Want to run 2011 NYC Half-Marathon March 20th?

Looking for another spring event to run? Want a new cause to be a part of? The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join their Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon on March 20th. This is a great way to participate in NYC's premier race while helping Fresh Air Fund children. Check out the website for more details :http://freshair.org/racers

Ready to be a part of one of the world's best road races? Join The Fresh Air Fund-Racers on March 20th, 2011! The amazing 13.1-mile course takes you through beautiful Central Park, action-packed Times Square and ends with breathtaking finish-line views of the New York City harbor. More than 11,000 runners, of all ages and abilities, finished the NYC Half-Marathon last year, and they are so proud of their very own 2010 Fresh Air Fund-Racers who ran and raised $100,000 for the cause!

They are calling all runners and Fresh Air Fund supporters to come out and either challenge themselves to run the race or join our cheering squad. The Fresh Air Fund provides runners with guaranteed entry in exchange for fundraising before race day. Entries are limited - please get in touch soon! Please email kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org or call (212) 897-8890. Or click here to learn more about how to fundraise for the race!

Over the past four years as a NY Road Runners charity partner for the NYC Half-Marathon, our 335 Fund-Racers have raised close to $400,000 for The Fresh Air Fund!

2 Halfs down, 2 to go ~ Amarco Houston Half Recap

Amarco Houston Half Marathon ~ This had to be one race with the most drama involved. First of all, usually when you want to run an event, you just go online and pay for it and bam you are registered. Not so fast, Houston happens to be tremendously popular, too popular. Last year the race sold out in 2 days and there were thousands of unhappy people and locals that were not able to run it...so to alleviate all that, they chose to institute a lottery system. You had to go online, register and pay, then WAIT. Well, Roy and I happened to be lucky enough to WIN the lottery and get to run the race. This was poo pooed on by a lot of the running community, however, irritating it might have been at the time, we got in in August!

Flash forward to the week of the race in January. Houston is usually pretty mild and in the 40s-50s typically with low humidity. Well, just so happened that a front was coming in...it was supposed to hit sometime before the race or during. There was constant updates from the race with weather warnings with a flag system and a contingency plan in place. There was chatter about starting the race late, possibly stopping the race during bad weather and restarting, a lot of stuff to worry about. They were trying to plan in case of lightning. Well, as luck would have it, the rain held off until the race started. The first mile, it started, fortunately there was no lightning, just a light drizzle and 96% humidity and temps in the 60s. These are not optimal conditions for a PR. I know, it sounds like I am building up for all the excuses why my race sucked, well, maybe I am, a little. I ran the race, I finished the race. It wasn't a great race. I was miserable really, I was hot, it was hard to breathe and I was drenched. Good times.

Well, the one highlights of the race was seeing signs every mile for a man named Geoff. Geoff was running the full marathon and he had some really cool and witty friends. They stayed up until 2am making signs with his face on each one with a cool saying. Here are all the signs:

• 1. • Lookin' good! (So far. …)
• 2. • Adrenaline got you this far. All guts from here!
• 3. • Seriously, who fartleked?
• 4. • It's all uphill from here.
• 5. • Runner X-ing
• 6. • You're not slow, you're enjoying the course.
• 7. • Relax. You're not going to win.
• 8. • I love the smell of 22,000 runners in the morning.
• 9. • 26.2, because 26.3 would be CRAZY!
• 10. • When Chuck Norris hits walls, they fall down.
• 11. • Johnny Knoxville wouldn't even do this to himself.
• 12. • Only 5.3 miles to finish! (if you take the most direct route)
• 13. • You're already a winner. You won the lottery to get here.
• 14. • Nobody to blame but yourself.
• 15. • Toenails were made to fall off.
• 16. • If you were a Kenyan, you'd be done by now.
• 17. • Shirt, how do thou chafe me? Let me count the ways. ...
• 18. • You paid $115 for this?
• 19. • Sweating = fat cells crying.
• 20. • Your training runs ended here.
• 21. • At this point, it will hurt just as much to walk.
• 22. • Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall you just hit.
• 23. • Graveyard ahead. Look alive.
• 24. • Give me a high five!
• 25. • If pain is temporary, why does this feel like an eternity?
• 26. • Congratulations!!!! Almost. …

I of course, only saw them until mile 9, that was the split for the half...but I loved them. I wish I had HIS friends!!! They really kept everyone going. They were hilarious!

Well, there was not a PR at this race. I knew I wouldn't PR from the start of the day. I just felt "off". Anyway, I came, I ran, I conquered! NEXT...

2 Halfs down, 2 to go ~ White Rock Recap

It has been since SA full that I updated last. I hate that, I get busy with life and the kids and I lose my momentum to keep blogging. Well, I didn't update after 2 races I recently did, so I guess I will sum them up now.

White Rock Half Marathon ~ This was my Team in Training event. It was freezing that morning and the waves took forever. We were huddled up in our corrals. I was sporting a very attractive trash bag before the start. I know, sexy huh?! We finally crossed the start at 8:55...55 minutes after the first group...yep, we were WAY back in the pack. There were supposed to have been 3-4 more corrals BEHIND us, well, they didn't exist so all those folks ended up in my stall...probably ahead of me and my comrades. I was blessed to run with my friend Leslie and Alison. It was Alison's first event ever! I was proud I could run it with her. She was a trooper!

It took awhile to warm up, but after about 3-4 miles, we were sweating, so we were A-OK. The course was great, it was FLAT, FLAT and more flat! My training runs have more hills usually, so it was quite surprising to not see any hills at all. We ran a steady pace and trucked on through all the way to the end. Finished 2:40. Wasn't a PR, but eh, they can't all be! It was a slow start with all those folks bottlenecking at the beginning, I really attributed the delay to that. It was such a good feeling to have my friends running with me. I have gotten too slow for the people I used to run with all the time. So it was nice to have someone to talk to along the way. Sometimes it is nice to just have someone running beside you. We crossed the line together, were whisked in the building to get finisher shirts, pictures and our cool medals! Gotta love the bling. Of course we had to have the celebratory beers. Cheers ladies!