Happy Patriot's Day

I'm looking forward to running again in 2017! Here are my reviews of the Best Marathon Ever from 2014. Be ready to have your world rocked! Or pass some time for the next 15 minutes...


Boston Marathon Review Part 1


Boston Marathon Review Part 2

Boston Marathon 2014 Review, Part 1

UNSTOPPABLE

The headline of The Boston Globe on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 read "UNSTOPPABLE".  It couldn't have been more true in every way.  Meb Keflezighi, the American winner, was unstoppable; Shalane Flanagan, the Boston native women's favorite who despite coming in seventh broke the American women's record, was unstoppable; the 31, 878 runners were unstoppable; and all eight cities along the course were unstoppable.  The entire marathon weekend was a dream and I didn't want to wake up from it.  I didn't want it to stop.

APRIL 18, 2014

My two littlest daughters and I flew to Providence from Orlando on Friday (Pete and the two oldest ones took the auto train and were going to drive up the rest of the way to meet us Saturday afternoon.  Saturday afternoon turned into Sunday afternoon because of train delays.  Needless to say, I was relieved to have flown.).  We rented an awesome (awesome will be used multiple times throughout this post) red Dodge charger for two days and too much money.  Budget Rental advertises only $36 a day, but then they push the ridiculously overpriced insurance on you and if you're a sucker like me, you bite.   Live and learn.  Anyway, we drove 40 minutes north to the Marriott Courtyard in Norwood, Massachusetts where we checked in for four nights.

APRIL 19, 2014

Pete called me Saturday morning about the train delay.  The girls and I had nothing planned that day, so I decided to do the expo.  I didn't want to take a chance waiting for the others Sunday only to miss packet pickup.  That would not be good.  We went out to breakfast at IHOP.  I ordered whole wheat pancakes topped with bananas.  You know, the "healthy" choice.  Of course, what are pancakes unless they're smothered with maple syrup?  Carbo loading at its best.  Halfway in I was already stuffed.  I saved the rest for the next morning.

This is some serious business.

I plugged 900 Boylston Street, the address of the Veterans Memorial Convention Center where the expo is being held, into the GPS.  Only 34 minutes from Norwood!  The sun is shining, the weather is going up to 60 degrees.  It was a gorgeous spring day in New England.  We were cruising in our awesome car busting out the tunes.  I was singing and dancing, the girls...not so much.  My 4-year old started crying that she was hungry and the two-year old always does what her sister does.  How could this be?  We  literally just piled pancakes into our faces moments earlier.  Suddenly, the good mood was turning sour.  Luckily, we were entering the city...or unluckily?  The traffic surrounding Boylston Street was worse than Rockefeller Center at Christmas.  The red lights seemed to be a minute longer, then once they turned green, we would crawl ten feet only to stop again.  I looked for a parking spot on the streets which was a joke.  There was a garage right around the corner from the expo, but it always seemed to be on the opposite side of the street.  I made a U-turn and backed into the garage, cutting off a pedicab.  Desperate times called for desperate measures and in seconds I just turned into that asshole driver.  Sorry, dude!  

I made it into the parking garage.  Everything was going to be okay now.  Ha!  There was less rhyme and reason in this garage than out on the streets.  There were no spots.  Cars were turning around in aisles.  As soon as you left an aisle, people would walk to their cars in that aisle.  Dang it!  I followed signs to more parking, but really to less parking.  Eventually, we were led to free valet.  Thank God!  We headed upstairs to the expo thirty minutes after entering the parking garage.

There's a mosaic with a cool statue outside.  I asked a fellow runner (I know this because almost everyone is wearing their Boston marathon gear) to take our picture.

Thank you, Good Samaritan photographer!  

Eh, I didn't need the statue in the picture.

We finally got inside the expo.  The packet pickup was on the third floor.  There's a huge 2014 Boston Marathon banner hanging on the wall where people were having their pictures taken.  I saw a tall blonde woman with a flower in her hair and immediately recognized her from Spirit of the Marathon 2: Rome.   I said hello and she smiled.  I asked another Good Samaritan if he would take our picture in front of the banner.

Eh, I didn't want the famous Boston Marathon

unicorn in the picture, anyway...

I went to the woman sitting behind the letter M sign to pick up my number.  I showed her my driver's license and she gave me my bib.  As I was walking away, she said, "I was surprised when I saw your name because my first name is Amy and my middle name is Mae!"  My name, by the way, is Aimée May.  "That has to be good luck!" I responded.  She nodded and gave me a thumbs up.  The negativity from the shit show car park experience faded instantly.  I went into the next room and got my goody bag including my awesome blue tech race shirt.

We made our way down to the second floor to the vendors.  The place was packed.  I was worried about losing the girls, but they were probably thinking the same thing.  They stayed close the whole time.  I bought myself a pair of cheap black sunglasses and 4 caffeine free Gus.  It was hard to navigate my way with the kids, so I decided to leave as soon as I could.  I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Meb or Shalane, but I had to settle for Julie Weiss (Spirit of the Marathon 2 lady.  Actually, even though she was a little kooky in the film, she BQ'd, ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks, and raised a lot of money for pancreatic cancer research).   On the way out, I went back to the banner at the number pickup and asked yet another Good Samaritan to take my picture.  This time I specifically requested the unicorn.

Well, I think I look better in the other picture...

Yeah, at this point I need to stop beating a dead--

We left the expo and grabbed a delicious lunch at Tossed in the connecting mall.  

APRIL 20, 2014

   

Pete and my eldest two children arrived Sunday afternoon.  I went for a quick 4 mile shakeout run near the hotel and then we headed back to the expo.  I wanted to pick up an emergency sports bra from the Marathon Sports vendor.  They also had a great Boston Strong t-shirt, but by 5:45pm on Sunday, all that was left was extra large.  

