Massacre Marathon Relay Recap

This past weekend I ran in my first relay race. The Massacre Marathon Relay was held at Country Park in Greensboro, NC. The marathon consisted of doing 16 laps around the park.  I was on a team of 4, so we each did 4 laps. I ran last.

My running group, the RUNegades, had 4 total teams competing. We all set up our chairs together and cheered each other on. It was a really fun experience.

The teams were:

• Team Trust (my team)
• Team Believe
• Team Conquer
• Team Preserver

On my team we had Thad (our running coach), Margret, Karen, and Colin. Technically we had a team of five. Thad was having an open house at the studio and had forgotten it was the same day as the relay. So he ran the first 2 laps and Colin was nice enough to run the last 2 laps for his turn. It worked out really well.

Thad ran the first lap, which was the longest lap at 2.2 miles. Every lap after that was 1.6 miles. I was really nervous the first time I went because I was not sure about how to do the baton transition from one runner to the next. It ended up not being a big deal at all.

The baton was a hollow pipe. So the funny thing was that sometimes when I was running, I would naturally bring it up near my mouth. Every time this happen it would make funny sound when I would breathe into it. Kinda like blowing on a paper towel roll tube. It made me chuckle every time.

Country Park is pretty hilly. According to my Garmin I gained 935 ft of elevation during my 4 laps that totaled 6.2 miles. Going into the race I had no expectations of how I would do. I felt ok. Early on in the week I had been dealing with some pretty annoying calf pain. So I was a little worried about how my calves would like this course.

On my first lap I was nervous. It had been a while since I had raced and at a shorter distance. The whole strategy changes. You definitely put the pedal to the floor when you run one of these because you know you can rest in between your turn. I decided not to worry about my time and to only focus on how I felt. I would push it just past my comfort zone. The hills sucked, but I enjoyed the fact that through my training with RUNegades, I am becoming a pretty strong hill runner. Often times I would pass a good number of people on the hills. I would only look at my Garmin when it would signal I had completed another mile.


I could not be more ecstatic about my splits:

My Laps:
Lap 4: 12:22
Lap 8: 12:26
Lap 12: 12:30
Lap 16: 12:38

I cannot believe I went below 8 minute miles, let alone on this course.  I feel so excited, and so sore today, haha. I'm excited to see how much I've progressed in my running since joining the RUNegades.

I'm so proud of every team. We all did it in under 4 hours, which is so cool.

For overall teams this was our places out of 161 finishers: 

Believe - 23rd place in 3:12:56
Conquer - 68th place in 3:44:24
Trust - 76th place in 3:48:55
Persevere - 95th place in 3:59:29

This will definitely not be my last relay race!

Did I mention we got a medal and a hoodie too?!!!

Today I purchased my new best friend for when I have sore muscles, which I definitely have today. It is called the Gaiam Restore Pressure Point Massager. I bought it at Target for about $16, which included NC state tax. It targets pressure points to help increase circulation and alleviate sore muscles. It feels amazing! Why did I not buy one sooner? The foam roller is ok, but this really gets into the spots I need it to, like my calves.

Next up is the Tobacco Road Half-Marathon on March 15th. I plan to do another sub 2 hour half. My first sub 2 hour half  just  does not feel all the way right. My Garmin read only 12.83 at the end of the race instead of 13.1. So I want to do it and feel really good about it. The course was certified but I still feel like a cheater. That is just too big a difference.

Wish me luck!

Fitletic Hydration Belt Review

I run all my long runs with my Fitletic Hydration Belt. I absolutely love it. My first hydration belt had one big water bottle that you wore to the back. The waste strap had no give to it and was made of nylon. I hated it for my long runs because if it happened to touch my bare skin, it would rub me raw. Also, as I would lose some water weight as I would run, the whole belt would loosen and really start bouncing. Trying to adjust it on the fly was horrible. It drove me crazy. I hated spending so much effort on something I felt I shouldn't have to worry about.

