Saturday 4-15-06 Evening and Sunday Morning
After the Expo it was time to finally get back to my hotel. I had planned on getting in a 4 mile run but that just never happened. Took the T with my parents back to the hotel and picked up my sister then we headed out to dinner.
We went to Legal Seafoods. I had the best salad there last year and I was ready to have it again. OMG. It was just as good as I remembered it to be. A cornucopia of flavors in my mouth. So freaking tasty! Tortilla, apple, avocado, goat cheese, orange sauce, shrimp, and crushed red pepper. Trust me, it's to die for.
Our waiter was very friendly. A bit too much so, he kept talking to us. I am trying to savor every delicious bite of this salad and it is being interrupted by this dude's life story. But he was a good waiter and my sister goaded him into clearing the whole table at once, he only dropped a fork, impressive.
After dinner we made our way to meet B2 and his wife for dessert at cheesecake factory. I decided on Tiramisu. In retrospect I should have gone for the Sunday. It looked much better. The tiramisu wasn't the cake like I was used to , it was more liquidy.
Oh have I mentioned I like food? This is why I have to run, seriously.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel and got ready for bed, had to be up early for the Freedom Run the next morning. After arguing over how many lights were blinking on the ceiling (KT thought 1, dad though 2, mom thought 3, I just wanted to get to freaking sleep) we finally crashed for the night. I think I was up for about 18 hours, I was beat!
Got up and onto the T around 7 the next morning and headed to Copley Station to join in the Freedom Run. We all got the free t-shirts then mom and dad headed to Cheers to hang out until we made the loop around their. KT and I lined up. We moved forward a bit towards the stage and saw a friend from the club. We ended up jogging together for the Freedom Run. Before the run started they had jazzercisers up on stage pumping the crowd up. We didn't get far enough forward to partake but it looked like a lot of people were really getting into it. They also introduced some people before the start including the Hoyts and the winner of the race from 1950 something. Very tiny little man. I think he ran the race on Monday too!
I tried to take some pics but I am short so they didn't come out great. You can see the Hoyts down in the corner of one but not a very good photo.
Had fun jogging the Freedom Run. I am amazed at how many people show up but hey, it's free! Afterwards we got some grub. They were giving out peeps since it was Easter! Score!
We headed to the finish line and took some photos with my running club. Kurt from Boston met up with us, he was finishing up a long run. We took some photos and then hopped on the T together. My family enjoyed meeting another blogger and my mom is hoping Kurt will qualify so next year they can cheer him on too! Unfortunately we didn't get to spend too much time chatting as he had to head to church, but it was great seeing him again even if it was brief.
We headed back to the hotel and my family napped while I organized everything for the race...
We went to Legal Seafoods. I had the best salad there last year and I was ready to have it again. OMG. It was just as good as I remembered it to be. A cornucopia of flavors in my mouth. So freaking tasty! Tortilla, apple, avocado, goat cheese, orange sauce, shrimp, and crushed red pepper. Trust me, it's to die for.
Our waiter was very friendly. A bit too much so, he kept talking to us. I am trying to savor every delicious bite of this salad and it is being interrupted by this dude's life story. But he was a good waiter and my sister goaded him into clearing the whole table at once, he only dropped a fork, impressive.
After dinner we made our way to meet B2 and his wife for dessert at cheesecake factory. I decided on Tiramisu. In retrospect I should have gone for the Sunday. It looked much better. The tiramisu wasn't the cake like I was used to , it was more liquidy.
Oh have I mentioned I like food? This is why I have to run, seriously.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel and got ready for bed, had to be up early for the Freedom Run the next morning. After arguing over how many lights were blinking on the ceiling (KT thought 1, dad though 2, mom thought 3, I just wanted to get to freaking sleep) we finally crashed for the night. I think I was up for about 18 hours, I was beat!
Got up and onto the T around 7 the next morning and headed to Copley Station to join in the Freedom Run. We all got the free t-shirts then mom and dad headed to Cheers to hang out until we made the loop around their. KT and I lined up. We moved forward a bit towards the stage and saw a friend from the club. We ended up jogging together for the Freedom Run. Before the run started they had jazzercisers up on stage pumping the crowd up. We didn't get far enough forward to partake but it looked like a lot of people were really getting into it. They also introduced some people before the start including the Hoyts and the winner of the race from 1950 something. Very tiny little man. I think he ran the race on Monday too!
I tried to take some pics but I am short so they didn't come out great. You can see the Hoyts down in the corner of one but not a very good photo.
Had fun jogging the Freedom Run. I am amazed at how many people show up but hey, it's free! Afterwards we got some grub. They were giving out peeps since it was Easter! Score!
We headed to the finish line and took some photos with my running club. Kurt from Boston met up with us, he was finishing up a long run. We took some photos and then hopped on the T together. My family enjoyed meeting another blogger and my mom is hoping Kurt will qualify so next year they can cheer him on too! Unfortunately we didn't get to spend too much time chatting as he had to head to church, but it was great seeing him again even if it was brief.
We headed back to the hotel and my family napped while I organized everything for the race...
Another Run
Ran for 40 minutes on the trails in SCR today and it was lovely! I wanted to run longer but ran out of water and had to pick up my hubby. We'll call it 4 miles I guess :)
More Boston details coming soon I promise. I am exhausted.
Oh and museum clarification, SharkTank is our friend Furian's blog. He's a curator for a county museum. So no shark pics, sorry! But I do have a lovely one of me inside the lingerie display :)
Coming soon!
More Boston details coming soon I promise. I am exhausted.
Oh and museum clarification, SharkTank is our friend Furian's blog. He's a curator for a county museum. So no shark pics, sorry! But I do have a lovely one of me inside the lingerie display :)
Coming soon!
Just got back
From a RUN! Yesss!
Okay so it was only like a mile and a half, I didn't time it, and everything hurt. But I got out and ran.
Yay!
Silly marathon preventing me from doing the thing I love for most of two weeks. Sunday in Boston was the perfect day for an easy 12 miler but could I do that, nope I had a marathon to run :)
We are off to Michigan to lunch with my grandparents and then to Wood County to check out Shark Tanks museum season opener. Should be a fun day!
More Boston tales to come!
Okay so it was only like a mile and a half, I didn't time it, and everything hurt. But I got out and ran.
Yay!
Silly marathon preventing me from doing the thing I love for most of two weeks. Sunday in Boston was the perfect day for an easy 12 miler but could I do that, nope I had a marathon to run :)
We are off to Michigan to lunch with my grandparents and then to Wood County to check out Shark Tanks museum season opener. Should be a fun day!
More Boston tales to come!
EXPO time
On our trip into Boston we witnessed the madness that was the Silver Line with airport and expo traffic, so we were a little intimidated to get back on that line.
We headed over to Copley and took the Green Line to the Red Line over to where we needed to either catch a shuttle or the silver line to get to the expo at the Seaport World Trade Center.
This lady on the T overhears us trying to decide which option to take and she informs us that we should just walk and it isn't that far, we were marathoners for goodness sakes, and she could say that because she had run a marathon...okay Freak! So we start looking at the Boston walking map and consider walking, mind you we had already walked much more than anticipated that morning.
So we don't really make a decision (I'm famous for indecision) and just get off the T and get in the line for the Silver Line. And guess who's in the freaking line? That's right little miss walker lady! Another guy tells us that he heard the shuttles were the better route and he thinks he was going to try that option. Not sure why he decided to inform us of his decision but I could tell the crowded line we were currently in did not look appealing to my companions so we followed the guy up the stairs to find the shuttle.
We stood looking at the walking map on the corner trying to figure out where we were and if we could huff it (not really any signs to the shuttle). JD sees some ladies with expo bags so we ask them if it is a short walk. They reply that no it is a very long walk but that the shuttle was just down the street and pointed us in the right direction. We start to go that way and see the same guy waving at us to follow him, okay a little scary. So we get in line for the shuttle and wait as everyone is getting off. Everyone gets off and we go to get on and are informed that this was not a shuttle to the expo just from and the shuttle we need is down the street. Why didn't you tell us that before we waited in line?
So we finally find the shuttle and get on to get to the expo. It was about 120 degrees on the shuttle and we are all sweating profusely. I was SERIOUSLY regretting not changing into a short sleeve. Finally one runner couldn't take it and asked the driver to turn on the AC. I swear he turned on the heat, but it was just a short ride to the expo so we got out pretty quickly.
Surprise surprise the expo is also incredibly hot. We get our bibs, t-shirts, and some carrots and then head straight to the Adidas venue. We all wanted fleece shirts and I needed to get a backpack to replace the one I broke. We got to the expo around 1 or 2 on Saturday and there were no M,S, or XS fleece left. Hmmm change of plans. So I opted for a sports bra and the backpack as my "official" gear. Stood in line and thought I was going to die from the heat so I could try on the bra. No way I was spending that much cash on something I didn't try on.
We found our bib numbers on the wall and filled them out and took some pictures. Risko noticed that some famous Adidas runners were just setting up for signatures so we got in line for that. Risko was super excited. I felt bad because I didn't really know much about any of them. I should really pay more attention to the pro's, their names, and their accomplishments. But we got some signatures and Risko informed Tim Broe that she has a major crush on him. So funny. We got some good photos of her with him! I am glad she got to meet him. I think she asked Jen Rhine's if it was really hot in Athens, too funny!
We shopped some more. JD and I got a cool Boston shirt from Asics. And I picked up a running Tee for my baby sis. It was so hot and crowded so we had to get out of there.
We headed back to the Sheraton and I waited for my parents to come over so I could take the T to Cambridge and my hotel...
We headed over to Copley and took the Green Line to the Red Line over to where we needed to either catch a shuttle or the silver line to get to the expo at the Seaport World Trade Center.
