Space Shuttle Discovery at Dulles Airport

Yesterday, I thought it was just a normal day at the airport as I prepared to fly to California:

I rode through the space-age underground tunnel system to find terminal B
(...and I was assured by Christine that the shark buses DO, in fact, still exist...)

I had my usual pre-flight 6 mile jog

And I may or may not have consumed some Skyy Vodka...because you may remember from this post that I get nervous before flying.

And everything seemed to be as per usual, until I looked out the window of the plane before takeoff and saw the Space Shuttle Discovery, just chillin' on top of another airplane!

Peepin' out the airplane window at the
Space Shuttle Discovery at Dulles Airport

Incredible.

We were parked next the Space Shuttle Discovery, one of the newly retired orbiters from NASA's fleet.

Check out how cool the Discovery is:

• It had been in operation for almost as long as I've been alive-- started flying in 1984 and just retired in 2011.  
• It completed over 39 successful missions in over 27 years of work.  
• During its career, the discovery flew over 149 million miles.  Think about that next time you think about how high your car mileage is.

The Space Shuttle Discovery is not to be confused with the Space Shuttle Columbia, which tragically exploded in 2003.  I remember watching the news coverage of the accident in my 2nd year apartment at UVa.

Anyway, the Discovery shuttle is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.  Go check it out if you're in the DC area!

Did you ever dream about being a NASA astronaut when you were a kid?  If not, what did you dream about doing when you "grew up"?

I always loved science and math, so I do remember dreaming about becoming an astronaut when I was in elementary school.  But I left that path behind when I decided to do something more along the lines of health care or some other sort of science, on the earth.  If flying on an airplane made me uncomfortable, it's common sense that I should probably avoid outer space.
Now that NASA is on it's way out, what are the math/science/engineering kids going to dream about now?

Hello From California!

More to come tomorrow, once I have real Internet...

PS if any of you gals are in LA or Santa Monica and want to meet up tomorrow (Saturday) for a morning jog or some afternoon frozen yogurt, tweet at me @katherinehopper or leave me a comment!

Sneaky Snake Attack

The snake didn't attack me, but I almost accidentally attacked it with my giant clodhopper foot!

I was running along the other day and came four inches away from stepping on this little guy:

He was maybe 3 or 4 feet long?

It was just a few slithers/steps away from this strangely colored green lake at Bryan Park:

What's up with the green water?
Could that possibly be natural?  Algae?

Do you know what kind of snake it is?  Is it poisonous?

Come on, all you girl scouts, help a sister out!  I snooped around the internet, but couldn't figure it out...Wow, I'm just full of questions today.

RVA Street Art Exhibit

Last week I did a 9 or so mile run/walk on a SUPER HOT day, average pace of like 19 minute miles.

Ok, probably not really that slow, but that's what it felt like.

My run turned into a no-frills and no A/C foot tour of some of my favorite spots in Richmond, including the new RVA Street Art Exhibit.  Check out the RVA Street Art website here.

The RVA Street Art festival brought together over a dozen national street artists to paint the ugly floodwalls in downtown Richmond and turn them into works of art.

I'd say they were successful....but you be the judge!

Their website explains that the goal of the exhibit is to show the creative power of street art, liven up an otherwise drab floodwall, and attract people and tourists to the outdoor art gallery that will showcase the Canal Walk and Shockoe Bottom neighborhood.

The murals will be in place for two years.

Reaching for the mannequins, who happen to be chopped in half.

Should have my name painted here. 

Tappan vs. the Monster
Who would win?

Work in progress at the RVA Street Art Exhibit.
Very cool to meet the different artists.

If you're in town, go check it out!
Anything like this in your city?

Secret to a Quick 23 Mile Run + Giveaway Winner!

I discovered the secret to having a long run that flies by!

But first, some background:

The majority of my Saturdays are usurped by long runs...by the time I finish running, feasting, ice bathing, napping, showering again and getting dressed, the day is already halfway over.

So I decided that since I was off today and the weather was relatively cool this morning (around 50ish), I thought I'd knock it out early.  Two of my dear friends who run were doing 6 miles at 6am, so I just structured my long run around this and did a few miles before and afterward.

I ran 23 miles at 8:15 pace and it FLEW BY in my head.
I know I always say that, but it really did.

I really didn't plan on running so many miles, but I wanted to jog over to Tappan's so that I could take an ice bath, so that added on a little at the end.  And it seriously felt so easy and comfy, as if I could have run forever.

Here's my new discovery to make your long run fly by:  

-break it up in your head!  

