Nike Women's Marathon Random Draw Results

For those of you who signed up with Team Get It Girl, you might have already gotten word that our group entry was not accepted.

If you are still interested in running NWM this October you can do a few things.  You can register through Team In Training which will get you in immediately.  This is also a great way to raise money for a good cause. 

In our 'rejection email', Nike also pointed us to second chance in getting in through a Verizon sponsored contest where you have to create a Pinterest board.  The contest is called 'Pin to Win'.  For more information on that you can click here.  

Nike also may OR may not open up a few second chance slots as the race gets closer.  Last year, a few members of Team GIG got in this way.  Don't count on Nike doing this again this year but it can't hurt to stay ready just in case right?  

Team Get It Girl will now move forward with our fitness and running goals.  For those Mamas who are interested in still running in the Fall, we have another race we can do together.  We were so inspired by the energy and enthusiam in anticipating the results of the Nike Draw that it would be a shame to just throw all that energy away.  Some of us have already started training for Nike; why not just switch your goal to a new race?  Also, having a new race to train for can keep you ready should Nike open up slots later on.  

Team Get it Girl will now be running the Mermaid Series Sirena 10 mile run.  This race is on Sunday, November 10th in San Francisco.  This is three weeks after NWM so it actually gives you more time to get ready/train.  I've never ran a Mermaid Series race but I've always wanted to.  They give out the cutest shirts and race medals/pendants.  

all three pictures courtesy of the Mermaid Series FB page

This race is also geared towards women just like how Nike was.  Below is part of their mission statement that is written on their website.

"Mermaid Series is building a welcoming community that inspires women from all backgrounds to uncover and realize their full potential.

Mermaid Series strives to serve as a catalyst for change in women's lives as they set and discover new goals for themselves in fitness and in life. By providing training, support, motivation and eco-friendly events we are committed to the pursuit of our participants healthy lifestyle.

Our events aim to provide an opportunity for a positive change while making each woman regardless of their ability feel welcome."

We at Fitness Mama strive to do this exact same goal and so we are so proud to run this race to support the Mermaid Series mission.  

This race in SF gives you several course options: 5k ($45), 10k ($55), and the Sirena 10 miler ($75).  Each registration will be a different price depending on what you choose.  I strongly encourage you all to go BIG and run the 10 miler!  We have 4.5 months to train.  You can DO this.  

And one last thing...a HUGE selling point for me wanting to do this race is that the course will actually take you up and over the Golden Gate Bridge!!  This will be an amazing experience that not very many people can say they have done in a race.  In fact, NWM's course doesn't go over the bridge.  There are only 2-3 other races that do this I believe.  So take advantage of this opportunity ladies!  

Who's in???!!!  #LetsDoThis #TeamGetItGirl

Seattle Trip + Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon Race Report + Tons of Pics

Three things.

One.  Can you guys believe we are in the last week of June?!  It is blowing my mind right now that the fourth of July is next week.  It seems like this summer is just flying by!

Two.  Nike Women's Marathon is going to start letting us know if people made it through their lottery tomorrow.  Keep those fingers crossed!  They say it could take a few days for them to email everyone so if you don't get an email tomorrow, don't lose hope.

And three.  I wanted to share with you guys another race I did recently.  I'm putting each report up just in case you guys are thinking about doing these races next year.  Hopefully you guys will find these helpful; please use it as a simple point of reference when trying to plan out what races you want to do in the future.  And if you have questions about something I might have missed, please ask away!

My husband and I planned to do the Seattle Rock and Roll half marathon more than six months ago.  We had such a great experience with San Jose's Rock and Roll half last year that we knew they would put on a great race no matter what.  Plus, Seattle was a city my family and I have never been to so we thought it would be a great family get away.

I'll start with the race stuff.

