Boston Recap

For those who don't want to read the entire post: I ran a 3:35:59...a PR by a minute and 9 seconds!

Prior to Leaving
The week before I left, I battled a terrible cold. I barely ran and had so much pressure in my chest, I had to get a Z-pack. I gradually started feeling better, and by Monday, I was pretty much back to normal. We left for Boston immediately after work on Friday, but little did I know what my school had in store for me before I left!

Everyone at work is always supportive about my running. They always ask questions and seem legitimately interested in my training. On Friday, I showed up for work, and all the ladies had on green. I was wondering if I missed the memo, and then they told me that they wore green for good luck in my honor! I thought that was so thoughtful. Then, on our morning show, they wished me luck and did all Boston Marathon fun facts. Of course, all the kids in my classes wanted to know about the race, so I spent some time telling them about it. 7th period came around, and four girls (good kids) never showed up for class. My other students told me they were called to the office, so I didn't do anything for awhile. About a half hour into class, I noticed my class staring at the clock and whispering to each other, so I thought something might be up, so I didn't call them on it.

With about 20 minutes left in the day, the principal came in and told my students to drop their pencils, and get out of there. They all ran off, and he told me to come with him. As he walked me downstairs, I noticed that there was noone in any of the classrooms. I told him I was getting very nervous, and he told me I should be. As we walked closer to the downstairs, I started to hear screaming and the band. I then realized that they were doing this for me. I immediately felt my face get red, and I told him that I couldn't go down there. He walked me downstairs to the entire 7th grade cheering for me with signs. The band was playing and everything. The one girl in my homeroom was standing in the middle of the lobby with a microphone and then handed me a framed copy of the Runner's Prayer. I almost lost it, but then she started reading the history of the Boston Marathon so I was able to compose myself. The principal then said some words about how proud they were of me, and gave me some Gatorade. The ladies I work with gave me a gift card to a spa as well! Apparently, the kids in my homeroom came up with this idea, and everyone helped them pull it off. I was and still am so touched and I couldn't believe that they did this for me running a race. I am so lucky to work with such great people and kids.

Boston Trip
We arrived at our hotel around 11 PM on Friday night and immediately went to bed. Saturday morning we woke up and went to the Race Expo. It was crazy! There were so many people and vendors. I bought some merchandise, got my bib and packet, then we left for our duck tour. The weather was terrible. It was cold and rainy, and while I booked the Duck Tour almost a month ago, we really weren't looking forward to it when we saw the weather. Lucky for us, it was covered! It was an enjoyable tour, and we were able to familiarize ourselves with Boston. After the tour, we went to see the finish area, which was pretty neat. We then went back to our hotel to change, and our friend, Kevin, who lives in Boston picked us up. Kevin took us to Downtown Boston and showed us the sights. He then took us to Cambridge to show us Harvard. We went to a great Mexican restaurant and had some great food and margaritas. After dinner, Kevin got us tickets to see Martin Sexton at the House of Blues. It was a great show. For someone I never heard of, he was really good! After the show, Peg and I went back to the hotel, and Aaron went out with Kevin for some guy time.
At the Expo


Finish Line


On Sunday, we took our time getting moving in the morning. We took the T into Boston and walked around Quincy Market. We ate lunch at a cute Irish pub before going to the Red Sox game. Again, the weather was terrible. Fenway was very neat to see, and luckily, our seats were under cover. The Sox lost, but we had a good time at the game. After the game, we met up with Kevin and went to the North End for some Italian food. Our dinner was fabulous! That is such a cute section of Boston. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and I was in bed by 9:30. I actually slept pretty well.

