Tampa Bay for Boston

After watching the Boston bombing events unfold, Chris Lauber, a local race director known for his well orchestrated Florida Road Races, decided to “do what he does best”. On May 8^th, only three weeks after the Boston marathon, he organized a 2.62 mile run at St. Pete Pier to honor the lives lost, the injured and the athletes.

Only Lauber and his wonderful team could make a last-minute run look effortless. To keep costs to a minimum while donating as much of the $26.20 race fees to One Fund Boston, the run lacked the usual amenities we’ve come accustomed to at many of Florida Road Races, mostly the food and the beer.

Chris Lauber

Each participant received a t-shirt and a LED candle for the pre-race candlelight vigil.

Several of my Suncoast Strider friends were there to show support for Boston and our love for our own Boston Marathoner, Marcia.

Prior to the memorial run, Heather, Suzan and I made silly marathon remarks about hitting a wall around 2.5 miles. As the evening progressed with little water and food in our stomachs, we would fail to see the humor in those jokes.

In the pre-run presentation emceed by Serina Fazan of ABC Action News, race directors and runner after runner shared their Boston Marathon memories of that fateful day.

Serina Fazan, ABC Action News

Lynn Gray, Tampa Bay Race Director Committee

Susan Harmeling, Executive Director Gasparilla Distance Classic

Some athletes finished under 3 hours while others never saw the finish line. Some ran for their first time and a few speakers had several Boston marathons under their fuel belts.

Except for Marcia who joked about not liking the race, each runner all shared their love for Boston, a dedication to return and why it’s more than a marathon over a century old that separates elite athletes from your average runners. Boston is a marathon experience like none other and as I listened to runner share their stories, I longed to be part of it.

Visually impaired Boston Marathoner and her guide

With each account, the theme of the evening was evident. Runners are strong and we will always band together for a cause to do what we do best. “Run and move forward.”

Assistant Race Director, Boston Athletic Association

David Green

As we stood for two hours, the twinge in our backs and legs tested that strength and reminded us to be Boston Strong. As our legs and back began to ache, we heard one last account told by David Green, a marathoner who finished the race and snapped a photo just after the second bombing, which helped identify the second suspect. His heroic act and bravery made us proud to be Americans and runners.

After singing the National Anthem, we left St. Pier with our candles still glowing and ran towards the Vinoy Hotel. The turn-around point was just past Vinoy Park.

Elizabeth Holloway sang Amazing Grace and the National Anthem.

The long evening took a toll on me and I had to walk more than I would like for a less than 3 mile run. The lack of water also caused me to experience side stitches. But this run wasn’t about time, conditions or a PR. It was about being part of something bigger than myself and to show my support for Boston and those who were there.

I was proud to be part of Tampa Bay for Boston and next year, I hope to be able to give more by volunteering at the Boston Marathon 2014.

{Girl Scouts} Run the World – Run 4 Respect

On Saturday, Allana’s Girl Scout Troop hosted an anti-bullying 5K fun run, “Run 4 Respect” to earn their Bronze Award. Advertised and publicized solely by word of mouth, the inaugural event had 125 registered runners.

Over the past few months, the girls planned every aspect of the event: the route, the signage, their shirts, awards, finisher ribbons, refreshments and entertainment.

For the entertainment, there was a DJ, a bouncy castle, a face painter and a volunteer to make balloon animals, a first for any race I’ve attended!

Allana selected me to serve as a cheerleader along the course and I wore my green tutu just for the occasion. I thought the color coordinated nicely with the Girl Scout’s t-shirts, but the color would also keep the runner’s spirits bright.

The troop invited Mrs. Universe, Kelly Lightburn, to emcee, present awards and speak to the crowd after the race about standing up to bullies and the importance of self-confidence.

The inaugural event was a huge success and it was evident the Girl Scouts worked very hard on their Run 4 Respect Fun Run from start to finish.

For Music Mondays, I’m now teaming up with my good friend and fellow Marathon Mama, Chrissy.

Visit Xmas Dolly and Jade Louise Designs for more Music Monday.

I am an Iron Girl {Half Marathon 2013 Recap}

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free race entry in exchange for my honest review of my Iron Girl Clearwater experience. The opinions shared are my own.

The night before the race, my pre-race activities are similar to that of many other runners. I lay out my clothes. I charge my cell phone, Garmin and MP3 player. I’ll fill my water for the road and pack my pre-race breakfast (PB Ritz Bits Crackers, a banana), Cliff shots and other snacks.

