Things to consider when planning a Race-cation

A lot of our races have been race-cations so I'd say we know a thing or two about traveling for races.

With that being said, we thought we'd mention a few things that racers might consider (or reconsider) while planning their race-cation.

1. For some people their race-cation may be their "family Vacation" as well. This is common when doing Disney races. If it is your first Disney race, you may want to reconsider bringing the kids, the in-laws, and other relatives.  The race weekend is YOUR weekend. This is not a time to be worrying about coordinating everyone else's schedule. Race weekends can potentially be stressful enough (but in a good way) and sometimes worrying about family can add to that.  I am thankful that I come from a family of runners, so when we go on race-cation they are running with me. If they are not, they at least understand about the early bedtime and the "running routine".  If you do not have runners in your family, consider going with a running friend.

2. This is one mistake I've made more than once (especially at Disney). Reconsider doing your sightseeing or park hopping before race day. I know when we go to Disney we want to make the most of our time and get our monies worth out of our Park tickets but sometimes it's just not worth it. I've shown up on race morning not being able to move my legs at the start line because I walked around all day at Disneyland the day before. Huge mistake!  We've learned our lesson and now there are times we go to Disney races and don't even bother to purchase park tickets. When I visited NYC last month there were a ton of things I wanted to do, but I knew better than to do all that walking before race day.  Plan accordingly.

3. This one is a no brainer but if you have to fly to your race-cation, ALWAYS pack your race gear in your carry-on. Enough said.

4.  When booking a hotel for your race think Location, Location, Location!  Splurge on the hotel if it is close to the start, finish, or transportation. Being in the area you want to be in is well worth the extra $100 or so and can cause a lot less stress for you on race morning.

Any other suggestions?

We are linking up with the gals from TOTR.

The night before Boston.....

Twas the eve before the Boston Marathon

I only went for two dog walks this past week and in my mind that does not a Weekly Wrap make! So instead I am looking to the week ahead and will post this poem I created about the Boston Marathon

We have some friends running the Boston Marathon on Monday and they were our inspiration for this post....

T'was the eve before the Marathon and all through the town, 
the runners were restless and couldn't calm down.

Their race gear was laid out all in plain view, 
shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, and compression sleeves too!

The "Flat Runner" picture was taken. This was getting real!
 Minus the bib number of course (they didn't want anyone to steal). 

The race belt was filled with all sorts of fuel,
 Stingers, Chomp, Clif Shots, and Watermelon GU.

One last check of the weather was done.
They hoped for sun yet cool enough to run.

After carbing up and belly's were fed, 
they did some last minute foam rolling before heading to bed.

As runners fell asleep they dreamed of the race. 
Would they do well? Would they keep pace?


They thought of the course and how they'd get through.
They believed in their practice and to their training plan stayed true!

They hoped they wouldn't stumble, trip, or fall
but having to take a potty break would be the worst of all.

They pictured Hopkinton, Wellesley, and Heartbreak hill,
They knew when they were over it, it would be such a thrill.

The spectators would be out all holding their signs.
Some would be inspirational and some would be rhymes.

Some would hand out candy and the college kids would give beer. 
Some would just smile but all would cheer!

As they take the last right on Hereford and left on Boyeston,
their race would come to an end.

The race might be over but the pride will live on.
This wasn't just any race, it was the Boston freakin Marathon!

Good Luck Runners!

We are linking up with Holly and Tricia for the weekly wrap. Since I am posting from my 

 iPad I am unable to post the weekly wrap badge but I will try to add it later. Sorry.

The Chocolate Spa at the Hotel Hershey

After the Hershey 10K race, we returned to our Hotel and had a spa day at the Chocolate Spa. I was so excited for this day because I had never been to the Chocolate spa before. 

When we arrived at the spa, we got a tour so we knew what all we could take advantage of during the day.  We were given lockers to store our things and big comfy robes to wear all day.

1.   After we changed we waited in the "Quiet room" until it was time for our appointments.  While there, they had coffee, tea, water, muffins, fruits, trail mix, chocolate, etc. I had only an apple since I didn't eat anything after the race. 

2.  I wanted to get something other than a basic massage that I could get anywhere and wanted to have one of the specialty chocolate services so I got the Chocolate Sugar Scrub. My mom was getting the reflexology. Note: The spa fills up very fast (especially on the weekends). We had to make these appointments months in advance.

I was lead to a special room for my service. 

 When I inquired about the service I asked if I should wear a swim suit and was told it was fine. When I got into the room, the lady working on me told me I should take everything off because the scrubs would stain the suit. I was told to take all my jewelry off and then showed how to wrap my top and bottom in towels. When I was covered, the lady came back in and performed the service. The lights were actually dim when she was doing it. I feel like I chose a great service because it was like a massage and pedicure in one. I was massaged with a yummy smelling sugar scrub, then while still on the table, I was rinsed with warm water. I was then wrapped in towels and then she did another massage treatment with the cocoa moisturizer.  It was fabulous!

