I think the Clarendon Day Run might be {my} race. In 2009, I ran the 10k with no expectations and ended up placing 3rd Female Overall (and a 10k PR). This year, I ran the 5k with one very specific goal in mind {to break 20 minutes in a 5k} – but again, ended up placing 3rd Female Overall (and got my 5k PR).

(note: I never win races – DC is a very competitive area and overflowing with really fast people. So imagine my surprise when I crossed the finish line in 3rd place….)

Pre-race: hoping for a PR

I can’t imagine a more convenient race – the start is 3 blocks from my house. The race is flat and fast (with some downhill mixed in) and runs through the eclectic neighborhoods along the orange line. The weather is nice: overcast with a light breeze – great running weather. And, I have a lot of friends that run or cheer and hangout for the post-party. Clarendon Day is a really fun day in the neighborhood.

3.1 miles goes by pretty fast. I didn’t have much time to game plan or think about how much my body hurt {to run that fast}. I’ve been *dying* for a 5k PR, so my only concern was to run faster than 19:59.59.

Mission accomplished! I rallied between 2nd and 4th for most of the race – but with 1/2 mile to the finish, I secured my 3rd place spot. I wasn’t looking or even hoping to place, but it certainly didn’t hurt (and either does the prize money!)

Prize money!!

Mile 1: 5:39 (feeling good!)
Mile 2: 5:45
Mile 3: 6:44 (clearly, I was tired)
Mile 0.1: 0:59
{Garmin Mileage: 3.15}

Stats:
Time: 19:11
Overall: 23/693
Female: 3/395
Age Group (19-29): 2/163

Verdict: I really like this race. I like that it’s local and very close to home. The volunteers are great. It’s really well organized. And it’s an awesome way to kick-off Clarendon Day in the neighborhood.

I do, however, have a few suggestions:
Lower the cost
The 5k was $40 (the 10k was $45) – that’s a lot of money for a 5k. Especially one with very perks…

Bring back the shirts
Racers were given “commemorative” flip flops, instead of a shirt. Mine immediately went into my swim bag (aka I-will-only-wear-them-at-the-not-so-clean-community-pool)

Less {free} drink tickets
I’m sure the free drink tickets add to the cost of the race entry – eliminate Ireland Four Courts, and you can lower the entry fee. Once everyone is back in Clarendon, no one is going to Ireland Four Courts. {trust me}

The after party was really fun. I was able to celebrate with friends (both runners and volunteers) and enjoy a couple of beers. And I couldn’t be more excited about my 5k PR and 3rd place finish. I’ll probably be running next year, too.

Did you run Clarendon Day 5/10k? What did you think about the race? What are your thoughts about race entry fee? After party?

Lately, I’ve been dreaming a lot…

I’m not talking about the middle-of-the-night kind of dreaming, but I have been doing that, too.

No, I’ve been dreaming about my goals, my career, my life.

Yesterday Josh Cox posted an article that really hit home {it kind of felt like he wrote it just for me}.

The reality is, most folks aren’t living out their dreams. When you mention yours to them, the only reference point they have is their own – chasing dreams wasn’t prudent for them, therefore it’s not prudent for you. I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: those who have given up on their dreams will try to get you to abandon yours. It doesn’t make them bad folks it just means they didn’t pursue their passion, so neither should you. The reality is, making your dreams become reality is a scary proposition, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s rewarding beyond belief.

Even though I’m young, I’ve given up on dreams. Dreams to write for magazine. Dreams to live abroad. And over the last 2-3 years, dreams to work in the running/sporting goods industry.

Following your dreams is not easy. No one ever said it would be. But 5 months ago, after running my 1st marathon and qualifying for Boston (one of my dreams), it became abundantly clear to me that I had given up on a dream. I had given up because I was scared, couldn’t afford to make ends meet, and didn’t know how to make my dream a reality.

Running a marathon reminded me of why I love the {running} community – and since May 1, I have put a plan into action that may (or may not) get me to where I want to be. My plan includes more community involvement and a commitment to serve others.

My Dream: Qualify for Boston

The key to success – the crux of the message: The Serve. Find a way to use your gift to serve others – don’t make it about you, make it about them. How can your passions and giftedness serve someone else? Anyone can use a gift for personal gain; the key to success is making your gift valuable to someone else. Asking, how can I help? and delivering on that question, will open dozens of doors. You’ll fall in love with helping others, there’s nothing more rewarding.