We headed to the pasta dinner.  Pete dropped me and the kids off at the Boston City Hall Plaza while he parked (hassle free, I might add).  We got on the end of the line which seemed to wrap around half the block.  The line moved along quickly, however.  We passed a "pay toilet booth", something we had never seen before.   My 12 year old suggested I carry a couple of quarters with me during the race in case I had to go.  As we got closer to the front, the two little ones had to use the restroom.  Pete took them to the pay toilet.  When they returned, he said it was actually a neat little adventure.  The door opened with a startling Star Trek swoosh and it was pretty clean inside.  When they were done, the door swooshed open again.  The line had moved forward since they entered, so the new people standing outside pointed, oohed and aahed when they emerged from the bathroom. 

Pasta party line

As we got nearer to the entrance, loud music was blaring from inside.  Young dancing volunteers from Wellesley and other local colleges greeted us with smiles and endless energy.  They set the tone which was perfect.  We were handed cardboard trays and then had a choice of penne with tomato sauce or pasta with alfredo sauce.  There were also meatballs, sausages, salad, Greek yogurt, and bread.  They were very generous with their portions.  After getting our food, we were led indoors and down a couple of flights of diners.  We shared a table with a lovely family from California on the lower level.  The husband and wife take turns marathoning.  This year, it was her turn.  While we ate our yummy dinner (light years better than the Mohawk Hudson Marathon pasta),  videos of past races were being played on large screens.  With the loud music playing in the background, it really got you pumped up for the race.  The announcer kept reminding people not to linger so other runners could be seated.  We quickly finished our meals and headed out the door.  More volunteers handed us goody bags filled with chocolates and chips.  Again, they were very generous, making sure all four of my children had their own bags.  I thought if the race was as fun and organized as the dinner, it will be a pretty good day.  And I was right.

Boston Marathon 2014 Review, Part 2

April 21, 2014

I woke up at 6am and took a shower.  As I put on the clothes I had laid out the night before, I realized I brought the wrong shorts.  The ones I thought I packed had an inside pocket in the front plus a small zippered pocket in the back, enough for 4 gels total.  The ones I actually packed had just one small inside pocket.  This mistake will bite me in the ass later on, literally.  I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it.  I just put the gels that wouldn't fit inside the front of my sport bra.  I peanut buttered my plain bagel and Pete drove me to the Braintree T station.  I couldn't finish the bagel because my stomach was twisted up from the excitement.  A train was waiting on the tracks when I arrived at the station, so I hopped on.  There were a handful of other runners on the car.  One girl had on a goofy pair of pants with dogs all over them.  It's fun to see people's throw away clothes.  They can get pretty creative.  I spoke with her a little and she said her mother gives her doggy pants every year for Christmas and they usually get donated at races.  

The train ride was only 35 minutes to Boston Common.  I didn't need to ask anyone directions because the school buses were lined up right in front of you as soon as you exited the station.  I wasn't allowed to take my clear plastic bag on the bus so I just carried my sweat socks/arm sleeves, pen, and New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.  There was still room on a couple of buses at the end of the line.  I jumped on one that was half full.  I wanted to be up front, so I sat next to an older gentleman.   The rest of the bus filled and we were off.  The man across the aisle from me was extremely chatty.  He was giving advice to his seat mate, but all I could focus on was the plastic bottle he was holding with "URINE"  written on it in big red letters.

Can you see his bottle?

The bus slowed down around Framingham and I started to get a little worried because now I had to go to the bathroom.  Perhaps it was because I was thinking about my neighbor's bottle?  My seat mate might have seen me get antsy because he struck up some conversation which helped distract me.  His name was Rudy and he's a 65 year old psychiatrist from Cambridge.  He ran Boston many times in the past, his best time being 3:15 twenty years ago.  He was very proud of the fact that his wife ran her first marathon last year, at the age of 65.  He really was so sweet and made the rest of the ride go by quickly.  At 9:30, we finally arrived in Hopkinton and Rudy let me take a selfie of us before we parted ways.

Hi, Rudy!

I immediately got on line for the porta potties.  The line wasn't long, but it took forever.  The Athletes Village was very crowded.  People were sitting on the grass and also milling about under the large tent.  When I finally had my turn at the porta potty, it was almost time to line up.  I made my way to the exit and discovered there was a whole other field filled with runners.  It was a sea of humanity.

Under the tent

Porta potties

The Village People

At 10:30, the announcer asked that Wave 3, corrals 1-3 runners make their way to the start.  That would be me!  A crowd started forming at the AV exit.  The volunteers wouldn't let us leave yet.  Some people started pushing and I started to get a little panicky.  I hate big crowds for this reason.  Thankfully, it didn't get worse and we were soon permitted to exit.  I didn't see the "It all starts here - Hopkinton" sign, but I did get this picture:

The walk to the corrals from the Athletes Village seemed like a mini marathon itself.  I was thinking, "Whew, I'm tired! I'm supposed to run a marathon after this?!"  It was fun, though because the local spectators were already outside their homes cheering us on.  I felt like a hero and I hadn't even started running yet!  One of the best signs was right there at the start.  A group of fraternity looking dudes who appeared to still be partying from the night before had a big sign that read "BEER, DONUTS, CIGARETTES".

We finally made it to the corrals.  The volunteers were wishing us luck, as well as making sure everyone was in the right spot.  I got into corral 2 and hung around the back.  I didn't want to get overrun or overcrowded at the front.  I saw a couple of women from corrals farther back try to sneak into corral 2.  One woman said she wanted to be with her husband, while the other tried hiding her bib under her sweatshirt.  There was no way they were getting by our tough volunteer.  C'mon ladies, play by the rules!  Only a few minutes passed and then I heard the starting gun go off.  It was on!