Wearing my Fitletic 16oz Hydration Belt
during my first marathon.

The Fitletic belt is so comfortable. The waste band is elastic and never bounces. The material of the pouch and water holders are like a wetsuit. It is pretty waterproof, and it is a comfortable material. I have never had chafing problems with this belt.

The center pouch can fit a good amount of things in it. I keep 2 GUs, chap-stick, headphones, and my car keys in it. For my marathon I used the two exterior GU loops, which also worked great.

I prefer to wear mine towards the back

It has two 8oz bottle holsters. In the summer I like to fill one bottle with a sports drink and the other with water. It did take me a while to like having two water bottles. I was used to having just one big one. I had to get used to drinking from two and having them balance. I hate when one is full and the other is empty. Not a big deal, it can just feel off balanced. So I just rotate drinking from each bottle back and forth to keep them balanced.

I thought I would like the race bib toggles, but the way I wear
the belt low makes it so the bib would hang down way too low. Plus I like to wear everything to the back. It just feels more comfortable.

I like to have my Galaxy S 3 with me for emergencies so I also bought the Running Belt Phone Holder Accessory. My ginormous phone fits in it perfectly. I also put a credit card and some cash in the interior pocket encase I need it. I have worn it during a lot of rain, and so far it has fully protected my phone. It gives me fast easy access to my phone, which is really convenient.

Overall I absolutely love this hydration belt. It is comfortable and durable. I like that it is mostly black and blends into my running clothes. It's a must need accessory for me, but not one that I want to be flashy about. I have ran 6 half marathons with it and one full marathon. Not to mention the hundreds of training miles. It is so comfortable that I even forget I am wearing it after the first couple of miles.

I highly recommend it!

What's New 2015?

Well I obviously have not been blogging since the marathon. The holidays were a complete blur. I cannot believe we are already into February of 2015. Time sure waits for no one.

Last year was a really great running year for me. I ended up finishing the year with 1,150 running miles. My original goal had been 1,000, but then when I hit my goal two months before the end of the year, I decided to go for 1,200. I missed it by 50 miles due to my recovery week after the marathon and then my complete laziness during Christmas week. However, I don't regret it at all. In 2013, I ran 410 miles, so I more than doubled that in 2014. It was the first year I consistently ran all year. It truly is a part of my life now.


2014 Running Year Highlight Recap:

• I ran 6 half marathons -- RNR Raleigh, Race 13.1 Greensboro, Race 13.1 Midtown Raleigh Fall, Race 13.1 Fayetteville, Greensboro Half and the YMCA Mistletoe half.
• 5K PR of 25:23 and won third in my age group
• Finally ran a sub 2 hour half marathon
• Ran my first official 10 mile race, and killed it with awesome friends. Not to mention got third in my age group.
• Trained and ran my first marathon - OBX Marathon
• Ran 1,150 miles
• Ran a 90 day consecutive run streak of at least 1 mile
• My favorite -- I made amazing friendships along the way!!!

This year I am attempting to do the Run 2,015 miles in 2015. I'm running as a 3 person team, Collective sMiles. I was almost going to attempt it myself, but that averages to about 5.5 miles a day. I want to run happy and injury free. I'm still going to see how many miles I can get in this year. I just want to be smart about it. A challenge like this is not worth the risk of overdoing it. Plus doing it as a team is fun. In January I ran 120 miles, which is my second highest mileage month to date.

I am currently training for my running coaches first official race, the RunnerDude’s Trust. Believe. Conquer 25K. It has been a great way to keep my long run miles up. Plus I love supporting his business, and I'm excited to run with all my Greensboro running friends. It should be a really fun race.


I am doing my first relay race next weekend. It's the Massacre Marathon Relay. I'm running with a team of four.  It should be a good time. My running group, the RUNegades, has four teams running. The four teams are Trust, Believe, Conquer, and Perseverance. We are team Trust.


Well hopefully my next post will be about my awesome marathon relay experience :)