Tag: Hartford Marathon

2016 Hartford Half Marathon

October 11, 2016

This year for the Hartford Marathon weekend I ran the half marathon.  I had been training for the Marine Corps marathon but deferred that race; but was confident that I had enough miles under my feet to have a decent half marathon finish time for this race.  Diana and I were planning on running it together with a race goal in mind so we would have a decent finish time to use for runDisney corral placement for future races.

This was my friend, Portia’s first half marathon so I told her I would drive her up to the race so she wouldn’t have to worry about parking, finding where to go, and the best part is, my office is located just a block away from Bushnell Park so we could go there prior to the race to stay warm and use real bathrooms!

The morning of the race I got ready exceptionally fast and was actually on time to meet Portia in my driveway.  I had oatmeal and two pieces of cinnamon bread with my tea for my pre-race meal and brought a banana to eat just prior to the start.  Portia and I drove up around 6:20 and got to the parking lot a little before 7:00.  I found Diana and then we went over to the carousel to meet up with some Mickey Milers to get a photo before the race and then I invited everyone up to my office to get warm and to get ready for the race.

milers

kp

At 7:30 we left the building to head back over to Bushnell Park where we could drop off Portia’s bag at gear check and head to the starting line.  It was the perfect morning for the race with temps in the 50’s and overcast skies.  We were at the start line with a few minutes of time to shake out the jitters and take some photos to commemorate Portia’s first half marathon.

prerace

When it was time to run Portia stuck with us for the first half mile and then we sent her off on her way.  The crowd opened up at that point and Diana and I started our 30/15 intervals.  I was feeling strong and we continued these intervals throughout the entire race except two small sections where the hills were steeper and we needed to keep a brisk walk instead.

Overall, we kept a great average pace of 11:49 minutes per mile with a finish time of 2:34:46.  I am very pleased with that.  I had been working on shorter, faster runs during my weekly short runs to try to increase my pace a little bit.  That in conjunction with doing leg exercises have contributed to my success this race.

After the race I met up with my friend Anne at  the park where we enjoyed our Harpoon UFO beer at the beer garden to celebrate a good race finish.  The Hartford Marathon Foundation also had a special offer for race finishers to visit area restaurants and present your medal and get a free beer. So Anne and I went to the finish line to watch for some friends from the Be Our Guest Podcast relay team finish under the arch, and then we visited the restaurants offering these specials.

beergarden

sarello

dish

dish2

I was very happy with this race and my results and plan to continue to use this race for a PR course or training run towards a marathon in the future. I am also so excited for Portia.  It all started with mojitos on Memorial Day on our back deck.  From there she started her first journey towards a half marathon and accomplished her mission!

portiadianame

Giving Back To The Sport I Love

October 9, 2016

This Fall I signed up to volunteer for several race events with the Hartford Marathon Foundation.  For the Hartford Marathon I volunteered to work the merchandise area of the expo at the XL Center.  I worked on Thursday from 2:15 – 7:30.

I arrived to the expo on time and checked in at the volunteer check-in area.  From there I was given a t-shirt and a swag bag and was instructed to head to the merchandise area where I met up with the other volunteers working there.swag

The expo was set up a different way this year.  When you arrive, you met with the volunteers to give you your bib and race information.  After that you went around a corner to the shirt area where you received your shirt, then the gear bag for race day check-in of your gear.  Then you went around another corner to the RunHMF merchandise area where there was a great selection of RunHMF shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, tanks, hats, beanies, glasses, mugs, magnets and much more.  The organization of the layout of the expo was perfect to weave the people from the registration desk, to the shirts, to the merchandise, forcing them to walk through that large area of Hartford specific merchandise, giving it a lot of visibility.


I stationed myself at the T-shirt bar and helped people find shirt sizes they liked along with any additional help they had with merchandise on the floor.  It was a lot of fun to watch people come around the corner and see all of the items for sale and the looks on the faces of first timers at a race expo.  I had the pleasure of talking with one runner named Sara.  She was shopping specifically for half marathon merchandise.  This race was going to be her first half marathon, and I completely related to how she felt about wanted to wear something proud about having run a half marathon.  So I helped her decide on purchasing the 13.1 grey and white sweatshirt.  She was aiming for a 2:30 finish time and I told her I was as well so I was hoping I’d see her at the race.

hoodie

I saw a few friends come through to shop like Kimberly Markey and Lori Connelly so we talked and then they continued on to shop the rest of the expo.  I also made it a point to Face Book live stream so others could see the merchandise that was being sold for when they pick up their packets the following day.  It was a good way to give people a preview of what they wanted to purchase.