We were able to attend the bib pick up/expo on Thursday.  The expo was huge.  The biggest bib pick up I've ever attended thus far.  It was located at the CenturyLink Field Event Center.  RnR races have corrals to make the start line process go smoothly.  Each corral had their own stand for bib pick up.  There were 40+ corrals!!  The stands went on for days.  The amount of booths/freebies/samples was astounding.  I've never experienced anything like it.  As always, RnR was extremely organized for this monstrosity of an event.

cheerleaders to welcome you to bib pick up

                             

TONS of vendors.  Have you guys ever bought anything from One More Mile Apparel?
The sayings on their shirts are so funny.

my husband (FYI, from now on I'm going to refer to this guy as Mr. DJ instead of writing 'my husband' out every time) purchasing nutrition/fuel for the race

course previews

It was drizzing on this day and my hair was out of control poofy.  I realized that my hair was just like this purple hair girl.


My boys and I +  the Geico Gecko

                     
On Friday, we did a lot of sightseeing.  I'll post pictures of stuff we saw later on in the post; that way, you can skip it if you just want to see the race stuff!

Saturday was race day.  Start time was at 7am.  I woke up at 5am so I can slowly get ready (because who wants to move quickly that early in the morning?!).  We stayed at the Seattle Westin which is about a mile from the Space Needle  (start/finish line location).  We took the monorail from our hotel to the start (station was right across the street).  We ended up getting to the start at 6:15.  Plenty of time to spare but better to be early than late.  We hung out inside the Seattle Center Armory to keep warm.  There were plenty of bathrooms here too, a better alternative to the port-o-potties outside.

Mr. DJ and I waiting in the Armory

It was reported that there were 18k runners at this race.  This wasn't the biggest race I've ran but it definitely is the MOST ORGANIZED.  There are big signs everywhere telling you where to go.  There were no shortages of anything.

I mentioned before that there were over 40 corrals.  My only issue with this race is that it takes awhile for all of the corrals to cross the start line.  I was in corral 19.  The race officially started at 7am.  I didn't cross the start line until 7:30am.  Having to wait an extra half hour was a little annoying especially when you're all set and ready and just WANT TO RUN and not stand in place.  But I guess this comes with signing up in any big race.  And I do understand that it is a much safer and actually better experience on the course when there  are corrals like this and I appreciate that.  I just am an impatient person and I hate waiting.  ;)

When we signed up for the race, I totally was expecting to run in the rain.  Because it's SEATTLE.  But race day gave us nothing but sunshine and actually it got really hot at some points.  There was some neighbor holding up a water hose and I am always so thankful for this on hot race days.  I ran through the water, got soaked, but dried up less than a mile later.  This was the only 'rain' we experienced on race day.

photo courtesy of the Seattle RnR site

The course itself was awesome.  From the Space Needle, we went through downtown, through the international district and then eventually through some neighborhoods with plenty of people always cheering the runners on.  At around mile 6 we hit a picturesque part of the course with Lake Washington to our right side.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  Everything was SO lush and green.  Now I get why Seattle is the Emerald City.  At this point, I saw a vow renewal taking place.  I wish I had taken a picture.  Some guy pulled his wife off the course (she was running) and asked her to marry him again after 35 years!  They had a officiant waiting and the family was all there.  So awesome.

Around mile 7/8 the Wear Blue: Run to Remember group was present.  There were pictures along the course of servicemen/women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  I really had to concentrate on not completely breaking down and crying.  It was a great tribute.

photo courtesy of the Seattle RnR site

After passing Lake Washington, the course hopped on a shut down freeway that led us by SafeCo Field and the CenturyLink Stadium.  I could not believe they actually shut down a freeway.  This freeway led to a major bridge (we didn't run on the bridge but it was shut down nonetheless because we ran on the roads leading to the bridge). I don't think that would fly where I live in the SF bay area; people would start rioting.  Seriously.  It may be like shutting down I80 west and closing the bay bridge.  So I just wanted to take the time to thank the people of Seattle for being so patient and so tolerant of this course.

After SafeCo, the course wound its way through downtown again and then down past the Seattle Ferris Wheel by the water, past Pioneer Square/Pike Place Market and then back towards the Space Needle.  The course was pretty flat for the most part.  It starts getting hilly the last two miles of the race.  This was torture! But I heard that the course has changed and this year's was actually better.  There was one hill at like mile 12.5.  That was pure evil and just plain sadistic!!  I live in an area where I have to run hills all the time but I try not to find myself going uphill after just running 12.5 miles.  That hill almost had me walking.  Almost.

