Buzz Kill!

Last night I did not want to run...I was tired and overall just feeling blah. But I knew I should so I dragged myself to the gym and decided to do intervals on the treadmill. After my 1 mile warm up I was feeling better and looking forward to a good sweat session. My plan was to do 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1200m, 800m, and 400m with a 400m recovery jog between each.

I did the first 400m at a 7:13 pace and felt good.....400m recovery and I'm ready for the 800m. Just as I reach my interval speed, everything stops....lights, treadmills, the entire building lost power! And it wasn't a gradual stop either, the treadmill just stopped completely. I grabbed the handle bars and jumped off the belt to avoid falling. The guy next to me did the same....he looked at me and said "that could have been really bad!" We waited around for a couple minutes, but it didn't come back on. The emergency lights were on so you could still see where you were going and the ellipticals and bikes were still working since they are self powered. There was a quiet calm over the gym as people continued to go about their business.

As much as I didn't want to run originally, I was pretty bummed that I couldn't finish. I elected to do my running strength training exercises and lift my upper body too, but its not the same feeling as getting in a good run. Today I plan to run at lunch to avoid the gym all together.

Total miles for yesterday = 1.5.....talk about a buzz kill!

Not much to say

Sorry I haven't written in a while, but there hasn't been much to report on....which might be a good thing. I have been slowly increasing my mileage over the past couple weeks. Last week I was up to 27 miles and feeling good. I've been doing long runs of about 9-10 miles on the weekends and luckily the wind hasn't been as bad as my last post! Last weekend I did 9.5 miles in an average pace of 8:53 with the last 3.5 miles being 8:45, 8:39, 8:30, and 8:03 pace....not too bad considering I was dodging ice patched on the path. I felt good and my heart rate was nice and controlled.

This week I am hoping to be around 30 miles for the week, but we'll see how things go with the holidays getting closer. My plan is to continue increasing my miles over the next month or so and assuming that goes well then I'll start marathon training at the end of January. I am tentatively looking that the Vermont City Marathon on May 25th (Memorial Day weekend). I'll be sure to keep you updated as my miles continue building!

I officially hate the wind!

What's the one thing that can ruin a great run on a fall Sunday afternoon in 45 degree temps with clear skies? WIND!!!

Ok so ruin is a bit dramatic, but its amazing how much things change when the wind picks up. I went out for an 8 mile run on Sunday. The weather was perfect and I was feeling good so I decided to make it into a 10 mile run (my longest since Hartford). As soon as I crossed the turn around point for 8 miles, the wind decided to start blowing....no GUSTING!! I literally had to put my head down to run into it. The leaves were blowing everywhere and slicing my legs like little razors. I couldn't believe it.....my pace dropped from a comfortable 9:05ish minute/mile to almost a 10 minute/mile! And that 10min/mile was hard work with my heart rate being much too high for such a pace.

Whether it was the wind or the 10 miles, I was pretty tired by the end. It was a great first 4 miles.....the rest blew by me in a blur :)

What's a data dork to do?

Like many runners, I love my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. It gives me more data than I know what to do with.....average pace, heart rate, distance traveled, maps, elevation profiles, and of course the time. It's truly a dream for this self proclaimed data dork!

As I set out for my run on Friday, I realized I forgot my precious Garmin...aahhh! I contemplated driving back home to get it....I mean how was I supposed to run without it?? Then I laughed at myself for asking such a question....I can run without it the same way that I run with it. Put one foot in front of the other, move your arms back and forth, and breath in and out....something I learned how to do 27 years ago!

So I set out on my run without it...no numbers (I didn't even have a watch on)! It felt nice to just run and not always look down at the constantly changing numbers. Yes, I know approximately how far I ran based on doing that loop in the past and I could probably guesstimate what my pace was, but not having the feedback was very liberating.

My point is sometimes we get so caught up in paces and distances that we forget about the sheer act of running......keep putting one foot in front of the other and that's all the data you really need!

Another good interval session

Yesterday I was forced on the treadmill again due to my work schedule and some bad weather so I decided to do another speed session. This time I did a pyramid of intervals....after my 1.5 mile warm up I did a 400m, 600m, 800m, 800m 600m, and 400m all with a 200-400m recovery between each. I finished with 1 mile cool down. Here's how my speeds played out:

400m - 1:49 (7:19 min/mile pace)
600m - 2:43 (7:19 min/mile pace)
800m - 3:40 (7:24 min/mile pace)
800m - 3:40 (7:24 min/mile pace)
600m - 2:45 (7:22 min/mile pace)
400m - 1:49 (7:19 min/mile pace)

Total with warm up, cool down, and recovery walk/jogs - 5.75 miles

As much as I detest the treadmill, it does force me to be consistent with paces which is nice for speed work. While I was running, Bryan was lifting on the other side of the gym. When we were both finished he turned to me and said "how far did you run on that thing? Every time I looked over you were still running!" Nice :)

Why am I nervous?

I've been easing back into running over the past few weeks and luckily have had no pain in my calves or shins. I've been careful not to run too many miles too quickly and aggravate the muscles again and I've been strength training, crosstraining on the elliptical/bike/stairmaster, and doing yoga once a week. Basically I've been doing everything right.

So why am I nervous to run? Every day I plan to run I get really anxious about it....I'm excited to go and love the cooler weather, but I just can't shake this feeling. I think I am worried the pain is going to come back.....that one of these days I am going to set out for my run and things are going to hurt again. I'm afraid that once I start increasing miles and doing tempo runs and intervals that its all going to come back.

But I can't let this feeling stop me from doing the thing I love! I'm back up to 6 miles for a "long run" and plan to tack on a few more miles this weekend. Like I said....I'm doing everything right so I guess I just have to keep doing what I'm doing and be smart about it.

Shouldn't have, but I did...

As I said I have been easing back into running and feeling good. On Wednesday I went for a 4 mile run with a coworker on a dirt trail by the reservoir at work. It was nice to have a change of scenery and run in "nature"....we saw three deer cross in front of us!

So yesterday I went to the gym planning to do the elliptical and not run two days in a row. I got there and all the ellipticals that I like using were full so I decided I would run on the treadmill. Well I forgot how much I hate that thing....3/4 of a mile into my run I was bored almost to death!! There was no way I was going to make it a couple miles if I kept my pace steady so I decided to do some interval work. I know what you are thinking...."you are coming off an injury and still recovering from the marathon -- NO SPEED WORK!!" The rational side of my brain agreed with that, but the slightly ADD bored side chose the intervals.

I did 1.5 mile warm up followed by four 440m repeats at a 7:19 pace with a 440m recovery jog between each. I finished up with a mile jog to cool down. It felt so good to get my legs moving fast again!! Plus it made the time on the dreadmill go by a little faster. Luckily there was no leg pain and I feel good today.

Today is an off day and then I'll probably run some this weekend....but I promise to take it easy as long as I can run outside!

Celebration and Tragedy at Men's Marathon Olympic Trials

Yesterday NYC hosted the USA Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. The top three men would be going to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 so all the top USA men's distance runners were there. I followed the race online during the morning as the men made their way through 5 laps of Central Park and its challenging hills. Ryan Hall (center), just 25 years old, made his impressive break at mile 17 pulling away from the lead pack to ultimately finish 1st with a time of 2:09:02 which set a new American record for an Olympic trial. He is joined by Dathen Ritzenhein (right) and Brian Sell (left) taking 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. An amazing performance by all the runners and its exciting to see USA with strong runners and a good chance at an Olympic medal.

Unfortunately, in the midst of the celebration another runner, Ryan Shay just 28 years old and pictured left, collapsed at mile 5.5 and was pronounced dead soon after at an area hospital. Paramedics and other runners tried to help and administer CPR at the scene. Its a scary and sobering thought whenever any fellow runner dies, but for it to happen to such an elite athlete is unimaginable. Reports say that he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart, but cleared by doctors to run this spring. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife of only 4 months, Alicia who is also a runner, and his family as they deal with this loss.

I'm back baby!

I decided Monday would be the day....my big come back! Okay so its only big to me, but after two weeks of being virtually sedentary I was ready to run. The weather was perfect for a run and as I left work I got this gitty feeling all over. You would think I was about to go shoe shopping or something but no, I was that excited about going for my run! I raced in the door to my house to change and headed to the river. Tentatively I took my first steps as I set out. Usually its been the very beginning of my runs that hurts my shins and calves the most so I was nervous......but I felt nothing! No pain, no tightness, everything felt great. I took it really slow since I am still in recovery mode, but I covered 3.42 miles in no pain at all!