This lady on the T overhears us trying to decide which option to take and she informs us that we should just walk and it isn't that far, we were marathoners for goodness sakes, and she could say that because she had run a marathon...okay Freak! So we start looking at the Boston walking map and consider walking, mind you we had already walked much more than anticipated that morning.
So we don't really make a decision (I'm famous for indecision) and just get off the T and get in the line for the Silver Line. And guess who's in the freaking line? That's right little miss walker lady! Another guy tells us that he heard the shuttles were the better route and he thinks he was going to try that option. Not sure why he decided to inform us of his decision but I could tell the crowded line we were currently in did not look appealing to my companions so we followed the guy up the stairs to find the shuttle.
We stood looking at the walking map on the corner trying to figure out where we were and if we could huff it (not really any signs to the shuttle). JD sees some ladies with expo bags so we ask them if it is a short walk. They reply that no it is a very long walk but that the shuttle was just down the street and pointed us in the right direction. We start to go that way and see the same guy waving at us to follow him, okay a little scary. So we get in line for the shuttle and wait as everyone is getting off. Everyone gets off and we go to get on and are informed that this was not a shuttle to the expo just from and the shuttle we need is down the street. Why didn't you tell us that before we waited in line?
So we finally find the shuttle and get on to get to the expo. It was about 120 degrees on the shuttle and we are all sweating profusely. I was SERIOUSLY regretting not changing into a short sleeve. Finally one runner couldn't take it and asked the driver to turn on the AC. I swear he turned on the heat, but it was just a short ride to the expo so we got out pretty quickly.
Surprise surprise the expo is also incredibly hot. We get our bibs, t-shirts, and some carrots and then head straight to the Adidas venue. We all wanted fleece shirts and I needed to get a backpack to replace the one I broke. We got to the expo around 1 or 2 on Saturday and there were no M,S, or XS fleece left. Hmmm change of plans. So I opted for a sports bra and the backpack as my "official" gear. Stood in line and thought I was going to die from the heat so I could try on the bra. No way I was spending that much cash on something I didn't try on.
We found our bib numbers on the wall and filled them out and took some pictures. Risko noticed that some famous Adidas runners were just setting up for signatures so we got in line for that. Risko was super excited. I felt bad because I didn't really know much about any of them. I should really pay more attention to the pro's, their names, and their accomplishments. But we got some signatures and Risko informed Tim Broe that she has a major crush on him. So funny. We got some good photos of her with him! I am glad she got to meet him. I think she asked Jen Rhine's if it was really hot in Athens, too funny!
We shopped some more. JD and I got a cool Boston shirt from Asics. And I picked up a running Tee for my baby sis. It was so hot and crowded so we had to get out of there.
We headed back to the Sheraton and I waited for my parents to come over so I could take the T to Cambridge and my hotel...
Saturday 4-15-06 Morning
Woke up at 4:15 AM to get ready to fly to Boston.
I stayed with Risko (Who is telling her weekend tale in entries much more eloquently than I am!) so that I wouldn't sleep through the alarm. Her parents picked us up at 5 to 5 and we were off. How much do her parents Rock for getting up so early!!!
They dropped us at the airport and we self checked in. I had to help Risko out a little bit. I guess I didn't realize how much traveling I have been doing the past few years, I am becoming a pro!
Looked at the ticket and our flight which was supposed to leave at 6:35 AM now says 7:55 AM. Hmmmm. We get through security with no real issues. Although the kid behind me kept trying to "help" me and was pushing my bags forward. Listen dude you don't touch other peoples crap at the airport! Seriously!
We got to the gate and sure enough it says 7:55 too. We are a little worried since we have to stop in NY before catching our second flight to Boston. JD and her hubby arrive a few minutes after us and everyone commences worrying. The lady at the help desk announces that there is bad weather in NY and that our flight is delayed and she isn't worried about anyone's connections, except those going to Boston. Great!
Usually I would be flipping out but for some reason I kept my cool. We all went up to the counter to get the scoop. I'm informed that my flight to Boston may also be delayed but if I miss it I will be on the next flight which leaves at 11:30 AM. Cool (Our original flight is supposed to arrive in Boston at 10 AM). So I go and sit down. JD and Risko come back and JD is fuming. The lady was not quite as helpful with them. She tells them they will also be put on the later flight. JD asks for time confirmation which the lady did not want to give her but reluctantly replied 1:30 PM. JD must have said something that caused the lady to ask why she needed to be in Boston at a certain time and JD said we needed to get to the marathon expo. The lady replies with "Oh there's a marathon in Boston this weekend?" at which point JD turns and walks away before she does something she might regret. She comes and sits down and the guy behind her starts SHAVING HIS HEAD with an electric razor! She is looking around to find the sound and sees him and I think she almost exploded!
It was pretty funny but I knew she was upset. I think I tried to calm everyone down by being a stooge, not sure if it worked. But we managed to get on our original flight to Boston so everything was all good!
Some confusion about which T to take and some serious claustrophobia followed when we got off the plane, but finally we were off the packed T and walking to their hotel. I was staying with my parents in Cambridge but they still hadn't arrived so I was just going to drop my stuff at the Sheraton with my friends. We got off at Boylston which turned out to be about 3 stops sooner than we should have got off. We started the hike across Boston Commons and my backpack burst open. Personal items go flying everywhere. I shove everything back in the bag "fix" the zipper and we're off, 2 seconds later it bursts again. So then I am stuck finding ways to fit everything from the backpack into my carry on suitcase that was already stuffed. We managed to get it all in and were on our way again.
On the way we saw the kids relay. There were a TON of kids doing the relay, it looked like a lot of fun! The announcer was doing a pretty good job talking about the different teams and their training. Fun stuff!
We finally made it to the Sheraton after calling B to make sure we were in the right place. We followed JD and her hubby to the room and walk in, it was boiling hot and Risko's bed looked like there was a body in it! Their AC ended up not being fixable and they got a different room somehow.
We headed to lunch and then it was on to the expo...
I stayed with Risko (Who is telling her weekend tale in entries much more eloquently than I am!) so that I wouldn't sleep through the alarm. Her parents picked us up at 5 to 5 and we were off. How much do her parents Rock for getting up so early!!!
They dropped us at the airport and we self checked in. I had to help Risko out a little bit. I guess I didn't realize how much traveling I have been doing the past few years, I am becoming a pro!
Looked at the ticket and our flight which was supposed to leave at 6:35 AM now says 7:55 AM. Hmmmm. We get through security with no real issues. Although the kid behind me kept trying to "help" me and was pushing my bags forward. Listen dude you don't touch other peoples crap at the airport! Seriously!
We got to the gate and sure enough it says 7:55 too. We are a little worried since we have to stop in NY before catching our second flight to Boston. JD and her hubby arrive a few minutes after us and everyone commences worrying. The lady at the help desk announces that there is bad weather in NY and that our flight is delayed and she isn't worried about anyone's connections, except those going to Boston. Great!
Usually I would be flipping out but for some reason I kept my cool. We all went up to the counter to get the scoop. I'm informed that my flight to Boston may also be delayed but if I miss it I will be on the next flight which leaves at 11:30 AM. Cool (Our original flight is supposed to arrive in Boston at 10 AM). So I go and sit down. JD and Risko come back and JD is fuming. The lady was not quite as helpful with them. She tells them they will also be put on the later flight. JD asks for time confirmation which the lady did not want to give her but reluctantly replied 1:30 PM. JD must have said something that caused the lady to ask why she needed to be in Boston at a certain time and JD said we needed to get to the marathon expo. The lady replies with "Oh there's a marathon in Boston this weekend?" at which point JD turns and walks away before she does something she might regret. She comes and sits down and the guy behind her starts SHAVING HIS HEAD with an electric razor! She is looking around to find the sound and sees him and I think she almost exploded!
It was pretty funny but I knew she was upset. I think I tried to calm everyone down by being a stooge, not sure if it worked. But we managed to get on our original flight to Boston so everything was all good!
Some confusion about which T to take and some serious claustrophobia followed when we got off the plane, but finally we were off the packed T and walking to their hotel. I was staying with my parents in Cambridge but they still hadn't arrived so I was just going to drop my stuff at the Sheraton with my friends. We got off at Boylston which turned out to be about 3 stops sooner than we should have got off. We started the hike across Boston Commons and my backpack burst open. Personal items go flying everywhere. I shove everything back in the bag "fix" the zipper and we're off, 2 seconds later it bursts again. So then I am stuck finding ways to fit everything from the backpack into my carry on suitcase that was already stuffed. We managed to get it all in and were on our way again.
On the way we saw the kids relay. There were a TON of kids doing the relay, it looked like a lot of fun! The announcer was doing a pretty good job talking about the different teams and their training. Fun stuff!
We finally made it to the Sheraton after calling B to make sure we were in the right place. We followed JD and her hubby to the room and walk in, it was boiling hot and Risko's bed looked like there was a body in it! Their AC ended up not being fixable and they got a different room somehow.
We headed to lunch and then it was on to the expo...
Analyzing Splits
Yeah that's right I love numbers and I have to look back and compare everything to races before, and to others races who I know. I'm a freak, I know.
Validation
While looking through results posted at Boston on Monday by our running clubs' members I was intrigued that AK and I ran almost EXACTLY the same race. How crazy is that? We even hit some of the 5k splits at the exact same time. Freaky! Too bad she started in wave 2, we probably would have had a good time running together! To my knowledge AK is a pretty damn good athlete so it made me feel good to know that another runner ran the race the same way as me and had the same results (She was slightly faster).
Me:
AK:
Guilt
WV was coming back from a stress fracture and we always get him riled up by saying he'll get beat by whichever girls in the club are running. The guys are always making bets, putting breakfast on the line. I didn't take the bet that I'd win, I should've. Turns out fresh doesn't beat prepared I guess (WV is an incredible runner and I am somewhat ashamed that I beat him).