I also always check the weather. Sunday’s forecast predicted 70 degrees at the start and 93% humidity. Although I so desperately wanted to beat my Iron Girl time from two years ago in the hopes of shaving 20 minutes off my time to finish close to 2:15, Sunday would not be the day for that goal. Dealing with the reality of the hot weather and humidity, I decided to go out there and do my best for now. I’ll train hard this summer and come back stronger for my half marathons in the fall.

Chrissy and I arrived at Coachman Park around 6:30 but we were late arriving at the Athelta tent to meet our friends for a photo opp with Daffodil, Maribel, Tanya, Mindy and Jina. Our tardiness also caused us to miss Jenny’s big Athleta’s Power to She moment for photos, but fortunately we heard her inspirational story with the rest of the crowd.

After a quick few photos with our friends, Chrissy and I darted off the the start line. We pushed our way through the crowd to find a spot relatively close to the 2:15 pace group, because I still had hopes to finish close to that time.

The first mile of the race led us through the “hills” of downtown Clearwater, which was a good warm-up for the Clearwater Causeway. It also helped us look strong when we ran past Megan of Little Girl in a Big World.

Once Chrissy and I reached Clearwater Beach, I exclaimed with joy for Hooters on the beach. I was also excited to still be behind the 2:15 pace group. As long as they stayed in my sight, I could hold onto the hope of finishing close to that time.

I experienced 15 minutes of fame behind the 2:15 pace group. Recognizing my run happy and snappy talents, another runner asked, “Are you Denise of Run DMT?”

“Yes, I am!”

“I thought so! I am such a huge fan of your blog.” I experienced blush and runners flush at the same time.

In my five years of blogging, that has never happened. I’m usually the one plugging and promoting my blog along the course whenever people ask me how or why I take photos while running. Ironically, I experienced this a few times during Iron Girl.

Shortly after my 15 minutes of fame, Chrissy was having trouble with her knee and needed to stretch. We had agreed to split up if necessary and at this point, I pushed on ahead.

Chrissy quickly caught up with (which I knew she would) and then pulled ahead once we reached the Sand Key bridge. I needed to walk more than her. Plus, I enjoyed the view from the top.

After the bridge, around mile 5 turned into Sand Key park (like the Clearwater Marathon), except this time we had an extra loop through the parking lot.

Although Chrissy and I had long separated by now, the first half of the course seemed to be going well.

Around 6.5 miles, the sun tried to peek through the overcast and I spotted the 2:15 pace group on their return trip back to Sand Key Bridge. They were a good five minutes ahead of me and I felt bit deflated. All hopes to finish around 2:15 were now abandoned. Would I even beat my time from two years ago?

During the return trip to Sand Key, my Tampa Bay Blogger friends, Jessica and Jina, cheered for me as we passed each other on Gulf Boulevard and I felt invigorated. I was ready to face the Sandy Key bridge again.

Despite all the signs telling me “Tired legs are sexy”, I couldn’t give more than 13 minute mile over the bridge and I still had to occasionally stop and walk. On my return ambulatory journey over the Sand Key Bridge, I began to wonder why I even attempted this race. You know it’s bad when you can’t see the silver lining or in this case, the road, on the other side.

After the Sand Key Bridge, we were led through the backstreets of Clearwater Beach for our return trip to Coachman Park. I enjoyed the slightly different route home. The change renewed my energy and I found myself pushing it just slightly harder.

As we left Clearwater, I thanked an older police officer standing on the turn before the causeway and he replied, “When they asked me to work, I said “Sure who wouldn’t want to watch beautiful women go by for two hours?” His remarks had me smiling all along the stretch back to Coachman Park.

Along the Causeway, I chatted with a few other runners to make my mind off the steep incline of the Causeway and the headwind. Only a little over a mile remained.

As we reached the end of the Clearwater Causeway, we approached the beginning of the helix with its long downward spiral. A few runners became dizzy and started to slow down, but I sped up. Once we hit the bottom, I knew the finish line was only about a quarter mile away and I sprang off the helix with a sprint.

I sprinted about a 6:26 to the finish line.

*Photo credit to Digital Running*

2:24:18
Ave Pace Split 1 (6.5 miles) 10:37
Ave Pace Finish 11:01
Overall Place 566/1257
Age Div 101/219

Although I didn’t beat my time from two years ago by 20 minutes like I had hoped, I still shaved 7 minutes off that time. I also shaved 2 minutes off my Sarasota finish time! Take that bridges! HA!

Iron Girl was definitely a true test of my endurance and thirst. (They seriously need more water stations throughout the course. I would suggest approximately every mile.) Those bridges are tough and my Achilles acted up occasionally, but I would totally do it again. If given the opportunity to compete at Iron Girl again, I will train harder next time by making more of an effort to train on the Clearwater Causeway.

