7 Reasons Rock 'n Roll ROCKS!

...because numbers like 5 and 10 are boring and expected, and who wants that?

1. The music.
It's no lie that you have a real, live iPod with you along any RnR course. With over a dozen bands and entertainers along every course, you have no reason to bring headphones along... just cruise to the jams provided for you! And, of course, every race finishes with a headliner concert. I'm stoked to see The New Pornographers at Seattle & Gavin DeGraw in San Diego this year, and got to see OAR last year in SD:

2. Who doesn't love a runcation?
The opportunities to see new states - and new countries, at that - is abound. If you're a Tour Pass holder (there's a 3-pack and both a North American and Global option), you can check out all kinds of new cities and cross off some of those half- or full-marathon states while you're at it! I'm headed up to Seattle in a few weeks to cross off state #10, many thanks to this year's tour pass. Check out all the locations here or here;

3. The scenery. 
Part of the fun in running in new cities is getting to explore on foot. Personally, I think there's no better way to get to know a new place! Whether it's the bright lights on the Vegas strip, or running underneath Spanish moss-covered trees in New Orleans, sights are abound along any course you'll find.

4. The expos! 
We all know that if you aren't careful, you can pretty much blow your entire month's paycheck at a race expo. Rock 'n Roll expos are that, times ten - everything from other races (and discounts!), to food and fuel samples, to the newest and greatest in all other things running (including some of my faves like Pro Compression and Sparkly Soul). The entire front half of each expo is a Brooks-based store for all things specific to that race, from jackets to hats and all kinds of shirts and tanks. It's dangerous. You've been warned.

5. The challenges. 
So many races around the country are now doing their own weekend-based challenges, and RnR is no exception. Last year, the Remix challenges were in cities like Vegas, San Jose, Philly, and Virginia Beach. The challenge? Run the 5K on Saturday (medal #1), and either the half or full on Sunday (medal #2), and then you earn the sweet, spinning Remix medal (#3). Sounds like a good time to me! I'm hoping to squeeze in a challenge or two this year, but we'll see!

San Jose 2016.

6. The BLING
Most notably, Rock 'n Roll races are known for the bling. You know they don't fall short in this area - my Vegas one from 2013 glows in the dark, and I swear they weigh 5 pounds each and hurt my neck just walking those babies back to the car from the finish line. Check out all the special medals here - including Remix challenges, destination challenges, and the Heavy Medals (I'm stoked about getting a few of those this year!).

RnR San Diego, 2015. 

7. Everyone can get in on it! 
Depending on the location, there are race distances for everyone. 5Ks, some 10Ks, and halfs abound, and select locations with a full marathon option. Your whole family can come along and play, even if they're not ready for a half and run the 5K, or you can make it a family half marathon adventure, too!

Want to run for all these reasons and more? Use code RUNMEGANRUN for $15 any domestic (Canada included) half or full marathon. Las Vegas is not included in this promotion. 5K, 10K and relay distances not eligible for promotion.

Need more reasons to run Rock 'n Roll? Check out my ambassador friends' reasons too:

Funner Runner 
Mat Miles Medals
Run Steff Run
Coach Debbie Runs
Run, Laugh, Eat Pie

Where will I see you this year?

Friday Favorites #18

This first week of May probably couldn't have gotten any better. I'm feeling pretty dang lucky + just oh so spectacular. Let's kick this fun off, shall we?

1. Rock 'n Roll Seattle
So I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago but it's now even more official that I am headed up to the PNW to rock at Rock 'n Roll Seattle! My flight is booked, hotel stay confirmed with the lovely Sparkly Soul ambassador sister Libby, & I'm ready for a whopping 30 hours of a good time! Washington's gonna be half marathon state #10 and I am soooo excited!

Better yet? (I know, how could it?) I'll be hosting the Seattle We Run Social meet up with my fave, Linz. Join us on Friday afternoon at the Pro Compression booth at the expo for some selfies, Insta love & maybe even some sweet gear + stuff.

Who's gonna join us in Seattle?

