Virtual Race Report – DC Wonder Woman 10K Run

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to this raceas part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro , and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

wonder woman run

When I first learned of the DC Wonder Woman 5K/10K Race Series, I was really bummed that the races weren’t located closer to me. They were all way too far west. One benefit to a global pandemic is that this year’s race went virtual, and that meant I could race. I was ALL IN for the Wonder Woman Swag. When I was a kid, I had the coolest Wonder Woman Underoos. While this swag doesn’t quite rise to that level, it’s pretty great. And also much more appropriate for an adult to wear in public.

The swag for this race includes a sweet medal, two Wonder Woman wrist sweatbands with zipper pockets for keys or tiny snacks, a really nice long-sleeved running shirt that I would describe as slightly lined (perfect for the fall weather that’s hopefully coming my way) and a reusable Wonder Woman bag. You also get a race bib, but I forgot to wear mine while racing. When you upload your results, you also get a finisher certificate, and of course, your finishing time gets added to the stats.

I went out and did the race on my regular running route, and yes, I did pause my watch when I hit the red lights. Cheating? Probably. But it’s 2020 and none of the rules apply. It still wasn’t my fastest 10K, but it was fun to push myself and really see where my running was at.

I’ve definitely never been the biggest fan of virtual races, but this year, it turns out that working towards a virtual race was exactly what I needed. I’m pretty proud to have this medal hanging as a memory of the 2020 racing season. It’s a really substantial medal!

There’s still time to sign up, and I definitely think it’s worth it. Registration is $40, the swag is great, and I think we all need some added motivation to race this year. (And apparently, you can add on the Batman virtual race as well and get a discount!)

July Mileage Report and Life Updates

How have we already made it to August? The other day, my boss commented “Well, we’re into month four of quarantining,” and we had to remind her that August was the beginning of the fifth full month, not counting that we were home for part of March.

I’ve resigned myself to not racing this year, and really think early next year is going to end up being questionable as well. I’m currently registered for the Walt Disney World Marathon on my 40th birthday, but I really doubt it’s going to happen – and even if it does, if we’ll feel safe going and running. I don’t know how I feel about being in crowds.

This month, we did road trip out to visit my family in Illinois. It was really great to get out of the house and go elsewhere, though the process of traveling was definitely stressful, having to worry about when and where we stopped, etc. It was still worth it, of course, though now that COVID-19 cases are on the rise throughout the midwest, I’m not sure I’d be ready to do it again soon.

Bike – 91 Miles
Run – 26 Miles

Definitely a lighter month again. I’m recommitting to running by adding in some virtual racing. I’m planning on doing the Wonder Woman 10K, and I also registered for the Army Ten Miler. That’s my traditional fall race, and they’ve gone virtual this year. One interesting thing they’re doing is requiring people to use their specific app to record their time, rather than just submitting a finish time. Clearly, this is being done to prevent cheating, and it will be interesting to try it out. I’m sure my time will be terrible, since I’m planning to run on a local trail that crosses some roads and thus involves stoplights.

I’m also fairly certain I will be running the Space Coast half virtually. We still have our trip to Florida booked, but I’m just not sure it’s going to happen. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Just being realistic and looking forward to racing with my friends in 2021!

2020 Mileage
Swim – 4.6 Miles
Bike – 630 Miles
Run – 236 Miles

Staying Hydrated with SiS GO Hydro

Disclaimer: I received four tubes of SiS Go Hydro to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro , and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Happy Summer! The time of year where you go outside and are immediately coated in sweat. Is that just me? When I workout, indoors or outdoors, I’m a super sweaty mess, and in the past, I’ve struggled with proper hydration.

Hydration isn’t just about water intake, but as many of us know, it’s also about electrolytes. As great as it would be to be able to just get some water from the faucet during or after a workout, I definitely need more, or I end up with crushing headaches.

I got the chance to try out Science in Sport’s GO Hydro this summer and I’ve been really pleased. I tried the cola, lemon, and pineapple and mango flavors. They’re all very different, and I think I like pineapple and mango the best, which was not the result I expected. I’m usually a sucker for cola flavors, but I don’t love this one as much as I had hoped.

GO Hydro comes in tablet form and meets your sodium requirements at a specific concentration (30mmol/L) that is scientifically proven to produce superior hydration compared with water alone. It was developed to keep the British Sailing team optimally hydrated at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The tablets only contain 10 calories, so while you may need more fuel for a long workout, these are perfect to keep you hydrated through a workout or even a just a sweaty summer day. They don’t have the weird taste that some electrolyte drinks can get, and I’ve been generally pleased with all of the flavors I’ve tried.

On the recommendation of a fellow BibRave Pro, I tried putting the pineapple and mango Go Hydro tablet into a glass of iced tea (pro tip – put the tablet in before the ice – the cold makes it dissolve very slowly). It was super tasty and definitely a great afternoon beverage before an evening workout. At some point, I’ll probably try the lemon in tea as well (maybe hot!). The cola… probably not made for combining with tea.