Striving
I definitely am improving. Although this wasn't a PR when looking at the 4 marathons I've done I think I can confidently say this was my best marathon so far.
My first marathon was Richmond in 04. I ran 3:39:42. Came back and ran Boston in 3:49:50. About 10 minutes slower (Combination of preparation, conditions, injury, and the course). Ran Columbus in fall of 05 in 3:27:16. And now Boston in 3:31:04. Supposedly the course alone at Boston adds 5 minutes, if that's true then I would say I ran much better on Monday than I have so far. I can definitely say I put forth the most consistently hard effort of all 4 marathons. I didn't leave anything on any of the courses, but all have been different. This one I ran hard the whole way, no floating and hammering, just hammer hammer hammer.
Comparison
The closest I came to running a mile the same as last year at Boston were miles 21 and 22. Heartbreak is the great equalizer I guess. I find it fascinating that the differences aren't more consistent. I am not sure what this means about my progress but I am definitely looking it over!
Validation
While looking through results posted at Boston on Monday by our running clubs' members I was intrigued that AK and I ran almost EXACTLY the same race. How crazy is that? We even hit some of the 5k splits at the exact same time. Freaky! Too bad she started in wave 2, we probably would have had a good time running together! To my knowledge AK is a pretty damn good athlete so it made me feel good to know that another runner ran the race the same way as me and had the same results (She was slightly faster).
Me:
| 5k | 0:24:05 |
| 10k | 0:48:00 |
| 15k | 1:11:47 |
| 20k | 1:36:19 |
| Half | 1:41:41 |
| 25k | 2:00:57 |
| 30k | 2:26:59 |
| 35k | 2:53:41 |
| 40k | 3:19:33 |
| Pace | 0:08:03 |
| Official Time | 3:31:04 |
| Overall | 6408 |
| Gender | 1044 |
| Division | 849 |
AK:
| 5k | 0:24:05 |
| 10k | 0:47:55 |
| 15k | 1:11:47 |
| 20k | 1:36:27 |
| Half | 1:41:45 |
| 25k | 2:00:52 |
| 30k | 2:26:16 |
| 35k | 2:52:12 |
| 40k | 3:18:31 |
| Pace | 0:08:03 |
| Official Time | 3:30:43 |
| Overall | 6332 |
| Gender | 1017 |
| Division | 825 |
Guilt
WV was coming back from a stress fracture and we always get him riled up by saying he'll get beat by whichever girls in the club are running. The guys are always making bets, putting breakfast on the line. I didn't take the bet that I'd win, I should've. Turns out fresh doesn't beat prepared I guess (WV is an incredible runner and I am somewhat ashamed that I beat him).
Striving
I definitely am improving. Although this wasn't a PR when looking at the 4 marathons I've done I think I can confidently say this was my best marathon so far.
My first marathon was Richmond in 04. I ran 3:39:42. Came back and ran Boston in 3:49:50. About 10 minutes slower (Combination of preparation, conditions, injury, and the course). Ran Columbus in fall of 05 in 3:27:16. And now Boston in 3:31:04. Supposedly the course alone at Boston adds 5 minutes, if that's true then I would say I ran much better on Monday than I have so far. I can definitely say I put forth the most consistently hard effort of all 4 marathons. I didn't leave anything on any of the courses, but all have been different. This one I ran hard the whole way, no floating and hammering, just hammer hammer hammer.
Comparison
The closest I came to running a mile the same as last year at Boston were miles 21 and 22. Heartbreak is the great equalizer I guess. I find it fascinating that the differences aren't more consistent. I am not sure what this means about my progress but I am definitely looking it over!
| Mile | 2005 | 2006 | Difference | |
| 1 | 8:55 | 8:04 | 0:51 | |
| 2 | 8:07 | 7:32 | 0:35 | |
| 3 | 8:17 | 7:39 | 0:38 | |
| 4 | 8:17 | 7:40 | 0:37 | |
| 5 | 8:22 | 7:42 | 0:40 | |
| 6 | 9:09 | 7:36 | 1:33 | Bathroom Stop in 05 |
| 7 | 8:08 | 7:40 | 0:28 | |
| 8 | 8:19 | 7:36 | 0:43 | |
| 9 | 8:33 | 7:50 | 0:43 | |
| 10 | 8:24 | 7:42 | 0:42 | |
| 11 | 8:31 | 7:47 | 0:44 | |
| 12 | 8:38 | 7:56 | 0:42 | |
| 13 | 8:38 | 8:01 | 0:37 | |
| 14 | 8:34 | 7:52 | 0:42 | |
| 15 | 8:47 | 8:00 | 0:47 | |
| 16 | 8:44 | 7:54 | 0:50 | |
| 17 | 9:10 | 8:23 | 0:47 | |
| 18 | 9:08 | 8:35 | 0:33 | estimated-missed marker 05 |
| 19 | 9:08 | 8:16 | 0:52 | estimated-missed marker 05 |
| 20 | 9:14 | 8:37 | 0:37 | |
| 21 | 9:22 | 8:57 | 0:25 | Heartbreak |
| 22 | 8:42 | 8:22 | 0:20 | |
| 23 | 9:14 | 8:24 | 0:50 | |
| 24 | 9:14 | 8:20 | 0:54 | |
| 25 | 9:04 | 8:15 | 0:49 | |
| 26.2 | 10:59 | 10:17 | 0:42 |
Three words every runner lives to say: I Finished Boston (2006)
Some Finish Lines Just Mean More Than Others. It's What Happens at Boston.
One of my favorite things about the weekend in Boston is the marathon ads that are everywhere. Adidas has a really cool campaign for Marathon weekend.
Interesting how the poster has the 110th Marathon Finish line but we got it at the expo before the race :) Gotta Love Photoshop!
I loved last years posters. I wish I would have taken some pictures. I made sure to take some this year. I think B2 may have taken some of the rest!
I will try to post a little about the weekend everyday with a few pics. I want to make these memories last as long as possible :)
Some Finish Lines Just Mean More Than Others. It's What Happens at Boston.
One of my favorite things about the weekend in Boston is the marathon ads that are everywhere. Adidas has a really cool campaign for Marathon weekend.
Interesting how the poster has the 110th Marathon Finish line but we got it at the expo before the race :) Gotta Love Photoshop!
I loved last years posters. I wish I would have taken some pictures. I made sure to take some this year. I think B2 may have taken some of the rest!
I will try to post a little about the weekend everyday with a few pics. I want to make these memories last as long as possible :)
Strong but not smart
Or "How the man in the pink tutu crushed me"
Race Time!
Got into my starting corral with a few minutes to spare. Tried to locate a friend from college but couldn't find her and ended up finding B2's friend K who was planning on running a 3:20 but wanted to start off easy so we decided to go out together.
Seemed like a smart plan at the time. Yeah I easily forgot all about that going out easy-negative split goal once the competitive juices got flowing. Actually I just decided to push myself to the limits and see what would happen.
The first mile was the only mile in the entire race that I felt semi comfortable. From thereon out I was either slightly out of the comfort zone or in the I wonder what the wall feels like, could this be it? zone. I didn't feel bad the first 16 miles but I definitely didn't feel good. I felt like I was pushing, but that was all right, I kind of wanted to know what it felt like to push the whole way. K was obviously feeling stronger than I was. I even tried to talk myself into easing off, but then convinced myself that was a cop out and that those type of negative thoughts wouldn't get me anywhere. (Note to self, self preserving tactics are not necessarily always negative thoughts) So I pushed on keeping step with K through about 12 miles. I speed walked through all the water stops and then would chase down K. Somewhere between 9 and 13 I just couldn't chase him down anymore and had to let him go. I had to run my own race, and 7:40 pace wasn't in the cards.
Around 13 a few guys were downing beers (yes runners in the race) and asked if I would like to partake. I declined. I couldn't believe these guys were drinking beers and running at the same pace as me. Unbelievable!
So I trudged on at a pace that felt slightly uncomfortable up through 15. Got some much needed surges from the wonderful crowds, especially at Wellesley, man those girls can holler. I kept telling myself that if I could hammer through 16-21 it was all "easy going" from then on. I knew that I had trained a lot on hills and felt that my quads were going to be strong through Newton. 16-21 came and went and I didn't go quite as fast as I would have liked, and my quads did not feel strong like they did in Youngstown. They were a wreck. My left calf started to protest early into the hills but I just told it that wasn't an option. Not on Marathon Monday!
I finally crested Heartbreak Hill and I just kept pushing. Unfortunately the effort I was putting forth wasn't resulting in the splits I wanted. I thought for sure with the net decline I would be able to hold a steady 8 minute mile the rest of the race and perhaps still break 3:30 or even PR. But it just wasn't in the cards. My quads were protesting every footstrike. I put my head down and trudged on. I decided to wear my Wild Bill shirt and it did help that I got a lot of cheers "GO Wild Bill!" The drunk Boston College boys got a kick out of the shirt and I exchanged some high fives and declined yet another beer.
Around 22 JD caught me. I don't know how she spotted me but she did. We were both faltering a bit at this point but having her catch me gave me the strength to push hard the next mile or so. I thought she was going to drop and I just kept willing us both on motioning for her to keep with me. As we passed into 24 she found her stride and moved ahead of me. I strived to stay with her but had to fall back. My calves and quads were not on board with that plan.
About this time the man in the pink tutu passed me. I was in disbelief. I muttered outloud "You're killing me man." Either he didn't hear me or he didn't care. He just kept cruising by me. He was getting plenty of cheers :)
I knew my family would be just before 26 so I started looking for them. Just before the newly added hill I saw my sister standing up on the fence waving. So cool. She got some great pics and I continued on. About to trudge through the new dip and rise towards the end, and yes that hill was killer though it was small. The downhill hurt so bad.
