Playlist Las Vegas Rock N' Roll Half

Sunday's Rock N' Roll Las Vegas Half marathon will be my final race of 2012.  Since this is my final playlist of 2012, it has multiple themes: 1) Vegas; 2) Doomsday (you know, because the world will end on 12/21); and 3) Christmas because I gotta get those in for at least one race!  After all of the gloom and doom songs, I'll need some Christmas cheer to finish the race!

Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley
Waking Up In Vegas Katy Perry
Little Bribes Death Cab for Cutie
Chaos City Tom Salta
Seven Devils Florence & The Machine
The Man Who Sold the World  Nirvana
Don't Drink the Water Dave Matthews Band
Sell, Sell, Sell Barenaked Ladies
The Horizon Has Been Defeated Jack Johnson
Black Parade My Chemical Romance
This Devil's Workday Modest Mouse
Time Is Running Out Muse
1999 Prince
How Far We've Come Matchbox Twenty
It's a Disaster O.K. Go
In the End Linkin Park
We Will Become Silhouettes The Postal Service
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.
The Battle Tom Salta
No Signs of Life O.K. Go
Lake Pontchartrain Ludo
99 Red Baloons Nena
Blitzkrieg Bop Ramones
Plague (We need no Victims) lola ray
Waiting for the End Linkin Park
This Fire Franz Ferdinand
No Way Back Foo Fighters
It All Ends Here Tom Salta
Little Drummer Boy The Dandy Warhols
The Christmas Song The Raveonettes
To Heck With Ole Santa Claus Loretta Lynn
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Brenda Lee
Jingle Bell Rock The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Death Cab for Cutie
Christmas / Sarajevo 12/24 (Instrumental) Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer Various Artists
We Wish You a Merry Christmas Weezer
Christmas Wrapping The Waitresses
The First Noel Weezer
Feliz Navidad José Feliciano
Christmas All Over Again Tom Petty
Run Rudolph Run Chuck Berry
Christmas Lights Coldplay

Compression Tights

I have several pairs of compression running pants but I haven't worn them consistently since they're a pain to put on and take off.  After reading more about how compression tights are supposed to give additional support to your abs and hips, I decided to start wearing mine (and even bought a few new pairs).

Recently I've worn the following compression tights and haven't noticed much difference between them.  However, I have noticed that my hip and hamstring are much less sore during and after runs.

2XU Women's Compression Tights
CW-X Women's Revolution Tights
CW-X Women's Insulator Stabilyx Tights
CW-X Women's Stabilyx Running Tights
110% Play Harder Women's Juggler Compression Knicker

I've also been doing a lot strengthening work recently. This has mostly been squats, single leg raises, and core work.  These workouts helped improve issues with my hip but I had been doing them for a while with small gains.  Switching to compression pants during my runs has made even more of a difference, helping me hold on to the gains made during the strength workouts.  While the compression tights are on the expensive side, my most recent injury leads me to believe they are worth the money.

On cold days, these tights layer well with an outer shell of running pants. In some cases you can save money by just getting compression shorts or 3/4 length pants and layer in the winter, especially if you're mostly concerned with helping your hips and hamstrings rather than your calves!

Winter is Coming...

Unlike the Starks in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, I'm looking forward to winter.  After December 21, the days will start to get longer.  Sunset at 4:30 PM has really got me down, especially when the park where I usually run is closed from dusk to dawn.

The cold temperatures haven't bothered me too much so far this year since I've just been layering up.  At least part of my runs happen when its dark out though so I have to be careful to wear bright or reflective clothing.

Only 25 days until the days start getting longer.  I can't wait!

Longing for a Turkey Trot

Last Thanksgiving I registered for a 5 mile Turkey Trot in Prospect Park.  I ended up being too sore from the Philadelphia Marathon to actually run.

This year as I get email notifications about various Turkey Trots, I keep wanting to run one.  I just won't have the time with our Thanksgiving family visit plans.  I do plan to run five miles tomorrow, just on my parents' treadmill so I can hang out with everyone while running.

Thanksgiving is a big race day because of Turkey Trots. Who doesn't want to get in some exercise before gorging?  What are your Thanksgiving running plans?

Race Recap: NYRR Race To Deliver

For a proper recap of the Race to Deliver, I have to start with Saturday evening before the race.  After going out for a tasty dinner, I came home and got ready for a long run.  My marathon training was calling for a 17 mile run, which would take me a little longer than three hours.  After 3 miles I started to feel sick and came back home.

Instead of going back out to finish the run on Saturday night, I decided that I would sleep early and get in some miles before the Race to Deliver.  I was up at 5am on Sunday and got 9.25 miles in before heading off to central park for the 4 mile race.  By this point, I clearly didn't feel like running the race aggressively or getting a PR.  But we did need to complete the race for Alek to gain guaranteed entry into the 2013 NYC Marathon.

