Recap of 2011 Running Races (plus GIVEAWAY winner)

NOTE:  Please brace yourself because this post involves a self-centered trip down memory lane.

Wellllll this has been a pretty unbelievable year in my running world.

It has been a year of learning to believe in myself and learning to trust in my training.

And I would have totally not believed you if we spoke one year ago and you told me that I was going to do the following in 2011:

• run a marathon in 3:30:41 (race report)
• qualify for the Boston Marathon with a buffer of 4 minutes and 19 seconds
• run my first and second marathons ONE month apart (Richmond race report)
• win 1st overall woman in a 4K (race report)
• win my age group in an 8K (race report)
• win my age group in a 5K (race report)
• run a 10K in 44:38, a five minute PR (race report)

All this considering my first 10K of my life was in May 2010.

.....It's all surprising, especially to myself!!

FUN Running Facts of 2011:

Total Miles Run:  1355.4 (as of 12/30)

Total Time Spent Running:  188 hours (7 days and 20 hours)

Highest Mileage Month:  October (175.2 miles)

Highest Mileage Week:  47.7 miles

Here are pictorial highlights of my running year, in order or sentimental importance:

Rehoboth Beach Marathon Dec 2011

3:30:41, average pace of 8:02

My 2nd marathon (one month after my first)

26 minute PR

Qualified for Boston Marathon!

1st in age group

This experience was of another world!

Read about it HERE.

Richmond Marathon November 2011

My first marathon

3:56:41

Had leg cramp issues and was sick as a dog the week leading up to it :(

Read about it HERE

I got to run with Caroline Rotich in Santa Fe, NM

(she won 4th place Boston 2011)

Read about it HERE

44:38

Monument Ave 10K March 1011

5-minute PR

Less than 1 year after my first 10K in May 2010

Shamrock 4k March 2011

First race after taking off 5 months for a pelvic stress fracture in 2010

1st woman overall (tiny race :)

My first age group medal that I've ever earned.

Oh and PS:  Who remembers this old header from early 2011??!!

And the Gnu Bar Giveaway Winner (based on Random.org #6) is:

Heather from Just A Colorado Girl!

Go check out her blog!  She's a fabulously adventurous girl who is majorly entertaining.

Heather, please e-mail me at katherine.hopper @ gmail.com with your mailing address so that I can send your info to Gnu Bars!

Thanks to all of you for participating, I wish there were enough free bars to go around to everybody.
If you had your heart set on winning some Gnu Bars and you still want to try them, you can go to the Gnu Bar website and order a 5-bar Sampler Pack for $7.95 (and free shipping!)

Last but not least...THANK YOU ALL for being so supportive of all my running adventures over this past year!

What's your favorite year of your running career thus far?
Well, this is certainly my favorite so far.  It ended on a high note.  I may have reached my peak early haha.

Lululemon Sale in Stores!

(psst I'm having a Gnu Bar giveaway, please click HERE to check it out :)

I just wanted to send out a quick update to tell you that there's a currently a huge Boxing Day sale going on at the Lululemon store in Richmond right now!  

I didn't get anything (because lord knows I don't need any more running stuff right now) but wanted to spread to word to any lulu fans out there.

The sale started Monday, still had tons left when I went there yesterday afternoon.

I could NOT find any of this stuff on sale on their website.  I assume that the sale is probably going on in Lulu stores around the country, but you should call your local store just to make sure.

Here are a couple examples of some great finds---

Run Speed Short, on sale for $39, usually $54

Run Jacket, on sale for $69, originally $118 

On sale for $29

Skirts, pants, shorts, sports bras, jackets GALORE!

Yes, the prices are still insane it's not an everyday occurrence to see such a large scale lulu sale.

Hopefully there are some good steals still available!

Are you a Lululemon fan?
I have a pair of their pants, but that's all I own.  Tappan bought them for me for Christmas and they are the most comfortable, flattering running pants I've ever worn.

Stella's Richmond, VA

I've been wanting to try Stella's in Richmond VA since the first time I caught a glimpse of it while out on a jog earlier this year.  It appeared so warm and inviting and the menu looked divine with a spread of rich home-cooked Greek dishes.

Stella's honors rustic and modern Greek cuisine, bringing the freshest ingredients and medeterrian fare  table side.  -from their website

And last night was the night to finally go there!  Tappan wanted to treat me to a little date night to celebrate my 3:30:41 marathon so we made reservations.

And it was AMAZING.

Tastebud Heaven.

Warm and inviting ambiance.

Cozy and dimly lit.

Casual elegance.

I tried the Artichoke Moussaka.
It was a party of 10,000 rich flavors in my mouth.
Taste buds are still in shock.

