Rest, recovery, and re-starting training

After the Shires of Vermont I have to admit I was REALLY wiped out.  It took a while for my body to bounce back, actually I feel like it hasn't completely bounced back yet.  My electrolytes were whacked.  I noticed when I saw the pro photos from the marathon that my ankles were super swollen, I kind of had muffin top over my socks.  I knew I had a severe inbalance because I had to loosen my Garmin part way through the race because it was cutting into my wrist.  BUT on the brightside, I felt ok.  I never stopped sweating and I didn't throw up or get the chills so I'll take a little swelling.

Anyway, the only downside to the electrolyte imbalance is that it took my body longer to recover than usual.  I rested all week and still didn't feel great.  Work was stressing me out and even though it was a short week to begin with because I took Monday off it felt like a long week that was never going to end.  I felt so crappy by Thursday that I ended up taking Friday off from work to relax.  It was just what I needed.  I slept in and stayed in bed late into the morning.  Got up slowly and enjoyed some tea and breakfast while watching the Today Show, went for a short bike ride, and then got dressed and headed to REI for the big Memorial Day sale they were having.  I needed an excuse to buy some new tri shorts.  After REI I went to the mall and then headed home for some late lunch and a nap.

Friday night, my friend Erin came over for dinner.  We walked to Life Alive in Lowell and sat and chatted for a while before going back to my house for some tea and more talking.  We got back to my house just in time for the start of the Bellator Fights on MTV2, a friend of mine (Rick Hawn) was fighting in the 155 weight class fight so we stayed up to watch.  It was a wicked good fight.  It went all three rounds and then went to a judges decision.  I was so nervous and I wasn't even there.  He won the fight!  But it was 10:30 when it was over. 

Saturday morning I had plans to do a group run with friends in Hampton Beach, NH but when I woke up it was already in the 70s and I was sweating just standing brushing my teeth.  I bailed on the group run and did a run nearby with Cherie in Methuen and ran 8 miles.  It was super hot and hilly and I barely made it through, but it was pretty nice to be done with the run at 8:30am when we would have been starting the run in Hampton Beach.  I hung out at Cherie's for a while drinking coffee and talking then I headed home for a shower and some food. I took a nice nap and then met up with Kim and Bill in Ayer for an afternoon bike ride.

The bike ride was really nice, we rode about 9.5 miles to an ice cream place and got some yummy treats then rode 9.5 miles back.  I got peanut butter moose tracks.  It was AWESOME!!!  The bike ride was totally flat along the rail trail.  There were a ton of people out and about.  We even saw a snapping turtle.  When we got back from the bike ride we all jumped in the pool to cool off.  It was a perfect day - Run, Bike, Swim - reverse triathlon spread out with a nap and some food inbetween.

Sunday, I decided to be lazy and slept most of the day on my couch watching the History Channel.  Monday was the holiday, I got up and went for a run early in the morning before it got too warm and then hopped on my bike for a nice long ride.  After the ride I started to prepare for the week, went grocery shopping, did laundry, made dinners and lunches for the week.  Then settled down for the evening.

This week so far has been super crazy at work.  I've been working 6am to 7pm everyday.  Yesterday, I went for a run at 4:30am before going to work and I think it pissed off my body because about 6.5 miles into my 7 mile run, almost home, it felt like someone hit me in in the shoulders with defibrillator paddles.  All of the sudden out of nowhere there was a sharp stabbing pain in my upper-middle back.  It hurt to breathe.  I slowed to a crawl and made it home.  Showered and went to work, but the pain was incredible.  I had to take some ibuprofen just to be able to function.

It seems better today, but I'm resting and waiting to see how I feel later.  I have my first triathlon this weekend and I really want to do well, but the forecast is making me worry a little.  70% chance of rain and temps in the 50s.  Could be a yucky race, but it will be fun and a good learning experience.  Can't wait.

Holy Hills and Heat - Happy Birthday to me!

Well, I had a very busy birthday week.  

Wednesday, I took a vacation day and spent the day at the spa with my running buddies Kim and Shannon.  We did a short easy 4 mile run first, then after quick showers and clean clothes we were off to the spa.  I got a 80 minute massage and manicure/pedicure.  The massage was nice, I could have used a little deeper muscle work, but it was nice to just relax.  I got my special 'marathon' pedicure - light pink on all my toes except for the second toe, that one was painted dark purple.  It's my own funny runner joke pedicure.  I mean I do not have cute feet and have lost my toenails more times than I can count so I don't try to pretend I have nice nails.  I go with what I have and make a little fun of it.

Thursday, I got acupuncture after work and it was amazing.  My acupuncturist, Peri, even gave me a nice little birthday bouquet from her garden.  She put a few press tacks (mini-needles) in various points for lungs and diaphragm to help me in the stair climb.  Then a few crystals and a gold press ball on my ear for muscle recovery.  It's always a pleasure to visit her and I leave feeling amazing, balanced and calm, ready to take on any challenge.

