Support a Good Cause

Good way to keep track of your outdoor activities and help support a worthy cause in the process...

http://www.plus3network.com/

Tough Week

Yesterday's class was a tough one. We did some interval work and finished off the class with 5 minutes at an 80% effort. It completely wiped me out. Apparently tomorrow night we are upping that to 20 minutes at 80%. I'm not quite sure how I am going to surive that. This is all supposed to prepare us for time trialing. Couldn't resist signing up for the January & February sessions - I love this torture.

Tonight, I am expecting another grueling workout. For some reason this class totally kicks my derriere. Perhaps it's because the computer controls all of the resistance on my bike and there is nowhere for me to hide with the instructor standing right in front of me the whole time. I am expecting to sweat buckets again (here comes the obnoxious girly part) which is rather annoying - it is guaranteed to ruin my hair (I just got it cut into a cute new style today) Maybe I should skip class and go out instead...

I think I am crazy

...because I signed up for this half marathon and haven't even started training for it yet. this will be an insanely cold race.
http://www.hyannismarathon.com/

Can you find me?

Where's Waldo, Rachael style...

The computrainer is not my friend

Ok, so I've been doing these indoor training classes for a handful of weeks now, and I am finding them rather enjoyable. I decided, after receiving some insider information, to try one additional class during the week (that brings the total up to 3) where I would be hooked up to a computrainer (read: a trainer with a computer that monitors your every pedal). Yes, fun, high-tech stuff. I was quite sick last week, but decided to torture myself by going to class anyway. Little did I know that we'd be taking a baseline measurement of our fitness. Ugh. Just my luck. We did a gradual hill climb simulation and I failed at 175 watts. Hmm 175...that's a high number, I think to myself. Come to find out, that number on the relative power-wattage scale is rather low. So fine, I was sick, I'd hardly eaten all day I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt and know that it can only go up from there.

Not so fast there speed racer.

Today, we did a drill where we built upon our baseline failure measurement and pedaled away at a specified wattage and rpm for a period of time. The instructor gave everyone their target number and when she came to me, mine was significantly lower than everyone else's. I can deal with this, I think to myself. After all, I have really only been doing this for a short period of time (reality check: only about 3 months now). Problem was, I was surrounded by people who have been doing this for literally years (the guy right next to me had just completed his nth Ironman). Doesn't do much for one's confidence, let me tell you. I made it through the first set, but had a bit of difficulty keeping up with the rpm. At some point during the second set, I realized I just wasn't going to make it at that pace and signaled to the instructor to come over to my bike. "Can I drop it a bit?" I asked her. She took one look at me (my face was beet red, the beads of sweat rolled down my nose and streamed off the tip like a waterfall...and my heart rate was about as high as my failure wattage) and dropped me 20 watts. Ugh. My dignity had just left the building. I continued to struggle at this new level through the remainder of the session. When it was time to go, the instructor came over to me and said not to worry about the fact that I had to drop back (right) because my form was perfect (sure) and I would just need to work on my fitness which equated to more time in the saddle. Yes, I nodded, that was excruciatingly apparent. Until next time...

Flat!

I've been waiting for this day with nervous anticipation...the day when I'm riding along and all of a sudden my tire pops and I go flat. I always imagined that this horrific episode would happen to me when I was out in the middle of nowhere, alone and on a very cold, windy (maybe even rainy) day. Well, when it did finally happen, what actually transpired was quite a different scenario.

Rewind to last week:
It all started when I was loaned a tire to use while riding on my trainer. This will be great, I thought. I'll unhook my wheel and throw the new one on and I'll be good to go... Imagine my surprise when I walk into my office and see a circular piece of rubber hanging on my office chair. Damn, where's the wheel? Apparently "you can borrow a tire" literally meant I was just getting a tire and I would be forced to practice swapping one out.