I headed up Hereford and finally made the turn onto Boylston. The crowds were great and I gave it my all trying to cruise in under 3:31. I ended up just over at 3:31:04. About 18 minutes better than last year at Boston.
I am extremely pleased with the result, but upset that I didn't run a smarter race. If I would have just eased off at the beginning I may have saved my quads and even ran a bit faster. Lesson learned (hopefully!)
The finish was a bit scary this year. I knew JD was just ahead of me so I tried to hook up with her. We got our Mylar blankets together and then we got held up. Everyone was at a stand still. This huge crowd of runners all in Mylar blankets in the sun and we are not moving. My head started spinning and I felt like I couldn't breathe. JD said she was about to hop the fence. It was really a weird feeling. Thankfully the crowd started to move and I managed to find someone to take my chip off and give me my finishers medal. I made my way to my bag and then to the family meeting area. My mom was there waiting for me. It was pretty surreal. I was pleased but beating myself up a bit. Apparently JD passing me along with the tutu fairy had given my ego a blow :)
But today I am feeling really good about my race. I proved to myself that even running a bold but perhaps not smart race I can still gut it out and get a good finish time. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain and I can honestly say I left nothing in Boston on that course. I was spent at the finish. And perhaps a bit dehydrated :)
Splits as follows, last split is 1.2 (No 26 mile marker, what's up with that?)
8:04.66
7:32.85
7:39.55
7:40.07
7:42.59
7:36.06
7:39.96
7:36.39
7:50.71
7:42.27
7:47.80
7:56.85
8:01.44
7:52.56
8:00.13
7:54.00
8:23.80
8:35.53
8:16.16
8:37.63
8:57.90 (Heartbreak)
8:22.78
8:24.05
8:20.48
8:15.72
10:17.90
I made it home from Boston today. And it was straight into work for me. Nothing like getting back to the real world :)
Tons to post about the whole weekend. Lot sof funny and amusing tales! Had a lot of fun and learned a lot, will have further installments about the weekend in general later with pictures.
Huge thank you's go out to everyone who has supported me in all of my endeavors. Thank you for all of your extremely kind comments. I am overwhelmed.
Especially special thanks go out to my family who drove over 12 hours to support me this weekend. It means so much to me.
And all of my love goes out to my wonderful and supportive husband. I missed you this weekend in Boston but I ran this race for you and I know that you were there with me the whole way. Next year I hope you'll be waiting for me at the finish line! Love you babe.
Race Time!
Got into my starting corral with a few minutes to spare. Tried to locate a friend from college but couldn't find her and ended up finding B2's friend K who was planning on running a 3:20 but wanted to start off easy so we decided to go out together.
Seemed like a smart plan at the time. Yeah I easily forgot all about that going out easy-negative split goal once the competitive juices got flowing. Actually I just decided to push myself to the limits and see what would happen.
The first mile was the only mile in the entire race that I felt semi comfortable. From thereon out I was either slightly out of the comfort zone or in the I wonder what the wall feels like, could this be it? zone. I didn't feel bad the first 16 miles but I definitely didn't feel good. I felt like I was pushing, but that was all right, I kind of wanted to know what it felt like to push the whole way. K was obviously feeling stronger than I was. I even tried to talk myself into easing off, but then convinced myself that was a cop out and that those type of negative thoughts wouldn't get me anywhere. (Note to self, self preserving tactics are not necessarily always negative thoughts) So I pushed on keeping step with K through about 12 miles. I speed walked through all the water stops and then would chase down K. Somewhere between 9 and 13 I just couldn't chase him down anymore and had to let him go. I had to run my own race, and 7:40 pace wasn't in the cards.
Around 13 a few guys were downing beers (yes runners in the race) and asked if I would like to partake. I declined. I couldn't believe these guys were drinking beers and running at the same pace as me. Unbelievable!
So I trudged on at a pace that felt slightly uncomfortable up through 15. Got some much needed surges from the wonderful crowds, especially at Wellesley, man those girls can holler. I kept telling myself that if I could hammer through 16-21 it was all "easy going" from then on. I knew that I had trained a lot on hills and felt that my quads were going to be strong through Newton. 16-21 came and went and I didn't go quite as fast as I would have liked, and my quads did not feel strong like they did in Youngstown. They were a wreck. My left calf started to protest early into the hills but I just told it that wasn't an option. Not on Marathon Monday!
I finally crested Heartbreak Hill and I just kept pushing. Unfortunately the effort I was putting forth wasn't resulting in the splits I wanted. I thought for sure with the net decline I would be able to hold a steady 8 minute mile the rest of the race and perhaps still break 3:30 or even PR. But it just wasn't in the cards. My quads were protesting every footstrike. I put my head down and trudged on. I decided to wear my Wild Bill shirt and it did help that I got a lot of cheers "GO Wild Bill!" The drunk Boston College boys got a kick out of the shirt and I exchanged some high fives and declined yet another beer.
Around 22 JD caught me. I don't know how she spotted me but she did. We were both faltering a bit at this point but having her catch me gave me the strength to push hard the next mile or so. I thought she was going to drop and I just kept willing us both on motioning for her to keep with me. As we passed into 24 she found her stride and moved ahead of me. I strived to stay with her but had to fall back. My calves and quads were not on board with that plan.
About this time the man in the pink tutu passed me. I was in disbelief. I muttered outloud "You're killing me man." Either he didn't hear me or he didn't care. He just kept cruising by me. He was getting plenty of cheers :)
I knew my family would be just before 26 so I started looking for them. Just before the newly added hill I saw my sister standing up on the fence waving. So cool. She got some great pics and I continued on. About to trudge through the new dip and rise towards the end, and yes that hill was killer though it was small. The downhill hurt so bad.
I headed up Hereford and finally made the turn onto Boylston. The crowds were great and I gave it my all trying to cruise in under 3:31. I ended up just over at 3:31:04. About 18 minutes better than last year at Boston.
I am extremely pleased with the result, but upset that I didn't run a smarter race. If I would have just eased off at the beginning I may have saved my quads and even ran a bit faster. Lesson learned (hopefully!)
The finish was a bit scary this year. I knew JD was just ahead of me so I tried to hook up with her. We got our Mylar blankets together and then we got held up. Everyone was at a stand still. This huge crowd of runners all in Mylar blankets in the sun and we are not moving. My head started spinning and I felt like I couldn't breathe. JD said she was about to hop the fence. It was really a weird feeling. Thankfully the crowd started to move and I managed to find someone to take my chip off and give me my finishers medal. I made my way to my bag and then to the family meeting area. My mom was there waiting for me. It was pretty surreal. I was pleased but beating myself up a bit. Apparently JD passing me along with the tutu fairy had given my ego a blow :)
But today I am feeling really good about my race. I proved to myself that even running a bold but perhaps not smart race I can still gut it out and get a good finish time. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain and I can honestly say I left nothing in Boston on that course. I was spent at the finish. And perhaps a bit dehydrated :)
Splits as follows, last split is 1.2 (No 26 mile marker, what's up with that?)
8:04.66
7:32.85
7:39.55
7:40.07
7:42.59
7:36.06
7:39.96
7:36.39
7:50.71
7:42.27
7:47.80
7:56.85
8:01.44
7:52.56
8:00.13
7:54.00
8:23.80
8:35.53
8:16.16
8:37.63
8:57.90 (Heartbreak)
8:22.78
8:24.05
8:20.48
8:15.72
10:17.90
I made it home from Boston today. And it was straight into work for me. Nothing like getting back to the real world :)
Tons to post about the whole weekend. Lot sof funny and amusing tales! Had a lot of fun and learned a lot, will have further installments about the weekend in general later with pictures.
Huge thank you's go out to everyone who has supported me in all of my endeavors. Thank you for all of your extremely kind comments. I am overwhelmed.
Especially special thanks go out to my family who drove over 12 hours to support me this weekend. It means so much to me.
And all of my love goes out to my wonderful and supportive husband. I missed you this weekend in Boston but I ran this race for you and I know that you were there with me the whole way. Next year I hope you'll be waiting for me at the finish line! Love you babe.
Wow
Holy crud folks! All your nice comments have me close to tears.
I was thinking of all of you as I crossed those 5k mats. It definitely helped me push the pace when I wasn't feeling so hot! I kept telling myself that people were tracking me and I had to do well.
Official Time 3:31:04, 8:03 pace.
More details and photos to come soon!
Gotta get to work, just got off the plane and I am going to work until my hubby can come pick me up later tonight.
Thank you all so much for your support. It is truly overwhelming.
Me, Okolo, and Robin in Athlete's Village
I was thinking of all of you as I crossed those 5k mats. It definitely helped me push the pace when I wasn't feeling so hot! I kept telling myself that people were tracking me and I had to do well.
Official Time 3:31:04, 8:03 pace.
More details and photos to come soon!
Gotta get to work, just got off the plane and I am going to work until my hubby can come pick me up later tonight.
Thank you all so much for your support. It is truly overwhelming.
Me, Okolo, and Robin in Athlete's Village
Elizabeth Out
I'm all packed and headed to Risko's.
Temporarily turning on word ver (sorry Bold) and turning off comment moderation until I am back online!
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!
Have a great weekend and Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
Temporarily turning on word ver (sorry Bold) and turning off comment moderation until I am back online!
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!
Have a great weekend and Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
Track Me...
as I race the Boston Marathon on Monday!
B.A.A. Site is going to update every 5k split via the web. My number is 9465.
Just in case don't worry about me if those splits all of a sudden drop off. Last year my parents had the cell updates and they stopped getting them after the 10K. I was injured so they thought I had stopped. Boy were they surprised to see me at 26 miles when they were about to go check the med tent for me ;)
Still not sure of my race plan but for those tracking I would say look for anywhere from 7:45 to 8:45 per mile pace. Putting me finishing between 3:25 and 3:45. For comparison I ran Boston last year in 3:49. Depending on conditions this year I am 99% confident I will be happy with anything under 3:50.