But for now, I need to rev up my swimming and cycling to train for Iron Girl Clermont!

Because I am an Iron Girl…

…and I will always be an Iron Girl in training.

A big THANK YOU to the wonderful staff of Iron Girl for making this race possible for some many of the women of the Tampa Bay Bloggers!

Pasco Challenge Half Marathon 2013 {Recap}

In a quest to reattempt my half marathons from two years ago, the Pasco Challenge was a must-do do over. Having run the Starkey Trail numerous times while training for the Disney marathon, I thought I would have a home turf advantage to PR and possibly qualify in my age group. After all, I had PR’d once before and won for my age group at this race.

For the start of the race, the temps sat at 44 degrees and I was thankful for the cool temps. Despite the cool weather, I decided to wear my pirate Sparkle Skirt Running Skirt, the same one I wore the week before at Gasparilla. With its deep wide pockets for my Cliff shots, lip balm, car key and cell phone, I find it’s the perfect skirt for a half marathon.

While we crowded around waiting for the race to begin, the race director called all cyclists to start. Corralled in the crowd, I bumped into my friend, Sheila, who was running the 5K while her husband ran the half.

Once all the bikes were on their way, the runner race could begin. The race director then called all half marathoners closer to the start line. We all nudged our way forward and then the foghorn blasted.

I started with about a 9:00 mm pace and it felt good. Definitely a push compared to my usual pace, but I held onto it for the couple of miles. I also didn’t stop for many photos or chat with the runners around me. I focused on my running playlist and let the music carry me through the miles.

Around mile 2 when we passed the added leg on the return trip, an older woman struck up a conversation with me.

“Huh? I asked while I tugged the earbuds out of my ears. “I am sorry. What did you say?”

“There’s the added leg.”

“Yes, thank you for pointing that out. I spotted it on the map last night.” I popped my earbuds back in and tried to refocus my attention to the course.

“Last year….muffle muffle…muffle”. I hardly heard her say.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“Last year, people ran passed that and missed the added part of the course.”

“Yeah, that’s too bad. Got it. Won’t miss it,” I replied while returning my earbuds but also finding it difficult to return to my concentration and my race pace. At that pace, I can’t carry on a conversation and with the break in concentration for this unexpected conversation, I lost my mojo. I lost my focus. I lost my push and my pace, however, the elderly female runner kept trotting along while I fought with my focus.

Then around mile 4, a couple pushing a jogging stroller passed me. UGH! There’s nothing more defeating and deflating than be passed by a runner and a jogging stroller. These parents were running with resistance and passing me. I tried to pace with them to find my focus again, but I couldn’t keep up.

Then, I started to cuss the race. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Who cares about beating times and PRs? Where is Chrissy when I need her?! Why isn’t she here pacing me? That’s when the false notion of a home turf advantage hit me. It’s only a home turf advantage when my running partners are pacing me.

Much like my running, the volunteers lacked enthusiasm for the water they dispensed. Against my better judgment, I didn’t wear my fuel belt and I had started to regret that decision after several bad water station experiences along the course. A few times, I had to grab my own water from the tables and at one station they offer a full bottle of Gatorade instead of a cupful. To save a few seconds on time, I found myself warning the water stations about my arrival. “I need water!”

Around mile 6, I was done with this race. I was almost at the halfway mark and yet I was ready to be finished. As faster runners began their return journey home, I redirected my energy on them and cheered for them as they flew by me.

Once I reached the turnaround, I walked. I needed the break. Then, my calf started cramping. UGH!

Letting go of any hope to PR, I just did my best to finish. The cool weather wore off as the sun started to shine and the temperatures were rising quickly. I found myself walking more and more. As I approached the additional leg the elderly female runner pointed out earlier, I noticed that many of the other participants mirrored how I felt.

With only a couple more miles left to go, I still battled with cramps in my calves but I was thankful for compression socks. While I may not have earned a new PR or an age group place, I would beat my time from two years ago and that’s all I ever really wanted to achieve. By shaving nearly 20 minutes off my chip from two years ago, this would most definitely be a PB PB (Post Baby Personal Best) redemption.

Chip Time 2:20:35.9
Garmin 2:20:36
Ave Pace 10:37
Max Pace 7:37
Div Place 5/9
64/91

After the race, I ran into the Run Tampa crew and Johanne, who I met at the Armadillo Run last year and we joked about it being our race anniversary or our raceversary.

I don’t know about Johanne, but next year, I’ll be back at the Armadillo. I think I’m over the Pasco Challenge, redemption runs and running without friends.