So later the following evening I decided to give it a shot. I was able to take my back tire off without any problems...smallest gear...check...unhook the brakes...check...unscrew the axle and take the wheel off the fork...chickety check. I released the air from the tube and took off my tire and got ready to put the new one on. Piece of cake...not really...30 minutes and 2 sore thumbs later, I managed to squeeze the tire around the wheel frame. I wiped the sweat off my brow and refilled the tube with air. Well, I thought to myself, at least I got some practice and now I know I can change out a tube and put the wheel back on.

The next evening was my indoor training class. I was pretty excited to give my handiwork its true test so I hooked up the back tire to the trainer and hopped on my bike. I began to pedal and all of a sudden I heard a loud !POP! whhssssshhhh ...Uh oh... "Hey, you just got a flat" my classmate says to me. My face dropped. He hopped off his bike and came over to inspect the damage. He suggested that it may just be a slow leak and refilled the tube with some air. I put the bike back on the trainer and thankfully was able to finish out the session without further interruption. In the back of my mind, however, I kept thinking that I'd have to do something about it before my next training session - which happened to be at 6am the next morning.

That brings us to today:
After a night of restful sleep, I awoke at 5:30am thinking to myself that there was no way I could change out my flat and make it in time for training. I half hoped that by some miracle, the tire truly hadn't flatted out and I'd be spared the embarrassment of asking someone in class to assist me. Unfortunately, my hopes were crushed when I squeezed the tire and felt the hard rim between my thumb & forefinger. What do I do now?!? And then, an idea hit me. Last night I was able to fill the tube with air and ride the full 90 minutes. Today's class is only 60 minutes. Surely the tube would last that long and I could just change it out when I got to work...brilliant!

When I arrived at Landry's, I filled the tube up with air and carried on as if I had a fully operational piece of riding equipment. I set up my bike and began the warm up. So far so good. I settled in as the workout began, thinking I was in the clear when all of a sudden I heard it... "tha thump...tha thump...tha thump..."

Craaaaaappp! I hopped off my bike and informed the instructor that somehow I'd just gotten a flat. "How in the world did that happen on your trainer?" he asked me. I innocently replied that I had no idea. During this time, another rider (who had one arm in a cast) hopped off his bike to find out what had happened. He kindly brought over a new wheel and asked me if I could swap them out. For whatever reason, probably out of sheer embarrassment, I replied no. He looked at me blankly. With his one good arm, he changed out the wheel for me and told me that he'd replace the tube once class was finished. Oh man. I'd just made this guy fix my bike with one hand. Mortifying.

Class finished without any further mishaps and my one armed classmate took my wheel to the back. He came out 5 minutes later, wheel hanging over his casted arm, pump in the other. He set them down in front of me and says "you'll have to pump". I looked at him quizzically and he replied by holding up his broken arm. "Oh...right," I say, my cheeks flushing a cherry red. I pumped the tire to 80psi because that was all I could do (even with my full weight on the handle, I wasn't able to get the bar down far enough to get it to 100). Then one-armed classmate threw the wheel back on my bike for me and told me I was all set to go. So I suppose in a way I lucked out that it happened while I was in a bike shop and there were plenty of people there who could fix it for me. ;)

Sunday Ride

Went for a ride yesterday...it was so windy I thought I was going to get blown over a couple times. What normally takes me 1hr 15 minutes, took almost 2 hours to finish. Good workout though.

1/3 life crisis

Yes, given my recent impulsive behavior, I believe I am having a one-third life crisis. I just bought a ticket to London. *pause* Yikes.

I'm going to blame this decision on Regina, who was encouraging me over the phone as I was just (out of sheer curiosity) looking to see what prices were like in February. Just so happens, the prices were right ;) so she and I will be spending a week shopping and eating our little hearts out. And maybe we'll make a side trip to Amsterdam to see Latha and the little one...

In other news, I was exhausted today and I didn't make it out riding (or to the gym for that matter). But I am going tomorrow so I'll have to make up the extra time then.

Training

This week marks the beginning of my 'official' training schedule. It was pretty exciting to see & feel the changes when I started doing this for the half marathon and I can tell that I'm going to go through some significant changes this time around as well. The plan that I am on is much more intense than the running and it takes up a lot of time, but the end results will definitely be worth it.