I am being good and easing back into running slowly.....no need to aggravate my legs again. On Tuesday I went to the gym and did the elliptical and lifted my upper body (something that running 50 miles a week doesn't leave you time to do). Today I took as a rest day and instead ate way too much Halloween candy as I waited for little kids to ring my doorbell. ...oopps!

I'll probably try another short run tomorrow and then over the weekend depending on how I feel...that's the beauty about not having a training schedule to follow! I better appreciate that feeling while it lasts :)

Vacation from life and from running!

I kept my word and took two full weeks off of running after Hartford.....I spent one of those weeks on a white sandy beach in Grand Cayman! Bryan I took a much needed vacation last week where we sat on the beach, went scuba diving, and ate and drank too much - it was great!! It was a nice change to be lazy and not exercise or have a training schedule to follow. Plus I didn't feel guilty about being lazy because I knew its what my body needed to help recover.

I am feeling good now.....I am relaxed, well rested, and my legs are feeling stronger. I know I am not 100% yet and that my recovery is still taking place. I'm looking forward to being active again after this vacation....going from marathoner to beach bum is rough :)

Pictures from Hartford Marathon

I promised you some pictures from the race so here you go!!

This first one is of me after the race with the best cheering section, support crew, and husband I could ask for :)These are some of the professional pictures taken on the course. Sorry they are so small and the resolution is bad....that's what you get from taking the thumbnails off the website!

Beat my goals in Hartford!!!

I want to thank everyone for your e-mails and well wishes from this weekend. I was ecstatic with my time and overall had a great race. It was a great day, a nice course, and I just felt"on". People have been asking for a race report....I warn you this will be a long one, but here's all the details!

The weather could not have been more perfect...what a change from last weekend in Chicago! It was about 40 at the start mid-50s at the finish, but sunny so it was comfortable. The wind picked up some in the last couple miles, but nothing too bad just annoying.The course was actually pretty nice for being in Hartford. There were about 7000 runners total but that included the 5k and half marathon. The half course split off from us at mile 3.5. It started in the city but quickly crossed the Connecticut River and headed up into South Windsor (lots of houses and farms). It was a nice, flat out and back bringing us back into the city around mile 19 where we went along the river, crossed the river, wove through Hartford some and then back into the park to finish under Memorial Arch. The first 20 was fairly flat and the last 6 had some short but steep ups and downs over bridges and overpasses.

I linked up with the 4 hour pace leader and ran with that group until about 16-17 miles. It was nice to have a group to run with and most people were talkative. Our pace leader was telling stories and joking around so it took my mind off of running. I felt great for the first half and into the second half....pace felt comfortable and my breathing was controlled. My shins were sore the first 5 miles but then loosened up and were fine. At mile 16 I noticed that we were slowing just a bit (9:10's because we were about 1 minute faster than we needed to be) so I decided to pull away from the pacer at that point and keep with the 9 minute/miles. Another girl, Sheila, did the same thing so we continued to run together for the rest of the race.It was nice to have her to keep pushing myself when I was getting tired. It felt great to be passing people during the last 10k and gave me a real mental boost! Overall I felt great and could not have run a move evenly paced race! My splits were 9:02 at 10K, 9:02 at 10miles, 9:04 at 20 miles and 9:03 overall pace...that's kind of crazy how dead on I was!!

Bryan was able to bike around and see me at multiple points....he met up with 2 other guys on bikes whose wives were also running and they cheered together. I was so confused when I kept seeing him with the same people all yelling my name!! The three wives were all within about 4 minutes of each other....but I beat the other two :) It was great to see him so many times and know how proud he was of me!

I felt so much better after this marathon than I did after Boston....I didn't feel so out of it at the end. My recovery is going well, also not as sore as I was after Boston....not sure if that's because I was better trained or because I didn't have the hills to beat me up. I am overall sore and stiff but nothing too bad.

The volunteers and support on the course were great. They had multiple Gu stops and plenty of water and sports drink. I was nervous how it would be running such a small marathon after coming off of Boston, but having the pace group was nice because I was never alone and had people to talk to. They also had bands every couple miles playing music and people were having parties on their front yards and cheering for us. Nothing like Boston, but it did put a smile on my face.

So now its all over....18+ weeks summed up into 3 hours 57 minutes and 18 seconds! I finished 693rd out of 1,571 runners and 24th out of 88 in my age group - woo hoo!! So for now I need to rest and recover...and then I can start thinking about what's next :)

I'll post some pictures soon so check back!

Ready....Set....Race!!

In exactly 24 hours I hope to be less than a mile from the finish line of my second full marathon in Hartford! I can't believe its tomorrow....all the months of training, the stress of my injuries....it all comes down to tomorrow!

People keep asking how I am feeling and they are surprised to hear that I am nervous. Even though I have done this before, there is something inherently scary about running 26 miles! The first time I did this, my sole mission was to finish....now I know I can finish so I will be battling the clock in a search for my goal time. That's almost making me more nervous for this race compared to Boston! My goals are threefold (1) to finish (2) to beat my time from Boston (4:11:01) and (3) to break 4 hours. I have been watching the movie trailer from the first full length documentary about marathoning (www.marathonmovie.com). Every time I watch it I get so pumped up and get this excited, nervous energy running through me that says I am ready for this!! I need to listen to my own advice....trust my training and my taper! Even with these injuries, I know I am well trained so now its a matter of implementing that training for the race. Tomorrow is the last day I get to run for a while as I allow my calves/shins to heal so I plan to make every step and every mile of this race count.

I want to thank everyone that's been reading my blog and e-mailing me your kind works of support and encouragement! I will think about each of you as I push on to the finish line.

So I guess there is nothing more to say.....I am carbo loaded, fully hydrated, well rested, and ready to go. That means all that's left to do is run!!!

Chicago Marathon Disasters

This past Saturday was the Chicago Marathon. Everything I have heard about it says it was a disaster. From record heat (88 degrees was the high with 75% humidity), closed water stations, others with no water/Gatorade and others with no cups (people were picking dirty cups off the ground just to get a drink!). The course was closed at the halfway mark for those not crossing it within 4 hours and even runners in the last couple miles were being told to walk and that the race was over. Unfortunately, hundreds were hospitalized and a fellow runner tragically lost his life on the course (due to a pre-existing heart condition).

I give so much credit to every runner that lined up and attempted to run. I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult the conditions must have been both physically with the heat, but also mentally seeing so many people hurting and dropping out. I feel terrible for everyone who trained so hard over the last few months to have such unfortunate weather and poor race logistics.

It reminds all runners that we must listen to our bodies and not push beyond our limits. Luckily the weather for Saturday in Hartford looks much cooler, but its definitely sobering to hear these terrible stories.

Pep Talks

I have a couple friends running the Chicago Marathon this weekend. They have all been great at giving me pep talks when I needed them over the past month so today was my turn! Below is an excerpt from my e-mail. I wanted to post it here too as a pep talk to others as well as to myself. Paul thinks I should go into motivational speaking...what do you think??

From Sarah's pep talk to John, Paul, and Maria --
I'm not going to wish you good luck because you don't need it.......I am going to say congratulations!!! Over the past 18+ weeks you have run more miles than most people think is humanly possible, you have given up many beers in place of water and Gatorade, and the amount of Gu's you have eaten is enough to make any one's stomach turn over. You have gotten not only your body, but your mind and heart into the best shape of your life.......not only are you physically ready for this, but you are mentally ready too. You have made it though what most people will never do so no matter what happens on race day, realize that you have accomplished something amazing!

Have an amazing time, soak in the excitement and environment of the race activities and most importantly....HAVE FUN!! Trust your training and your taper.....you have put in the miles and now its time for your victory lap! Congrats for making it this far...enjoy the ride :)

Pretty in Pink

I am a Biomedical Engineer so one would think I have a fairly sound knowledge of science and biology. I usually don't buy into a lot of the alternative medicine ideas. I also have a doctor husband who laughs at most of that stuff too. So when my sports massage woman told me about Kinesio Taping I was a little skeptical. The idea is that this Japanese stretchy tape will (1) provide support to the muscles while holding them in place....this part makes sense and (2) lift the skin off the area some so that blood and lymphatic fluid flow can be increased to promote healing. I wasn't so sure about this claim!?!?

But being 2 weeks out from my marathon and still in a lot of pain, I decided to give it a shot....worst case scenario is that I lose $45. I got both my shins and my soleus muscles taped up last Friday with an oh so subtle neon pink tape. That night I was on my feet and walking around a lot (plus I wore heels...first time in a month!). The next day I decided to try an easy 4 mile run. I was really surprised that my legs felt pretty good. Usually my shins ache for the first mile or so and then lessen some. This time that aching wasn't quite as bad and my calves seemed to hold up fine.