3. After my treatment, I met up with my mom again and we headed to our lunch reservations at the Oasis (in our robes)! 

The Oasis is a restaurant that is only for spa guests and everyone eating lunch in there was in their spa robe! 

4. After lunch we spent some time in the Steam Room. This steam room was a wet steam and was 110 degrees.  Since we had the room to ourselves, I decided to lay down on the "hot" bench. After a while a burst of steam was coming right from where my head was. All of a sudden the entire room was filling up with steam and I couldn't even see in front of me. I decided to move up to the upper bench, and then finally I had to open the door to get a breathe. Finally I could not take it anymore so I said that was enough of that!

After the whole steam room experience, I was completely wiped out and exhausted. We then finally got to spend some time in the aroma therapy room to relax( this room is very popular). I was told there was a lounge that we could nap in but I thought that would be a little silly (even though it sounded like a good idea at the time).  The aroma in the room was thyme and eucalyptus. 

5. Lastly, we were able to use the showers where we got to shower with the chocolate body wash, and chocolate mandarin shampoo and conditioner. This spa has everything to completely pamper you, you do not need to bring ANY toiletries or beauty products.  They even had hair dryers and curling irons at each of the vanities. 

Even though my race was only so/so, I had a fabulous time at the spa and would not hesitate to return to the Hotel Hershey! -M

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Bye bye PGH

Now that I've completed all the Disney races that I've wanted to run, One of my new "intentions" this year was to run some bigger (notable) city races.

I've already checked a big one off my list this year, the New York City Half. Earlier this year, I mentioned a few other cities that I wanted to run. Among them was Pittsburgh, only because I wanted the coveted "Runner of Steel" medal ( for obvious reasons to those who know me).

I also mentioned earlier this year that my husband's company is a sponsor of a particular race and that  I was invited to run it in May. I did not mention the race by name because at the time I was unsure if I would run it or not.  The race was the Pittsburgh Marathon and half marathon. I of course would sign up for the half marathon.

Even though this is a race I wanted to do, I didn't want to make any decisions until after I ran NYC. After all, I've been having a pretty good "no injury" streak going on here and I wanted to see how I felt after the race.

Turns out, after Running NYC, I felt fine and eager to tackle the city of Pittsburgh! I heard that the course had changed since years past and now it is much flatter!

Well a few things have changed over the past few weeks. As you know, (besides the 10k race I just ran this past weekend), I've taken a bit of time off running to try to get over this cold. I am in no shape to pick up half marathon training again this week or probably even next. Also with a race date of May 7th, it makes a very tight schedule for my family as there are other travel plans involved and would just make for a hectic weekend. Quite frankly, I'm just too tired for all this right now.

With all this being said, I still have the free registration. It can be used for either the full marathon or half marathon. Who wants it? -M

Hershey 10K Race Recap

This past weekend I ran the Hershey 10K race. I was looking forward to this weekend for so long but as you recall, I hadn't been feeling well lately so was worried about how the race was going to go.

Packet Pick-Up

Packet pick up for this race was available the day of the race and the day before. If you picked up the day before, you had to go to the arena which is located to the left of the entrance to Hershey Park. It actually took us a while to find this.  The "expo" wasn't really a big deal but there were a few local running stores there and a some vendors so if you needed some GU or a water bottle, etc, you were covered.

Race Day

When I got up on race day the weather app said it was cooler than what I expected so once again I wimped out and decided to forego the colorful running pants and slipped on my comfy fleece lined tights. I also wore a thin long sleeve and my pink Reebok running jacket which was admittedly a mistake.

We stayed at the fabulous Hotel Hershey and were offered race day transportation. (Note: the two Hershey resorts are Hotel Hershey and the Hershey Lodge), the Hotel Hershey is the closest to the park, attractions, and race.  We left a little after 6:45 am for a 7:30 start. 

It only took us only a few minutes to arrive at the start which was at the stadium just across the highway from the hotel.

I should note that my mom came with me on race day morning to spectate. Spectators were allowed to go into the stadium to watch the runners finish. After I had already walked to the start line (which was on the other side of the stadium) my mom called me to tell me she was not allowed to go in the stadium to watch because she had her purse with her.  I'm glad the security team was so diligent in doing their job but they were also letting people with strollers and diaper bags in, and she said a wheel chair went through that also had a backpack hooked to it but if you were a person without a baby, you were not allowed to take a bag in! I told her to ask if she could bag check it, but they wouldn't let her do that. She ended up having to call our driver that brought us to the race to come take her purse so she could come inside and watch. I thought this was important to note because no where on the pre-race info did it mention that spectators who wanted to go into the stadium could not have bags. 

The Race
The race started just outside the the Hershey Stadium. Just like Disney, there were even Hershey characters at the start. It wasn't all that cold and I knew right away that I was over dressed.  I started my Garmin and then we were ready to go.

The first two miles were around the parking lot. Since I had a chest cold, my chest was burning and heavy and I was feeling cramps in my thighs (something I've never felt before while running).



