Race Recap – Page 10 – Zenaida Arroyo

Category: Race Recap

03
Nov
2014

Princeton Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Running

On Sunday I ran in state #31 in New Jersey. I’ve already written about what I did the day before the race.

On race day I got up at 5:20 am. I slept OK that night but was still tired and had a headache. I quickly made my coffee and got dressed. The night before I had picked my clothes and decided to wear pants and a long sleeve underneath my Oiselle singlet. I had two shirts to pick from depending on the weather. That morning the weather forecast was 41 degrees which I figured was decent running weather. I picked the yellowish shirt. Once I was done I went downstairs and then outside to check again the weather. It was cold! But I knew that I would warm up once I began running. I waited for my Uber driver and in the meantime got a big plastic bag to keep me warm while I waited in line for the race to start. I must remember to pack one in my suitcase just in case I need one again.

The driver dropped me off at 6:25. I had plenty of time to wait. Did I mention it was cold? Oh and it was windy too. I did not want to wait outside so I walked to a café place and waited there till about 6:55. I then got in line and the race started a few minutes later. I was surprised there was no singing of the National Anthem or maybe I missed it? No time to fret about it cause it was time to run.

As usual my first mile was my fastest (10:18). I was surprised at how good I was feeling. I did warm up a little but still felt cold because the wind had a mind of its own. The first few miles went by fast. We ran on the road and trail which helped break up the rhythm of just running on pavement. Trail running is definitely more difficult. It was nice not to deal with the wind.

There were hills. Oh boy. There was one before mile 6 and it felt like it was a mile long. Surprisingly it took me almost 14 minutes to finish that mile. I say surprisingly because it felt longer than 14 minutes. I walked most of it because it was just so darn long! My quads were burning and I felt some tightness in my left leg similar to my race in Des Moines but without the glutes pain.

I thought the last half of the course was prettier but more difficult. We ran through the streets of Princeton. Beautiful area with lovely homes. But it definitely had more hills. I was tired and in pain. My new shoes gave me no trouble except for some chafing on my right foot near my bunion. I’ve experienced similar chafing with other shoes so I know it wasn’t because of my new shoes. I guess it is time to get that surgery I’ve put off.

See all of the hills?

There wasn’t much crowd support but the small amount that there was did help. The volunteers were wonderful too. As for the medal, well I am not too happy about it. My nephew told me that I have nicer ones.

I am glad I did this race. It was definitely challenging for me but still a pretty course. I first thought of doing it last year but instead decided to run the Manchester Half Marathon. And boy am I glad I did because I got to meet Kathrine Switzer!

If you plan to run this race in the future make sure to stay at the Nassau Inn in town or rent a car.

Next race: Run Disney Wine and Dine in Florida. It was be my last Disney race this year.

20
Oct
2014

IMT Des Moines Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Running, Running Gear

On Sunday I ran the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon with my friend Jaime. I can honestly say it was a great race!

My last race was the Disneyland Half Marathon in August. It was that week after the race that I decided not to run anymore the Chicago Marathon. Since then my running/training went downhill. I went back to work and was staying there till 6pm and honestly the last thing I wanted to do was go out for a run. I ran a couple of Saturdays with Lety but I wasn’t exactly training for a half marathon.

I began to panic as the race day got closer and almost backed out because I didn’t feel ready. I then decided to just go for it. I am so glad I did.

The race began at 8am. It was 39 degrees at 7am and I decided to wear shorts, compression socks, and a long sleeve shirt underneath my Oiselle singlet. Jaime and I left the hotel at 7:30am and headed over to the start line. It was chilly but the walking warmed me up a little bit. Once we got there, we took a few pictures, and waited for the race to begin. My favorite part of the beginning of a race is the National Anthem.

Finally it was time to run. I had no time goal. I wore my watch but set it to only show the distance. I also wore my iPod. I don’t remember the last time I wore them during a race and it felt good to hear some good tunes while running.

The first couple of miles went by fast. There were a few hills but nothing too horrible. It was gorgeous outside and I was warming up with the sun. I wasn’t uncomfortable hot but just warm.

