Boston Marathon, April 19, 2010 - Part 2

Amby Burfoot reading from his new book "Going Long"

At the 26.2 mile mark (at the expo)

Cheers bar

Cool but dangerous looking ceiling in the ladies room at Bin 26 on Charles Street

Not so nice side of Boston in Little Italy (Go Yankees!)

Sunday began with sleeping/lounging a bit which I never do. I played around on the iPhone and was really in no hurry to rush out to do anything. I thought about a quick run but then realized that another Runner's World seminar was starting around 10am or so and I had little time to get there so I didn't have time and if I ran there I couldn't bring my purse and copy of RW magazine which I hoped to get signed by some RW staffers. So I rushed to get ready and for some reason decided to walk again (taxi would probably have been a lot faster), this time a better route through Boston Common. I stopped for a quick (which actually took too long) bite and coffee on the way and then ended up needing to literally sprint in my jeans with my purse to the expo center to make the seminar in time.

Bart Yasso was just finishing introducing the RW staffers who were going to discuss "How to Run Your Best Boston" as I arrived. It was a good seminar with each editor sharing their Boston experiences. Mark Remy had the funniest list of "how to run your worst Boston", so it really was a fun session. I decided in the end to stay for the next session with Amby Burfoot and David Willey and another RW writer who each read excerpts from their new book "Going Long". It was also a great session and I am sure I'll buy the book soon but have not yet. I got to talk with David and Amby after the session and they even signed by RW magazine, which was very nice of them. Definitely a great day for a runner thus far!

I headed back to the expo to check out some things I had missed the day before. I am sure I didn't even get to see everything, it was huge. In the end I decided to head back to the hotel and to stop and get my pre-race stuff on the way. First I had lunch (pasta and a splash of wine) at Bin 26 (I think it was 26?) on Charles Street. Then I picked up the race staples (bananas, gatorade, water, etc) and the DeLuca Market across the street. Finally a trip to CVS to get a few unmentionables (um we can say that some antibiotics have a bad effect and leave it at that). Then back to the hotel for a very short nap before dinner.

I met up w. Brandi from RTR to walk over to meet Tom and friends for an early carb loading dinner in Little Italy. On the way we saw a lovely display of Boston Red Sox pride, a Yankees Suck t-shirt so I had to snap a picture even though I am a Yankee fan. Dinner at Lucia's was nice. We met a few others from Tom's running group. We headed back from dinner fairly early to turn in early. On the way Brandi decided she needed some sweat pants and some very persuasive local shop owners convinced her that their fine high quality sweat pants that said "Italia" down one leg were just want she needed, for a bargain at $40. I fear that if she did not purchase them we would have been followed back to the hotel and perhaps fitted with cement running shoes, but that's a story for another blog. ;-)

I think I organized and reorganized my running stuff many times but actually slept better than I usually do the night before a race. In fact I had no race related dreams at all which is probably a first. Just goes to show how much in denial I was about this whole marathon thing actually happening on my lovely vacation to Boston!

Continued in part 3...

Boston Marathon, April 19, 2010 - Part 1

At the finish line on Saturday, Apr 17, in case I didn't make it back there on Monday!

Meeting Bill Rodgers after a 2 hr wait

Bill signed my race bib

Bart Yasso tells stories from

his book "My Life on the Run"

Boston is the "holy grail" of distance running it seems. A short year or so ago I am not really even sure I was aware of how many long distance runners had Boston as their ultimate goal. Not sure why I was not really aware of that but for some reason I don't think I really was. Yet after setting a goal in early 2009 of running a marathon by the end of that year and then joining a running group where other runners had similar goals I guess it was only natural that I'd have to look beyond that goal and set out to achieve the next one, which was not just to finish that next marathon in under 4 hrs but then to actually qualify for Boston.

2009 was a great year for running for me, setting a lot of PRs and winning a lot of age group awards in local races. I never thought it was possible and yet not only had I achieved all those things but also managed to qualify for Boston while running the NYC Marathon. I have to say I was not sure that anything could really ever measure up to actually running and doing well in NYC. The sheer fact of qualifying was really enough and to qualify in NYC, the race I'd really always wanted to run was just the best feeling. So it would really be untrue to say "wow, going to Boston was my big dream" because really NYC was that for me.