The more you serve others, the more impact you make. The most influential folks in history – those with statues and streets bearing their names – are those who used their gifts and passions to serve mankind. If you want to have long, lasting, real success, find a way to use your aptitudes to serve others. Help others reach their potential; in helping them reach theirs, you’ll reach your own.

My Serve (in the Northern Virginia community)

• Girls on the Run, Volunteer Coach
• Fun Run Leader, Pacers Running Store
• Restoration Anglican Church, Sunday School Teacher
• Community Volunteer (road races, event expos, etc.)

My Stepping Stones (things I have accomplished to help me get one step closer to my dream)

• USATF Level 1 certified coach
• RRCA certified coach
• Personal Trainer
• Director of Volunteers, Dominion Trail Mix
• Brooks Running Bluestreak Team, Nuun Ambassador & FitFluential Ambassador 

So here it is, THIS IS MY DREAM:

• Work in the running/sporting goods industry as a tech rep, sales rep, just something
• High school track & field coach
• Own my own business as a running coach & personal trainer

What is your DREAM?

Josh, thank you for writing exactly what I need to hear & read. You can read the rest of the article {here}

Enter my Wasa Crispbread giveaway {}

I’m a little late with this {recap} – but better late than never, right?!

The 1st Annual Dominion Trail Mix was a great success, despite a massive storm (complete with {scary} thunder and lightening). While we had to cancel The Great Skedaddle for safety reasons, Hail the Trail and Trailfest were a huge hit. More than 250 people volunteered to clean-up the Washington & Old Dominion Trail – the largest clean-up in the trail’s history!

The sun came out around 2pm and festival-goers were able to enjoy nice weather, yummy food, face painting & more. Trailfest featured free performances by awesome performers, including the country band Gloriana, The Jenny Leigh Band, and the local teen group A+ Dropouts.

A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers – we couldn’t have done it without you!
{as the Director of Volunteers, I especially thank YOU!}

We encourage you to continue to celebrate The Washington and Old Dominion Trail by utilizing the trail throughout the year for fitness and environmental related activities with family and friends.

Stay tuned for more information on the 2012 Dominion Trail Mix!

web: www.dominiontrailmix.com
twitter: @domtrailmix

Do you love (and utilize) the W&OD; Trail? What’s your favorite memory or adventure on this trail?

I have 2 {favorite} memories: my (now) husband proposed to me, on a run, on the W&OD; Trail and training for my 1st marathon on the W&OD; (I logged a lot of hours on that trail).

It’s hard to believe that Hood to Coast was almost 2 weeks ago. I mean, where does the time go?! When nuun first announced the team in June, August 26-27 seemed like years away… Now, it’s September and back to reality (and trying to convince BJ to let me run HTC again next year).

There are few races that leave me totally in awe – and Hood to Coast was one of them. Running this epic relay was an adventure that I will never forgot, one that will go down in the history books (or at least, my running book). Everything about this race was cool and I am incredibly thankful that nuun picked me to be a part of it.

Hood to Coast {Top 10}
(in no particular order)

1) Nuun

Yes, I am a strawberry lemonade – citrus fruit – lemon tea addict and I had access to an endless supply of {free} nuun, but that’s not why I really love nuun (even though it helps). I really love nuun because of the people, the company and what they represent. Nuun went above and beyond for 20 female bloggers – people they had never met. From a dinner party, to hotel rooms, to race logistics/support, to cool gear, to the best 12-passenger vans a runner could dream of – nuun thought of it all. Thank you, nuun, for an amazing experience.

2) Leg 22 (Run #2)
Leg 22 was ranked the hardest of my 3 legs, yet it was the most fun & (what felt like) the easiest. My leg started at 5:15 am, completely in the dark, and ended just as the sun was starting to rise. It was beautiful. Even though I was running on no sleep and very little food, I remember thinking: Thank you, God, for this run, for this earth, for this memory (there’s a lot that one can think about on a 6.81 mile run in the dark).

One of my nuun-mates said the nicest thing ever about watching me run leg 22 (the van passed me a couple of times on this run). XLMIC, thank you for making my day!