Friday was my birthday and I celebrated by going to my favorite place for lunch - Life Alive.  After work I had a very low key night and just went home and packed and mentally prepared for the weekend events.  I must have packed and unpacked my bag 8-10 times.  I'm always afraid I will forget something.  I end up packing double of everything and taking way more stuff than I need, but I freak out thinking about 'what ifs' like if I wake up and go to get ready run and have no socks.

Saturday, bright and early in the morning, I got up and got ready and hit the road at 6:00am.  I had to drive about 3 hours to a small town in Vermont - Bennington.  The first event of the weekend was a stair climb.  I got my birthday wish and managed to get gifts from various friends and family members that helped me raise $500 for American Lung Association.  I made incredible time and got to Bennington in about 2 and a half hours.  It was a beautiful day.  Sunny and in the 70s.  The views were absolutely breathtaking.  I got to the monument really early and had some time to wander around and take a few pictures and explore.  Here's what I had to climb up:

438 stairs, up to the little windows you can see about 3/4 of the way up.  The stairs were weird.  Long and not tall so it was more like running up a ramp.  The stairs were all around the interior of the monument with an elevator shaft in the middle.  The handrails were lopsided so it was a little tricky.  Then at the very top, there was a spiral staircase.  That slowed me down a bit.  I finished the climb in 2:45!  Oh and got 2nd place in my age group and finished 6th overall out of 40 women.

After the stair climb I had about an hour to kill before I could go pick up my packet for the marathon.  I just drove around and checked out the town a little.  Finally, I went to get my marathon bib# then drove to the hotel to check in.  My hotel was in Manchester, VT where the finish line for the marathon would be.  By the time I got to the hotel it was about 3:00pm.  I got settled and just relaxed for a little bit before I went ot the front desk to ask where I could go to get some dinner and got directions to the finish area so I could scope it out before I got dinner.  Nothing too exciting for dinner, just found a local pizza place and got a small cheese and a side salad.

Went back to the hotel and laid out all my gear for the race in the morning and went over my hydration plan and checked the weather forecast one more time, hoping maybe it had changed, but it was going to be in the 80s and sunny.  Not much I could do about it but slow my pace and stay hydrated and keep my electrolytes in check.  I had clif shots powder and salt stick tablets.  And plenty of sun block too.  I was as ready as I could be.  Nothing left to do but try and get some sleep.

I woke up before my alarm went off.  Made a cup of coffee and got dressed.  Ate a little breakfast and took a few pre-race photos:

Headed out the door at 6:45am to go to the finish and get on a shuttle to the start.  Just as I was leaving I met the guy staying in the room next to mine, he asked if he could follow me to the finish to park.  When we got to the shuttle buses we started chatting and he happened to be from the greater Boston area too.  It was nice to have someone to talk to before the race so I didn't just stand around freaking out about the weather.

At the start, it was clear that it was a small race, less than 300 runners.  And it quickly became clear that it would be a LONG day.  Before we even started it was 70 degrees out.  Oh well, I was about to run my 10th marathon and I'd make the most of it no matter how long it took me.  We lined up at 9:00 and the gun went off and we began the journey from Bennington to Manchester along a point ot point course.

The course was pretty, but it WAS the green mountain state and it did not disappoint.  There was about 500 feet of elevation climbing before the halfway mark.  We ran through a covered bridge and along a lot of dirt roads, over some railroad tracks and through some very nice quiet neigborhoods.  In the first half of the race there were NOT enough water stops.  I was really glad I had my fuel belt.  The water stops were maybe every 3 miles and in heat like we were running in I would expect to see them at least every other mile.  I even refilled my fuel belt at one of the water stops. 

I took gels at 5, 9, 13, 17, and 21 and salt at 7, 11, 15, 19, and 23.  In the second half of the race they must have asked the volunteers from earlier water stops to move towards the end because the water stops were much more frequent and they were really great.  They had cups of water AND ice.  A few of them had hoses or spray bottles to mist you with and one even had a woman that re-applied sunblock for me.  I felt ok until maybe mile 16 then I slowed down significantly.  I still 'ran' as much as I could and kept moving.  I was still sweating and never got chills or got sick.  I was just slow.

