Becoming a Race Director

July 3, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Background, Race #5k, #funrun, #globalhealth, #hopkins, #race, #racedirector, #run, #runchat, #running

In late July of last year, the team that had traveled to Liberia months before were having dinner with some of our Liberian friends who had flown in for a conference. I couldn’t make dinner because it was the first time Tin Roof Runners were running and I had committed to that before I knew about dinner. I was sad I wouldn’t be able to see our Liberian friends, after the run they were still at dinner at a restaurant close by so I decided even though I wasn’t dressed for it I would stop in and see them. It was great to see them even if only for a few minutes and get updates on how everyone was doing. As I was getting ready to leave our team leader, Dr. Sampson, asked if I would be interested in helping get a 5k together to raise funds for our next trip and to assist in the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa. I told him sure and to give me a call to discuss it.

We didn’t discuss the 5k again until late fall, sometime in November. Once we did, we talked about what would make a good 5k, a list of things we needed to do, and where a good place for a course would be. I recommended somewhere that we would not need to shut the roads down. Since this was the first year of the race, Dr. Sampson and I were pretty much funding the start up cost ourselves we wanted to keep cost down. Dr. Sampson suggested Perry Point VA Property in Havre de Grace, MD. We went out and looked at the property, it was pretty flat, right on the water, and no major traffic on the property. We both agreed that it would be a good site.

In December we met, to develop a more detailed list of things we needed to do; start to look for sponsors, race insurance, advertising, confirm we could use the property, the date, shirts, medical on site, volunteers, and a few other things. At this meeting Dr. Sampson asked me if I wanted to be the project lead (race director) and I happily accepted. We started to compile a list of volunteers and who would be the point person for them, we started to list business to ask for sponsorships, digital timing companies, and then we needed a name and logo. We talked about several different names for a a while and after about 30 minutes we settled on Global Health 5k and Fun Run! We thought it fit our message perfectly, our goal is to affect global health and in the future we want to expand the race to around the World. We also checked the race schedule on a few websites for the upcoming year and picked our date, April 18th, 2015 With that we wrapped up the meeting and we had our marching orders.

I designed the logo, Dr. Sampson had it cleaned up and rendered.

Over the next few weeks Dr. Sampson began to round up volunteers from the hospital and other organizations he was a member of. I worked on a logo and called around to digital timing companies. Once we had our logo, I began to build our website. Dr. Sampson was able to secure the Rotary as a Title Sponsor and they would provide the insurance for the race, we were really making progress. One area I was having difficulty with was finding a digital timer, all of them were booked. I asked a friend Paul, who has organized several local races, if he could recommend anyone and he had a guy he thought I should meet with. I emailed the person he recommended and set up a meeting to discuss the race and where we were at. When I met with him in January, he said we did a lot but was concerned we did not have enough time left for a successful event. He gave me a timing company we could use for a good price but did not do digital timing. I left the meeting feeling a bit worried. Dr. Sampson and I talked it over and we had the same thought, what if we bought the digital timing equipment and set up a separate company ourselves and did digital timing on the side.

I looked around at several different product lines and even attended a 3-hour webinar to get more information. After all that it was not financial feasible to purchase the base level equipment and be able to recoup our money within the first year, we estimated it could take over 3 years to make our money back. We stayed out of the digital timing business and ultimately decided to have the race without digital timing and hired the timing company that was suggested RASAC Harford County Running Club.

As the race got closer, more sponsors were coming in, I had gotten permission from the director at Perry Point VA to use the property, we laid out the course on google maps. Then we realized the date we picked for the race was the same day as Sole of the City in Baltimore. It was February now and we had been advertising for a few weeks, it was to late to change the date. That would explain why we hadn’t had that many runners sign up. I told Paul about it and he said that is just the way it works most of the runners will sign up in the last 2-3 weeks. That was a scary thought! For our first year our goal was to have 200 participants, we currently had 10.

In mid-March the sponsors were really starting to coming through, I thought this would be a good time to start doing some more social media advertising. I started running more paid ads on facebook and through active.com. Slowly but surely runners started signing up! I was starting to feel better about the race.

April had arrived, only a few weeks till race day. Dr. Sampson and I were feeling good about where we were at with the number of runners but knew the next few weeks would be hectic. We met at the Perry Point VA on a Saturday morning to run the course and make sure we planned out a good route. It had been a harsh winter and though I ran everyday we waiting to run the course. It was a good thing we did, we actually had to modify the route. On the google map it showed a road that was no longer there. It actually worked out for the best, with the modification runners would run along the water and have a better view for a longer portion of the race. We needed mileage markers as well, I had been thinking of things we could use and put a sign on to note the mile and the sponsor for the mile. I couldn’t find anything that looked good, so I decided to build the mileage markers myself. I went to Home Depot, bought wood, hinges, and paint and went to work. Total it took me 3-4 days working on and off to finish the mileage markers.