I pretty much ran the whole thing and I was pretty happy with that despite my super slow time.  I was ten minutes behind my PR.  But this was expected because I didn't put in the training time/miles this time around. Also, I do not recommend putting in a full day of sight seeing a day before a half marathon.  :)  The heat and the hills also did not help my time whatsoever.  BUT I had SO much fun with this whole experience.  It was my first destination race and it was such a fun experience that I want to do at least one destination race a year.  Now that I know how this all works, I think I can prepare a little better when traveling for a race.

The Medal

Seattle was beautiful.  We only spent five days there and the first impression I got was that it's a very chill place.  The people were down to earth and super friendly.  And everything is SO clean.  The link (kinda like BART) floor was this light blue color.  It just impressed me that it was so clean that it stays that color.  You'd think there would be stains or mud everywhere (because of the rain) but it was just CLEAN.  No weird smells either.  If you've rode on BART before, you know what I mean.

The air in Seattle also is just CLEAN and crisp.  No pollution at the horizon.  I keep using the word 'clean' but this is just the first thing I noticed about the place.

We hit up all the touristy areas.  Pike Place Market.  First Starbucks store.  Gum Wall.  Space Needle.  And we also hit up a Mariner's game.  My family and I are HUGE A's fans and guess who was in town!!??  The A's.  We really couldn't believe our luck.  

making his mark on the Gum Wall

at the top of the Space Needle

this is the market where they throw the fish.  We actually were lucky enough to see it live.  I was too slow with the camera though and didn't get a shot.

These two were able to get on the actual field and walk around

I absolutely LOVE Seattle.  I (hella) love the bay area and would never leave but if I HAD to leave, I might pick Seattle.  I definitely would go back to just visit in a heartbeat.

And if you're ever there visiting, you MUST stop at these places to eat:

Serious Pie.  Their pizza is SO YUM.  You simply must try it.

Portage Bay Cafe.  The breakfast here really shines.  The star is their Berry Bar.  Don't skip this to top your pancakes!

Beecher's.  The BEST mac and cheese you will ever try is located here.

Grill From Ipanema.  If you like meat, visit this Brazilian steakhouse.  I don't eat a whole lot of meat but Mr. DJ does and he absolutely loved this spot.

#imissSEATTLE

Running/Workout Inspiration

Save and print, then stick it on your fridge.  Use it as your wallpaper.  Pin it to pinterest.  Tape it to the mirror in your bathroom.  You may have seen some of these already if you're following us on Facebook or Instagram.

Use these as a reminder to keep up the awesome work you are doing in getting to your goals, whatever they may be.  Have a great week, Mamas!  

See Jane Run Race Report and Pictures

I ran about 8 different races in 2012 and See Jane Run was my absolute favorite in every way.  This year, SJR did not disappoint.

But before I get to the race report, I want to just say how proud I am of my sister who ran this race with me.  Just thinking about all of what she has accomplished this past year brings tears to my eyes.  Just a bit of a background...my sister is the one person who inspired me to run in the first place.  In 2007 she ran a marathon.  Back then, I was in complete awe and I didn't quite understand why anyone would want to run 26.2 miles.  But I thought it was amazing how NO ONE can take this accomplishment or feeling away from her.  Back then, I couldn't run around the block without having to walk so I basically felt that my sister had magical powers at that point.  To make a long story short, I eventually started to run myself and my sister supported me, pushed me, guided me with every step of the way.  Whenever I felt like giving up or whenever I felt like I was having a difficult run, I would think of how she did a MARATHON.  If she can do that, I can for sure do 1 more mile.  

When I got to a point when I felt comfortable participating in races, my sister got pregnant with her first child.  Basically, this whole time I've been running, my sister hasn't been able to run with me because she was busy being a brand new mama.  She had my most favorite, most amazing nephew in August 2012.