-make little mini destinations along the way (aka bathroom for me today)

I'm sure I'm the last one to figure this out, and you all probably do this already, so I apologize if this is old news.  I had thought about this concept in the past, but this was the first time that I put it into practice and I truly was shocked at how quickly the time went by.

I legit tricked myself!

So in my head, I did a 3 miles, followed by 6 miles (starbucks bathroom), followed by 3 miles (home bathroom), followed by 8 miles (home bathroom), followed by 3 miles (Tappan's bathroom).  This just reinforces to me that RUNNING IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD!

And the big news for the day is the Zensah Fitness Bra giveaway winner...

NOTE:  I am PRETTY sure random.org must be posessed by a wild spirit because the winner is the SAME winner from my first ever giveaway:

 

Heather, congrats!!  Send me an e-mail at katherine.hopper @ gmail.com and I'll get you hooked up with the Zensah folks.

What's your secret to a great long run?  Break it up in your head into "mini runs"?  Solo vs. group?
I usually do my long runs with a group on a pre-planned route, but all my Boston training buddies are done training for the season and I'm prob going to do a marathon in California on May 6th, so I did this long on my own, which was not bad at all (which I had been a little fearful of.)

Boston Marathon Deferrals

HUGE congrats to everyone who ran the Boston Marathon yesterday, I am still in awe of each of you for running 26.2 miles in temperatures that were in the upper 80's.

When I read about the forecast for hot temperatures, I was happy to hear that the Boston Athletic Association was allowing runners to defer to 2013, because this would take some pressure off of folks who didn't want to risk their lives by running in such high temps.

I wilt in hot temperatures.
80 degree weather calls for pool/river/ocean time, as seen here with Btypes.
Not my idea marathon conditions!

I have a number of friends (in real life and in blog life) who were registered for the 2012 Boston Marathon and I actually don't know a single person who decided to defer to 2013.  Everyone that I know adjusted their goals and went for the experience.

So now my mind starts to wonder...

As someone who qualified for Boston 2013 and is hoping to run it, I'm wondering if there was a significant number of people who did defer and if that is going to affect my chances of being accepted next year.  

I beat the qualifying time by less than five minutes, so is registration for Boston 2013 going to be full/closed by the time my opportunity to sign up comes around?

This of course is to be determined and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.  I would 100% prefer to have runners be safe this year and take my spot next year, because I have plenty more years in my life to do Boston (and or next time I run a marathon, I'm going to work to increase my qualifying gap to increase my chances of getting in.)

BUT I did learn a lot about the deferral process in the midst of researching this, so let me share what I found!

• The BAA allowed for deferral of the entry to the 2013 Boston Marathon, based on the following rules:
• runners must pick up their bib # in order to make deferment an option
• in order to receive a deferment for 2013, participants may NOT start the race
• a refund for 2012 will not be given, 2013 race fees will apply
• So how many people actually deferred?
• There were 427 who picked up their packets but who did not start the race and therefore qualify for a deferral to 2013. (source:  BAA communications director on 4/16/12).  There were 22,426 official starters (out of 26,716 registered runners), which is 98.13 percent of those who actually picked up an official packet.
• Several sources erroneously reported that 4,000 or 5,000 runners had deferred to 2013, but the BAA communications director, Marc Davis stated that this is not true.
• There were 3,863 numbers unclaimed by the end of the Runner's Expo and those runners do NOT have a deferred spot in next year's race (aka they were "no-shows").

And PS if you want to read more about any of this, I got all my information from three sources-- the official BAA website, this article from boston.com and this article from a Runner's World interview with the BAA communications director, Marc Davis.

So what would you do if you had trained for the Boston Marathon for the last few months and were given the opportunity to defer because of the heat?
I would still run it, but just slowly.  I'd run Boston for the experience, not every race needs to be a PR.

and PS, feel free to enter my Zensah Fitness Bra giveaway!!

Zensah Fitness Bra Giveaway!

I was given the opportunity to review the Zensah Fitness Bra and I'd like to give you a chance to win one of your own!

The Zensah Fitness Bra has thin racerback straps
(as seen on the Zensah model with some ripped back muscles...)

I love the Zensah Fitness Bra because of the incredibly soft and comfy fabric.  I feel like I could wear it for days at a time OR that I could sleep in it (but don't worry, I don't actually do either of these...)

The soft and seamless fabric helps prevent chafing,
which could help me in this spot where
my normal sports bras bother me!

The Fitness Bra is available in black or pink, as shown by this lovely Zensah gal:

 

In real life, the pink is not quite as neon as the photo, it's more of a raspberry.  You can also see in the photo below, as evidenced by the tan line above the bra, that it is more low-cut than my average sports bras, which makes it perfect for low-impact activities like yoga or spinning.