But how many chances do you get to run Boston? I'd guess not so many so I was determined to run it this year since I qualified and also registered just in time before it closed in record time (Nov 13th, I registered Nov 2nd, the day after NYC while still in bed in the hotel room!). Shortly after arriving back home I had booked a flight and hotel for Boston as well. Gee, now all I had to do was maintain my training through the coldest winter in a long time!

I have to say I did ok through January despite very cold temps (my hair actually froze under my hat once, as did my gatorade a few times) but when Feb rolled around, work and family commitments took priority and training fell behind. I toyed with the idea of postponing until next year. However in the end I decided that likely next year would not be any better than the present. When the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon was cancelled due to snow of all things, I was somewhat relieved but quickly that turned into concern as I felt still quite under prepared. I ran the Tobacco Road Half in late March and did quite well considering the lack of training. Still I recall finishing that and thinking OMG, how in the world was I going to do that times 2 in less than one month's time?! But it was when I had my last 20 mile run the week after that (I had only done a few this time and no 22 milers) which went terrible that I began to panic. I had not been running enough during the week and it showed. So I started to try to run a few times a week in the mornings before work to try to make up for this.

It was pretty late in the game for that (3 weeks to go) and while I am not sure it really helped much physically, mentally it made me feel a bit better to put some miles in aside from the long run. Yet these were quite slow and painful miles. Literally I could never get below 8:30 pace for 4 to 5 mile runs in the morning, no matter how hard I tried. And my knees would start to hurt at 2 miles and sometimes so badly I needed to stop for a few seconds several times during the run. This was not common for me so I wondered how I was going to pull Boston off. But as time went on and I didn't defer my entry, I was too far committed to do anything else but go and run.

A few weeks prior to Boston, Tom, a friend who was also running the race, emailed some ideas on things to do in Boston and some plans his running group had. As a project manager and natural planner, it was amazing that I didn't have any plans made and up until then was just going to "wing it" but I literally had no time to plan during those last few months. So when the opportunity came to join Tom and his friends for some events I was so glad to do that and not have to plan or think about it. It was so nice for a change for someone else to do that, so thanks to Tom and friends for that!

As Boston got closer, I did begin to feel more excited about it, but perhaps that was just the idea of having a few days away from work! I did kind of block out the whole marathon part of the trip. I was going to miss my family since they were not going, but on the other hand they would likely have been very bored with the things I wanted to do (running expo, seminars, etc). Before I knew it, it was Friday, April 16th and I was packing for my trip to leave early Saturday AM.

I got up really early and headed out, wondering what was in store. Would I have fun, would I finish, would I feel ok after the race, would it be as good as NYC, etc? At the airport it was quite obvious who the Boston Marathon attendees were. I talked briefly to a few folks but mainly just sat and observed who was there. I recognized some faces from local races but didn't really know anyone well enough to start a conversation. On the plane, however, I did chat a bit with a man who was heading there with his family to run his first Boston marathon. He had also run the Fall Second Empire series as I had so we discussed that a bit as well.

The flight went well and I was able to get to the hotel pretty quickly, check in early, and unpack. Although I was tired I got over that fast, same as in NYC, and was excited to head directly to the race expo to get my number, shirt and buy some Boston Marathon stuff. I figured out on my iPhone that the hotel was less than 2 miles from the expo so I decided to walk even though it was chilly and starting to rain. I dressed as warm as I could and headed out. I had been feeling like I was getting a bit sick a few days before leaving so had gotten some antibiotics just in case, since I had some fluid in my ear that could possibly turn into an ear infection. I also discovered Afrin nasal spray, recommended by the urgent care doc, which is amazing but because several MD friends have since warned me not to get hooked on it, I have stayed away from it since Boston. Still, can't believe how well it works! Ok so enough about Afrin. While I wanted to rest and not really run on Saturday I figured a walk would be ok as long as I dressed warm, so off I headed to the expo.

