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

Nike Women's Half Marathon/Marathon Registration

We noticed a lot of new faces on our Fitness Mama facebook page!  Welcome!  Thanks so much for stopping by.

So we announced earlier this week that Fitness Mama would form a group to enter into the Nike Women's race.  We were so excited at the response!  Some of you guys are seasoned runners.  Some are new to running.  Some have never ran a race.  But you all have questions!  Below are some of the questions that were messaged to us.  We don't know all the answers but hopefully the below will help a little.

When is the NWM?  Where is it?  
The Nike Women's marathon is on October 20th, 2013.  The race takes place in SF.

How do I register?  What do you mean its a lottery?  How much is registration?
Registering is a process.  Nike accepts registrations for a small window of time (like two weeks).  Once you register though it does not mean you automatically can run on race day.  There is a lottery draw.  Don't ask why because we don't know why either.  This is just the way Nike does it.  :)

We are going to complete a group registration.  What this means is that we will register as a group so if our group gets chosen, then we all are in.  If our group does NOT get picked, then none of us run the race (and I will be very, very depressed).

Fitness Mama will obtain a GROUP NAME and PASSWORD.  You will need both of these to register with our group.  So wait until we release these to you before you register.

You must give Nike a credit card number when you register.  It will not get charged unless we are picked in the lottery.  If we are picked, Nike will automatically charge the cards.  The price of the race has not yet been put up.

Need more info?  Click here for Nike Group Registration info.

I've never run before, is there enough time to train?
YES!  There is enough time to train.  There are a lot of training programs out there that will help you and we can talk more about this later.  Fitness Mama will also support everyone as much as we can on this road to race day!  We can put together training schedules and group runs every few weeks until October 20th.  In the mean time, it couldn't hurt to lace up those running shoes and take a walk NOW right?  Start working your way towards running around your own block.  This will give you an extra head start on everyone.

We think a good question to ask yourself though is do you have time to commit to training?  There is definitely time from now to October to slowly and safely get you ready to complete a half marathon without injuries.  BUT you will have to commit to this goal and put in the time it takes to reaching it.

Sweet Tiffany necklace that we got at last year's NWM

So the registration process opens up on June 3rd...next Monday!  Look for updates from us on the FB page to get that Group ID/password.  Once you've registered, all there is left to do is wait to see if we got it!

And what if our group doesn't get in? 

It would be a very sad day indeed.  BUT it would be such a waste to just throw away all of this enthusiasm just because we didn't get into one race.  There are PLENTY of races we can choose instead of this one.  So we'll definitely all move forward with one race or another....TOGETHER!  

Weekly Running Posts

Hi guys!  It's Christina.

Once a week, we hope to write a post all about running.  Past race reports, training, running gear, ups and downs with the running, etc.  I've been running for about a year and a half and I feel like there is still plenty of room for improvement.  I feel like I've conditioned my body to run long distances but am I FAST?  Hell no.  My pace is really slow and I'd like to work to improve this somehow one day.

So my next running event is the See Jane Run Half Marathon.  I've done this race once before (last year) and it was a wonderful experience.  I would totally recommend this race to everyone.  From the online registration to the post race finish line bash, everything just goes so smoothly.  This is a women's run; women from all levels of fitness participate and are all so supportive of each other.  If you've never done a race before, this is the most perfect one to try out first.  I have no doubt you will be inspired to keep going to even more race events.

The course is an easier one in that it is completely flat.  The race is in Alameda (an island) so a lot of the course is along the water.  Hello, cool ocean breeze!  Last year the day of the race was sunny and clear and so we were fortunate enough to get that million dollar view of San Francisco towards the end of the course.    The view is stunning.

Me on the course last year.  Right behind me is the beach!  

Training for See Jane Run is not going as well as I would like.  The kids' schedules are so hectic right now that it is really challenging for me to find time to get out there and run.  Right now, I'm running maybe 2-3 times a week and then try (key word: try.  As in, it doesn't always happen! oops.) to fit a long run in on the weekends.  The race is on June 8th.  I'll let you guys know how it goes.  

I wanted to quickly talk about this Nike Run.  It's another race geared towards women.  This is the race where you get that gorgeous Tiffany necklace as your medal.  Team GIG is going to enter as a group.  Let me know in the comments if you guys are interested in getting into this race with Team GIG!  There are so many that want to get into this race that Nike does it by a lottery system.  If our team gets chosen in the lottery, then we ALL get in and we can run the race together.  Wouldn't that be awesome?!  I'll update you guys on when the registration opens.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook to stay in the loop.  For now, some pictures from last year's race....

Taken at the start line.  It was still dark when we lined up and we waited for the race to start as the sun rose.

SF is known for its hills.  And there are definitely some on the course!

Christelyn did the full.  I did the half.