Here are my splits:
1- 9:51
2- 8:51 (downhill and lots of people saying happy birthday to me, I got a little excited)
3- 9:41
4- 10:30 (finally settling into a more reasonable pace)
5- 10:22
6- 10:42
7- 10:14
8- 10:19
9- 11:00 (beginning of dirt roads, lots of loose gravel)
10- 10:55
11- 11:29
12- 11:21
13- 10:31
14- 11:42
15- 10:23
16- 14:21 (stopped for a while at the water stop to cool off)
17- 12:18 (definitely overheating)
18- 14:29 (stopped again to cool off, actually put ice in my armpits to bring my core temp down)
19- 12:14
20- 11:59
21- 12:37
22- 13:50
23- 13:25
24- 13:10
25- 13:29
26- 12:35

Overall, finished in 5:08:32, considering the heat and the hills I'm pretty happy with that.  I maintained pretty consistant pacing and never got sick and I FINISHED!  10 marathons!  Holy crap!  Never thought I would run one nevermind 10!  Every single step is a miracle to me because of how far I've come and how much I've accomplished.  I don't care that I'm not the fastest person out there.  To me even starting the race is winning because it wasn't long ago that I couldn't even do that.  I was on my way to an early grave from living an unhealthy life and being an unhealthy weight.  Now I'm an active, happy, healthy person and proud to call myself a RUNNER!

After I finished, I was handed a medal and a volunteer draped my race shirt over my shoulders soaked in ice water.  It felt like heaven.  I found some shade and guzzled a bottle of water.  Got my bag and put on my flip flops.  I noticed when I took my shoes off my ankles and feet were really swollen.  I knew my hands and wrists were swollen because I had to loosen my garmin while I was running.  I made my way to my car and put on some dry clothes and then drove to the nearest grocery store to get some ice for an ice bath.  Picked up a few extra bags for my neighbor and left them outside his hotel room door.  As I filled up the tub for my ice bath, he returned and I went out to ask him how he did.  He saw the ice and said he wanted to cry.  I was glad I could help.  It was a long day.

I took my ice bath, showered and hit the road.  3+ hour drive home was going to be rough.  I called my mom once I was on the road to tell her I finished and I was alive.  She congratulated me on my 2nd place finish in the stair climb and I had to verify that she didn't think I ran the marathon in 2:45 and placed 2nd.  Just had to be sure she wasn't confusing the results from the weekend events.  She understood and was still proud of me.  I was overwhelmed with the idea of what I had accomplished not just for the weekend but in the recent years.  I got a little choked up and started crying.  She asked if I was disappointed in my marathon time and I explained, no not at all, exactly the opposite.  I am AMAZED that I did it.

I called a few more friends on my way home and told them about the race and some of the great people I met on the course.  Still has to be my favorite part of running.  You meet the most amazing people.  I met a guy named 'Clem' at one point and then saw him at a few water stops and various spots along the way.  He was a little old asian man in his 60s who had run 70+ marathons and 140+ ultramarathons and told me he started running when he was 46 so, "I had a ways to go".  Hilarious!  Clem beat me by 4 minutes - Nice work!  I hope I'm still running in my 60s and passing people in their 30s.

I finally made it home around 7:30pm and crashed on my couch.  I couldn't fall alseep right away.  I was too sore to get comfy and a little sun burnt and salty still.  Not really hungry, but all I had to eat during the day was gels and salt.  I stopped and got a slice of pizza on my way home, but still didn't eat much.  I forced myself to eat a little something before I went to bed and chugged and little more water with clif shots powder in it.  I didn't really sleep well, but I had Monday off from work so I could stay in bed as long as I wanted.

I slept in as much as I could then got up and drank some tea and a little more water.  I went to lunch with Kim and Ryann and Cherie to celebrate.  Life Alive, of course.  Then I went grocery shopping and cleaned my house a little before calling it a day.  Oh and I finally rewarded myself for all my hard work and capped off the birthday celebrations with a very well earned and well deserved cupcake and a wish for....... I'm not telling, but if it comes true I'll let you know.

Big Lake race recap

Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun.  Last week went by wicked fast.  When I got back from Copenhagen I had a little trouble readjusting to the time difference.  Days seemed like night and I struggled to sleep during the night.  Often waking up at midnight or 1:00am totally wide awake. 

Saturday morning I did a fun run with some of my favorite running friends.  We ran in Methuen and we were celebrating Cherie graduating and returning to weekend long runs.  YAY!  We just did 8 miles, but Methuen is really hilly and I think I only got a few solid hours of sleep from when I got home to when I woke up to run.  It was rough for me.  I was definitely the slowest one in the group, but I didn't care, it was just nice to see everyone and catch up.  I averaged 10:00s and felt like I was dying the whole time.  I was so sluggish.

Sunday I was suppose to do 14-16 miles, but decided to relax instead.  I finished a book and made some soup, watched a few movies, and just napped on my couch all day.

Monday it was back to reality and back to work.  I mean I was working the whole time I was in Copenhagen, but I wasn't working on MY stuff.  I was working on Copenhagen stuff.  It was nice to get back and try to refocus on things.  It took me a while and my brain was a little hazy all day, but I made a to-do list and started chipping away at it.  After work I went for a run along the Charles and felt a lot better than I did on the Saturday morning run.  I did 7 miles and averaged a 9:40 pace.  Felt really good.