We ran through two parks. That was my favorite part of the course. It was beautiful plus it was flat. Very peaceful too. It was after running through the second park that my left side began to hurt..from the glutes to the calf. I would run, walk, and repeat.

I had passed the 10 mile marker when two male marathon runners passed me up. Wow, they were speedy!

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The last two miles were back to downtown Des Moines. Luckily it was not as hilly as the beginning of the race.

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Four more marathon runners passed me up. I hurried on determined not to let the female marathon winner passed me up too. But I just couldn’t with that darn pain. Then I heard a siren and knew the female winner was behind me. And she passed me up. I knew I was close to the finish line but just could not see it. There were so many people cheering for her but I pretended that it was all for me. Finally I saw the finish line and ran for it. Finish time is 2:31:56 and yes I am very happy with it.

The best part was the post-party. There was food and more food. It was neverending. There was water, gatorade, chocolate milk, pizza, cookies, protein bars, chips with nacho cheese, and sandwiches. Jaime and I talked about how we’ve never seen this much food at other races. Hmm, not even at the very expensive Disney or Rock ‘n’ Roll races.

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I love the long sleeve shirt we got. I am definitely keeping this one.

Overall it was a great race. I enjoyed the course and the weather was gorgeous. There were plenty of water stations and two Gu stations. The spectators and volunteers were wonderful. And let’s not forget all of the food after the race. The medal was OK.

As for my glutes and calf? I foam rolled at the hotel after the race and am feeling much better. The pain could have been caused from the lacking of training/running or from wearing a new pair of Superfeet insoles. Who knows? All I know is that it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Next race is Princeton Half Marathon on November 2nd. Can’t wait!

02
Sep
2014

Disneyland Half Marathon

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running

Sunday was the half marathon and last race of the Dumbo Double Dare. It will be my last Disneyland race because I have decided not to run any more races there. Definitely too expensive.

Another 4am wake up call. I did not want to drink another cup of terrible coffee so I made a stop at Starbucks. The line was LONG. I then had to use the bathroom and was glad to use one in Downtown Disney instead of a port-a-potty. Jaime and I were in our corral by 5:10.

I was feeling really good in the beginning but then struggled for the next 12 miles. It was very humid and I was sweating a lot before mile 1. It could have been that I had just finished my coffee. A mistake I don’t plan to repeat. My plan was to run with Jaime but yeah that did not happen.

I took it easy and ran slow the rest of the race. I took pictures and drank water at every water station.

The folkloric dancers were finishing their dance but I could hear the mariachi music as I was running.

It was hot and these sponges came in handy. I remember someone was handing out oranges which were really good but can’t remember if it was at this stop.

Had a blast watching these dancers and the little girl was adorable.

Pretty neat running through Angel Stadium. This was maybe mile 9 or 10. I did not know how much longer it was going to take me to run the rest of the race so I sent a text to Jaime telling her not to wait for me at the end and to instead head over to the hotel. She is a good person and told me that she would wait for me.

Finally done!

Jaime and I with our medals. She got an extra one because of the Coast to Coast Challenge (running a race in both FL and CA in the same calendar year).

My three medals from this weekend. My favorite is the one for completing the Dumbo Double Dare.

Overall it was a great race and I had fun running through the parks. Many people had wonderful costumes and for one second I was jealous of not wearing one too. I can’t remember which characters were at the parks. I saw Jeff Galloway at the expo but not during my races. I ran really slow. I wore shoes with more cushion (Brooks Ravenna 5) but my toes still hurt. I am worried because I don’t know how they will feel for the rest of my long runs for marathon training.

Next race: Chicago Marathon

01
Sep
2014

Disneyland 10K

categories: Race Recap, RunDisney, Running

On Saturday I ran the Disneyland 10k as part of the Dumbo Double Dare. It is a 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday.

If you’ve ran a Disney race before then you know that it means a very early wake up call. The race started at 5:30am and I was up at 4. I got dressed, drank coffee (terrible coffee from the hotel), and made my way over to the race with Jaime. It took us about 20 minutes from the hotel to the start line. I like running at Disneyland because it is an easy walk to the race.

Great weather for running. There were so many people and I enjoyed looking at everyone’s costume.

