50 Yard Finish 5K Recap

Saturday, June 18th, I ran the 50 Yard Finish 5K hosted my Impact Sports Performance. The race takes place at the home of the Buffalo Bills, Ralph Wilson Stadium. My friend and I decided to leave around 6:30 to ensure that we would have plenty of time to drive to Orchard Park, park and pick up our bibs. Packet pick up was hosted at the Adpro Sports Fieldhouse.

Once we got our bibs, we snapped some fun pictures inside the fieldhouse, then decided to walk back to the car to put our shirts away (that I don't think we were supposed to get, but they're cool), then walked around the Stadium a bit. Another one of my friends who was running the race, messaged me shortly thereafter to meet up, so we walked back into the fieldhouse. We chatted with them for about 20 minutes, then decided to make our way out to the start.

Once we made our way over to where the race was starting, they were starting to do a group warm-up for the runners that wanted to participate. It wasn't long before we were set to start. They sang the National Anthem, and then we were off! The start was pretty cool because some of the Buffalo Bills had come out to give high fives at the start as you passed them.

The race started on Abbott Road next to the Bills Store. The course took us up Abbott Road to the intersection where runners turned right onto Southwestern Blvd. Southwestern Blvd. was a nice downhill slope. Once runners made it to the next intersection, we turned right again onto California Road. This was the longest stretch of the race, and we ran on this road until we made it to the intersections of Big Tree Road which we again turned right onto. We made our way back up Big Tree Road, then turned right onto Bills Drive. We ran up rills drive and turned right just before the ADPRO Sports Training Center. We ran down the side and behind the training center and slowly looped left toward the stadium where we ran down through the tunnel and on to the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The race (as you have likely already guessed) finished as runners crossed the 50 yard line.

(I couldn't get the entire course mapped out due to it being off marked roads)

Just past the finish, Bills Players were there to hang a finisher medal around your neck and congratulate you. I had finished the race in roughly 35:00, and I was really pleased with that time considering I hadn't been running consistently.

We grabbed some water, food and a free beer to refuel and we plopped ourselves down on the 25 yard line to eat, and watch other runners as they made their way across the field to the finish. We hung out in the sun for a bit, then as the last few finishers were trickling in, we decided to walk over to where the players were handing out medals to get pictures and autographs before finally heading out.

(Gary Chambers)

(James Wilder, Jr.)

(Reid Ferguson)

(Marshall Morgan)

Pros:
Bills Football Players (C'mon, clearly). It was so fun being able to interact with the Rookies and Billy.
The price: I only paid $30 to run this 5K. I registered online and there was no processing fee.
Refreshments: The race had a lot of great post race refreshments. Water (both spring and flavored), fruit, granola bars, hot dogs, and for those of age, a free ice cold beer.
The Course: It was a fun course that had a little hill to provide a challenge. And who wouldn't want to run through the tunnel at the Ralph and finish a 5K on the 50 yard line?!
Personally, I LOVED this race, and I look forward to running it again next year!

Cons: I'll be honest, I don't really have any. I had a great time at this race, and it was enjoyable from start to finish. I can't wait to run it again next year!

(Billy!)

QOTD: Have you ever run a race at/around one of your favorite teams Stadiums?

#TBT: Pink Ribbon 5K Recap

I apologize for the lack of any race recaps lately. I've run 4 races since May and desperately need to catch up, so I thought it would be a great idea to post some of them as a "Throwback Thursday" type post. Sadly, I've had this post typed out for over a month, and simply forgot to publish it. I know I focus mainly on my running and congenital heart condition, but I am considering expanding more on my daily life, and maybe give you a sense of why I've slacked off on posting lately.

Sunday, May 8th, I ran the Pink Ribbon 5K with my mom at Genesee Valley Park. It was also Mother's day so it was nice to be able to spend the entire day with my mom. This race is held every year on Mother's Day and the funds raised go to the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester (BCCR). The event offers a 5K run and a walk to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. The 5K run is a women's only event (of any age, so children may also run), and the walk welcomes both men and women. I had run to pick up our race packets the day before the race so we wouldn't have to rush the morning of the race to get down to the park and pick everything up.

(I really liked the bibs and shirts!)

