Calling all NoVA/DC/MD runners:

Are you looking for a local 10k that raises money for a great cause (I’m talking about your heart, that thing that allows you to live and run…)?

Sign up to run the Lawyers Have Heart 10k on June 11, 2011 in Georgetown.  Registration is limited to 6,500 runners and you do not have to be a lawyer to run.  It’s a flat out-and-back course and the cost is $40 (sign-up HERE).

Since it’s creation in 1991, Lawyers Have Heart has raised more $7.5 million to benefit the American Heart Association, whose mission is building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. By participating in the Washington area’s largest 10K event, you will not only help to strengthen your own heart through exercise, you will also help raise funds vital to the education programs and research of the AHA.

If you are a local runner and plan on running – let me know.  I’d love to meet up with other blogners (blogger/runner combined, celebrity style) 

Think your’e Type A? Welcome to the club.

If you are a triathlete, especially in the Washington D.C. area, this article is for you: “Triathlons in Washington: Why Tri?” It’s an interesting look at the sport of triathlon, most specifically in D.C.

“The Mid-Atlantic has the highest concentration of triathletes in the country. With two triathlons a year—and enough type-A personalities to fill them up—DC might be the epicenter.”

D.C. – dubbed TriTown USA by aficionados – has been named the fittest city in America by Forbesmagazine for the past three years. So, it comes as no surprise, that a city full of Type-A’s and fittest-people thrive in the sport of triathlon.

I’m a ‘part-time’ triathlete, meaning that I love the sport of running first and don’t take triathlons too seriously, but tend to agree with a lot of points in the article. While I’m not even close to being a local Maggie Shapiro-esque hero, I like the challenge of triathlon and use my competitive (read: type-A) personality to fuel me.

Are you a triathlete? Are you Type-A? What do you think about this article?

With the tiny exception of posting this race on the “Race Calendar – 2011” side-bar, I didn’t tell many people that I was doing The Columbia Triathlon.

Tri-mobile

For starters, I wasn’t sure how I would feel after my marathon. Would I be able to do an Olympic distance triathlon 3 weeks after my marathon?

Secondly, I wasn’t prepared. I took 1 week off after my marathon – which gave me 2 weeks to train for the race. In preparation, I swam twice and rode my bike 3 times (since September 2010). I had a strong running base but I didn’t do any double or brick (bike/run) workouts. In a word, I was nervous.

BJ told me to treat the race as just another training day. My friend, Betsy, reminded me that I finished EagleMan 70.3 with less training than mentioned above (granted, I ended up in the hospital but I still finished). I knew I could do it, I just wasn’t sure how fast I could finish.

Race Day: I woke up to beautiful weather, finally. I completed the race in 2009 and 2010 – and it poured both years. In 2009, it also hailed as I was getting into the water for swim start. It’s hard enough to wake-up at 4:45am for a race – I don’t want to wake up to rain. 2011 weather – thank you very much!

Swim: Wow, I felt like I was in the middle of a major girl-fight. I have never been in so much physical pain from a swim. It was a large group – 150 women in 2 age groups (25-29 & 30-34). About 1 minute into the swim, I was punched in the face – obviously not on purpose – but the blow was so hard that it knocked my goggles completely off my face. I had to stop, tread water, and try to get them back on. The pain continued the entire swim – I was hit more times than I can count, swam on top of people, had people swim on top of me, and was punched once more at the end. This time the pain was so intense that I started crying. No joke, I have bruises on my eyes from the swim. I know that the hitting and swimming on top of people is normal at the start of a swim, but it usually “breaks-up” a few minutes into the race. Not this time – it was a full on girl fight for 31 minutes.

Okay, for only 2 swims and each lasting no longer than 25 minutes and a treading water/goggle adjustment penalty, this wasn’t a terrible swim.
Time: 31:34

Bike: I can’t bike or race this course without my chain falling off my bike. I can’t make this sh*t up – my chain drops every time I bike Columbia. The 1st year it happened, I had NO idea what to do or how to put a chain back on. Thankfully, I was more prepared this year. But preparation aside, it’s still annoying to lose a few minutes getting off the bike and trying to fix it. Double dagger: when it happens while you are going up a hill.