Almost finished, photo of start and finish was lost when my iPhone died :( — Almost finished, photo of start and finish was lost when my iPhone died 😦

The week before the race was super hectic, I had to finalize the shirt design make sure all of our sponsors were included. Sponsors were asked to provide a high-res logo when the signed on, since I’m not a graphics person I didn’t realized some of them were not. After scrambling Dr. Sampson and I were able to get all of the logos in high-res and I had to have our logo redesigned to meet the same standard. Just as Paul said more runners were starting to sign up, which I liked seeing more sign up everyday. Once I had the shirts sorted out, I ordered our trophies for the race. The winners would get a trophy and gift card provided by Road ID, who also provided the bibs. I would recommend Road ID as a sponsor! Two days before race I went to Sam’s Club and purchased water and refreshments for on the course and at the finish line. The night before we had packet pick up, which went pretty smoothly.

Race Day:

I was up at 0500 to drive to Havre de Grace and make sure everything was good to go. Security would be opening the gates at 0600, Dr. Sampson was calling me by 0530 to ask why the gates weren’t open. By the time I arrived around 0550 Dr. Sampson had found security and had them open the gates even earlier. At the start line we set up registration, and then the phone calls started coming in of people who were lost. On the website, I guess it was not clear enough where the start point was. In generally talking with the runners we said Perry Point VA hospital, the actual start line address was on the Perry Point Park side of the property. Dr. Sampson and I fielded calls like that all morning, including from our timing company. The race started at 0800 and it was 0700 and I hadn’t set the mileage makers out yet. I went to do that, one part of the course I needed to drive into a field to place the marker on the other side of the road. The field was pretty muddy, but I wasn’t worried since I have a 4-wheel drive truck…I got stuck. I started to panic. Even in 4-low the truck kept spinning wheels, at the same time my phone was ringing with people trying to find the start line. I was really starting to freak out. I gave directions again, took a few deep breaths and got my truck rocking back and fourth and finally got it free! I was so relieved. After I set up the course and made it back to registration, everyone asked why my truck was covered in mud, I simply replied “Don’t ask”.

This pic doesn't really show how covered my truck was. — This pic doesn’t really show how covered my truck was.

There were a few hiccups at the registration table of people who did not realize you could only pay cash if you registered on race day, though it was clear on the website. I was able to go into active.com and open registration again and we got it resolved. Earlier Dr. Sampson had suggested I run the race as well, I hadn’t planned on it, but I did since he suggested it. After getting everyone checked, explaining the 5k course and the Fun Walk route we got the race underway at about 0810. I finished in overall 6th place and immediately made my way back to registration table to make sure everything was good to go for the finishers. What I didn’t realize was some of the water that was meant for the finish line was taken to the water stop on the course. That caused a bit of a backup as people finished but we got it under control.

Even though there were a few problems on race days, we learned some good lessons for when we do it again next year! Both runners and walkers commented on how nice the course was and really enjoyed the water view. We again thanked everyone for the participation, recognized the sponsors, and held our awards ceremony. By 1015 everything was wrapped up and the first Global Health 5k and Fun Run was in the books. It was stressful at times but well worth it, knowing that the money we raised would be going to help out those affected by Ebola in Liberia and Western Africa. Between runners and walkers our final count was 180, we were pretty happy with that. Look for more information in the coming weeks on how you can participate next year!

Have you been a race director before? How do you handle stress on race day, as a runner or organizer?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

Through the Winter…end of the streak?

June 24, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Background #citysports, #harboreast, #runchat, #rungear, #runinjury, #runstreak, #runwinter, #yaktrax

After setting a PR in early December it was clear winter was on it’s way. I bought a new winter running shirt from Lululemon, made from their Rulu fabric, it felt really soft and when I used it for the first time I knew it would keep me warm even in the coldest of weather.

The year before there were about 8 of us that ran together all through the winter, it really helped to keep each other motivated and in shape for when spring arrived. We became known as the ‘Core 8.’ This year the Core 8 wasn’t around, some had moved away, life changes didn’t allow them to run as much, and this winter seemed to be even colder than last so people seemed a bit more reluctant to run, even though the year before we had ran in 7 degree weather! That being said, this winter I had a lot of solo runs, which I don’t mind but on some of the days it would have been nice to company.