On Sunday I ran 10 miles still feeling okay but noticing some other aches and pains (my right hip and I are not friends right now!) I was still encouraged that my calves and shins were feeling okay. I took Monday off and went to yoga (haven't been in 4 months) so my hips are feeling better.


Last night was probably my best run in a long time. It was only 6.25 miles, but everything felt great.....no I wasn't pain free, but my head, heart, and body were in the best spirits they have been in for a long time. The miles felt effortless...like I could have run forever. I got home and told Bryan that I wanted to bottle everything about that run and use it on race day! I really needed that boost mentally!


So this morning the tape came off (you keep it on for 4-5 days then remove it)........whether its just placebo or that the tape actually does something I don't care!! Whatever the reasoning is, I felt better and had less pain than I've had in a long time. As my friend Maria said "That's what matters most. To BELIEVE!" So I am getting re-taped tomorrow and once more next week before the race.


At least I'll be easy to spot on the course with my pink stripes!

An uplifting reminder

After all my problems the last few weeks, I thought this quote from someone on the Runner's World forum was quite appropriate. It is in responce to a question asked about dealing with non-runner's comments about marathoning.....

As for the "it will hurt your knees", "that can't be healthy", "you are obsessive", and all the similar comments. To them I simply respond back with the fact that I would rather end this life crushed, drained and barely held together by modern medicine rather than having gone through it too scared to ever find my own limitations.

Pity Party

Sorry I didn't get the invites out to you on time, but Friday night I hosted a little pity party for myself. Last week's runs went okay....some good and some bad. I decided to only run 4 days rather than 5 to ease back into it. My calves and shins held up fine, but it was my heart and head that were bothering me. I've been really anxious and not looking forward to my runs because I don't know how they are going to feel....one day everything would be great and the next day would be rough. I couldn't get excited for my long run because I was nervous about how it would go.

On Friday night, I was looking for any excuse not to run on Saturday morning. The weather forecast was predicting rain and I decided to push the long run until Sunday.....until dinner time rolled around. Every Friday night for the past 15 weeks I have eaten pasta in preparation for my long run and now I didn't know what to eat. Then I realized that I have never skipped a run because of weather.....why should this be any different? Pushing it back a day would prolong the anxiety so I put on a pot of boiling water and made my pasta.

Sure enough it was drizzling when I woke up Saturday. I got ready like I always do and set out for 17 miles. As I was running, I was focusing so much on keeping a decent pace.....I was miserable and getting frustrated. After a couple miles and seriously thinking about calling it quits, I thought to myself "this isn't fun and why should I do something for almost 3 hours on a Saturday morning if I'm not enjoying it??" I decided at that point to forget about my pace and just run.......once I did that, I started having fun!! The rain beat down, I had to maneuvere past a couple thousand walkers for a charity 10k walk, but I had fun. Bryan met me for the last 4 miles and we got wet running together. No, it wasn't a fast run (averaged 9:25 pace) but what's the point of doing anything if it isn't fun?

So sorry again for not inviting you to my pity party :) Next time I will try to do something a little more up beat!

Five whole days off!

I held true to my word and took the rest of last week completely off....no running, no crosstraining, no weights...nothing. I iced my calves multiple times a day, massaged them myself, and took lots of Advil.

On Thursday morning I got an extremely painful deep tissue massage....60 minutes of torture focused solely on my calves! I swear that she was using her elbow to push as hard as humanly possible on my muscles......and I pay her money for this?!?!?

I went on Saturday to Marathon Sports to talk with the people there about my problems and my shoes, but they couldn't find any reason for my pain. I got sad because they wanted to watch me run to make sure my gait hadn't changed and just running up the block made my calf tighten up again. They said to be really vigilant with my stretching and I should be okay.

So Sunday Bryan and I went out for an easy 3.5 miles just to see how I was feeling. My calf was tight, but not as bad as it had been last week. It hurt more to run slow and hurt the most once I stopped running and cooled down. I went home and stretched it really well and then iced it.

I plan to start back up with my real training today so we'll see how it goes. I hope that I can get through the next 5 weeks strong and in as little pain as possible. Unfortunately, to run pain free means subjecting myself to weekly torture sessions with my massage lady and her unforgiving elbow!!

Things are not looking good :-(

As I just wrote, my calf has been really tight lately. I think I have been lying to myself (and others) about just how bad it really is and how much its hurting. The first couple steps of just walking after I have been sitting for a while hurt my shin....my calf feels like it's in a permanent knot. I guess I didn't want to admit all this to anyone....I was afraid of admitting how much it really hurt and afraid of how it would affect my running the next 6 weeks before Hartford.

On Monday I went out for what should have been an 8 mile run. I started out and immediately my calf tightened up. My head and heart really weren't into the run, my breathing was all erratic, and I let all this mentally get to me. I stopped to stretch every once in a while and walking actually made it feel worse. While fighting back tears and cursing my fu@*%ng calf , I made the decision to turn around early cutting the run to 4 miles. It was really hard to make that call because I have never quit a run early.

I came home with tears in my eyes thinking the worse......my dream of qualifying for Boston was probably out the window and at that point I didn't know if I will even be able to run the marathon. I have come to accept that I need to take some time off.....I am better trained right now that I was for Boston and if I don't rest this now, then I really might not be able to run Hartford. Sure I probably won't run as fast as I would like, but I would rather finish the race standing up than have to quit mid-way through because I went out too fast and further injured myself.

So as I sit at my desk with an ice pack wrapped around my calf that is propped up on my upside down trash can, I think I have come to accept things as they are. I plan to take this week off from running.....I have a massage scheduled for Thursday to hopefully loosen up the muscle, I'll ice it as often as I can, stretch and massage it myself at home, and take Advil to help with the inflammation.

Hopefully this will be enough to get me across the finish line in 6 weeks with a smile on my face......for now I just have to rest :-(

Last week's "race" and long run

This past week I "raced" a 10k (6.2 miles) against myself and guess what....I came in 1st place :) Its hard to really mimic race conditions without having other people around and not getting that adrenaline rush from a race, but I couldn't find a tune-up race in the area. I finished in 47:34 (pace of 7:40 min/mile)...not bad considering that it was humid and my shin/calf were bothering me.

On Saturday I met up with John and Paul again for an 18 mile run. The weather was much cooler than last week. For the first 5 miles or so, my calf was so tight I thought I would have to turn around early. Luckily after a couple miles, it loosened up and I had a good run. We all were able to pick up the pace towards the end. I took some time to really stretch out my calves after we finished, but it seemed to tighten up again once I stopped running.

I finished the holiday weekend with a bike ride, a picnic, and a day at the beach.....what better way to end the summer :)

Another hot 20 miler

Last week was great....cool temperatures that were great for running. Then Friday rolls around and it of course heats back up just in time for my second 20 mile training run on Saturday - great :(

I ran with John and Paul again for the first 13 miles and then continued on for another 7. We started early at 7:15am to beat the heat. We ran through Newton and back up the Comm Ave hills from the Boston course. I have definitely lost some of my endurance on those hills! I also ran into Bryan's uncle who is a big runner.....he was coming down Heartbreak Hill (lucky him!) just as I was about to start up it.

The last 7 miles were really hot and sticky. I again ran through the sprinkler at Boston College....well I actually stood in it for a minute! Other than the heat, I actually felt pretty good. I finished stronger and with more energy that I had for the 1st 20 miler of this training so that's a good thing.

So now I have one more 20 mile training run in a couple weeks. I am really hoping that the weather cooperates a little better for that one! Who knows....this could just be God's way of preparing me for a hot and humid marathon day....I sure hope not!!

Not to rub it in, but.....

Thursday night Bryan and I ran in the 4th race of the "Have fun, Run, and Be Fit" summer series. Its a 4.2 mile race around the river followed by a BBQ and party. I was scheduled to run 12 miles with 7 at tempo pace that day so I went down to the river early to get some miles in before the race. Unfortunately, the traffic was not cooperating with me and I by the time I got there I only had about 45 minutes before the race. So I settled for a 4.5 mile run with 1.5 miles at my lactate threshold pace.

I met up with Bryan and we lined up with ~900 other runners. Its a really slow start which is always a little frustrating, but I kept reminding myself that this was a Tempo run for marathon training. Overall I was feeling pretty good so with about 1 mile to go, I picked up my pace a bit. I missed a PR by about 30 seconds, but I was happy with the run given my pre-race miles. My gun time was 32:15 (7:40 pace).

Now if you remember back to an earlier blog entry I said one of my summer goals was to beat Bryan in one of these races......well - I DID!! He finished 35 seconds behind me :) As I gloat about my victory, he reminds me that he hadn't run in about two weeks (Do I hear the violin playing in the background?)