Quincy Market


Fenway




Race Day
I woke up around 5:30 on Monday morning. I got all my stuff together and Aaron walked me to the T. I took the train to downtown Boston and just followed the crowd of runners to Boston Common. The line for the buses was HUGE. I made friends with people I was standing in line with and we finally got our bus around 7:45. The ride to Hopkinton took forver. We were on the bus for about an hour and a half. When we got to the Athlete's Village, I immediately got in line for the Porta Potty. By the time I got out, I only had enough time to get dressed and pin my gels to my shorts. We saw the jets fly over at the start of the first wave which was pretty cool! I immediately went to check my bag, and followed the crowd to the start of Wave 2. It was a .7 mile walk. I felt like we were walking forever. I got to the corrals with 7 minutes to the gun, and I was at corral 27. I was in corral 15, which was closer to the start line. Wave 2 featured corrals 14-27, so mine was towards the front closer to the start. The problem was there were people everywhere. I saw people with lower bibs running across lawns to bypass the crowds, so I followed suit. I got to my corral with about 3 minutes to gun time slightly out of breath. For someone who is always early, this made me flustered. They were really strict about letting people into my corral. You had to show your bib, or you weren't getting in. The nice thing about the corral system is that everyone in my corral had close to the same qualifying time as me. So we were all pretty much the same level runner.

The gun went off, and it took me about 2 minutes to cross the start...not bad! I felt pretty good, but got hot immediately. It pained me, but I threw away my nice pink tech long sleeve shirt. I didn't want to carry it the entire race, so I ditched it around mile 2. At least it will be donated to charity. My corral went out kinda fast, so I hoped I didn't regret it. I'll post my splits later, but it was faster than i anticipated. The crowds were absolutely amazing. There were people the entire course. The first half of the course was pretty easy, some downhill with some slight rollers.

I carried a water bottle (disposable), which held me over til about mile 8 when I took my first gel. Right after I took my gel, my legs started to feel a little heavy. I kept my pace up, but I had a feeling that the race was not going to go well. Everytime I doubted myself, I thought of all the people who were tracking me and I didn't want to disappoint. I tried to slow myself down to around 8:20, but I just kept plugging along the 8:00-8:10 range. When we got to the half, I was around 1:46, which was a half PR for me. This was also the section of Wellesley College. It was awesome. All the girls had signs that read "Kiss me, I'm Polish" or "Kiss me, I'm Italian" or "Kiss me, I'm a Senior." Many of the guys stopped for kisses. I ran though and high fived a bunch of them! I took my second (and last) gel around mile 14.

After the half, I started anticipating the Newton Hills. I wasn't sure when they were coming, but I knew it was soon. I didn't look over the course profile too much before the race because I didn't want to anticipate the hills, but I did anyway, and wished I knew exactly when they were coming. We hit some downhills after the half, so I coasted them. My legs felt tight and heavy, and I worked to keep my pace up. I honestly kept waiting to crash and burn, so I thought if I could bank enough time, I could still have a good overall marathon (which is a terrible racing strategy). I started stopping at almost every water station for Gatorade. I could feel the salt on my face from the sweat which made me nervous about my electrolytes and sodium. I kept thinking about my disasterous NJ Marathon, and didn't want a repeat. I would grab a cup and jump off the course so I didn't get in the way of anyone to chug it down. It didn't take me long at all, and I almost immediately caught up to the people I was running with (not really with, but at the same time). One lady kept trying to talk to me, but I wasn't having it. I wasn't being rude, but I was running a marathon, not making friends!

We reached the Newton hills around Mile 16 and they really sucked. The crowds were great, but they were steeper than I thought. Everyone told me that they were overrated, but I disagree. They are quality hills. By the time Heartbreak Hill came around mile 20.5, I really wanted to cry. It wasn't that Hearbreak was that steep..it was just ANOTHER hill to run up. My legs were dead at that point, but I ran every step. Many people walked, but I refused. After Heartbreak was the Boston College section, which was awesome. Those kids know how to party. They were all hammered, but they were great cheerleaders. One guy pointed right at me and said "15220, You are a champion." That really got me moving! What disappointed me was that they said the course was all downhill after Heartbreak, and that was a lie. There were some rollers. Finally around mile 24, I could see the Citgo sign, which I knew was the mile to go sign. The crowds at this point were absolutely amazing. I wished I could enjoy them more, but it took everything I had to keep moving. I never even took my last gel because I was afraid if I stopped, I would cramp up and not be able to get moving again. I skipped all the water stations too, just so I could get to the finish line quicker. We ran past Fenway, and I finally reached the Citgo sign. I tried to focus on all the people and I kept repeating to myself "If it was easy, everyone would do it." I kept thinking of the send off my school gave me, and it really gave me strength, when I thought I couldn't run another step. I started looking for Aaron, who told me he was by the Hynes Convention Center, near the finish, but I wasn't sure how close that was. Every time we rounded a corner, I was hoping to see the finish only to be disappointed. Finally, we rounded a corner (Boylston St.), I saw the finish and my family at the same time. They were right up in front, and I managed a wave. I kept moving with everything I had towards the finish. I knew I was going to PR, but I wasn't sure by how much. Right at the end, there were two chutes, one for Wave 1 and one for Wave 2, so my finishing pic will have close to the right time! Every clock on the course annoyed me because they all started timing with wave 1, so I had to subtract a half hour...thank goodness for Garmin. At the end, I saw a guy raise his hands, so I tried to do the same. I hope the finishing pic comes out good!

