Showing posts with label Charm City Run. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charm City Run. Show all posts

June 14, 2018

5 Reasons to Train with a Running Group {at Charm City Run}



This post was originally published on the Charm City Run blog. Head over there to check out more great blog posts talking about running shoes and gear, training tips, inspiration, and stories from the running community in Maryland.

With the arrival of summer, comes the start of training for fall race season. Training through a hot and humid summer in Baltimore takes guts, and some days it can be tough to get out the door for a run. Charm City Run offers many training groups throughout the summer from 5K to full marathon and beyond. In the age of the internet when anyone can google a training plan for any distance, I think that in-person training groups offer so much more than a plan. Here are 5 reasons why YOU should train with Charm City Run.


5 Reasons to Train with a Running Group {at Charm City Run}


1. ACCOUNTABILITY.

For some people, paying money for a group alone makes them more accountable to showing up and committing to the plan. It is also easier to get dressed and out of bed before 7:00am on a Saturday morning knowing you have a group of people waiting for you to run together. Aside from the sign-in sheet, everyone notices when someone hasn’t shown up to a workout. The group becomes a tribe or family of runners, especially with longer distance groups.

2. OTHER RUNNERS WILL PUSH YOU.

When running by yourself, it can be harder to push or pace yourself. Running with other people allows you to challenge yourself to finish tough workouts that may seem scary at the start. Running with people in your training group also allows you to stick with others of a similar pace which usually helps you learn to pace yourself more evenly. I also find I will push my pace a little more when completing workouts with others which allows me to become a better runner. And, if your running group buddy says they are running X distance, you’ll probably try to stick with them and run X distance as well even if you weren’t feeling great at the start of the run

March 14, 2018

3 Tips to Prepare for Running & Racing This Spring

This post was originally published on the Charm City Run blog. Check out their blog for more great posts and explore the Charm City Run website for information on fun upcoming events and training groups 😊

A taste of warmer weather in Maryland the past couple of weeks means runners are getting excited for the spring race season. If you can believe it, the 2018 B3 Distance Series kicks off in a mere 2 weeks with the Under Armour KELLY St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5K on March 11. Maybe you are just dusting off your running shoes and getting back to running after a winter break. Maybe you have been training for a few weeks and are gearing up for all the races you signed up for months ago. Below are some tips to prepare you for a strong and healthy season of spring running and racing.

spring-running-racing-prep-tips

1. RUN WITH OTHERS

When the weather is unpredictable or if you are getting back into the swing of running regularly, it can be difficult to get out the door to run alone. Find a group to run with, make a running date with some friends, or join a training group. Running with others can help you stick to your training plan, and make those longer runs more enjoyable. Charm City Run has great training groups for new runners and seasoned marathoners alike which offer accountability, fun, and everything you need to get to the start line strong. You can also look for free fun runs near you.

2. OPTIMIZE NUTRITION & HYDRATION


February 12, 2018

5 Last-Minute Valentine's Day Gifts in Baltimore

Disclosure: All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not affiliated with or sponsored by any of the aforementioned brands or businesses. I work for Charm City Run and CorePower Yoga, but the thoughts in this post do not reflect those of the companies. 


With February being a shorter month, I find that the days and weeks just fly by. That means that Valentine's Day is also in just two short days! If you have completely forgotten, do not fear! I am sharing a list of 5 easy, last-minute Valentine's Day gifts for the special people in your life from local businesses. Despite my dislike of the pressure of this one big day and the hiked-up prices of prix-fixe dinners for the holiday, I do really love having the holiday as a reminder to spend some time with your significant other or Valentine. I keep it pretty low key, with a Galentine's Day brunch the weekend before and a nice dinner with flowers from my boyfriend for the actual holiday. Pro tip-surprise your valentine with a gift or dinner the day before or after to avoid the rush and prix-fixe menus! In a busy world, sometimes we need a silly holiday to remind those special in our life how much we care about them. 

As you know, I love supporting small businesses, especially when there are so many amazing businesses right here in Baltimore. Here are 5 Last-Minute Valentine's Day gifts for your Valentine, Galentine, or anyone who could use a little love in their life. 

