Best Things Seen At A Race

Today's Tuesdays on the Run topic centers around the best things you've seen at a race. This is something that really excited me because I love to carry my camera around with me during races and have done so for many years!

There's so many great things I've seen at races that it's impossible to include them all in one post. Instead, I hope you'll enjoy this little walk down memory lane with me and enjoy some of these images just as much as I did!

Most race I've run have been in the morning (with the exception of a few Wine & Dine's and Gleaux Runs), so looking forward to the sunrise has always been a perk!

How about costumes? Running a Disney race definitely gives the chance to see a ton of runners in costume!

Along with costumes goes characters! Of course running a Disney race always offers a ton of opportunities to see characters! (If you want to, of course.)

I've seen some really funny race signs in my running career! This group was situated around mile 3 of a half marathon and they kept moving along the course. I saw them again around mile 12!

Anyone remember the 2013 VMA's with twerking Miley Cyrus? Well, this guy was at the 2013 Disneyland Half and has one of my favorite race signs I've seen to date!

Speaking of California, I've also run into a few celebrities along race courses - Joey Fatone being one of them! 

Beads! If you run the streets of New Orleans, you'll see beads...lots and lots of them!

Ballparks! Running has offered me the opportunity to run on several professional MLB ballparks, along with the spring training field at ESPN's Wide World of Sports!

How about a state capitol? The Louisiana Half Marathon begins at the state capitol in Baton Rouge!

Finish lines - I've definitely seen my fair share of them at races!

Last but not least....friends. Races are a great way to catch up with friends and meet new ones! It's always great when I run into a familiar face somewhere along a race course or around town afterwards! Friends really do making the running journey an extra meaningful one!

What's the best thing you've seen at a race?

It's the Tuesdays On The Run Linkup with Erika, Marcia and Patty. 

My Glucose Test & The Weekend

This past weekend was filled with lots of fun (and some not so fun) moments!

It all began on Saturday and the three hour glucose tolerance test which checks for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. My first test was the 1 hour tolerance test which I barely failed, so I had to return for a three hour test on Saturday morning.
 

This test was fasting (nothing to eat or drink after midnight) and involved drinking a beverage that tasted like a super sweet orange Fanta which included 100 grams of "sugar" in one serving. I added the numbers up and that's like drinking 60 oz of Dr. Pepper in less than 5 minutes...SIXTY ounces!

Mine also involved the following:

• Urine sample prior to drinking the beverage (to check for gluocse in the urine) - mine was negative
• Blood draw prior to drinking the beverage
• Hourly blood draws x 3 hours - taken 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours after drinking the beverage (that's a total of four blood draws)

My husband agreed to accompany me to the test and I'm so glad he did. I read up on this test before taking it and I found a mixed variety of comments out there - some women had no problems with the test at all while others experienced a wide range of side effects. I warned the phlebotomist before I began drinking the beverage that the 1 hour test (50 grams of "sugar") gave me a pretty bad headache. She told me they had a room for me to rest in if I needed it because if I threw up, the test was over and I would have to start from scratch. Umm...no thank you.

Within literally five minutes, this stuff hit me...and by hit me I mean I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I felt dizzy and nauseated and knew I needed to lie down immediately. The ladies at the lab were so kind to me - they brought ice packs to me and checked on me many times.

It took two and a half hours before I felt back to my somewhat normal self. I basically laid in this chair and flipped from side to side until it was time for my next blood draw. Thankfully, everything stayed down and I never threw up. Jason kept trying to bring up lunch ideas and I did NOT want to talk about it - just the thought of food or even orange Fanta made me want to hurl. I even got off of facebook and instagram at one point because all of the pictures of food (that I usually really enjoy looking at) made my nausea worse!

At the end of the three hours, the phlebotomist drew my blood again and checked it on a glucometer. My blood sugar read 86 which I was thankful for. I know that's not an "official" result, but it definitely eased my mind a bit! Now the waiting game begins for my "official" results!