Tuesday I rested (it was gross and rainy out and I'm tapering so I told myself it was ok).  Wednesday I did my weekly Ayer run with Kim.  Nice and easy, 9:50 average pace, tapering for the half and taking it easy.  Thursday I did a short 3 mile out and back from work then went home to pack for the weekend.

Friday, the day went by super fast and then I rushed home and finished packing a few last minute things.  Kim and Bill picked me up and we headed up to Alton Bay for the Big Lake Half.  We stayed at Sandy Point.  It's far from fancy, but it's cheap and right on the race course.  Unfortunately, the walls are paper thin and the neighbors were, well for lack of a better word, A-holes.  We went to sleep around 8:00 and the people in the next room over checked in around 9:00 with a whole friggin litter of kids that were running around like animals.  They were screaming right outside our room and SLAMMING the door to their room over and over again.  Kim finally couldn't take it anymore and got up and asked them to keep it down.  After that they were silent.  It was much better.

We got up in the morning and ate breakfast before heading to the race start.  We got there a little early, but it was good because the line for the port-o-potties was about a mile long- not kidding.  We actually found a hidden port-o-potty and waited in that line before abandoning even that shorter line for the nearest section of woods we could find.  It was pretty funny because everyone else was doing the exact same thing.  We made it out of the woods and headed to the start.  Bill went to the front with the super fast people and Kim and I hung back in the middle of the pack.  Here we are pre-race:

They had someone sing the national anthem and the gun went off and we started.  The course is absolutely stunning.  You run along Lake Winnipesaukee and the views of the mountains are amazing.  Each water stop has a different theme.  The first one I remember was Parrot Heads/Land Sharks playing Jimmy Buffet.  The next one was grass skirts and flammingos.  Then there was some sort of female bootcamp pink camo group.  They were enthusiastic, but tough to tell what their theme was.  After that was super heroes, they were cute. Mostly little kids in halloween costumes.

I forget but at some point in the first 5 miles Kim and I were chatting and then started talking with some girls near us and realized they were from the greater Lowell area too.  Not only that, but they were nurses like Kim AND one of them was married to a cop just like Kim.  Meaghan and Melinda.  I was talking to Meaghan and Kim was talking to Melinda for the whole first half or more of the race.  I lost track of the miles and before I knew it we were at 6, then 7, then 8 and 9.  The miles literally flew by.  Then somewhere between 9 and 10 I was in the zone.  I noticed I had stopped sweating and got goosebumps so I knew it might be downhill from there and not just topographically.  I took some salt tablets and put the hammer down.  I lost track of Meaghan and Kim and Melinda and just focused on finishing strong. Here we are with Meaghan and Melinda at the finish:

Right at the 10 mile marker I passed some Greater Lowell Road Runners and gave them some encouragement, "warm up is over, let's race!"  I felt great and knew that the last part of the course was fast and downhill to the finish.  I passed people left and right and tried to motivate people that were struggling, "less than a 5K to go", "only one more mile", "you can do it".  With a little less than a mile to go I saw Bill running towards me.  He asked where Kim was and I replied I didn't know, he wished me luck and kept running to meet her and run her in to the finish.  Last mile, I picked up the pace and killed it.  Thinking to myself the entire time, "race smart, start slow, finish strong" mission ccomplished!  I crossed the finish at 2:05:16 and felt amazing.  I waited for Kim and then I ran and jumped in the lake:

Best ice bath ever.  The water wasn't even that cold.  Here is a photo of all of us plus the Greater Lowell Road Runners that ran too:

It was a great day for a race.  Weather was perfect.  50s and partly cloudy in the morning and then gorgeous and sunny at the finish.  Oh and there was free ice cream at the finish.  My favorite part.

Here are my splits from the race according to my garmin: 10:00, 9:34, 9:27, 9:21, 10:07 (stopped for gel and to see where Kim was), 9:50, 9:08, 9:23, 9:22, 9:07, 9:04, 9:03, 8:53.  I'd say I'm ready for the full this weekend.  Nothing left to do but relax and that is exactly what I have planned for the week. 

Birthday spa day Wednesday including a 90 minute massage and a manicure/pedicure, then acupuncture Thursday after work, and perhaps a little carb loading on birthday cake Friday.  Saturday is the stair climb in Bennington, VT and then I run Marathon #10 Sunday.  Oh FYI I'm still $90 short of my goal to raise $500 for American Lung Association, I'm asking everyone to please make a donation to my climb, I have everything I need, so to make my birthday special I want to give to charity.  Please go to my page and donate whatever you can to help me reach this goal: http://action.lung.org/site/TR/Climb/ALANE_New_England?px=2374345&pg=personal&fr_id=5160

Thanks in advance!