Sarasota Half Marathon {Recap}

Just to let you know, the Sarasota Half Marathon was never part of my race plan. Many of friends were running it and I wanted to be part of it but couldn’t afford another race in my already overfilled race budget. Once I saw the medal, I really wanted to do it.

As fate would have it, my friend, Marie, couldn’t run the half marathon for personal reasons. Marie offered up her bib and I pounced on it, before realizing, my family and I were planning to visit with Thomas the Tank Engine later that day in Parrish. See, not part of the original plan. But this mom on the run found a way to make it all fit! And of course, I would wear green for a half marathon that falls on St. Patrick’s Day!

Thankfully, Chrissy’s sister, Angie, lives in Parrish which is about 40 minutes from the race start and she offered her house as a place to crash. We headed down Saturday afternoon to pick up our packets and join the Suncoast Striders for dinner. (That’s where Chrissy and I discovered Trader Joe’s next door which is a whole other blog post!)

*Photo by David of the Suncoast Striders*

To review thus far, I had a free place to stay and a free race entry, but paid for it by spending a small fortune at Trader Joe’s, overpriced pasta at Café Cocci, then staying up late drinking and laughing with Angie (Chrissy’s sister), her husband, Tony and their friends.

In a few short hours, 5:00 a.m. came fast, but thankfully I slept like a rock. We ate breakfast in the car on our way to the Sarasota Half Marathon.

We arrived with plenty of time to head to the start with temps were around 57 degrees which is perfect for running, but Chrissy and I opted to stay in the car a little longer ~~and steam up windows~~. It was toasty warm in there. We would regret the decision later as we missed our bathroom break before race moment.

At the start we bumped in a few Strider friends, wished everyone a great race and of course posed for a few photos. Everyone piled into the corral and the gun sounded off quickly after that. We were all on our first leg of the course headed towards that horrid bridge, the Sarasota causeway.

Chrissy and I had a good mile warm-up run through the streets of Sarasota before reaching the John Ringling Causeway. At mile two, we began the incline, but incline can’t describe this “hill”. This slope dwarfs the Clearwater Causeway or the Sand Key Bridge. This bridge did not feel normal despite what the sign said.

Once over the top we began our decline, but not really. We discovered another small bridge on the other side. Curse you bridges!

Past the Mama Bridge and her baby bridge, we followed a roundabout through a town center. Somehow, I spotted Ben and Jerry’s there. My Chubby Hubby ice cream fantasy was soon interrupted once I realized we were heading back over the bridges. I was a grumpy old troll running over the bridge.

On the return trip over the bridge, I walked a bit more, especially once I saw the sunrise over downtown Sarasota. I embraced the sunrise with a walking break to snap a few photos.

Back over the big bad mama bridge, I spotted a remote-control hovercraft taking photos. Once over the top of Mama Bridge we began our decline into downtown.

At the bottom, we kissed adieu to the bridges as we began our journey north along the Tamiami Trail. But first, we had to pop into a port-o-let which added about 5 minutes onto time, but we were desperate since we didn’t go before the race.

For the next couple of miles, Chrissy took the opportunity to hone her self-portrait skills. As our always designated self-portrait picture taker, she decided to challenge herself by taking self-portraits while running. Chrissy must have taken a dozen or so and we laughed over outtakes, the ridiculous angles and expressions on our faces.

Ironically, at mile 8 we passed a Super 8 Motel. Around this point, Chrissy began having trouble with her hamstrings and Chrissy never has trouble. I’m usually the one with some pain or issue. The pain forced her to stop and stretch, which is something she never does.

I stayed with Chrissy because I wasn’t really trying to run hard or PR and I gave everything I had at Saturday’s Spring Sprint 5K. I was just having fun at a race I was never meant to do and we were definitely having fun up until Chrissy started hurting.

However, it hurt for her to stop. She had to keep moving. She continued at a slower pace and I continued to take photos and sprinted to catch up with her.

At mile 9, we passed the Ringling Museum of Art and continued on a path through the beautiful residential community of Indian Beach Sapphire Shores.

At mile 10, Chrissy needed to stretch her hamstring some more. While she stretched, I hunted down some ibuprofen for her at the water station. No one could supply any; however, a young man was quick to inform me, “You shouldn’t take that. It’s bad for your kidneys.” Thinking about my poor injured running partner, I looked at him in disbelief and had no response (which is not like me). Had I not been focused on finding ibuprofen or helping my friend I would have replied, “Well so is Gatorade, but I don’t see that from stopping you shoveling out the ~~sh*t~~ stuff.”

Anyway, no ibuprofen and only 3.1 miles left to go. We got this. At this point, we bump into fellow Strider and blogger, Jackie of See Jackie Runn. We were tutu twins.