5 Last-Minute Valentine's Day Gifts in Baltimore

1. Chocolate-Covered Strawberries from Berries by Quicha

What says "I love you" more than chocolate-covered strawberries?! I planning on stopping by Berries by Quicha right here in Federal Hill in Baltimore to grab some of their amazing and unique chocolate-covered strawberries. They have flavors such as Reese, Bacon, and even a Ciroc-liquor infused chocolate-covered strawberry! Besides sounding tasty, their strawberries and special holiday packages look beautiful. 

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries from Berries by Quicha
{Source
According to their Facebook page, TODAY is the last day to pre-order for guaranteed selection for the holiday either via their website, store (920 Light St), or by calling at 410-440-3239. 

March 17, 2017

Baltimore Fitness Biathlon to Support ASA

If you haven't heard of Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA), you have probably seen them at races in Baltimore across the mid-Atlantic region. ASA is a non-profit organization which helps empower athletes of all ages with disabilities "to train and compete in over 60 running and triathlon events per year" with the help of donors, volunteers, and the awesome WingMen. I have a couple friends who are WingMen and partner with athletes in completing races and events as well as help push racing wheelchairs for some athletes with disabilities. I would love to become a part of the organization, but right now my busy schedule doesn't allow me to. 

athletes-serving-athletes-logo

ASA is having this awesome fundraising event called the Baltimore Fitness Biathlon in which 100% of the proceeds will go the organization from 2-4 PM on Saturday, March 25, 2017, just over a week away. It also happens to be right in my neighborhood-it's such a shame I'll be out of town! 

baltimore-fitness-biathlon-2017-graphic1

By purchasing a $25 ticket to the event you can choose which type of double-header fitness event you want to complete at local Baltimore gyms including Rev Cycle Studio, Knockout Fitness, Fort Ave Fitness, Reflex Functional Fitness, and a run with Charm City Run

June 28, 2016

Baltimore Women's Classic 5K Race Recap 2016

I've run the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K the past 3 years including being a volunteer training coach last year.  It's the largest mid-Atlantic all-women's 5K which has become an annual race for me because of how much of a fun ladies event it is as well as the fact that it benefits Cancerve which provides support to female cancer patients in Maryland.  It is also a beautiful event right in Baltimore's Inner Harbor which makes it great for post-race fun. 

Baltimore Women's Classic 5K Race Recap 2016

Pre-race: 

Unfortunately Friday afternoon I was struck with a head cold so I wasn't feeling well and woke up with just enough time to get down to Rash Field Saturday morning June 26,2016  and make it in the Charm City Run BWC training group photo.  It was fabulous seeing Rash Field filled with women and their families.This year CCR had all of the vendors under tents on the middle of the field, which I liked a lot better.

baltimore-womens-classic-5K-2016-Rash-Field

I saw some of my training group ladies at the training tent and dropped off my bag before heading to the start.  It was a warm, sunny morning. All of us Patterson Park training group ladies had yellow ribbons on which was a really fun touch! I lined up right in the front at the start on Key Highway in front of Federal Hill  because there wasn't many people sub-8 min miles. Thanks to the head cold and really feeling knocked out Friday night I wasn't sure how the race would go and was going to try to stick around 7 min/miles but definitely feel it out. 

charm-city-run-bwc-5K-2016-start
Me in the chevron skirt!(Photo courtesy of Charm City Run)

Race: 

Mile 1 of a 5K always flies by for me, and this one was no different. Some ladies running for Falls Road Running were flying so I tried to just stay strong and consistent on my pace. I told myself to settle in through Mile 2 and then pick it up for the last mile if I felt good. It was great seeing some November Project friends at a water stop as well as having some fellow coaches and friends cheer for me as I passed by Federal Hill for the 2nd time. I ended up finishing really strong-I love the finish that comes along the promenade. It's pretty plus it's a stretch I run all the time.   5Ks go by so fast that there isn't much to report. For me it's always about trying to pace myself plus mentally get through the pain that comes with pushing myself to run fast. 

I ended up coming 3rd in my age group, 10th overall in 21:00, which is a minute faster than last year! 

bwc-5k-2016-finish-inner-harbor

After getting my medal, cold towel, and red rose at the finish, I quickly ran up towards Key Highway so I could cheer on my training group ladies. I was glad to be able to see a bunch of them and cheer them on as they entered the final stretch of the race.  


I missed out on the watermelon but grabbed a banana and some water after seeing the last of my ladies go by.  I hopped over to the training tent to chat with some of my training group runners after wards and grabbed a little mini bagel. The training tent had food and freeze-pops (GREAT idea!), but it was hard to keep out non-training group people from coming in!  

