Tag: #bibchat

Let’s Do This Monterey

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Monterey Bay Half Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Race weekend has arrived.

Ya’ll I really need to get better at looking at calendars.  🤣  I am so tired.

Timehop to the rescue!  I’ve wanted to run Monterey Bay again since I first ran it back in 2015 but I’ve been so tired this week post work trip.  Thursday marked 3 years to the day since I last ran Monterey Bay and the memories popped up.  I was reminded of everything I was looking forward to again- party tunnel, Cannery Row, ocean views and how close can I get to the elites????

Let’s do this!

That said, this is my last half of the year.  And let’s be real, I haven’t had a good race all year.  By good- I mean a race without some form of malady or another.    So this race will be a little different.

I REALLY will have no time goals, in my previous posts I always had one in mind even when I said I didn’t; if this takes me 3 hours, so be it.   I am going to take all the pictures.  Thank all the volunteers.  Listen to all the music available on course.  Take more pictures.  I’m probably going to wear something different than my more standard race outfit.  I may leave the pack behind.  I am doing race day packet pick up.   In short, let’s embrace all things different and just enjoy a nice stroll along the bay.

This will be half #34, I mentioned that at work today and my coworkers found that to be pretty cool.  Not because I’ve run 33 before this but because 34 is our office designation.  I hadn’t thought about that before- that has to mean something right?

All right, Monterey Bay, let’s do this.

Rock N Roll Los Angeles 13.1

Disclaimer: I received an entry into Rock n Roll Los Angeles as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Going into LA, I knew it was going to be less race and morning training run.  With the last few weeks of work kicking my tush, I knew it might turn into a stroll around LA instead.

The parking situation from the day before had me super stressed and then I realized that my hotel was further away then I thought so I set a very early alarm for Sunday.  I used Siri and Waze and still ran into road closures but found a spot in a parking garage near the start before 5AM.   I hung out in my car for a bit then headed out to find the start.   There was a short line at the potties so I took advantage, I then headed off to the #werunsocial meetup.

I jumped in corral 9 after the National Anthem and just stayed there.  I didn’t feel like shoving my way up to my corral and I knew I wasn’t going to be fast.

Miles 1-4 9:47, 10:31, 11:11, 11:27
We were off and headed out on the first out and back.  I was actually feeling pretty good which was surprising considering the dense fog and poor air quality warning I had woken up to.  I took a walk break in mile 3 for water and the pavement seemed more slippery than usual at the water stations.  Mile 4 I felt a little fatigued so I went to my run/ walk intervals, it also had the biggest climb on the course.  I like hills but after a week of crap sleep in a hotel- yeah I walked.

Miles 5-6 10:55, 14:19
My little reset mile helped so I picked up the pace for mile 5.  I was feeling good, we were running down Wilshire (?) BLVD and things were going my way.  Then they weren’t.  At 4.8- 1/2 mile past an aid station, my stomach cramped- hard.  I came to a complete stop.  What the hell?? I walked until about 5.4 trying to calm my stomach.  Then it was a slow jog while I prayed for an aid station and a port-a-pottie.  Just before mile 6 there was and thankfully there was no line.

Miles 7-10 10:51, 12:03, 12:10, 11:48
My stomach was ok but not great.  From then on, it was run/ walk.  I was actually running a decent pace but when I walked I was so slow.  Normally I power walk pretty well but my stomach was either run or crawl.  I tried to just enjoy some of the buildings around me, the other runners in costume and major shout out to the Korea Town Running club- their cheering section was awesome.    Oh and zombies on stilts?

Miles 11-13 12:13, 13:07, 11:39
We were on our way back of the biggest out and back.   My stomach was starting to really act up again and trying to ignore it was making me tired.    This was also the first time I’ve seen a sweeper car on a race damn near on top of the last runners.  Kind of a drawback to courses with such long out and backs.  I walked most of mile 12 and 13 before I finally told my stomach it just had to shut up for 1/2 mile and I ran it in.