After the test, we drove to a local joint that serves the best po-boy's I've ever eaten (even better than Mother's in New Orleans). I don't eat there often, but I decided I'd been tortured enough and I wanted some GOOD food! It definitely satisfied me! :)

The remainder of our Saturday included a little time with friends (and yummy gumbo for dinner).

The Louisiana Marathon and Half was held on Sunday and I enjoyed following all of the updates before heading off to church. It's amazing how much of a difference a year makes! Last year, I ran my half marathon PR at 1:58 (also my first sub 2 hour half) and this year, I'm on restriction from even walking down the road! (Again, I don't mind as this is just a phase of life that will pass soon...I just found the irony kinda funny!)

In the middle of it all, I also spent some time cuddling with my two sweet girls! This little turkey has been super clingy lately!!

Last but not least, I'm helping host a baby shower for a best friend of mine this weekend. The remainder of my Sunday was spent creating and planning for her shower! I can't wait!!

How was your weekend? Anything exciting happen or take place? Did you run any races? 

Congrats to everyone who took part in the Louisiana Half/Full Marathons, the Houston Half/Full Marathons, the Star Wars races at Disneyland, and any other races I missed!! :) You guys rock!

2015 Louisiana Half Marathon Vlog

I know it’s been a while, but I finally got around to making a vlog from the Louisiana Half Marathon I ran last month.

This race was especially difficult for me as I was sick and attempting a PR. Even if I accomplished my goal or not, I decided to document the journey through video and enjoy the ride!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love this race! From the expo to the  flat course, the crowd support, the scenery, and the post-race party….you just can’t beat it!

Missed any blog recaps? Check them out!

• The Louisiana Marathon & Half Expo
• The Louisiana Half Marathon Recap

Here’s a vlog recap of the Expo and race itself. Sorry for the shakiness of the clips during the race – we ran the entire thing without stopping!

Thanks for watching!

Are you a fan of local races or do you prefer to travel for races?

Fitness Friday–1/30

Currently training for Louisiana Half Marathon
Rock ‘n’ Roll NOLA Half Marathon
Disney’s Glass Slipper Challenge 
Disney’s Castaway Challenge
Saturday –  Travel Day!
Sunday – Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (race recap coming soon!)  
Monday –  Rest Day 
Tuesday –  Stretching and foam rolling
Wednesday – More foam rolling – also a few upper body exercises
Thursday –  Rest Day
Friday – Going to attempt a run for the first time since Sunday



I’m not going to lie, I had a reaaaally hard time with the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon this past Sunday. My body was tired, sore, and I seriously hurt from the previous weekend. I honestly felt as if I had just run a Full Marathon the weekend before (the Louisiana Half where I ran for 2 hour straight without stopping) and was trying to run another half the following weekend. What was my body’s deal? It was only a half the weekend before, so why did I hurt so much 7 whole days later?
My stubbornness showed itself during the Louisiana Half……but this time, I actually decided to listen to common sense. You know, the old saying “listen to your body and what it’s trying to tell you”? Yeah, I finally decided to listen to that one. I’ve run 5 full marathons altogether and although I wasn’t as sore after the recent Louisiana Half as I’ve been after my other full marathons, I decided to treat my recovery as if I ran a full marathon anyway. That’s what I felt my body telling me to do, so that’s what I’m going to do.

I met a really nice man and his wife after RnR NOLA as we were checking out of our hotel. He was 80 years old and his wife was 75 and they came to NOLA to run the 10K! He told me that they used to run full and half marathons in the past but have cut way back on them as they’ve grown older. His wife told me that the true secret and key to running for a long time is listening to your body. I knew her advice was truly meant for me and I told them that I appreciated it more than they’ll ever know. I still want to be able to run when I’m 80! How cool is that?



How sweet is this? On our running group’s website, our coach acknowledged those who ran the past two weekend’s in New Orleans and Baton Rouge!



I really enjoyed the Rouse’s King Cake I purchased while in New Orleans! PJ’s Southern Pecan coffee is delicious, too!

This was a fabulous week for the Princess Half Marathon!



Waviers were released….