2. All the Socks

So I've been meaning for awhile to get my socks in order. Like, needed to desperately throw some away, some had pairs floating around my sock drawer, and it just looked a hot mess. So I finally spent some time getting ish organized and ended up re-arranging my entire dresser pretty much. 

That turned into organizing all my Pro Compression in rainbow order (duh) and that turned into this gloriousness:

I guess I might have a lot of socks. Funny thing is, there are tons of PCs I know I'm missing that I desperately want! #runnerproblems to the extreme. I need a separate sock fund, TBH. There are a complete of imposters in the drawer above, but let's be real, Pro Compression is the only way to go! They also just announced and released their spankin' new logo & a new teal sock! Who got the May Sock of the Month?

3. RunDisney

Last year, Tinkerbell was my first west coast RunDisney race and while I wish I were running it again (but you know, budgets), my mom and I are spending all day Saturday volunteering at the expo. That means COME VISIT ME! I'll be sure to post where I am on Twitter/Insta, but I would love to see any and all of you that are coming to play in the parks for the weekend! 

I'm excited to also introduce my mom to the fun of RunDisney expos and all they are. Maybe I'll even convince her to sign up for next year's Neverland 5K. 

4. Lexus Lace Up Series Ambassador

I'm also super stoked that I've been asked to return as a Lace Up series ambassador for 2016! The Lace Up series is by far one of my fave local series in Southern California for TONS of reasons, so I am way pumped to get to help spread the word again!

I won't be able to do Riverside this year, but am hoping to get to at least Irvine and Palos Verdes on my tour stops this year. 

Check it: you can save 30% on any of the Lace Up races with code laceupmegan. The best part? In the SAME registration, you can register for a second race for another 20% off! And yes, my 30% is good on top of that! Um, hi, what a deal! Steal it while you can! 

You can check out my recaps from last year's Irvine 10K & Palos Verdes 10K to see the fun that Lace Up brings! Where will I see you this fall?

5. This Guy

I don't know about you all, but especially after this marathon, I'm really realizing how much time running takes up. If I'm not on a run, I'm thinking about a run, and even if after my run, I'm thinking about how that run went. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when Doug asked if, after OC, we could have a weekend without running, that I realized just how much it's consumed me. Goals achieved, but I couldn't have done it without him:

For pushing me on days that I didn't want to get out the door. For believing that I always could, even on the days when I didn't think I had it in me (which, let's be real, was most of the time). And for being the best cheerleader and support person any runner is lucky to have. As soon as I turned the last corner in the U-turn towards that finish line on Sunday, my first look was to find him immediately. Knowing that he'd been there all morning - dropped me off at 5 am at the start, drove himself to the finish area, slept in the car, ran the 5K and hung out more waiting for my finish meant the world. I don't say it enough, but thank you. I hope you know this PR is yours just as much as it is mine because I couldn't have gotten there without you.

Mush aside, it's FRIDAY! Whatcha doin' this weekend?

Race Recap: OC Marathon

OC Marathon | May 1, 2016

Newport Beach to Costa Mesa, CA

Have you ever had one of those races where two three four (this is how long it's taken me to write this) days later, you're still not sure what happened? And you keep going back to the race results page to make sure it's a real thing and that you in fact achieved it? That's what this race is. Like, I seriously have no idea where to start because I'm still in disbelief - but then I get up and walk again and am reminded that yeah, that happened.

I don't know where to start.

But we'll start here. Mandatory race day essentials:

Garmin | Road ID | You Got This! | PureConnects | Pro Compression | Hydraquiver | Sparkly Soul

I think it's important to note that the Monday prior to race day, the high for Sunday was forecasted at 91 degrees. When I woke up Saturday morning to head to the expo in the rain, I knew we were better off. The high had dropped to 68, and then by Sunday morning had jumped a little to 70 or so. I went back and forth for a while on using my Hydraquiver or not, but ultimately determined that I had trained with it, so I was better off taking it and having it as a resource should I need.