It was, in the end, a good idea to walk since it helped me to get to know the area better. I passed the finish line area and took some pictures (in case I didn't ever make it there on Monday!) and then found my way to the expo where I got my race bib and t-shirt. I headed into the expo which was quite crowded but I knew to expect that after being in NYC. It was literally hard to move through the crowd but I was focused on buying a few key Boston items. I felt, while it was quite bright, I had to have the official Boston jacket for that year. I also found one that was black with a silver logo on it and debated on whether to get both or just one. In the end I convinced myself I only really had one running jacket so could really use a few more, so I got both. Since the race shirt we got as a part of the entry fee was long sleeve, I found a short sleeve one that I liked and got that. And finally I couldn't resist the teddy bears with the Boston t-shirts and in fact got 3 of them (one for each kiddling and one for me!). The line was crazy long but moved incredibly fast. On the line I also got a free poster which was pretty cool. Later I found out that the fine print background of this poster actually had the names of ALL of the entrants of the race on it. Wow, the print was very light and tiny, but I did eventually find my name on there.

After exiting the Adidas store section of the expo I wandered around a while to a variety of booths, only to find I went in a small circle and saw a t-shirt I had forgotten I wanted to buy ever since I saw it in a catalog for the marathon. It was a green cotton tee with the Boston logo and some shamrocks across the front. So I did the dreaded thing of getting BACK into the long line which again went fast.

After this I noticed a line of people that were just hanging out and not moving so I asked what the line was for and the guy at the end said it was to get Bill Rodgers autograph. That sounded great to me so I got in line. Little did I know that while the line seems pretty short, Bill Rodgers is quite a friendly guy and likes to talk a lot to each person. Great if you are that person but perhaps not so much if you are at the end of the line. Still I didn't really have any agenda or plans so I stayed put. After about 2 hours I finally got to the front. It was so great to meet Bill Rodgers and to chat for a bit. He really seemed to want to know about each runner that waited in line for him. We talked about NYC and he told me that NYC was much harder than Boston, which I wanted to believe but was somehow still skeptical. Bill signed my poster and also my race bib and I had a few pics taken with my iPhone. It was pretty cool! As I am writing this I just remembered I also have the business card of a woman from Australia that I met while on the line to see Bill and I have yet to email her so I need to do that tomorrow. She also took some pictures of me with Bill.

By this time I had not had lunch but realized that the Runner's World seminar that Bart Yasso was giving was about to start. Right around this time Tom and his friend Darren also tracked me down so we all headed to Bart's seminar. He talked about his book, My Life on the Run. I had bought the book at the expo in NYC and he had signed it, but even though I had read the book the seminar was still very entertaining. His story about his Badwater experience was hilarious. I was so glad I went. After that I was torn between attending the next session on Chi/barefoot running OR going a few stops on the T to Brookline to the Publick House pub. It was a tough decision but in the end I chose the pub. Darren stayed for the seminar and Tom and I met up with his running group friends Dan and Robert and headed to the pub.

The train ride was good as was the pub. We tried several beers and appetizers and timed it perfectly to get back for dinner at the Atlantic Fish Company. Dinner was also very nice. Robert, Dan and Darren were fun to hang out with. Tom got to meet up with his cousin who was also running the race so that was pretty cool. After dinner I turned in to get some rest with no real firm plans for the next day. That is really unsual but I decided that keeping my options open and not committing to anything may be good for a change!

To be continued in part II...

Tobacco Road Half Marathon, March 21, 2010

I am very late in writing this report on the Tobacco Road Half. My excuse is it's been a very busy 2010 so far! The Tobacco Road Half was actually my first race of 2010 and last race in the "under 40" age group. I was supposed to run another race in 2010 before this one, the Myrtle Beach Half. But as luck would have it, that race was snowed out. I did manage to get out there and run about 8 miles on the morning of the cancelled race and even attended the after party where I picked up my not so well deserved medal. All in all it was still a fun weekend despite the race not happening. I was very impressed by just how many runners didn't let a little thing like the race being cancelled stop them from having fun. There was a great sense of camaraderie out there that morning, I only wish I had run the entire half marathon course because I felt like a slacker when I heard that some ran the entire full marathon course anyway.

Ok, but back to the Tobacco Road Half....

I had been training for that race by running part of the course a few times. Still I was nervous since I hadn't been putting in the miles overall and also hadn't run a race since Dec 2009. But I was excited to run a new local race like this one, especially with so many other RTR and other running friends also doing it. The kids and Keith were away for that weekend. Though the race wasn't very far away, I got up extra early so I could carpool from Tracy's house near Thomas Brooks Park, where the race starts and ends. We packed two cars full with five people in each (a tight fit in the Jeep Wrangler for sure!) and made our way to the park. It was quite crowded and the port a potty lines were very long, so long in fact that I knew I'd never make it to the front in time. So I used what little woods and remaining cover of early AM darkness to my advantage and then ran over to the starting line to get a good spot.