Immediately after finishing, I felt like collapsing. Some people did and were in wheelchairs. For one minute, I thought I was going to pass because I saw stars. I just held on to a railing, and the feeling passed. I immediately started drinking water, and was then given Gatorade. I got my mylar blanket, and started freezing. I was so hot on the course, but as soon as I stopped, I felt the wind. They gave us our medals and a bag of food. The chute was probably a block long. Then I was directed to get my bag. The bus with my bag was the LAST bus. So I had to walk and walk and walk. I got my bag, called Aaron, who told me they were at the family meeting area at the "M." Of course, the M was the LAST Sign. It was around the block. I started to get tears in my eyes because I was so frustrated, and I felt like I couldn't walk another step. One lady must have noticed, because she told me congratulations and that I should be proud of myself. I finally saw the M and Aaron, Peg, and Kevin were all there ready to give me hugs. Aaron got me some flower, and Peg was holding my signs. Aaron helped me put on my Boston Jacket (which I refused to wear until I finished). I thought we were going to have to walk to a T then back to the hotel, but luckily we found a cab.

Overall it was a great experience. I feel such pride knowing that I accomplished this amazing feat. Many people work years to get there, and I feel like I had it easier than most. I managed to PR on a difficult course and couldn't be happer. I am definitely taking some time off from running to let my body heal. This summer, I am going to focus on some shorter distances and hope to love running again. While I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, I am done marathoning for awhile!

Here are my splits from my Garmin:
1 8:04
2 8:02
3 7:58
4 7:47
5 8:09 (I tried to slow down after mile 4)
6 8:01
7 8:03
8 8:08
9 8:09
10 8:09
11 8:14
12 8:01
13 8:08
14 8:02
15 8:12
16 7:56 (downhill before the hills)
17 8:24
18 8:21
19 8:03
20 8:18
21 8:39 (Heartbreak Hill)
22 8:07
23 8:14
24 8:21
25 8:26
26 8:29
.2 3:43 (not totally accurate as Garmin says I ran 26.47 miles)
Overall pace: 8:15

Here are some finishing pics

On the Road

I am leaving for Boston today! It was a crappy week of "training." I had/have a terrible chest cold. I took three days off running, and ran some slow miles later in the week. I am feeling better, but not 100%. Lucky for me, I still have 2 more days to recover. The weather doesn't look great for our weekend in Boston. All I have to say, is if I have to run another marathon in the rain, I will not be happy. My bib is 15220 if anyone wants to track me on the bostonmarathon.com web site. I will post a full report when I get back! Wish me luck!!!

April 19th can't come soon enough

March mileage: 181 miles. Almost a mileage high, but last Sept. I ran 182...I knew I should have skipped that 5 miler in Week 14!

I am sick of running. I get this way every training cycle, but I seriously have no motivation right now. It took alot to get out there for 12 on Saturday. Thank goodness, I only have short runs left. I am slightly nervous because I feel I am putting forth alot of effort to run my usual paces. Last cycle, I felt awesome at this point. Every time I would look down at my watch, I surprised myself with how fast I was going...not this time. I was seriously wondering if my garmin was working properly when I looked down and saw 9:15 today on a 4-miler. I felt like I was going much quicker! Of course, this makes me question my marathon. I know I need to trust the taper, and it's only taper madness, but the mind can be a hard thing to control.