Really this race for me was all about supporting and celebrating with my training group. It was awesome to hear how great everyone did in the race and hear the thanks the ladies had for the group and coaches. It fills my heart with so much gratitude to see ladies I've helped train and seen grow stronger in 8 weeks, crossing the finish line and reaching their goals.  Yup, I could gush about coaching longer, but I'll put a cork in it. 

Shout-out to Charm City Run for doing a great job with the training groups and the race! 

Overall: 

As I've said previously, I think that the BWC 5K is a great, well-organized 
 event that all Baltimore female runners should support. The race keeps all of the details with ladies in mind and always has a nice medal and finish area.

bwc-5k-2016-medal-shirt
New Balance race tech tee and 2016 medal
What is one of your favorite hometown races? Do you like running 5Ks?

January 18, 2016

Things I'm Loving This Month

I'm still really been enjoying my break and either have been spending my days at work or sleeping in and running errands so life hasn't been too exciting, which is fine by me. Here's some of my favorite things from this past month so far. 

1. I still have one week before school starts again. It's been marvelous having so much less stress plus work to do while I've been on break. I'm still working some but am really not on as strict of a schedule as I will be which has been nice. I'll miss it for sure. 

2. I've been going to Corepower Yoga since I've had their two-week free trial and really like it. I can't really afford their month to month rate, especially because I just joined another gym, but I'd love to buy a class pack and do yoga at least once a week. I'm also a Momentum Jewelry ambassador again for 2016 and just got some sweet new goodies from them like this bracelet. 


momentum-jewelry-yoga

3. My boyfriend finally sealed up the windows in your apartment with plastic so that it no longer feels like an icebox. I'm still always in a hoodie and wrapped in blankets, but it helps SO much. 

4. When it's a rainy Friday night and you decide to stay in to watch movies and order pizza (which you have been craving). I re-watched Wild and of course I want to go hiking and exploring the PCT as soon as possible just not by myself (because of snakes, bugs, and creepers). 
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Fancier pizza with prosciutto,olives, and roasted red peppers on top. Salty goodness. 
5. I have been slowly adding more races to my spring race schedule including the Disney World Star Wars Half Marathon in April. I'm a bit of a Disney race hater because I feel like it so much more expensive than it has to be and part of me feels like the attention is really on the swag and less so the running. However I LOVE Star Wars and am also using it as an excuse to go visit my sister who will be working down there through the spring  I'll definitely be writing more about it afterwards and how I feel about the whole RunDisney experience so stay tuned!
Run-Disney-Darth-Vader

6. I've also been getting ready to coach my first training group with Charm City Run. Last year I volunteered as an assistant coach in the spring for the Baltimore Women's Classic training group, but now I'm going to be head honcho. I'm so nervous and excited!

I'll be training a 5K group that runs from January to March and then the BWC group from May to June. The info session for my training group will be this Saturday, January 23rd at 9:30 AM at Charm City Run-Baltimore. 

If you are in the Baltimore area I'd love to see you or your friends who have a goal of running your first race or just want some support in training for a spring 5K.  Be sure to check out all of the awesome Charm City Run training groups at all of the store locations. 

Charm City Run Winter 5K Training

7. I bought my boyfriend a pasta maker for Christmas, and it's also turned out to be a gift for myself in disguise. While everyone is all Whole30 or New Year's dieting, I''m over here just eating lots of fresh pasta because #carbloadingforlife. The fact that it's homemade makes it better for me than boxed pasta, right? 

Things I'm Loving This Month-homemade pasta

This post was linked up with MIMM ,Weekend Snapshots, and Weekly Wrap #24 with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin.  
What are some of your favorite things this month? Any favorite workouts, meals, or plans for spring? 

September 15, 2015

Charles Street 12 Miler 2015 Recap

Be sure to enter my Momentum Jewelry shoe Footnotes giveaway going on until 9/21!


It's been a while since I've written a race recap, and I'm still a little behind on a few.

This past Saturday was the Charles Street 12 Miler or as it's affectionately dubbed now, Chuck 12.  I have run it the past two years since it was created (2014 and 2013 recaps) and it's always a fun race to kick off the fall race season. 

chuck-12-2015-race-recap
Yes, I rocked this awesome shirt from Charm City Run during the race!
Despite it being advertised as downhill (the keyword is net), it has a bunch of rolling hills through the course which mostly follows historic Charles Street from Baltimore County to downtown in Baltimore City. It's a really nice route that is unique for races in the city.  

