2018 Baltimore Half Marathon Race Recap

This race was my first half marathon back in 2013, I went back for redemption in 2016 since I was a more experienced runner and knew I could beat my time.  I was super excited to see what I could do this year.

Before the Race

Race weekend started with volunteering the first day of the expo (Thursday.)  While we waited for the expo to open, I got my own bib and shirt since there was plenty of time and everything was setup.  I helped with packet pickup at the later marathon numbers and the early half marathon numbers.  It was nearly a constant stream of people coming through but it made the shift go quickly.  I spent a little bit of time going visiting vendors and said hi to the new Balega rep and a friend who sells Bondi Bands at expos.  (I also got a few new bands!)

I also remembered that Michael Wardian, a DC ultra runner who recently ran the fastest known time for the C&O Canal Towpath, was going to be doing meet and greets at the Medstar booth.  He's also a runner I keep just barely missing meeting--I follow him (and his dog) on Instagram.  Most recently a friend and I cheered for him as he finished the B.A.A. 5k but we were still in the chute to start the race when he started walking over to say hi.  So I finally got to actually say hello to him before leaving the expo.

The next day I did a shakeout run with some of the ladies in the Oiselle Volee, and it was lots of fun getting to catch up with some friends and get to meet some new ones.  

Afterwards we went to Nando's Peri Peri for dinner.  I knew my husband was going to make dinner, so I just had hummus with vegetables and pita.  (It was awesome and I found out they have bottomless Dole Whips for $2.95!  I didn't take advantage of it, but I took a mental note so I could later.)  Once I got home I saw my husband made a super simple dinner--chicken, pasta and he warmed up a couple different sauce options.  

After dinner I got everything together for the next morning.  It looked like the weather was going to be perfect!  Upper 40s at the start, low 50s by the time I was done and overcast with clouds clearing out.  I was a little nervous, but I call it "having a healthy respect for the distance and the race."  I knew I could do the distance because I had 10 times already.  But I was torn about how my training had went.  My longest run was a 10 miler broken up into 4 pieces--a run to my OrangeTheory, the workout itself, a mile tacked on the way back from OrangeTheory then making up the extra distance on the treadmill.  Even in the worst case scenario, I knew I could finish faster than my worst time (2:56:04 at the Blue Ridge Half Marathon because you go up and down 2 mountains), and definitely faster than the 5 hour cutoff.  Best case scenario, I wanted to finish in 2:30 since my previous finish time was around 2:35.  This was not my goal race but it was a test to see where my fitness was to see if 2:15 was within my grasp.  (Seriously, Baltimore is not for PRs.)

As far as clothing went, I wore a flyout long sleeve from Oiselle, my Oiselle singlet, Be Free Knickers from Athleta and the latest pair of silver socks from Balega.  I also packed up my usual coin purse from Blue Q packed with my id, some cash and a credit card, threw my Honey Stinger chews into a snack sized plastic bag, my Aftershokz, Garmin, and Road ID into a bag that I could grab and take with me in the morning.  After putting a tablet of my favorite cherry limeade Nuun in a water bottle, it was time to go to bed!

Race Morning

Race prep that morning went off normally.  Checked my email, got dressed, then left a little earlier and drove to the light rail station.  I drank my usual Nuun on the drive over, parked, got my rail ticket.  Heard some announcement about there being a delay, but at that point in my mind it didn't really matter--I was at the light rail and that was one of the harder parts of the commute into Baltimore.  I got onto the slightly earlier train and took a seat by the window.  After a couple of stops, we stopped and the conductor came over the speaker and said that there was a delay because they were single tracking at the convention center.  Okay, no big deal.  Still plenty of time.  We stopped near the water so I got to watch some teams practice rowing.

Anyone headed into Bmore for the running festival on the light rail should allow for extra time!! There are 15 minute+ delays due to a car stuck on the tracks at the Camden station. . . #baltimorerunningfestival #baltimorerunningfestival2018 #baltimorerunfest

A post shared by The Thrifty Runner (@thethriftyrunner) on Oct 20, 2018 at 5:24am PDT

Then 15 minutes passed, we still hadn't moved and there was no indication on when we would move.  By now it was getting close to 8:20, so I was starting to get nervous even though there was still plenty of time for the 9:45 gun time.  There were quite a few people who were running the half marathon and we started strategizing.  Some people had overly hydrated that morning and needed to use the bathroom.  Are there bathrooms in the station? (No.)  How far is it to the start? (Three miles.)  I had a few friends running, so I started scouring social media for anything.  Then on an event in one of my running groups a friend had posted that a car was stuck on the tracks in front of Camden Yards and it was difficult to move because it was stuck on top of the tracks.  Not perpendicularly, but parallel to the tracks.  A couple people confirmed it because the race start was closest to the Camden Yards stop.  The car was not moving.  I told the others what I had read and after a few minutes of waiting the train moved to the stop closest to Camden Yards.  Such a weird start to the morning, and it threw me off a little bit.