The race was set to start at 9 am. Mom and I still left my house pretty early because I wasn't sure if the parking lots by Strong would actually be open for participants to park in. They always had been for the Stroll, but that was also an event for the Medical Center, so it made sense. I told mom if the lots weren't open, we would park where I park for work and walk over. Thankfully, the lots were open, so we parked and just hung out in the car for a little while. It was a beautiful sunny day, but there was definitely a chill in the air.

Once it got closer to 9, we walked over to park and down to the start. We stood in the sun for a few minutes and of course, snapped a pre-race picture.

They made an announcement (which I unfortunately could not hear) and then they sent us off. The course itself was the same as the Stroll for Strong 5K, so mom and I used it as a "test run" for the Stroll coming up in June.

The course has you run down Moore road, down to Hawthorn drive where you loop around through the parking lot and around the kickball fields onto Red Creek Path where we run back onto Hawthorne Drive across the expressway and back onto Moore Road. On Moore road, the course takes you down towards Elmwood Ave, but has you turn right up towards strong onto Intercampus Drive. Once on Intercampus drive, we ran back towards the canal where the parking lot/sidewalk meets up with the canal path. Runners turn right onto the canal path where they stay until they cross the finish line back in Genesee Valley Park.

(Course map)

Mom and I stayed together for most of the race, then when there was about 400 meters left, I took off towards to finish. I believe I finished the race in 39:25. My goal was the finish in under 40 minutes, so I was happy. Mom finished just a minute or so behind me.

Mom and I grabbed a water and walked back towards to pavilion. There wasn't much else going on in the park, so we decided to head out. We went to grab a breakfast sandwich to refuel before heading home to get cleaned up to spend the rest of Mother's day with my grandparents.

QOTD: This is the first time I've run this race. It sounds like a great Mother's Day tradition. Do you have any Mother's Day traditions?

I'M ONE YEAR POST-OP!! {Wegmans Family 5K Race Recap}

They say it takes an entire year to recover from any major surgery, and believe it or not, I made it! I can barely believe it myself, but I am in fact 1 year post-op from my open heart surgery! In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday, and in others it seems like it's been longer than a year. I also had my 1 year follow-up with my cardiologist, but that is another post for another day. So how exactly did I celebrate this milestone? With a 5K and brunch with friends!

This past Sunday (April 24th), I ran the Wegmans Family 5K, which is one of 4 events offered during the Flower City Challenge weekend. April 24th was actually the exact date of my 1 year "post-op-iversary," so it was important to me that I do something to commemorate the milestone. I'll be honest, I'd been planning on this 5K for the entire year. I knew that the race would fall on this weekend, and particular day. Luckily, I didn't have to do it alone either. A few of my friends from my previous job also joined me in celebrating.

Sunday morning I woke up (earlier than I normally do even for work), and got ready to meet my friends at Blue Cross. The race was set to start at 7:45 AM (with a half marathon set to start at 7:30 AM). I got down there and parked around 7:00 AM, and I went inside to use the restroom and see if I could find any of my friends. As I made my way around the arena, I heard a "Stacey?" I turned to see one of my Instagram friends, Cheryl! We had just been chatting the night before that we would finally be at the same race (after about 2 years of following each other), though she was running the half. We gave each other a big hug, and chatted for a few moments before wishing each other good luck.

I then heard from my friend Natalie that they were inside getting our friend Linda's bib, so I went down to packet pickup to meet them. I made it down there, and I noticed that both Natalie and Linda were wearing their #TeamStacey shirts that work had made for everyone for the Heart Walk the previous year (due to the walk being the same weekend as my surgery). As soon as I saw them, I broke down into tears. Happy tears, however, I was overwhelmed with everything that had transpired over the past year. It is easily described as peaks and valleys, again though, everything happens for a reason.

I pulled myself together, and we went outside to wait for the race to start. We had missed the half marathon start due to being inside at registration. They wanted to make sure the half marathoners had their bibs first since the half started 15 minutes before the 5K.

(Pre race selfie)

(Natalie, me and Linda)

We walked back towards where everyone was congregating in the race corral, and it wasn't long before the 5K race started. I didn't have a set goal in mind for the race, and I had mentioned that to Linda and Natalie. I just wanted to come out, celebrate and have fun with my friends. Natalie's only goal was the beat our time from the previous week.

(Course Map: Source)

This is the second time I've run this race (since last year my plans were derailed by surgery), and I LOVE the course. It's pretty flat, and it goes by some great landmarks in the city including the Susan B. Anthony House and Frontier Field.