I picked up my race packet the Thursday before and grabbed my super nice Under Armour pullover premium which is a blueish green lightweight sweatshirt.  The B3 Challenge premium for women ended up being a maroon Under Armour bag. It's not as nice as the backpack from last year but it's better than another race shirt.  


Due to being a crazy runner lady who is training for a marathon, I had to get in 3 miles before the race. I took a slow jog down Charles Street to the Inner Harbor which is actually part of the race route. When I got back I quickly ate some peanut butter and banana toast and drank some Nuun Energy.  Sarah's boyfriend drove us up to Kenilworth in Towson for the start with about 30 minutes to spare until go time which meant port-a-potty and chatting time. My goal was to use this race as a race-pace training run like I did last year and attempt to keep my pace around 8:00 minutes/mile. 



The start seemed less crazy crowded than last year but maybe I had just found a good spot near the 1:35 pacer. My legs were feeling a little tight & stiff, but I didn't really stretch out before the race which is bad. I also was taking a self-timer selfie and experienced an attempted photobomb by my fellow Gundalow ambassador lady Jami (who had an awesome race!). This photo is all that was left. 



The weather on race morning was cooler than it had been, around 70 degrees but with ~80% humidity. Ugh the humidity is my running nemesis.  As the race went on I was really grateful for all the cloud cover and intermittent breezes of course. 

The first 5 miles in Towson were a bit of a blur. My legs were feeling a little heavy and the rolling hills didn't help that.  After running it the past two years I am well aware that it is a (keyword) net downhill race. There were plenty of manned water stops in the first half of the race which is always nice. 


That elevation profile though. (source)

I also was having a really hard time with my Nathan waistpack. It was so freaking annoying especially because I know I didn't really need to carry water but wanted to simulate the marathon in this pace race. After trying a few different hydrations options other than the fuelbelt this trianing cycle, I settled on the waistpack. Today however, I could not get it into a comfortable position and had to keep fidgeting with it and pushing it down to a tight spot above my hips. It was really distracting and frustrating.  

I also was getting really antsy because lots of my friends and November Project people were running a fast race. I ran a few miles a bit faster than I wanted but was proud of myself for reigning it in and sticking to my marathon training race pace. Holding yourself back and allowing yourself to be passed is a humble quality to have as a runner! 

Once we got into the city I was a lot more comfortable, mostly because I run in the city all the time.  Once you hit Mt. Vernon around miles 9-10, my stomping grounds ,there is a few more hills and a big downhill which I saw some people struggling. After the fast downhill you head into Federal Hill for a little roundabout before coming along the Inner Harbor towards PowerPlant for the last couple of miles.   

At this point I smiled for the camera a bunch and was happy to be almost done the race. I had a lot harder of a time keeping a steady pace, unlike last year, so I was feeling discouraged about the possibility of trying to run around 8:00 minute miles for a whole marathon.  I picked up the pace a bunch that last mile and felt great finishing. I even managed to say hi to Lauren at the finish, who had a great race as well.  

At the finish line I grabbed my boxed lunch and said hi to lots of people. I got a surprisngly cold can of beer as well of course! At first I only ate the chocolate chip cookie (#sweettoothforlife) from the boxed lunch, but I ended up hanging out with friends for a while and finishing off the turkey wrap and apple as well. Not bad, but I wish they would maybe do bagels & bananas instead of sandwiches since I was really in the mood for breakfast #2 after the race. Breakfast always > lunch. 



As always Charm City Run keeps trying to make this race better and better.  I do wish they would move the race back to late August because Labor Day weekend was too late and too busy for many people in my opinion. 

The only race hiccup I had this year was my results didn't track with my bib. I couldn't find my results posted after the race and then didn't see them on the website when I got home. At first I thought maybe my bib just got really messed up from my waistpack rubbing against it and causing it to look crappy, but apparently some others had problems as well. My Garmin said I finished around 1:33, but apparently they had a backup system and gave me my official time, even though I still didn't see it online. 


My official time was 1:32:55, around a 7:45 pace which is about a minute faster than last year.

You can check out the course preview here and should definitely be on the look out to run this great Baltimore race.  