I felt like I was transported to a different era--
with black and white movies on the wall
and a sophisticated, but comfortable atmosphere of a previous generation

You must try the Stella's Calamari.
It tastes incredibly fresh and feels healthy.
No breading on this version (although there is a breaded version available.)

I highly recommend Stella's to all you Richmonders out there.  Perfect for a special date night, a classy casual night out with friends, or a happy hour with a co-worker.

Can't wait to go back!

Prior to dinner, Tappan and I went to check out the Christmas lights and enjoy a glass of wine at the Jefferson Hotel in Downtown Richmond.

The Jefferson Hotel, all decked out in its Christmas garb.

I AM IN A VORTEX
Looking at this photo makes my mind twist, look at the carpet at the bottom.

Alright little guy, give the ball back to me!

The hotel used to have alligators on grounds until 1948,
but folk lore has it that they got rid of them after one of them ate a kid!
This story is completely not verified or true of course...

And continuing to go back in time, this morning, I did the virtual 10K from Stephanie's blog!  Thanks for organizing it Stephanie :)  They have a ton of awesome prizes, go check it out.

Anyway, I didn't full out race it because I haven't been running a ton recently, I just did a normal (on the fast side) run.

6.2 miles in 46:07, average pace of 7:26

Do you ever do "date night" to celebrate special occasions?

I don't eat out a ton, so it's fun to use a new restaurant as a celebratory treat every once in a while.

Have you ever done a virtual race before?

This was my first!

Cervelo S2: White or Black?

I've been super busy with the holidays and work recently, so I just have a quick question for you all:

Which color Cervelo S2 would you get?

WHITE

OR BLACK?

Can't wait to catch up with everyone's blogs and such in the next couple days, I hope you are having a great holiday!

scoping out the prospects

So please do let me know...which color (black vs. white) you would pick and why?

Box of Gnu Bars GIVEAWAY!

I NEVER thought I would do a giveaway because it just seemed too tricky to organize.  I get intimidated by stuff I've never done before.  But that's one the best parts of life-- pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones.  And it turns out I was afraid of nothing haha.

ANYWAY, I have reached the point where I legit want to show my appreciation for all of YOU-- my super smart,  sweet, and lovely readers.

I wish I could reach out and give a huge big fuzzy-bear hug to all of you, but that'd just be too impossible.

My dad and me in the midst of the best bear-hug of my life,
overwhelmed with positive emotion after surpassing my goal time and running a 3:30:41

I still can't get over how:

• .......amazingly supportive all of you have been through my journey to my FIRST and SECOND marathons in less than one month and my journey to qualify for Boston!
• .......somehow over 100 people are now following the Neon blog
• .......every time I get a comment, I feel so warm and dorky and fuzzy about learning from and getting to know each and every one of you, and re-stalking YOUR blog
• .......I've been lucky enough to win awesome giveaways from Beth, Meggie, Vanessa, Cari, and Amanda (check them all out!)

So in celebration of all of this, I want to share a giant box of my favorite fiber bars (two of each delicious flavor) with ONE LUCKY READER.

Lemme tell you about these TREATS...

Gnu Bars are a delicious BAKED bar with nearly 50% of your daily fiber!

Here's what I love about Gnu Bars:

• 7 scrumptious flavors to choose from (my FAVS are chocolate brownie bar, cinnamon raisin, and espresso chip).  Espresso chip has enough coffee bean kick to jump start my day...and I think cinnamon raisin tastes like a frosted cookie.
• Almost 50% of your daily fiber in ONE bar
• only 130 to 140 calories per bar
• amazing crunchy, yet cookie-like soft texture
• fiber can reduce your risk of coronary artery disease by 10-30% for each 10 grams of fiber consumed on a daily basis (American Medical Association)
• fiber helps with digestion, cholesterol levels, weight control, blood sugar levels (American Dietetic Association)
• It's been featured in countless magazines and TV programs (including Dr. Oz, the Today Show, Rachel Ray, Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America)

I discovered these in the past year and I am ecstatic about how they make me feel SO SATISFIED and full after eating just one.  I try to sneak in at least one a few times per week (or every day if I happen to have a large stock of them on hand.)

Sounds scrumptious?  Want to win a huge box of Gnu Bars of your own?

The kind folks over at Gnu Bars gave me some of my own Gnu Bars and they would like to provide a lucky reader with a box of 14 Gnu Bars (two of each flavor) of their own!  Of course I was NOT compensated for this review, other than my free bars.

TO ENTER:
please do the first option below plus ANY (or all, haha) of the other options below and mention each in separate comments (+1 for each entry):

• +1 "like" Gnu Bars on facebook by clicking HERE
• +1 become a follower of Neon Blonde Runner by clicking on the "join this site" with Google Friend Connect icon on the sidebar
• +1 tweet about this giveaway
• +1 facebook about this giveaway
• +1 mention this giveaway in your blog

I'll randomly select a reader on FRIDAY DECEMBER 30th using random.org.
...Although I wish I could give a delicious treat to everyone...