Natalie, Linda and I chatted the entire race, and took frequent walk breaks. I mentioned to Natalie that I wish I had my timer because I honestly think we'd be able to run faster if we had scheduled walk breaks, but my timer is broken. While we were running along, the Rochester Police Academy and Rochester Fire Academy ran by us with their current recruits running in sync. Before I knew it, we were past Frontier Field and coming up on the 2 mile sign. I checked our time and saw that we were in good shape to beat our time from the previous week! The last mile flew by, and we even came across some cameras!

(Of course, some of them I did't even see)

(Two thumbs up!)

Before I knew it we were rounding the corner by Dinosaur BBQ, and I decided to kick it in and finish strong. We all finished within a minute of each other. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I started to tear up. Sounds silly, but I was overcome with emotion knowing how different my life was just one year ago. Linda gave me a high five and a huge hug, which probably made me cry harder, but it was all good. I waited for Natalie to cross the finish line, and gave her a high five. She had achieved her goal of beating her time from the weekend before! I also mentioned to her that we had even stopped for a few pictures along the course, so if it weren't for that, our time would have been a few minutes faster!

We walked down to the end of the finish chute for a cup of water and decided to head inside for a small bite to eat to hold us over before our brunch. While we were inside, there was a fleet feet backdrop that we decided to snap a picture in front of.

(All smiles after a fun 5K!)

After we grabbed some fruit and water, we decided to venture back outside to watch some of the half marathoners coming back in from the race. Our friend Courtney was running the half, so we definitely wanted to be out there to see her finish. It was fun watching all the half marathoners come in and finish their race. Courtney had told us that she'd probably finish in around 2:00:00, and she wasn't far off from her estimate. In the distance we saw her coming, so we all started cheering for her. Natalie snapped a cool "Happy Potter" picture (as I call them) on her iPhone.

(Court coming in strong - ignore my arm, gave her a high five)

Once Court finished, Natalie, Linda and I hung out in the sun a little bit before we headed to find Courtney to see what she wanted to do for food.

(Smiles in the sun)

We decided to head over to Village Bakery for brunch since the other place we were planning on going was actually closed. Courtney had run by it on her run and noticed it was no longer open. Oh well, I will never complain with Village Bakery. Their open face egg sandwiches are the best! We all enjoyed a delicious sandwich and (again) chatted for a while before we all went our separate ways.

(Linda, me, Natalie and Court at brunch)

In a silly way, this race will always hold a special place in my heart just due to the circumstances in which the race surrounds for me personally. Like I said, it's a pretty flat course, and in the years that I've actually been able to participate the weather has been fantastic. The cost of the race is reasonable too. It would have been even cheaper for me if I had registered when the race actually opened, but I still think I only paid something like $27.00. The only downfall to this race is the time. The half started at 7:30 AM with the 5K to follow at 7:45 AM. I know they started this race early due to the fact that there was also a half marathon being held during the same time, so that make sense. It's not a deal breaker since it didn't deter me from running the race.

QOTD: Are there any races that hold a special place in your heart?

Heart Run/Walk 5K Recap

Saturday, April 16th I ran the first annual Heart Run 5K here in Rochester. In years past they've always done the Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association, but this year they decided to add a 5K run. At first I wasn't going to do the run because the price was a little steep, however, my friend Natalie was running the 5K, so I decided to jump in and run/walk with her.

This year, only a few of us from the Cardiology department actually registered for the race/walk. Our team included myself, Natalie, our coworker Linda, and then one of our Attendings and his wife. The run/walk was also at a different location this year. This year it was at Frontier Field, where as in years past it has been at Blue Cross Arena. Or you could be like me last year, and be laying in a hospital bed 1 day S/P open heart surgery. But, I digress.

I woke up Saturday morning and got myself around to leave. It was a beautiful sunny day (surprising for April in Rochester), but it was still pretty chilly. I arrived at Frontier field around 8:30, and text my coworkers to see if any where there yet. The race was set to start at 9:00 AM with the walk to immediately follow. My coworkers and I set a meeting place and waited in the sun until it was time to walk over to the race start.

(Standing in the sun waiting for the race to stsrt)

We decided to wander over to where the race was going to start. On our way over, there was a big billboard for all the participants to sign. I thought that was cool, and Natalie told me they also had one last year for everyone to sign.

While we were stretching we noticed there were some characters/mascots (if you will), so of course we had to grab a quick picture before the race started.