…and I received my Magic Bands, Sparkle Skirts gear, and ME tags/DCL documents in the mail! Guess that means I really need to get the ball rolling on my race costumes! Can’t wait to share with all of you! :D

Speaking of the Princess Half, don’t forget about the giveaway happening right now for an adorable Princess themed running top!  Giveaway ends on Monday, so enter before it’s too late!
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How do you handle recovery after a difficult race? Have you learned to listen to your body and what it’s trying to tell you?

New Orleans Weekend

This past weekend, a group of friends and I spent a bit of time in New Orleans for the Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon!

Tomorrow, I’ll continue on with the Expo and race recap later this week but today, I’m going to share some of the fun/interesting things we were able to see and do while visiting the city!

We woke up on Saturday morning bright and early to begin our 3+ hour drive to NOLA.

After the Expo, we checked into our hotel, then walked around and found a spot for an early dinner. I’ve had issues in the past with dinner locations in New Orleans the night before the race (crazy long lines and wait times of 2+hours), so I knew an early dinner was a must for us!

Our dinner was at a place called Pie. It’s in the warehouse district of NOLA and is a delicious pizza joint. It’s literally a hole in the wall and if you aren’t paying attention, you’ll miss it.

I do believe this was one of the best pizza’s I’ve ever eaten!

After dinner, we walked around the French Quarter for a while, then made our way to Café du Monde for dessert!

If you ever go to NOLA, you need to have beignets…it’s a must!

…but don’t sneeze or exhale while trying to take a bite…if you do, you’ll have a ton of powdered sugar all over the place!

We also walked through Jackson Square and shopped around a bit before heading back to our hotel.

Oooh lala!

After the race, we cleaned up at our hotels and checked out, then walked over to Walk-Ons for a post-race lunch!

I had a turkey burger and it was SO good!

For running the Louisiana Half Marathon last weekend and Rock n Roll New Orleans this weekend, I also received the Louisiana Double Down medal! <3 It’s so pretty!

Funny story – I posted this picture on instagram and a Facebook/instagram/runLouisiana friend saw it and said “We are here too!” I started looking around and they were two tables behind us!

It was so nice to finally meet Jessica! I also got to meet her friend Deloris and several others at her table – some are runDisney fans and are even running Princess next month! I love the running community!  :)

I was so proud of my friend Mackenzie! She ran her first 10K and did a great job!!

On our way out of town, we stopped for King Cake at Rouses and I ordered a King Cake Latte at PJ’s Coffee!

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the weekend! I was so happy that the weather held up for the races and it really turned out to be a gorgeous weekend!

Stay tuned for Rock N Roll New Orleans Expo/Race Recaps this week!

Have you ever been to New Orleans? What’s your favorite thing/place to visit if you’ve been?

Another Race Weekend Ahead

Happy Friday, everyone! This weekend, I’m travelling to New Orleans with a group of girls for Rock N Roll New Orleans Marathon Weekend and I am SO excited!  I absolutely love race weekends!!

This will be Rock N Roll’s sixth year for the Rock N Roll New Orleans event – can you believe I’ve participated each year? It’s hard to believe I’ve been a runner that long!

Here’s a look back:

2010 – My second Half Marathon, ever!

2011 - Another Half Marathon only this time with the American Cancer Society’s DetermiNation Team!

2012 - I ran the RnR NOLA Full Marathon for the first time (not my first full but first time for Nola). I ran again with ACS DetermiNation…I was injured but DetermiNed to finish! Finish, I did…smile and all!

2013 – Back again for anther Full Marathon! (This race holds my current marathon PR)

2014 - I was registered for the half marathon, but made a quick decision in December to run the Full Marathon instead! 5th Full Marathon for me and 5th Anniversary of the race – definitely couldn’t let that opportunity pass by!

As a bonus this year, those who ran the Louisiana Half or Full Marathon last weekend and are running the Rock N Roll Half or Full this weekend will receive this beautiful Louisiana Double Down medal!

Source

SO excited, it’s going to be a weekend full of bling! :D

Unfortunately, our travel times will not allow us to be a the Café du Monde tweet up, but we will be at the Expo shortly after that! If you’re around, please say hi! I hope to see you there!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Are you running a race this weekend? Which one/where is it? Hope you have a great race if so!