I had my first coached session last night and it was a lot of fun. Learned some good stuff and it will definitely help to keep up the motivation through the winter. Going riding this weekend, weather permitting...

Collide

it's not just a song by howie day... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTz7rhommHI


So I have a lot to catch up on apparently. This last week has been insanely busy and I am just now getting the opportunity to catch my breath and write. I have put myself on a tight training schedule and have to maintain 8.5 hours a week for the next 13 weeks. After that, it increases quite a bit through the spring & summer. Explanation of this to come in a later posting, but let me just say that with the time change comes darkness and it's very difficult to get out for a run or a ride post work. I am finding those 8.5 hours hard to come by. I've readjusted my schedule slightly and am trying to fit in workouts at lunch when at all possible. Tonight I hit the gym to do weights and tomorrow, I run with Andrea.


Let me now backtrack to what has transpired since my last posting. Last Tuesday I met up with two NEBC'ers for a night ride. I have a teeny light which has an output of about 1 watt. I was told not to be concerned because they would sandwich me between them since each had a super powered headlight strapped to their handlebars. Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing. So we rode and it turns out, my mini light provided enough illumination for me to get by. The ride was good, we did ~22 miles in 90 minutes. The rest of the week was filled with running & gym workouts.


On Saturday, upset by the fact that I didn't get to do a longer distance the weekend before, I decided I would go out and ride 40 miles. That's basically 2 round trips to Bedford and back on the Minuteman. Some (names withheld) have questioned my hesitation to hit the streets solo at this point since I need to get that experience under my belt. Here is my feeble explanation: a) I have NO idea where I am once I pass through Arlington and b) I'd rather have a companion with me in case I get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat or (ahem) take a tumble and get injured.

The weather on Saturday was overcast. It had rained the night before and the streets had yet to dry up. In fact, I was afraid I was going to get caught in a downpour since the clouds looked a bit ominous. Not to be deterred for any reason, I jumped in my car and resigned myself to the fact that if it rained, I'd just have to deal with it. I headed out from Alewife and was surprised at how many people were out on the path. There is a point where you have to cross an intersection at Arlington Center (where I'd had my first mishap). Since that incident, I have quickly learned to clip & unclip my shoes and haven't had any major issues since. I crossed the street and noticed a huge pile of leaves that were blocking my way. I steered through them, realizing that they were soggy and quite slippery. Just as I was making a mental note of this, my back tire slid left and knocked me off balance and I went crashing down in front of a handful of bikers and one very concerned runner. I jumped up and picked up my bike and noticed, as a crowd gathered around me, that my chain had fallen off. Crap. I fumbled with it a bit as a man on a bike came toward me and asked if he should hold my bike while I put the chain back on. Nope, I am fine, I told him..not about to admit I really didn't know what I was doing. Once I got the chain on the teeth, I brushed myself off and noticed that my right thigh was throbbing. I hopped back on the saddle, not to be discouraged by a bruised thigh (and ego).

The ride down to Bedford was great. I cruised along heading down & back again, listening to a mix I'd made specifically for long workouts and pedaled my little heart out. Somewhere along the way, I got distracted and drifted a bit off to the right. I immediately tried to correct myself, unaware that I'd ridden off into the dirt. My front tire rubbed against the curb of the asphalt (which was camouflaged by leaves) and I immediately realized I was going down...again.

Let me pause here and mention that this all happened in (excruciatingly) slow motion.

My left thigh was the first to hit the ground, followed by my elbow. I was still attached to my bike by my left shoe as I slid across the pavement. I came to an abrupt stop, unclipped, jumped up and looked behind me to make sure there wasn't an audience watching me. The closest person was hundreds of feet away - too far to have seen anything. I did a quick check of my newest injuries - a huge bruise and scrape marks on my left thigh, as well as a scraped up elbow. I might as well be 8 years old. I quickly diverted my attention to my bike and noticed the shifters were askew and completely scraped up. I readjusted them as best I could and did a check of the rest of the bike, which was fine. With shaky legs, I threw myself back onto the saddle and took my bruised and battered self home.