Right now, you can get 20% off SiS Go Hydro tablets with the code BIBRAVE20.

June Recap – Kind of a Big Month

June! We’ve made it through half of the year. And half of that has been spent at home. It feels like forever ago that we were traveling. Now it’s a big deal if we get to go to the grocery store.

So we decided to make June one to remember and got married!

I put a ring on it.

Eric and I had plans for a small family wedding, but as COVID-19 hit and we could see those plans potentially changing, we realized we should take this as an opportunity. When we were initially planning our wedding dates, I thought it would be meaningful to get married on June 12, Loving Day. But Loving Day 2020 was coming too soon and we didn’t want to wait til 2021 to get married, so it seemed unlikely to happen.

And of course, with all the terrible things happening around the world, we also wanted to try to find the joy. So we worked with a local officiant and got married on June 12, just the two of us. And it was perfect.

And then people kept asking us where we were going on our honeymoon, and the answer was To Our House because there is no vacationing going on right now. We could have gone camping, I suppose, but it’s hot outside.

We’ll definitely have a good story for what we did during the Great Pandemic of 2020.

When it comes to training, it’s same old same old. Races continue to get cancelled, which I expected. I technically still have one triathlon on the schedule and if it doesn’t get cancelled, I don’t expect to be racing it. I haven’t been swimming since March. Pools have opened back up, and you can make a reservation for a lap lane (if you can get one), but I’m just not sure that it’s really safe. Or worth the stress. The pools I have access to are all indoors, which makes it more concerning. I will likely join a friend at a local open water swim spot later this month, but outdoors is a lot easier – plus if it looks bad, we bail. Much more annoying when you’ve paid for a pool spot.

Biking is still all indoors, and running is half indoors, half outdoors. I managed to pull something and thankfully, my PT has opened back up and I’ve been able to get some dry needling done. It’s definitely what my body needed after three months off from PT. I’m going to have to figure out a reasonable schedule for visits. Every week really isn’t necessary at this point (though I’d love to be able to swing that). Maybe every 2-3 weeks for a tune-up would work.

So it was definitely a lighter month.

June Miles
Swim – 0
Bike – 124 Miles
Run – 16 Miles

2020 Miles
Swim – 4.6 Miles
Bike – 539 Miles
Run – 210 Miles

May Mileage Recap

I said this month that I would work on additional posts so that the blog didn’t just become mileage recaps and I did not do that.

In many ways, it feels like May flew by, mostly because I think that there was a lot of just staring at the news in horror. I’m still trying to formulate words about what has been going on in the news lately, but I also read something recently that said that white people should sit back and listen and absorb and not try to create content, and that seems very wise. I have created a huge reading list for myself and will be sharing that in some form.

As to training, my races continue to get cancelled. Right now, I still have a triathlon on the schedule for September, though if the pools don’t open, I’m not sure I’m going to feel comfortable racing, because even if I can get to an open water swim every weekend (unlikely), I just don’t think that’s enough to be safely trained for the swim. I’ll go into a race under-trained on the bike or run, but especially with my arm/shoulder/collarbone injury last year, I don’t think it’s safe to go into open water under-trained.

Plus I’m not sure about swimming with a bunch of other people who are under-trained.

I’m pretty pleased with my other workouts in May though. I’ve been trying to do dry land swim work every day, alternating upper body and core/lower body. Conveniently, a number of the workouts are the same ones I should be doing for my PT, so not only is it helping keep my strength up, it’s also continuing my recovery.

My run miles have really been down over the past few years, and I’d like to get that back up and am aiming to run 50 mile months. I know, some of you do that in a week or less, but for me, a 50 mile month is something I’m happy with.

May Miles
Swim – Nope
Bike – 143 miles
Run – 48 miles

As to what is coming next, the next thing on my schedule (aside from the September triathlon) is the Space Coast Half Marathon in November. I was really pleased to see that they’re doing an in person/virtual hybrid, and you don’t have to make that decision until a few weeks before the race. I’m hoping we’re able to travel by then, but if not, it’s nice to know that either way, I’ve got to put in 13.1 miles that weekend. Definitely helps with the training goal.

We also signed up for the Disney marathon in January, as it’s on my 40th birthday. Still not sure I want to run a marathon (and yes, I know that training for a marathon means I’m going to have to do more than 50 mile months), but it’s now on the schedule, and I hope it happens.

I feel like right now, my training schedule is one of the normal parts of my life (save for not being able to swim – though I couldn’t swim for a chunk of 2019 either). It’s definitely helping me break up my day. I finish my work day and I go for a run or a ride. It’s been a great way to clear my head.

2020 Miles
Swim – 4.6 miles
Bike – 415 miles
Run – 194 miles