#coastaldelaware

[tattoo-galaxy-6]

𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙀𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 - 𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙤

#delawarebeaches #delaware #rehobothbeach #bethanybeach #fenwickisland #rehoboth #lewes #deweybeach #ocmd #coastaldelaware #lewesdelaware #delmarva #delagram #oceancitymaryland #lewesde #bethanybeachde

[jujuru-blog]

Atlantic Median is a framed original oil painting that is available at judithrhue.etsy.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #20injanuary #6 #wave #ridethewave #beachhousedecor #beachcomber #beachhome #beachhouse #sandandsea #judithrhue #sandybeach #sandbetweenmytoes #waterreflections #waterwatereverywhere #oceanvibes #seawater #seashells #naturelandscape #saltwater #beachside #oceanview #Atlanticocean #pacificocean #washedashore #foam #seaworthy #coastalart #coastaldecor #coastal #coastaldelaware (at Scottsdale, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnKhVnZPOtu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jjphoto302]

Capt. BOB IV Lewes,De Nikon Z50 135mm 1/320sec f/6.3 ISO 100 . . #lewes #lewesde #lewesbeach #lewesdelaware #delaware #delawaretoday #Visitdelaware #delawarebay #delawarebeaches #coastaldelaware #beachphotography #delgram #degram #delmarva #coastaldelaware #beach #beachlife #beachliving #delmarvalife #delawarebay #delawarebeaches #coastaldelaware #beachphotography #delmarva #coastaldelaware #beach #beachlife #getoutside #getoutdoors #photooftheday #instagram #natgeoyourshot #natgeo #optoutside #nikonphotography #nikonusa #sigma135mm (at Lewes Beach, Delaware) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMOK-D-HLbZ/?igshid=19ncka3uqe2jn

[delmarvausa]

"Altered skies" over Route 54 in Fenwick Island, Delaware by delmarvausa Via Flickr: blurry but I liked the perspective of the sky over Catch 54 Restaurant.

[obxrunning-blog]

While my #friends were #running #flyingpirate and #coastaldelaware #bravozulu (at The OBXRunning Company)

[runningseason]

Racing my way into shape

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you will notice the hashtag I often use, #allracesnoworkouts. You may ask how a seasoned marathoner can expect to improve with no formalized workouts. There is a method to my madness. My race choices are not random; I put a lot of thought into my plan. Though I am restricted to the races that are available during my training cycle. 

It is not easy to find races in January and February in NJ. Oftentimes, the ground is covered in a blanket of snow and the temperatures reach frigid lows. I am lucky enough to live near the Pennsylvania border and was able to start my year with the Ice Scrapers series hosted by the Lehigh Valley Road Runners. As luck would have it, it snowed the night before my first 5k and I was forced to race on a blanket of snow on a trail. Despite the conditions, I was very satisfied with my effort for my first race of the new year. 

My next race was a 4-miler on Super Bowl Sunday hosted by Superhero Racing. I ran this same race last winter and mentally gave up when the hills started after the first mile. This year, I went into the race with a newfound sense of confidence. Since last year, I moved out to an area that hosts rolling hills. I do the majority of my weekday runs locally, so I have the benefit of running these hills several times a week. To prep for the race, I compared the elevation of my training hills to the race course elevation and I realized that the hills on the course are no worse than anything I run on a daily basis. This year I was lucky enough to run the first mile with my friends Reno, Bob and Ted;  pacing with them helped keep me controlled on the downhill section. Once the uphills started, I pulled away from the pack and just concentrated on running an even effort. I felt strong on the uphill sections and picked it up on the down hills. I was able to finish strong and was very satisfied with my race. 

Mid-February brought on another race in the Ice Scraper 5k series. The mild February weather gave way to great race conditions. Although the weather cooperated, I wasn’t fully satisfied with my performance. I had a little trouble on an uphill section, but was able to get it back in the downhill. Unfortunately, I followed 2 guys slightly off course and was super confused when we were running diagonally across a grass field to the finish. Although our little excursion did not add any extra mileage, my sheer confusion at the end slowed me down and frankly pissed me off. I got over it quickly as I knew I still had a good “up tempo” effort for the day. 