The mile 11 water station wins the award for most spirit. Maybe it was the green beer and mimosas, but they delivered some amazing energy which is what you need to finish. When I stopped to take photos, they hollered, “There’s no stopping to take photos, Marie! Keep running!”

All throughout the race, people cheered, “Go Marie! You’re looking good, Marie!” It made me laugh every time. But I did need to make Marie proud and finish around the 2:30 mark, so I really did need to keep running if I was going to hit that mark.

We pushed it a little harder and I predicted a 2:26 finish. No more photos now. Well, maybe a few more leading up the finish line.

Just as I predicted, Chrissy and “Marie” finished at 2:26:25 and we finished together. Jackie finished a few minutes behind us.

Bib#1797
Clock Time 2:26:51
Chip Time 2:26:25
Ave Pace 11:11

After a few finisher photos and removing the palm tree from my head, we sprinted to the breakfast spread by First Watch that waited ahead. The yogurt parfaits were my favorite. I think I ate three. Hey, runners need protein! I was hoping for First Watch’s famous pancakes as the signage along the course promised, but threes parfaits would suffice.

Since Chrissy and I needed to leave shortly after the race, we didn’t have time to enjoy all the post-race activities overlooking the gorgeous gulfview, like the beer truck. At least we enjoyed the entertainment briefly.

I was green with leprechaun envy over Mike’s pot of gold headband.

Next year (Yes, I will definitely be back next year), I would love to make our trip to Sarasota a long weekend and stay overnight to enjoy the post-race party and festivities. Despite the the John Ringling Causeway, also known BAMR Mama Bridge and baby bridge (which was GREAT training for Iron Girl), the race was fun full of high-energy thanks to the spectators. A big shout out and thank you to all the volunteers and spectators who cheered and served the runners. Next time, please have ibuprofen and Vaseline on hand.

And next time, the medal needs to be bigger.

Gasparilla Half Marathon 2013 {recap}

In all the years I’ve participated in the Gasparilla Distance Classic Weekend, the weather for the half marathon has always been rainy and cold. This year, with temperatures hitting the high 70s, the Gasparilla Distance Classic faced record highs which prompted the race director to send out emails encouraging participants to drink water and stay hydrated to combat the heat.

Then on Friday evening, in unfortunate twist of fate, the City of Tampa alerted its residents to drink boiled water in response to a burst sewage pipeline. The Gasparilla Race Director sent a second email to ease everyone’s concern about water on the course. All the water distributed would be bottled Zephyrhills water.

Given the heat, I knew I would not be hitting a new PR, but I could shoot for a PB-PB (personal best post baby). Even with the heat, I knew I could run slightly faster than I could two years ago.

Chrissy and I started off together, even walked the David Island bridge bottleneck together, but I lost her around the 3 mile mark. She was determined to PR and I just wanted to finish without a heat stroke.

I kept an easy 10:00 mile pace and just enjoyed the course. I bumped into quite a few of my running friends along the way. I found my friends, Beth and Marie, cheering for me at mile 5.

I love running along Bayshore Blvd, but I always forget how incredibly long this part of the course feels. Thankfully, Heather caught up with me around mile 7, and but then, the sun decided to join to come to the party. Though the humidity hung around like an uninvited guest, at least the heat stayed away for the first half.

As in previous years, misters cooled off the runners as they ran along Bayshore Blvd. With the water boiling advisory, I avoided the “shitsters”. They were as unwelcomed as the heat and the humidity. I chose to dump Zephyrhills bottled water on me instead.

Much like Disney Marathon, I stayed hydrated by drinking water and Gatorade at every water station. Around mile 8, Jessica of Cuban Running Crisis handed me water. I couldn’t resist the water and a photo opportunity.

Just a little after mile 9, we turned for the homestretch back into Downtown Tampa. At mile 10 with only 3.1 miles left to run, I worried that I wouldn’t beat my time from two years ago.

But none of that mattered when I reached the cheering section at mile 11. A few hundred screaming children cheered and shouted out our names as we ran past. The sound of their cheers and the sight of their smiling faces brought tears to my eyes. Hearing hundred of children yelling my name humbled me.

As I stopped to take photos, I hollered back. “Thank you for being here! You ROCK!” Then, I read their shirts and I realized how true those words were. These children represented the Gasparilla Kids Running Program, a program to encourage kids to stay in school, stay healthy and maintain positive attitudes. We need more people in the world like these kids!

With only two miles left and just inspiration I needed to run, I picked up the pace and concentrated on finishing strong.

I sprinted with a smile across the finish line…

….and I even beat my Gasparilla Half Marathon time from two years ago by nine minutes.