Girls Night Out was last night but only 4 of us this time. I got some wisdom from the girls to think about during the race. Some funny, some serious. It will be weird not having my unofficial mentors with me this time.
Flight leaves bright and early tomorrow morning. I am staying with Risko tonight so we don't forget to wake up and go to the airport. I still haven't packed so that will have to get done tonight.
Thanks everyone for your kind wishes! It truly does mean a lot to me!
B.A.A. Site is going to update every 5k split via the web. My number is 9465.
Just in case don't worry about me if those splits all of a sudden drop off. Last year my parents had the cell updates and they stopped getting them after the 10K. I was injured so they thought I had stopped. Boy were they surprised to see me at 26 miles when they were about to go check the med tent for me ;)
Still not sure of my race plan but for those tracking I would say look for anywhere from 7:45 to 8:45 per mile pace. Putting me finishing between 3:25 and 3:45. For comparison I ran Boston last year in 3:49. Depending on conditions this year I am 99% confident I will be happy with anything under 3:50.
Girls Night Out was last night but only 4 of us this time. I got some wisdom from the girls to think about during the race. Some funny, some serious. It will be weird not having my unofficial mentors with me this time.
Flight leaves bright and early tomorrow morning. I am staying with Risko tonight so we don't forget to wake up and go to the airport. I still haven't packed so that will have to get done tonight.
Thanks everyone for your kind wishes! It truly does mean a lot to me!
Get your Boston On!
Haven't started packing quite yet.
Checklist:
Bikini
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Oh wait this isn't that kind of vacation.
Bib Number Pick up card
Running shoes
Favorite Running shorts
Running shirt
Sports bra
Running Socks, at least 3 different pairs for choices
Sunscreen
Gels of choice
extra running clothes for the Freedom Run
Party Outfit for Boston After Partay
Jeans
Flip flops
extra running shoes for touring around Boston
journal
running mags
Cash...
Eh I think I will just pack everything running related I own and I should be covered
Okolo found this great video of the course! Check it out!
Funny how those "down" hills at the start look like they are uphills. Note to self: Rolling downhills do not equal down :)
So bizarre to watch the whole course blow by in under 5 minutes. And with no spectators or runners.
Why does it feel like Friday? I am ready to run folks!
Girls Night Out tonight then I need to get to that packing mentioned above.
Checklist:
Bikini
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Oh wait this isn't that kind of vacation.
Bib Number Pick up card
Running shoes
Favorite Running shorts
Running shirt
Sports bra
Running Socks, at least 3 different pairs for choices
Sunscreen
Gels of choice
extra running clothes for the Freedom Run
Party Outfit for Boston After Partay
Jeans
Flip flops
extra running shoes for touring around Boston
journal
running mags
Cash...
Eh I think I will just pack everything running related I own and I should be covered
Okolo found this great video of the course! Check it out!
Funny how those "down" hills at the start look like they are uphills. Note to self: Rolling downhills do not equal down :)
So bizarre to watch the whole course blow by in under 5 minutes. And with no spectators or runners.
Why does it feel like Friday? I am ready to run folks!
Girls Night Out tonight then I need to get to that packing mentioned above.
Too many titles to choose from
Yeah so I felt pretty strong and fast last night on the track. I had to force myself to back it off as Hal only called for 2 miles of intervals and CK had us doing 3 (albeit with a ton more rest than usual) So i blasted out the first three quarters and then the first 800 (bombed the last 200 of that one due to the worst side stitch I have ever felt in my life, I literally had trouble walking that one off) and eased off a little bit and helped Su blast out some of her fastest track splits ever. We don't always see eye to eye but for some reason I totally understand people on the track. And last night I "got" it when I knew we were closing in on her fastest 800 and 400. I guess that is just something I get. The track is a place where we all come to achieve goals, and that is something that I get and respect.
It was an oldies night for me on the way to and from the track so i was jamming along with the oldies and feeling pretty good. It was a good night. Too bad I slept horribly. Boo!
I am debating a PR on Monday now considering the track splits. Nothing lost if I don't make it. We will see how I feel race morning, or I guess I should say race afternoon. ;)
Papa Louie and B2 were also out last night at the track producing some mad fast splits. Dang I wonder how it feels to be a speedster!
Workout:
1 mile warm up:8:25.17
3*400
1:24.33
1:22.10
1:19.87 (First 79 of the season baby!)
3*800
3:14.45 (Was on 3:00 pace but had the worst side stitch of my life, I didn't think I slowed down so thats how bad it was) Should have drank some fluids! It was WARM last night.
3:28.38
3:27.94
3*400
1:36.65
1:35.23
1:31.90
cool down 3/4 mile 7:00
It was an oldies night for me on the way to and from the track so i was jamming along with the oldies and feeling pretty good. It was a good night. Too bad I slept horribly. Boo!
I am debating a PR on Monday now considering the track splits. Nothing lost if I don't make it. We will see how I feel race morning, or I guess I should say race afternoon. ;)
Papa Louie and B2 were also out last night at the track producing some mad fast splits. Dang I wonder how it feels to be a speedster!
Workout:
1 mile warm up:8:25.17
3*400
1:24.33
1:22.10
1:19.87 (First 79 of the season baby!)
3*800
3:14.45 (Was on 3:00 pace but had the worst side stitch of my life, I didn't think I slowed down so thats how bad it was) Should have drank some fluids! It was WARM last night.
3:28.38
3:27.94
3*400
1:36.65
1:35.23
1:31.90
cool down 3/4 mile 7:00
Tapering
12+ easy miles in the bag and that's my last long run until Boston! A and I got out first thing yesterday morning to tackle some hills down in BRes. Felt really good. A is amazing. She hasn't run more than 6 miles at a time in a month and she comes out and runs one of our hilliest routes with me at about the same pace we would be running if we were out on the towpath!
The baby shower yesterday was nice. David and I pretty much vegged after that and had BBQ ribs off the grill! So tasty! Friday night I had to bail on the concert as the weather was crap and I didn't want to drive 2 hours there and back by myself in thunderstorms. So we have been getting our movie on. Friday night was Brokeback Mountain. Holy tear jerker! Then last night was Memoirs of a Geisha (guess who picked the movies ;)) Tonight we will watch a manly movie though. We have heard the horrible reviews but oh well we are still going to watch Doom :)
I have been busy doing laundry and cleaning up all weekend and the house actually feels livable now. Funny how all of that falls to the wayside with all of this training and life getting in the way!
Now that Boston is almost upon me I am already off and running with JFK plans :)
I get a little antsy during taper and usually start addressing my goals for the race and future races. Right now I am trying to decide on a second fall marathon besides Chicago. CK claims that in order to get ready for JFK it would be beneficial to do back to back marathons.
I am torn about it. I know I could do it, but I really want to PR at Chicago and I am afraid that in order to do 2 marathons back to back I can't give either an "A" race effort. And I feel pretty good but I don't think a 3:25 is in the Boston cards.
For shits and giggles I looked at a pace chart for that (Nike's site has a pretty cool calculator for Boston) and I just don't think that is the race I want to run next Monday. I am imagining an easy start and negative split which means a slower time this time around. With those downhills I don't think I can go out as fast as I would need to comfortably run 3:25. Who knows, I am still indecisive. I guess I will just have to come up with two plans and go with whatever feels good race day. (I honestly don't feel very "fast" right now. My track splits have been okay but I think they were faster last year, I think maybe I am getting stronger and tougher, but not faster)
Anyways, I was looking for another fall marathon and Columbus and Detroit are popping up, I am also looking into a trail marathon as a significant portion of JFK is trails. I am leaning towards Detroit because it is the week after Chicago. I was hoping to combine this with a relay with my sister for her first half but Detroit doesn't have a 2 man relay. So if we wanted to do that Columbus would be better. But that is the week before Chicago. Decisions decisions!
So what are the veteran Ultra runners thoughts on the back to back marathons (esp. for a first time ultra runner)? And is it really beneficial to do those in mid-late October when JFK is the Saturday before Thanksgiving? I would think I would want my last longer run a little closer to race date. How many 20-26 miles runs do you typically put in before a 50 miler. I am envisioning only 2 really long runs (20+) with a 2-3 week taper and I won't be going into really high mileage as I usually get injured when I close in on 60 mpw. I am thinking I will top out around 55 mpw.
I have been doing some internet "research" and so far these are the sites I found most useful for advice:
Reston Runners JFK Site
Extreme Ultra Running
The baby shower yesterday was nice. David and I pretty much vegged after that and had BBQ ribs off the grill! So tasty! Friday night I had to bail on the concert as the weather was crap and I didn't want to drive 2 hours there and back by myself in thunderstorms. So we have been getting our movie on. Friday night was Brokeback Mountain. Holy tear jerker! Then last night was Memoirs of a Geisha (guess who picked the movies ;)) Tonight we will watch a manly movie though. We have heard the horrible reviews but oh well we are still going to watch Doom :)
I have been busy doing laundry and cleaning up all weekend and the house actually feels livable now. Funny how all of that falls to the wayside with all of this training and life getting in the way!
Now that Boston is almost upon me I am already off and running with JFK plans :)
I get a little antsy during taper and usually start addressing my goals for the race and future races. Right now I am trying to decide on a second fall marathon besides Chicago. CK claims that in order to get ready for JFK it would be beneficial to do back to back marathons.
I am torn about it. I know I could do it, but I really want to PR at Chicago and I am afraid that in order to do 2 marathons back to back I can't give either an "A" race effort. And I feel pretty good but I don't think a 3:25 is in the Boston cards.