An early spring was expected based on the warm February conditions, but mother nature had a different plan. March brought cold temperatures back to the north east. I was looking forward to the Run O’ the Mill 5k race in Clinton, NJ. The race was under a 30 minute drive and I performed very well last year. This year brought a sub-20 degree temperature at the start and a very cold headwind for half the race. Because of the headwind, the hill during mile 2 seemed exceptionally hard this year. I had a tough time at this race. I was disappointed, because I was looking forward to a fast time; but I quickly got over myself when I had the opportunity to talk to the winning female and realized that she would be a great local training partner. I’m looking forward to our first run together next week! 

The end of March brought on the USATF-NJ Kick Off weekend. I chose the Ocean Drive 10 Mile race because it simulated the marathon I am training for - flat and at the beach. The added bonus for this race is that one of my boyfriend’s closest friends from college lives about 10 minutes from the race, so it was a great excuse to visit. Race day was overcast, chilly and very windy. I knew that I would have a tailwind for the first 5 miles, but I would be fighting the wind coming back. My goal pace was 6:25 per mile, so my plan was to go out in 6:20 pace and allow myself to finish in 6:30 pace. I ended up running faster than planned both out and back and was very satisfied with a faster than goal average pace of 6:23. 

Coming off the momentum of the 10-miler, I ran the Scranton Half Marathon the following weekend. This race was planned back in 2016. I knew I would need a half marathon a few weeks before my goal marathon. I ran this race in 2016 and enjoyed the course; the prize money incentive was also a big draw. I convinced my friend Alyssa that this would be a good race for her goal half marathon as well. After a strong 10-miler, I had a lot of confidence going into this race. My plan was to start in 6:30 pace (knowing that the series of hills in mile 4 would slow me down), then gradually pick up the pace in the final miles. My goal was sub-1:25. I knew this would be a stretch because my previous PR was just over a 1:26, but I was feeling confident. I kept with my plan for the first 4 miles. Right after mile 4, I started running with a random guy (later discovered his name was John). We just fell into a perfect cadence. I felt good, real good. I looked down at my watch and saw that I was faster than my planned pace; at times I was creeping towards PR 10k pace. This scared me, but I felt so good. I knew that running with someone would help me, so I needed to see how long I could hold on. I was essentially running John’s race and just along for the ride. At mile 7.5 we entered the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. At this point, I turned to John and thanked him. I told him that I was really enjoying running with him and hoped I could keep up the pace. I admitted that I was running faster than I planned, but I felt good. He reminded me that once we turn around the wind will be at our backs and had confidence that I would be able to keep up. We chit chatted for a short time about my upcoming marathon and goals. Then it was back to business. A little after 9.5 there was a turnaround. At this point, I started pulling ahead. I still felt strong. Soon enough I was at mile 10 and I was reminded of what the race director said at the start line, “you are only racing a 5k with a 10 mile warm up.” Well, I just completed my 10 mile warm up and now it was time to race! I felt good, and I only had a 5k to go. I could do this. I just focused on finishing strong. I started picking up the pace. I slowly started catching up to some men, but there were no women in sight. I knew the top 5 women win money, but I had no idea what place I was in. I was pretty confident that I was in the top 5, but wasn’t sure where. Finally, someone told me that I was in 5th position. I knew from the turn around that no women were near me from behind, but I wasn’t sure how far they were ahead. I kept pushing myself. My last mile was near my 5k pace, so I wasn’t sure if I could push it any harder if I saw a woman. I was almost thankful that I didn’t have to put myself into another gear, because I know I would have pushed even harder if it came down to it. I entered the track - 300 meters to go. I knew that I was going to be faster than my goal, but wasn’t sure how much faster. I crossed the finish line in 1:23:23 - almost 3 minute PR and 1 min faster than my goal. This race proved to me that I am ready for my marathon.