So we have set the last race in the series to be the showdown.....no excuses.....no pre-run miles.....winner takes all! Bryan better get training because I won't be holding anything back :)

A lot of catching up to do!

So I realized that its been a long time since I last wrote! Life has been getting in the way, but my training is still going well. Here's an update as to how my runs the past two weeks have been.....

Saturday, 8/10: My first "Marathon Specific Training Run." Most long runs are significantly slower than planned marathon pace (primarily to prevent injury), but there are two long runs in my training that the majority of the miles are run at race pace. For this one, I warmed up for 2 miles at an easy pace, then ran 12 miles trying to stay around an 8:20-8:30 min/mile pace, followed by a mile cool down. I was in Philly at my parent's house for the weekend so I ran on a trail that was nice and shady. Luckily the weather was on the cooler side for August so I didn't have to battle the heat. The race pace miles felt good once I settled into them.....a few of the miles in the middle were a little too fast hitting 8:08 and 8:09 min/mile...oopps! Overall I was really happy with the run :)

On Sunday my Dad's side of the family got together for my Grandpa's 90th birthday party!! It was great to see everyone (all 30 something of us!) and my Grandpa seemed to enjoy his day.

Last week was a step-back week. Although I am feeling pretty good with all the miles, I have been dealing with some shin splints over the last week. Nothing too bad, but I didn't want them getting worse. I decided to take the recovery week really easy.....I cut out a couple runs and went bike riding/spin class to crosstrain. I also iced, foam rolled, and rested my shins as much as possible. My fear was that if I kept running on them they would get worse. It's really just the first couple steps that they are tight and then they usually don't bother me. I just can't stop running once I get started or they ache a little....it makes running through intersections a little tricky :)

Saturday 8/18: Happy Birthday to me!! I did my 14 mile long run on Friday so I wouldn't have to get up early on my birthday. Bryan surprised me with a new bike and I was excited to get out there an try it out. We rode down to the river and around for a while until........I took a curb a little too ambitiously and fell :( I hit my left elbow and took a nice chunk out of it. Poor Bryan felt so bad! But I was fine and I learned my lesson....stay away from the curb at the Mass Pike Bridge!!!!! We finished my birthday with dinner with friends.....all in all not a bad way to spend my first day at 27 :)

So this week I am back into the training. I have to switch my schedule up a little because I have a 4.2 mile race with Bryan on Thursday that I plan to incorporate into my tempo run. The weather has actually been much cooler the past few days.....I even saw my breath when I was out for my run early this morning! Of course its supposed to warm back up to the high 80's and low 90's just in time for my next 20 mile run this weekend.....just my luck!

Weekly Totals:
8/5 - 8/11: 47.1 miles
8/12 - 8/18: 26.1 miles (recovery week)

Days like yesterday make me smile

Tuesday I had a 14 mile medium-long run scheduled (the longest mid-week run I have done) so of course the weather was forecasting 90 degrees with high humidity. I contemplated moving the run to Wednesday, but the forecast looked equally as brutal. Unfortunately 14 miles is too much for me to fit in the morning without getting up at 4am so I was forced to run after work.

I have this little desktop weather thing on my work computer that tells you the temperature outside. All day I kept my eye on it waiting for it to jump up into the upper 80's. To my surprise it never did!! I guess the front shifted or stalled or something because by 5pm for my run it was a comfortable (but still humid) 75 degrees.....I couldn't have been more excited! Its always nice when you go into a run thinking it's going to be miserable and it turns out much better than expected.

My 14 miles felt great. I averaged ~9:00 min/mile for the first 7 miles then picked it up to ~8:40 min/mile for the next 5 and 8:20 min/mile for the last 2 (average pace for 14 miles was 8:44). Overall, I was very pleased with the run and actually had to hold myself back some early on.....I know I shouldn't push too hard since I did 20 miles only 3 days before this and I have a marathon pace run this weekend.

A hot 20 mile run

Saturday was my first 20 mile run in my training for Hartford. I met up with one of my training friends from Team BMC and his co-worker who are both training for the Chicago Marathon. They were planning to run 16 miles so it was great to join them and have someone to chat with.

We started early since it was supposed to get up to 85 degrees by mid morning and be oppressively humid-yuck! There was not a cloud in the sky which made it a beautiful day...just not for running 20 miles with the sun beating down on us! We made sure to take plenty of water breaks and our route kept us in the shade as much as possible. Miles 8-10 were pretty exposed and I remember thinking how the heck am I going to run another 10 miles in this weather?!?! We just kept reminding each other how easy it will feel to run in cooler, more ideal conditions.

We got back to our starting point covering 16 miles so I said goodbye to John and Paul. Bryan was nice enough to come meet me for the last 4 miles and he brought cold water with him. Those last miles were tough...the sun was high and strong and we were running uphill. There was a sprinkler watering flowers at Boston College so I ran through that a couple times to cool down :)

We finished back at Marathon Sports where I had met my friends. I hobbled over to the Seven-Eleven for some Gatorade and 3 bags of ice. That was the best tasting Gatorade I have ever had! I caught my reflection in the mirror and it looked like I had just gone for a swim, not a run!! I got home and filled the bath with cold water and my ice bags and jumped in to soak my sore legs.

I finished the day with some shopping (new running shoes and a pair of jeans) and then went to the movies and out for ice cream. I'm feeling pretty good today....my shins and hips are a little sore, but hopefully the new shoes will take care of that. Today was cooler and not as humid....we went blueberry picking and to Ikea for a little more shopping. Overall a great weekend!

Total miles for the week: 52.5!

My 1,000th mile this year!!

This past week Bryan and I were on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. This was the second summer we have gone out there and we loved it. The weather was perfect -- sunny and hot! We had a great time relaxing at the beach, riding bikes around the island, and enjoying our time together. And of course, I was happy to be able to fit in my runs :)

On Monday, we headed out together for a 6 mile recovery run. I thought Bryan would turn around early, but he was feeling good so he ran the entire time with me. I was so happy to have his company and proud of him for going the whole 6 miles....he hasn't run that far since our half marathon last September.

Then on Tuesday morning, I headed out for a 10.5 mile run. The 4th mile was my 1,000th mile of 2007!!! I can't believe my legs have taken me so far in 7 months time. Before this year I don't think I had run more than 1,000 miles in my life! It amazes me that just a year and a half ago I was probably running 50 miles in a month (if that) and now I am running 50 miles in a week.....crazy!

I can't wait to see how many more miles I can log before the end of the year!

Awesome Tempo Run!

I was a little nervous for my tempo run on Monday...10 miles total with 5 miles at lactate threshold pace. Luckily, the weather was almost perfect...63 degrees, cloudy, with a light mist. The only negative was a strong wind coming from the east. But I am not going to complain about it at all...its not often we get cool temps like that in at the end of July!

I warmed up for 3 miles (9:05 pace) and then did the 5 LT pace miles. My splits looked like this (I bet you can guess which miles I had the headwind and which miles the wind was at my back!):

8:16--ok...a little slow
8:14--just put my head down and run through the wind
7:57--now that's more like it
7:44--wow....where is this speed coming from?
7:41--last mile.....make it count!

I ended with a 2 mile cool down that was still pretty fast (8:26 pace) and my overall pace was 8:25. The best thing about this run was that I felt awesome the entire time, especially in those last 3 LT miles. It's runs like this that make me think the magical 3:40 marathon (my BQ time) is a possibility!! But I don't want to get my hopes up....there's still lots of training to be done!

Of course just as quickly as the cool weather moved in, it was out of here. Can someone explain to me how it can go from 60 to 90 degrees over just 48 hours? Today I did an 11 mile medium-long run. It was hot and my legs felt heavy, but I averaged an 8:44 pace overall with the last mile at 8:17 (I'm working on my finishing kick!) Its supposed to stay hot and humid for the next few days....luckily tomorrow is a rest day so I'll get some relief.

Step-Back Week

Last week was a recovery week in my training....only 37 MPW with a long run of 12 miles. It was nice to give my body a bit of a rest especially with coming back to work after my California trip.

My weekend was busy and full of activities! My parents came up from PA for the weekend to visit. On Saturday we rented Kayaks and paddled around the Charles River for the afternoon....talk about a great shoulder workout! On Sunday we drove up to NH and hiked Mt. Israel (~2600 ft). It was a beautiful day so it was great to be outside and out of the city. The only bad part was that all the activities prevented me from starting the new Harry Potter book until Sunday night!

It was a good visit with my parents and a fun weekend.....let's hope I am "recovered" enough to pick up my miles again this week!

California Girl!