I decided to start near the front by the 1:40 pace group. That was the fastest one for the half and while I figured I wouldn't run with them, since I always prefer to do my own thing, I figured it would be a good place to line up. Alexis started where I did but everyone else must have lined up farther back. The mayor of Cary announced the race start and we were off running pretty quickly. I started at a pretty fast but comfortable pace. About 1 mile or so in, a crazy guy who lives on the the road the race runs along, who clearly had somewhere important to be, sped out of his driveway directly in front of the pack of runners just in front of me. He's lucky he didn't hit anyone and he didn't get a warm reception for pulling that crazy stunt. But it certainly got the adrenaline going early on!

This first leg of the race is just under 3 miles and consists of rolling hills until you get to the Tobacco Trail. This is where the half and full marathons split and the half goes right and full goes left. I was pleasantly surprised to be cheered on by a friend from RTR, Randy, at this point. It was so nice to see some familiar faces at this race. You can't get that when you are far from home. I started to feel tired and a bit intimidated the minute we hit the trail. It's just strange to race there for me. I could only see a few runners ahead of me and heard the crunching of the fine gravel/dirt trail with every step. Very different than a road race for sure.

By mile 6 or so, I ended up running next to an older gentleman who was keeping the pace pretty well. He seemed to be really enjoying the day and chatting with folks here and there. After getting to about mile 7, the front runners started to head towards us and they were staying to the right instead of following the signs that said to stay left. It was at that point that I knew the older gentleman running near me was actually one of the race founders since he began immediately to redirect the runners and volunteers (sometimes very passionately!). He even ran back to ensure things were all fixed. I commended him later on his leadership skills as I passed him going the other direction after I hit the turnaround at mile 8. Even with doubling back I later found out he didn't finish very far behind me! Also later found out he'd run Boston several times.

I was very happy to hit mile 8 and turn around but quickly realized that as cool as it was to know a lot of people in the race it was also a bit distracting to be running in the opposite direction of them and saying hi while you are starting to get tired. By mile 9 I had had enough of the trail part of the course and was looking forward to a change in scenery. Plus by that time the crowd heading North on the trail was very large and there was too little space for those now heading South. I felt I was nearly being run off the road a few times. I kept saying to myself that all would improve at mile 10 when we'd make the left (thus the need to keep left and not right) onto the road again. It was nice to see some RTR friends manning the aid stations along the way. Dan was at mile 6 and 10 and Brandy, Kristine and Heiko were at the "unofficial" aid station which I did not partake of since I was struggling enough without adding beer to the mix!

I was very relieved to finally make that left turn back onto the road. But while the change in scenery was good, the uphill climb was not so good. I was pretty tired at point after maintaining about a 7:15 pace up until then. I was running out of steam and knew the course enough to know the 3 miles that remained were going to be challenging. Just as I started my climb, an older but extremely fit woman who had been running near me on and off during the race steadily moved ahead of me. I knew I was slowing down and would just not be able to stay with her.

By mile 11 I was so ready to be done, but unfortunately had 2.1 miles to go! I knew that Mike, another RTR friend, would be at the mile 12 aid station and it felt like that was so far away. I just kept plugging along knowing that my pace had slowed a lot in those last miles. As I passed mile 12 however I felt a bit more energized at the though of having only one more to go. The best feeling was rounding the left turn onto Green Hope School Road. Somewhere at or before that a guy said to me that I'd be in the top 25 women if I could pick off 2 more. Unfortunately I knew I did not have that in me and at that point was just trying to finish for time. I knew it would not be a PR but it wasn't bad at all. Of course the second half was slower than the first so no negative splits that day. But I did give it a good sprint at the end and finished 27th overall of 1261 women in a time of 1:37:15. I was 7th of 294 women in my age group. This was the second best half marathon ever for me.

I met up with my group at then end and we went back to Tracy's place for breakfast and to clean up. It was a great race and a fun day. Several RTR friends also completed the full marathon that day. I am not sure I'd be able to do that one, the half took enough out of me. Still I was very pleased with my time. It was a good way to end my last race before entering the "masters" group.