For shits and giggles I looked at a pace chart for that (Nike's site has a pretty cool calculator for Boston) and I just don't think that is the race I want to run next Monday. I am imagining an easy start and negative split which means a slower time this time around. With those downhills I don't think I can go out as fast as I would need to comfortably run 3:25. Who knows, I am still indecisive. I guess I will just have to come up with two plans and go with whatever feels good race day. (I honestly don't feel very "fast" right now. My track splits have been okay but I think they were faster last year, I think maybe I am getting stronger and tougher, but not faster)
Anyways, I was looking for another fall marathon and Columbus and Detroit are popping up, I am also looking into a trail marathon as a significant portion of JFK is trails. I am leaning towards Detroit because it is the week after Chicago. I was hoping to combine this with a relay with my sister for her first half but Detroit doesn't have a 2 man relay. So if we wanted to do that Columbus would be better. But that is the week before Chicago. Decisions decisions!
So what are the veteran Ultra runners thoughts on the back to back marathons (esp. for a first time ultra runner)? And is it really beneficial to do those in mid-late October when JFK is the Saturday before Thanksgiving? I would think I would want my last longer run a little closer to race date. How many 20-26 miles runs do you typically put in before a 50 miler. I am envisioning only 2 really long runs (20+) with a 2-3 week taper and I won't be going into really high mileage as I usually get injured when I close in on 60 mpw. I am thinking I will top out around 55 mpw.
I have been doing some internet "research" and so far these are the sites I found most useful for advice:
Reston Runners JFK Site
Extreme Ultra Running
Paintings and Tempo Runs
Another painting. This ones not really a sign as it is on a wall but I think it is by the same person.
6+ miles in the tempo bag!
And can I just say that it is really nice that I am old enough that I can bullsh*t with my parents and their friends but young enough to bullsh*t with highschoolers? This makes me happy.
Tried to hop on the Euclid track tonight for part of the tempo but they were just finishing a track meet. I wasn't sure if the track was open to public anyways so I stopped to ask some of the track team members about it. Other than them wondering if I was a teacher I think I wasn't too old for them to at least entertain a chat with me.
They pointed me in the direction of some nearby tracks that are open to the public.
Man I hardly even remember running track. I have blocked out what kind of times I ran at meets. Maybe that's public record? I will have to look into it.
Had a great day at work today after a horrible one yesterday (everything was buggy yesterday, today it magically fixed itself). Hopefully tomorrow is productive too!
Tired! This weekend is going to be a busy one again. Heading to the Berg to see my pledge baby and frat bro sing at their senior recitals tomorrow night and won't be back until late. Saturday is another baby shower. Sunday hopefully I will just get to sleep all day ;)
Make sure to check in on CJ and Iliketoast as they are running their marathon this weekend!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
6+ miles in the tempo bag!
And can I just say that it is really nice that I am old enough that I can bullsh*t with my parents and their friends but young enough to bullsh*t with highschoolers? This makes me happy.
Tried to hop on the Euclid track tonight for part of the tempo but they were just finishing a track meet. I wasn't sure if the track was open to public anyways so I stopped to ask some of the track team members about it. Other than them wondering if I was a teacher I think I wasn't too old for them to at least entertain a chat with me.
They pointed me in the direction of some nearby tracks that are open to the public.
Man I hardly even remember running track. I have blocked out what kind of times I ran at meets. Maybe that's public record? I will have to look into it.
Had a great day at work today after a horrible one yesterday (everything was buggy yesterday, today it magically fixed itself). Hopefully tomorrow is productive too!
Tired! This weekend is going to be a busy one again. Heading to the Berg to see my pledge baby and frat bro sing at their senior recitals tomorrow night and won't be back until late. Saturday is another baby shower. Sunday hopefully I will just get to sleep all day ;)
Make sure to check in on CJ and Iliketoast as they are running their marathon this weekend!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Looking Back
I didn't start using blogger until June or July last year but I have actually been blogging since April 04 or so. I am working on moving all my old Tblog posts over to Blogger. So far so good :)
Since Boston is coming up here I thought it would be nice to highlight my post race thoughts from last year.
"Okay here is the scoop on Boston FINALLY!
Woke up at 5 am Monday morning and couldn’t fall back asleep. So I showered grabbed my stuff and headed down to the subway. It was completely empty! One other runner got on the train at my stop.
So all my stressing the night before was a HUGE waste of time. I got to the girls hotel way early so I ate a bagel and banana and hunkered down on a sofa with a copy of Runner’s World.
About an hour later the girls came down and we headed to Boston Commons to get on the bus! Yes that’s right big yellow school buses are the official transport to the start of the Boston Marathon (Unless you are a pro of course they get those fancy shuttle buses, with police escorts!)
We got in line and saw some of the guys. MG, SG, and a friend of theirs got in line with us. We pissed some lady off when MG “accidentally” jumped into a middle of a bus line but we ended up finding a shorter line anyway.
So it took about a half hour to get on the bus and once on it was another 45-60 minutes before we got to Hopkinton. I just relaxed and listened to everyone else’s conversations. I found out you can actually enter the Boston Marathon without qualifying through certain charities. I don’t know how much they have to raise, but I hope it is a lot!!! These people are certainly much better than the bandits though
All a part of the traditions of Boston though so I just took it all in.
Most people hang out in Athlete’s Village once they get to Hopkinton but my club goes to a church and lounges in the basement. This ended up being really nice for me because I think I might have freaked out being around 20,000 other runners for two hours before the race. The church atmosphere was pretty low key and I was able to eat, sunscreen up, and take care of any pre race jitters, etc. without worrying about anything else.
About 30 minutes before the start B, R, and I went and dropped off our bags on the yellow buses then headed to our Corrals. Corrals in Boston are by number so I was in the 13th Corral, far behind the Elite runners!!!
I realize then what a newbie I am to marathoning
The guys had told me to pin my gels to my shorts and tuck them in. Which works great as long as you pin your gels on the top above where the actual gel is
I actually punctured both my gel packets on accident and realized in the start that I had some gel sticking to my thighs and the inside of my shorts
After about 5 minutes in the Corral they started the national Anthem and about then you start to realize how amazing this is standing in a crowd of 20,000 other runners getting ready to run the granddaddy of all marathons. The elite women at this point are already about 25 minutes into their race. And the gun is getting ready to go off.
All this excitement builds up and then you realize how much different this start is than other races. In no race I have ever done has it taken over 12 minutes to actually get to the starting line. So it was slightly anticlimactic but still really amazing after you come over a small hill and hit the starting line you look out in front of you and all you can see in front of you is road filled with waves of runners. Absolutely incredible.
From there until Wellesley everything seems pretty similar. The crowd never thins out and it is rolling hills with a net decline until the half way mark. Surprisingly my IT Band wasn’t bothering me at all and my shoulder didn’t feel too bad. My feet started to blister REALLY early in the race, like mile 3. So I knew that wasn’t going to look pretty when I finished.
Right before I got to Wellesley College I could feel my legs chafing. It was about 71 degrees on the course and not a lick of shade to be seen. Luckily just as I thought to myself “this is going to get ugly” I heard the medical tent volunteers crying out “Vaseline!” I sprinted so quickly over to their side of the road and grabbed a Tongue Depressor covered in Vaseline and smeared it all over my legs. Nice visual huh?
I added that mess to the gel on my shorts and continued on.
Shortly after the Vaseline stop I hear this roar of sounds. At that point you can’t see where it is coming from about a half mile away you see the Wellesley College Girls! They are all lined up on the right side of the street held back by a fence. Most of them are leaning far over the fence high fiving runners as they go by. Others are holding signs like “Kiss me if you’re from Oklahoma.” They are all cheering at the top of their lungs. I had been running on the left the whole way so far but moved over to the right to high five pretty much all of the girls. Their energy was so amazing. It gave you this incredible boost of energy. Which is good but sad because you are going to need that energy a lot more in just over a mile.
All this time I have been getting water and Gatorade from the stops every mile on the left and walking through the stops. No need to waste energy trying to gulp down water while running too fast. I made it to Boston now that I was there I should try to enjoy the ride.
Most of the water I took ended up getting dumped over my head. I was feeling pretty hot and it seemed to help. I also jumped at anyone who had ice and held it in my hands for as long as I could stand to help keep cool.
Shortly after Wellesley and the half waypoint you start to add in some serious up hills to the rolling hills. At this point my quads were pretty much already a wreck from all the downhills, and my left calf started to bother me.
The rest of the race I pretty much ran water stop to water stop. I didn’t feel good but I could have felt worse for sure. I didn’t walk at any point except through the water stops. And I made it up the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill in pretty good time. I think I ran a 9:22 mile up Heartbreak. So I was happy with that.
I was expecting my parents and David to be pretty close to the finish but they ended up being a little before the 26-mile mark. I heard my mom screaming as I passed, I turned and waved, then trucked on up the small incline before you turn onto Boylston Street and can finally see the finish line.
I didn’t have any amazing last mile splits like I did in Richmond, but I was still proud, and unlike Richmond I was actually happy as I crossed the finish line. And despite the stresses I have been having I have been pretty happy since!
After the marathon my legs felt pretty bad, but I was expecting that. I walked along with the crowd, grabbed some water, took off my chip, got my Mylar Blanket, and traded my chip for my finishers medal! And trekked over to the buses.
I got a frozen smoothie drink from some volunteer and spent most of that time trying to open it. Finally before I grabbed my bag I had to have a volunteer open it for me
He had a hard time too so it wasn’t just post marathon jitters keeping me from the frozen deliciousness ;)
I got my bag and headed to the family meeting area. I threw my stuff down near the H sign and worked on getting out of my shoes, into flip-flops. Out of my soaked sports bra into my Boston tank, and tried to stretch a bit. My parents and David showed up as I finished off my smoothie and was getting ready to start looking for them.