Last week I was in beautiful Long Beach, CA for a work conference.....nice choice, right?!?! This was the first time I had been to southern California and it was awesome. The weather was ideal - sunny and around 80 every day. Every time I talked to Bryan I kept saying how I want to move out there :) I was there with a couple other coworkers and they liked to sight see. I saw Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Malibu, Laguna Beach, and had lots of great food and drinks! The conference wasn't bad either....just took up too much time :)

First things first: The Running We arrived on Friday and I was exhausted from the trip so no run for me. On Saturday morning, I woke up at 4:00am because of the time change so I hit the gym for 4 miles on the treadmill before the conference. Sunday was free so I was able to get my long run of about 14 miles in that morning. There was a great bike/pedestrian trail that ran along the beach so I followed that and enjoy the ocean! On Monday I did 4 miles with my friend Mike during our lunch break.....we were both hurting during that one due to the mid-day heat and the fact that we had both just eaten lunch! On Tuesday I managed a good pace 9 miles again along the beach with 10 sets of strides at the end. I was hoping to get another run in Thursday morning before my flight, but I had a little too much to drink the night before so that didn't happen...tequilla shots are never a good idea.....ooopps! Overall, not too bad of a running week given my conference schedule and wanting to go out and see California.

On Wednesday, three of us took a surfing lesson at Laguna Beach. It was so much fun (and great crosstraining too!) I had a hard time getting up on the board for the first hour of our lesson....I think I spent more time flying off the board and hanging onto my bathing suit! But finally I was able to get up and ride a couple waves in before I called it quits to relax on the beach. What a great day!!

Now its back to the real world......hot and humid Boston.

One word summary of last week -- HOT!!

Last week Boston had its first heat wave of the summer.....3 days with temperatures above 90. This made running extremely difficult! On Tuesday I waited until about 7:30pm to head out for my 4 mile recovery run and I was still dying. On Wednesday I actually got up at 5:00am to do my 10 mile general aerobic run......and it was already 75 degrees out. I think I was still half asleep during the run because I missed a turn and didn't realize it until I was about 0.5 miles down the road! I walked in my house and it looked like I had been swimming instead of running....I was drenched! I walked right into the bathroom and took a cool shower.

Luckily it cooled down for the weekend and my long run. We went to my in-laws in upstate NY so I ran my 14 miles on Saturday morning in the Adirondacks.....very pretty, but also hilly. I felt good and had a good pace the whole time. Bryan met me and ran the last 4 miles home with me. We picked up the pace and finished the last 3 miles between 8:18-8:30 pace. The weekend was capped off with lots of good food, relaxing, and a round of mini-golf...ask Bryan who came in last place :)

Total weekly miles: 40.2

Busy Weekend!

I had to laugh when I read Janette's blog from this weekend....I could have written the exact same thing about my run on Saturday! It was a beautiful day (upper 70's and sunny) and I thought it would be a good idea to go for a 12 mile run on the Newton Hills at 10:30am. The temperature wasn't bad, but the sun was high in the sky and at its strongest of the day....at least I wore my sunscreen! There were some little girls that had a lemonade stand on the side of the road and I think I would have bought them out if I had any money on me!! When I got home I drank about 40 oz of liquid and still felt thirsty. I am going to have to start refilling my water bottles during my long runs to stay properly hydrated.

Saturday afternoon Bryan and I headed up to New Hampshire for the night. We camped in one of the state owned campgrounds which was fun, but not the best night of sleep being in a tent on the ground...and we were treated to an amazing thunder and lightning storm from about 3:30-5:30am! We got up early Sunday morning and hiked the Franconia Ridge Trail. Its a 9 mile loop that takes you up over Lafayette (5260 ft), Lincoln (5089 ft), and Little Haystack (4800 ft). We had a great time, but my legs were definitely feeling it on the way back down! Taking off my hiking boots was the best feeling ever!!

It was a fun and exhausting weekend...I sure slept well in my own bed last night!
Total Weekly miles: 35.5

Update

After my little freak out on Thursday night and Friday, I have calmed back down. I quickly asked Janette for her advice and what she would do if in my position. After telling me to breathe, she volunteered to come with me down to Hartford if Bryan wasn't able to make it. That was really, really nice of her and I might take her up on her offer. She agreed that running so many miles while on vacation doesn't sound relaxing!!

I also talked to Bryan and worked out various scenarios so that he could be there. He promised me that he would be there in time to watch me....no matter what!! That was all I needed to hear. I can manage either by myself or with Janette on Friday night, but I needed to know that he would be there Saturday morning when I started running. Its still going to be hard for him to figure out the logistics with work.....non-runners don't really understand the importance of such an event. But we will make it work!

So I am still planning to run the Hartford Marathon on October 13th.....17 more weeks to go!!

Time to hit the PANIC BUTTON!!

Ok....so I am freaking out!! I was all set to run Hartford.....last night I was looking at hotel rooms for Friday night since the marathon starts early Sat. morning. Bryan gets home from work and tells me that he won't be able to stay over in Hartford because he is working overnight on Friday. Hello.....the race starts at 8am and you are on call until 7am at the earliest.....how does he expect to make it to Hartford to be with me (1.5-2 hour drive from Boston)?? I just wish we had figured this out earlier when I was making my pros/cons list......I mean this would have been a major CON for Hartford!!!! I know its not his fault and we just didn't realize the implications it would have. Even if he did make it down in time, that means I would be going down there, staying by myself, and having to get ready by myself.....I don't know if I can do that!! I know how nervous I was the night before Boston and I don't think I could go through that alone in a hotel room by myself!

So my dilemma is this.....
(1) Run Hartford as planned but have to be alone :(
(2) Push up my training and run an earlier marathon

(3) Push my training back and run Philly.......which means 49 MPW while on vacation (two 10 mile runs mid-week and I could save the 20-22 miler for the day or two after we get home)

Today he is looking into the slim possibility of switching the Friday night before Hartford with someone, but it doesn't look like that is an option. The crappy thing is that I have to decide this like now because it majorly affects my training......it took me weeks to decide on Hartford and now I have a day or so to figure this out :(

Sorry I am rambling......I was in tears last night thinking about this and I know most people wouldn't understand why I am so upset. But it is 18 weeks of your life that you are devoting to this. What would you do?????

Back in training!

It's hard to believe that the Boston Marathon was almost 2 months ago! What's even harder to believe is that I started my 18 week training plan for my fall marathon....United Technologies Greater Hartford Marathon!. I looked into many different fall marathons and narrowed it down to Hartford and Philly. After making pros and cons lists about both, I decided to run Hartford this fall.....I'll save Philly for another year.

I am following a different training program this time around. Its slightly more advanced peaking at 55 miles per week....my first program peaked at about 40-45 miles per week. It also focuses on quality runs with specific pacing for my marathon goal pace (whatever that may be!) For Boston I didn't focus on speed....if I wanted to run faster, I did and if I wanted to slow down, I did. I am excited to take on this challenge even though I know its going to be hard work.

Sunday I cross-trained on the stair master and today I did a 7 mile General Aerobic run with 10 x 100m strides. I felt great the whole time with an average pace of 8:33 min/mile....I actually had to hold back my pace some. Days like today I wish I could bottle up that extra energy and speed to use it for a day when I feel sluggish! At least I am off to a good start with my training!

Jimmy Kennedy 5 mile race

On Saturday, I headed down to Quincy to meet up with Janette to run the Jimmy Kennedy 5 mile race for ALS. It was chilly and misting rain, but great to see Janette again and run together. The course went past the ocean and it was a nice change to run in a different location than my normal routes.

I won't lie....5 miles at race pace was tough! I finished in 37:30...a 7:30 pace. I was very pleased with my time! With about 1/4 mile to go, there was with other woman in front of us. Janette leaned over to me and said "we have to beat this lady!" I was thinking the same thing so we picked up our pace and flew past her.

After the race, Janette and I went out for lunch and chatted about what we have been up to. It was a great morning....even if it was raining!

Ouch!

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness......ouch! I have been trying to be better about fitting strength training into my weekly routine - lifting my legs 1x a week and upper body/core 2x a week. So on Wednesday after my 4 mile recovery run, I went to the gym and did lunges, squats, and dead lifts....upping the weight for all of them. I felt good at the time, but ~24 hours later I was hurting.

I headed out for an 8 mile run last night and it was a pain in the butt.....literally! The actual run went a lot better than I expected - I felt strong and easily held a 8:50 pace the entire time. But man did my butt and hamstring muscles hurt! I went to get in my car after I was done and it hurt to sit down!

So my dilemma is this - when do I lift my legs? If I do it on an easy run day then I am left sore for a hard run the next day. If I do it on a hard run day then my legs are already fatigued from running, but I have the next day to recover with an easy run. I guess it will be a little trial and error!

This Week's Races

This past week, Bryan and I ran in 2 races together.

