Runner's World Blogger Event Recap {Part Two}

Good morning!  If you follow my blog, you already know that I was involved with several Runner's World Half & Festival blogger events over the past few days, as well as the 10k race.  To visit those posts, you can find them below.

Thursday Night BBQ at Runner's World Headquarters 

Blogger Event Recap {Part One} 

10K Race Recap 

As I also said, the Steel Stacks area of Bethlehem is gorgeous and the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnace provided an amazing backdrop for all of the festivities throughout the weekend.

Finish line set-up on Friday...

Our group of girls {and Harold} was so excited to meet Shalene Flanagan.  Here are a few of us before the Q&A session...

I have to say, meeting US Olympian Shalane Flanagan was pretty cool.  Shalane is the 2008 bronze medalist in the Olympic 10,000 meter race, as well as the American record holder in the 3k, 5k and 10k on the track.  In August, she represented the US in the Olympic marathon with her training partner and friend, Kara Goucher.  

We sat down for a {25 to 1} Q&A session where we had the chance to ask Shalane questions about anything such as diet, training, racing, travel, making special appearances, etc.  The bloggers asked some really in-depth questions and Shalane took the time to answer them thoroughly.    

 

Of course, I wanted to know about her pre-race preparation.  My question to Shalane was:  Do you get nervous before races, and if so, do you have any tips on how to control your pre-race anxiety?  

Her answer was this in a nutshell:

• Shalane used to suffer from nerves before races more when she was younger than she does now. 
• She tries to think about all of the hard workouts she has done leading up to a race and uses that to give her the confidence she needs to compete.
• During hard wokrouts, she likes to put herself in uncomfortable situations to simulate how she would feel during a race so that way, her body can better remember the feeling and adapt to what is going on.  
•  A little nervousness is good.  Her coach likes to see her a little jittery before a race because he feels she will run better feeling that way, rather than not.  

Shalane's point about believing in her preparation is key.  Jesse and I always talk about the workouts I did in the past when mapping out a strategy for a race and it's so important to write workouts down for future reference.  I just can't seem to shake the nerves issue, still, after all of these years. 

The gang and Shalane...

I ran into an old friend {Kathleen Jobes} who works at Runner's World.  She won Saturday's 5k race.  

We wrapped up our event with a talk from RW writer and author, Jennifer Van Allen, and RW Twitter Expert and author of Runner's World's Ravenous Runner blog, Meghan Loftus.  It was all very interesting! 

This about wraps up my exciting weekend with Runner's World, and I learned some valuable information that I will be sharing in future posts.  I also received some great products to test out and review, so look for those articles in the very near future too! 

Have a great Tuesday!

RW Blogger Event Recap {Part One}

Because today's post was published {unfinished} on Saturday, it is out of order on the blog.  Click here to see it and I will work on fixing the issue later today.

Have a great Monday!

Race Recap - Runner's World 10k

I don't normally do weekend posts, but I thought today would be special since the last few days have been awesome.  From a great race to the fantastic blogger events put on by Runner's World, I am feeling pretty pumped.  

Yesterday I ran the 10k in the Runner's World Half & Festival that has been taking over Bethlehem.  It was quite amazing and Runner's World really knows how to put on a race, or should I say...race{s}!  The start and finish was situated on the southside of Bethlehem near the Steel Stacks {the old Bethlehem Steel buildings}.  The Stacks provided an impressive backdrop for all of the festivities that were happening in that immediate area.  Check out the start of the 5k...

Payton and I posed for the camera before I set out to warm-up for the 10k. 

I was asked to participate in an interview for the local TV station {WFMZ Channel 69}.  Meteorologist Mark Shanaberger {pictured here} will be running the half tomorrow with morning anchor, Eve Tannery.

Our friends {Adam and Kevin} are attempting the hat trick, which means they are signed up to run all three races.  Personally, I say "hats off" to everyone running each race!   

My colleague, Givon, finished the 5k!!!  Good for him! 

Here are some shots of the finish line.  Again, it was so impressive...

The race was off!  Runner's World did a nice job showcasing our town when they layed out the course and I'm sure Bethlehem native Bart Yasso had certain areas in mind when developing it.  Runners ran through the southside, as well as the historic area of the northside and through the Main Street of the city.

My first mile was run in 6:37, which is ironic since my average pace was 6:37 for the entire race. 

At the end, I finished in 41:06, which was good enough for 4th female overall/approximately 52nd overall.  My conservative goal was to run under 42 minutes, so I was very happy with the results.  Jesse tried to figure out my splits and he thinks I ran the second 5k of the race faster than the first because I went through 3 miles in 20:03.  Another fact...the race consisted of about 2,000 runners. 

After the race, I had fun chatting with family, old friends and new friends.  Payton was especially happy to see her teacher from last year, Mrs. Gonzalez!

My husband {Fred} was there to cheer me on too!

...as well as my parents!

It was so nice to see my high school friend, Bridget.  She was running all three races too!

It was also nice to chat with some of my new blogger friends, Katherine and Kristin!

Before the kids' races, Kira Wiley and her band performed a selection of songs that incorporated yoga moves.  It was adorable! 