Yes, I feel a little strange having a photo of my top on the internet, 

but I want you to see how it fits...!

There are two sizes available:
XS/S equals 30AB-32AB
S/M (which I'm wearing) equals 34AB-36A

TO ENTER:

In order to be entered to win a fitness bra, all you have to do is "like" Zensah on Facebook (and let me know with a comment)!  Click HERE for their facebook page.

You get an optional bonus entry for (write +1 comment for each):
-tweeting about the giveaway (you can copy/paste something like:  Neon Blonde Runner @KatherineHopper is giving away a @Zensah Fitness Bra, I'm ready to win some comfort! http://www.neonblonderunner.com/2012/04/zensah-fitness-bra-giveaway.html)
-following my blog somehow

I'll pick a winner via Random.org by 11pm on Thursday April 19th and announce the lucky duck the next day :)

My New Favorite Cheap-o Fancy Running Socks

Target has done it again.

You know those fancy running socks with all the different areas of compression/breathe-ability/cushion?

Yeah, the type of sock that can cost an arm and a leg (and a foot), sometimes up to $15 per pair, depending on where you look...

...fortunately Target is here to save the day (as per usual).  They came out with an advanced super cool running sock.

And they're cheap too!

Only $8.50 for FOUR pairs.

My favorite part is the plush cushioning to keep my heel friction-free!!
Btypes, your heels will love this.
(Excuse the chicken drumstick appearance of my leg.)

They come in a ton of fun colors, although I just stuck with black/white/gray because I usually have too many other colors in my outfits.

Look at that fancy comfy cushioned sock!

Just the right amount of cushion in the heel and toe.

Made with the perfect wicking material to keep your feet dry after a sweaty workout-- and some spandex to give a little flexibility.

I looked for them on the target.com website, but couldn't find them...
But check your local store.

What's your running sock of choice?
These are my new favs...previously I had some other Target socks that weren't quite as high tech, but they did the job.

Happy Easter Weekend!

My new bunny friend.
Remarkable conversationalist.

Happy Easter at CCV

I bet the sheep was hot in those wool dreadlocks,
hat, and scarf.

Hello random child!
I was overjoyed to see my favorite set of neon pink hands during my jog
(as if I'm aware of another set of neon pink hands.)

Richmond VA Easter Parade

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Mine was spent mostly at the hospital for nightshift, but I was fortunate enough to escape outside for some quality daylight hours on Easter Sunday.

Peace Out Race Photos

Yesterday I had a great 10.5 mile run at an 8:01 pace, followed by 3 fun, very relaxed pace miles with my injured Tappan (he's still battling the achilles, but doing a few miles here and there...) for a total of 13.5 miles.

The jog included one awesome water stop at the seminary.  By golly that water must have been blessed directly by god, himself, it was so refreshing.  Prior to those sips, I was feeling so parched, like as if I hadn't had anything to drink in days.

Anyway, I can't resist sharing these race photos where I was apparently channeling one of my favorite running bloggers, Margot from the Faster Bunny, during my crazy 10K last weekend.

"Who Doesn't Want World Peace?"
ala Margot Faster Bunny style 
at the finish line of Monument Ave 10K

Perhaps my all-time fav race photo, around
the halfway mark of the Monument Ave 10K

Do you ever stop random places to get water when you're jogging?

Yep, pretty much every time, when I jog over 8 miles.  I never carry water with me.

Do you ever do funny stuff for the camera during races?

I usually don't see the camera person, but if you do, you bet I try to!

Qualifying for the NYC Marathon

First of all, thank you all for being so supportive of my crazy 10K PR this past weekend, I am so grateful for all the sweet and encouraging comments from each of you!

I've been ridiculously busy this past few days, and I can't wait to catch up with everyone's blogs later today since I finally have a free afternoon (hopefully)...

Anyway, I mentioned on my last post that I had wanted to qualify for the NYC marathon before they drastically decrease my age group's half-marathon qualifying standard from 1:37:00 down to 1:27:00 for the 2013 NYC marathon.

TWO nurses on the run ;)
I loved meeting Susan and running in NYC last summer,
can't wait to go back to NYC!

But a comment from my dear Celia from NYC prompted me to re-investigate the fine print on the 2012 application instructions here.....

......which revealed that the deadline to have run a 1:37:00 half marathon and qualify for NYC was before January 31st, 2012!

Which means that I missed it.

Oops!