Last Sunday we ran in the The Team Hoyt 5k in Waltham. I have talked about Rick and Dick Hoyt before in my blog as they are two people whom I really admire in running. Due to some health problems, they were not able to run Boston this past year, which was a disappointment for me. When I heard about their 5k, I knew I wanted to participate. Bryan and I ran it together which was really nice to push each other. It was a fairly hilly course and although I didn't get a PR, I did manage to come in 1st place in my age group!! They had a pizza party after and introduced some other families that had come from NH and NJ with their children who have disabilities. It was a a special event to participate in and the highlight of the day for me was getting to meet Rick and Dick and getting my picture taken with them.


Then on Thursday evening we ran in The Blues 4.2 mile Race, part of a 5 race summer series. Its a fun race with music, a BBQ, and free Harpoon beer after the run. Last year, Bryan always beat me by a couple minutes....enough time for him to grab water and walk back over to the finish line to watch me finish. This year was different though....we ran together for the first 3.5 miles and were both feeling good. With about 1/2 mile to go, he picked up the pace a bit and started to pull away from me. I wasn't going to let that happen this year so I tried hard to keep behind him. Although I didn't beat him, he was surprised to see me finish just 18 seconds behind him (watch time =31:16; gun time = 31:42)!! That's 3 minutes faster than my best time last year.....looks like my track work and tempo runs are working! My goal for these races over the summer is to (1) beat Bryan and (2) finish under 30 minutes......you can bet that I am going to work really hard at #1 :)

I'm in love!

Monday was my two year anniversary and although I love my husband more than ever, I am in love with something else. Bryan surprised me with a Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch and I love it!! I wasn't planning to run on Monday, but I had to try it out so we went out for an easy 3.91 miles (and I know that exactly!) I am loving the auto lap function.....basically it tells you what each of your mile splits are. I had no problems picking up the satellites at my house or around the river. The only time I lost it was for a second when I went under a bridge.

I took it out for a tempo run on Tuesday and wow....it was so much easier to keep track of my pace and distance. I did a 2 mile warm up at 9:23 pace followed by 4 miles (8:25, 8:14, 8:06, 8:16) and a mile cool down at 9:42 - 7 miles total. It even showed me a little map of my route!

I have a feeling this will make a huge difference in my training, especially since I am training with a specific pace in mind. Now I can't wait to get out there and do intervals, tempo runs, and long runs.....without having to do the math in my head!

Its getting hot out!

The past few days its been 85+ degrees here....way too hot for running. Thursday I waited until about 6:00pm to go for my 7 mile run around the river. Managed to average a 9:14 min/mile pace without too much extra effort from the heat.

I took Friday off as a rest day because it was 92 degrees out....a new record high in Boston for May 25th. Instead I relaxed with Bryan and grilled turkey burgers and corn on the cob (and some icecream for dessert). YUM!

Today we went to the beach for a few hours during the day. It was nice to be out there for the first time this summer. I again waited until about 6:30pm to head out for my run so it could cool off a bit and the sun would be lower in the sky. I had 24oz. of water with me in my fuel belt and ran 12 miles on the Newton hills with an average pace of 9:12 min/mile. I don't know if it was the heat, the hills or my legs, but it felt harder than Thursday's run.

I was surprised when I got home to weigh myself and see that I still lost 1.5 lbs even with all that water. I guess I need to make sure I drink even more when I run in the heat. Bryan has volunteered to man some water stops for me this summer on my really long training runs.....how sweet :)

Track workout

I am loving the weather we are having so far this week!! Especially after all the rain over the weekend....I actually didn't get my long run in on Sunday because of it (and a slight hang over from the Red Sox game the night before). Monday after work I did 10 miles around the Charles at an average pace of 9:14 min/mile.

Yesterday I did my first track workout since.....well since track in high school! I was working in Cambridge so I ran over to the MIT track as a warm up and did four 800m repeats with a 400m recovery jog between each then ran back to work (total miles =4.7) . I wanted to do more, but my body was tired. Here's my splits:

1st - 3:30 (7:02 min/mile)
2nd - 3:35 (7:13 min/mile)
3rd - 3:40 (7:23 min/mile)
4th - 3:25 (6:54 min/mile)

Knowing it was my last one I tried to pick it up some for the 4th. It will be interesting to see how my times improve over the summer as I continue to push my speed and hopefully get more comfortable running faster.

Today I am hoping to get some cross training and weights in at the gym......after I take my cat to the vet for her check-up!

Come on Ladies......Running Skirts??

I am a girly girl....I'll be the first to admit it and I am not ashamed of it. I would never be seen in public in sweatpants unless going to or from the gym, I never leave my house without at least a little makeup on, and I blow dry my hair even if I am going to put it in a ponytail....yes, I am a girly girl.

What I don't get is the running skirt that I see women wearing. How long have women been fighting to be equals in the sport of running and in sports in general? I heard Joan Benoit-Samuelson, one of the pioneers of women's running (who also just turned 50), speak and she was telling a story about when she first started running. She said that she would stop running when cars would come by and pretend to be picking flowers because she didn't want to be known as a tomboy.

So come on ladies....we have fought for ages to gain equal rights. I vote to keep the skirts off the track and wear my shorts proudly. Now I have to run and fix my makeup :)

Is McDonalds after a 7 mile run counterproductive?

Yesterday I headed out for a nice 7 mile run. Bryan had to work late so I knew I was on my own for dinner. Knowing that I wasn't going to finish my run until after 7pm, I decided I would just grab something on my way home. Well during my run I passed a McDonalds and those fries started calling my name....I haven't eaten McDonalds in months! I could smell it from across the street as I ran past! I told myself that if I still wanted it after my run, I would get it.

7 miles later, I was pulling up to the drive-up window! I was good and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich (no mayo) and a small fries (although I was temped to go with medium). I must have looked pretty funny since I was all sweaty and still in my running clothes yet buying quite possibly the most unhealthy food in the world!

Whatever....today is a new day and I made sure to load up on whole grains, lean protein, veggies, and fruit. It was a moment of weakness......at least I ran the 7 miles first rather than just eating the fries!

5k First Place!!!

At the last minute I decided to run in a local 5k on Sunday. Bryan was out of town and it was nice outside! It was really small with only about 150 runners. I have actually never run a 5k before (shortest race before this was 4.2 miles) and I have been focusing so much on distance that I had no idea what to expect or how to pace myself. I loosely decided to shoot for a 7:30 min/mile.

The miles weren't marked so I relied on my Nike + iPod thing. A couple minutes into the race, I looked at my Nike + and it was saying that I was running 8:00min/mile. I felt like I was running faster than that and this got me discouraged so I didn't push as hard as I could have. To my surprise, I turned the corner and the finish line was about 1/4 mile away...that's when I realized my Nike + thing was way off (it said I only ran at total of 2.8 miles). I finished in 23:15 (7:30 min/mile)....not too bad considering I ran my first "long" run after the Boston Marathon of 10 miles on Saturday.

I looked up the scoring and realized that I won 1st place in my age group!! Granted there were only 9 other women in my group, but its still first place!!! I won a gift certificate for a free pair of Saucony sneakers.....unfortunately I wear Asisics :( There is something so fun about racing - pinning that number to your shirt changes the run......can't wait to race again!

Team BMC Party

On Friday, a group of us from the team that trained together on Saturday mornings got together to eat, drink, laugh, and share marathon stories. It was great!! Jeff and his wife had us over to their house for dinner, which was so wonderful of them and the lasagna was very yummy!

Although its only been 2 weeks since the marathon, it was great to see everyone again. Most of us didn't get a chance to see or talk to each other after we finished the race so it was a great way to hear every one's stories. I just felt bad for all the non-running spouses that were there and had to listen to us talk on and on about running!

We all chatted about what's up next as far as running....some are focusing on shorter distances, triathlons, or fall marathons. I hope our group can continue to get together since we all seem to have a lot of fun together (Kevin....you can always make me laugh!!) I am going to miss our Saturday morning long runs so let's try to keep that up too!

Boston is over.....so now what?

Now that my first Boston Marathon is over, I find myself asking "so now what?" It's a strange feeling to go from almost everything in my life being dictated by the marathon.....my eating, running, and socializing was all determined by my training....to not having to run. I could have a beer on Friday night for the first time in months because I didn't have to get up early and run on Saturday!

I've been out running a couple times a week since the marathon. Nothing too long or too fast.....although I feel recovered, I know my body needs more time to fully recover from the stress of running 26.2 miles. I absolutely plan on running another marathon and I am in the process of looking into various fall marathons. Once I recover, I plan on spending the beginning of the summer working on my speed. I hope to run some shorter races to try to get faster. Then I'll start my marathon training with a strong base and hopefully more speed.