Awesome.  I knew where we were, and we walked to the start of the half marathon.  It was still a ways away, but if that was as close we could get I was okay with it.  Crisis averted!  I managed to find a friend and we took a group picture with one of my running groups.  Then we explored the finisher's village a little bit and said hi to one of our favorite OrangeTheory coaches for a final pep talk before heading to the start.

I got lined up and my music ready to go with my usual go-to race playlist.  Then as the wave ahead of mine started to run, the arch started to collapse just enough to raise a little bit of alarm.  Thankfully the race staff got the arch back up so it didn't fully collapse.  (This actually happens fairly often.  When I worked in the racing industry it happened maybe once every 20 races.  It's really no big deal since the majority of the time it's an easy fix.)  Then we headed out through the city towards Patterson Park.  Around mile 2 I saw a small crowd of people huddled around someone who was convulsing on the ground.  He may have been having CPR administered or a seizure (I couldn't see much) but either way shortly after passing him an ambulance came down the race course to reach him.  (After the race I found out that he was fine.)  After that, I switched my watch to show how much time was left in each interval (rather than overall stats) and run based on feel.

The rest of the race went well.  I really pushed myself hard and was determined to finish before 2:30.  (Baltimore is known for being a very hilly race which makes it difficult.)  I did notice that it seemed that despite the great weather conditions that a lot of people were having medical issues along the route.  It could be because it was the first big race I've run in awhile, but it seemed like the medical tents were fairly busy the whole race.

With about 2 miles left I looked down at my Garmin and switched it to the main screen.  I thought that I couldn't hit my goal but I'd get really close.  Just as I could see the Baltimore Arena and the turn onto Pratt Street was becoming visible I checked one more time.  It was going to be super close, but maybe I could make my crazy 2:30 goal?  I took a quick walk break before turning the corner.  I started to run again but I was feeling gassed.  Then somehow in the crowd I locked eyes with one of my Oiselle teammates, saw her cheering for me, and suddenly the chant we said at Bird Camp during the track workout with Lauren Fleshman popped into my head:  "Give 'em Hell! Oiselle!" Like magic, my legs to shut up and I ran like hell to the finish.  As I crossed the finish I stopped my Garmin and looked at the time as I hobbled to the runner's village.  2:28:18.  I not only hit my goal, I obliterated it.

I grabbed my water (they were HUGE 1 liter bottles) and started eating my banana while I walked along the line grabbing various snacks (pretzels, granola bars, the usual.)  I headed straight to the beer garden and grabbed my first (and only) beer.  It was all I had time for because I needed to head towards home because I had a flight to catch.  I ran into another Oiselle teammate and we caught up for a few minutes before I headed towards the OrangeTheory tent.  I couldn't wait to tell my coach what happened!  She was overjoyed as well but the celebration was short lived since I had to get out of there ASAP to catch a plane.  I went from the light rail to my car to the airport and told my husband to grab a couple things I left out and met him at the airport.  (No, I didn't shower.  Yes, it felt super gross and I threw on a sweatshirt to try and hold in the stink.  It's probably the one time I felt totally justified taking the window seat.)

Today has been a crazy long day. First the light rail came to a standstill because of a car stuck on the tracks. Then I ran the Baltimore Half for the third time. (That was also interesting—it felt like there were more medical cases than usual, or maybe I noticed more since I’ve been doing so many smaller, shorter distance races lately?) THEN I hopped on a plane for an overnight trip to Nashville for family obligations that I could NOT get out of and were planned the same week I signed up 🙄 But, it’s done! And I’ve got a shiny new PR for the course! It was 2:35, I wanted to finish in 2:30, official time: 2:28:18!!! I guess all those hill workouts at OrangeTheory are paying off! Loved seeing so many familiar faces on and along the course too ❤️ . . #oisellevolée #headupwingsout #flystyle #rungoodr #baltimorerunningfestival #oiselleteamdmv #oisellevoléedmv #balegaimpi #balegaimpi2018 #balegabestsocksever #hshive #teamzensah #sweatpink #sweatpinkambassador