Finally it was time for the race the start. For the inaugural race, there were about 400 registrants, which I thought was a decent number. We made our way to the starting line, and then they counted us down. Once they blew the horn for us to start, they released about 25 red balloons into the sky which I thought was a neat idea. Since there wasn't a huge crowd, I told my friend Natalie to let me know when we wanted to walk. I was game for whatever she wanted to do.

The course for the 5K (and the walk) was an out and back on the Inner Loop. It certainly wasn't flat, but the small hills provided a little challenge and made us work a little harder.

(Course map: Source)

Natalie, Linda and I made it to about the one mile marker, and we were all dying. We had definitely overdressed. My thermometer when I left my house said 38 degrees, but the sun was warm. Linda and I stripped our top layers and tied our shirts around our waists. Poor Natalie had worn a black Under Armour shirt under the black Heart Run shirts we were given at packet pickup. As we were making our way out to the turning point, we watched the other side as runners started to make their way back to the finish. Then we saw Ryan and Carrie! We all waved at each other and kept trudging along.

We had finally made it to the halfway point, and looped around and started back towards the finish. As we made our way back toward the finish, we were able to run past all the Heart Walk participants that were making their way to just about the 1 mile marker. It was great to see how many participants there were doing the walk. There were also little activities and snacks along the course for the walkers to partake in. The 3 of us chatted as we made our way back over the hills and turned the corner towards Frontier Field. The last 1/10 of a mile we kicked it in and finished strong. I finished in 41:40, not my fastest, but that's my fault for not running consistently this winter/spring. A huge shoutout to Natalie who ran her FIRST timed 5K, and she rocked it!

Once we finished we met up with Ryan and Carrie and chatted for a few minutes. Ryan had mentioned that Scott Hetsko had run the race, and just finished a few minutes before us. I went up to him to say hello, and introduce myself, and asked if I could get a picture with him.

(Chatting about our heart surgeries)

Scott was extremely nice. We chatted for a few minutes, and I told him that I had open heart surgery about a year ago too, and we compared scars. His looks awesome by the way, hardly noticeable. I commented on his Penn State shirt, and was excited to learn he is also a Penn State Alum!

After that we decided to check out the sponsor tents to see what goodies we could pick up. We stopped at the Kodak booth where they were taking pictures of participants, then printing them off so we could take them home. Not only that, they were offering a service where you could print pictures from your phone to take home with you, so we definitely took advantage of that.

We grabbed a small snack at the refreshment tent and decided that we would go for a bite to eat together when we left. We quickly walked around the tents and picked up some goodies and decided to head out. Linda, Natalie and I decided to head to Village Bakery for breakfast. It was such a beautiful day and we were lucky to snag a table outside in the sun. We ate our breakfast and stayed and chatted for quite a while, then we all headed out to enjoy the rest of our weekends.

(With Natalie and Linda at Village Bakery)

QOTD: Running is always more fun with friends. Do you have a BRF (best running friend?)

Cupid's Cup 5K Recap

I know this recap is late, but I need to catch up. On Sunday, February 7th I ran the Cupid's Cup 5K out at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus in Victor, NY. It is a newer athletic complex that offers a variety of sports, classes and programs for all ages.

This was a new race, and if you hadn't guessed, the race was a Valentine's Day themed race. The dynamic of the race was different as well. When participants registered, they were able to select their bib color based on their relationship status. Green for single runners, yellow for " it's complicated" runners, and red for those in relationships are who are married. They also allowed runners to change their bib color if necessary. With the idea that the single runners could mingle and maybe light spark.

Another interesting incentive for this race was that when registering (at least by January 29th) you received a Cupid's Cup with your registration (it was a cute coffee mug). I thought this was great because the last thing I need is another race t-shirt. Not that I don't like them, but I'm running out of drawer space.

I met some of my Team RWB buddies around 10:30 at the athletic campus, and can I just say it was a BEAUTIFUL day, and perfect running weather. I actually over-dressed for the race. We hung out inside the complex until it was about time for the race, and then we made our way to the start.