Have you ever had a timing chip malfunction? Do you like breakfast or lunch foods after a race?

This post was linked up with Wild Workout Wednesdays, The Fit Dish, and Tuesdays on the Run

September 2, 2015

Empowered by Gundalow Event {featuring Baltimore-area fitness classes and post-sweat fun}

Summer may be coming to an end but there is plenty of fun just around the corner. Come out  September 20th from 11am - 3pm for a special fun and fitness event put on by Gundalow Juice, Baltimore’s first cold-pressed juice company that I love (and love being one of their ambassadors!)

gundalow-juice-package-1

Empowered by Gundalow is an event that you won't want to miss.

empowered-by-gundalow-2015

What? 

Purchase tickets online separately for the workout and the post-sweat celebration.

The workout ticket is $35 and includes one fitness class (specified when purchasing) as well as an Under Armour top.

The post-sweat celebration ticket is $15 for a mini-party at Ryleigh’s Oyster in Federal Hill and Timonium includes 2 drink vouchers, snacks, fun with Pixilated Photobooth and more.

When? 

Sunday September 20th starting at 11 AM in Baltimore City and Baltimore County

Who? 

A variety of fitness studios are holding classes you can sign up for as part of the event including:
Beachfit (Baltimore)-Soul Body Barre with Emily Lobaugh
REV Cycle Studio (Baltimore)-Spin with Nick Rodricks (starts at 11:30 AM)
Pop Physique (Baltimore)- Barre with Jackie and Keely Knopp
Bare Hills (Baltimore)-Spin with Allison Woodward
Wellbridge Harbor East (formerly MAC, Baltimore)-Pilates with Jason Williams
Under Armour CTC (Baltimore)-Yoga with LA Finfinger
Charm City Run (McHenry Row, Baltimore)-Fun Run with Lauren Seserko (aka me!)
Baltimore Yoga Village (Hampden, Baltimore)- Hatha Yoga with Mina
Meadowbrook (Baltimore)-Yoga with Hilary Phelps

Why? 

A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Yoga-Based Psychotherapy Initiative.  It’s a really awesome cause that you can read more about it and some other great things KKI does here.


I’d love to see tons of people for the fun run at Charm CityRun, I’m thinking it’ll be a beautiful run out and back along the Inner Harbor (maybe around 3-4 miles).

empowered-by-gundalow-charm-city-run-fun-run1


If you have any questions or trouble ordering, feel free to reach out to Gundalow on social media or via email. Also give me a shout-out on social media to let me know you’re going. 

Make it date with friends as a Sunday Funday and get your sweat and drink on with Gundalow Juice, all before the Ravens game!



August 27, 2015

What's Up Charm City?: Beginner's Guide to Baltimore City Running

I've been asked all the time about where are the best and safest places to run in Baltimore or what running groups are in the city. I figured since this blog often covers Baltimore running events and groups, I should make an unofficial mini guide with some resources for new runners in the city.  


charm-city-beginner's-guide-to-baltimore-running

First of all you know I'm going to mention November Project Baltimore. It's not a running group or club but rather a free fitness movement. We do a lot of running, eat hills for breakfast, and chase PRs. It's some running, stairs, and body weight circuit exercises mixed in with sweaty hugs, high-fives, and laughter. If you don't know anything at all, November Project is an international free fitness workout group currently in 21 cities (and counting!).   


november-project-baltimore-tribe-group-photo1

november-project-baltimore-workout1NP-Baltimore meets at 6:30 AM on Wednesdays at Rash Field (there's a 5:30 AM group too!) and 6:30 AM on Fridays at Patterson Park for a hill running workout. It is weatherproof and goes on sun, rain, or snow! 

Check NP-Baltimore out on Facebook for updates and fun news. 




Running Clubs

Baltimore Road Runner's Club (BRRC) is an running club for both competitive and recreational runners that includes a paid annual membership and is sanctioned by the Road Runners Club of America.  Membership includes dirt cheap races, training programs, social outings, and volunteer opportunities. They have many events on road, track, or trails so there is something for everyone.

baltimore-road-runners-club-prettyboy-trail-2015
Me running the 2015 Prettyboy Trail Race held by BRRC

Baltimore City Pacemakers are a group that rotates Saturday long runs through the Baltimore area as well as Wednesday morning workouts at the Gilman Track. 

