support

Yesterday, I planned to tackle 17mi. My longest training run so far. And thankfully, with the help of three awesome friends, I made it. It wasn't pretty and I may have whined a bit, but slowly we got the miles ticked off.

The first leg was 10mi round trip to Melrose and back. Lauren, who I'll be running the Baystate Half Marathon with, joined me for this leg. It was a gorgeous morning for a long run and I was so glad Lauren decided to run with me! Who gets out of bed to run a crazy amount of miles on a day off with you? A good friend. It was fun to see an old familiar running route through a friend's eyes. We ran mostly 9:45-10min/miles. It felt great in the moment, but I knew I'd probably pay for it later. 

9.5mi in the books!

My next leg was on my own. I had another 3.5mi to cover before meeting up with my next support crew. I ran around the lake the opposite way I normally do. By then it was starting to get pretty warm (70deg) and I was starting to feel the effects of the first 10mi at a sub 10min/mi pace. But I forged on, walked just a little bit and got to my house a few minutes before Jocelyn and Matt arrived.

I warned them it would be slow - and I didn't disappoint! By this time, I'd ticked off 13mi and had just 4 more measly miles left. Somehow these are the hardest. You may recognize Jocelyn, she's made appearances in the blog before - Great Bay Half, Applefest Half, along with countless other training runs. On this particular day, Joc was the one who was coaching me through the last mile. Helping me visualize the various markers along the way. "Just run to the light. You can make it to the water fountain. Get over this last little hill. Keep going!" So helpful when my legs felt like jelly beneath me! We finished, and I collapsed.

just before heading out on the final four

I have a few theories as to why this 17miler was so tough: 1. it was flippin' hot! 2. I knew I didn't have enough to eat - by the time I got to mile 10, I was a little nauseous and didn't take anything...by the time I hit 13, I knew it was too late. 

What made it bearable and doable was having awesome friends coming alongside me. Thanks for the support, you guys!!

38.5

This is happening. For real. The NYC Marathon is just 38.5 days away!! I don't think I've been this excited for a race (especially a marathon) since Boston. After 5 years of dreaming, in 5.5wks my dream will come true. I will run through all five boroughs, enjoy the crowds, and get my finisher's medal in Central Park. I canNOT wait.

Everyone I've talked to who has run this race says to just enjoy it. Soak in the crowds, pay attention to the differences in the neighborhoods, talk to other runners. I'm not anticipating a record breaking race for me (I always say that, don't I?), but rather I want to do all the things above. I want this to be an experience that I will talk about like I talk about Boston - if you haven't heard me talk about it, I consistently say it was one of the very best days of my life, and still gets me choked up when I think about it.

I still have a few more long runs, and two more half marathons, in the training plan. I still have some planning to do with the schedule for the weekend. I still need to figure out how to carry my fuel with their rule of no packs. I still need to figure out what I'm going to wear!! All this will get taken care of, no doubt. Right now, I can focus on getting as ready as I can to have a fun, awesome experience.

That currently consists of eating well (again, I am working on a post about this...), diligently cross-training, and getting in 3 runs a week. It will inevitably consist of saying no to something fun so I can have time for a run or workout and saying no to something tasty and delicious, but currently placed on the "can't have" list.

So even though I may be Captain No-Fun for 38.5 days, on November 2nd it will all be worth it.

wicked

This past Saturday was the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem, MA. Despite the ridiculously early start time (7am), it was a great race! Well executed, friendly volunteers and a beautiful course.

The day started at 5am when I woke up to make breakfast, consisting of two small sweet potatoes and coffee. (More on why it wasn't a bagel or some other carb-loaded bread-y food in another post.) Steve picked Jayme and I up at 6am and we were on our way - just as the sun was coming up.

The race started and ended at Salem Willows. The course took us into downtown Salem, up Rt 114 into Marblehead, past Devereux Beach, and around Marblehead Neck. If you look to the right when first entering the Neck, you can see a beautiful skyline of Boston and the coast over the ocean. The Neck is a bit hilly and this proved to be the toughest part of the race for both Steve and Jayme.   