(Hanging out at the Kiss 106.7 booth)

(Eagles soaking up the February sun)

The race started right at 11, and thankfully the start was right at the top of a hill so we were not required to run up that. The race started on Phillips road, then almost immediately the course turned left onto Main Street/Fishers Road. We ran about  a mile on Main Street/Fishers, then we turned left onto Wangum Road. Runners were then met with a HUGE hill. I'm not going to lie, I walked the entire thing. I hadn't been running enough throughout the winter to charge the hill. We ran on Wangum for about 3/4 of a mile and then turned left onto Victor-Mendon Road. After about a half a mile on Victor-Mendon Road we turned left back onto Phillips road and ran back to the athletic campus where the race finished inside the complex on the turf.

(Course map: Source)

Given that I have not run as much this winter as I did last winter, I was slower than normal, and like I said, I walked the entire hill on Wangum Rd. I still finished the race in 37:24 (according to my apple watch), so I'll take it. Two of my RWB teammates finished before me, so one of them snapped pictures of us coming into the finish line.

(I look so serious, haha)

After all of my teammates finished the race we walked over to where the race sponsor had a refreshment spread. They offered fruit: Oranges and bananas, Bagels with peanut butter or cream cheese, and cookies and chocolate. We munched on a few snacks and chatted before making our depart to enjoy the rest of Superbowl Sunday. Overall, I really enjoyed this race. I would have to say the weather had a lot to do with that, it was unseasonably nice for a February run. I can definitely say I will consider running this race next year. Another pro was that the race only cost $22 if you registered by 2/5, and there was no online processing fee.

QOTD: Did you run any races in February? Any Valentine's Day themed races?

Run for the Red Twilight 5K Recap

This past Thursday I ran the Run for the Red Twilight 5K at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY. This is the second year in a row that I have participated in this event. Last year I ran the 10K, this year I only ran the 5K. This race is an even race that benefits the American Red Cross, and has a great after party.

Thursday afternoon it started to get pretty dark outside and the weather channel had said the area was going to get hit with a pretty rough thunderstorm. It did pour pretty hard while I was at work, but it started to clear off by the time I got out of work. The race director had sent an e-mail earlier in the day stating that the race would go on if it were raining, and be canceled if it were thundering and lightening, but that the "post-race party" would still go on because they had a lot of food and drink and would not be able to reschedule the event.

After I got out of work I ran over to Red Robin to meet some friends for a quick dinner. Alex's Lemonade Stand was doing a fundraiser and I didn't want to miss it. I wasn't sure how a cheeseburger and fries were going to treat me during the 5K, but I guess I would soon find out. I pulled in just before 5, and Nita and Matt were already there waiting for me. Just inside the door there was a small lemonade stand set up with free samples of Red Robin's Freckled Lemonade. There was also a small jar for donations and rubber ALSF bracelets.

We were quickly seated and ordering. I decided on a Red's Tavern Double and Sweet Potato friends. Sadly, I had to inhale my food and run (literally) to get to my race on time since I still had to drive to Canandaigua, which is about a 40 minute commute, and I wasn't certain what traffic would be like. Traffic ended up being okay, and luckily, the friends I was running all arrived around the same time and were parked within the same row.

(Pre-race selfie with Linda, Court and Sara)

It was still drizzling a little bit, but we headed through the swampy mess the storm had left, over to the race tent to show the volunteers our ID's so we could get our over 21 bracelets. Then we made our way to the start. It wasn't long before we started, and thankfully the rain had cleared completely. I had forgotten my headphones, so I was running without music but I wasn't disappointed. Sonnenberg Gardens is beautiful and there was enough to keep me distracted for 3.1 miles. The race course took us around the Mansions gardens and the old VA Hospital. The course then took us through some of the neighborhoods in Canandaigua past some very large and beautiful homes.

(I couldn't find a course map, so here's the map from my watch)

I stuck to my intervals and was cruising along, glancing at my watch every now and then to see how I was doing on time. Throughout the race I wondered when that cheeseburger and fries was going to come back and haunt me, but it never did. Before I knew it I was about 400 meters from the finish. Since I didn't have my headphones, I heard people talking about a rainbow, so I glanced up, and they were right. It was beautiful, but it wasn't even raining and hadn't been. I made it to the entrance to the gardens and started to pick up my pace and made my way past the finish line. I stopped my watch and heard my friends yelling to me. I went over to where they were sitting and I told them I thought I had broken through my 11:00/mile barrier. I went back into my watch history and clicked on Thursday's date. Here's what I saw:

(Yes, I saved this from my SnapChat)

I had done it, my average pace was 10:45/mile and I had finished (according to my watch) in 33:33 (pretty funny)! I eventually went to the race website to look up my chip time, and they clocked me a 33:31, I'll take it, 2 seconds faster! And yes, I'm well aware that 33:33 is not a fast 5K time by any stretch of the imagination, however, considering my first 5K time ever was like 45 minutes, and my average time for a 5K prior to my surgery was roughly 36:00-37:00, I'd say I'm doing well!

