Fitness Friday || One Weekend. 3 Races. Half Marathon #10.

 

 

 

 

 

Twelve In Twenty-Twelve #10
Sunday, October 21
Bethlehem, PA
Weather – Perfect

A whirlwind of a weekend immersed in a running culture! It’s tough to decide what I was most excited about. Was it…

Running half marathon #10 of my Twelve In Twenty Twelve goal? Or…

Running a Hat Trick? A 5k and 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. Or was it…

Checking off a bucket list item. Cool! Or maybe it was…

Meeting the Fitfluential Ambassadors?

I would have to say there is absolutely no way to pick one favorite part of this weekend. It was a runner’s dream vacation!

Thoughts on the races:

• One of the last things my husband said to me before I left was, “Remember. You’re going to be out of your comfort zone with meals, rest, and race routine.” I remembered and handled it better than expected. See. I CAN be flexible!
• Bethlehem, PA is a beautiful location for a race. The fall colors and the character of the steel stacks made for a great running course.
• The hills were tough. I am convinced Runner’s World created race courses that included every hill in Bethlehem!
• I ran each race with a different goal each time. 2 of the 3 goals reached!
• I was exhausted going into the 10k and half. There was always something to do and nothing I wanted to miss. I didn’t feel as rested as I would typically be for a half. I figured I could rest when I got home.
• Against conventional running wisdom I took a chance on new running gear and I’m so glad I did. Oakely running apparel. To be honest I didn’t even know they had women’s running clothes. The pants fit perfectly and were incredibly comfortable! And the half zip pullover will be worn often. I wore Sweaty Bands all weekend and guess what. They don’t slip! And last but not least I wore Swift Wick socks and they have become my sock of choice. Just enough compression to make them so comfortable. Kind of like having the benefits of wearing socks without feeling like you’re wearing socks. And last but definitely not least, Free Motion Fitness Apparel. I wore a Free Motion top for every race. Again with the comfort while running!Everything about this line of running apparel makes me want to wear nothing else. Can you tell comfort while running is a big deal to me? On a side note: That’s Larisa of Zero to Twenty Six Point Two below. If you ever get a chance to meet her do it! Larisa is one of those people that you meet for the first time and it feels like you’ve known each other forever.

 

 

 

• Seeing friends and chatting with strangers along the way of each race was amazing!

• For the first time ever I gave myself permission to stop during a race to take pics. So glad I did.
• I want to run this race again next year!

• During the 5k I felt great. Ran the race as a warm up.

• During the 10k I felt good. I ran the race as a comfortable run and took pics.

• During the half I thought a lot about being a runner that is 45. More on that later.

I could go on and on! Coming up next? A peek behind the scenes at Runner’s World Magazine. It’s exactly how I imagined it would be and more!

Would you consider running a Hat Trick? Have you ever been to PA? Have you ever worn new gear during a race? Glad you did or regret it?

Disclaimer: I participated in the Runner’s World Half & Festival weekend as a FitFluential Ambassador. I received a free entry to the race and participation in the events. All opinions expressed are my own.

It’s Fitness Friday and time to link up! Share your fitness, health and nutrition posts!

 

Tagged: #FitFluential, 2012 goals, 2012 Race Recaps, blog hop, bucket list, Fit Approach, fit gear, Fitness Bucket List, Fitness Fashion, Fitness Friday blog hop, Girls Gone Sporty, goals, half marathon, running, Sweat Pink, Swiftwick, travel, Twelve In Twenty Twelve, What Fitfluential Looks Like