Luckily, we had some fans waiting for us at different spots. Kirsten, Jon-Mark, and Nevaeh showed up at a few different spots to offer some high-fives and encouragement. That is always much appreciated!! 

I stayed with Steve for most of the race; until the last half mile when Jayme caught up to us. I ran the last half mile with her - and she jumped right in front of me at the last minute to beat me... - then headed back onto the course to run in with Steve. Somehow, I must have gotten too close to the timing mats too many times because I do not appear in the official results. :( There is photographic proof that I was there, though!

I would definitely consider doing this one again. Even though it was such an early start. I loved running this loop (I often have for training runs) and I loved running with friends!! Up next, on Oct 5th is Smuttynose with Brenda! Can't wait!

Here's a little before and after:

i'm so glad it's fall

Don't get me wrong, I love summer. I love going to the beach, I love the hot sun on my face, I love tank tops and flip flops. But I don't love to run in the summer. The heat, the humidity, the getting up at the crack of dawn to try and beat both of those things... It is miserable. I'm not one to complain too much about that kind of stuff, but I really do dislike those three things - in regards to running.

So while part of me is miffed that it has turned so cool so quickly, part of me is doing a dance of joy inside. Today's run was after work; cool and cloudy. I noticed the small amount of people walking, running, and biking around the lake and thought to myself, "People, where are you?! You're missing the best weather!" But then I realized not everyone thinks cool and cloudy is the best time to be outside. Weirdos. ;)

I'm looking forward to a crisp, cool half marathon this Saturday. I love when the air is cool, but the sun is nice and bright, the sky is a brilliant blue, and the leaves have yet to fully turn. This is my very favorite time to run. And that's a good thing, too. Only 6 weeks to Marathon Day!!!

labor day

So remember how I signed up last minute to run a 25K race this past weekend? Well, it happened yesterday. If you're in the Boston area, you know that it was reeeeeeeeeeeeally hot and humid yesterday.

Here's a quick race recap (with pics!) and what I spent the rest of the day doing:

The race started at 8am which meant I needed to get up before the crack of dawn (always fun on a day off) to eat breakfast by 6am. Shortly after, I headed up to Gloucester. The race has been going on for a number of years so they've got the details mostly right. Easy packet pick up, clearly marked race, friendly volunteers. Yesterday's race could have used a couple more water stops, but that's just because of how hot it was.

The course is described as having 16 crazy hills - which is the truth. But thankfully, most of them are within the first half. The last 5 or so miles are mostly flat or gentle rolling hills. Except for the very last hill - which is within a quarter mile of the finish line and is extremely steep. The one hill that got to me the most (that I have run a number of time, most recently during the Twin Lights Half) was the one coming out of downtown Rockport. It just goes on and on and on. I admit I walked up the majority of it.

Another great thing about this race is the amount of stuff at the finish. Lots of water, Gatorade, bananas, bagels, watermelon, oranges, and juice. I partook of all of it. I don't even really like Gatorade, but after such a hot race, I downed an entire 16oz bottle very quickly.

You might not think there'd be spectators at a race like this, but there actually are! A lot of the course is along residential streets so people will stand at the end of their driveways (with their delicious, hot coffee) or hang out of their porches or windows.

My goal was to finish, and that's just what I did. Not as well as in 2012, but not as poorly as 2009. A respectable 2:43:50, 10:30min/mile.

After the race (and after getting a very large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts), I met up with friends and headed to Crane's Beach. My first and (probably) last trip to the beach this summer. It was a perfect day at the beach, the best way to recover from a long run. We also stopped at Russell Orchards for apple cider donuts. It was hands down the best donut I've ever eaten. After that it was watermelon margaritas, yummy pizza, and lots of just hanging out and having fun together. Hope your Labor Day was just a perfect as mine was!