The first few miles of the Boston Marathon are basically downhill.  Everyone advises not to go out too fast which can be easy when you're caught up in all the excitement.  My strategy was to run the first few miles at an 8:20 pace.  My training this past marathon cycle had been mediocre at best.  I missed a lot of runs or cut runs short due to the northeast polar vortex, family commitments, poor motivation, and fatigue.  I discovered quickly that I am a one marathon per year gal.  Boston was my second in six months.  Not for me.  Anyway, my goals fluctuated over the months between sub-3:30 to PR to just have a blast and enjoy.  Once I was out on the course and saw all of the unbelievably joyful spectators, I decided to enjoy and relish in this once in a lifetime event.  I started high 5ing in Hopkinton and didn't stop until Boston.  

I hit my first mile at 8:16 and my second at 16:40.  Huge banners marking our entrance into Ashland (and every town after) stood on either side of the road.  I crossed the 5k mat at 25:49, an 8:19 pace.  Wow, pretty good pacing, for someone who can't pace herself.  The spectators' presence and enthusiasm never relented.  They offered water, orange slices, damp paper towels, ice cold sponges, ice, beer at a couple of points, etc.  If you had your name written on your shirt or body, as I did, someone will call it out.  The constant cheers and visual stimulation made the miles tick by.  In fact, they were going by so quickly, I was surprised I wasn't running faster.  Early on I was having issues with my shorts.  Wedgies were happening.  Once when I was fixing myself, I realized I was doing so right in front of a professional photographer.  Lovely.  Maybe my wedgie would make the evening news!

We entered Framingham and the 10k mat which read 51:15, an 8:11 pace.   Natick was next.  I thought of my running buddy, Emerging Runner who grew up in Natick and watched the race every year from his yard.  I recognized the Hanson Electric store from the Runner's World Online Message Boards.  The owner sat up on a ladder shouting in a megaphone, "You look great!  You're so good looking!  Take a look at yourself!"  The windows of his store are mirrored so all the runners could see themselves run by.  

After Natick, comes Wellesley and the infamous scream tunnel.  Girls lined the right side of the course screaming, holding signs with reasons why they should be kissed, and high 5ing those who opted for the more platonic greeting.  They were fantastic!  I was amazed that they could scream for so long.  Wellesley is also the half marathon mark.  I hit it in 1:48:32, an 8:13 pace.  

At another point in Wellesley the cheering got really loud again.  I ran by a group of people walking in red t-shirts.  When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw it was Team Hoyt, with Dick and Rick Hoyt in the center.  I was star struck.  I have admired this father-son team for years.  I stopped in my tracks and decided if I was going to take one picture during the race, this was going to be it.  The 2014 Boston Marathon was going to be their last rodeo after 37 years of racing.  I had powered off my phone earlier so it took a few seconds to power back on, and then I had to walk back to them for the photo.  Although, the elder Mr. Hoyt had been an accomplished racer, this time he was walking the course.  I'm sure they were enjoying every moment, like the rest of us.

The heat was starting to get to me.  I felt faint a couple of times so I made sure I drank enough.  When people were giving out ice, I grabbed a fistful and stuck them down my bra.  I poured cups of water on myself and even stopped a couple of times to chug water bottles.  The chafing would begin very soon.  My 25k and 30k times started to reflect how I felt, an 8:49 and an 8:56 pace. We entered Newton and I prepared myself for the hills.  We crossed over the highway and cars below us were honking at the runners.  I'm sure it was an awesome sight because in the past I have seen New York City marathoners in the distance while driving on the highway.  Very cool stuff.  The hills weren't great because of their appearance so late in the game, however they were manageable.  I tried to take advantage of the downhills to make up for some time.  I didn't walk at any point because I felt it would make the ascent that much more gratifying.  Once I crested Heartbreak Hill, I threw my hands up in the air (singing Hey Ho!  Baby, let go 'cause I'm dyn-o-mite...no, I didn't really sing) for my own private victory.  The homes along the Newton hills are really pretty, by the way.

Boston College is after Heartbreak Hill and the students were just as rowdy, if not rowdier than the girls at Wellesley.  This might be due to the guys in the mix.  Their hands were outstretched and although my arm was exhausted at this stage, I slapped almost every one of them.  When they saw my hand, they would scream my name and shout, "Yeah!  You've got this!", "You're awesome!", "Run, Aimée, run!"  Talk about a second wind!  Thank you, Eagles!

Next we entered Brookline and the beginning of the home stretch.  Spectators lined Beacon Street along some tracks.  My legs were beginning to feel like balloons of fluid, but I would not stop.  I was running slow, but I was still running.  We crossed over some tracks and I had to take extra precautions not to trip.  At the top of the last incline, I saw the Citgo sign and knew we were near to the end.  At Mile 25, I looked for my family who said they would be on the left hand side right before Hereford because there was a park for the kids to run around.  Before the race, they didn't expect a large crowd as in years past.  Uh, not so much this year.  Spectators were 4 or 5 deep and my family was nowhere in sight.  This was disappointing for obvious reasons, but also because I was looking for an excuse to stop for a couple of minutes at this point.  But I kept running.  Right before a small under pass, a sign read only 1k left!  Whoo hoo!  I tried to figure this out in my 26 miled out brain and could not.  This 1k was the longest kilometer in my life!  Holy smokes!  We finally came to Boylston and the finish line was in sight.  Those last few yards were a blur.  I saw an elderly gentleman lying on the side of the road being attended to by volunteers.  There was a lot of encouraging screaming and shouting by the hordes of spectators.  I crossed the finish line in under 3:47 (3:46:59) to be exact.  

Once I crossed, all I wanted to do was sit my numbed legs down, but I knew I should keep walking.   I immediately got texts from friends.  Freighbor congratulated me from New York!  The Petite Pacer, who was in Boston to watch her sister run, sent me my unofficial time.  The Nun let me know she actually saw me finish!  My daughter's camping friend's mom let me know her daughter would be returning to camp this summer (?)...  I called Pete and the kids who were with our incredible friend Dana (a Martha's Vineyard native,  multiple Boston finisher and sub- 3:20 marathoner).  Dana turned out to be of great assistance to Pete with the kids throughout the race.  They missed me on the course because the girls had to go to the bathroom, no easy feat without Dana.  I told him I would meet them at letter Z in the family meeting area.  We decided on Z because M is the probably the most common first letter of a last name.  