Other than the chain drop, I felt really good. I was able to re-pass everyone that had passed me while I was fixing said chain, but wasn’t able to catch (back) up to the pack I was riding with prior to the chain drop. It was a beautiful day for biking and I was excited to be on the bike and experience little to no pain.
Time: 1:26:56 (includes 3 minute chain dilemma)

Run: Ahh, my sweet spot and the only thing I was actually prepared for. I felt good considering I had not practiced a bike-to-run run (aka brick workout). It wasn’t my best run ever but it also wasn’t my worst. The last mile is really flat (a nice change from the rest of the course, which is extremely hilly) and I was able to sprint it in. The run is where I make-up for my lack of speed on the swim and bike – so, no matter what my time, I love passing people on the run.
Time: 51:21 (8:16 pace)

2011 Columbia Triathlon finisher!

Statistics:
Time: 2:54:09
Swim: 31:34
T1: 2:48
Bike: 1:25:56
T2: 1:33
Run: 51:21
Age Group Place: 9/56
Female Place: 122/539
Overall Place: 655/1633

The Columbia Triathlon is a great, local race. The volunteers are amazing and really put a lot into making it a great race. There are some heavy hitters (in the tri world) that race Columbia – and it’s so cool to see them on the course. It was a beautiful day for a “training day” and I’m happy with the results. Oh, and I should mention that my 2011 time (with very little preparation) was 14 minutes faster than my 2009 time – a testament to marathon training (thank you marathon). Overall, it was a great day – and I got to spend time with BJ and my friends – I can’t think of anything better {with the exception of the beer we had a brunch}.

BJ and Me: Pre-race

I apologize for the delay in announcing the Planetgear.com winner. I know I was supposed to announce the winner yesterday but…

I had a crazy day:

• Woke-up at 5am (after a 4am wake-up the day before for a tri). I am watching a friend’s daughter (Julie) for the week – and had to be at their house bright and early due to taxi cab arrival
• Attended a memorial service for a dear friends father (1 hour from my house)
• Sat in traffic for 4.5 hours getting home from said memorial service. It took me 3 hours to go 3 miles. I’m not kidding (I could not make that sh*t up)
• Had a mini heart attack during said traffic, because I was supposed to be home for Julie at 4pm. Called a neighbor who agreed to watch Julie while I was stuck in traffic.
• Got to Julie’s house at 5:45pm
• Ate sushi, had a {generous} glass of wine, watched Harry Potter
• Went to sleep at 8pm

So, I hope you can forgive me!

A HUGE thanks to Planetgear.com for hosting a giveaway and to all of my new followers. Don’t forget about the Roxy/Quicksilver sale. It starts today and I can’t wait to start shopping.

And….the $25 Planetgear.com credit goes to: Stacy @ Impossible is Nothing. Please email me at willrunformargaritas@gmail.com to claim your prize. Happy shopping!

Today is National Bike to Work Day. I love “national days” that encourage Americans to do something healthy – and not only for themselves but for the environment, too!

I’m an anomaly in the D.C. area: I can walk and ride my bike to work every day. I know, I know – I’m very lucky. (Please don’t hate me)

Bike to Work Day: Beach Cruiser Edition (and yes, this is the bike I ride to work)

If you are in DC, Virginia, or Maryland, the Washington Area Bicyclists Association is going all out. There are 49 regional pit stops and 27 commuter convoys. Find more information here.

Did you bike to work today? Did you meet up with a convoy or take a pit stop? How was it?

{Don’t forget about my PlanetGear.com giveaway HERE}

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we can not see.  

One of my all-time favorite songs is “Walk by Faith” by Jeremy Camp. I get chills every time I hear it.

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I can not see
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

Seriously powerful words. Trusting God’s will is not always easy. And sometimes I feel like I’m walking (or running) blindly…

Earlier this week I read a story on the Brooks blog about Simon Wheatcroft, a runner in the UK. Simon is blind – as in, he can’t see anything. Yet, he runs blindly, trusting that he knows the way and will be okay. I’m not sure if Simon is a Christian or “runs by faith”, but either way, there is something watching over him.

Simon’s story is really inspiring. It also got me thinking:

• Sometimes I need to be “blind” and trust that God has the perfect plan (and will) for me
• I need to be {more} thankful for the wonderful things I have and can do. It’s really easy to complain (about my job, the weather, my training) but sometimes I just need to stop and praise God for the many blessings I’ve been given. Like, my sight. And my legs. I can go for a run and I can see all of the beauty this life has to offer.