There were no mile marker flags or signs but I heard a guy next to me tell his friend that we had just completed the first mile. I looked down at my Garmin to see how I was doing and I noticed that it never started. I was bummed! I started it again and just had to remember that I was about a mile off.

It wasn't until mile 2.7 that I noticed that some of the mileage was marked on the side of the orange cones that were along the course.  After exiting the parking area we ran up Hershey Park drive which is quite an incline. Around mile 3 I started picking up speed and then a lady right in front of me decided to bend over ( I don't know if she dropped something or what), I ran right into her bottom with the top of my thigh, which hurt. I did apologize even though I felt she was in the wrong. She apologized too and then moved to the side of the road.

We then ran around the shopping outlets and then entered Hershey Park at mile 4. As we ran around the park I thought that it reminded me of running at Disneyland through California Adventure.  We actually got to do a lot of running through the park (which was pretty hilly).

The 7K mark was the first time I saw a mileage flag, and then again at the 9K mark.  That last kilometer seemed more like a mile or so. During this last "kilometer" we exited the park and then ran to the stadium. I was hoping that we weren't going to have to run a lap around the track before crossing the finish and luckily we didn't.

We entered the stadium at the side and then I sprinted to the finish line that was  located on the same side! I ended up finishing in 1:02. If it were any other 10K I would have wanted to finish under an hour but since I knew this race wasn't going to be at my best effort, I was completely okay with my finish time.

I didn't carry water with me (I should have) and from having a chest cold and doing all this running I was extremely thirsty.  The first person I saw as I crossed the Finish Line was Ana. She was waiting for her sister to finish. She was so sweet as she congratulated me. We chatted for a moment  about the race but I was in one of those post race hazes where all I wanted to do was find water.

I eventually found water and then they handed out these goody bags. I must say that this race had awesome swag.

The medal was awesome, the shirts was great, and the Goody bag was a lunch box filled with great treats and a race magnet which I was most excited about.

We didn't really hang out at the race and finish watching others like we usually do. We called our driver and he promptly picked us up and returned us to the Hotel so we could get ready for our day at the spa. 

 Although I really enjoyed being in Hershey, I have mixed feelings about the race and the hilly course (but then again it could be because I wasn't feeling well). So for that reason I don't think it is fair for me to have too strong of an opinion on this race.  -M

 We are linking up with the gals from TOTR.

Weekly Wrap....April 9

As far as workouts/running this past week, I did that lousy 3 mile walk on Monday and then did absolutely nothing the rest of the week except for nap. I was trying to recoup and save up energy for the race.

I still didn't have as much energy as I hoped but I jammed in as much fun as I possibly could while visiting Hershey.

     We stayed at the Hershey Hotel which was absolutely lovely.

     We visited Chocolate World.

Inside Chocolate World is a retail store, baking demonstrations/classes, candy Making, chocolate tastings, the Chocolate tour, and lots of food! The main attraction is the ride.

The ride kind of reminds me of the "Living with the Land" ride at Disney. Instead of getting into a boat, you get in a little car the shape of a Hersey Kiss. The ride takes you on a "tour" of the chocolate factory and shows you how the candy is made.

      I ran the 10K race.

   We spent the day at the Spa.

   We did lots of Shopping.

In all it was a fantastic weekend.  I will do a separate post on the race and the Spa later this week.  -M


We are linking up with Holly and Tricia for their weekly wrap!

5 Alternatives to Starbucks

Today's Friday 5 theme is all about drinks!  It's no secret that my favorite drink is a cold frozen frappe from Starbucks! This was my "reward" after my long runs last summer. I pretty much worked my way through the menu and I will say the Strawberry Shortcake  (which was a limited time drink) was my favorite. You can get the Strawberries and Cream frappe anytime, but it's not the same.  Anyway, regardless of what flavor frappe I get (and never mind that the Starbucks is conveniently located at the end of my running trail), I realize that it is not very healthy (or wallet friendly) to be getting them after every long run.

Here are some alternative Summer drinks that I find just as refreshing........

1. Last summer I was hooked on this Lime Cucumber Gatorade.  I've only been able to find it at one store though.

2. This Spring I have discovered Fierce Melon Gatorade. This flavor is just as yummy! I believe it is cantaloupe flavor and will be my new "go to" drink after a run.

3.  Another Summer time must have are these Margaritaville Singles To Go pouches.  They are just regular drink powders (no alcohol) you pour in your water bottle to flavor it up. My favorite is the Pina Colada, then the Strawberry Daiquiri. I am not a fan of the Margarita.

4. Sometimes I will cheat on Starbucks and get a Cake Batter frozen cream at Sheetz. It's still less calories than a frappe and for only $2.00 with my Sheetz card, you can't beat it!

5. I'm pretty good at making my own frozen concoctions too! This is my own version of a frappe. Throw some Chai tea, almond milk and some ice in a blender and top it with whip cream and chocolate shavings. It's a great "at home" treat!

What else should I be trying? -M

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