Maryland Momma's Rambles

Warriors of Steel to Benefit the Semper Fi Fund ~ My 5K Race Results

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This week I returned to the east coast after spending time out in Los Angeles. I admit, while out there, I didn’t exercise or run once! Coming back made me nervous in knowing that I had a few runs and races to participate in. One of them was the Warriors of Steel hosted by No Pain No Bling. The run was held to benefit the Semper Fi Fund, another charitable foundation close to my heart. The Semper Fi Fund provides assistance to post 9-11 Marines and Sailors, as well as members of the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve in support of Marine forces.

The run included options to run a 5K, 10K or Half Marathon. I opted for the 5K. I’m still very new to the running world and didn’t want to push it quite yet, especially since I hadn’t run in awhile! Now I’m very happy with my time below as it was 2 minutes faster than what I had been running lately. However, I admit, I opted for an easy course and didn’t take on any elevation challenges like I usually do. Since taking such a long break from running, I wanted to ease back into it. Also the weather was not nearly as cold as it previously had been.

Warriors of Steel to Benefit the Semper Fi Fund ~ My 5K Race Results I have to say… I can’t wait for the finisher’s medal to arrive! I’m always proud to support military/veteran related charities, medal or no medal. Though I admit, this one I’ll be particularly proud to display. This run was my first of 6 races I’m currently registered for in the month of November.

Also this was my first run through No Pain No Bling. I look to see what other races they plan to host in the future!

As I stated before, in 2 weeks I’ll be running in the Annapolis Running Classic. I get so nervous any time I even think about it! I’m running in the 10K, not the Half Marathon. Tips are appreciated to help me with the process of double my running mileage. Wish me luck!

Additionally I’ve recently ran in the Heart of America Race to benefit Wounded Warrior Project and will soon run in the National Veterans Day Run to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation! Be on the look out for write ups on those races next week.

All opinions are 100% my own.

First Annual #BattleBuddy Run to Benefit the Battle Buddy Foundation ~ My 5K Race Results

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Last weekend, on October 26th, the First Annual Battle Buddy Run took place in Fresno, CA, to benefit the Battle Buddy Foundation! If you aren’t familiar, this organization was founded by Marine infantry combat veterans and is dedicated to serving the brothers/sisters in arms struggling with PTSD and other combat related injuries.

Since the race was in California, again, I decided to participate as a virtual runner. My initial plan was to run that same Saturday as the actual race. However, my busy schedule made me push my run back to Sunday. The only downside was that once again, I was running in 45 degree weather. This was wintery cold! I keep wondering where the crisp Fall weather is. None the less, I layered up, including my Battle Buddy shirt, and headed out to run those 3.1 miles.

First Annual #BattleBuddy Run to Benefit the Battle Buddy Foundation ~ My 5K Race Results Again, not a great time for me. However, I did shave 15 seconds off my last run in the cold (Spooktacular 5K). I’m hoping in time that my body will become accustomed to running in this cold weather. Everyone tells me it is just “mental”, and that’s probably the challenge that I need to conquer. I’ve signed up for a few races for November, as well as one in January, and one in February. Any cold running tips appreciated!

I’m glad I already own a Battle Buddy shirt to run in! I was a little bummed that my bib wouldn’t arrive in time before the run. I should note that the organizers had every intention of sending me my bib and shirt prior to the race. There was a delay in shirt production. Hopefully my Battle Buddy swag arrives sometime in the near future! I can’t wait to see what they included in the goodie bags.

In my last running post, I announced that I’ll be running in the Annapolis Running Classic. Still super nervous! I’m running in the 10K, not the Half Marathon. Tips are appreciated to help me with the process of double my running mileage. Wish me luck!

This weekend I’m headed to Los Angeles for the #ThorDarkWorldEvent and #DeliveryManEvent! I can’t wait… but this means I’ll have to take a break from my running. Once I’m back, that following weekend I’ll be running in the National Veterans Day Run to benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation!

All opinions are 100% my own.

Spooktacular Los Angeles 5K/10K Run-Walk ~ My #Spooktacular5K Race Results

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Ooops! I know I’m behind on updating the races that I’m participating in! Back on October 12th, the Spooktacular 5k/10k Run-Walk took place in Los Angeles. Unfortunately since I couldn’t jump on a plane and make the race, I ended up running as a virtual runner here in my (very cold) hometown. While yes, it would have been beyond awesome to run under the California sun, a race is a race and I’ll participate no matter what… even if it means running in 46 degree weather.

As you can see below, my times are slowing down. I’m started to wonder if there is more to it than just the cold elements. My knees haven’t been giving me much trouble as they used. My shins have been doing better too thanks to my compression socks. Overall though while I’m running, I feel like my body is not as “strong” as it was before. While it could just be the cold weather and having to work harder… I am worried it may be something else. Maybe I need to step up my running regime to more often? I would have to loose my endurance. We’ll see though!

Spooktacular Los Angeles 5K/10K Run-Walk ~ My #Spooktacular5K Race Results First off can we just chat about how awesome this medal is? I love this Sugar Skull!! I’m not sure if you can tell from the photo, but it is quite sparkly, and this girl loves her running bling! If the medals are always this awesome for the Spooktacular race, I definitely want to participate again next year.