As I write this, I still can't sleep on my left or right side. I've realized that this kind of thing is bound to happen once in awhile. If anything, it makes for an entertaining story. As Howie puts it so eloquently...even the best fall down sometimes.

Riding the burbs

Woke up at the crack of dawn this morning in anticipation of a long ride. Headed out to Arlington to the Quad Cycles shop to make it for the 9:30am departure. I walked in and the guys working there told me that as of Nov 1 (today), the ride starts at 10. Ok. I am 45 mins early. Hmmm. What do I do? The guys at the shop told me to just hang out and so I did ... Since this was to be my first group ride and longest ride to date, I was a little nervous. They told me not to worry, that no one gets dropped and asked if I wanted coffee. How nice. As one of the guys left to go get caffeine in a cup, the other pulled me aside and said - You know, I'll tell you this since you're nice and you're new to all this. They will drop you if you can't keep up. And by the way, you're going to be cold in that outfit. huh? Great way to make me feel at ease. I looked at him funny because I was wearing my long tights and 2 top layers along with my long finger gloves .... not to mention it was already 55* outside. Well, he says to me, you might not be cold today, but once it stars to get really cold you'll need something like this - he pulls out a jacket. Uh huh. Always a salesman.

People started to arrive and I was introduced to a couple of the regular riders. Around the same time, the two NEBC riders I was supposed to meet showed up and ... we were off. We went down Mass Ave and the pace was just around 16. Not bad. We swung over to the Minuteman and headed toward Bedford where we regrouped and split into the fast and slow packs. My NEBC counterparts were kind enough to hang with the turtles and we sped off at a comfortable pace (we ranged between 17-21 and I hit my highest to date - 24) toward Chelmsford and down to Great Brook. We encountered a series of 2-3 hills that caused me to drop back because I hadn't shifted properly and I couldn't regain my momentum to catch up with the leaders. The only thing I could think at that point was oh my god I have no idea where I am...how am I going to get home? Never to fear, I wasn't the last rider and just before the panic set in, said rider passed me and started to speed away. Crap! I picked up my pace as the pain tore through my legs and followed her the couple miles straight ahead to Carlisle where everyone had stopped for break #3. We discussed the rest of the route and due to time constraints, we decided to take the quick way back down 225 (which, I have to mention is in TERRIBLE shape) through Bedford, back down the Minuteman and into to Arlington. 30 miles completed!

It was a great morning topped off with a quick lunch with N & R from NEBC who hung with me pretty much the whole way. It was much appreciated.

Complete route is here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2370999

nuovi inizi

So I am trying to decide if I should continue posting here. My main reason for keeping this blog alive was the half marathon and now that it's done, I am technically not training for anything anymore. However, I did sign up for another half in the frigid month of February in Hyannis. And I now also have my bike. So maybe that's enough to keep this going for awhile longer.

Went for a ride last night on the Minuteman. It was cold, but I was wearing my winter gear and warmed up after about 15 minutes. The first part of the ride was frustrating because I wasn't able to cruise along at my normal pace. But once my muscles had adjusted, I picked it up and sped toward Bedford. I am not a big fan of riding at night and because of this I snuck out of work early so that I could make it back to Alewife before the sun set completely. Usually I finish the route in just under two hours and last night I did it in about an hour and 45 minutes. Not too shabby. However, halfway back, as I stopped at a traffic light, my right calf completely cramped up on me. Not sure if it was due to the cold, not stretching before, lack of H2O or what. I was able to shake it out and continue on my journey. But it hurt like hell. I'm still feeling the effects of it this morning...

I have a really, really long ride tomorrow, which at the moment, I think I am crazy to attempt. But there are stops along the way for lunch and ice cream (!), I'm bringing a bunch of nutrition and liquids, so I think it will be fine. Worst case, I turn around and head back...