I got a phone call from my favorite aunt ;) you know who you are
wishing me well. I definitely felt loved at that moment.
We walked all the way over to Boston Commons to avoid the mad rush to the subway near the finish.
Got back to our hotel and our handicap room payed off. I was able to sit on the edge of the tub and spray my legs with ice cold water. My baby sis called while I was spraying, and I was glad to hear from her. Her support at this point in my life is very important to me and I am blessed to have such a great sister. We have not always gotten along but I am glad we come together when it really counts.
After I talked with her for a bit David and I met my parents down at the pool. I dipped my calf in the hot tub and took a lap around the pool then we got ready to go out for dinner.
We met a bunch of the SERC group at Joe Tecces. I had three beers and a steak! I felt I definitely deserved it! We had a good time and it was nice to hang out with everyone after doing the marathon together. Everyone from SERC did well and I am proud to call them all my friends. I can’t express how blessed I am to have met up with such a great group of runners.
I was pretty wiped out after the three beers and multiple trips to the restroom (of course stairs were involved). So we headed back to the hotel. Climbing down the stairs to the subway was a trip! I must have looked horrible.
We packed our stuff (well David did anyways, and I attempted to help), and then headed to bed. We had to be up really early to catch our flight home. I actually made it to work and managed to work 6 or 7 hours before I couldn’t manage anymore
Since being back I have run twice and I can tell my quads are still sore but I feel pretty good and am looking forward to the summer racing season. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I really appreciate your support!"
I must say I am really glad I started blogging before my triathlon and marathon careers started. It is really nice to be able to look back at what I have accomplished and where my current accomplishments are based. I have been swamped lately and have considered bailing on the blog but having these memories so easily accessible makes it worth taking the time to type it all out.
Thanks to all those that come here and share in my victories and failures. What an incredible community we have here!
Since Boston is coming up here I thought it would be nice to highlight my post race thoughts from last year.
"Okay here is the scoop on Boston FINALLY!
Woke up at 5 am Monday morning and couldn’t fall back asleep. So I showered grabbed my stuff and headed down to the subway. It was completely empty! One other runner got on the train at my stop.
So all my stressing the night before was a HUGE waste of time. I got to the girls hotel way early so I ate a bagel and banana and hunkered down on a sofa with a copy of Runner’s World.
About an hour later the girls came down and we headed to Boston Commons to get on the bus! Yes that’s right big yellow school buses are the official transport to the start of the Boston Marathon (Unless you are a pro of course they get those fancy shuttle buses, with police escorts!)
We got in line and saw some of the guys. MG, SG, and a friend of theirs got in line with us. We pissed some lady off when MG “accidentally” jumped into a middle of a bus line but we ended up finding a shorter line anyway.
So it took about a half hour to get on the bus and once on it was another 45-60 minutes before we got to Hopkinton. I just relaxed and listened to everyone else’s conversations. I found out you can actually enter the Boston Marathon without qualifying through certain charities. I don’t know how much they have to raise, but I hope it is a lot!!! These people are certainly much better than the bandits though
All a part of the traditions of Boston though so I just took it all in.
Most people hang out in Athlete’s Village once they get to Hopkinton but my club goes to a church and lounges in the basement. This ended up being really nice for me because I think I might have freaked out being around 20,000 other runners for two hours before the race. The church atmosphere was pretty low key and I was able to eat, sunscreen up, and take care of any pre race jitters, etc. without worrying about anything else.
About 30 minutes before the start B, R, and I went and dropped off our bags on the yellow buses then headed to our Corrals. Corrals in Boston are by number so I was in the 13th Corral, far behind the Elite runners!!!
I realize then what a newbie I am to marathoning
The guys had told me to pin my gels to my shorts and tuck them in. Which works great as long as you pin your gels on the top above where the actual gel is
I actually punctured both my gel packets on accident and realized in the start that I had some gel sticking to my thighs and the inside of my shorts
After about 5 minutes in the Corral they started the national Anthem and about then you start to realize how amazing this is standing in a crowd of 20,000 other runners getting ready to run the granddaddy of all marathons. The elite women at this point are already about 25 minutes into their race. And the gun is getting ready to go off.
All this excitement builds up and then you realize how much different this start is than other races. In no race I have ever done has it taken over 12 minutes to actually get to the starting line. So it was slightly anticlimactic but still really amazing after you come over a small hill and hit the starting line you look out in front of you and all you can see in front of you is road filled with waves of runners. Absolutely incredible.
From there until Wellesley everything seems pretty similar. The crowd never thins out and it is rolling hills with a net decline until the half way mark. Surprisingly my IT Band wasn’t bothering me at all and my shoulder didn’t feel too bad. My feet started to blister REALLY early in the race, like mile 3. So I knew that wasn’t going to look pretty when I finished.
Right before I got to Wellesley College I could feel my legs chafing. It was about 71 degrees on the course and not a lick of shade to be seen. Luckily just as I thought to myself “this is going to get ugly” I heard the medical tent volunteers crying out “Vaseline!” I sprinted so quickly over to their side of the road and grabbed a Tongue Depressor covered in Vaseline and smeared it all over my legs. Nice visual huh?
I added that mess to the gel on my shorts and continued on.
Shortly after the Vaseline stop I hear this roar of sounds. At that point you can’t see where it is coming from about a half mile away you see the Wellesley College Girls! They are all lined up on the right side of the street held back by a fence. Most of them are leaning far over the fence high fiving runners as they go by. Others are holding signs like “Kiss me if you’re from Oklahoma.” They are all cheering at the top of their lungs. I had been running on the left the whole way so far but moved over to the right to high five pretty much all of the girls. Their energy was so amazing. It gave you this incredible boost of energy. Which is good but sad because you are going to need that energy a lot more in just over a mile.
All this time I have been getting water and Gatorade from the stops every mile on the left and walking through the stops. No need to waste energy trying to gulp down water while running too fast. I made it to Boston now that I was there I should try to enjoy the ride.
Most of the water I took ended up getting dumped over my head. I was feeling pretty hot and it seemed to help. I also jumped at anyone who had ice and held it in my hands for as long as I could stand to help keep cool.
Shortly after Wellesley and the half waypoint you start to add in some serious up hills to the rolling hills. At this point my quads were pretty much already a wreck from all the downhills, and my left calf started to bother me.
The rest of the race I pretty much ran water stop to water stop. I didn’t feel good but I could have felt worse for sure. I didn’t walk at any point except through the water stops. And I made it up the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill in pretty good time. I think I ran a 9:22 mile up Heartbreak. So I was happy with that.
I was expecting my parents and David to be pretty close to the finish but they ended up being a little before the 26-mile mark. I heard my mom screaming as I passed, I turned and waved, then trucked on up the small incline before you turn onto Boylston Street and can finally see the finish line.
I didn’t have any amazing last mile splits like I did in Richmond, but I was still proud, and unlike Richmond I was actually happy as I crossed the finish line. And despite the stresses I have been having I have been pretty happy since!
After the marathon my legs felt pretty bad, but I was expecting that. I walked along with the crowd, grabbed some water, took off my chip, got my Mylar Blanket, and traded my chip for my finishers medal! And trekked over to the buses.
I got a frozen smoothie drink from some volunteer and spent most of that time trying to open it. Finally before I grabbed my bag I had to have a volunteer open it for me
He had a hard time too so it wasn’t just post marathon jitters keeping me from the frozen deliciousness ;)
I got my bag and headed to the family meeting area. I threw my stuff down near the H sign and worked on getting out of my shoes, into flip-flops. Out of my soaked sports bra into my Boston tank, and tried to stretch a bit. My parents and David showed up as I finished off my smoothie and was getting ready to start looking for them.
I got a phone call from my favorite aunt ;) you know who you are
wishing me well. I definitely felt loved at that moment.
We walked all the way over to Boston Commons to avoid the mad rush to the subway near the finish.
Got back to our hotel and our handicap room payed off. I was able to sit on the edge of the tub and spray my legs with ice cold water. My baby sis called while I was spraying, and I was glad to hear from her. Her support at this point in my life is very important to me and I am blessed to have such a great sister. We have not always gotten along but I am glad we come together when it really counts.
After I talked with her for a bit David and I met my parents down at the pool. I dipped my calf in the hot tub and took a lap around the pool then we got ready to go out for dinner.
We met a bunch of the SERC group at Joe Tecces. I had three beers and a steak! I felt I definitely deserved it! We had a good time and it was nice to hang out with everyone after doing the marathon together. Everyone from SERC did well and I am proud to call them all my friends. I can’t express how blessed I am to have met up with such a great group of runners.
I was pretty wiped out after the three beers and multiple trips to the restroom (of course stairs were involved). So we headed back to the hotel. Climbing down the stairs to the subway was a trip! I must have looked horrible.
We packed our stuff (well David did anyways, and I attempted to help), and then headed to bed. We had to be up really early to catch our flight home. I actually made it to work and managed to work 6 or 7 hours before I couldn’t manage anymore
Since being back I have run twice and I can tell my quads are still sore but I feel pretty good and am looking forward to the summer racing season. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I really appreciate your support!"
I must say I am really glad I started blogging before my triathlon and marathon careers started. It is really nice to be able to look back at what I have accomplished and where my current accomplishments are based. I have been swamped lately and have considered bailing on the blog but having these memories so easily accessible makes it worth taking the time to type it all out.
Thanks to all those that come here and share in my victories and failures. What an incredible community we have here!