List of Running Clubs (some I mentioned and some others) from Falls Road Running

Running Group Meetups

Federal Hill Runners is a free group that meets Monday nights at 6:30 PM in front of Federal Hill Fitness. 

Charm City Run-Baltimore holds a free fun run every Thursday night at 6:30 PM. It's a great run for the 8-11 minute crowd and sometimes features special events and wear test opportunities from shoe companies. You can also head right across the street to World of Beer right across the street for a free beer!

Shack Track and Field is a free run hosted the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM starting at Charm City Run-Baltimore ending at the Shake Shack on Pratt St. The runs are posted as events on the Facebook page for each city. After the run you get a free beverage of your choice-I usually go for a milkshake!  


baltimore-shack-track-and-field

Hopkins Marathon Team offers free group training runs targeting both Fall half and full marathons. 

Running Routes

This list of places to run in Baltimore from Charm City Run is a great guide to places to run in Baltimore and Maryland and includes some of my favorites. There are so many places to run so I've included my personal most common routes and favorites.  

My main running route is running along the Inner Harbor. If you hug the water you can run all the way from Canton through Fells Point to Locust Point and even make it to Fort McHenry and run that loop. There are usually lots of people walking or running so it's a pretty safe route.  


baltimore-inner-harbor
I feel so lucky to run with this view almost everyday. 

Another great route is around Patterson Park, which is where November Project does its weekly hill workout.  It's a a nice loop which allows you to run a variety of distances.

Loch Raven Reservoir is a nice weekend route I ran a few times with the Charm City Run marathon training group. Part of it between Morgan Mill Road and Providence Road is closed to cars (but open to pedestrians) on the weekends so it's a great place to get a long training run in on paved and off-road trails.  

The NCR Trail is a popular route for runners and cyclists alike which extends up to the MD-PA line.  

You can run all the way up Charles Street from the downtown to the county. A nice route is to take either Charles Street or Saint Paul Street up to Johns Hopkins University-Homewood area. You can run further and link up with the Robert E. Lee Park, around Roland Park, head towards Druid Hill Lake, or take 33rd street up to Lake Montebello.  

These are just some of my favorite and most common running routes but of course there are a ton of places to run! Another fun thing you can do is go on Strava or Map My Run and see what routes people have created and where most people run!

I also helped out with this article from Baltimore Magazine about the Best Running Routes around Baltimore which includes some of the routes I mentioned above along with some other options. 

Running Resources

Charm City Run-Baltimore is my personal go-to running store, but they have locations all throughout the state.  They are the sponsor of many races, can help you get fitted for shoes, and run great training groups for anything from a 5K to an ultra-marathon. 

charm-city-run-baltimore-training1


Falls Road Running is another local running store in the northern part of the city that holds fun annual races such as the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler and Dreaded Druid Hills race as well as other events and running teams.   

Team That's What She Said is a great local running blog that also is a training group. Their blog offers great race recaps and Baltimore running community updates.   

Upcoming Races in Maryland from RunningintheUSA.com

Resources from Federal Hill Runners group


*Always run at your own risk. While most areas of Baltimore are safe for running, be smart and run with a group or friends, especially in an area you are unfamiliar with. If running alone I wear my Road ID, sometimes carry my cellphone, let someone know where I'm going, and even have a mini pepper spray wristband to wear.Baltimore is a wonderful city-just remember to be aware of your surroundings and be smart!

June 29, 2015

2015 Baltimore Women's Classic 5K Race Recap

Disclosure: As a volunteer Charm City Run training group coach I received a complimentary entry to this race. I had already planned on registering before this opportunity. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I love the Baltimore Women's Classic 5K in Baltimore. You can read my recap from the 2013 BWC because I forgot to recap last year's race (it'll be a throwback recap one of these days when I finish the draft!) 

This year was the race's 40th year and is the largest all-women's 5K in the Mid-Atlantic region. I love this race because it's all about girl power, benefits Cancerve which provides direct support to female cancer patients and their families in Maryland, and is truly a fun, family event. They have many nice little touches including a kids fun run after the 5K. 

baltimore-womens-classic-5k-race-2015-1

Pre-Race: 

I had a higher mileage week because it was my first real deal week of following my marathon training schedule. I also raced the November Project Sunrise 6K on Wednesday in 21:10 so my legs already had some speedwork done. For the first time, my main reason for showing up on Sunday was because I had been a volunteer coach for the Patterson Park BWC 5K training group. I was got there right before the race started, but I was excited to hang in the training VIP tent for a bit and see everyone after the race. 