Running Abroad

Last week was filled with a lot of firsts for me.  First stamp in my new passport, first time in Business class on a flight, first trip to Europe (Denmark with a pitstop in Iceland), first run on foreign soil, first bike ride in a foreign country, and a few more things. 

Let's start with the trip to Copenhagen.  Before I left on Saturday I did a 16 mile run with Kim and Shannon splitting the miles with me again.  My flight left Boston at 9:30pm Saturday night and I arrived Sunday afternoon and just got settled in my hotel room before going to dinner with my boss.  My legs actually got really swollen probably from the combination of running 16 miles and then sitting on a plane for ~12hrs.  I had cankles.  It was really weird.  Even when I was overweight I don't remember my ankles ever being that swollen. 

Anyway, dinner Sunday night, we walked into the main town square and my boss took me to his favorite italian place.  I figured there would be something I could eat, maybe plain pasta and sauce, I was wrong.  The only vegetarian thing they had was spinach and ricotta cannaloni and I seriously doubt there was much spinach in it at all.  It was basically a bowl of melted cheese.  Thank God I brought snacks and could eat a little when I got back to the hotel.

Monday we went to work, it was crazy busy and I could see I was not going to get to explore the city much while I was there.  Only time I got to see the city was on a short run after work and before dinner each night.  Here are some photos from my first running tour through Copenhagen (CPH) 6 miles along the water front:

Hans Christian Andersen Blvd.

Nyhavn (New Harbour)

                                                    

The Little Mermaid

My souvenir - a cobblestone from the streets of CPH

Monday night for dinner we went to the Thai restaurant in the hotel.  It was ok, not great, but I was happy to have something I could actually eat.  Veggies!!!  YAY!  Oh and I forgot to mention at work there was no cafeteria, they have food brought in for lunch and it is usually a variety of meats and bread.  So I ate a lot of bread.

Tuesday, I did another 6 miles after work and explored a different part of the city.  I went into the heart of CPH and tried to spot as many tourist attractions as possible.  Here are my photos:

Some museum

Tivoli amusement park/gardens

Main square with McD's sign above a BK

Round Tower

Stork Fountain (which is actually cranes not storks)

Stroget - main shopping area

Royal Gardens

Marble Church

Kastellet - fort/park

Opera house

Royal Palaces

Tuesday night for dinner we just wandered downtown and stumbled upon one of the 4 vegetarian restaurants I was able to find on Google - RizRaz.  It was nothing fancy, a vegetarian buffet, cheap all you can eat veggies.  HEAVEN for me in a land of meat eaters.  My boss was less impressed.  It was kind of amusing.

Wednesday, I did a shorter run, 5 miles.  To an area of CPH called "the lakes".  They are manmade ponds, maybe for defense of the inner city back in the day, now beautiful parks for walking and biking.  It was a short mile and a half to the lakes and then I ran around two of them and back to the hotel.  It was very similar to running along the Charles.  Different loops and bridges you could run for various distances.  Here are the photos from that run:

The Lakes

A running store!

The distances around each lake in danish/metric

Action shot waiting at a stop light

Wednesday night for dinner we ate at the hotel again, but at a different restaurant.  Again there were not many options for me.  I had pasta with pesto and had to ask for a salad made special for me without meat. 

Thursday I did a much shorter run through one of the suburb sections just outside the city near our hotel.  I wanted to see a few more of the hot tourist attractions.  I went to this famous church with crazy stairs that go all the way up the steeple on the outside, but it was closed.  I might have been too scared to climb it anyway.  Even the view from the ground was intimidating.  I also ran past the "free town" area - hippy section.  Here are the photos:

Church with crazy stairs

Christiania

Thursday night we went for dinner and drinks with a colleague from Copenhagen.  Once again food was limited for me because someone suggested going to a 'burger joint' even though everyone knew I do not eat meat.  I was able to order several small appetizers and a bowl of miso soup.  The dessert was the best part of the meal, Creme Brulee - YUMMY!  Then we went ot a little hole in the wall bar that I'm not even going to mention because I don't want it to become a tourist attraction.  What made it awesome was that it was impossible to find and overflowing with character and class.  The drinks were super special cocktails based on early mixed drinks from prohibition speak easys and under ground clubs.  It was so fun!

Friday was my last day in CPH and it was a holiday so I didn't have to work, but neither did anyone else in the city.  Everything was closed.  I rented a bike from the hotel and road around the quiet cobblestone streets for a few hours before catching my flight home.  It was a really fun way to see the city and I highly recommend it.