Next stop...Boston! I found it hard to believe at the time that it was only a short month away.

Jolly Elf Trail Run, Cary, Dec 12, 2009

I can't imagine a colder day for a race than Dec 12th was. OMG, freezing is an understatement! I wore tights, several layers on top including fleece, and my Santa hat and I was freezing. I missed getting the last good spot in the parking lot closest to the number pick up, so had a short jog over to get my stuff and it was so cold I really felt so sorry for the people volunteering that day. I grabbed my shirt and number and then headed down to the starting line to get my chip. I quickly ran back to the car to drop stuff off and warm up for a bit (no not run to warm up but sit in the car to warm up!).

I ran back down to the start after waiting as long as I could to discard my jacket. I saw Jeff from RTR festively dressed in red long johns (with shorts over them). Lots of elves and festively dressed runners were there. I found out at that point that the starting line was just one big long line across the grassy (really frozen muddy) field and that there was no recorded chip time start, only chip finish. So the goal was to run as fast as possible across the field because after that the path narrowed and you could get stuck if you didn't get out there fast. Gee no pressure.

As the race started, I thought two things...one, I am not liking sprinting across a field that had deep frozen muddy trenches in it and two, it was a bad day to find out that the new tights I had on that didn't have a draw string really could have used one! Jeff took off and I couldn't even see him at first. I was busy for the first part of the race pulling up my tights and also worrying about falling into a muddy ditch while I tried to sprint which by the way is really hard to do when you can't feel your frozen feet. Once we got off the field it was a bit better but I could tell that I was still having that heavy chest thing that I had the week before in the Jingle Bell Run. The air was so cold it was painful to breathe. I knew I was going slow and since it was a trail race I knew I would be slower but I figured I'd speed up eventually after warming up. I ran the first mile in 6:55.

The second mile had a hill and some single track so that really slowed me down. I never realized how different trail racing was from trail running (and I have to say I much prefer the running over racing). I felt limited to how fast I could go because I was afraid of my footing which I don't have a problem with in road races. The second mile pace was 7:28. By the third mile, as in the last race, I was really wanting to be done. All the resting from running made a 5K seem pretty long, whereas when I was training for the marathon a 5K seemed over so quick. I have never been good with races that finish in open fields, I am not sure why but for some reason it's intimidating. But this time I was so thankful to be back in the field and to be close to done. There was a woman just ahead of me but I didn't even have the motivation (maybe had the energy but not motivation) to try to catch up with her. I was cold, tired and again a bit nauseous like the last race. I could have taken a nap right at the finish line if there was a bed there! I finished the third mile in 7:09 pace, so I really never did warm up and speed up much in the end.

I finished the race in 21:45 chip time. According to my Garmin the course was actually less than 3.1 miles this time (guess that made up for the 3.32 mi course the week prior). Even with it being a trail race I didn't run as well as I usually would have and again didn't feel great after the race. But I accomplished my goal of running 6 of the Second Empire series races. And I came in 3rd in my age group and got a very nice award, a Christmas ornament that says 26.2 on it (see picture above). The race was well run and well organized but I have to say I likely wouldn't run it again because I am not sure trail racing is for me. I like to run on trails for fun and I think I may reserve trails just for that.

This was the last of the 6 races I ran in the Second Empire series. In the end I came in 5th woman overall in the series, so I was pretty happy with that. I am looking forward to going to the award lunch in January. They have a new spring series coming up but I think I'll pass on that one and focus instead on getting back into the longer distance races. Next big race coming up is the Myrtle Beach half marathon and then the Tobacco Trail half, all leading up to the Boston Marathon in April. I need to really get back in gear if I am going to be ready for that one. I don't expect to run as fast as NYC since it's a much harder course, but I do want to be back in shape enough to feel confident that I can finish well and have an enjoyable race.

After Boston, not sure but I may go back to focusing on shorter races. We'll see what the spring of 2010 brings! Who knows what that will be. As I sat at my laptop on a cold Jan 1st 2009, I never really expected to have accomplished so much. I ran 15 races this year and placed in my age group in many of them. I also had several PRs this year in distances from 5K to the marathon, which is pretty cool considering I've been running since I was 13. On Jan 1st, I set a goal of running a half marathon in 2009. In the end I ran 2 half marathons and one full marathon, which just happened to be the one I had always dreamed of running. And I qualified for Boston. I couldn't really have asked for more!