The run group I run with on Tuesdays, Tin Roof Runners, continued to run through the winter, but the numbers dwindled. (Sidenote: Do you know there are only 3 words in the English language that begin with the letters ‘dw’, do you know the other two?) I managed to keep the run streak alive, but it wasn’t easy. I like to run when the sun is still up and with daylight being shorter during the winter, that meant I had to run at night sometimes, this year there seemed to be a few more storms than the year before. On day #130 of the running streak we had a winter storm that left snow and ice, I was sliding all over the place trying to run. I knew I had to do something so I wouldn’t fall, I went to City Sports in Harbor East and one of the people I run with sometimes recommended Yaktrax. Yaktrax are basically crampons for runners, they worked great, didn’t change my stride, and I could barely tell I was wearing them on my shoes.

The rest of the winter continued and so did the run streak, pretty uneventful. As the weather warmed up I started to incorporate some hill training in preparation for race season. This year I had picked four races I wanted to do; Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 15k, Frederick Half Marathon, Baltimore 10-miler, and the Baltimore Marathon. Though the Hot Chocolate 15k was a relatively flat course I was already looking past that to Frederick and some hills, hence the hill training.

In the beginning of March, I started to feel some pain in my right knee. During the run streak I have had pain on and off in different areas of my legs from running so much, so I figured the knee pain would go away in a few days. It didn’t it only got worse, it became very hard to start a run without limping or wincing with pain; it was time to make a doctor’s appointment. I asked Sarah, who her Sports Medicine doctor was, she has had to deal with injuries before and I remember her telling me she had a really good doctor. She recommend a doctor from Johns Hopkins, I made an appointment, but would have to wait a few days to see the doctor. I really contemplated ending the streak because I didn’t want to jeopardize my race season. I decided to cut back on the miles, run easy, and wait to see what the doctor said before making any decisions.

March 24th, after a physical exam and getting some x-rays I waited for the doctor to come back into the room and give me a diagnoses. When she did, she told me I had Patellar Tendonitis, runner’s knee. She said I would need to go to physical therapy twice a week for a few weeks and I should be alright. She recommended the physical therapist that was right down the hall. I asked about running the 15k on April 4th and she recommended talking to the Physical Therapist to get their opinion, but she did say I could keep running but stop if the pain became to much. The earliest appointment I could get at the Physical Therapist was April 3rd.

April 3rd came and after an evaluation from the Physical Therapist, he told me I couldn’t race the next day, I pretty much figured that was coming so it wasn’t a huge disappointment. He was worried it could do more damage and set me back, putting the run streak in jeopardy. When I asked him about running everyday, he said I could still run, but no hills and I was limited to a mile a day for now. I asked about the Frederick Half and if he thought I would be ready? He said he thought so but he didn’t want to rush my recovery, so we needed to wait and see once the race was closer. Over the next 6 weeks, I went to physical therapy twice a week and did exercises at home, hoping my knee would get better. Several times I thought about ending the streak, in hopes to expedite my recovery, but I did not. Each week the therapist said I could run a little further if it felt comfortable and the pain started subsiding around week 3. By the end of week 6, the physical therapist gave me a clean bill of health and the okay to run the Frederick Half Marathon, which was in about a week.

Like new! (Yes, I realize this is my left knee)

My knee felt strong and ready to go, but I wasn’t sure if I was race ready. My longest run since the beginning of March had been 7 miles and I only did that once. I couldn’t do a long run now to see where I was at, it was to close to the race. I would have to rely on my base of running and pace myself a little more than I may have if I hadn’t been injured. I was really happy to be able to race and that I didn’t have to end the run streak! My next challenge was in front of me…the Frederick Half Marathon…

How was your experience running last winter? Have you had a running injury, what did you do?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

2 Countries, 1 Day, 1 Run!

June 17, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Background #canada, #niagarafalls, #run, #runadventure, #runchat, #runhappy, #running

December 21st, Day #57 of the running streak! I had ran about 3 miles earlier in the day, it was Sunday and I wanted to make sure I could enjoy the Ravens game without worrying about running when the game was over. I met a few friends at Tin Roof, it is a bar in downtown Baltimore, near Power Plant Live. There wasn’t much I could eat there, bars never seem to have vegetarian options. There were a few things on the menu I could get one being a quesadilla with avocado, various peppers, mushrooms, and cheese on it, so that is what I ordered. My friends and I watched the Ravens get run over by the Texans, it was a lackluster game to say the least. Towards the end of the third quarter an idea popped into my head to take a spontaneous trip! I had the next two weeks off from work and nothing really planned, so I started googling places to go. Airfare was pretty steep for most places since I had waited till the last minute, so I started thinking about places I could drive to.