Fin

I successfully completed the half-marathon on Sunday! Thank you for all of the encouragement and support I received through the training. I definitely appreciated it.

Race day started at 5am when I rolled out of bed, threw on my running gear and gobbled down a bagel with peanut butter, a banana and a luna bar. We arrived at the start line at 6am in Union Square with 20,000 other runners. It was an unbelievable mass of people. The start was staggered by mileage time and about 4 minutes after the gun went off, I hit the pavement
running. The beginning of the course went through the financial district to the Embarcadero, past all of the piers and through Chrissy Field. Just after running by the Golden Gate Bridge at mile 6, the first monsterous hill approached. I thought the worst of it was over when I reached the peak, but no such luck. The next 3.5 miles were full of running up and down hills through the Presidio and Lincoln Park. Around mile 10, the course flattened and we had a great view of the Pacific Ocean. I could see the finish line and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the course took an abrupt left had turn into Golden Gate Park. By then, my legs were burning and I'd been trying to work through some knee pain that had appeared around mile 9. Miles 11 and 12 seemed to go on forever...As I flew past some volunteers handing out Ghirardelli chocolates, I realized the finish line was only about 500 feet in front of me. I threw it into high gear, squinted at the clock to see what my time was and realized I'd beaten my goal time by almost 15 minutes. I crossed at 02:04:47, tired, out of breath and thinking that when I run my next half, I will shoot for a sub 2hour finish time.

Official results are posted here:
http://results.eternaltiming.com/event/NWM2008 under the 'find athlete' link. I was bib #9445

and (not so attractive) pictures are here: http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?41296148
What's next?!?! Hyannis Half in February and Cycling...

Tufts 10k

Great 6mile run this morning - broke a new PR for the (very) few races I've done this year. Results below:

Place Divpl/Tot  Div   Guntime Nettime Pace age S Race#

1464  462/1545  F3039  1:00:01  56:08  9:02 32  F  1284



and Andrea left me in her dust...nice job!

1230  395/1249 F2029   58:49    54:54  8:50 26  F  3319

Sunday

Went for a ride this morning - when it was all said & done I logged just about 22 miles. My ipod battery ran out 3/4 of the way through which was a bummer. I needed M.I.A. to give me that extra push through the jumps. Came home and later in the afternoon did a quick 3 mile round-trip run to Marathon to pick up some gels for next week. Can't believe the race is coming up so quickly.

Hip Flexors

I went the whole week without running. I know I am supposed to be tapering, but this is taking it too far. I have been suffering the consequences though and since I've been doing all this riding, my hip flexors have decided to tighten up. I tried to stretch them out yesterday with some of Salah's stretching tips, but alas, they just didn't want to budge. So I went for a 6 mile run today and threw in a summit ascent. I felt like an old woman shuffling along, but I made it through and my legs feel much better now.

Alternating Currents

...between biking and running. Ran 10 miles on Saturday and haven't run since. Yikes. Well, I am supposed to be tapering anyway. I did convince Salah (who is honoring us with his presence from CA this week) to bring his running shoes...so a run is in my near future.

What have I been doing in the meantime? Riding my brand new road bike! Yep, I just bought this beauty ... I've begun the crossover and I love it. Rode every day this week. Just need the sidis to come in and the package will be *almost* complete.

Status Quo

4.3 miles in just under 40 minutes.

Anandamide (aka bliss)

The source of my insanity this weekend has been found. I dare you to give me the IUPAC name for this bad boy...

An Idiopathic Outburst of Energy

I don't know what has happened to me over the last several months, but something has caused a switch to be flipped inside of me. I've become more involved in working out than I ever have before. I think it's a matter of never being involved in sports growing up and realizing that I really missed out on a whole different side of myself that never had the opportunity to show until now. I'm feeling healthier, I have toned up and I've discovered a competitiveness in myself that I love. And, to top it all off, I am re-learning things about my personality and drive that have been hidden away for quite awhile.