There were three Olympians in attendance at the festival, including Shalane Flanagan!

For some reason, a stray {unfinished} post was published for a good part of Saturday, so stay tuned tomorrow and Tuesday for recaps from our blogger activities.  Sorry for the confusion.  If you missed Friday's Runner's World Loving Lately, you can check it out here.

Have a great Sunday!

Runner's World Blogger Event Recap {Part One}

As part of the Runner's World Half & Festival, they hosted pre-race events just for bloggers.  Through my affiliation with FitFluential, I was invited to attend these meaningful sessions since they would be of interest my readers.  Below you will see some of the neat presentations that we were able to observe.  Plus, if you missed my review of the Thursday night BBQ held at the Runner's World headquarters, you can catch it here.

First, the people from Icon Health and Fitness spoke about their company and the many brands that fall under their umbrella, such as NordicTrack, Pro-Form fitness equipment, Weider, Freemotion Fitness, Reebok, Gold's Gym, and iFit to name a few.  Here I am on one of the Pro-Form bikes.  It was amazing because you can hook up an iPad on the special holder and it will take you on various virtual road courses. 

My new friend {Katie} from KatieRunsThis and I experimented on the treadmills while chatting away.  Their equipment is extremely compact and is the perfect addition to your home gym.  In addition, most pieces fold up for easier storage.

I got to meet another Oiselle teammate...Lynda from Hit The Road Jane.  She traveled all the way from Florida!

Freemotion Apparel gave us a few items to test out on our runs.  I can't wait to wear my new jacket for those cold, cold winter runs in PA.  It is heavier than most winter running outerwear, so all I will need is a base layer.  Yesterday, I wore their short sleeved t-shirt on my run.  It was nicely cut, the color was vibrant, and it was extremely comfortable to wear under a light windbreaker.
 

They had a light breakfast for us which included coffee, fresh fruit, bagels and cream cheese. 

Next, we were treated to a special presentation by Golden Harper, founder and creator of Altra Zero Drop Shoes.  A neat fact about Golden...he still holds the world record for a marathon run by a 12 year old.  That's right...he was 12 when he ran 2:45!   

The Icon/Altra team...

Golden demonstrated how their zero drop running shoes compare to regular 12mm drop shoes, and it was all very interesting.  For me, I will start by wearing my new Altra shoes around town before attempting any runs.  I have been wearing orthodics for over 20 years, so the transition to a zero drop shoe may be a slow one.

Some of the runners who already run in a minimalist shoe did a barefoot demonstration around the tent. 

iFit is a virtual way to track your workouts, participate in runs with friends on the other side of the country, compete against others in the iFit community, watch HD videos of places around the world while you workout, plus more.  Check them out at their site to see the many things that you can do {virtually} with this amazing application.  

This larger than life poster was a glimpse at December's issue of Runner's World.  It was front and center at the Runner's Expo for all to see when browsing the vendor tables and picking up packets. 

Tomorrow I will tell you all about my time with US Olympian, Shalane Flanagan.  She was very nice, and she even personally answered a question about an issue that plagues me before every race.  Have a great Monday! 

Loving Lately {Runner's World Version}

Last night I had the opportunity to spend the evening with the folks from Runner's World magazine for a special blogger event that was held in conjunction with their upcoming running festival this weekend.  The next few days, Bethlehem, PA {my hometown} will be inundated with runners from all over the country to run, tour, and spectate at one of the largest races in the northeast.  Some are brave enough to tackle the hat trick, which means they will run the 5k and the 10k on Saturday, and the half marathon on Sunday.   

This morning and through lunch, there are special events that are planned for us...including a meet and greet with US Olympic Marathoner Shalane Flanagan.  I can hardly wait to meet her!  

Since my Friday posts revolve around things I have been “Loving Lately,” I found last night’s BBQ to fit nicely into that theme, especially since they revolved around two of my favorite things...running and food.  Here’s a glimpse at some things that I was loving lately at the Runner’s World event.  

The buffet was delicious, including this burger on a whole wheat roll topped with caramelized onions, and a brownie, of course!  

It's always nice to see old acquaintances, so I was happy to run into Warren Greene, Brand Editor at RW.  Warren and I interned at Rodale Press together back in the mid-nineties. 

Today we will learn more about Altra Zero Drop Footwear, but we were fitted for a pair of shoes to test out on this morning's shake-out run. 

Running into a teammate was pretty cool, especially someone as nice as Amanda.  Notice that we wore our Oiselle gear!

Bart Yasso and me...

We were given a tour of the Runner's World headquarters and one of the first things that we saw was their wall of past covers...

...including a sneak peak at the December issue!

In a hallway of brown doors, Bart's office door was covered with bibs from races all over the world.  I had to laugh to myself because my bedroom door in high school looked just like this.  However...my races were obviously local.  

What better way to end a great night than to sit around a camp fire roasting s'mores?  

Besides the shoes, they also presented us with a bag that was loaded with neat goodies including these adorable headbands.  

Plus, more stuff that I can't wait to dig in and try out.  

Now I'm off for some more fun with fellow bloggers and the crew from Runner's World.  Have a great day!