Doug and I were up about 3:30 to be out the door about 4. He was going to drop me at the start line and then head over to the Orange County Fairgrounds, home of the expo, finish line, and 5K, which he was running. The full started at 5:30, half at 6:30 and 5K at 7:30, so he unfortunately had a boatload of time to kill. Thanks, babe! We were at the start right about 5, and by the time I walked from my drop off to the corrals, convinced a nice guy to let me cut in the porto line, and found my way to the corrals, I had less than 10 minutes to kill until the gun. Timing at its best. 

Noteworthy: reader Jennifer and I have been emailing back and forth for the last month about our long runs and how things were going. We knew what each other was wearing on race morning, but I was so scrambled at the start, I hardly saw anyone! Two minutes before gun time, I got a tap on my shoulder: "Are you Megan?" Found! So fun! She started with me in the group below... 

Yeah, you see that pace time? IERC friends!

After my 21-miler a few weeks ago where I managed a 9:12 pace (yeah, what?!), I decided that I could at least start with Jen and the 4:00 group. What did I have to lose (I mean, besides all my energy, but that's whatever)? I'd give it a shot. Mind you, my goals for this race may or may not have been in line with this, but remember that my marathon PR is a 4:52 heading into this morning! Jen's a regular pacer with Beast and I know her from around IERC and Fleet Feet, so I knew she'd hold me tight and help me get to a finish - a pacer I trust, fo sho. 

9:10 - All the weaving! I thought I'd sputter out there. No lie.

8:38

8:53

8:50

It was already about mile 4 that Jen and I both noticed that our watches were about a tenth of a mile further than the mile-markers. Throughout the entire race, this varied anywhere from .10 miles to .30 miles further on my watch (i.e. when I crossed the halfway mat, my watch read 13.4). 

Photo cred: Michael, because for once I wasn't taking photos mid-run.

8:49

8:54

8:50

9:08 - Not a hill but a long gradual incline up to the trail. I remembered this part from the half last year and hated it, but remembered the views at the top. 

Proof that I was there. For more than the start line photo.

8:49

8:58

8:50 - It's THE hill. I hate this hill. Oh look, there goes team 4:00. Okay, well, I can still see Jen clearly. Keep them in your eyesight, Megan, they're not far ahead.

9:45

9:28 / Half Marathon in 1:57 (Garmin), 2:00 (chip)

9:49

11:17 - The last real climb of the course, an overpass. My stomach flared here so I managed, walked the overpass, and moved up, ready to see some club supporters at South Coast Plaza.

8:54

9:58 - Energy. Just tons of energy, and it's mile 17? 

I was banking on seeing some club people at mile 17, just to learn that they had been turned away from actually parking in South Coast Plaza, so were just outside with no banner so I missed them all completely! Oh well. 

10:06 - Shoot, there's 4:10 guy.

4:10 guy was a minute fast, and his Garmin and mine read the exact same time, so I knew I was in okay shape to still carry on.

9:42

10:34 - 20! This is where you started to feel like crap at Phoenix and look at you! You're still golden! The 4:10 pacer is still behind you, you feel good, you look good, keep rockin'. Just a 10K to go! And only three miles until Jacky. 

Tina texted me the image of my splits and at 20, I was on track for a 4:08. What the what?!

11:28

10:53

11:01 - Jacky! There's that bounding, smiling ball of energy. Just what I need.

I had told Jacky that from about 20 on, I'd been walking the first minute of each mile, and then running the rest of each mile. My miles were getting notably slower, but I felt good. I told her I was happy, and I just wanted to stay happy until the finish.

10:48 - Mental math: you're at 24, and you could walk these next two miles and still come under a 4:30. That's HUGE. But maybe you should run.

I was at that point where shuffling just sounded best. I found Eric, my 21-mile buddy, told Jacky I just needed to keep moving and maybe we'd give Eric a boost if he saw us come up from behind (sorry, Eric!). 