A post shared by The Thrifty Runner (@thethriftyrunner) on Oct 20, 2018 at 4:37pm PDT

Overall Impressions

Admittedly, I have a soft spot for this race because it was my first half marathon.  I ran it just after moving to the area in 2013, and after spending so much time in the city it's much more meaningful.  The course is amazing but difficult.  The crowds are always great.  I've generally lucked out with the weather too.  My one gripe about the race is the finisher's area.  It's wonderful having it on the Inner Harbor, but there just is not enough space for everyone.  Friends had warned me about it and I wanted to keep an open mind about it, but it is simply too cramped.  I was constantly bumping into people and when you're feeling a bit wobbly already it's pretty much unavoidable.  It's not enough to keep me away from the race though!  It remains one of my favorites.

Overall I would definitely recommend it but don't go in with serious goals in mind unless you know without a doubt you can make it.  (Case in point:  I knew there was no way I could have come close to my big scary goal of 2:15 when my PR was 2:25.)  It's great for first timers because of all the spectators along the route and the generous cutoff time of 5 hours.  It's also great for seasoned half marathoners because no matter how many races you've done, the course is always challenging!

Have you run this race before?  What did you think of it?  Leave a comment below!

January 2016 RunnerBox Review

There are lots of subscription boxes out there, but not many focused on athletes.  Enter:  RunnerBox!  (The company also has CycleBox and TriBox for cyclists and triathletes.)  Every two months for $20 plus shipping the company will send you a box of different products focused on your sport of choice.  Like other subscription boxes, they send you a mix of new and familiar products and usually they will also throw in a RunnerBox branded item.  (In the past I've gotten a star shaped plastic massager, lip balm, a neck gaiter, and a small workout towel.)  They also offer limited edition boxes for birthdays, holidays and for the upcoming race season.  I've been a subscriber for a little over a year now, and have had some great boxes.  One just ended up being a lifesaver because it had my favorite early morning pre-run snack (a honey stinger waffle) when I thought I was completely out of them!!

From November 2015

From November 2014

From May 2014

From January 2014 (My first box.  It was definitely a good start to the subscription!)

This is what I received in my January box just before Snowzilla hit.

When you first open the box, this is what you see.  The underside of the lid of every box has a different motivational quote.

When you open the tissue paper there is a card explaining each product along with where to buy it and the MSRP.  (The total value of this box was $31.50.)

Under the card there are all kinds of goodies!!

This box had Driv (a electrolyte supplement), Purely Elizabeth oatmeal (in cranberry pecan), Crispy Green's Crispy Fruit (freeze dried pears), Gnarly Whey (a protein supplement), Gnarly Hydrate (a hydration supplement), Peak Energy Mints (caffeinated mints with D-Ribose and B-Vitamins), Chuao (chocolate!), Clif Organic Energy Food (fuel that's made out of fruit), Detour Simple (protein bar), Garuka bar (an on the go snack bar), a RunnerBox embroidered fleece headband (always useful on cold runs!) and HEX Performance (a laundry detergent for athletic wear.)

I've tried chuao's chocolate before--it was great and for it to be combined with gingerbread?  Even better!  And I can always use a new fleece headband for cold weather runs.  (Errand running.  I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold!)

The pears were awesome.  Definitely an odd texture since it's freeze dried but a nice alternative to dried fruit with all that added sugar!  I haven't tried the Clif Organic Energy Food yet, but it's three of my favorite things so how could it be bad?

I'm actually trying to cut back on caffeine so I'm not sure if I'll use the mints.  (Each one has 100mg of caffeine, which is similar to a single cup of coffee.)  I'll probably use the laundry detergent, since it's supposed to be good for athletic wear.

I had to laugh when I pulled out the driv packets.  The little white piece of paper warns that the powder fizzes so you want to leave space at the top of your water bottle to allow plenty of space for fizzing.  I'm excited to try the Gnarley whey protein supplement since this is the first one I'll ever try that didn't require milk.  (This one asks to be mixed with water.)  The gnarly hydration supplement I'm planning on saving for later in my race training since it includes salt, which will be an easy way to replace it after a long, hot training run.

I'm also excited to try this oatmeal one morning for breakfast.  Most oatmeals are totally loaded with unnecessary sugars, so normally I avoid buying it.  One serving has only 20g of carbohydrates, where others have almost twice that (even Special K's oatmeal cups!)