See Jane Run was the first real race I ran with my sister.  We ran the whole thing together.  And she was AMAZING.  She is nine months postpartum and still breastfeeding.  She is a first time mom.  She is very sleep deprived (you remember how those babies sleep that first year?  Yeah she is now very aware.)  She also works a full time job that requires her to work 50+ hours a week.  How she accomplished running a half marathon at this point is beyond me but I now know that ANYTHING is possible.  If YOU think YOU are too busy to workout or run, please remember this story.  She is my inspiration.  

So for my race report.  :)  Let's start with the expo.  

SJR throws an expo for their bib pick up.  They had several days and times for you to pick up your bib so it was convenient!  The expo was at Oakland's Jack London Square.  

my friend and her sweet daughter.  Fit mama Vivi is pregnant and she did  the SJR 5k walk.  Amazing!  Vivi is also another runner that I've always looked up to; she has been running longer than I have. 

We arrived at a time when it was not crowded so it was really fun to have most of the booths all to ourselves.  And there was no line at bib pick up!  I love when things go so smoothly like this.  

  

my sister and I.  This sign is SO us.  

I was born and raised in Alameda where this race took place.  My mom still lives there so I slept over her house the night before.  I'm so glad I did this as I'm always running a little frantically in the mornings but this time, I was able to wake up and take my time because my mom lives so close to the start line.  My brother in law was able to drop us off within a block of the start line (Thanks B!).  Thank goodness too because there was ZERO parking when we arrived 45 minutes before the race was to begin.  

the organizers led a warm up/stretches right before the start.  This, paired with heart pounding music, pumped everyone up.

Unfortunately, race day landed on The Hottest Day of The Year.  We live in the bay and Alameda rarely gets too hot.  Well it happened.  It got too hot.  REAL fast.  We started off well, we paced ourselves, knowing how hard it would get later when it would get even hotter.  There were pacers at this race and we kept up with the 2:05 and then the 2:10 pacer for a long time.  This is our typical pace so we felt really good.  

Then we hit a wall when we got to the heart of Bay Farm Island...the business park.  Tall, boring buildings blocking any sign of wind.  No neighbors to cheer you on.  And then there was the heat.  It was difficult.  We slowed down at this point.  

Raiders headquarters.  Touchdown RRRRRrrraiders!  Sorry I'm a Raiders fan.  Had to let that out.

When we reached mile 6, there was an aid station with Gu and gatorade.  It also happened to be across the street from Raiders headquarters.  #GoRaiders  All of this combined gave us a second wind and before you knew it, we were out by the beach/waterfront again and the cool ocean breeze was definitely welcomed.  

Beautiful views of SF and the Bay Bridge

We slowed down a bit during the last two miles.  Leg cramps, the heat, not being hydrated enough caught up to us.  We were so thankful for these good samaritans supporting everyone on the course.  

she passed out pretzels and water.  this wasn't an official aid station but so thankful she was there.

There was this little girl holding out a water hose for everyone to run through.  I ran through there and got pretty soaked.  It felt so good.  Sadly, it was so hot that I was completely dry a half mile later!

Despite  being in pain, my sister ran the last half mile like a champ.  I kept pleading with her to slow down because I didn't want her injuring herself but I should've known better.  She is a runner through and through.  They never quit. 

We got our awesome medals, champagne glasses and See's CHOCOLATE at the end.  #happygirl

There were only two things I wanted to note that I wasn't too happy with.  What happened to Luna Bar Alley!??  Last year Luna Bar sponsored an aid station complete with live DJ, 20 cheerleaders with blue wigs, and tons of luna bars.  It was definitely a big party of an aid station.  I missed that because Luna wasn't at this race.  The other thing I noted was that there was no Zico's left when I crossed the finished line.  I look forward to my icy cold Zico after each race.  But I heard they ran out an hour and a half before I even got to finish.  

BUT even after those minor hiccups, SJR is still one of the most organized races I've been a part of.  Everyone is also so supportive and the camaraderie here is so great compared to every race I can remember running. 

They also gave out one of the coolest race medals I've ever seen.  This just might be my favorite.