Sorry I didn’t post the last couple of days but I was getting my mind right for the task at hand. Yesterday was the Chicago Marathon. Before we even got to start, we had to walk 1.5 miles, so our legs were definitely warmed up. The temperature was almost perfect for running. Low 50s at the start. I wrote everyone that inspired me on this journey on my left arm and assigned each of them a mile. It was a source of encouragement. We started out and I settled into a pace my body seemed happy with. As the race goes on, I glanced to my right and I see a 4:25 pacer. In my mind I’m like “holy %*|”. I decide not to focus on him and just continue to run my race, but I kept seeing him periodically. One of the best moments was running past a retirement home and seeing all the Senior citizens in the windows waving and all the runners waving back. The crowd support was amazing for this race, the whole 26.2 miles. Before I new it, I was a mile from finishing. I crossed and looked down at my watch….I almost busy into tears. My first marathon time was 5:02, and this one…. 4:17! I shaved 45 minutes of my time, and I could hardly believe it. For 18 weeks I bust my butt training and it paid off. Thank you for following me on this journey. I will continue to post as I run more races. 
Tag: healthy
Roo Sport Pouch 2.0-Review
As a runner, there always a few essentials you should take along with you on your runs, especially long ones. I, for one, have never been a huge fan of runner’s belts but used one out of necessity. I mean how else were you going to carry your phone,key,gels, etc during your run.To my knowledge there was no real alternative out there for runners, so I did what i had to do. Last week, I went to VA to run the Richmond Half Marathon and while i was walking around the expo, I came up on a book for Roo Sport. Having never heard of it, I walked over and let the representative explain to me how it worked. It was literally a magnetic pouch, designed to eliminate the use of a runners belt. They come in two sizes, one that fits phones the size of iPhone 6 and one big enough to fit bigger phones the size of the iPhone 6 plus. At the end of the day, I was still a skeptic but decided to purchase one anyway just to see. The following is my review of the Roo Sport 2.0:
The Roo Sport is small magnetic pouch, with 2 zipper pockets and one large slot(w/ holes for your earbuds) big enough for your phone. Not only can it hold your phone but it is also big enough to hold up to 6 energy gels.
The proper placement of the pouch is your in front, over either your right or left leg. You can also wear in the back, but I did not try it there. After you tie off your shorts/pants, you simply place the larger side of the pouch inside your shorts and flip the smaller side over your belt-line. You will know it’s secure when you hear the magnet snap together. That’s it, you are now ready for your run. I know you are probably thinking, just as I was, how does this pouch stay secure and not bounce once you start running. This was the part I was a skeptic about, so the only way to know for sure is to go out for a run. I ran a half marathon, and to my surprise, it did not bounce. Yes, I could tell it was there but it didn’t bounce at all the whole time. While i was running, I was able to pull out my gels without pulling out the whole pouch which was extremely convenient. When you run with a belt, you sometimes end up with chafing from the belt moving but there was no evidence of chafing with the roo sport.
Cleaning the roo sport may also be a question that comes up. Well, it is pretty simple. It’s a magnetic pouch so all you have to do is magnetically stick the pouch to the inside wall of your washer machine, and it can easily be washed.
All in all, the roo sport is a must for active runners,cyclist, etc who are not a fan of belts. The price ranges from about $25-$35 depending on the size you get, although you may be able to get it a little cheaper at a race expo. It is a good investment.
Price: ****
Durability: ****
Comfort:****
Usability: *****
Overal: *****
Richmond Half Marathon Recap
I couple of weeks ago I decided I had 1 more half marathon in me, so I decided to sign up for the Richmond Half Marathon. Although I knew i would be traveling solo, i was aware of several runners from my area that were making the trip up so I knew I would probably run into someone I knew. As expected, at the expo I ran into 4 other Raleigh runners, one being the notorious Dr. D. I got a good night’s sleep friday night and woke up on Saturday ready to take on the next 13.1 miles.
I had been going back and forth about whether or not I wanted to try for a PR, it boiled down to how I was feeling after the first mile. The temperature was chilly 39, so it was almost prime weather to run fast. I started out staying within striking distance of the 1:45 pacer and i wanted to see how i would hold up. My PR was 1:48 so if i could hang with the pacer, I was guaranteed a new PR. After mile 8, I felt stronger and was handling the hills a lot better than a lot of the runners around me. As i got stronger, i started picking up my pace. I passed the 1:45 pacer after mile 9 and decided to see if I could keep the pace. 10,11,12 and still i was well ahead of 1:45. This half marathon is notorious for its final mile being straight downhill, and it did not disappoint. I galloped down the final downhill and crossed the finish line in a time of 1:43:05, a new PR by 5 minutes. Very happy with the outcome and now my 2016 has seen me PR in both marathon and half marathons. It has been a good year.
TMilesAndRunning 