Jingle Bell 5K , Raleigh, Dec 5, 2009

The Jingle Bell 5K was the only race in the Second Empire series that I had run before. Last fall I decided to get back into running races after a very long hiatus and this was the second race I ran. I wasn't feeling really great that morning and it was chilly and raining. Also I hadn't really been running much since the weekend after the marathon since I was still having knee issues for which I was going to physical therapy. But I was committed to do 6 races in the Second Empire series since they take your 6 fastest races for the overall scoring and I had already skipped two of the races. So I grabbed my Santa hat and headed into Raleigh. My husband's parents were in town and we had plans for a Canes game that same afternoon, so I knew I needed to run the race and get back home pretty quickly.

I picked up my t-shirt, number, chip and jingle bells for my shoes. I saw a few familiar faces in the crowd and Santa himself was there cheering on those running the 1 mile fun run which took place before the 5K. Lining up for the 5K was a challenge because they filled the chute backwards so people weren't moving back enough for everyone in front to be behind all the timing mats. It was pretty chaotic and I was expecting there to be more moving back but apparently not and right at 10:30 the race started, ready or not. I was in mid sentence conversing with someone when it started so there was no time to ponder the disorganized start any longer. I just ran. I felt I was starting too fast but couldn't really help myself. I did gradually slow down but I was still able to maintain a decent pace for the first mile at 6:42.

During the second mile I began to really feel the effects of either not running enough or having a bit of a chest cold (not stuff nose or head but just my chest had been feeling heavy) or both. I felt like I really wanted to drop out but kept going since I needed to finish for the race to count in the series. I also began to feel a bit nauseous, which I haven't felt in race in a while. I ran the second mile in 6:49, so I was definitely slowing down.

In the third mile the race headed towards and turned back around at the capitol building in Raleigh. My 12 yr old friend Winston passed me around this time point (sometimes I pass him, sometimes he passes me, but the last few races he's passed me) and said "fast course huh!" and I said "yup" or something while trying not to look like I was dying and trying not to throw up! You can see him in the picture above, gaining on me.

I couldn't wait for this race to be over. I just kept waiting for the turn back onto St. Mary's Street which I knew meant that the finish was near. It felt like it took forever but finally came and I was able to muster up some energy to sprint to the finish. My race pictures near the finish line (which I did not include here!) are horrible, but they at least they look like I gave it my all in the end despite a rough 2nd and 3rd mile. The 3rd mile was 6:56.

The last what was supposed to be 0.1 mile, which was actually 0.32 miles, was 6:57 pace. It really felt faster but I guess that was because I probably was going slow until the turn onto St. Mary's Street and then sped up. After I finished, I didn't even realize that my overall time was so off from what it should have been. It was 22:36 chip time but for some reason I was thinking 21:36 so didn't notice until someone later mentioned to me that the course was longer that it should have been. I was really feeling nauseous after the finish and was parked on the next street from the finish so I quickly headed right for the car to change and sit for a bit. I didn't feel much better after changing so decided to head back over to St. Mary's School for a bite to eat and to see if I could find out some results. The good (or bad, depending on how you are doing) thing about a race with a few turn arounds is that you can see who is in front of and behind you. I didn't recall seeing too many women my age ahead of me, so I figured I may have placed.

I chatted with a few running friends and felt a bit better after sitting down on the floor for a bit. But the results were slow to be posted and by the time they were (2nd place in my age group) I really needed to leave to make the Canes game, even before the award ceremony which I usually stay for. I headed out, feeling a bit better, but knowing it wasn't my best race. My time, even with the course error (which was since determined not to be a measurement error but to be that someone likely moved one of the turnaround markers the morning of the race), was still about 1 minute faster than the year before. Likely would have been 2 minutes faster if the course was accurate. I wasn't really upset that it wasn't a PR since I didn't really expect one after cutting back so much on the running. But I would have liked to have felt better after the race. Still I was glad I did the race and didn't quit. It was the second to last one in the series, with the final one being the Jolly Elf Trail run the next Saturday.

On the really up side, the Canes game was awesome! Very exciting, action packed game and my son Owen had a great time.