“I loved watching you motor past EVERYONE in sight during that leg in the dark… pink sparkles flashing as your legs turned over faster than the Roadrunner! Poetry in motion you are :)”

6.81 miles – 46:18 (6:48 pace)

3) Roadkill
Roadkill
-noun
A runner that has been passed by another runner (term most often used during a relay race)

I had no idea how fun and motivating it would be to “roadkill” runners. Not in a mean way, but in a fun-friendly-competitive sort of way. We would joke, we would encourage each other, and we would talk about my pink sparkle skirt. It was also fun to tally up & see other vans mark their roadkill, too.

My HTC Roadkill (RK)
Leg 1: 22 RK
Leg 2: 33 RK
Leg 3: 18 RK
Total: 73 RK

Sorry buddy, I just “chicked” you!

4) My {pink} sparkle skirt
When I found out that the Team Sparkle owners were on my team, I couldn’t ask for Team Sparkle skirts fast enough. Not only are the skirts super cute, they are totally comfortable and I forgot I was wearing a skirt (while running). People started to recognize us: “oh, those girls are from nuun” and “those are the after-nuun delight girls”. People loved our skirts (and it was kind of fun passing people, especially men, while wearing a pink skirt – sorry fellas)

Check out Team Sparkle skirts {HERE}

5) Leg 10 (Run #1)
I was nervous. I was excited. I had no idea what to expect. But, as soon as Mel handed the baton to me, I took off. I couldn’t believe that I was running the Hood to Coast relay; that my 1st leg had finally arrived. It was kind of a boring leg – on a paved path with no place for vans to pull-off to cheer or provide water – but it went fast. And, as soon as I handed off to Kelly, I couldn’t wait for Leg 22!

5.04 miles – 34:31 (6:51 pace)

6) The Van
You couldn’t miss After-NUUN Delight – our van was a “tie-dyed” psychedelic piece of art.

Carrie designed our {awesome} logo & Mel had {awesome} car magnets made based on our theme/logo. From there, we painted our van and added headshots, twitter handles, and blog url’s.

Our van pretty much rocked. A huge “Thank You” to Build-A-Sign for designing our car magnets – those were the icing on the {van} cake.

7) New Friends
I love meeting new people. As a former Army-brat, I moved around most of my life – I was always the new girl and always trying to make new friends. This was no different.

I loved meeting the incredible women that made up the Nuun relay teams. 20 amazing, talented and very cool women. It was such an honor to meet moms to beautiful children, entrepreneurs, social media experts, teachers, event planners, coaches, etc. My only wish is that I could have spent more time getting to know everyone.

8) Leg 34 (Run #3)
My last leg. 3.52 miles, rated Easy. After 26 hours of very little sleep, I was ready for an easy run. Well, about 5 minutes in, this run proved to be the hardest of the 3. Maybe it was hard because it was Run #3 in 24 hours, or because it was extremely hot, on pavement with absolutely no shade – either way, I was thankful that it was short. My teammates stopped at mile 2 and hooked me up with some water & cheers (thank you) – I needed it. I was glad to be done (and ready to celebrate at the Finish – with beer, duh!)

3.52 miles – 24:05 (6:50 pace)

9) Ken & “Pumped Up Kicks”
Ahhh, Ken (!!!) – our fearless van driver. No Hood to Coast race report would be complete without including Ken. He totally rocked, got us to every exchange in time and navigated his way through traffic, runners, and mountains. He also made us some mixed CDs, including Foster the People. “Pumped up Kicks” quickly became our theme-song for the weekend, and Ken didn’t mind when we asked him to play it on repeat.

Ken, thank you for putting up with us and driving us (safely) for 200 miles!

10) Other Companies
Our team was sponsored by nuun, and provided everything our hearts could desire. We were, however, lucky enough to have the support of other companies, too. A huge thanks to the following companies:

Team Sparkle – sparkle skirts
Nathan Sports – Power Shower body wipes
Build-A-Sign – car magnets
One Love Collections – Rainbow headband
Endorphin Warrior – Warrior Training bracelet (I picked “Believe”)
Insperspire Towels – customized towels (I picked “Sweat is Sexy”)

Hood to Coast was an unforgettable adventure – if you ever have the chance to run, I highly recommend it. Nuun was a gracious sponsor & I’ve met new friends that I hope to see again soon (Marine Corps & Boston Marathons).

If your interested in trying nuun, use “afternuundelight” at check-out for 25% off. Spend $50 & get free shipping.