As I mentioned in my last post, I did a 2 hour spin class yesterday. Today, I followed a similar routine, heading to spin with the intention of only staying for an hour since I had to run later in the day. Well, that didn't happen. My ischial tuberosities didn't want to get off the saddle any longer than the standing hill climbs and jumps called for, so I stayed on the bike and spun my little heart out for another 2 hours.

Later in the day...

Andrea, Amina, Adam and I ran the reservoir loop and logged 6 miles ... in the rain.

For those of you that may say I am overdoing it before the race, never fear. I am not going to continue the back to back to back workouts. I will be tapering down over the next 3 weeks and will likely keep my mileage below 10 for any given run. This was really just a case of pushing to see how far I would let myself go and to see how I would feel once it was all said & done (so far, pretty damn good). I suppose only the next couple days will truly tell. I am expecting my legs to send out an S.O.S. signal by morning.

Tomorrow: rest

Wheel in the sky

keeps on turning...

Just got back from spin class. I hung in there with 4 other people for 2 solid hours of hills, jumps and sprints. All I can say...I'm hooked.

Rain!

Forecast calls for rain all weekend. This does not bode well for my long run. Good thing I logged 4,6 and 5 earlier this week, - however, I still need more miles.

Plan A: run 10 tomorrow (if the rain decides to let up) and spin class on Sunday. Plan B: Saturday morning spin class and a 10 on Sunday with Andrea and Amina.

SF plans are shaping up quite nicely...just over 3 weeks away now. It's going to be a busy 4 days...spending time with the family, going to an engagement party, taking a trip to Sonoma with the girls, having dinner in the city with some friends and yes, of course, the run...

02:20:07

Don't really know what to say at the moment except I finished my first half today. Actually, it was 13.3 miles to be somewhat exact. The route was the usual MIT-Eliot loop, with a brief diversion into the Boston Common to do 2 hill repeats - the full route is here. This was an amazing run - the temperature was in the 50s, the sun was out and I felt great. My goal was to finish in 02:15:00, but I am going to say that I am ok with my time given that this is the first time I've run this far. Adam was a trooper and ran with me for the last 11 on an empty stomach and 4 hours sleep. Have to give him credit for hanging in there.

This week I taper down, do some more hill repeats and maybe throw in a bit of cross training.

HRM part 3

http://www.marathonguide.com/training/articles/HeartMonitorTraining.cfm

According to this article, my HRmax would be 194. I am going to test it out again during tomorrow's team run. Plan: throw a couple of hills into the mix and going for at least 11 miles. Maybe I'll just do the whole damn 13.

******
Based on the simple Heartrate calculation, your max Heartrate is: 194.
To get the most out of your workout, you should work out in one of the "zones" described below, depending whether your goal is weight loss, an aerobic workout or an anaerobic workout.
Zone 1 - Low Intensity zone: 50% - 60% of max 132-145
Zone 2 - Weight Control zone: 60% - 70% of max 145-157
Zone 3 - Aerobic zone: 70% - 80% of max 157-170
Zone 4 - Anaerobic zone: 80% - 90% of max 170-182
Zone 5 - Maximal zone: 90% - 100% of max 182-194

Trail Running

Directions. Yes, having one's bearings is essential when trying to find your way to a running clinic at The Fells. We followed two sets of conflicting directions that were provided to us by the clinic leader and found ourselves nowhere near where we needed to be to run with the group. After searching a map multiple times, we realized that we were at the south end of the park's entrance when we should have been about 2 miles or so to the north.

Instead of throwing in the towel, we decided to make the most of it and run the Long Pond trail on our own. It turned out to be great - the temperature was perfect and the views were amazing. Got in a little hill training as well toward the end of it. Total time was only 30 minutes (~3.5 miles or so), but it was probably one of the better (and faster) runs I've had this week.

Quick Run + Trails

Did a quick 5 miles yesterday with the HRM on for test drive #2. I am getting a little worried that I either have a heart problem or I am completely technically challenged. At the beginning of my run, I was averaging between 95-101 and then all of a sudden it shot up to 177 again. What is going on???!!!