“Who wants to go to Niagara Falls?” It was an open invitation to my friends at the table, some looked at me puzzled and one asked me when? I said right now, it’s only about a 6 hour drive! I almost got my one friend to go but then she decided not to. I was trying to convince someone to be spontaneous with me, but it wasn’t working. The waitress came and asked if we needed anything else, I said “May I ask you a question?”, she replied “Sure”. “Are you spontaneous?”, I asked. She said, “Yes!”. So I followed up with, “If someone asked you on a whim to go to Niagara Falls, would you?”. She quickly replied, “Yes, I’ve never been there.” So I figured why not ask. When I asked her to go it seemed like she actually considered it for a second or two, then declined. I told her I would take my check, I had to get on the road!

My friends didn’t believe that I was going to go, but I was! I stopped at my house and packed a change of clothes, some running gear and I was on my way. My check oil light had come on, so just to be safe I stopped and got some oil to put in my truck. I am glad I did, somehow my truck had burned almost 5 quarts of oil, so I could have had quite the problem had I not stopped. After filling up the oil basin I was on my way to Niagara Falls.

When I left Baltimore, it was about 8 in the evening so I would be getting there really late. I don’t mind driving at night and I don’t mind long drives. Most of the time I actually choose to drive, instead of fly, given the option. I don’t have anything against flying, I just like that when I am visiting somewhere I can drive if I need to run to the store or something.

I used the Waze App for navigation, it took me on some backroads through Pennsylvania, I stopped to get gas in a one stoplight town along the way. While I was on the highway about 2 hours outside Niagara, I saw a glowing in the sky, it looked like a huge fire in the woods. It was getting brighter and seemed very large as it reflected off the low cloud cover, after about 10 mins of driving, I could tell it was an oil refinery burning off something. Thank goodness it wasn’t a wildfire. My drive up to Niagara was pretty uneventful, I was surprised when I got close to Buffalo I could still pick up a Baltimore AM radio station, WBAL 1090. I guess other than the cloud cover near the oil refinery it was pretty clear and the signal could carry really far. Yes, I do listen to AM radio; at night when I’m driving I usually listen to Coast to Coast, for a good laugh and just to keep the drive interesting.

As I got close to the Falls there was some construction going on so I followed the detour signs and at just about 3am, on what would be Day #58 of the running streak, I pulled into the parking lot adjacent to Niagara Falls. Surprisingly the park never closes, not surprisingly I was the only one there and it was cold. If I remember correctly I think the temperature was close to 16 degrees. When I stepped out of my truck I could hear the Falls raging as the water flowed over. I decided I would walk around a bit, so I bundled up and went for a stroll. It was icy along some the pathways because of the mist from the falls. There were huge ice chunks in the river, which was cool to see. The lights were not turned on at the Falls, I found out later they turn those off at 11pm. I couldn’t see a lot of the Falls but as I walked closer to were the water goes over, the noise from the raging water grew louder and finally you could see the edge where the water drop into the abyss. There was lots of ice and it was so cool to Niagara like this. I hadn’t been here in more than 15 years. I walked around a little more and tried to take some photos, but the flash on my phone wasn’t working, so they didn’t turn out so great. It was getting late or early depending how you look at it and I was pretty tired after the drive. I have a pretty spacious truck, so instead of getting a hotel I opted to find an empty parking lot close by where there weren’t any parking restriction signs and get some shuteye.

I woke up around 7am to the sound of some construction worker replacing some sort of piping at the end of the parking lot. I decided I should go see the Falls during the day. I was in awe, it was better than I remembered it. It is an amazing site to see that much water constantly flowing over crashing onto the ice, rock, and river below. I walked around for about 45 minutes, crossed a bridge to Green Island and then Goat Island and got a view of Niagara from the other side.

I was getting pretty hungry so I started to head back. I spotted a small family owned hotel and restaurant, which I have forgotten the name of, and stopped in for breakfast. I ordered a veggie skillet with toast. I made small talk with the waitress and she was surprised that I had just driven up, but commented she wished she had that spontaneity. When my breakfast arrived I was stunned how much food it was, there were going to be leftovers. After I finished breakfast and boxed up what was left, I was tired again, so I decided to take a nap. On my way back to my truck, I spotted a Park Police officer and asked him if there were any running trails around, he gave me a few routes to run, I thanked him and then went and took a nap in my truck for about 2 hours.