I grabbed a delicious Gatorade chocolate protein drink and a goody bag.  I  found Z, which happily was the closest letter to the finish, as well as the least crowded.  I sat on the curb, ate my fruit cup with my fingers because there were no utensils, and quietly contemplated what just happened.  I just finished the Boston Marathon.  It was the best marathon I had ever run thanks to the amazing organization of the BAA, the dedicated volunteers and the best spectators a runner could ask for.  It was one of the best days of my life.  I am getting choked up as I type this.  I didn't want what I was feeling emotionally to end.  I felt Boston Strong  (My quads felt differently)!   Thank you, friends and family!  Thank you readers for getting through my longest blog post ever.  Thank you, Boston!  After surviving the worst day in running in 2013, you gave us the best day in running in 2014.

Sigh.

2013 In Review

I love End of the Year Retrospectives.  I love watching the tv specials, listening to the radio's top 20 songs of the year, reading the top news stories, etc.  I also enjoyed reading other runners' blogs.  They have inspired me to write my own running retrospective.

2013 was the year I started this blog!  I really didn't (don't) know what I was doing.  All I knew was that I loved running, I loved talking about running, and I loved to write.  I cautiously dipped my toe into the blogosphere.  I hoped people might read what I wrote, but wasn't sure how.  First, I told a small group of friends, then eventually announced it on Facebook with a virtual bullhorn.  I looked up other blogs to get ideas, but also to get advice.  I was shocked to learn how many other running blogs were out there.  Too much competition, I initially worried.  I came to realize these fellow bloggers would become helpful teachers, faithful readers, and in some cases, great running friends and compadres (Yo!  Shout out to my Musketeers!).  

I ran 13 races in 2013.  I got shut out of some races: Marine Corps 17.75k, the Marine Corps Marathon, and the Sayville Run to the Brewery.  However, I made it into other races, the Hood to Coast "Mother of All Relays" and most notably, the Boston Marathon (whoo hoo!).   I PR'd in all of my distances, but at the same time failed to meet many of my goals.  I am coming to terms that I am not as fast as I think I am.  My most memorable races were the Sacred Heart 5k because I ran my first race in a sub-7 minute mile pace; the Jamestown Half Marathon simply because of the beautiful scenery and rolling hills (yes, hills!); and of course my one marathon for the year, the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon.

As of this evening, December 30th I ran a total of 1742.85 miles since January 1, 2013.  This is considerably more than my 1117.26 in 2012.  I had no serious injuries (thank you, whoever is in charge of not injuring me!) despite spraining some toes, losing some toe nails, an unfortunate incident or two of nasty chafing, and faceplanting a couple of times.   It was a good year.

Looking forward, I'm not sure what my 2014 goals are, other than completing Boston and ending this Runner's World streak.  I  might try another fall marathon depending on how I feel after this next marathon cycle.  I'm just thankful to be healthy and able to run out the door ready for the next adventure.

Here's to age group awards, overall awards, The Stick, clean porta potties, plenty o' toilet paper, BQs & PRs!  May at least one of them, if not all, find its way into your life in 2014.  Happy New Year, running freaks!!!  I couldn't ask for better company.

Have Sneakers, Will Travel

We are on vacation!  Yay!  We drove down to Florida from New York with the four children!  Boo!   Actually, it wasn't as painful as our drive down last April.  The two littlest girls are older and Pete and I got wiser (not really).  We left Wednesday night at 10pm and stopped in Fredericksburg, Virginia at 3:30am.  The next morning we had an overpriced not-so-good breakfast at the Battlefield Restaurant, and then walked across the street to the Fredericksburg National Cemetery.  It was a glorious morning, 75 and sunny.  The grounds of the cemetery were hilly.  The kids had a blast stretching their legs on the dirt paths.

Steep steps leading up to the cemetery.  

Great glute and quadricep workout!

I loved this sign.

This happens to also be my first week of training for the Boston Marathon!  I'm using the Pfitzinger 18/55 training schedule again, the same one I used for my last marathon.  This is an 18 week schedule that starts with a 35 mile week and peaks at 55 miles per week.  This is a lot of mileage for me, but I preferred the speed work over the Hal Higdon marathon plans I used in the past.  Pfitzinger's plan is also touted as one of the best on the Runner's World marathon training forums.  

If you recall, I said Week One is supposed to be a 35 mile week.  Well, today is Day Five and I've completed 18 miles so far, but only because I've been streaking.  Monday and Tuesday I ran 1.12 miles each because I was lazy and the road conditions back in New York were icy.  Wednesday I was going to make up the 8 miles I should have run on Tuesday, but came up short with 5.3.  Considering this was the day we left for our vacation, I'm pretty shocked I even got 5 in.  

Thursday we drove 12 hours to Savannah, Georgia.  We arrived at the hotel at 9pm.  Instead of running my scheduled 9 miles, I ran a whopping one mile on the hotel dreadmill.  Easy, right?  Unless you're running in Converse Chuck Taylors.  I was rushed to get this run in before going out for a late dinner because the kids were starving.  I figured I should just run as is, rather than get changed into my running gear.  Here is my quick review of Converse Chuck Taylors as running shoes.  They suck as running shoes.  There is absolutely no support anywhere.  And if you think your usual double knot will hold for more than 5 minutes, you're mistaken.  If your shoelace happens to untie itself while running on a dreadmill, I highly recommend you immediately stop to fix the problem, rather than run with a loose shoe.  Not safe.  Speaking from experience.  