I had a great time volunteering and look forward to doing more things like this in the future.  I plan to volunteer and pass out medals for the kid races at the Movember races in Middletown.  My kids are interested in running the mile run so that I could pass out their medals to them.  It was a great experience to be on the other side of the experience and give back to the sport that I love so much.  I also enjoyed talking to the runners and interfacing with them, discussing their expectations for the race and what they have run in the past.

 

I Have a Decision To Make

September 13, 2016

I have come to a point in my running life where I need to make a difficult decision.  This decision is based around the Marine Corps Marathon.  I entered the lottery for the marathon this year as a way of tossing my fate out to the universe, and I was chosen.  So I accepted the fact that I was chosen and I have been training for it.  I am coming to the point in the training where longer runs are required and these runs are intertwining with my family’s busy schedule of Fall softball season and back to school events, along with Fall activities.

If you read my blog you will remember that last year I had a very difficult race for the Marine Corps Marathon.  This year, during my training I have been analyzing my stats from last year’s race and mapping out training runs against the elevation map of the existing course map.  So I am preparing myself.  Also, major changes have been made to the race course this year because of the changes going on with the Metro construction.  If there ever is a year to do this race with a lot of leeway, this is the year.  BUT, I am just not feeling it in my heart.  If I am not feeling it in my heart now, what is going to happen on race day?  I already feel like I am setting myself up for failure.

Last year Dimity McDowell, from Another Mother Runner’s  spoke at a seminar for Girl’s Night Out during Hartford Marathon weekend.  She mentioned that there are sometimes things that happen in our life that get in the way of our training, or can cause a shift in our focus.  Changes in work, changes in family, health, etc.  I did just start a new job this past summer and my husband has been struggling with pain lately.  So there is a lot on my mind.

I finally vocalized my fear of this race to my husband today and told him I am considering deferring my registration this year.  He supports my decision either way; but did tell me that sometimes we get burnt out with things we do.  And that maybe I would benefit from the time off, or less pressure of getting in the marathon before my third Dopey challenge in January.  I believe I will feel a big weight off of my shoulders if I defer this race; but then I will also feel some guilt because of all years to get a “redo” of last year’s race, this is the year to do it.

I have shifted a lot of my efforts and focus this past summer on getting healthier.  I am eating better, working out differently and running casually.  I wanted to enjoy running and not have it become a chore, which it has now become.  When I trained for my first marathon, I enjoyed the training because it was leading me towards something I never did before.  As much as I would love to do this race this year; I want to do it when I am strong and looking forward to it.  Not as another, get it done for the sake of doing it.  Yes, it is a race for redemption to make up for my horrible experience last year; but I want to cross that line having the feeling that I was prepared.  Just like I felt after I finished my first marathon.

So I guess I made my decision.  Now I have to work on the paperwork.  Having said this out loud and writing about it; I can now also focus on getting some better half marathons under my belt as training runs.  I have been struggling with those races.  They used to be my favorite distance and I would like to also enjoy that distance again.

Hartford Marathon Expo

October 20, 2015

These were the medals I would be receiving after running the Hartford Half Marathon on Saturday, October 10. It includes the Hartford Half Marathon medal and the Triple Challenge medal.

The Hartford Marathon Expo took place at the XL Center in Hartford. I went to the race expo on Thursday night at 5:00 PM before going to the Girls Night Out event at the Hartford Club.  It was not crowded at all.  When you entered the expo area you were greeted by a display of all of the Hartford Marathon Foundation medals and a wall to sign your name to your favorite runHMF event.

You were also given a special card to carry around to the vendors and have them stamp each time you visit a booth. After you collect six stamps you can give your card to the Transitions glasses booth for a chance to win a free pair of Transitions glasses.

 I found my friend Kimberlee and her husband Tom there. We hung out and walked the expo for about 30 minutes.

It was smaller than other race expos I had attended. But, they did have a good variety of vendors. I purchased a light reflecting vest from one of the vendors along with a new product called Chafe-X. 
 I samples some chocolate and vanilla milk from Organic Fuel and some granola from Main Street Bakery.

Once again the Hartford Marathkn Foundation did a great job of putting together a great event. The expo was efficient. I picked up my bib and my friend Diana’s bib with no issues, the shirt and gear bag pickup was easy and the expo had an excellent variety of vendors.

I will make it a point to spend time at the expo again next year as well.

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