We decided to stroll over to the food tent and grab ourselves a little post race grub and an adult beverage to refuel. They had a pretty good spread, pizza, hot dogs, coleslaw, fruit, cupcakes, cookies, etc. They also offered beer and wine. After we ate we walked over to where they were hanging the results, and as it turned out, Linda placed second in her age group, and Sara and Courtney placed second and third, respectively, in their age groups! We hung around for the awards, but for some odd reason they skipped over Sara and Courtney's age category when handing out the medals, so we decided to head out. Hopefully the medals get mailed to them.

Overall race review:

Pros:
Time: I love that this race is an evening race. Personally, I run better in the evenings because I've had a chance to hydrate throughout the day.
Price: I waited a little too long to register, so my race fee was $30.00 plus a processing fee, and I registered as a team with my friends. Individual fee was $35.00 during the last price increase.
Post Race Party: I do not know any other race that I run that throws a party like this one that is actually included in your race registration. There was a lot of free food and drinks (alcohol included)!

Cons:
Water Stops: Again, the only water stop I noticed on the course was about .5 miles from the finish of the 5K. Whether this was the only water stop for the 10K or not like it was last year, I don't know, but I would be happier with one more stop should it be needed.

QOTD: When do you feel you run better? Are you a morning runner or an evening runner?

Women Run the Roc 5K Recap

Today I'm officially 16 weeks post-op, and it's so hard to believe how far I've come! Saturday, August 8th, I ran the Women Run the Roc 5K for the second year in a row. This race is sponsored by Fleet Feet and run by Yellow Jacket Racing, and is a race specifically for women (and one lucky guy). Friday night I actually stayed in a hotel on the east side of the city because my cousin and his fiance got married on Saturday, so my brother and I had a room for the weekend for the wedding. My coworker, Linda, and her daughter, Trish, picked me up at the hotel and we rode into the city together.

This year the race was actually moved to the Rochester Museum and Science Center. In past years it was held at Frontier Field. We parked just past the RMSC on the road and walked over the where race day packet pick up was being held and just hung out for a bit. Trish decided to go for a light jog to warm her muscles up, and Linda and I decided to take a walk around the block. Once we got back it was almost time for the race to start. We snapped a quick picture and jumped in the sea of women and waited.

(Selfie before the race)

The race started right at 8 AM, and Trish took off! I hung out around the middle of the pack and stuck to my intervals which I'm so used to (1 minute run : 1 minute walk). It was a beautiful morning and already starting to heat up. I was thankful that I took my warm-up off and tied it around my waist before I started the race.

The course had a few small inclines, but nothing horrible, just enough to let you know you were working. About halfway through the race I started to feel a little tired and very warm with the sun beating down on me, so I changed my intervals to 1 minute run : 2 minute walk and felt comfortable with that.

(Source: Yellow Jacket Racing)

I finished the race (according to my watch) in 34:37. I'll take it - it averaged out to be 11:01/mile. I'm SO close to breaking through that 11 minute mile barrier! I'm slowly improving, and I'll be honest, I haven't been training as consistently as I should be. Shame on me, but now it's seriously time to get back on track because the runDisney Wine and Dine 1/2 is roughly 85 days away (yikes!). Trish, the speed demon, placed first overall, and Linda placed 4th in her age group!

(Another pre-race picture)

After the race we hung out and waited for Trish to receive her award. While we waited we grabbed a small bite to eat from the spread offered by the race. Bagels (with cream cheese or peanut butter), bananas, carrots, and cookies. After Trish got her award, we headed out in search of some coffee. Then I had to head back to the hotel to get ready for my cousins wedding. I always enjoy running with Linda and Trish. They're both so fun and encouraging, and I strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle that they have set for themselves.

Pros:

Race location and course: Not that I haven't enjoyed the course in years past, but the new location offered a change of scenery which I thought was great!

Price: As long as you registered by August 5th it was $22.00, which I think is one of the cheapest races I've run in a few years. If you registered the day before the race it was $25.00, and race day it was $30.00 (still not bad).