Today we arrived at our final destination, Vero Beach, Florida at 1pm.  I was hungry so I decided to have lunch before doing my 9 mile makeup run (which I ended up doing on the dreadmill while listening to the new awesome app I'm going to review in my next post!).

In conclusion, although it might require some restructuring, it is possible to follow a training plan while on a road trip with children.  You just have to be flexible and creative.  Now I must pass out from utter exhaustion.  

Kings Park 15k Review

I ran the Kings Park 15k this past Saturday.  I am writing the race report on Tuesday which is a good indication that things didn't go as planned.  Oh, I ran the race.  And I finished.  Just not as fast as I had hoped.  I heard that this was a tough race.  I heard it was hilly.  I heard it was more difficult than the Great Cow Harbor 10k.  But everything is relative.  One man's hill, is another woman's speedbump.   This was my last chance to gauge my fitness for the Boston Marathon so I was going to give it all I had...  Or not.

I got to the Kings Park High School a little before 8am.  It was an overcast 46 degrees.  Rain was on tap, but not until later.  Packet pickup was at the elementary school about a quarter of a mile down the road.  I got my number and my cozy hooded sweatshirt.  Thank God not another ill-fitting cotton t-shirt!  I brought a small bag that I tied to a leg of one of the tables in the gym.  I trusted that the runners were more interested in getting through this race than scoring a duplicate sweatshirt.

I used the indoor bathroom to avoid another Roosevelt Island incident and then went outside to wait at the start.  I met a woman, Lisa, who just happened to take my high school buddy's spin classes.  She was really friendly.  She was telling me how she was trying to change her life for the good by teaching cooking classes and running!  Good for her!  Five minutes before the start she went to the back of the pack because she didn't want to get in anyone's way.  Considerate, too!  

One reason I don't wear headphones during a race is if it's an unfamiliar course, I try to listen to other people's conversations about the course.  One man was telling a couple of women that there were two really big hills.  Another guy told his friends the first 10k was a fun run, then the last 5k was the race. I overheard a very fit and loud woman shout that this was a practice run for Boston.  It turned out I was standing in front of two men talking about getting to Hopkinton.  Of course, I had to join in.  One guy is staying at a hotel walking distance to Boston Common where most runners will catch school buses to the start.  The other guy is going to drive to the South Street parking lot outside of Hopkinton to take a shuttle bus.  I told them I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet.  Finally, the announcer started the countdown.  The South Street guy quickly advised me to take this course easy because of the hills.  Got it!  Run slow!

The horn went off and I realized there was no starting mat.  I wasn't that far back, but at least 30-45 seconds.  No biggie, I'm running slow!  There were no clocks at the mile markers, just volunteers shouting the time as you ran past.  I prefer clocks.  I ran Mile 1 in about 8 minutes.  I saw the hill at the end of Mile 2.  I ran up.  Not fast, but I didn't walk.  It   leveled off quickly.  That wasn't bad.  But the next one was.  Just past the second mile marker, I saw the next hill.  This one was steep and long.  Was it the second hill that the man earlier spoke of or was this a continuation of the first hill?  My breathing was labored.  I felt like I was moving at a snail's pace, make that an elderly, very tired snail with breathing issues.  My goal was to keep moving.  Don't stop.  Don't walk.  After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the top.  Next was the downhill which was just as steep as the ascent.  I tried to remember what I read about downhill running.  Some say the downhills in Boston are worse than the uphills.  If you go too fast or try to brake too much, you can shred your quadricep muscles making them useless by the time you reach the Newton Hills.  I leaned forward and let gravity take over.  It felt awkward because I naturally wanted to lean backward.  

Mile 6 took us down Kings Park Boulevard which is a long out and back road surrounded by woods and something that looked like an old abandoned mental hospital (think American Horror Story: Asylum).  I was running, but conservatively.  I was waiting for the next big hill.  Miles 7 -9 came and went and I realized there weren't any more hills.  I saw the school.  I had no idea what my time would be, but I knew it wasn't going to be great.  I figured I might as well sprint the last couple of hundred yards to the finish since I still had plenty of gas left in the tank.  The clock read 1:15:42.  About five minutes off what I would have expected if I had run it all out.  

I went back into the gym and retrieved my bag.  Because this was an event put on by my running club, GLIRC, they had a large array of baked goods set out.  I grabbed half of a giant chocolate cupcake, a water, and a Sprite.  I checked the posted results.  I finished 7th out of 54 in my age group at an 8:07 pace, and 194th out of 740.  I hadn't run a race in the 8 minute pace since my marathon.  I was disappointed, but I guess it wasn't bad for running slow...

Boston will be a crapshoot.  

Great Cow Harbor Race Review

Great Cow Harbor Race Recap

I woke up at 6am, put on my awesome Boston Strong t-shirt (Courtesy of The Emerging Runner.), popped an ibuprofen (Mistake numero uno...) for my calcified shoulder that doesn't seem to be getting better, and two generic Imodiums (Uh-huh!), chugged a glass of orange juice, and packed three sleeping children into the car (Child #1 stayed home because...she's twelve).  We left the house by 7 and arrived at the Laurel Avenue School in Northport by 7:40.  I found The Petite Pacer (TPP) easily and she handed me my bib that she graciously picked up the night before.  We had over 45 minutes to kill before the start so we went inside the school to look for some pre-race water.  I found the most awesome water fountain in the history of water fountains (Cold as though it had a direct line to the peak of Mount Everest.  Okay, slight exaggeration, but man, did it hit the spot!).  We ran into Mr. & Mrs, Freighbor which is always a treat.  Mrs. Freighbor is training for the New York City Marathon and Mr. Freighbor is a trooper!  We also met up with our friend Leah whose bib TPP also picked up.  (I'm not sure what happened to the indentation in this paragraph, but I can't fix it.  I tried.)