Simon – thanks for being a true inspiration. You can read his incredible story HERE

{Don’t forget to enter my PlanetGear.com giveaway HERE} 

Okay, does anyone get daily emails from HauteLook, Rue La La or Shop it to Me?  If yes, I’m sure you can relate: I anxiously wait for 11am EST so I can overload my brain with things I want, but don’t need (BCBG dresses, Tory Burch shoes, Michael Kors watches)  For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me explain: these websites host private, limited-time sale events with today’s top designer brands for women, men, kids, home, and beauty.Membership is free and everyone is welcome.

Well, I’m happy to announce, I just added another one to the email list: PlanetGear.com.  The world’s best outdoor gear, apparel, and travel destinations at exclusive pricing.

Finally, a site with discounted gear for athletes! It’s awesome. Just last week Planetgear.com featured Rossignol, K-Swiss and Kelty.  Up next week: Roxy & Quicksilver. I’m a Florida girl so I’m especially excited about this sale!

A few random things I really like about PlanetGear.com
1) 1% for the Planet member: 1% of PlanetGear.com sales goes to environmental groups
2) Give and get: Give a $10 credit to friends you refer and get a $10.00 credit when they place their first order.

Click here to sign-up and become a member of PlanetGear.com (it’s free).

Giveaway Time! PlanetGear.com is giving away a $25.00 credit toward any item purchased at PlanetGear.com Since items are already heavily discounted, $25 goes a long way.

To enter:

• Follow “I RUN LIKE A GIRL”
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Bonus Entry(s)
• Like PlanetGear.com on Facebook
• Use the link above to become a member of PlanetGear.com
• Link this contest on your blog, Facebook or Twitter (or any other social media platform). Leave a separate comment letting me know you did.

The PlanetGear.com giveaway will run until 10am EST on Monday, May 23rd, at which point I will close the post for comments and choose 1 winner via Random.org. I will announce and contact the winner shortly after 10am.

With all the marathon-and-BQ-buzz running (no pun intended) around the blog-world I thought I’d share some running inspiration.

Disclaimer: While this post might seem a little random at first, I promise that it will all make sense in the end…

I was literally born to run. My mom ran all 9 months of pregnancy – and even went for a (slow) 3-mile run on the day that I was born. I didn’t have a choice.

On my 26th birthday BJ bought me a Kindle, pre-loaded with one book: Born to Run. It’s one of my favorite gifts (and books) to date.

That same year, I bought & gifted 4 copies of Born to Run and gave them to friends and family.  This includes, but is not limited to, my mom. I gave my mom her very own copy of Born to Run for Christmas.

Four days before my marathon (April 27, 2011) my mom attended The Naked Tour, talk and book-signing with:

• Chris McDougall, author of Born to Run
• Eric Orton, bad-ass coach
• Scott Jurek, Ultra-god 

One day before my marathon, my mom gave me her very own copy of Born to Run, signed by Chris, Eric and Scott (for me and BJ), it’s full of running inspiration! It was seriously one of the coolest things ever – and really prepped me for my first marathon and Boston-qualifying dream.

So, if anyone needs some running inspiration here you go – because if this doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will. Many thanks to Scott Jurek, Eric Orton, and Chris McDougall for your words of encouragement – I got my BQ!

It’s never too far or too tough.  DIG DEEP! – Scott Jurek

Run Wild – Chris McDougall

Demand the Impossible.  Go Boston! – Eric Orton

Mom and Scott Jurek (rockin’ Brooks gear!)

I apologize for the delay in announcing the Honey Stinger winners – I’m pretty mad a Blogger right now.

Thanks to everyone who entered “My Favorite Things” giveaway – and to all of my new followers! A special shout-out to Honey Stinger for hosting this awesome giveaway. I am a huge, huge fan!

So, without further adieu, the winners are:

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner
Racingtales 

Congrats Gourmet Runner and Racingtales – please email me your address: melody.parry@gmail.com

{Free} PHENOM Water: Do you like coconut water? I do, especially after a long run. Do you like free coconut water? If yes (I mean, who doesn’t like free stuff), click HERE, comment on any blog post/article, and receive a coupon for a {free} PHENOM water. It’s that easy.

Happy Weekend! Good luck to the weekend racers – I know there are a few runners trying to chase down a BQ and/or PR.