One short week later, yesterday, I ran my final race of my training cycle; a local 5k. I was excited for this race because it was close to home and I heard the course was flat. I wasn’t sure how fast I would be able to run because I just came off 2 weekends of long races. Though my PR was 18:26, my goal was to simply break 19. I was having difficulty running much faster than 19 (if at all) this training cycle, so I found this to be a realistic goal. As soon as the race started, I clicked into a good rhythm. I was 3 seconds faster than I planned to go out in; but I was ok with this. I got stronger as the race progressed. There were only 2 men in front of me. I overtook one of them (a high school boy) a little over halfway. I felt strong; so I kept pushing my pace. I continued to push my pace in the last mile. I was approaching the finish and saw the clock was still in the 17s; I couldn’t believe my eyes! I knew I was too far away to finish under 18, but I knew this would be a PR - 17 seconds to be exact! I crossed the line in 18:09; smashing the previous women’s course record by over 2 minutes. I couldn’t believe it, sub-18 may be in my future. This is unreal to me, because 3 years ago, I couldn’t believe that sub-19 was in the cards. For the third weekend in a row, I gained even more confidence going into my marathon and feel that my goals are within reach. 

These races have helped me build a foundation of speed, endurance and confidence to work towards achieving my marathon goal. I planned all of my long runs around these races. This means that some days I was doing a 12-15 mile run the day before a race. Other days, I was doing up to a 20 mile run the day after a race. I learned to run on tired legs, but always push myself in my key training runs. I have not been doing any formalized workouts, but there are some runs where I have felt good enough to drop down to near marathon pace at the end, just to see how hard I can push myself. I always did a mid-week long run of 8-10 miles in which I always tried to push myself beyond training pace. The few weeks that I didn’t have a race, I strategically reached out to my friend John to run because I noticed he’s been running extremely fast; I knew if I ran with him that I would be pushed to a faster pace. You may consider these workouts, but they were mostly unplanned and not formalized. If I felt good, I would run fast; if I felt tired, I would run slow. I learned to listen to my body. I learned to take 2 days off a week. I forced myself to do yoga as often as possible - even if was only for 10 minutes. I highly recommend doing a YouTube search for “Yoga for runners,” there is a wealth of videos to choose from that are specifically designed for endurance athletes. I continued to do 5 minutes of core every weekday. I started to do 5 minutes of glute strength after my core workout. I made sure to roll my glutes almost everyday. I religiously go to Physical Therapy once a month for maintenance.

As you can see, there are a plethora of reasons why this training cycle is going seemingly well for me. I may not be doing formalized workouts, but I am sure as hell working hard towards achieving my goals. I love to race, so this plan works well for me. The true test will be 2 weeks from today at the Coastal Delaware Marathon. My planned racing partner Huan and I are very well matched as far as current fitness. We took very different routes to get here, but we have the same goal. I look forward to working with him and sticking to our race plan. See you at the finish line!

[davidfordproductions-blog]

Exhibition | #delaware #delawareriver #igdelaware #delawarecounty #visitdelaware #delawareweddings #delawarewatergap #delawaretopmodel #delawarehairstylist #delawarebeaches #delawarephotographer #delawarestylist #delawareblogger #delawarestateuniversity #delawarefashionweek2015 #DelawareStandUp #delawarebay #aerialdelaware #delawarehiphop #delawaremodels #coastaldelaware #delawareevents #newcastledelaware #delawareohio #DirtyDelaware #operadelaware #delawarepark #discoverdelaware #delawarewedding #delawarecountycommunitycollege (at Philadelphia Museum of Art)

[delawarehopscene]

A chandelier as unique and pretty as this can only hang in a restaurant as awesome and exciting as @dogfishbeer #chesapeakeandmaine! Congrats on such a beautiful transformation of your new restaurant, Dogfish. Every single thing we sipped and tasted was decadent and amazing tonight. Cheers! #craftbeer #craftbeerde #dehopscene #dogfishhead #dfh #offcentered #rehoboth #seatotable #oceantotable #seafood #cocktails #beer #oyster #coastaldelaware #delaware (at Chesapeake & Maine)