We headed to the start and waited on line for the porta potties.  I was confident (Generic Imodiums!) I didn't have to go, but I wanted to chit chat with my buds for a bit.  While talking shop, I realized I didn't have my Casio watch (Mistake numero due...).  I would have to rely on Map My Run on my phone to keep track of my progress.  By 8:25, we headed to our corrals.  Because of the large amount of participants (4,300), there is a staggered start.  My bib number began with the number 4 so that meant I would be starting 4 minutes after the gun went off.  

Today was the third time I ran Cow Harbor.  It is a prestigious 10k ranked among the top races in the country.  The course leads you along the scenic, hilly north shore coast of Long Island.   It is well organized with plenty of crowd support.  The first time I ran Cow Harbor was in 2004 during Hurricane Ivan.  That race was almost a biathlon because you could practically swim to the finish line.  The water was knee deep, no joke.  My second Cow Harbor was in 2012 just a couple of weeks before the Baltimore Marathon.  After months of preparation, I was pretty happy with my time of 49:11, over four minutes faster than the previous attempt.  This time around, I wasn't expecting much.  Since the Boston Marathon, I have been running anywhere from a measly six to twenty miles per week.  This is half as much as the base I had been maintaining since the beginning of 2012.  I just wanted to finish Cow Harbor, preferably without walking and ideally under fifty minutes.  

The first mile (7:48 pace) of the race is great mainly because it is mostly downhill.  As I was taking it easy down the steep Scudder Avenue, Mr. Bozo-I'm-Acting-Like-I've-Never-Run-A-Race-Before flies through the crowd at full speed, arms flailing and all.  I shook my head and quietly wondered to myself at what point I would be seeing his dumb ass doing the walk-of-shame.  Turns out it would be James Street, mile two (7:55 pace).  James Street is the infamous hill in this race with an almost 200 foot ascent.  Steep.  I find the best way to tackle this hill is to just keep moving, if you can.  I make it a point to never walk this early.    The next couple of miles are surprisingly easy peasy.  Then comes the never ending Waterside Road mile.  It is a slight incline, but it feels like it will never end (see previous sentence).  A few people were shouting, "Boston Strong!" which helped me along tremendously.  It finally does end when we make a right at Pumpernickel's Restaurant onto Main Street.  There is a small uphill which basically does me in temporarily.  When I reached the top, I ran out of steam and decided to walk for a little bit ("This is a fun run", "This is a fun run," I rationalized to myself.  I knew a PR was not happening from the get-go).   I saw a sign that read, "It's all downhill from here!" and then I was off again.  The sign did not lie.  Map My Run told me I hit mile 6 in 47:xx which was totally a pleasant surprise since I would have sworn I was in the 50s.  By this time, my stomach and throat were feeling the acid effects of the ibuprofen.  I kept it together until the end.  Once I crossed the finish line, I threw up a little (It happens!).  My official time is 49:37, top 10% in my age group, and top 18% overall.  I hit two out of my three goals which was just dandy for me.

Coming down Main Street

Pete and the kids were waiting at the finish.  We grabbed our freebies (Delicious flavored water, bagels, peanut butter crackers, bananas, watermelon, and juice bags) at the post-race party and met up with TPP and Leah again.  I missed the Freighbors, but saw them once I got home.  

To sum up, I had a great time and will definitely run this again.  The course, the crowds, and the organization make it worthwhile.  Moo!

Leah, TPP, and She Is Back 

Postscript:  I know I have been MIA in both my running and posting.  I have no excuses, but I hope you'll excuse me anyway.

NYCRuns Spring Fling 10k Review

I had been concerned about traveling to the NYCRuns Spring Fling 10k on Roosevelt Island.  I was on the island once when I was very small.  My family and another family took the cable car over from Manhattan.  I vaguely remember the ride over.  I don't think we even spent any real time there once we arrived, we just did it for the cable car experience.  My only other memory of Roosevelt Island is the "famous" cable car scene from the 1981 thriller Nighthawks.  I say famous lightly because I'm not sure how many people have actually seen this movie.  I loved it because gritty NYC action thrillers from the 70s and 80s are some of my absolute favorites.  Anyway, there's a brilliant hostage scene with Sylvester Stallone and Rutger Hauer in the cable car.  Back to the race, I didn't know how difficult it would be to get to the cable cars and how often they ran, so I just drove to Queens and hopped on the F train.  Three stops later and I was on Roosevelt Island.  Super easy.

Now the Roosevelt Island subway station reminded me of another movie:

Scene from An American Werewolf in London

Scene from A Long Island Runner

on Roosevelt Island

I followed a couple of people dressed like runners to the starting area which was a small park.  There was a DJ playing great music (Beastie Boys, yo!) and a ton of people dancing and milling around.  I picked up my number and decided to go for a ten minute run to warm up.  The temperature was a breezy 43 degrees on the water.  I ran down the road and immediately noticed how pretty this place was.  The island is small.  A 10k is two loops of the perimeter.  The streets were narrow and the buildings not too tall.  There was even a cute little church.  One disappointment was many business spaces were vacant.  Perhaps the outrageous NYC rent should be adjusted to consider the population of this tiny, limited access area. 

There was even a farmer's market!

I got back to the starting area and waited around for a half hour before lining up.  One of the NYCRuns staff commented on my Mohawk Hudson River Marathon shirt.  We briefly chatted.  I recognized him from the Narrows Half Marathon I ran last September.  I have to say I really like NYCRuns.  Their emails and Facebook updates are plentiful with chock full of information, updates, and humor.  Their races always feel intimate, I imagine the opposite of the New York Road Runners club.  The NYCRuns staff is very approachable.  They'll even delay the start so everyone can go to the bathroom (which can either be annoying if you've waited a long time in the cold or extremely thoughtful because sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go...and I should have went when I had the chance....)

