TSFM Ambassador family and it has become one of my favorite running experiences ever. Being a part of the ambassador team allowed me the opportunity to promote an event that I love, while doing something that I love (running, duh) and meeting a group of inspiring individuals who I love.

Events

  • Full Marathon
  • Half Marathon – First Half
  • Half Marathon – Second Half
  • 5k
  • Ultra

Expo

This expo is fun – I highly recommend going on Friday so that you can take your time, walk around and enjoy yourself. Off the Grid – an event with numerous local food trucks – took place on Friday night as well so you could try out some unique local food. Pro tip: If you think that you’ll run the race the following year, make sure to register at the expo for THE LOWEST price + an additional discount.

Starting Line

Make sure to get to the start line with some time to spare. We had to rush a little but it was easy getting through corrals and getting situated where we needed to be. Some of us ambassadors hung out in the VIP area before the race and it was definitely worth it to be indoors and have a place to sit down.

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Course

The full marathon course is awesome – runners start at the Ferry Building, run through Fisherman’s Wharf, across the Golden Gate Bridge, down through Golden Gate Park and through the city passing AT&T Park on the way to the finish line. On top of the course, I couldn’t ask for better weather to run in. Last year got a bit warm towards the end but the weather stayed in the mid to high-50s this year for most of the race. The big news this year was that the course was changed last minute. The marathon route was moved from the road to the sidewalk on the Golden Gate Bridge and the first half marathon route was moved off of the bridge entirely. While I can’t speak for the half marathoners, the course change ended up being fine for the marathon (I still PR’d!). I was initially worried about the sidewalk being too crowded but it was not an issue at all. In my opinion, the course is fun, engaging and overall really pretty. It may seem like a hilly course but all of the hills are completely manageable. In fact, I remember a lot more of the downhill sections than any of the uphills.

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Takeaways

This race went well for me – even though I came away with a four minute PR, my big win was in pacing and nutrition. I focused on my nutrition the week leading up to the race and my fueling during the race, both really paid off. For pacing, I used a pacing wristband that I picked up from the expo. I initially tried to keep up with the pace groups but I quickly backed off when I found that they were going much faster than the pace. Overall, everything went according to plan and it was definitely the first marathon that I finished with a smile on my face and some energy to spare. I can’t wait for CIM in December and then maybe The San Francisco Marathon again in 2019?!

Race Recap: 2018 Flying Pig Marathon

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You might not think of Cincinnati when it comes to a destination race but this race needs to be on your bucket list.

Events

Wow, so there are a lot of choices but there is truly something for everyone. I only ran the marathon but see the full list of events below.

  • Full Marathon
  • Half Marathon
  • Relay – Corporate and Open
  • 10k
  • 5k
  • PigAbilities – An option for people of all ages with disabilities, their families and friends who may not wish to participate in a competitive event.
  • Kid’s Marathon – The 26th mile for school-aged children who have completed 25 miles in increments during the months leading up to race weekend.
  • Flying Fur – A dog race?! How awesome is that.
  • Piglet/Diaper Dash – A great event for the young kids!

Expo

This expo was no joke – hands down, one of the best expos that I have been to. While the number of vendors may have seemed overwhelming at times, the convention center had plenty of places to sit and rest your legs when you needed a break. Our group found a couple of couches right in the middle of the expo to hangout and people watch.

Starting Line

FLAMES. There were actually flames at the start line. But in all seriousness, the start line was great in terms of convenience and organization. It was a convenient walk if you were staying in a hotel downtown, which I would highly recommend.

Course

Runners start the race by running across a bridge into Kentucky – pretty cool, two states in one race! Then runners cross two more bridges before they are officially back in Ohio. The crowd support really picks up and stays for the remainder of the race, which was an amazing aspect of this race. There were water stops at every mile along with huge cheer stations for spectators. Some of the cheer stations had bacon and others had hoops where you could stop and shoot a miniature basketball. Aside from the endless entertainment, the actual course was really nice. Most reviews of this race mention the hills but I didn’t find them to be that hard. It definitely is not a flat race but the hills are very do-able.

Things that I would do better

This race was a tough one for me – I finished about 30 minutes slower than my A goal time, 22 minutes slower than my B goal time and 7 minutes slower than my C goal time. I felt confident going into the race but in hindsight, there are some things that I would have done differently. I would probably opt to fly in earlier and avoid taking a red-eye when traveling for a race. And I will definitely practice adjusting to a different time zone next time.