My aunt, uncle, and cousin got me an awesome basket in honor of my running Boston. It has a Boston visor, coffee mug, pin, gatorade, powerade, coke, GU, protein bars, bandaids, biofreeze, etc. They are a running family, so they "get" it. My uncle has run Boston several times and is an amazing runner, so he has really been an inspiration and support throughout this journey! I have been feeling down about myself lately, so this helped me see the support that I do have.

I also ordered my Boston jacket. I was undecided about ordering one. It is bright teal and yellow and very flashy! I tend to be a modest person and really couldn't see myself wearing this jacket...especially to local races because I feel that I'm not "that" good to prance around in a jacket like that. After talking to my uncle, he convinced me to buy it. I know I earned it, so I splurged and spent the bucks on it. Once it comes, it will stay unworn until I finish the race. Then, I need to work up the courage to wear it. It looks like a good running jacket anyway.

Our trip is shaping up too. Aaron and my mother-in-law will be joining me for the big weekend. My parents can't come because my sister's bridal shower is the following weekend, so they have to get ready for that. We are driving to Boston immediately after work (my work) on Friday the 16th. I figure if we leave around 3:30/4:00, we should get there by 11 (hopefully). Saturday, we plan to hit the expo first thing in the morning and do the Ride the Ducks Tour at 1. Aaron wasn't sure what this was until he watched Undercover Boss, now he is ready to kill me, but I really enjoyed it in Philly. I would also like to hit Quincy Market and walk part of the Freedom Trail. Sunday, I am going to try to take it easy. We got Red Sox tickets, so I will be sitting for most of the day. I am not sure what else we will do, except have a nice Italian dinner possibly in the North End. Aaron's good friend lives in Boston, so hopefully we will meet up with him and he can give us some suggestions. We are leaving right after the race on Monday, so we won't get home until late. I already took Tuesday off to recover! I can't believe it is here already. In fact, 2 weeks from this moment, it will be over and we will be driving home. Wow!

Week 17 Schedule
Monday- 4 miles
Tuesday- 6 miles
Wednesday- 30 min tempo (4 miles)
Friday- 4 miles
Long Run of 8 miles.....Monday the 12th! I want to get on track for a Monday marathon.

Total: 26 miles...yay!

Taper time!

I just capped off a 55 mile week and I feel awesome! Friday....10 mile pace run at 8:19 and Saturday 20 mile long run at 8:58...enough said! I am right where I want to be and I have been running really well. You can never predict what is going to happen during a marathon because so many things are out of your control, but I have had a great, pretty healthy training cycle. Granted, I still feel exhausted over 24 hours after my 20 yesterday, but it is now taper time.

Of course, I couldn't have good weather for my 20-miler. It was 20 degrees when I woke up, so i dressed for winter. I headed up to the levee since isn't supposed to be gusty, and it was fine. I ran my levee route and headed to Wilkes Barre. I decided to head down Riverside Drive to see the nice houses, which coincidentally is a block away from where I lived during my college years. Low and behold, I spotted an opening to the levee. I started running, and it was a whole new levee that I never experienced! It was a great scenic run. I never realized that there was a paved levee on that part of the river. I ran all the way to the end which ended up being 11 miles into my run. I was a little nervous because there was literally noone around and it was a very desolate area, but that is just me being paranoid. On my way back, I stopped at Wilkes U's student union building to use the bathroom and fill up my handheld. I figured between the tuition I paid for my bachelor's and master's, they owed me a pit stop!

On my way back, I struggled a little. 20 miles is a long way no matter the shape that you are in. As I was running through Kirby Park, I watched a Ultimate Frisbee tournament, and I was so engrossed, that I ran off the path. Haha.... I don't think anyone noticed.

So here I am, 3 weeks from Boston. I think my goal is going to be to beat my Steamtown time of 3:37. If I don't, I really don't care. I want to enjoy the race and take it all in. I am super excited to go and experience all that Boston has to offer. I want to do all the touristy things and have a good time. I just need to stay injury free for the next three weeks, which hopefully, won't be a problem.

On another note...my new shoes suck! They have been okay on the shorter runs, but after my 20, I have a big blister on my pinkie toe. Also, several of my toenails hurt. I have yet to lose a toenail through 4 training cycles, and I don't intend to start now. I think I may be wearing my old shoes for the actual marathon, once I get them cleaned up a bit.