Although it was a whirlwind trip and I enjoyed seeing a new place, I was VERY happy to get home and eat some fresh leafy green lettuce and seasonal organic veggies.  The salad I had for lunch on Saturday was simple, but you would have thought it was the equivalent of dietary gold.  I savored every bite.

UPDATE on the Huffington Post contest.  I made it to the final round and voting has now closed.  I will let everyone know if I win and post the pictures afterwards.

Taper time! Wooohoooo

Wow, I can honestly say this might be the first time in the 5 years I've been running that I'm actually wicked happy and excited to be tapering. Last weekend I ran my last 20 miler before marathon #10. I split the miles again with my friends Shannon and Kim. Shannon ran the first 7.75 with me and then Kim ran the last 12.5 (the run is actually a 20.25 mile loop). It was a perfect day for a long run. Started out a little cloudy and cool, but as we finished the sun came out and it warmed up a bit. The first 7.75 miles of the run goes from my house through a very short section of Tewksbury and then into the back roads of Andover. There is one really big hill from mile 2-3 and then another one that sneaks up slow and gradual from 6-7.75 that's where the tag team hand off happened and Shannon finished and Kim began running with me. The next part of the run is a portion of the loop that I hadn't run in a long time and a totally new experience for Kim. We leave the little league field in Andover where we meet and run to the Andover Country Club and through the golf course past million dollar homes and then back to the main road for a slow climb that connects the loop to the 18 miler we have done before. From that point there is about 8 miles to go and more than half of it is hills. I compare it to the Newton Hills because it's not one big hill, but a series of hills with short sections of recovery inbetween. The longest section is between mile 15 and 17 on North St. in Tewksbury. Kim seems to really enjoy it, I call it a "suckfest". At the top of that hill marks 3 miles to go and as Kim always says, "Anyone can run a 5K". We get a mile of down hill running before the last two miles climbing back up into Lowell towards my house. Overall, it's a challenging loop but mostly quiet back roads and beautiful neighborhoods. Here's the elevation profile:

We finished the run a little tired and a little slower than normal, but it got warm and we ran out of water towards the end. I still felt really good and could have run another 6 miles so it was a success for me and as I got to the end of the run and stopped my Garmin I threw my arms up triumphantly and screamed to Kim, "WOOOOHOOOO I MADE IT TO THE TAPER!!!!"

Sunday morning I was signed up for the Lowell Firefighters 5K. It started at 10:30 and is about a mile and a half from my house so, I ran to the race for a little warm up. Got there, picked up my number and chatted with some friends while waiting for the race to begin. I had no expectations for the race, just there to support a good cause and have some fun. A nice easy recovery run/celebration for finishing my 20 miler so strong. I started out nice and easy and I actually felt a lot better than I expected after the long run the day before. Seriously, ICE BATHS ARE MAGIC. I picked up the pace a little in the second mile, then with a mile left to go I really started to push myself. One person at a time, I'd put them in my sights and then pass them (I guess it's rude to count them out loud, haha, just kidding). Rounded the last corner and there's a little hill before the fast downhill finish. I saw a few girls ahead that looked like they were in my age group so I took them out and kicked to finish strong. Turns out they WERE in my age group. I didn't place, but I was 12th out of 35 and #13 was 2 seconds behind me and #14 was 8 seconds behind her. So, that little kick at the end was worth it (Even if I did almost vomit on the timing guy at the finish line). I got some water and let me heartrate come back down to normal before the light jog home. Felt amazing, with a huge smile on my face, training done, taper beginning, feeling good.

Monday, as you might guess, I rested. Yup, I'm learning. I could have run and I kinda wanted to, but I rested and did NOTHING. I deserved it. I worked hard and ran a total of just under 50 miles the week before (49.3 to be exact). I got home from work and cleaned my house a little, folded some laundry, then curled up on my couch with a book and a blanket and called it a day.

Tuesday, I had a wicked busy day at work. The day flew by, I was in and out of meetings, I got a lot done, and I still had a lot to do. The last meeting of the day didn't go as well as I had hoped, it was ok, but not great and I was kind of wound up and frustrated that I didn't do a good job (even though I'm pretty sure I did and it's all in my head). I changed into my running gear and couldn't wait to hit the pavement and run along the Charles to get some of the stress and frustration out. When I started running I knew almost immediately that it was going to be more frustrating and not stress relieving. It was really windy out and I felt super sluggish. I struggled to move my legs and felt like I was running in water on another planet where gravity had doubled. Not fun. Not the release of energy I was hoping for. I cut the run short and finished more frustrated than I was when I started. I went home and tried to relax and read my book, but couldn't even do that. My eyes were burning and my eyelids were too heavy to hold open. I ended up falling asleep on my couch at 6:30pm. I woke up when a friend texted me around 8pm and I just went to bed.

