I’m training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon at Virginia  Beach. The race is September 6, and the finish line is on the beach!

My goal is to complete this race and just enjoy myself. It’s my first Rock ‘n’ Roll race which means there will be 20 bands playing while I run past, and there will be 17 cheerleading squads to help me keep moving along.

After crossing the finish line, I’ll likely spend an hour stretching and recovering. Then I plan to go back to the hotel for a shower and to change. After that, I’ll be attending the Finish Line Beach Party. And that night, there will be a concert on the beach. I’m excited to have such a big celebration for completing the race!

Virginia Beach Race Course:

I’ll be running five races this year:

APRIL 5: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

MAY 3: Frederick Half Marathon

SEPTEMBER 6: Virginia Beach Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

OCTOBER 10: Baltimore Half Marathon

DECEMBER 6: Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon

Right now, I’m staying focused on my Virginia Beach Half Marathon. It’s 13.1 miles. Doesn’t seem like a lot, but I could truly hurt myself if I don’t train correctly.

I’ve been having problems staying hydrated and keeping up my momentum. I need to drink more water, and even carry water and GU with me while I run. I also need to get some better music for my iPod. I’ve been listening to the same music for nearly three years. It doesn’t keep me moving anymore. I’m thinking about downloading Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas,” and making that the main theme.

I’m sticking with Hal Higdon’s Novice II marathon training guide. I’m basically training for a full marathon. My two half-marathons will fit in nicely with the schedule. I am also doing TNT Fitness personal training (circuit training) twice a week. My trainer, Rani, works with me and about four other people at once. It helps to train in a group setting.

I plan to record my journey by recording a short video after my long runs and uploading them to YouTube. I’ll continue to post my newest videos in this blog, and on my homepage. Sorry about the quality– it’s cell phone video. But it makes it easy for me to stick to my goal.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8. GOAL: RUN 8 MILES. COMPLETED: 8 MILES. SUCCESS!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5. GOAL: RUN 5 MILES. COMPLETED: 5 MILES. SUCCESS!

MONDAY, AUGUST 3. GOAL: RUN 3 MILES. COMPLETED: 3.5 MILES. SUCCESS!

SUNDAY, JULY 26. GOAL: RUN 6 MILES. COMPLETED: 4.5 MILES RUNNING, 1.5 MILES WALKING. STATUS QUO.

Popularity: 29% [?]

A couple weeks ago I did a story about the cast moving into the new Real World DC house near Dupont Circle. I wanted to talk to neighbors about their reaction. As I tried to interview people on the sidewalk, some of MTV’s production crew tried to block my camera. One cameraman kept getting in my lens. Yesterday afternoon, I received an e-mail from that cameraman– Ryan Romkema. Here’s his apology:

Dear Lindsey Mastis,

I would like to extend an apology for my conduct on July 2. My actions on that day were ill advised and an overreaction to the pressures of the moment. Many people were and are excited for “The Real World DC” and the opportunities that lay ahead. A camera instruction was given to document the situation and it was too much. The nation’s capital has given a warm welcome to “The Real World DC” and it is our desire to present this great city in the best light possible. I regret my actions that day and hope you will accept this apology.

Ryan Romkema

Here is my response:

Dear Ryan Romkema,

Thank you for reaching out to me to apologize and explain your actions. I accept your apology.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Mastis

Here’s the original story:

http://bit.ly/RealWorldDC

And the YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LiG4Jq_eC0

Here’s my original blog, and how other news outlets wrote about the incident:

http://lindseymastis.com/2009/07/real-world-dc-me/

Popularity: 57% [?]

What an great night! @mikeneumann organized a tweetup at Spider Kelly’s in Clarendon– and I got to meet a lot of tweeple I’ve been following on Twitter: @newmediajim @tvmediaag and @geosteph (We started following each other during the Elton John/Billy Joel concert at Nats Stadium). New to my tweet list are @bentdog @fireton– great tweeting you guys!!! And one of my best twitter gal-pals: @putitaway.

BTW– we had half price burgers (delish!) and fries for the whole table. I can’t wait for the next one!

Popularity: 44% [?]

Reality shows love DC– but does DC love reality shows? I went to the Real World DC House (on S and 20th NW) to find out.

When I arrived, there were a handful of people. I began getting some exterior shots and worked my way up to the sidewalk. Then, I saw some cast members. I shot some video and did my best to stay out of the crew’s shots. I even fought the urge to ask the cast members how they liked DC.

When the cast members finally left, I began interviewing some fans. That’s when the photographers got in my lens. There were actually two MTV photographers doing this, a male and a female.

I couldn’t stop laughing– it was just ridiculous. Instead of making a scene, I just relaxed and focused on getting good sound (although it was a bit difficult to concentrate with all the “distractions.”)

When I was pretty much done, the MTV producers came out and asked fans and bloggers to sign release forms. They even asked me to sign a release. I did not.

People keep asking me, why did the MTV photographers do this? I don’t know. They didn’t say a word. My pure speculation is that they wanted to mark their territory. I also believe they were hoping to provoke me. I’m sure MTV would have wanted me to make a scene so they could use it in an episode, or some type of Behind the Scenes special.

Instead– I just put it all on air. Later, the story was picked up by a host of newspapers, blogs, and magazines. Here are some screenshots:

Popularity: 68% [?]

I did it! I completed my first official half-marathon in 2:17:05.86. That means I ran 10:28 minutes per mile. Perfect timing– my goal was 12-minute miles or better. I truly surprised myself.

Plus, all the money made at the Frederick Running Festival goes to the United Way of Frederick County and the Special Olympics of Maryland. Both are wonderful organizations. (In 2001, I was a United Way of St. Louis volunteer who helped decide which organizations received donations.)