Here is Week 16 Schedule:

Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: 6 x hill or 5 miles depending on my mood. I may move this run to Thursday since we have a happy hour after work on Wed. and I am off for Easter Break on Thursday.
Friday: 4 mile pace
Saturday: 12 miles
Total: 34 miles

Ups and Downs

Well last week was interesting to say the least. As I wrote on Monday, I skipped Monday’s run and then ran Tues-Friday. I only ran a total of 29 miles! When I went to run on Tuesday, I just didn’t feel right. My legs were still feeling fatigued from last Saturday’s 20. Then for the rest of the week I had some calf pain. This made me extremely nervous because it happens to be every cycle. Last cycle, I was seeing a chiropractor, so she helped work out the knots. All last week, I foam rolled and used the stick religiously. I did my long run of 12 on Friday because I wanted a day of rest in case I decided to race on Sunday (which I did!).

I wore new shoes for my long run: Mizuno Wave Nirvana 6s. These are a newer model than my last ones, and I called the company to ask about fit. They told me that they would fit and wear the same. Well, I wore them on my run and they felt terrible! The side of my foot was killing me and it rubbed my pinkie toe. I had that pain on the side of my foot all day on Saturday. Since I ran in them, they can’t be returned and they were $120. I am going to test them out on some shorter runs to see if I get used to them. I hope my issues are in my head. Otherwise, I will be wearing my old shoes for the rest of this cycle.

That brings me to: RACE DAY! Many people advised me against it, but I just couldn’t resist. I ran the Winter’s End 4.5 miler for the last two years, and I wanted to see where my speed is compared to last year. I wasn’t sure of my expectations because I am a little run down from the training and I wasn’t sure how my calves were going to feel. I got there early, registered, and warmed up a little. It was a record turnout: about 170 runners. I thought my age group was 20-29, and I saw a really good local triathlete who is about 22 there. I knew she would beat me, but I was hoping for 2nd. Usually at the Strider’s races they only give out awards for the top 2 in each age group. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces who were dressed like they were seasoned runners.

I lined up towards the front. I used to feel self-conscious about lining up towards the front, but I can hold my own and I am sick of dodging and weaving at the beginning of the race. When the gun went off, I took off just to get out of the crowd. I hit mile 1 at 6:15….wayyyy too fast for me! I was running with some of the leaders (women…not the eventual winner though…she smoked everyone right from the beginning). Many of these women beat me at all of the races, so I let them go ahead a bit. My legs were burning and I still had 3.5 miles to go!
This race isn’t as easy as it looks. While there are no big hills, there are some rollers and I definitely felt them. It is an out and back course and towards the turnaround, the course is on a dirt surface. It isn’t even and there was some gravel, so I was extremely careful with my footing. The thought of falling entered my mind, so I pretty much ran looking at the ground. At the turnaround, I saw that I was the 6th female. I was pretty far ahead of the 7th place girl and the top 5 were pretty far ahead of me. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to catch them, and I was pretty sure I could hold off the rest of the competition. And that was pretty much what happened. I was the 6th female in 32:08 (7:09 pace). Last year, I ran 33:30 so this is a big improvement. I felt good and am pleased with this time. I wasn’t sure if I was going to place in my age group, since I knew the one girl beat me, and I didn’t know how old the 2nd place girl was. It turned out that they split the age group, so in the 25-29 group, I got 1st! I would have had 2nd if they didn’t split it. Plus, they gave out 3rd place awards too. I guess because of the record field. So all in all, it was a good race.

This week marks my final “Peak” week. Here’s the schedule:
Sunday: I am counting the race as 5 with the warm-up.
Monday: 5 recovery
Tuesday: 10
Wednesday: Supposed to do 8x800, but I may just do 5, since I just did some speed.
Friday: 10 pace
Saturday: 20, but I may do 21 since I did that for Steamtown and it worked for me.
Total mileage: 56 miles

skipped run

I skipped my run today and I feel good about it. I honestly just didn't feel it. I had a dentist appt after work, then dinner at my parents, and now that I am home, I just don't feel like hopping on the treadmill for five miles. It's only five miles, it's a cutback week, and I am still a little run down from Saturday's run from hell. So I ate some leftover birthday cake and I am quite happy to sit on my rear end for the rest of the evening!