Speedwork in Disguise
Yep got out for my last official Boston hill repeat workout tonight. Went something like this:
Total 52 minutes ~5.5 miles
10 minute warm up
8 Hill Repeat, 3 down (up/down) *= hard down
1:36.91/1:55.48
1:41.1/1:23.40*
1:40.52/2:05.12
1:42.19/1:27.55*
1:40.62/2:07.7
1:42.63/1:25.90*
1:37.26/2:08.41
1:33.81
16 minute cool down
I didn't feel bad and I didn't feel great. I was going to cut Hal's planned hill workout since it seemed opposite of "taper" in my mind, but I did not feel great on the hills during my 21 milers so I decided to keep the hills on tap.
Glad I did. I went out too hard on the first hill for sure as I wanted to either stay even or negative split the hills tonight. But both the 1:36 and the 1:37 there was a group of walkers on the hill, guess I am a show off.
I was already ready to blog about how shittily I did on the hill repeats after the second uphill but I toughed it out and did all 8 and I think I did it respectably. No clue where the 1:33 came from. I really pushed it on the bottom and crest on that one and I guess that made the difference.
Anywho back to Saturday's run.
B2 and I got out at 6:30 AM in NCres to tackle some hills and get in our last long run before official taper began.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=102403
I had mapped out 21 miles on GMAP pedometer on some loops that I knew would take us up some pretty bad ass hills but allow for recovery on the flats. Thankfully I confused Rogers and Sherman roads. If I had taken us up Sherman I don't know that we would have survived. Instead we came down it which was still pretty killer around mile 14. (Think running downhill at about a 70+% grade)
GMAP pedometer seems to be pretty accurate. B2 had his Garmin which crapped out just shy of mile 12 but up through 11 it was always just short of what GMAP had so we are calling the whole run 21 miles.
Running with B2 is nice. I don't know too many speedsters who will hold back to do a long run with those slower than them. He did dust me on all the hills though as I proclaimed every time "See you at the top." It is amazing how much ground he can gain on me in that short time span.
My stomach was not happy most of the run. I made two bathroom trips but didn't solve anything. I guess I am lucky because my whole digestive system just kind of shuts down for long runs. The problem is it still feels wonky but nothing bad will happen. Around 12 I thought I was going to lose my breakfast for sure. Nothing though.
The run went well and I think we averaged around 8:45 pace. I didn't walk any hills this time around :) But I definitely didn't feel as strong as I did in Youngstown.
At the finish of the run I was pretty tired but no pain or discomfort and I wasn't walking funny like I typically do after 18+ milers. I guess my body is getting used to this long distance stuff. Despite spending a lot of time in the car directly after the run my legs were fine on Sunday. None of the typical trouble walking up or down stairs. Kind of scary. I think this may also be contributed to the fact that I have been drinking chocolate milk non-stop since research came out showing it was more beneficial than gatorade after a workout. (But that's just a theory)
So I was a little disappointed that I didn't feel as good as I did the week before at the end of the run, but realistically despite my legs feeling recovered from the previous Sunday's 21 miler they most likely were not and I should just be happy that I was able to blow through another 21 relatively easily. Here's hoping the shorter long run this weekend and lighter mileage will leave me with energy to spare at mile 21 in Boston as I crest Heartbreak Hill!
Wow I am beat. Baby shower pictures to come soon. (PS we broke out the grill tonight and had Rib Steaks, DELICIOUS!)
Total 52 minutes ~5.5 miles
10 minute warm up
8 Hill Repeat, 3 down (up/down) *= hard down
1:36.91/1:55.48
1:41.1/1:23.40*
1:40.52/2:05.12
1:42.19/1:27.55*
1:40.62/2:07.7
1:42.63/1:25.90*
1:37.26/2:08.41
1:33.81
16 minute cool down
I didn't feel bad and I didn't feel great. I was going to cut Hal's planned hill workout since it seemed opposite of "taper" in my mind, but I did not feel great on the hills during my 21 milers so I decided to keep the hills on tap.
Glad I did. I went out too hard on the first hill for sure as I wanted to either stay even or negative split the hills tonight. But both the 1:36 and the 1:37 there was a group of walkers on the hill, guess I am a show off.
I was already ready to blog about how shittily I did on the hill repeats after the second uphill but I toughed it out and did all 8 and I think I did it respectably. No clue where the 1:33 came from. I really pushed it on the bottom and crest on that one and I guess that made the difference.
Anywho back to Saturday's run.
B2 and I got out at 6:30 AM in NCres to tackle some hills and get in our last long run before official taper began.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=102403
I had mapped out 21 miles on GMAP pedometer on some loops that I knew would take us up some pretty bad ass hills but allow for recovery on the flats. Thankfully I confused Rogers and Sherman roads. If I had taken us up Sherman I don't know that we would have survived. Instead we came down it which was still pretty killer around mile 14. (Think running downhill at about a 70+% grade)
GMAP pedometer seems to be pretty accurate. B2 had his Garmin which crapped out just shy of mile 12 but up through 11 it was always just short of what GMAP had so we are calling the whole run 21 miles.
Running with B2 is nice. I don't know too many speedsters who will hold back to do a long run with those slower than them. He did dust me on all the hills though as I proclaimed every time "See you at the top." It is amazing how much ground he can gain on me in that short time span.
My stomach was not happy most of the run. I made two bathroom trips but didn't solve anything. I guess I am lucky because my whole digestive system just kind of shuts down for long runs. The problem is it still feels wonky but nothing bad will happen. Around 12 I thought I was going to lose my breakfast for sure. Nothing though.
The run went well and I think we averaged around 8:45 pace. I didn't walk any hills this time around :) But I definitely didn't feel as strong as I did in Youngstown.
At the finish of the run I was pretty tired but no pain or discomfort and I wasn't walking funny like I typically do after 18+ milers. I guess my body is getting used to this long distance stuff. Despite spending a lot of time in the car directly after the run my legs were fine on Sunday. None of the typical trouble walking up or down stairs. Kind of scary. I think this may also be contributed to the fact that I have been drinking chocolate milk non-stop since research came out showing it was more beneficial than gatorade after a workout. (But that's just a theory)
So I was a little disappointed that I didn't feel as good as I did the week before at the end of the run, but realistically despite my legs feeling recovered from the previous Sunday's 21 miler they most likely were not and I should just be happy that I was able to blow through another 21 relatively easily. Here's hoping the shorter long run this weekend and lighter mileage will leave me with energy to spare at mile 21 in Boston as I crest Heartbreak Hill!
Wow I am beat. Baby shower pictures to come soon. (PS we broke out the grill tonight and had Rib Steaks, DELICIOUS!)
Tired
So I have pretty much been going non-stop all weekend, I did catch a brief 1 hour nap Saturday after the long run, but other than that the weekend wasn't much of the usual respite I look for at the end of the week.
That's okay though because a lot of fun was had this weekend and a lot got accomplished.
Too tired to go into details right now but Friday night swam 1500 yards then attended a swanky fashion fundraiser for LLS. Pictures will be forthcoming.
Saturday morning got out with B2 bright and early to get in my second uber long run before Boston. 21 miles and 3 hours later it was officially taper time! Details on route and how I felt coming soon.
Sunday was the long distance baby shower for my SIL. That's right in a few short months David and I will be Uncle and Aunt! I helped out my other SIL and MIL to throw the shower. Lots of driving around to get last minute gifts and the video cam and to help out was done on Saturday. Sunday I was in charge of most of the decorating and videotaping the shower. Luckily I did not have to help in the kitchen so the food was delicious! Pics and perhaps some video from the baby shower to follow later in the week.
Tonight David and I got out for a 2 mile walk/jog. I missed a 50 minute bike ride this weekend, not sure if I will find time to squeeze that in being that it is taper time now. I won't hold my breath. There will be plenty of time to get reacquainted with the bike after Boston.
Sorry for the lack of details and photos but I am wiped out!
That's okay though because a lot of fun was had this weekend and a lot got accomplished.
Too tired to go into details right now but Friday night swam 1500 yards then attended a swanky fashion fundraiser for LLS. Pictures will be forthcoming.
Saturday morning got out with B2 bright and early to get in my second uber long run before Boston. 21 miles and 3 hours later it was officially taper time! Details on route and how I felt coming soon.
Sunday was the long distance baby shower for my SIL. That's right in a few short months David and I will be Uncle and Aunt! I helped out my other SIL and MIL to throw the shower. Lots of driving around to get last minute gifts and the video cam and to help out was done on Saturday. Sunday I was in charge of most of the decorating and videotaping the shower. Luckily I did not have to help in the kitchen so the food was delicious! Pics and perhaps some video from the baby shower to follow later in the week.
Tonight David and I got out for a 2 mile walk/jog. I missed a 50 minute bike ride this weekend, not sure if I will find time to squeeze that in being that it is taper time now. I won't hold my breath. There will be plenty of time to get reacquainted with the bike after Boston.
Sorry for the lack of details and photos but I am wiped out!
Yess!
I am caught up on all my blogs! Suhweet. So you have all been read! If I didn't comment its because I am at a lack of words today, well really for a few weeks I have been lacking in the witty comment department.
Got out and ran in the dark by myself again tonight. Hopefully this does not become a regular Thursday thing. I need to drag my butt out of bed earlier!
So about 8 miles in an hour and ten minutes with two significant hills.
It is WARM out! I am getting worried that Boston is going to be hot again. I lose fluids like nobody's business. I think I lost about 4 pounds of water tonight while running. My head started to hurt about 30 minutes after dinner but after downing a glass of water it feels better.
I need to take fluids out with me next time for sure.
Got out and ran in the dark by myself again tonight. Hopefully this does not become a regular Thursday thing. I need to drag my butt out of bed earlier!
So about 8 miles in an hour and ten minutes with two significant hills.
It is WARM out! I am getting worried that Boston is going to be hot again. I lose fluids like nobody's business. I think I lost about 4 pounds of water tonight while running. My head started to hurt about 30 minutes after dinner but after downing a glass of water it feels better.
I need to take fluids out with me next time for sure.
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