Bib #26394
Clock Time 2:26:30
Chip Time 2:22:16
Ave Pace 10:51
Overall Place 2698/4436
Gender Place 1163/2291

Of course, I couldn’t leave the race without the traditional finisher’s pirate photo…

…and a shot in front of the Downtown Tampa skyline….

…and a shot with the Best Damn Race gang, Brad, Nick and Beth.

Chrissy PR’d by one minute and by doing so, she missed Marie on the course, but we had our Kodak moment after the race.

Heather finished a few minutes after me and Jenny finished around 3 hours.

Despite the heat ~~and the shitty water~~, we all sailed through another successful Gasparilla race.

Dirty Girl Mud Run Recap

Going into the Dirty Girl Mud Run, I had decided to make this a fun run. As I learned at Pretty Muddy, these girlie mud runs aren’t about a finish time, but having fun and finishing with friends. So I decided to scale back the competitive runner in me and simply enjoy the run with my Tampa Bay Blogger friends, obstacles, mud and all.

I couldn’t have come up with a better strategy for this run. With a review of the warning colors on the course, we had all the information, strategy and a little Zumba necessary to take on the course and its obstacles.

However, there was no warning about the manure on the course. Hurdling the horse poop and cow poop seemed the best way to handle the matter.

The little dirty girls inside of us tackled the hot pink inflatable with such enthusiasm.

Although we were less enthusiastic about the mud pits. Fortunately, like many other mud runs, each participant can choose to pass on the mud pits and other obstacles.

Proudly, I didn’t pass on any. I even accidentally stepped in a few cow patties (not my proudest moment).

As for the run portion of the program, it was nicely spaced out between obstacles. The distance between obstacles allowed for us to reach a decent running pace.

With each mud run, I’ve learned that I need to do more crossfit type of training because I simply do not know how to take on some of these crazy obstacles, like Dirtys Girl’s Amaze Yourself or the Funky Monkey. Apparently a crab crawl is the best method to tackle the Funky Monkey, although I crawled across it on my hands and knees.

Although I don’t know think anyone knows the best way to crawl through ~~Colon Blow~~ ~~Fallopian~~ Utopian Tubes.

For any runner like me, the obstacles were challenging enough, but not too difficult. I took each obstacle carefully, slowly and watched my footing as to not slip. Climbing and hoisting myself over each challenge, I realized my true strength.

With the finish line and one last mud pit in front of us, my fitness blogger friends and I leaped into the muddy splash pool and danced to the finish line.

Laughing at the state of ourselves, we finished together, which was my favorite part of the whole run. Not to be finished because I could have gone another 3 miles, but to finish covered with mud with friends was the ultimate reward.

But Dirty Girl Mud Runs takes that reward one step further by celebrating women, the strength in each us and the courage of women facing breast cancer.

In 2012, it is the goal of Dirty Girl to provide the National Breast Cancer Foundation with over $250,000 in monetary and in-kind support. In 2013, our goal is to deliver over $1,500,000 in support to NBCF. In addition, Dirty Girl will continue providing cancer survivors free registration at each event.

Show your courage and consider being a Dirty Girl for breast cancer at a Dirty Girl Mud Run near you.

Thank you to Caroline of My Fascinating Life and Raffi of Running Betty for being our Tampa Bay Blogger team photographers and also for providing our hot pink “Dirty Blogger” Bondi Bands.

**Dirty Girl provided me with a free entry in exchange for my honest review of the mud run. The opinions are my own.**

Scream and Shout at the Dirty Girl Circus

This past Saturday, I joined a few of my fellow female Tampa Bay Bloggers at the Dirty Girl Mud Run. The Dirty Bloggers represented team Mud Bloggin’.

As we hurdled cow patties, mud pits and inflatable obstacles, it felt a bit like a three-ringed circus.

I loved taking on the course as a team and staying together. We laughed at the ridiculous obstacles, piles of cow poop and of course, the state of ourselves. There were lots of screams and shouts and letting it all out.

With a cow poop riddled course, Dirty Girl literally turned the sh*t up.

We brought the action.

*Warning: Explicit lyrics in video and not the radio version.*

In the end, we finished ~~strong~~ a lot stronger and muddier than we started.

There were so many fun and challenging obstacles and I’ve got TONS of photos to share from our Dirty Girl Mud Run, thanks to our team photographers, Raffi and Caroline! Stay tuned for a full pictorial race recap later this week!

What music moves you?

For Music Mondays, I’m teaming up with my good friend and fellow Marathon Mama, Chrissy. Please stop by and welcome Chrissy to Music Monday.

Visit Xmas Dolly and Jade Louise Designs for more Music Monday.