The Frederick Half-Marathon began at 6:30 a.m. I worked late shift the night before, so I didn’t get to bed until after midnight. I woke up around 4:30 a.m. and ate oatmeal for breakfast. I got dressed and then headed out around 5:15. Patrick drove while I pinned on my bib number. I realized I forgot my watch, which meant I would be a bit blind about pacing during my run. I had a protein bar in the car, and hoped we would arrive in time. We barely made it. As we approached the starting line, the announcer said to run. I pretty much took off right then.

It seemed the whole town of Frederick was out to cheer us on. My favorite part of the race was at the very beginning. A man was holding a bright yellow sign that said, “Welcome Runners!” It made me feel so good. As I ran through neighborhoods, I waved and said, “Good Morning,” to the people who came out of their homes to cheer us on. Many were simply sitting on their porches, drinking coffee, and waving.

I had incredible amounts of energy. I was smiling, waving to everyone, and was even passing people up! I felt fast and strong. I hadn’t seen any mile markers, but I felt confident that I’d soon be seeing mile-marker number 6 at any time. I rounded a corner and saw I had only reached mile 3. I instantly felt defeated. I knew I was running too fast and there was no way I could keep up this pace.

Luckily, I had my music with me. I turned it up and kept running– at a little bit of a slower pace of course. As I ran, I looked down. I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t trip on anything. I noticed people’s feet running in front of me. Then, I did a double-take. One runner had no shoes. He was running barefoot! It was so neat! Patrick took a picture of a sign from one of his fans. This is apparently his 250th barefoot marathon.

Half way through the run, it began to rain. Not much– just a little drizzle. It was nice because it kept me cool. By the end of the race it was raining a bit more. Puddles had already formed, and several times I ran through them. My socks were wet, and worst of all, I was getting chaffing between my legs. I didn’t have trouble with this during training. But I only did small runs when it rained. My shorts kept wading up.

I spent time following different runners. The hardest part about this run was cramping. I ate breakfast and had a protein bar but couldn’t get to a bathroom before the race. I was beginning to feel sick, but every portable bathroom had a long line. I didn’t want to ruin my pacing by waiting in line. After mile 10, I saw two bathrooms without lines. It only took a moment for one to open up. I was happy I stopped because I was definitely getting sick from the… wait. I spent at least five minutes before getting back on the course. 

I never regained my stride. The rest of the race was a struggle. Again, my music helped me through it. I was dreaming of the finish line. I just wanted to stop. At this point, I wasn’t even thinking, “what was I thinking.” I just thought– “when I’m done, I can lay down.” 

Finally I saw mile marker 12. I only had 1.1 miles to go and it was all uphill. There was virtually no one there to cheer us on. It was incredibly hard. Finally I got up to the fairgrounds and saw mile 13. All I had to do was go on the track and cross the finish line. I don’t remember which song got me there. I turned off my music so I could hear and learned I finished around 2:20. I was happy.

A little girl handed me my medal and a man tried to wrap me in foil. But I was burning up. I just wanted to see Patrick. He wore a yellow hat so I could find him easily. I followed the flood of runners toward the recovery tent when I heard my name. It was Patrick! He gave me a huge hug and I started crying. I was happy and in pain. Lots and lots of pain. We got away from the crowds and he helped me stretch. I sat down in the rain, but didn’t care that I was getting even more wet. I just wanted the pain to go away.

I never went to the recovery tent to get food, even though a banana would have helped. I just wanted to get home and shower. I brought another protein bar with me in the car. We walked there– very, very slowly.

As we walked there I heard my name. Matt Slusher, or Boobtubios on Twitter, had just run the half. This is the first time we met in real life. It was great to see a friendly face! We got in the car and I ate my protein bar. But the cars in the parking lot weren’t moving at all. I called my mom and my Yia Yia. After 30 minutes, I got out and walked back up to the bathrooms. I again was cramping up and feeling sick. Finally, Patrick found another way out of the parking lot and picked me up. We went home. I took a long, hot bath. I was so tired, especially since I only got a few hours of sleep the night before. I knew I shouldn’t, but I took a nap anyway. The nap turned into hours of sleep.

When I woke up, I could barely move. I certainly couldn’t walk. It took me a while, but finally I got ready for my victory dinner. Patrick took me to Red Hot and Blue in Gaithersburg. I wore my medal there! I had a whole onion loaf, half-rack of ribs, corn bread, and hush puppies. We also had dessert. It was so good! 

When we got back home, I took another long, hot bath. This time with Epsom salt. Patrick helped massage my I.T. Band and legs which helped a lot. I got in bed by 11 p.m. and fell right asleep. I woke up early Monday and had a long massage at Massage Envy with Fritz (by far the best massous on the planet!). He helped me stretch out. I can walk now, but I’m still in pain. It will most likely take me the whole week to recover. 

But I’d love to start running again. My next race is a half-marathon in Baltimore in October. I’d like to run before that, but I’m going to wait to plan anything until I recover from this race. I’m still very happy and proud of myself. My goal for Baltimore: run the half in two hours or less.

Popularity: 69% [?]

I experienced my first Embassy event tonight in Ireland. Thanks to Things To Do DC, I was able to experience authentic Irish food, music, and dance. Of course, I didn’t dance. This is the second event I’ve attended through Things To Do DC. (The first is the bartending event). There must have been about 150 people who came. My favorite memories of the night:

The Irish dancers who seemed to float all over the floor with their tap shoes.

The live band that included a Banjo, Mandelin, and Recorder (aka Fipple Flute).

The incredible food. Okay– mostly the salmon. I never had salmon so good!

Popularity: 58% [?]