[sappho-on-lesbos]

3rd place in my age group #coastaldelaware #9k

[socialmediamls]

#Repost from @jacklingorealtor #RBYCC #RehobothBeach #Delaware #OpenHouse #CoastalDelaware #CoastalLiving #Waterfront #MultipleListingService MLS 617442 www.JackLingo.com

[tattoo-galaxy-6]

𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 - 𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮 (𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙤) For appointments go to www.TattooGalaxy.Net

#delawarebeaches #delaware #rehobothbeach #bethanybeach #fenwickisland #rehoboth #lewes #deweybeach #ocmd #coastaldelaware #lewesdelaware #delmarva #delagram #oceancitymaryland #lewesde #bethanybeachde #oceancity #realestate #delawarebeach #rehobothbeachde #visitdelaware #delawarerealestate #sussexcounty #capehenlopen #dewey #igdelaware #302 #lewesbeach #de #tattoo

[jujuru-blog]

Three by the Sea, an original oil painting on canvas, has sold. Prints and products with this artwork are still available at judithrhue.pixels.com. Visit judithrhue.etsy.com and judithrhue.com for more original oil paintings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #coastaldecor #coastaloilpainting #coastalcharm #seagulls #costalliving #coastalartist #judithrhue #cloudsandsun #prettyclouds #beachyfeel #sandandsurf #sandandsea #sandbetweenmytoes #waterwatereverywhere #tothesea #delaware #coastaldelaware #sussexcountydelaware #shoreline #beachside #oceanview #rehobothbeachdelaware #lewesdelaware #bethanybeach #takemetothebeach #coastalcottage #coastalvibes #beachvibes #beachhousedecor #beachcomber (at Scottsdale, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cll6L5dp4ol/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[delmarvausa]

High water at the canal in Fenwick Island, Delaware #Jonas #fenwickisland #coastaldelaware #winter2016 #stormsurge #fenwickislandde #flooding

[tattoo-galaxy-6]

Aztec Tattoo sleeve

𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 - 𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙂𝙖𝙡����𝙭𝙮 (𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙤) For appointments go to www.TattooGalaxy.Net

#delawarebeaches #delaware #rehobothbeach #bethanybeach #fenwickisland #rehoboth #lewes #deweybeach #ocmd #coastaldelaware #lewesdelaware #delmarva #delagram #oceancitymaryland #lewesde #bethanybeachde #oceancity #realestate #delawarebeach #rehobothbeachde #visitdelaware #delawarerealestate #sussexcounty #capehenlopen #dewey #igdelaware #302 #lewesbeach #de #tattoo

[tattoo-galaxy-6]

𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 - 𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮 (𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙤) For appointments go to www.TattooGalaxy.Net

#delawarebeaches #delaware #rehobothbeach #bethanybeach #fenwickisland #rehoboth #lewes #deweybeach #ocmd #coastaldelaware #lewesdelaware #delmarva #delagram #oceancitymaryland #lewesde #bethanybeachde #oceancity #realestate #delawarebeach #rehobothbeachde #visitdelaware #delawarerealestate #sussexcounty #capehenlopen #dewey #igdelaware #302 #lewesbeach #de #tattoo

[tattoo-galaxy-6]

𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 - 𝙏𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙭𝙮 (𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙤) For appointments go to www.TattooGalaxy.Net

#delawarebeaches #delaware #rehobothbeach #bethanybeach #fenwickisland #rehoboth #lewes #deweybeach #ocmd #coastaldelaware #lewesdelaware #delmarva #delagram #oceancitymaryland #lewesde #bethanybeachde #oceancity #realestate #delawarebeach #rehobothbeachde #visitdelaware #delawarerealestate #sussexcounty #capehenlopen #dewey #igdelaware #maryland #lewesbeach #de #tattoo