When I woke up the air was much warmer but it was still in the 30’s, it was time for a run. I changed into my running tights and shirt, I took some gloves, hat, and a baclava to cover my face. After about a half mile of running I didn’t need those anymore, my body was warming up and so was the air. I ran around the American side of Niagara Falls, back to Green Island, Goat Island, and Three Sisters Island which is a bit farther up river. Seeing the falls from so many different angles was great, I had to be careful in some areas because of the ice, the ice closed some trails that were lower down, that was a bit disappointing. I made my way up to the American observation deck, that was enclosed by glass, it was a bit unnerving but was a great view of the Falls. After exploring the American side it was time to make my way over to the Canadian side, I had brought my passport just in case I wanted to go into Canada and after running around, I wanted to see the Falls from the Canadian side too. I ran across a long bridge that connects the US and Canada, it was awesome, it was about 300 feet off the water and you could see both the American and Canadian Falls.

As I got to the end of the bridge I entered the Customs and Immigration building. To my surprise there wasn’t a line. I walked right up to the Canadian Immigration Officer and handed him my passport. He asked my purpose for visiting and I explained, I think he thought it was odd that I came up just to run for the day, but he didn’t make a big deal about it. What he did make a big deal about was that I had been to Liberia in March. I explained it was before the Ebola outbreak. He asked why I was there, when I told him it was for a medical mission that didn’t help my case. That is when he started to get really concerned. He said he would have to call his supervisor and asked me to stand in the corner by myself. From a distance he asked how I knew I didn’t have Ebola, I went through the entire medical explanation of why it wasn’t possible for me to have it and finished with, “Plus if I had contracted Ebola, I would have died months ago”. I don’t think he found that reassuring and he didn’t share in my love for sarcasm. Finally after about 15 minutes of standing in the corner and watching people pass by he spoke with his supervisor who gave me the all clear to enter Canada. He apologized for the delay and said he was concerned because I came into the building sweating (which can be one sign of Ebola, high fever) and he saw Liberia on my passport and thought the worse. I told him I understood and knew he was only doing his job, with that I was out the door and into Canada!

As I made it down to the footpath parallel to Niagara Parkway the Falls came into view, it is true what people say about a better view from the Canadian side. Just an amazing view of the power nature has! I decided to try and FaceTime my Mom and surprise her at where I was, FaceTime didn’t want to cooperate so I called her. When I told her I was in Canada she wasn’t all that surprised, I’ve taken random trips like this before. I text her a few pictures and told her I would be home sometime late that night, as all Moms do she told me to be safe. I started running along the path taking pictures along the way. As I went further along it seemed like it started to rain, but it was actually the mist coming off the falls, you could even see rainbows forming, the mist was that heavy. I ran the entire length of the path which stopped on the other side of the Canadian falls a little way up river. I sat for a few minutes took some more pictures and then started to head back. On the way back I wanted to try and avoid the mist and dry out a bit, although I was wet I wasn’t really that could. The sun was shining and even though it was in the 30’s it was a nice day. On the way back I stopped in the visitors center and viewed the Falls from there, most of the attractions were closed since it was the middle of winter and a Monday.

I made my way back across the bridge and into the US Entry Point building. This is the part of my trip where I got a little irritated, in order to get back into the US, I needed to pay 50 cents for an entry fee. I only had a $20 bill. It was a turn-style booth, like in the subway, but no one was working there. I thought about jumping it but cameras were all over the place. There was a phone off to the side with a number to call for assistance. I called and explained I only had a $20, the person said someone would be up to help me. After waiting for about 10 mins, someone finally came with change and I was back in the US, my pockets 50 cents lighter. It really bothers me as a citizen and a veteran I have to pay to come back to my home country, but I don’t want to digress to much.

I entered into the US Customs and Immigration building and approached the customs agent. He looked at my passport, he asked me about Liberia, I went through the whole explanation again. He understood, he asked me how long I had been in Canada, I told him an hour or an hour and a half max, this is when the red flags when up. He asked what I was doing I told him I went for a run, he asked where was my car, I told him where it was parked, he asked where I lived, when I told him Baltimore, we started the whole series of questions again. He also asked me several questions about my motives for coming up here, why only for a day, was I smuggling anything? I felt like telling him, I’m wearing a pretty snug shirt and running tights, where do you think I’m hiding something. Using my better judgement I thought that wouldn’t be a good idea. After about 5 minutes of questioning, he literally threw my passport back at me and told me to proceed through. I was a bit taken back but wasn’t going to let his lack of professionalism bother me. I left the building and ran back to my truck.

All total I ran about 6 miles on day #58 with amazing views! I was glad I decided to be spontaneous and drive up to see Niagara Falls. I changed out of my damp running clothes, finished my leftovers from breakfast and decided to take a nap before driving again. I slept for another 2 hours, when I woke up I took one last walk around and took some final pictures. I left Niagara Falls at about 4pm. Other than a little hale on the way home the drive was pretty smooth, I got back at about 10:30pm. It was a day of running to remember!