After a really dreary, wet Saturday it was lovely to get down to the Inner Harbor and find that it was cooler and sunny. I had spent all of Saturday on the couch feeling knocked out by allergies or a summer cold so getting some fresh air felt great. 

baltimore-womens-classic-5k-race-2015-inner-harbor
I love this view! 
I was running a little late so I popped down to Rash Field 15 minutes before the race started just as Brick Bodies was leading a pre-race warm-up.  This event is so big, and I loved seeing some many lady runners and their families. 

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I dropped my stuff off at the VIP training tent and grabbed some water before heading over to the start. They had more clearly marked pace markers at the start which helped keep it a little more organized. I even ended up walking right over to the area where my friend happened to be lined up! 

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Clouds gave way to sun! {photo courtesy of Charm City Run}

Race: 

Going into the race I knew I wanted to stay around 7:00 minute miles. The weather was cooler, and my legs weren't feeling too bad minus some tightness at the beginning. I'm familiar with the course and decided to give it a go.  The only thing I regretted was forgetting my sunglasses because it was way sunnier than I expected. I ran my first mile in  7:12 which is not bad because there's a bit of a hill and I always have trouble pacing myself the first mile of a 5K. I stayed consistent and ran the second mile in 7:13 and picked a few ladies to try to stay with to keep me on pace. 



Once I got into mile 2 I wanted to pick it up a little bit. I saw a friend around mile 2.5 who said I looked really smooth and comfortable which is great to hear because with all the thoughts in my head I always feel like I probably look tired and pained when I'm running fast! I pushed it a little harder and focused on passing some people and coming around the harbor curve faster. I finished mile 3 in 6:56 and pushed it to the finish. 


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I'm in the pink shirt coming down the home stretch! {photo courtesy of Charm City Run}

I ended up coming 8th in my division, 25th overall with a time of 22:02, average pace 7:06 min/mi. Not bad!  It's slower than I ran this race the past two years, but I really just wanted  to run a faster, comfortable race and knew after Wednesday's Sunrise 6K that I probably  wouldn't be moving as fast.  It was pretty warm by the end of the race. 

Post-Race: 

After getting my medal, cold towel, and red rose at the finish, I quickly grabbed some water, found my friend, and made a B-line for the watermelon. Besides just freaking loving watermelon, it is so refreshing after a warm run.

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Okay so I snapped this afterwards and the watermelon was almost gone!

They had lots of food for training group members at the VIP tent so I went there and grabbed a cinnamon bagel, a cup of coffee and some more fruit. I quickly had to stop at the port-a-pot and was really surprised to find tables set up outside of them with hand sanitizer, feminine hygiene products, bug spray, and sunscreen. What a great idea and lovely touch to the race! 

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The best part of the whole morning? Talking to the ladies in the training groups and seeing how awesome everyone did.  Our training group attendance dwindled a bit towards then end but having two of the ladies in my beginners runners group come up to me and thank me for motivating & encouraging them made all of my time volunteering with the training worth it. I loved hearing how they both rocked their races and had a great time! 

I'm trying to spread the running love, one person at a time.

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Overall: 

I think this is a really great event that all the female runners in Baltimore should support! It's well-organized and really caters to women.  I think the course is really nice and not too challenging. The BWC always has a really pretty medal, and the shirts keep getting better and better. Charm City Run also does a great job with the race support, timing, and training groups.  

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I'd love to give a shout-out to Lily Trotters. They sent me a pair of their USA-made compression socks to try out, and I've worn them a couple of times before the race. I love the adorable polka dot pattern and the pink ruffle at the top. They have graduated compression, but aren't tight enough that they are uncomfortable. They are a lot softer and thinned than other brands which made for a perfect mix of practicality and comfort! 

I literally put them back on after I showered and stretched out to help with recovery after tacking on extra miles later in the afternoon to make up my long run mileage.  I also like that they didn't get itchy after wearing them all day which I find with some other brands.  They have a Kickstarter campaign starting July 14th so be sure to check them out! I'll definitely be keeping them in my sock rotation from now on. 

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This post was linked up with Weekend Snapshots, MIMM,Weekend Update, and Race Recap Link-Up {10}.  

Have you ever coached a training group? Did you race this weekend? What's is your favorite new pair of gear?