Running with a Parachute

The title sums up my 20-miler today. It was the worst, most difficult run I think I have ever run. It reminded me so much of the NJ marathon. The forecast was terrible: rain and high winds. The weather guy said the rain will be horizontal rain! The forecast said the rain will be heavier in the afternoon so I wanted to be out the door kinda early.

First off, I did 10 miles at 8:22 yesterday which I am super excited about. I ran up on the levee and it was very windy and drizzling a little. I worked hard and kept the pace up. I probably should have stuck to the streets as it is always windy down by the river, but I got spoiled running up there this week. It is nice not to worry about cars for a change! Also, there are some little hills to run up and down. I went to bed around 10 last night because I was tired from the tough workout and I wanted to get up early to get the 20 over with this morning.

It was around 40 degrees so I wore a tech shirt and breathable pants (from Target!). I then threw on one of Aaron's old windbreakers from around 1995! It was an extra large, but it had a hood and seemed water proof. I wore a baseball hat (which I hate running with!) and put my ipod shuffle in a ziplock bag so it wouldn't get ruined. When I headed out, it wasn't even raining! The windbreaker wasn't breathable, so I got pretty sweaty right away. It was a terrible feeling keeping all that heat in, but I knew I would appreciate the jacket later. The direction I started running was so windy! My heart rate was up after one mile, so I decided right then and there not to worry about pace, just get the miles in. Around mile 2, I switched directions and ran all the way down Wyoming Ave...from Denison to the Gateway, and it wasn't bad for about 4miles. It started to rain a bit, but never really hard.

It is very difficult to get 20 miles in, so I ventured over to Wilkes Barre before I headed towards West Pittston. I ran through my college campus, but it was desolate. Everyone was on spring break. The campus is looking good, and even though I live pretty close to it, I don't check it out too often. Around 8 miles in (semi windy), I had to turn around.

Oh the wind! I ran into a headwind for 8 straight miles! It was so hard. I really felt like I had a parachute on. It reminded me of my old track days when we did resistance training with an actual parachute strapped to our backs. I was running as hard as I could and was just not moving! I honestly felt like crying numerous times. I was just so miserable and drained. I got to West Pittston shopping center, and turned around. It was like a switch was turned. Immediately, there was no wind! It made me question my sanity because I honestly couldn't even tell it was blowing. It was just in that one direction. I looked at my pace, and for about two miles, it was right where it should be (9:00ish). Then, for the last 3 miles, my legs were dead, my energy was gone, and I shuffled home. I think I ruined my shoes though. They are black from dirt! I have over 500 miles on them anyway, so I am going to order a fresh pair for the marathon. On a positive note, I wasn't all that wet. The heavy rain held off!

It was super scared to check the pace, and when I looked, I actually am kinda happy with it: 9:17 per mile. I thought it was going to be MUCH worse. It was such a hard 20-miler, I am thankful I only have one more left in two weeks. When I came home, I took a shower and went back to bed for 2 hours. I haven't done a darn thing all day but lay around. OK, I did go to McDonald's for a Shamrock shake...I earned one! My legs currently feel tired and slightly stiff and sore. I am walking normally and can go up and down stairs without a problem, but my calves feel like rocks! I just hope I don't get any muscle spasms tonight.

I also need to decide if I am going to run that 4.5 miler next weekend. I am leaning towards it, but will probably decide for sure on Thursday. If I decide, I will run 5 days straight and do my long run on Friday so I can rest on Saturday and have fresh legs on Sunday. We'll see.

Personally, I had a great birthday. So many people made a big deal out of my birthday, I feel so blessed. I had one of my friends at work make me brownies, and another make me cupcakes. Several of my classes made me cards (kinda a big deal for 7th graders to make the effort). Aaron made me breakfast and dinner! On Friday, my homeroom girls from last year got me a little cake. We also went out for dinner with my best bud Stacey and her husband. Today, we are going out with my family for hibachi. I also got tons of cards, texts, calls, and facebook posts. I'm a lucky girl!