Bridge to connecting US and Canda; Maid of the Mist in drydock

Have you ever taken a spontaneous trip? What is your favorite running adventure? I’d like to hear about it!

-Veggie Fueled Runner

Making it to a month in Mexico (#kittyfunk)

June 12, 2015June 12, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Background #borntorun, #citysports, #kittyfunk, #massage, #mexico, #newexperiences, #runchat, #running, #runstreak, #veggiefuel, #werunbaltimore

The first few weeks of running had been going well for both the run streak and as a vegetarian. The cleanse had not been as difficult as I thought it would be, though by day 17 or 18 I had to stop taking the vitamin pills you are suppose to. There were just to many and they were to big. It was hard to swallow them and my throat was getting sore. I had also learned a few lessons about how I would need to run to make sure the streak would keep going. First, if you think you are going out in the evening, run in the morning or afternoon. There were a few times I was pounding the pavement at 1 or 2 in the morning to keep the streak alive…not the best idea. Second, I would need to make sure to ‘rest’ a few times a week by only running one mile. Third, make sure that I stayed hydrated.

With those lessons in hand, I was off to Mexico!

First time getting an airplane drink, actually not as expensive as I expected!

Two of my friends were getting married and having a destination wedding. I had met them through running about a year and a half earlier and became really good friends with them. I met Cat first, at City Sports Run Club, and through her Eric (he doesn’t run). It was a great opportunity to go to the wedding and take a vacation for a week. On day #23 of the run streak I landed in Cancun, Mexico! It was the perfect time to go, the weather in Baltimore had started turning colder, so running in warmer weather would be nice.

Hurry up luggage, I have to get to vacation started!

After checking in at the resort, which was all inclusive, and having a welcome drink it was time to run. I looked at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort map and planned out a loop that would be about 2 miles and I was out the door and running. I ran along the roadway around the resort and along the beach for a little while and back to the hotel lobby. Just as I was getting back Cat and Eric were walking out to begin greeting other guest, it was a welcomed surprise to see them. I hadn’t seen them in over a month since they had been busy with wedding planning. We chatted briefly and Cat informed me of the wedding theme #kittyfunk and the dinner plans. We were going to a steakhouse. Cat was worried I wouldn’t be able to find anything I could eat on the menu, but I assured her I would be able to.

After showering I met up with everyone at the hotel bar and we went to the steakhouse, which was included in the resort package. All-inclusive resorts are amazing! After looking at the menu, I quickly realized there wasn’t an option for vegetarians and not much I could eat. When the waiter came I told him, I would just be eating the bread. He asked why and I explained, he left, went to the kitchen I assumed, and came back and said the chef would be able to prepare a plate of steamed veggies for me! Yes veggiefuel! Most of the week was like that when we went to dinner, for the rest of the meals it was buffet-style so things weren’t an issue.

At dinner these little peppers came with some of the meals. The waiter told us they were very hot and spicy. Someone tried a small bite and confirmed they were hot. I decided I would eat the whole pepper at once…what a bad idea! My whole face was burning from the inside out, I could feel the heat inside my ear canals. I couldn’t believe how hot it was, everyone had a good laugh, even the waiter who eventually brought me some milk and bread to tone down the heat. Oddly the milk is served warm in Mexico, but I was glad to have it! (I laughed too once I didn’t feel like my face was when on fire)

This is a 'trying' picture. Trying to recover from the heat and the waiter trying to be funny — This is a ‘trying’ picture. Trying to recover from the heat and the waiter trying to be funny

It was a great first day in Mexico and the rest of the week was shaping up to be the same way, I was going scuba diving (I have been a diver for over 20 years), the wedding party had rented a catamaran, the wedding itself, a week of relaxation, and of course running! After dinner we went to the hotel bar and had a few drinks and those of us who run agreed to meet up the next morning and run together. We pretty much did that every day of the trip, we would all run different distances and stop when we wanted to, if running can be relaxing, that is how we were running. I always got my mile in and most days I ran 3.