Post Race Food: The food was provided by Mario's Cafe which is located within the RMCS. Not that the spread was anything special, however, some races don't even provide a post race treat.

Cons:

Cotton T-shirt: This is seriously my only complaint. In years past, the race swag was a Women Run the Roc Sweatyband, and I LOVED that because it was different from other races. This year they gave out a women's cut cotton tee. I like that the shirt is a women's cut, so it actually does fit me, but mine also has a hole in it. And it's cotton...

All in all, I would highly recommend this race to my female friends looking to run a race - especially a first timer. Especially with it being female focused, it's not as intimidating as other races could seem.

16 Week Post-Op Update: As I stated above, I have not been running as consistently as I should be, especially considering I'm training for a half marathon. However, I have noticed improvements in my running. My speed is slowly improving. I've also noticed that while running, my legs don't cramp up as much as they used to, and during my run/walk intervals, I've noticed my heart rate recovering much quicker than it used it.

I had my co-worker do a quick echo on me last week (mainly because my Attendings were curious) to see how my heart was recovering, and if it was normalizing in size and function. My right heart is now within normal limits for size, however, my right heart function is still just mildly reduced.

(Normal in size)

Unfortunately, I tried to upload a video of my heart, but it won't work. Boo. :(

QOTD: Ladies, have you ever run any women's specific races? Guys, have you ever dressed up as a princess for a race?

Brighton Chamber of Commerce 5K Recap

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! I had a great and very eventful weekend. I had a long weekend because my employer observed the 4th of July holiday on Friday, July 3rd. Saturday, July 4th I ran in the Brighton Chamber of Commerce 5K. This is the second time I have run this race, and I still enjoyed it as much as last year. Going into this race, I honestly did not have a goal in mind considering all that I've been through over the past three months. However, Friday, July 3rd marked 10 weeks from my heart surgery! I haven't been training, and I've been very lackadaisical with my running lately. More so because I'm still sore, and not feeling up to it. All of that is about to change though because Wine and Dine 1/2 training starts this week!

The Brighton 5K started at 8 am this past Saturday, and my running group wanted to meet for a group picture at 7:30. I met a few of my friends in the parking lot of the school around 7:15, and we walked down to the spot where we were supposed to meet up. As we waited for other members of our group to show up, we chatted about what our plans were for the day and the rest of the weekend. A few minutes after 7:30 and everyone who had responded to the race event was there and we were able to get our picture.

(Team RWB)

After we grabbed our photo we walked back to the school where the race was set to start. As we waited more and more of our friends began to show up.

(Mel, Nita and me)

Our friend Krista arrived with her baby, so we had to get another group shot with the newest Team RWB member!

Then we all made our way to the start and headed out. Like I said I had no real goal in mind, I just figured I would do what I could do, I just wanted to finish the race in 40 minutes. I started out just running and not even starting my timer, then eventually I started my timer and did 1:1 run/walk intervals. The race started off on S. Winton and had runners turn right onto Westfall road. I did my first mile in just over 11 minutes. From Westfall we turned onto Avalon Drive and weaved through the neighborhood until we made our way up to Elmwood Avenue.

Around mile 2, I started to get tired, so I changed my intervals to 1:2 run/walk, but looking at my time I was doing relatively well, and thought that maybe I could finish the race in 35:00. The race had us run about one block on Elmwood Avenue before turning right back into the neighborhood onto Bonnie Brae Avenue. Runners stayed on Bonnie Brae Avenue until we turned left onto Danbury Circle North. Danbury took runners back to S. Winton where we turned left and headed straight for the finish.

(Source: Yellow Jacket Racing)

When I turned onto S. Winton and headed towards the finish, I looked at my watch to see I was awfully close to 35:00, but I knew I wasn't going to make it. I continued to trudge along, soon I came up to the loop in front of the school, and I saw 3 of my teammates there cheering for me. Nita yelled out to me that she had a glass of water waiting for me (thank god). I finished, stopped my watch, and looked at my time, 36:03. Dangit, Hey, at least I tried. All in all, I'm really happy with that time considering I've really only run 5 times since my surgery in April. I walked back to where my teammates were cheering and watching the other runners come into the finish. Once all of our teammates had finished, a few of us decided to head down to the Starbucks on the corner to grab a well deserved iced coffee and breakfast sandwich.

QOTD: Did you run in a 4th of July event? What's your favorite 4th of July tradition?