Now even though my times haven’t been great lately, I decided to step up my challenge. Next month I’ll actually run in my first official 10K race! I’ll be running in the Annapolis Running Classic. I’m excited but nervous at the same time. The Classic is hosting a Half Marathon as well. Maybe next year that can be my challenge… but for now, I’m going to stick with the 10K. Any tips are appreciated to help me with the process of double my running mileage. A 10K race is 6.2 miles as oppose to the 5Ks (3.1 miles) that I’ve been running. Wish me luck!

This past weekend I participated in the Battle Buddy Run! Hopefully I’ll have those results ready soon and can post an update. It’s going to be a busy week since I leave for Los Angeles this Saturday for the #ThorDarkWorldEvent and #DeliveryManEvent!

All opinions are 100% my own.

JD Ultimate Fitness Warrior Race for Wounded Warrior Project ~ My 5K Race Results

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EDIT (11/22/13): I just want to give a warning on this race company. While I received my medal, I’ve been unable to obtain proof that my registration fee, as well as others’ fees, were donated to Wounded Warrior as promised. In the past month, this company has hosted several other races and unfortunately it turns out those runners never received their medals. There are too many stories of no medals, and no proof of donation about this company right now in the racing world. I just want to give my readers a fair warning before they consider signing up for a race through the company mentioned below.

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So back on Friday I ran the JD Ultimate Fitness Wounded Warrior Run! What I really liked about this race was that you could pick a branch of the military to run for and then that would be the medal you received. I opted to run in honor of the Navy. I split my time between two heavily Navy influenced cities: Annapolis, home of the United States Naval Academy, and Newport, RI, home of the Naval War College, Naval Station Newport, and the  Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Plus I have friends down at Little Creek (sorry my Operator friends, I’ll race for you in the next one!). As you can probably guess from the title, this race was a charity run to benefit one of my favorite organizations, the Wounded Warrior Project.

Cold air, crazy elevation, a twist and turn trail through the woods? Yup! This race had all that. Luckily this time I ran with compression socks on. I thought about those I know in the military who challenge themselves daily to be the best that they can be. For this race, I really wanted to challenge myself. Yes, I was at first disappointed that my time was slower than what I’ve been running lately… though I soon looked back on the trail I had run and couldn’t help but feel satisfied that I had finished what I set out to run. Phew!
JD Ultimate Fitness Warrior Race for Wounded Warrior Project ~ My 5K Race Results So I think the compression socks helped, but with a slower time, I can’t tell if it was the elements, or if I’m pushing my body too hard. I didn’t have much issues with my knees in this race, but overall felt like my legs in general were starting to hurt. Now I know compression socks are suppose to help. So I’m going to guess my slower time mostly had to do with the challenging trail and cold air. I’m just curious though, to my readers who run, do you prefer compressions socks or no? Compression pants have always been suggested to me, so I’ve been meaning to check those out.

I also used a different app, Runtastic, to time my run. I’ve been having issues with RunKeeper not recording my distance and pace. It would give me my time, and then would come up 0 for distance. I was too scared it would do this during a race! I’ve tried to change the time/distance alerts for Runtastic, but it doesn’t seem to update me during my race as much as RunKeeper did. I’ve also downloaded MapMyRun. I’m going to alternate between the 3 to figure out which one I prefer the most for races.

My next race is the Battle Buddy Run next weekend. Wish me luck! This particular charity is close to my heart, as the Battle Buddy Foundation was founded by Marine infantry combat veterans in efforts to place therapy dogs with those serving/served who struggle with PTSD and other combat related injuries.

All opinions are 100% my own.

Oktoberfest Virtual 5K for the Midwest Food Bank ~ My #JostRunning #Jost5KOct Race Results

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So yesterday was my first 5K for October. It was the Oktoberfest 5K hosted by Maryland’s own Jost Running! The charity for this run is the Midwest Food Bank. There was a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon option. As you can tell, I just opted for the 5K option. I’ve only been running again for a month. I doubt my body is ready for a 10K. Maybe next year!

My time came out to 36:45, which is slower than my last 5K time. However I had a few elements going against me. It was COLD! Last week we had gorgeous weather in the 80s. Yesterday? 50s and cold! Actually towards the end of my run, it started to rain. Cold rain. So not the best conditions, and that may have slowed me down. However the point is I still finished!
Oktoberfest Virtual 5K for the Midwest Food Bank ~ My #JostRunning 5K Race ResultsOkay, I admit… I was not familiar with the Midwest Food Bank when I signed up. As you know, most charities I run for help benefit the military, veterans, and first-responders. Look at that medal though! That is some cool running bling right there! Plus it’s a bottle opener LOL! I can’t wait for it to arrive. So I get a cool medal with a bottle opener and a the Midwest Food Bank receives a donation? Win win if you ask me!

So remember how I said I was going to cut back till my knees felt better? I lied. I ended up signing up for another Wounded Warrior Project race (The Heart of America), as well as another race to benefit the USO. So with those two, I have another Wounded Warrior Project race, the Warriors of Steel for The Semper Fi Fund, and then I’m also running in the National Veterans Day Run to benefit Folds of Honor Foundation.

So I think I might actually buy one of those cool medal and bib hangers/holders I see on etsy and other online retail shops. I think I might be addicted to charity runs. Not only am I getting a good workout in, but I’m also giving back to the community and helping others at the same time.

I know I always say this… but if any of my readers are runners, I would love to hear your suggestions on how I can reduce or prevent any pain.  I’m still icing, so that helps ease it a bit. I mean my knees aren’t in horrible pain, however less pain would be nice! Thank you!

All opinions are 100% my own.

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