Richard, Cat, Me, Darrell The City Sports Run Crew — Richard, Cat, Me, Darrell – The City Sports Run Crew

On day #26 my legs were really starting to hurt, they were aching all over and when I would get up after sitting I would need to wait a few seconds before walking or I would be hobbling the first few steps. I think my legs were trying to tell me running that many days in a row was not a good idea and they wanted to rest. There was a spa at the resort and I thought about getting a massage, except I don’t like massages (or at least I thought I didn’t). I’d never had one before and I don’t like strangers touching me, just a weird quirk. So after asking tons of questions to my friends who have had them and another day of aching legs and running I decided to make an appointment at the spa. I was really nervous, I wasn’t sure what to expect even though everyone had told me what to expect and that I would enjoy it. I arrived at the spa and explained I wanted a Sports Massage, whatever that meant, it sounded like what I needed after all I was running everyday. They explained that a Sports Massage stretches the muscles and helps you relax, so it was what I needed. They escorted me to the locker room and told me to put my clothes in a locker, where I would find a robe and then meet them back in the hallway. I was feeling more tense now that I was actually going through with this, but trying to be optimistic. After getting ready, I was escorted to the ‘relaxation’ room. Basically a waiting room before the massage, it is dimly lit, incense is burning, soft music playing. It actually did relax me, but it seemed like I was in there forever, which annoyed me. Then another person came in, I didn’t know whether it was okay to talk in the relaxation room so I chose not to say anything to them. Finally the masseuse came to get me, after explaining the massage and going over the aching areas she left the room so I could get under the covers. She came back in and started the massage, after a few tense minutes I started to relax and realize…this was awesome!!! The 60 minutes had gone by really quickly and I was bummed I didn’t go for a 90 minute massage or longer! When the massage was over my legs felt rejuvenated and ready to go! My advice to anyone who is unsure about a massage is find a reputable place and get one!!! The way I look at it is, that it is a medical procedure and there isn’t anything to be nervous about. Since that first massage, I’ve gotten several more to help keep my legs and muscles relaxed. I actually became a member at Massage Envy and go once a month, it has really helped. Getting a massage is one thing I wouldn’t have done if it wasn’t for the run streak, thank goodness for the run streak and trying new things!

On day #28 Cat and Eric got married in the afternoon on the beach, it was beautiful ceremony! Between the ceremony and the reception there was about 2 hours, so I got my run in! I had gone scuba diving earlier in the day, so this was a great time to fit it in. At the reception when dinner came they brought me chicken, I had RSVP’d before becoming a vegetarian. I didn’t think I would be able to eat, but once again the hotel staff and chef were very understanding and prepared a vegetarian meal for me. After dinner music was playing, tequila was flowing, we were all dancing, we danced for hours, and at the end of the night Cat and Eric changed into ‘wedding’ bathing suits and jumped in the pool, pretty much everyone followed fully clothed. We had a blast! One of the most fun weddings I have been too!

On day #30 it was time to head back to Baltimore. I ran that morning, the last time I would be able to run in nice weather until the spring. While running I tried to soak in the whole week, it was a great week, just spending time with new and old friends, scuba diving, sailing on a catamaran, and being on the beach. A great destination and a great way to round out the first month of the running streak!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to run with the great El Caballo Blanco. You have to have a Born to Run reference in a running blog!

-Veggie Fueled Runner

The Year of 32…

June 11, 2015June 11, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Background #brooks, #brooksrunning, #challenges, #cleanse, #encouragement, #goals, #health, #motivation, #positivity, #run, #runchat, #runfriends, #runhappy, #runningstreak, #runstreak, #runtherapy, #sweatlife, #vegetarian, #veggielife, #werunbaltimore

In mid-October of 2014, since my clothes were getting a bit snug, it was time to buy a scale. When I stepped on the scale for the first time it was a bit of an awakening for me. In the three years since I had started running again, I gained back the weight I had lost and then some. I’d never seen that high of a number on the scale before and I wasn’t happy about it. No one ever said anything to me about the weight I had gained, it was just the pressure I put on myself. It was time for a change, but I had said that before and didn’t do anything about it. Running was infrequent, maybe once or twice a week, and my eating habits were not ideal. More often then not it was fast food, high sugar, carb-loaded foods that were slowing me down and adding to the waste line. The change needed to be serious this time.

Made this myself! Was eating to much of these types of things! — Baked this myself! Was eating to much of these types of things!

When I turned 30 I did a year of ‘yes’. It was fun, but I felt a could have done a lot more, but I digress. With my 32nd b-day approaching, it would be a good time to start something new and dedicate a year to it. Why a year? Because I’ve never done anything for a year, and it seemed as good as any arbitrary time. So what would I do for a year…the last year running had become tedious for me and I was just going through the motions to try and stay in shape, I wasn’t enjoying running like I had in the past. I had backed out on two marathons, and had only entered two other races, the year before that I had done 18 races. Perhaps it was burnout, but I needed to focus on running again. There is something therapeutic about running, that I had almost forgotten about. That is when a year long running streak popped into my mind. Quickly, I looked up what constitutes a running streak and Runner’s World (basically a runner’s bible) stated for their streak you have to run at least a mile a day, so that would be my minimum to keep my year long streak going.