I was slated to start 2 corrals ahead of Alek but instead I just started with him and we ran the race together and a relatively slow pace for both of us.  It was a chilly morning and my layers were perfect for the pre-race run. However as the sun rose I became way too hot.  The race itself was a normal 4 mile NYRR race around Central Park.  It had 3 water stops, nothing too eventful.

Prerace photo!

Only dress like this if the temperature is  20-30F

We finished in 39:10 for a 9:46 pace.  Full results can be found here.  The race t-shirt was a normal cotton shirt.  While its not a technical, moisture wicking shirt, I've found that these make a good outer layer during winter runs.

The race shirt

This was my final NYRR race report for 2012.  Its been a busy year for racing, and I'm glad we both got our guaranteed marathon entry with more than a month to spare!

Playlist: NYRR Race to Deliver

Sunday morning I'll run my final NYRR race for the year, The Race To Deliver.  In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm running this one to songs about food.

What food songs did I miss?  I've found it difficult to make a playlist while away from home, so suggestions are welcome and tweaking may happen.

The list is somewhere around 40 minutes.  For a 4 mile race, that should be long enough.

The Thanksgiving Song    Adam Sandler
Margaritaville  Jimmy Buffet
Sugar Sugar   The Archies
Eat It   Weird Al Yankovic
Peaches The Presidents of the United States of America
Hollaback Girl  Gwen Stefani
Pork And Beans  Weezer
Milkshake  Kelis
Pour Some Sugar on Me  Def Leppard
Lady Marmalade  Christina Aguilera
Hungry Like the Wolf  Duran Duran
Bread and Butter  The Newbeats
Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch  Weird Al Yankovic

Running in Kirkland

This week, work has brought me to Kirkland, WA.  So far the weather has been gloomy, but the mornings haven't had more than a drizzle.  With a temperature hovering between 40F and 50F the conditions aren't too different than in New York.  Also, the time zone change has left me wide awake earlier than I want to be so its easy to get runs in before work.

Juanita Bay Park is within a few miles of my hotel, so I've run there and back.  The park has a wetlands area with many birds.  It was relaxing to hear ducks sounds while running through this area of the park.

Beyond the wetlands area, there was a woodsy area with several trails and picnic tables.

While the run to the park was on sidewalks next to main roads, the park itself was quite nice.  I'll be visiting a few more times before I leave Kirkland!

Have you visited Kirkland?  What are you favorite running paths?

Race recap: Trenton Half Marathon

The Inaugural Trenton Half Marathon took place on Saturday, November 10.  Alek and I stayed with my parents Friday and made the 1.5 hour trip from Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley to Trenton, NJ on Saturday morning.  The race was originally slated to start at 8AM but during the week leading up to the race the organizers sent emails stating that the start time would actually be 7:45 AM.  We followed the GPS to Thunder Park, but at 7am when we were 3 miles away from the park the streets were closed.  The volunteer at the closed intersection wasn't sure how to instruct us to get to the race start, so I checked the website.  Parking, it said, would be at Sun Stadium which was about a half mile from the start line.  The site also said shuttles would run from the stadium to the race start.  So we reset our GPS to go to Sun Stadium and followed signs for arena parking.  

The first lot we pulled into was a no-go.  The parking attendant said it was for cheerleaders and instructed us to go to a different lot.  We finally found a lot and then started to follow the other runners to what we hoped was the race start.  This took us to the lot where we were supposed to park, and shuttles were there to pick up.  By now it was 7:13 and I was getting pretty worried about my ability to pick up my race packet before 7:30 when the website said packet pickup would end.  

We got a shuttle, and arrived at Thunder Park, which is actually a baseball stadium, at 7:20.  I put Alek and my parents in line for my bib while I went to find the port-o-johns. After I finished, I met up with everyone at the front of the line where I was able to get my bib and t-shirt fairly quickly.  

The first part of the morning was quite chaotic.  The line for morning-of packet pickup was long and disorganized.  There were several lines based on bib number in addition to a line to find your bib number.  There is definite room for improvement for next year.  In addition the website said there would be signs indicating where to park, but signage for the race and parking was nonexistent as we drove to the race.

Thunder Park is actually a baseball stadium. The race started behind the stadium.  After picking up my packet, we headed back to the start area. Here I met up with my friend Diane who would be running the 10k and her fiance Greg who was also running the half in this lot.  We chatted for a bit, and then it looked like runners already in the corral were starting to move up so Greg and I headed to the corral.  There weren't any time delimiters in the corral, they just asked fast runners to start at the front.  I stayed midpack and didn't have any problems with where I chose to start.  We ended up in the corrals until 8:25 with the race starting 40 minutes late.  

It was a chilly, long wait in the corral.

The first three miles of the race took us around the historic area of Trenton with the only major hill being right at the start at a highway ramp.  My parents and Alek were cheering that the three mile mark just before I crossed the Trenton Makes bridge into PA.  

Running toward the first bridge at mile 3.

The bridge into Morrisville, PA was a steel grate bridge.  My glutes started to hurt as I ran across and at that point I decided to back off a bit.  Usually pain in the glutes starts just before hip pain and I didn't want to risk any long term problems.   There were quite a few people out cheering in Morrisville.  As always, its great to see.