Wednesday I woke up still exhausted. I had tossed and turned all night and didn't really get much sleep. But it was a new day and I was determined to make the most of it. I got to work early and finished up some things that were on my to-do list from the day before and had a few more meetings. Scheduled some follow ups and felt really good about how things were looking. I'm making progress and getting things done, I like it! The day came to an end and I put my running gear on and headed to Kim's house for our weekly Wednesday running date. I was thinking about my run the day before and hoping that I felt better when we started running. I didn't want to jinx myself and say anything. Usually when I have a crappy run on Tuesday the week is redeemed by a great run on Weddnesday so I just went with it. Kim and I ran the same loop as the week before only backwards and about half way in we heard a hollah from a car behind us, at first it was hard to tell what they were yelling, then it was my last name! It was my friend Charles that ran Crossroads with me in 2011 and did the Boston Marathon (a lot faster than me) too. We had just spoken a few days earlier and it was so random to see him in the middle of nowhere on a Wednesday night run. Such a pleasant surprise. It was awesome. Kim and I finished the run and I felt a thousand times better than the day before. We averaged 9:30s even up the giant hill to her house at the end of the run. Then before I left to go home we had a little dance party with her daughter who has recently learned how to "booty drop". Hilarious and adorable.

There's so much going on in the next few weeks I don't know where to begin. Here's a brief summary and I will update along the way: 18 miler, going to Copenhagen, potentially a finalist in a wicked cool contest (details to follow), fun run with friends I haven't seen in a while and hopefully some of the best coffee and chocolate chip pancakes ever, Big Lake Half Marathon, Birthday spa day, Birthday cake!, Bennington Vermont stair climb, and last but not least marathon #10 Shires of Vermont. Phew, it's goona fly by and it's gonna be AWESOME. Stay tuned.

Ok, so here's a preview of the contest I eluded to: Huffington Post The Buried Life Contest Link to my story They will select 10 finalists next week and voting begins May 1st. If I'm one of the finalists and I get the most votes, they help me cross this item off my bucket list.

30 days to go.....

I'm doing my last 20 miler tomorrow then I taper. Feeling really good about how my training runs have gone. I'm not going to be breaking any records or setting a PR, but I feel great and that's what matters most. In the last 6 weeks I've done 16, 18, REST, 19, 20, 18. I'm right on target for a nice easy 4:30 marathon and as long as the weather is decent that should not be hard to accomplish.


Oh last weekend I finally got out for my first ride on my new bike. IT. WAS. AWESOME!!!! I did 22 miles on Sunday afternoon. I had planned on just doing a nice easy 18, but felt so amazing I could have stayed out there all day, but I ran out of water. I definitely need to get out more because I wasn't fast, but hills were noticably easier with a lighter bike. Only problem is the weight difference from my old bike to my new bike is probably equal to the weight I've added to my frame since last summer. It's not much, but 5lbs. can mean the difference between a spot on the podium and walking back to my car without any bling.

Before the bike ride, on Saturday I did my long run and split the miles with Shannon and Kim again. It really does make it A LOT easier when you have company. Shannon ran the first 7.75 with me and Kim ran the last 10.25. Both sections of the run are pretty challenging. All hills, all the time. Just the way I like it. I think we finished up the entire run in about 3 hours which is well under my goal pace for Vermont.

Oh and I spent the downtime over the weekend making signs for the Boston Marathon:



Monday morning I drove to Kim's house early so we could sneak in a short run before going to Newton to cheer. It was already in the 70s at 8:00am when we ran and we barely made it 5 miles. The heat was BRUTAL. There really is no better word to use. It was a struggle to convince my legs to keep moving, there was just nothing there, no gas in the tank. THANK GOD I didn't have to try and do 21 MORE miles. After the run we showered and hopped in the car and headed to Newton.

We found a great spot right in the middle of Heartbreak hill and started cheering. We got there just after the womens elite runners went by. Even the elite men looked like death when they went by which made us really worry for the runners in the back of the pack. We had a few friends in the race and hoped that they would survive the day. Runners were drenched in sweat and really struggling. That hill broke a lot of people on Monday. We were there to help motivate them and cheer them on as they crested the top. As the day went on it was less of a run and more of a death march. By the time we started seeing bibs from the last wave more than 50% of the people going by were walking. We saw a few friends go by and gave them whatever they needed to encourage them to finish strong. Then we called it a day.

I didn't even run and I got dehydrated and cramped just from standing in the sun. I had 50 SPF sunblock on and still got burnt. I was sweating just standing there. When we got in the car to leave Newton the thermometer read 91 degrees. HOLY HEAT!!!! Congrats to everyone that completed the marathon on Monday and lived to tell about it. I'm not sure I would have if I had to run in that heat. Seriously, KUDOS to you for an epic achievement!