So I forgot to take a closeup picture of the detour bar and the garukabar...oops.  The detour bar was delicious! The flavor was salted caramel cookie dough, and the caramel on top was nice and soft and the cookie dough portion was chewy like a lot of protein bars, but had a little bit of a crunch. I'm definitely curious about the garukabar.  It's a combination of cereal, nuts and berries and the proceeds from the sale of the bar go towards gorilla conservation. 

Overall, this was a pretty good Runnerbox!  Usually at least a couple items are hit or miss, but I found this one to be a little better than others.  It was a good mix of new and somewhat familiar items that weren't too far out of my comfort zone.

An excuse to eat Halloween Candy!?

Yes.  Seriously.  Hear me out though!  My husband and I have a HUGE bowl of Halloween candy leftover, because I'm still used to buying it at our old house where we had to buy 2 big bags of it just to last a couple hours.  (Our old street in southwest Virginia was a main through street, close to the high school so people from out in the boonies would park or drop their kids off at the high school and make their way down to our neighborhood.  We were lucky if our candy lasted until 8:00, and this was if we had started giving kids candy that wasn't intended for Halloween but still safe to eat...so some kids walked away from our place with Valentine's hearts.)  Now we live at the end of a nice, quiet cul-de-sac where we have dramatically fewer trick or treaters.  So much so, that we could've been fine with just one big bag of candy.  Because we are still trying to make a dent in this pile...

And for the most part, it's Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish.  (Fortunately/unfortunately my husband and I both like them a little too much.)  But an idea popped into my head Sunday as he and I were getting ready to head out for a 4 mile run together because I was feeling a little peckish but didn't want to eat a huge meal beforehand: Halloween candy for running fuel!

Yes.  I am advocating using leftover Halloween candy as a pre-run, mid-race snack.  Runner's World has recommended using gumdrops as a makeshift energy chew, and gummy bears (#22) for during long runs, races and as a post-run snack if you're not hungry.  Anybody who has run the longer Baltimore Running Festival races have seen the trays of candy corn spectators will give to runners.  Granted, Sour Patch Kids might not be the best idea...but Swedish Fish are pretty similar to gummy bears!  So I downed the packet of 5 fish on the drive to the park and drank a little water.  Normally I eat chews as a fuel source on long runs, and I got lucky in that my system treated the fish the exact same way.  

Little disclaimer here:  If you haven't tried fuel before on a run, DEFINITELY try it before when you know you'll be close to a bathroom.  Running is not always the most glamorous of sports, and testing different running snacks is one of those least glamorous times.  You never quite know how your stomach will react to a new food item while running.  A lot of it is just trial and error, like I mention in an older post about fuel.  

A few words about Kale....

It's no secret:  Runners like to eat.  That's part of the reason why I love it.  I run and get to eat what I want (with moderation and the occasional splurge.)  While tapering (like I am right now) I make it a point to eat a little extra healthfully because the dramatic decrease in weekly mileage (along with other health factors) makes it a little easier for me to put on weight quickly.  This is also the time of year where greens start showing up in our farm share.  Greens like kale.

picture from wikipedia.org

Yes, I am on the kale bandwagon that seems to be going around lately.  And you can actually make it taste awesome.

Kale is part of the brassica family of veggies which includes a lot of the vegetables that tend to stink up your house when cooked like broccoli, mustard, cabbage and cauliflower.  And of course, kale is no exception.  There are two ways I love to cook kale:  crisp them up in the oven as chips, and for salads.  This green is kind of weird in that it tastes a lot better if you bruise it up a little bit before or during the cooking process.  So whenever I get ready to cook it, I toss it at least in a little bit of olive oil and use tongs to bruise it up.

I started cooking kale for salads after seeing this recipe pop up on the Runner's World website.  It had all my favorite things, so why not?  The first time I made it, I was hooked!  Now for a simple salad for myself I love to de-stem and cut up 8-9 leaves (or one small bunch.)  At first it looks like a lot, but don't let that fool you!  In the end it becomes about 1-2 cups of wilted kale. Then lightly wilt the leaves in a pan (while tossing it with tongs) with a vinaigrette salad dressing.  It gets just slightly warm and if done right, the bitterness goes away and you're left with a very tasty salad!  As an added bonus I'll toss in any extra veggies I have on hand and a protein (usually chicken or even cut up turkey lunchmeat.)  

What are some of your favorite recipes for kale?