After about 3 miles in Trenton we came back across a different bridge.  This bridge was also a steel grate bridge, but it had a wooden sidewalk.  I decided to run on the sidewalk as the grates were a bit difficult to run across.  As I came off the bridge and onto the ramp on route 29, Alek was there cheering with his "Run All the Miles Sign."  

Right around mile 6

The rest of the race took us on an out and back down route 29 and then through Cadwalader Park.  The highway was mostly flat with hills on the ramps, but the park was very hilly.  By mile 8 I was slowing down and getting very tired.  The park showed evidence of Hurricane Sandy coming through with large downed trees.  

The final stretch of the race led us into the baseball stadium at first base and finishing on home plate.  This was the coolest race finish I've ever completed.  It was especially great to see my parents and Alek in the bleachers cheering!

Rounding to home!

The finish line

I finished with a time of 2:05:10.  My hip injury has once again taken my goal of a sub 2 hour half marathon from me, but I'm not giving up!  I'll be running Rock N' Roll Las Vegas on December 2nd and I'll try again there.

Full race results can be found here.  This race had a very cool finisher medal and long sleeve race shirt.

This race course was fun, and nearly all of it was very wide.  I was impressed with the number of road closures and the amount of consideration given to runners in Trenton and Morrisville.   There were a few logistical issues at the start, but I would trust the organizers to get these ironed out for next year's race.  I would definitely recommend the Trenton Half to anyone looking for an unusual race with a very cool finish!

Weekend Race: Trenton Half Marathon

Tomorrow I'll run the Trenton Half Marathon in Trenton, NJ.  This race is actually a two state race, as it crosses into Pennsylvania.  This weekend is the first time this race will be held but the race description looks awesome!  The part  I'm most looking forward to is the finish, Your name in lights on the big screen, family and friends cheering while you circle the park and head toward home plate for the finish you deserve!"

Since my hip pain prevented me from completing the half marathon portion of the Runner's World Hat Trick, I'm going to use that playlist for tomorrow's race.  Rest and strengthening have helped my hip to get better, so once again I'll be chasing a sub 2 hour half marathon!

The Playlist:

Here I Go Again Whitesnake

The Distance Cake

Let's Get It Started  The Black Eyed Peas

Run-Around Blues Traveler

Born to Run Bruce Springsteen

I still haven't found what I'm looking for U2

Running Away Hoobastank

I Ran Away Coldplay

Runnin Down A Dream Tom Petty

Runaway Linkin Park

Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kanye West) Jay-Z

Dog Days Are Over Florence + The Machine

I Would Walk 500 Miles The Proclaimers

Chasing the Sun (Hardwell Extended) The Wanted

Sexy And I Know It  LMFAO

This River Is Wild The Killers

Runaway Del Shannon

Pumped Up Kicks Foster the People

Bionic Placebo

How Far We've Come Matchbox Twenty

I Think We're Alone Now   Tiffany

Walk This Way  Run-DMC

Run Vampire Weekend

Run to You Bryan Adams

Runaway Maroon 5

Runaround Sue Del Shannon

Party Rock Anthem LMFAO

Stronger Kanye West

Walking On Sunshine Katrina & The Waves

Time Is Running Out Muse

Lose Yourself Eminem

Dirrty (feat. Redman) Christina Aguilera

Hot Steppa Ini Kamoze

Darts Of Pleasure Franz Ferdinand

Chasing Pavements Adele

Election Day Run

I considered spending last night clicking refresh on my browser to follow election results instead of running.  With CNN casting results on the Empire State Building, I realized I could run and follow the election.  After all, my run was early enough that nothing would be called.

I went out for my four mile run and by the end not much had happened in election news.  I couldn't see the red side of the Empire State Building meter, but today we know what the results were - so I guess it didn't matter too much.

CNN used the Empire State Building lights to broadcast results.

I was glad for my view of the Empire State Building.  Brooklyn Bridge Park, where I do most of my running is currently closed from dusk to dawn as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  In addition, the Statue of Liberty is still dark.  It was great to see lights in lower Manhattan, but I'm eager (as most New Yorkers are) for a completely recovery from Sandy.

2013 NYC Marathon!

The New York City Marathon was far from the only race cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy.  Most importantly to me, the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5k was also cancelled.  This race would have been my 9th in my NYRR 9+1 to get me guaranteed entry into next year's New York City Marathon.  Since NYRR cancelled the race, I still got credit toward my 9+1.  So, I'm in the 2013 NYC Marathon!

Or, I hope I am.  I suspect that a good number of people who were displaced from this year's cancelled marathon will also get guaranteed entry into next year's race.  I'll be waiting for updates from NYRR to find out how this will all work out.

Considering Sandy's disastrous impact on so many people - not being able to run the NYC marathon next year would be a small thing.  It can also be replaced by a different fall marathon in my plans.

In other hard to get into NYRR race news, the registration for the NYC Half Marathon is open.  Good luck to all who enter!