Regardless, I'll still probably do a half marathon in the next month or so.  I've never raced a half marathon, but I do still want to do one while I have a decent level of training this spring, even if it's not going to win me a guaranteed entry to NYC.

(PS I did run a half marathon as a training run under someone else's bib one time, but that doesn't count since it wasn't in my name and was totally casual.)

Excited to run through the streets of this city, but perhaps in a couple years.

Are you interested in running the NYC Marathon?  How would you enter:  qualify/lottery/charity?
I am NOT planning on entering the lottery to do it this year, because my desire to do it in 2012 was just motivated by the allure of the challenge of qualifying.  I'd like to do it in a couple years as a "fun marathon" and this fall I'd like to have a faster marathon.

Monument Avenue 10K Race Report!

I ran the Monument Ave 10K on Saturday morning and earned a huge PR!

I had mixed feelings going into the race-- I've felt pretty good about my running recently, but I didn't know if I had any real speed in my legs.  I've only done speedwork twice so far this year, so I wasn't sure if I'd built up enough "fast twitch" muscles.

So my only real goal was to push myself and see what I could do.

The race started at 8:30am, so Tappan and I rolled up to the starting line on our bikes around 8:15am.  Yes, this is cutting it a little close, but I don't like to stand around before races.

I'd brought my new $9 neon yellow arm sleeves,
but it turned out to be too warm for them
so I took them off before even starting.

I was nervous as heck before the race started.  I cued up in wave B and my HR was already 125 (and my normal resting heart rate is usually never above 60 when I'm standing around...)

I was relieved to find my running buddies Brittany, Kelly, and Heather shortly before the start.  I knew I was going to run my own race and not let anyone else's pace determine mine, but it was still super comforting to know we'd all at least be near each other!

After chatting with the girls, I decided to try to hold a 7 minute pace for as long as I could.

Based on my most recent races, a 7:10 pace was my calculated 10K pace, but I thought I'd try to push it a little.

Mile 1:  6:56

Felt a little scared when I started, but I settled into a comfortable pace pretty quickly.  My shirt had "Kate" on it and I remember hearing a bunch of people cheering my name.  (Side note:  no one really calls me Kate, except for my parents sometimes and this shirt was leftover from when my parents were spectating at my last race, the Rehoboth Marathon.)

Mile 2:  6:55

Mile 3:  6:52

These two miles blend together in my head.  Still feeling good, I wasn't feeling like I was actually running this fast.  Mile 3 was the turnaround spot and I caught a glimpse of my lovely friend, Lauren!!  Made my day to see her, it meant a lot to me to have a friend on the lookout.

A highlight of the race was my dearest Tappan
was able to occasionally pop into my field of vision 
on the side of the road on his bike to support me
(this is a photo he snapped.)

Mile 4:  6:51

When I saw the mile 4 sign, I took an Accelerade 2nd Surge Gu, with 100mg caffeine.  I usually don't do gu's during such short distances, but I thought the extra little bit of sugar and caffeine would give me a little rocket booster to propel me through to the end.

Mile 5:  6:59

I remember feeling realllly tired here.  I remember thinking that if you saw me from the sideline, you'd probably think I was actively trying to die.

Mile 6:  6:44  (the gu must have set in)

Mile 6 (0.2):  6:11

I was running my ass off at this point.  No other way to say it.

Struggling at mile 6.0 of the Monument Ave 10K,
looking for any last ounce of energy...
finish line in sight

I passed through the finish line and was funned with the rest of the herd over to a grassy field.  I was so relieved to be DONE.

With my Speedy McSpeedster friends...Regina (in blue) ran a 38:50,
she is amazing (and the most modest runner I've ever met.

Garmin summary:

My official time was 6.2 miles in 42:44 seconds.

18th pace in my age group and 61st woman overall (not sure how many woman/people in my age group, but the race had over 40,000 people signed up for it.)

I was (and still am) ecstatic.

Ridiculous........totally surprised myself.

.......This was a PR of almost 2 minutes from last year.

We are all capable of so much more than we think we are.  You just need to set your mind to it and work your butt off!

I'd like to race a half marathon in the next month and qualify for the New York City Marathon (I would need a 1:37:00), so if I plug this 10K time into a pace calculator/predictor, it puts me comfortably below that time.  So this gives me a little confidence that I'll be able to come close to hitting that goal.

Do your race times match up with the predicted times from the McMillan Race Pace Calculators?
Last year my 5K/10K/marathon times actually consistently fit in with the calculator's predicted times.  But of course you have to take the value in the context of what you have actually properly trained for.  (Click here for a link to the calculator.)