12:13

10:57

Running the last 3/4 mile through the fairgrounds is beyond awesome. The last quarter-mile is even more awesome because you run through a tunnel of people, dozens handing out high fives and yelling for you - I teared up. I couldn't cry, because there was nothing left, but definitely teared up.

8:55 (.52 mi)

Do you see that?

4:19:20

That, my friends, is a 33:32 PR. Huge. Admittedly, this isn't what my A goal was. It's actually a little shy of it. But when you beast your B goal with a 33 minute PR, who the hell cares?! Not this girl. 

The moment of realization.

GUYS! I did it! Massive PR in the books, awesome race in the books. 250+ miles in eight weeks pays off. hard work pays off and a little belief pays off. HELL YEAH.

Did you run the OC this year?

PS. If you read all this... thank you!

April Recap

Total run mileage: 124.3. I'm not sure why it's only 120 up there ^, but whatever. Second highest monthly mileage EVER!  

Highest weekly run mileage: 48.89. Highest weekly ever? I believe so! The week of the kick-ass 21 miler.   

# Runs: 21.  

# Rest days: 10 days. Two only extra because I needed them, needed the break and promised that if I took them, I'd go out hard the next day. Always accomplished, so you know those rest days were well-spent! 

# Cross-training workouts: 4 days of yoga. And 1 awesome hike up in the mountains with my students! 

# Races: 

     - Ragnar So Cal... recap eventually? 

     - Angels 5K 

Favorite run: I can't say it was the favorite because it was the most fun or whatever (though it was), but knocking out that 21 miler (without realizing it was 21) was pretty fan-freaking-tastic. I had some good longer-than-13.1-mile runs this cycle and while they were great, there is nothing like finishing 21 miles (when you thought it was 20) and realizing you did so at a 9:12ish pace throughout. Talk about a confidence boost heading into race day (spoiler: mentally, it works wonders!). 

Current favorite: Given that we're a few days into May, my current favorite is reminscing on Sunday. Working on my race recap that I hope to post on Thursday and share all the gloriousness that race day turned out to be. I'm giddy and sore, elated and in sheer disbelief of what I pulled off. I couldn't have asked for more out of the day, nor out of my legs! Just you wait. ;) 

Current excitement: I'm officially all booked for my racecation 30-hour trip to Seattle! I'm so stoked to be running Rock 'n Roll Seattle and knocking off half marathon state #10 in the process. Though I'm up in Washington for just a day and a half, having a free flight and new friends to share a hotel with doesn't hurt, so this trip is uber-cheap and therefore even more uber-awesome. More to come on this on Friday! 

Join me, yes?

Current read: Many thanks to the super awesome folks at Rock 'n Roll and VeloPress, I've got a couple of new books headed my way and I'm way freaking excited! I still have plenty of other reads to get to, but I'm super stoked about The Accidental Athlete and am definitely cracking this one open first! A few weeks of recovery and easy running will leave me with plenty of time to get some reading done - amazing when you look back and realize how much time you've spent running, and now that you have some free time in your life... reading... some wedding planning... aaaaah! Such a nice feeling.  

Current goal: Marathon recovery! I think that's a pretty good goal to have. :) 

Month Goals: May is going to be all about giving my body some time to recover. Two fulls in nine weeks is pretty grueling on anyone, let alone a girl who took two YEARS between her first and second. I'm damn proud of it, but I know my body needs a little downtime too. To boot, May kicks off my busiest time of year - orientation seasion! - for our new students, so soon my Saturdays are being hijacked, which also leads to my biggest mental struggle of the year in maintaining any kind of fitness during 60+ hour work weeks. Wish me luck!  

Goals for April:
- 125 miles - Well damn, apparently I was .7 miles shy! 
- Add another yoga day in for at-home practice (so 2 times per week) - Nope. But I'm glad I stuck with my once per week at least! 
- Intentional stretching/foam rolling as miles increase these next few weeks heading into race day - Very much so. Lots more rolling as the weeks went on! 