The race started and we first did a short out and back at the tip of the island.  I hit the One Mile marker at 7:15.  Oooh this is nice!  I felt good.  The nice thing about out and backs is that when you're up front, you're so happy you're on your side of the cones when passing the other runners.  I don't mean to sound obnoxious.  It's only because I know this from experience of being on both sides of those cones!  Roosevelt Island is in the East River.  We were able to get a gorgeous view of Manhattan, as well as Queens.  I hit Mile Two in 14:45.  I slowed down in my second mile, but not irreparably.  And then it hit.  I had to go the bathroom.  I had eaten an apple cinnamon Quaker oatmeal packet at 7:15 that morning.  I usually don't eat before races (except marathons) for this reason, but I was hungry and thought it best since I wouldn't be back home until around noon.  Bad decision.  I slowed down because if I pushed myself, I might actually be pushing myself.  Ew!  Okay, I know TMI, but I'm just being honest.  It happens to the best of us, right?  I got to the 5k mat which was back at the starting area.  I knew if I didn't go now, I might regret it.  I jumped off course, ran to the icky porta potties, and that was the end of my race.  I could have gone back in, but really the only reason I was running this was to get a handle on my fitness.  DNF.  Second this year (if you count the ridiculous Huntington St. Patrick's Day 5k.   I blame that on my daughter, of course!), second ever!

Back at the field, I saw a guy wearing the official 2014 Boston Marathon jacket.  It was easy to spot since it is neon HEREIAM orange.  I went over to chat a little about Boston with him and his friend.  After, I hopped back onto the F train and headed home...in search of a redemption race.

Kings Park 15k, here I come!

Inaugural Suffolk County Half Marathon Review

Soon after I bagged the Rockapulco Half Marathon due to "technical difficulties", I started searching for another.  I found the Inaugural Suffolk County Half online.  It was close enough geographically, however maybe too close in time to St. George. I went on the Runner's World marathon message boards to get advice from the gurus. The experienced marathoners said, "Go for it!"  So I went for it.  Later, I had to clarify that I was following the Hanson's Method, to which the gurus said, "Don't do it!" Uh oh. I decided I would use it as a long tempo run, unless I either felt like pushing it or slowing down.

Saturday was packet pickup.  I took my time making my way out there.  I checked the race site as my son and I moseyed into the car around 2:30ish pm.  The expo closed at 3pm!  And it was 45 minutes away! 3:00 - 2:30 = 30 minutes + 45 minutes = drive fast.  We raced to St. Joseph's College in Patchogue and arrived at the expo at 3:09.  Vendors were packing their cars and trucks.  I asked if they were still handing out packets, and luckily they were.  I took this as a good omen for the next day's race.  The Greater Long Island Running Club (GLIRC), the race organizers, have always been runner friendly so I didn't expect to be sent away, anyway.  I got my bib and noticed there must have been hundreds of others still in the boxes.  I figured it was going to be a small race field.

That night I ate Southwestern salmon from Trader Joe's (yum!) and Japanese rice with soy sauce. I figured the rice would bind me up and not cause any bathroom emergencies mid-run. I went to bed relatively early (10:30am) and set my alarm for 5:30am.  When I woke up, I felt surprisingly refreshed. Surprisingly because I hardly ever wake up feeling like that. I'm always the one hitting the snooze button while cursing the sun and whoever else invented morning. I put on bicycle shorts to prevent any chafing (which has been a common occurrence lately) and a bright orange singlet.  I made sure to pop a couple of generic Imodiums and headed out the door.  Once I got on the Southern State Parkway, I realized I had forgotten my earbuds.  I had enough time to go back home and grab them, as long as I didn't get caught up in any traffic. Well, traffic caught up with me about a mile from the Heckscher State Park entrance.  The cars were crawling while state troopers sped alongside in the emergency lanes. After seeing all the bibs that hadn't been picked up at the expo, I was shocked to see the volume of cars on the road. I thought for sure there was a major accident ahead.  Thankfully, there was not.  I was directed to park in Field #2, used the non-porta potty, and then jogged 3/10s of a mile to the starting line.

There were hundreds of people milling about as the official GLIRC emcee made the usual announcements in his usual friendly, upbeat manner. The half marathoners lined up on one side of the road, while the full marathoners were on the other. We listened to a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, and then were off on time.  The skies were clear and the temperature was in the 70s.  I quickly felt the humidity, however.

The first couple of miles were in the park and along Sunrise Highway.  We then went through some local neighborhoods where there was plenty of crowd support, to my surprise.  I skipped the first couple of water stations, but hit almost every one afterwards because of the 83% humidity.  At 83% a little rain shower would have been nice. Hello!? I was running between 8:00 minute miles, with a couple of 7:45s thrown in for variety.  Around Mile 5 I saw a glorious misting tent which I ran through disappointingly, as it turned out to be more of a warm spitting tent. We ran through the Suffolk campus of my alma mater, St. John's University.  I cheered the lead runner as he blew past us on the out and back. He looked very casual and nonchalant, as though he were "jogging" an easy 3.  Before the turn around, a group of Dowling College students were high-5ing the runners reminding me of the Boston College kids on Patriot's Day. On the way back, I ran "with"a couple of women.  I would pass one of them, then stop for water. They would then pass me, but not for long.  I would get ahead again until the next water stop.  The course led us through a botanical garden before getting back on Sunrise Highway for the home stretch into Heckscher Park. At this point, I passed the two ladies for the last time. They didn't pass me again.

I crossed the finish line at 1:47:03, 5 minutes slower than my PR, but decent for a tempo run.  I grabbed two ice cold water bottles and ran back to the car.  My socks were soaked.  I did a few boring laps around the parking lot so I ended up with 16 miles to round out my last "long" run. I finished 4th out of 162 (top 2%) in my age group and 182nd out of 2033 (top 8%) overall.  By the looks of most of the finishing times, it was a slow day.

Mohawk Hudson River Marathon Review

We arrived at the Albany Hilton where the race expo took place around 4pm on Saturday.  There was a nice variety of vendors giving out free samples of every kind of power bar you could want, upcoming race pamphlets, candy, even jump ropes.  There were a couple of clothing racks, but not much.  My favorite stand was the photo booth that made a nice collage with the race logo.  Packet pickup was quick and efficient.