Oh and PS this is the first giveaway I've ever created, so please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for me!

New Running + Swimming Treats!

Runner Bill's in Richmond VA is currently having a 60% off ALL merchandise...so if you live in town, get your butt over there.

They're closing their doors permanently on Dec 27th so get there while they still have stuff left.

Here are the special treats that I found:

$13 TYR bathing suit (originally $66)
and yep, that's my neon green phone case, what else would you expect?

$24 CWX compression tri shorts (originally $66)
...which I'll probably use for spin classes for now

faux-running in my $5 (originally $14) REFLECTIVE vest
for all that early morning pre-sunrise running that I never actually do

$36 Saucony Kinvaros (originally $90)

$6 TYR goggles (originally $16)
I like how they're mirrored so people can't see in.
I know the hair is obstructing the view...
didn't realize until I had already uploaded the photo and
it was too late/I was too lazy to fix it.

$14 Mizuno Split Shorts (originally $36)
...and Peeps, my sweet obese cat!!

Where do you usually buy your running gear?
I usually shop online at Running Warehouse (free shipping and best prices EVER plus discount codes), but when there's a good sale in town, I'll stock up.  And I JUST started to drink the Lululemon kool-aid......danger ahead...

Apparently Richmond VA is the Capital of Tacky Lights

The tacky lights of little ol' Richmond, VA were recently featured on the CBS Sunday Morning show.

Richmond, VA is the self-proclaimed capital of Tacky Lights.  Check out the official proclamation HERE.

There's also an official website with a tour that you can follow via your iPad or google maps.  It's legit.

Check out the video:

I went to check it out last week, here are some highlights from my favorite house:

Tappan and I at the craziest house

This is ONLY A GLIMPSE at the entire spread of lights....
This house has over 1,000,000 lights
and has been around for 37 years
takes 9 weeks to put up
$2400 added to the electric bill

Is anyone else creeped out by this spread of DOLLS in the display case?

And they're up to date with technology,
find the house on facebook!!

I also enjoyed this house,
artsy lights on the water.

Under ordinary circumstances, this house would be pretty amazing,
but paled in comparison to the others on the tour.

Do you put on Christmas lights at your house??
Are you a white or colored lights person??
I only really like white lights for myself...so I'll put a few strings on the Christmas tree, but usually don't do anything outside.  But that doesn't keep me from gawking at other people's extravagant decorations!

What Was Written on My Hand During the Marathon?

I wrote two simple messages on my hand in permanent marker during the marathon:

See the half-smudged black marker letters...?
(AND my mom's cell phone from the 1980's)

You can do this.
and
How badly do you want this?*

I am usually not a fool for little tricks like this, but I really think it helped.

When my head was stuffed in a little bag of fear and despair during the middle of the marathon, reading these messages on my hand helped me keep it together and stay focused.

*my dearest Brittany inspired me to write this one.  Check out her blog, she qualified for Boston last month too :)

Do you have any little mantras that help you get through races?
This was my first time trying something like this and I HIGHLY recommend you try it during your next race!

Let Me Drown You in Rehoboth Marathon Race Photos!

I am still sitting on cloud nine.

So of course I want to share the official race photos that I just found online.

**OH wait, can we talk about something crazy for a minute?

My body feels 100% fine right now.....like as if I had not run a crazy marathon on Saturday.  Like I was totally back to baseline on Monday night........I think I have a mutant gene in me.

That being said, I am still going to wait to run until Saturday though because I don't want to get injured.

ANYHOO, let's start with my favorite one:

I like this one because:
1) I am in the zone
2) I like the calf muscle definition
3) I don't remember seeing a camera here, so it's natural and un-posed

Around mile 18, still feeling fine 

Thumbs up, as per usual.  I am going to stop that.
I am such a nerd.

Another fav because:
1) It captures the intensity of the finish line moment
2) Some MAJOR arm swing...which is prob bad form, but it shows how I was reallly sprinting
3) I'm floating, look at my feet

Still feeling a little scared around mile 6?

You can see my little blonde ponytail,
hiding behind my wind buffer 

This was at the start of the race, within the first half mile.
It was still dark and chilly.
I remember feeling very nervous and calm at the same time, if that's possible.

Me and my 1st place sweet trophy + gift basket!
I never got these trophies when I was a kid (never did the soccer/sports thing),
so this is to make up for that :) 

Here I am around mile 19, still hiding behind
my new friend Elisha before I actually talked with her.

And there you have it!

Do you ever buy any race photos from those Brightroom, etc. websites?  Is it worth the high price?
I think I may splurge on a couple of these...