Nike Women's Half Marathon Recap!

This was supposed to be posted earlier today but for some reason Blogger ate the post so I got to write it again!

The Race in Numbers:

6:30AM start time

30,000 runners

13.61 miles... how is that considered a half marathon?  I think Nike forgot how to count!

3,481,239 hills (okay, slight exaggeration)

3 potty breaks

4 mini walk breaks down the hills

45 seconds of tears shed at the finish line

4 shot blox consumed during the race

2 free chocolate bars grabbed at the chocolate mile (they were a great post-race snack!)

My time?  1 hour slower than I my fastest half.  Do I care?  Not one tiny bit.

The Race in Pictures:

Moonlit Start!

Here we go!

Ready to run!

Up another hill!

True Story.

Finish Line in Sight!

Finished the race!

Got the Tiffany's Necklace!  My firefighter is a million times better looking though...

The box!

10th Anniversary Race!

Love it

The race was just as fun as I remember.  A beautiful course, a great cause (Leukemia & Lymphoma- something very dear to me as my Grandpa died from Leukemia when I was 11), great goodie bag and tech shirt, and a TIFFANY'S necklace at the finish line. The only thing I will say about the race is that there were almost 10,000 more people running it this year which = way too crowded.  The finish line was chaotic, although I think that was because they had to cut the finish line area since it was partially on government land (and is a no-go because of the shut-down).  Hopefully next year the finish line will be as amazing as past years because this year was pretty anticlimactic!  That's okay though!

So how was running a half marathon at ~20 weeks pregnant?  Well... not like running a half marathon when I'm not pregnant, that's for sure!  Unfortunately, my body decided to go into freak out mode in the last week and the sacro-iliac joint (SI) pain that I've been having went from slightly annoying to constant. Luckily during the race I was able to pull through and I had more energy than I've ever had in a race (probably because I was running at snail speed!).  I had no issues whatsoever with baby and I'm so proud of baby boy accomplishing his first race! :)

After the race, we went to lunch near our hotel and I enjoyed an amazing chicken salad.  The best part however, was this:

Cheesecake Factory, you never let me down.

As much as I love this race, I think I might try to venture out next year and try a new race!  Any recommendations for fall races??

Expos are the Besto

And the lamest blog post title of the year award goes to... :)

But expos are the best. 

The Nike Women's Marathon is tomorrow and I am so excited! Don't worry... I'm not running the full marathon but I am going to attempt to run the half! And note I said run, not race. My plan is slow and steady with plenty of potty breaks, snacks, water stops, and walking if I need it! My doc gave me the go-ahead, so baby and I will be completing our second half together! (My first was the Mayor's Half in June when I was 3 weeks pregnant and had no idea).  

The past 2 days revolved around the glorious Nike expo... and shopping. The expo is so organized but extremely chaotic! After getting my bib and bag, I walked into the expo to see my name on the big screen! 

So awesome.

There were samples of protein shakes & macaroons, free hair styling and makeovers, and I even got my first tattoo. 

Don't worry, it was an airbrush tattoo. :)

Across from Union Square is Nike town where every runner's dream awaits.... I literally could spend an entire paycheck in that store alone, but I restrained myself! 

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My friend Melanie from PA school is also running tomorrow so it's been fun to have a girls trip! 

After spending far too long on our feet, we decided to come back and relax in the hotel room. I'm thoroughly looking forward to dinner out in the city tonight... Operation carbo load. And not only do I need to carbo load for me, but baby boy needs his carbs too, right?? I see Cheesecake Factory in my very near future...

Good luck to all of the other runners in races this weekend!!!