Part of the job description for being a little boy is to 

always make funny faces for the camera.  

Smiling is never an option.

The pasta dinner was conveniently located in the same hotel.  For $21.95 ($13.95 per child) they offered a do-it-yourself Caesar salad,  grilled chicken, lemon butter tilapia, pasta shells with marinara sauce,  rigatoni bolognese, and chocolate and vanilla ice cream for dessert.  I'd like to say the pasta wasn't overcooked and underseasoned, but then of course I would be lying.  The fish and chicken were slightly more palatable than the pasta.  I passed on the ice cream to avoid any possible bathroom emergencies the next day.

We went back to our hotel, the Marriott Springhill Suites, in the town of Colonie which is right in between the start and finish.  I went to bed early, but didn't sleep much due to nerves and my son suddenly coming down with a fever.  The next morning I was up at 5 to eat and digest my bagel.  We left by 7:30 and I arrived at the start in Schenectady by 8.

Marathon morning photo shoot in the hotel bathroom.

Now a tradition and a superstition.

It was about 54 degrees at the start.  I had a throwaway sweatshirt on to stay warm.  I saw only two porta-potties and they were locked up in a cage.  Hmmm.  I asked an official who said the rest of the porta-potties were down a hill and around a corner.  They were not close and the line was definitely more than thirty minutes long.  I decided to be one with nature in the woods.  I was done in thirty seconds.

I found the 3:45 pacer and decided to line up in front of him.  It turned out there were a lot of women who wanted to run at a 3:40 pace.  They were all over 40 and hoping to qualify for Boston (BQ) which is sub 3:45 for our age group.  I had on my 3:40 pace temporary tattoo, but even still, I am not good at pacing myself.  During a marathon, even just a few seconds ahead or behind per mile can make or break your race.  I met Kathrine from Atlanta who said she was good at pacing herself and she was wearing a Garmin.  I was not.

When I got home, I told my 11 year old that this was my new real tattoo.

She almost cried.

The gun went off at exactly 8:30.  I hit the start mat about 30 seconds later.  I stayed with Kathrine for much of the first half.  We were running consistently between an 8:23 and an 8:24 pace.  Perfect.  Until I noticed she would announce the pace a couple of hundred yards before we saw each mile marker.  She started her Garmin early.  She said it didn't matter because it was still a mile distance.  I knew this, but she was still off by the race clock.  At some point, we would have to play catch up, especially if we wanted to run sub 3:40.  At Mile 9 I ran ahead of Kathrine.  I passed what seemed like a boatload of people.  I must be running at an 8:12 pace, I thought.  Kathrine caught up with me at Mile 11 only to inform me we were still at an 8:24 pace.  Really?!  The people I passed were just slowing down, I was not speeding up.  

After the half marathon point, I decided I needed to run faster if I was going to finish in the 3:30s.  I picked up the pace and started passing as many people as I could, which turned out to be a lot.  I do this while driving on the highway, too.  I don't know if this is my competitive nature or just a weird thing I have, but I always feel the need to be ahead.  I kept referring to my arm to make sure I wasn't falling behind.  Instead, I was hitting the mile markers about two minutes ahead of schedule.  

The scenery was pretty.  We started out in Central Park,  then were quickly led onto the residential streets of Schenectady.  The homes were mostly older colonial, my favorite kind.  We stayed in the neighborhood for five miles and then headed back onto the bicycle path.  The entrance back into the park boasted a gorgeous view of the Hudson River surrounded by the autumn golds, oranges, and reds of the changing trees.  We stayed in the park for the next twelve miles.  The path was narrow.  It never felt crowded, but there were times you had to jockey to get ahead.    There was some crowd support at the water stations and on the neighborhood streets, but if you're looking to be cheered along the entire race, some of the bigger events might be more suitable.  

When I signed up for this race, all I kept hearing and reading was how fast this course was.  I expected it to be 26.2 miles of downhill.  I wanted to fly through the race, as I did in Hood to Coast.  I guess I wasn't expecting to actually have to work.  Yes, flat is definitely faster than rolling hills, but you still need to put effort into it.  For some reason, I thought the race was going to be effortless.  Not sure why I thought a marathon was going to be effortless.  Yes, I was surprised throughout the race that my muscles and bones were aching.  In fact, I was tired in the first 10k.  I wondered how I was going to pick up the pace and run under 3:40.  I found the strength somehow.  I didn't get a second wind, but I just pushed along almost on auto-pilot.  The more people I passed, the more determined I was to keep going.  

Around Mile 17 we left the park and ran on the streets of Watervliet.  Once I passed Mile 20 and felt like I could keep going, I felt a bit of relief.  If I didn't hit the wall by now, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to hit it at all.  We reentered the park after Mile 21.  I was passing a lot of people walking at this point.  At Mile 25, I saw a guy just stop running.  I reassured him that we were almost there.  He didn't respond.  I never know if I should say something to others for encouragement or  not.  I, personally, would appreciate the boost from fellow runners.  Some people might just get pissed off.

I finally reached the finish line.  3:37:08.  This is a four minute PR.  The post race party was great.  There was plenty of food and drinks.  They had some vats of steaming hot vegetable soup.  There was even a canoe filled with Hood chocolate milks.  It was like a dream.  

Overall, the scenery was beautiful, the people (runners, spectators, and volunteers) were all golden, and the post race party was one of the best I've been to.  I would definitely change the location of the porta-potties at the start.  I also would tell prospective runners that even though it's a fast course, it's still 26.2 miles of running.  Well, I guess most people know this.  Except me.

I looked Kathrine up in the results.  She finished in 3:43:xx.  I'm sorry she didn't hit her goal, but I'm also glad I decided to run my own race when I did.