So, if you are interested keep checking my blog as I will continue to write about my training and racing. Now I just need to think of a new title for my blog......My First Boston Marathon doesn't really apply any more. Any suggestions???

One week later....

It's now one week after the marathon and I am feeling good. Tuesday was extremely painful and I stayed home from work. It hurt to sit for too long, it hurt to stand for too long, and it really hurt to try to go down the stairs! My quads and hips were the worst...probably from the downhill running. By Wednesday I was back in work (and of course I sported my marathon jacket all day!) I still couldn't go down the stairs properly and had to side-step down them or take the elevator. Plus I needed to use the handicapped bathroom so I could use the bar to help me sit down.....sorry if that's too much info for you!!

By Friday I was itching to run so Bryan and I went out for an easy 3.5 miles. It felt so good to be running, but my quads were definitely still pretty fatigued. It was so nice out this weekend so we went for a 4 mile run on Saturday and I was feeling even better. On Sunday it was about 70 degrees and Bryan and I went skiing.....yes, you read that right.....skiing on April 22nd!! It was so nice outside and we skied in t-shirts! My legs were definitely tired, but it was an amazing day.

Today was 85 degrees and I was so happy that the marathon was last Monday and not today! I would much rather run 26.2 miles through a Nor'easter than run in this heat!! It was a beautiful day (of course I spent it inside at work) but just not marathoning weather. Since the last three days were pretty active, I am taking it easy today and heading to yoga tonight. Can't wait to be back out running tomorrow!!

I FINISHED BOSTON!!!

WOW......what an amazing experience yesterday was!! I don't even know where to begin in writing this (I warn you now that this will be a long one). First, congratulations to all the other runners and to my Team BMC friends that ran yesterday....you all rocked!! Bryan had a sign that said "You are stronger than Mother Nature!" and I believe we all were yesterday. The rain held off for most of the time I was out and the headwinds weren't as bad as they could have been.....although they weren't nice!

After a rocky start getting on the buses in the rain, I finally got out to Hopkinton at 9:25am. The rain was still heavy and the entire village was a big mud pit. Luckily I had a throw away pair of shoes so I could save my running ones. Because of the weather, it took my mind off of the actual race and it wasn't until we were walking to the corrals (with plastic bags wrapped around my feet and a Red Sox poncho) that it actually hit me that I was about to run the Boston Marathon!

The entire thing was just amazing......all the fans, seeing my family and friends, and just taking the whole experience in! I didn't think the hills were bad, but it was the downhills that started to get to me after a while. Janette, Steph and I ran together and Janette had her Garmin so we really tried to hold back for the first half to save enough energy to make it down Beacon strong. I saw my family at mile 3.5 and I started jumping up and down while waving my arms in the air....not the best way to conserve energy, but I was just so excited to see them. The "screech tunnel" at Wellseley College was amazing.....you could hear the girls' screams from almost a mile away and all the men moved over to get their free kisses from the girls!

I saw coworkers at mile 15 and mile 17 which pumped me up and gave me the encouragement I needed to tackle the hills. After the first hill at mile 18 I came across about 15 of my family members with signs and cowbells!!! I was so happy to see them.......it meant so much to me to have them there. Bryan jumped in and ran about half a mile with us. He told me I looked good and how proud he was to see me. He gave me a kiss and wished us all luck. It was just the push I needed to help me up Heartbreak hill.

Miles 22-25 were extremely painful and I just kept repeating to myself "mind over matter.....it doesn't really hurt!" The three of us ran together until mile 23 when we lost Steph at the water stop. We waited for her but we both started cramping so we had to move on. Soon after that I came across my other friends from work with big signs and cheers. A few of them started running with us telling me that I looked so good and strong.....I needed that encouragement because I wasn't feeling strong right then.

Coming through Kenmore Square and seeing the sign announcing 1 mile to go was amazing. I felt like a rock star with all the people screaming for us and yelling my name (it was written on my shirt). As we turned onto Hereford Street and then onto Boylston, I started to get teary eyed and choked up......the finish line was in sight!! Plus my family was there on Boylston for their 3rd spot of the day with huge smiles on their faces. Janette and I just looked at each other in awe as we picked up our pace and sprinted (well, it felt like a sprint but who knows how fast it really was!) All of a sudden the pain went away and I focused on the finish line.

Now I can say I finished my first marathon and that I have run THE Boston Marathon (something that fewer than 300,000 people in the world can say!).....in a Nor'easter no less!! I finished in 4:11:01 and I couldn't be happier with my time given the weather and the difficult course. Besides at the water stops, I didn't stop to walk at all! Bryan and my family met me with warm clothes and my sacred Boston Jacket that I couldn't wait to put on! I celebrated with my family and some champagne before they needed to head home. I took a really hot shower and then went down to Boston Beer Works to meet some friends to continue the celebration. I ate a big cheeseburger and fries....and of course some beer! All my friends were surprised that I was still standing and not in bed, but I had so much adrenaline in me! And of course I wore my medal and jacket out to the bar :)

Sharing this experience with my family and friends was so special and I could not have done this without your support. To my girls......Janette and Steph......I don't know how I could have done this without you. You kept me running when I wanted to stop and made me look forward to our early morning runs! And of course Bryan.......having your support and love kept me going. Seeing your face on the side of the road made me push harder!

I have learned so much about myself during this journey. I found strength and confidence that I never had before. I truly loved every painful moment and I look forward to my next marathon!! I'll be sure to post some pictures when I get them so make sure to check back soon!!!

Ready, Set, Run!!

It's here.....MARATHON MONDAY!!! Am I nervous, yes. Am I excited, absolutely. Am I ready to get wet, I hope so! I don't have much time before I have to head out to Hopkinton, but I wanted to write quickly to say thanks to everyone who has read my blog and supported me the last couple of months. I have a feeling the majority of this marathon will be mental strength, not physical strength. I plan to think of each of you as I run today to motivate me to keep going!

So this is it....what all these months of preparation are for. I read in my book last night, that we do all this "just to run over a painted line!" That line means so much more though. That line means conquering something I thought I could never do. That line means building confidence I never thought I had. That line means facing my fears. That line means over $200,000 for BMC patients.

When I cross that line in a couple hours, I don't know if I will scream or cry....maybe both. I am ready for this!

0 more days......here I go!!

Marathon Expo and Bib Pick-up!

Janette and I both took off work a little early today and headed over the the Hynnes Convention Center to the Boston Marathon expo. We met on the T and both of us were so excited about going to get out bib numbers. As we tried to find our numbers, we walked past 20,000 other packets of bib numbers waiting to be picked up.....it seems like so many people I can't imagine what Monday is going to look like! We found our numbers and with huge smiles on our faces picked them up.

We then entered the vendor booth area of the expo.....it was huge!!! We started with the Adidas area because they have all the official marathon merchandise...I already bought my Boston jacket (its been in the bag and won't be worn until I cross the finish line), but we both filled up on some additional marathon clothes. Adidas also has a tradition of posting a blank wall where the runners can hang their reasons for running the marathon. I filled mine out and posted it on the wall with all the other bibs (mine's on the right!)

We spent the next 2 hours or so wondering around the expo looking at all the vendors. There was anything you could possibly need at this thing....and some stuff no one needs! We pretty much stayed away from the free samples because we were afraid of what they might do to our stomachs...I mean no one should be drinking an egg white smoothie 3 days before running a marathon! After tracking down a new pair of gloves that are water resistant (think I might need those!) we decided to head out.

When I got home, I spent some time going through my bags of goodies. Then I headed out to the supermarket to get some things for the weekend. I don't think I have ever bought so many refined carbs in one sitting.....bagels, rice cakes, granola bars. I got other stuff for my family to snack on (cheese and crackers, chips and guacamole), but I think I'll stick to the carbs.

It's starting to feel real now! I have gotten over the weather forecast.....so now all that's left is to enjoy the weekend with my family, relax, load up on carbs, and run. Sounds simple enough, right?!?!

3 more days......

I'm Stalking the Weather!

Throughout the day I bounce back and forth between weather.com, accuweather.com, and the National Weather Service checking and comparing forecasts for Monday. Between my obsession with the weather and all the e-mails between my teammates, its amazing that I get any work done!

Well now I am starting to freak out about it.....why do we have to get our first Nor'easter of the year on Marathon Monday? The CBS weather man this morning actually used the phrase "storm of epic proportions" when referring to Monday's forecast and made a comment about the BAA maybe having to postpone or cancel the race!! In the 111 years the Boston Marathon has been run, it has never been canceled for the weather.....of course its the media trying to sensationalize the story, but not what I want to hear first thing in the morning!