Best Damn Race Recap

The inaugural Best Damn Race lived up to its name and all the hype. Since it was an early 6:30 a.m. start for the 10K on a frigid Florida morning, some layers were necessary. I decided to wear my new red polka dot running skirt from Running Skirts because it’s important for me (a stunner) to match the theme colors of the race. (I kid, but not really.) More importantly, the pockets would hold my cell phone, my lip balm (also necessary on a cold morning) and my MP3 player.

The start line was in front of the Safety Harbor Day Spa, which had a lovely toasty warm lobby and restrooms. After the National Anthem sung by a woman that sounded a lot like Jennifer Hudson, we were off. The first mile of the 10K course led us north along Bayshore Blvd and it was crazy dark. I just paced along with the people next to me until I looked down to check my pace and realized my Garmin wasn’t pacing along with me. UGH! I hate when that happens! So about three tenths of a mile into the race, I started my Garmin.

About the first mile, we turned, passed our first water station and then headed south on Bayshore Blvd. I was really surprised to see a water station so early into a race, but I happily stopped for some refreshments.

Almost two miles into the race and we passed another water station. I skipped the water at this one, but I probably shouldn’t have because we were in for the longest stretch of the course with a slight incline into Clearwater.

About three miles into the race, I started to become really warm from all my layers. When I reached the next water station between miles 3 and 4, I stripped off my long sleeve top.

After the water station, we turned into a residential neighborhood which led us towards the Ream Wilson Trial. The light of dawn began to break through the trees, which a beautiful sight.

After our fun little exploration along the trail, we were led back to Bayshore Blvd. I stopped for some water and a few photos because I couldn’t resist the gorgeous peek-a-boo shot of the sunrise.

For that last mile stretch, we ran back into Safety Harbor. I pushed it for that last mile to finish strong. After sprinting across the finish line, my runner blogger friend, Beth, awarded me with a medal.

10K
Chip Time 1:02:14
Ave Pace 10:03
Overall Place 429/765
Gender Place 227/507
Division Place 37/73

Despite pushing it hard at the end, I actually finished a minute slower than my Race for the Cure 10K time. Damn. Oh well. On to the Best Damn Race post party with the best damn view of the bay!

Jenny and Caroline also ran the 10K. They finished smiling and strong with their cut-up tube sock sleeves.

I bumped into so many friends at the race. It really was like a party because all my friends were there (except for the ones at Warrior Dash).

Simply the Best Damn Race from start to finish! Not only was it a flawless event for a first time race, the food and beer was included in the registration fee (which was only $1 for me), not just snacks, although we had those too, but real food from Jimmy John’s and Papa Johns.

Plus, it felt good to support a local race and friends instead of spending a fortune on a franchise race. I can’t wait for next year! I’m hoping for a Best Damn Race Challenge to run all three races (10K, half marathon and 5K). Of course, I’ll run it to blog about it next year too.

Clearwater Marathon Recap

Simply striving to qualify for Bronze Level Marathon Maniacs, Chrissy, Larisa, Marie and I had no real strategy or finish time in mind for the Clearwater Marathon. After completing the Disney Marathon a week earlier, we anticipated taking many walking breaks throughout the course. With three large bridges in the first half of the course, we already planned to walk those.

At the start, the four of us all felt pretty good and no one was sore from last week’s marathon. We started out slow and around mile one, we began our trek across the Clearwater Causeway (the first bridge) into Clearwater Beach. We ran slowly over the incline and considered walking down, but we all felt as though we could run, so we kept a slow 10:30 pace down the bridge.

Around mile 3, we stopped for a stretching break since our legs were all nicely warmed up and then walked through the first water stop. After a few photos and a quick restroom break, everyone felt refreshed enough to continue running through Clearwater Beach.

Then, we reached the Sandy Key Bridge and it was time for another forced walking break.

View of Clearwater Causeway from Sand Key Bridge

Once we reached the bottom of the bridge, we started running again, especially since we knew our Suncoast Striders family would be cheering for us outside Sand Key Park. As we approached the 4.5 water station, Maribel and Daffodil cheered the loudest. Obviously, we stopped for drinks, orange slices and a few photos.

To our surprise, our friend, Carrie, ran with us through Sand Key Park. It was so much fun to catch up with her for that quick mile through the park.

Back at the entrance, the Striders cheered and hollered for us once more. With close to 60 people managing one water station, the Strider power and energy was invigorating. It was just what we needed for the next nine miles along Gulf Boulevard.

Those were the longest nine miles ever. Apart for the water stations, we didn’t see a soul for miles. No spectators. No cowbells (and I gotta have more cowbell). Nothing. Despite being surrounded by beautiful beach condos and gorgeous homes, not one beach dweller cheered for us. It was just the four of us and thank God we had each other to get through it.