Goals for May:
- Marathon recovery - It's been a tough and super intense last eight weeks since Phoenix. I've worked really hard and now it's time to let myself recover. I have a half on the books on June 5 (Rock 'n Roll San Diego), but nothing I intend to take seriously. Sometimes running just to run is just as good!
- Maintain - Having nothing to train for/focus on is nice, but on the same token can be hard because I'm certainly of the variety that will let myself slack more because of that. My Saturday work schedule also starts up soon (summer is craaaaazy in my world), so I'm hoping to maintain a schedule of running + yoga to keep up with my current fitness.
- Strength - Maybe, then this is a good time to get in some strength work. There's an idea. ;)

Looking back on another month. Fantastic. 

What are your biggest accomplishments from this month? What are you looking forward to next month?

Weekly Workout Recap #17: Race Week

April 24 - 30
RACE WEEK!

Last week of taper + leading up to race day. My head was kind of all over the place but mostly? Excited. 

Sunday | 6 miles
Since I did some extra mileage at some extra elevation on Saturday, I opted to take it easy on Sunday. We wrapped our retreat with our students, packed up camp, headed back down the mountain and I wasn't home until nearly 4:30 that afternoon. Glad I opted for the rest day, but glad I had the extra distance on Saturday to have made up for it.

Monday | 3 miles + strength
I could not get up to save my life on Monday morning (thank you, retreat weekend), so I opted to do them after work. But also then realized that I had committed to dinner at my parents' house right after work, so since I didn't get there until 6, I didn't get home and on the treadmill until nearly 8:40 at night. I hate running that late, even on a treadmill, because then I feel all amped up and not so ready for bed. Luckily, my post-retreat weekend exhaustion still hung around because I'm pretty sure I was out cold in no time anyway!

Note the Rockstar 26.2 headband. Pre-marathon pep-talk via hair accessories. Duh.

3 miles, 28:47, 9:35 pace 

Tuesday | 4 x 400 
I didn't want to run late again like Monday, but had a few errands after work, so I packed  my gear to take advantage of a forecasted gorgeous day and get my run around campus before I left for the day. Good decision, self! 1 mile warm up from my car + 1 loop around the track, 4 x 400 that felt way uber slow (1:47, 1:45, 1:43, 1:44) but led to my fastest mile ever (kind of cheating though, no?), and 1 mile cool down back to the car. I still had daylight for my errands and still home at a decent hour. I win!

3.01 miles, 25:44, 8:32 pace 

Wednesday | 2 miles + yoga
It's kind of hard only having 2 miles scheduled to do. You mean, I can head out 20 minutes before yoga starts and STILL get "all" my mileage done for the day? Score. I met up with Jacky just before 7 to bust out two easy miles. Well, what I thought was supposed to be easy and even with the entire first mile going into the headwind, we still busted out a quick pace.

Followed by 60 minutes of yoga and I was done for the night. Yoga was a great last pre-OC stretch and soooo needed! So good. Can you tell I'm really jumping on this yoga train, even if it is only once a week?

2.13 miles, 18:50, 8:50 pace
60 minutes yoga

Thursday | 2 miles 
For the first time in a long time, I got up with my alarm and headed out for my scheduled 2. It probably helps that I only had to be up at 5:50 to make two miles work, so that was kind of cool and helpful. I was planning on the treadmill but the gym near our apartment building has only one functioning 'mill currently and it was in use, so I skipped back home, grabbed a jacket and ran around the neighborhood instead. It was cool - clearly had rained just a few hours earlier - and misty, so it was a nice morning to get outside and just get it done.

2.05 miles, 18:40, 9:05 pace 

Friday | Rest
Happy end of the week! It's almost RACE DAY! Gaaaaaaaaah.... goals are live, ready to make things a reality and see how much these last eight weeks have paid of. Let's do this. 

Saturday | 2 miles

I was scheduled to work at the OC expo from 8:30 am - 12 noon and had venue appointments all afternoon, so my only chance was to get in some pre-sunrise miles again. No sweat, 'caus Sunday I'll be up way before the sun anyway, right?

How was your week? Make sure you link up below!