The BAA then put out this news release:

Weather Alert - Monday's Boston Marathon

Wednesday, April 11 - As the Boston Athletic Association continues to make preparations for Monday's Boston Marathon, we are monitoring the upcoming weather conditions forecast for this area. Based on the National Weather Service's most recent report and in cooperation with the Executive Office of Public Safety (Commonwealth of Massachusetts) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, together with the eight cities and towns along the 26.2-mile marathon route, we are planning for likely heavy rain and windy conditions on race day. However, all race day plans remain the same. The Boston Athletic Association advises participants in Monday's race to plan accordingly for their run, bringing with them gear and apparel to suit the conditions. The B.A.A. will continue to update this web site as necessary.

Looks like I will be getting wet and running through a pretty strong head wind....great! I'm also really concerned for my family and friends that will be outside cheering me on. My parents and grandparents are driving 6 hours from Philly for this....my in-laws are coming from upstate NY. I'll warm up from the running, but I'm so afraid they are going to be miserable watching.

With 5 days to go, I am praying that this storm either slows down and gets here on Tuesday, speeds up and gets here on Sunday, or takes a turn and stays far away!!

A Day of Lasts

This morning I ran my last "long run" of 8.5 miles along Comm Ave in Newton. I have run this stretch of the course at least once a week for the past 3 months, but today it was different. Today was my last time running those hills before Marathon Monday. It was a slightly unsettling feeling knowing that the next time I will see Heartbreak Hill I'll have a bib pinned to my shirt, thousands of other runners around me, and hundreds of people cheering for me. I used to be afraid of those hills.........I mean Heartbreak Hill is arguably the most famous hill in the running world! But they don't scare me anymore. I have been up and down those hills so many times over the past few months and I have learned as much as I can about each and every turn, incline, and step I will take along that road. I have left my blood, sweat, and tears on those hills and I refuse to let any part of that pavement take this experience away from me! I still have a bump on my chin from those hills!

After I finished my run, Bryan and I got ready for church to celebrate Easter Sunday. I felt especially blessed today knowing that I have been given this amazing gift and the ability to run this marathon. To add to that, my running has helped raise almost $3,800 for Boston Medical Center.

Getting dressed for church, I traded in my running tights for a skirt and my sneakers for high heels and realized that today was the last day I plan to wear heels before the marathon (I need to rest my feet so it will be flats all week!) After church we went out to brunch in the South End at a place called Masa. I had a mimosa with my meal and realized that this was the last drink I will have before the marathon. I know these "lasts" aren't quite as significant as the previous one, but it fit with the theme of the day so we'll go with it :)

I think its just making it all seem so real -- all these lasts. Sure, I wish I had a few more weeks to train.....get in a few more long runs, hill repeats, or interval workouts. But the fact is that I am ready for this......8 more days until I see those hills again!!

Back from Skiing....Ready for Taper!

I am happy to report that I am back from Killington injury free! Bryan and I headed up to Vermont early on Sunday morning since the sun was shining and it was supposed to be 55 degrees out. We had a great day of spring skiing and I even got to work on my goggle tan :) The snow was really heavy and it felt kind of like skiing through mashed potatoes. Because of this, most of the trails we were skiing had moguls on them by the afternoon....my tired legs were really starting to burn! We enjoyed the hot tub and went out to dinner before crashing early on Sunday night.

Monday was cloudy and rainy, but still fairly warm. We found one trail on Bear Mountain that we really liked and had pretty good snow on it so we skied that all day. We got wet, but still had fun just being outside and skiing together. By about 3pm my legs were screaming and ready to quit so we headed back to the lodge to enjoy an apres ski beer. As we took off our skis, Bryan says "I am so relieved right now!" When I asked him why, he told me that he was so nervous both days that I was going to hurt myself and not be able to run.....he didn't want to feel responsible or have me blame him if anything happened to me. I was very relieved too.....I consciously took it easy and skied a little cautiously.

We headed back to Boston this afternoon and I hit the gym for a 4 mile run. My legs felt heavy and were tired for the first 2 miles, but felt good towards the end. I am starting to get a little antsy about the taper, knowing that means Boston is getting close! People say its normal to feel this way and I apologize in advance if I am irritable these next two weeks!!

13 more days to go.....

Last Week Before Taper

My legs are feeling really heavy this week! Although the 20 miler went well last Saturday, I think the effects on my muscles are still being felt. After taking it easy on Sunday and Monday (took 2 yoga classes, did a little cross training, and ran 3 easy recovery miles), I still managed to run 34 miles this week including a 6 mile pace run and 8 miles of hills on Comm Ave. I also treated myself to a sports massage that turned out to be more painful than relaxing.....she really worked on my legs!

With all this put together, I was not looking forward to my 12 mile run with the team this morning. All week I kept thinking that it would be easy after running 20.5 miles last weekend. I didn't sleep well on Friday night so when my alarm went off at 6:30am I struggled to get out of bed. Fortunately, I was not the only one that was sluggish from last week as many of my teammates were equally unenthusiastic about this run. But it was a beautiful day so we headed out.

It wasn't the best run, but given the circumstances I was happy with it. My hip and calf felt really sore as soon as I stopped running so I have been icing them on and off today. Being this close to Marathon Monday, I get nervous with every new ache or twinge I feel in my body......luckily I have these next two taper weeks to get strong again. Tomorrow Bryan and I are heading up to Killington for a couple days to get some spring skiing in. I am looking forward to getting away for a bit, but I'm a little nervous to ski this close to the big day. In 15 years of skiing I have yet to hurt myself (knocking on wood)!!

16 more days.......getting close!

Last long run.....the BIG one!

This week I hit the peak of my training....my last long run of 20.5 miles! The e-mails between 6 of my teammates started early this week when we received our bib numbers (I'm number 19,937). The topic then changed to carbo loading and what to wear on Saturday.....the entire time there was a feeling of nervous excitement that came with each e-mail.

I got up at 5:30 am on Saturday morning, got dressed, and had my ritual pre-long run breakfast (english muffin with peanut butter and a banana). We met at FitCorp where there was much discussion in the locker room about appropriate clothing for the day....shorts or pants, thin shirt or thick shirt?? After deciding on shorts, we headed out and were loaded onto 4 school buses. We started the ride out to Framingham, where we were being dropped off at the 7 mile mark of the course.

Janette, Steph, and I started out together on our long run back into Boston. As always, our energy pushed us to start off too fast and we had to consciously slow our pace down (something I never thought I would have to do!!) After a few miles we settled into a comfortable pace and started chatting. Surprisingly, the conversation never stopped for the entire 20.5 miles! Each of the charities sponsored a water/Gatorade/snack stop along the course. We stopped, refueled, chatted with the other people, and even got our pictures taken a few times.

We turned the corner onto Comm Ave and the hills started. All three of us seem to have a similar mentality about how to handle the hills.....run up them as fast as you can so that they are over quickly!! After summiting Heartbreak Hill and coming past Boston College, I saw Bryan waiting to cheer us on....he put a big smile on my face when I saw him! He ran with us for a couple blocks and brought us gummy worms (my favorite run snack!) and told us we looked strong. He said goodbye at Clevland Circle and the three of us continued on through Brookline.

We got into the Back Bay and had about 2 miles left. Steph started singing the Rocky theme song to help push us those last few miles. This turned into a game of name that tune with each of us singing lines from songs that motivate us.....the Jersey girl in me rocked out with Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer!" With Beacon Hill in our sights, we knew we were almost finished....this hill was at the 20 mile mark in our run which is exactly were Heartbreak is on the marathon course. I knew that if I could make it up this hill strong, then I would be able to get up Heartbreak on marathon day. With 3 of the biggest smiles I have ever seen on our faces, we pushed up that hill with so much energy. Steph yelled out to the people on the sidewalk "We just ran all the way from FRAMINGHAM!!!!" and they gave us a cheer!

All I can say is WOW.....the feeling I got after finishing this run was something I had never felt before. It was a true runner's high! My legs were definitely happy to be done running, but I felt like I had a few more miles in me if I had to. Let's hope that feeling is there on Marathon Monday. Back inside the gym, there were bodies laying everywhere.....all were exhausted and elated at the same time. We shared stories about how each of our runs went......most people couldn't believe that we talked and sang the entire time -- all 3 hours and 15 minutes!!

I went home, talked Bryan's ear off about the run, sat in a painful ice bath, indulged in a burger, french fries, beer and ice cream, and crashed on the couch early......the whole time I don't think the smile left my face once! Throughout the day I would randomly say "I can't believe I just ran 20 miles!!" I don't think I really believed it....if this run felt that amazing to have completed, I can't even begin to imagine what it will feel like on marathon day!

22 more days until I find out.......... :)