3 Reasons To Run The San Francisco Marathon

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You might recall my review of TSFM 2017 here or on the Represent Running blog. The San Francisco Marathon is one of my favorite races and here are the top three reasons why you will love it too!

Landmarks

The landmarks are breathtaking and worth the early race start. After starting at the Ferry Building, runners race through Fisherman’s Wharf, through the Marina, across the Golden Gate Bridge, back down through Golden Gate Park and finish near AT&T Park. Runners get to experience the whole city in one race regardless of the distance that they choose to run.

Weather

Of course, I have to mention the California weather. Last year was perfect running weather with clear skies and mid-50’s at the start. Be sure to watch for Karl the Fog as you cross the Golden Gate Bridge!Discount Code

Discounts

Need another reason to sign up for this race? Use code AMBASSADORKELLI10 to save $10 when registering for the 5k, half marathon or full marathon distances.

2017 Recap // 2018 Goals

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This past year was crazy to say the least. We moved back across the country to California. Cade proposed at the San Francisco Marathon where I also reached my sub 4 hour marathon goal – did I mention it was the best weekend ever? And then we bought our first home in October!

The past year will definitely be a tough one to beat. I was disappointed to be closing out the year with a small injury but I am excited to starting working on reaching my new goals.

Goals

  • A year without injuries (fingers crossed).
  • Run a 3:50 marathon.
  • Run a 1:50 half marathon.

2018 Races

  • San Jose 408k – March 4th
  • Silicon Valley Half Marathon – April 16th
  • Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon – May 6th
  • Across the Bay 415k – June 10th
  • The SF Marathon (or half) – July 29th
  • East Bay 510k – September TBD
  • Rock n Roll San Jose – October 7th
  • California International Marathon – maybe?

*use discount code REPRESENTKH to save on the San Jose 408k, Across the Bay 415k and East Bay 510k, remote options available.

The Runner’s Holiday Gift Guide

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The holidays are coming and it’s time to start thinking about what to get that special runner in your life. Here are 10 unique gifts for runners that will hopefully make holiday shopping a little less stressful this year!

img_15811. RaceHerBox

Can’t decide on a present to buy? RaceHer Box is a subscription box catered to women runners and their newest holiday box is the perfect gift for a runner this season. The price is $34.99 plus $6 shipping – use code RUNHAPPY10 for 10% off!

milesandpace_tank2. Miles & Pace Tank

This ‘Miles & Pace // Run Because I Can Muscle Tank’ is one of my favorite tanks. The design is awesome and the fabric is super comfortable. Tank top prices range from $19.99 to $24.99. Plus, use code KELLI20 for 20% off!

img_67573. Momentum Jewelry

Everyone needs some extra motivation when it comes to working out. Momentum Jewelry is workout-friendly motivational athletic jewelry and I am a huge fan! Prices can range from $9.99 to $26.99.

4. Run Ink

How awesome is that design that Run Ink sent me after finishing The SF Marathon?! These make awesome gifts and you can even make custom maps. I can’t wait to order more! Prices start at $13.

SIDE_0016_Flamingo-Side-View5. Goodr Sunglasses

Now these sunglasses are the real deal for any runner – I have 3 pairs in different colors! The colors are fun and they definitely stay on your face. Priced at $25.

IMG_00886. Race Registration – Run The Bay Series

My fiancé loves to use this gift and I’m not complaining! I recommend the Represent Running Run The Bay Series – you can run in person or remote. The first race of the series, San Jose 408k is coming up on March 4, 2018 and you can use discount code RepresentKH for 15% off!

 

mparadiseblue_1024x10247. Pro Compression Socks

Every runner could use a new pair of compression socks, especially a special edition holiday sock. Pro tip: keep an eye out for the release as they sell out quickly. Plus you can use discount code PRO17 for 40% off!

milesandpace_hat8. Miles & Pace Trucker Hat

These hats come in a variety of colors and designs so there is a hat perfect for every runner. Prices range from $19.99 to $24.99. Plus, use code KELLI20 for 20% off!

addaday9. +addady Massage Roller

Give a toy this year! This massage roller was a lifesaver when it came to rest and recovery days. Prices range from $42 to $47 depending on the model.

oofos10. OOFOS Sandal

These sandals may look a little chunky but runners rejoice as these are known to reduce stress on sore feet, knees and lower back. In addition, $10 from every Project Pink Collection shoe purchased will go to breast cancer research! Priced at $59.95.