Finish-2:34:43

Considering I walked 45% and spent 3 minutes in a bathroom mid run- that ain’t bad.  In fact, if my stomach had not been an asshat, this probably would have ended up being my fastest half of the year, instead it was my slowest, haha.   And that is perfectly fine considering how the last 2 weeks went.  Not my best, not my worst, either way I have no problem entering my time into Athlinks while I wait for the official results.

While I did like the course- good hills and buildings- and Rock N Roll always puts on a great race, the parking and the traffic were nuts.  Too many things going on in a small area and I just don’t deal well.

Stepping it Up

Disclaimer: The WEAV Run app is currently free but I will be receiving a lifetime subscription in January 2018 as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro(ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Google average running cadence and any number of sites and sources come back with 180 average steps per minute.   Dig a little deeper and some will say 180 and above is usually elite runners and most everyday runners average between 160-170 steps per minute.  Either way you dice it- I fall short.   I usually average in the low 140’s, my two fastest half marathons this year didn’t even hit an average of 160.  Ouch.

Knowing that it’s something I need to work on, Weav Run seemed right up my alley.   Weav Run is a newer app on the market that is designed to use music to motivate your running tempo.  Want to run 175 steps per minute? Weav Run can get you there.  Weav Run has 2 options for setting the tempo- detecting the tempo based on your movement or letting you choose your own.

Weav Run works with the individual music files in order to give the runner the best listening experience possible.  So instead of speeding up the entire song and getting that helium sounding effect, aspects of the background speed up while the lyrics remain pretty close to what you hear on the radio.   It’s like your feet are the DJ.

The set up questions were more in depth than I anticipated- where do I keep my phone?- but took hardly anytime.   Pushed a couple buttons and I was set to run.  But I was kind of injured, boo.  So, I adapted and hopped on the bike.  I used the “I Know My Tempo” option, set it at 150 steps per minute and figured I would test it out that way.    For once, my cadence on the bike was even!  It also helped me really familiarize myself with the app.

But how was running?

I say my right leg is the troublemaker but what I really mean is that my right leg is the dead leg. The lazy leg, the leg that never seems to want to do any work. As a result I over compensate with my left and end up hurting. All previous attempts to focus on my form and bringing my leg around have ended in failure. I would succeed for a short time but end up with a headache from having to focus so hard. So I usually gave up.

With Weav Run, I didn’t even have to try, somehow my right leg just wanted to join the party. Something about the beat and the music working together  and flipped a switch in my brain and both legs were on board and working together. I powered up a couple of hills in ways I never have- I felt kind of bad ass. 😛 Now, this isn’t saying it was all perfect- I have 2 left feet and no rhythm so I’d usually get off step at some point and have to work my way back but it’s awesome when I’m on point.

Since Vegas- I’ve been running less, a little sick and the air has been filled with smoke but the paces of my runs using Weav Run have all averaged about 30-45 seconds faster than they should be given my current state of fitness. And that’s with the walk breaks I’m still taking. Consider me a Believer. Which by the way is a song on the Weav playlist.


So-are there downsides?

  • I take walk breaks- it’s how I run these days. While the app adjusts to my pace and cadence pretty well, sometimes it has issues.  When I slow down, it seems like only half of it slows down with with me and the other half is too fast.  It eventually evens out but it’s kind of an odd 20 seconds or so.
  • The technology is new and while it is great that Weav Run is working directly with artists and music labels, the library currently only has 25 tracks.
  • This is a both a plus and a possible downside- As a BibRavePro, we were able to test some of the tracks that are coming in the future (you will be happy🙂) but all those tracks mean the app needs a little more space on your phone.   As I write this, the app is using 2.25 GB on my phone.  I have plenty of space on my phone but it something to keep in mind.
  • It’s currently only iPhone- ios compatible.

I look forward to many more runs with Weav Run and oddly more bike rides.  I rode the bike more since downloading the app than I have in months.   😛

What are you waiting for?  Go download Weav Run!

Want to read more?  Check it out-

Brenda– Lindsey– Meridith