I was in Corral B and couldn’t get a good view of the announcers nor Stitch. This race was all about Stitch. Time to run! My only goal was to have fun and finish.

The first 2 miles were outside of the parks. Then it was back to the parks which I actually enjoyed.

Every mile marker had a picture of Stitch.

Jaime and I with our medals.

I am not crazy about the meal. It looks like a very scary Stitch. Or a lobster.

Great race! I love running through both parks. Plus, it was beautiful seeing them while it was still dark. I don’t remember seeing many Disney characters but I don’t usually stop for a photo with them. It was well organized and well coordinated even while trying to exit the park while walking through Downtown Disney (the runners were still passing through there).

At the finish line I got a snack box, bottle of water, bottle of Powerade, and a banana. Not much but it is the same thing from my other Disney races.

Next race: Disneyland Half Marathon

03
Aug
2014

ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon

categories: Race Recap, Running

Disclaimer: As a ZOOMA Chicago Race Ambassador, I received a free entry to the race. However, all opinions are mine.

It was definitely a beautiful day for a race. I had been stalking the Weather Channel for a few days and the forecasts mentioned not just rain but also scattered thunderstorms. Nope, none of that happened on race morning but it did rain at night.

I was up at 5am and out the door by 5:30. I decided to drive to the start line instead of going downtown to take the shuttle. I was there by 6 and hanged around with other ambassadors while waiting for the race to start.

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Earlier in the week, Emily from Out and About and I made plans to run together. We lined up between the 2:10 and 2:20 pacers and we were soon off. Ha, I thought I could keep up with her since I was feeling really good. I stayed with her for 2 miles and then stepped to the side to walk a little. I then decided to just take it slowly and enjoy the race. And that is exactly what I did.

I love running along the lakefront. The view is beautiful. I ran and walked and just soaked it all in. The first turnaround point was near Soldier Field. About half a mile or so later there were a gentlemen with munchkins for us. I took one. I don’t know why I didn’t take more.

My hips were beginning to hurt and I was experiencing some discomfort on the bottom of my right foot. I kept on running and walking. I was also hot and thirsty and made sure to drink water at every water stop. Luckily, there were water fountains along the way and I also stopped at most of them.

I passed the finish line for the 10k and realized I was halfway done. I was hurting but reminded myself that I was halfway done instead of that I still had 6.1 miles to go. About a mile later, my friend Lidia caught up to me and we started running and walking together for the next couple of miles.

The other turnaround was at mile 10. My foot was hurting even more. I was convinced I had a blister and was annoyed. My pace slowed down even more. I kept repeating “Just 3 more miles, 3 more miles”.

I was so happy to see the Mile 12 marker. Lidia and I were walking more than running. I reminded her that we only had one mile to go. Just one. She was cramping and I told her to stop to massage and stretch her legs. I also stopped to check my foot. No blister. I then thought it was my shoes. I guess my feet were used to the Newton’s and did not like the Mizuno’s.

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Once I saw the yellow school buses in the parking lot, I knew we were very close to the finish line. Lidia told me to go. I started running and finally crossed the finish line.

I got my medal, water bottle, and then waited for Lidia to finish. She looked so happy! We then got a snack box which had a grilled vegetable sandwich and chips. It was yummy and I was starving!

We stayed for another hour or so to enjoy the after party. Lidia got a free massage while I rested and enjoyed my free wine. I also chatted for a few minutes with Karen from Trading in My Heels and her friends.

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My thoughts on this race:

•  It was in a new location so the path wasn’t as crowded as it was last year. I did not run it but just heard and read about it.
• There was plenty of signage. However, you really can’t get lost on this path or not know where you’re going.
•  I don’t think there were enough water stations but it did help there were water fountains.
•  Again, the view is amazing.
•  Nice medal and cute shirt! Swag also included Feetures! Performance socks and hat.
•  Fun after party!
•  There is no race day packet pick up but a friend could pick it up for you. Love it when races have this option instead of “making” you attend the expo like some other race series that I won’t mention here but you probably know which one I am talking about.

Oh, and that mysterious foot pain. It is one ugly blister.

Not running related but love this sign!