Unfortunately, this was the point that my Achilles began to ache and I started to fall behind from my friends. I needed to stay right at 10:30 mm to avoid any pain.

At mile 10, we met the Largo United Soccer League. Next to the Striders, this was my favorite water stop. These girls lifted our spirits with an impromptu performance of You’re Gonna Miss Me by Lulu and the Lampshades. I honestly wanted to hang out with them a little longer just to learn their cup rhythm. Instead, the tune played over and over in my head for the next 16.2 miles.

Eventually, we caught up with our Strider friends Cindy and Clark. Cindy.was running her first marathon at 60 years young.

Just past the halfway point, we turned onto Park Boulevard (the third bridge) for our return journey along the Pinellas Trail. We remembered this bridge all too well from the Holiday Halfathon. We walked it then too. Funny, it was gray and yucky that day too.

At mile 15, I took a quick potty break and realized my knees were beginning to hurt so I took three ibuprofen. Larisa waited for me outside the bathroom and we ran together for a bit until we caught up with Marie and Chrissy at the base of the first Pinellas Trail overpass, which we all walked.

See, although there are only 3 bridges along the said “flat” course, there also three trail overpass which as are just as difficult to run over as the previous bridges.

Mile 16 wound us through the same park we ran through for the Holiday Half. We were rewarded for our efforts with water posing as beer.

Around this point, I was really struggling with pain. Although I expected to experience Charley horses or issues with my heels, I was feeling pain in my knees. To avoid any further pain, I now needed to slow down my pace to around 11:00-12:00 which caused me to fall even further behind from my friends. As long as I could see them, I was fine.

Around mile 20, I caught up to my friends at the water station just as Daffodil phoned me to get a full race report and our anticipated finish time. “I’m in a lot of pain,” I reported. “But we should finish in about an hour.”

To everyone’s surprise, Chrissy and Marie informed us at mile 20 that they’d like to PR. “I can’t do it,” I reply. “But you should definitely go for it!” With that, Chrissy, Marie and Larisa take off to PR the marathon.

For the next two miles, I was in a really ugly place in my head. What was I thinking?! Why am I doing this?! We were supposed to stay together! I hate these stupid Clearwater races and their dumb ass bridges! Why is Land O Lakes so flat? Why am I the only in pain?

Those are some of the PG-rated thoughts that boomed through my head. I found myself walking more than before and I cussed every overpass. I really hated myself and my legs for hurting so much. I hated the long stretches along the trail. A few random cyclists passed me and I felt very alone for the next couple of miles. If it wasn’t for the water stations and the police manning the intersections, I don’t think I would have seen anyone. Flashbacks of Space Coast flooded my mind.

At the base of the third overpass, I reached mile 22. I stopped for another potty break. (I was drinking a lot of Gatorade and water throughout the race.) I took three more ibuprofen. It was time to focus. I needed to shake the horrible thoughts happening in my head and finish the race. “C’mon there’s only four more miles. That’s nothing. You got this!”

Although I ran around an 11:00 mm, those were probably my strongest miles. Somehow, I overcame the mental and physical hurdles and I felt great again. Maybe it was all the ibuprofen (I’m sure my liver is failing and I need dialysis.), but for whatever reason, my whole outlook changed. I then began to catch up to other runners.

At mile 25, I wouldn’t allow myself to hit that same wall I faced at Disney. I clicked through my MP3 player for the right tunes to help me finish the race. “Pitbull, take me home!” I hollered. “Don’t stop the paaaarrrty!”

The next mile led us through a gorgeous residential neighborhood. Thank goodness for the orange cones which I followed like breadcrumbs, because I’m sure I would have been lost with all the turns.

The last 0.25 mile of the race was the most ridiculous. As much as I wanted to be finished, I stopped to take a photo of this part of the course: a spiral pedestrian path leading back to Coachman Park. I thought my ankles would snap.

At the bottom of the spiral path, I was so disoriented and confused. I didn’t know which way to go. Once again, the orange cones showed me the way.

As I approached the finish line, my friends ran to my side and the Marathon Mamas ran across the finish line with me.

Of course, I cried.

I did it.

Division Place 24/31
Overall Place 244/282
Gun Time 5:35:25
Chip Time 5:34:42
Half Split 2:46:45
Ave Pace 12:48

We did it. These ~~crazy-ass~~ determined Marathon Mamas earned a spot in the Marathon Maniacs without crawling across the finish line and lived to tell about it.

As for Chrissy and Marie, they beat their Disney time by nine minutes. First-time marathoner, Cindy, finished strong too and we were all there to cheer for her.