But was running enough to shed those pounds? In my mind…no, my eating habits needed to change. One of my very good friends is a vegetarian and so again, arbitrarily, I decided being a vegetarian for a year would be a challenge as well. How do you go from eating meat your entire life to giving it up? I just decided to stop and see how it went.

On Oct 25th, I started the run streak and Oct 26th, cut meat out of my diet. Two big changes at once! I was a bit nervous that I would not be able to do either for a year, so I didn’t tell many people what I was doing at first. Rarely (even when I was running more frequently) would I ever run three days in a row, let alone 365. Some people immediately said, if you are going to run that much you need to eat meat…you need protein. I would quickly retort you can get protein from other sources, i.e. eggs, nuts, soy, etc.

The streak started in NYC during a trip for my birthday.

The same time I decided to start my year long challenges a friend of mine started selling one of those cleanse packages and convinced me to try it out. It was a 4-week cleanse and I was worried, especially since I was changing my diet so drastically, that I would not have enough energy to run. To my surprise I think it actually helped with the transition from being a meat-eater to a vegetarian (cleansing my palette) and I lost about 8 lbs. over the 4 week period. My energy level stayed the same and I may have had even more energy then before starting the cleanse. I never had a craving for meat at the beginning of the challenge and haven’t to date. The cleanse was a jump start (I call it a gimmick) it wasn’t a way of life. The challenge would begin by maintaining a healthy vegetarian lifestyle after the cleanse was over.

When I reached day 7 of the run streak I was overjoyed and decided to start sharing my challenges with friends and family. Seven days is a long was from 365, but even after a week I felt accomplished and knew support from my running friends and family would be helpful. Some of my friends teased my about the barrage of run-selfies that began appearing on my instragram, so I’ve cut back and tried to take ‘more exciting’ run photos (or at least ask someone else to take the pics of me). Having support along the way has been really helpful in both my challenges, today will be day #229 of the run streak, the encouragement and motivational pep talks from my friends have been very helpful.

One of my many selfies, this was Day #9 of the run streak.

There have been many challenges and new experiences in the last 228 days that I’ll be sharing with you, but I’d like to hear about goals you have set for yourself, challenges you’ve had, what you have accomplished, and what motivates you, and is there any way I can help you reach your goals?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

You’re a vegetarian now and you’re running everyday?…

June 10, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Background #newtoblogging, #runchat, #runstreak, #veggielife, #werunbaltimore

Yes!

That is the simple answer, to those ask. Let me give you a little background about me and why I decided to start blogging. I took up distance running about three years ago on a whim. I was sitting at my desk at a 8-4 job and was gaining weight. Looking back 10 years and almost 30 lbs. ago I needed to do something to get healthy. On a whim I was signed up for my first marathon. My training wasn’t as serious as it should have been but my weight was down and I was feeling much healthier. The Baltimore Marathon was my first, I’ve completed two more since then and will be running again this year after skipping last year.

The next few years would be an on again off again relationship with running. Then on Oct 25, 2014 I decided to get serious about running and a healthier lifestyle! The previous year had been pretty bad in terms of running; dropped out of races, poor training, and started to put on the lbs. again, mostly due to unhealthy eating habits. Stepping on the scale was becoming scary and something needed to be done to get back in shape, all my running friends were getting faster and I was struggling to stay at the same pace.

On Oct 25, 2014 my run streak started with a friend in Central Park, NYC. We had decided to visit there for my birthday. We were both hungover from a party at her house the night before but we really wanted to run. I didn’t tell her till the next day I was going to start a year long running streak or that I was going to become a vegetarian (after 32 years of eating meat and loving it), that came the following day. She was a vegetarian and a bit surprised when I told her I would be giving it a go, one of the first things she said to me was “You can be a vegetarian and still eat unhealthy, you need to focus on eating healthy as well!” Until then I didn’t think of it like that and would need to take her advice into consideration; thinking about it there are plenty of things you can eat that don’t have meat but are high in carbs, sugar, sodium, fats, etc. So I started to pay attention to those things as well.

The run streak and becoming a vegetarian (at least for a year, but not sure if I’ll go back) was really about the challenge myself to even see if I could do it. So far it has been a great experience! The other day one of my friends, KBT (mentioned on another blog site), who runs with me and dates Picky Runner said I should blog about my experiences, so here I am. I’ll do my best to keep you entertained and hopefully give you some motivation to get out and run or achieve your own goals. Since I’m on day #228 of the running streak this blog won’t always be chronological, but I will do my best to make it easy to read.

I look forward to sharing my experience with those who choose to read my blog and maybe see some of you out on the streets logging some miles!

-Veggie Fueled Runner

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