Tuesday, I ran along the Charles. It was warm out, but not nearly as warm as the day before and there was a very nice breeze. I did 7 miles and had ridiculously consistent splits. 9:43/10:18/10:15/10:09/10:13/10:16/9:38 Not sure what it is about the first/last mile that makes me run it faster. Probably that giddy feeling little kids get when they bust out the screen door in the middle of summertime to go play with friends and on the way back home when there's ice cold water waiting for them. That's kind of how I feel in the first and last mile of my runs along the Charles.

Wednesday, I did my weekly Ayer run with Kim. We tried a new loop and I tried an old running tank (because I've been too lazy this week to wash my dirty laundry and to fold my clean laundry so it's kinda hard to find clean running gear). Well, it turned out that there was a reason I don't wear that top EVER. It was too small and I couldn't breathe. Literally, I felt like it was crushing my lungs. I ended up taking it off 2 miles into the run and just running in my sports bra. That third mile was the fastest because I could actually get oxygen to my lungs. The run was going to be a little short of our usual 5 mile loop so Kim suggested an alternate route home, I'm not familiar with the area so I just follow her. Well, we ended up climbing this enormous hill that was long AND steep. It was rough. Note to self - for future hill repeats that street is perfect, but not so much for the last mile of an 'easy' run.

Last night I ran along the Charles again. Just 6 miles this time. It was perfect out. I felt really good until the last 2 miles, probably should have just done the 4 mile loop. Just didn't have much energy and my stomach was a little weird. Not booboo belly and I didn't need to stop and find a port o potty, just off. Maybe I was hungry. It went away by the time I got home so, I'm going to assume it was lack of fuel in my engine.

Today will be a rest day, getting ready for tomorrow's 20 miler. Topping off the tank with some good eats and going to bed early. Lots of good stuff coming soon so stay tuned......

Boston is buzzing .....

...with anticipation of the big race on Monday. I have mixed feelings about not running. I'm jealous of all my friends that are running, but also relaxed and relieved that I'm not freaking out and checking the weather forecast every hour for updates and stressing about a time goal or last minute details. It's kind of nice to watch and cheer from the sidelines, but I would drop everything and jump at the opportunity to re-live the last two turns 'right on Hereford, left on Boylston' in a heartbeat if someone gave me a number.

I've got my own race to train for and run coming up in 38 days though so, it's cool. My training is right on track too and going great. This past weekend I did a 20 miler with my friends. They split the miles with me. Shannon ran the first 11 by my side and then Kim joined me for the last 9. I felt amazing until the last mile and a half. And really I felt ok, I just couldn't go as fast as I wanted to. I averaged 9:45s with Shannon and solid 10:00s with Kim both well below my targeted 10:18 (4:30 marathon pace). Kim's fresher legs wanted to do 9:30s and my tired legs could only manage 10:00s so I got a little cranky towards the end when Mother Nature chimed in with a lovely headwind. I got it done though and promptly plopped my butt into an ice bath. Seriously, can't recommend them enough.

Sunday, I was going to go for a short bike ride or easy run, but decided to stay in my PJs all day instead. A nice lazy day is sometimes the best training you can do for your body. I'm slowly learning that. Besides the night before I was driving home from going to the movies with a friend and my muffler fell off my car so I was too embarrassed to drive it anywhere, even just the grocery store. It was so loud.

Monday, I took a personal day from work to take my car to the dealership to get repaired. $1170 later I have a whole new exhaust system. I doubt that was really necessary, they could have just patch welded it back together, but my car has 97K miles on it and I want to get at least another 97K out of it so I figure it's a good investment. After the dealership, I went to the grocery store, then home, finished some laundry, baked some banana bread, made some soup, and even managed to go for a nice 6 mile run with Kim. So, overall it was a very productive day.

Overall, I'm feeling really good. My pace is finally starting to get back to where I was this time last year (not quite there yet, but a lot closer). I've got two more really long runs (18 and 20) before I taper for Vermont. Knock on wood, I have no pains or problems. It's just a matter of logging the miles and staying healthy at this point. My body knows what to do and I'm getting much better at listening to it when I need rest. I still have a few extra pounds that showed up when I stopped doing strength training after Tough Mudder, but nothing really significant. I'm sure as soon as I start adding more miles on my bike those will totally evaporate.

I guess I'll wrap this up by saying best of luck to everyone running Monday. I plan to be in Newton cheering with a cowbell and some signs and maybe even a ridiculous costume so that I stand out in the crowd. No matter what Mother Nature decides to throw at you for the day, race smart, start slow, adjust your plan if you need to and own that course! Cherish every mile, take it all in, and no matter what your pace is time will move in slow motion when you make that turn onto Boylston. ENJOY IT! It is one of the most amazing experiences ever! I have chills just thinking about it.