Tonight I am off to a trail running clinic at The Fells with Andrea. Should be a good time. I am going to try and convince her to run a half (or full...!) with me in February.

HRM part 2

Today has been a very long day. Woke up at 6am and could not fall back asleep. I've resigned myself to the fact that I am now a morning person, which really isn't a bad thing. Had my coffee and got my day started. Around 3, I started messing around with my new running accessory. Calculated my HRmax using two different calculations and got a range between 188 and 192.8. I set my zones according to the lower number, but I think that because I am on the smaller side, my HRmax tends to be higher (maybe I am just out of shape). I started my run and the monitor started beeping at me constantly. Took me until halfway to washington square to realize I had all the zones 'on' (smile). I need to do a little more reading on this, but my average HR was 177. Call me crazy, but I don't think I was running at 90% capacity for 6.2 miles. The run was good with the exception of the gnats that took kamikaze dives toward my forehead. Disgusting.

HRM

Bought a heart rate monitor yesterday. Can't wait to give it a test run later today.

Plan B

Woke up at 6am this morning to get to training by 7. The initial plan was to do a 9 mile run, but when I got there, the coaches had laid out 20, 18, 10 and 9 mile routes. I am not doing this training to make my life easier, so I decided that I needed to push myself to see how I would do on a 10. It's been awhile since I've done one and I have been feeling very guilty about it. So we headed out to stretch & get some last minute updates. I strategically positioned myself right in front so that no one would be running ahead of me. I did this for a couple reasons: 1) I wanted to see how I would keep pace with the marathoners and 2) I wanted to see where I would come in among the half marathoners. 40 of us were running this morning and it was pretty much split evenly between the two groups.

And then I took off....
Time: 7:40am

Only one person passed me after the first mile. She was a marathoner. I figure she had much more experience on me since it seemed she was running a sub 9 minute mile.

After mile 2, I had eased into my pace and a couple other people passed me. No big deal. They were also marathoners.

Mile 4 was the first water stop, I had already taken my first gu and was ready for some liquid. Grabbed a handful of jelly beans and continued on.

Miles 5 & 6 were spent chatting with one of the mentors about the coaching he gets from an elite runner. Somewhere around this time I hit the hour mark.

Just after mile 7 was the Eliot bridge water stop. By this time, about 7 more marathoners had caught up to me. I was hurting because I'd only had one gu and felt my legs screaming for more energy. Drank more liquid, had an orange and watermelon slice, grabbed a gu and a handful of pretzels. Took off thinking I was the 1st half marathoner heading down the home stretch.

This last part of the route was great - I knew I was almost done and my ego was huge thinking I'd left everyone in my dust. I know, I know. This isn't a competition.

Trader Joe's was the last water stop around mile 9. I asked if anyone else had come through and they told me that 2 people had already stopped by. How did I not see them??? Maybe they only ran the 9!

I headed past the BU bridge (which I now know is about a mile from the Mass Ave bridge) and saw the end in sight. I hit Mass ave, crossed the street and ran the last 1/4 mile to MIT. I ran up the stairs and into the building to see what time it was & who had checked in ahead of me.

It was exactly 9:30 am. That means I was out for 1hour 50mins. And yes, 2 people had already checked in.

The mentors said that the route was about 10.5m. Indeed it was. I am so ready for this half.

Thursday Night Run

Went for a 6.2 mile run tonight - fall is definitely in the air. I love this weather.
happy birthday mom.

Race Results

Click & scroll just over halfway down and there you will find me... *sigh*
Results

Run Like a Girl

Ran the Montrail Run Like a Girl trail race this morning. 8k of rooty (is that a word?) and rocky trails within the gorgeous Great Brook Farm in Carlisle. The thing I love about these races is that I get to see areas of Mass that I never knew existed. Carlisle is another gorgeous town that I could live in (or maybe have a summer home) when I make my millions...This was a hilly route and since we had a monsoon last night, the course was slippery and soggy. A couple racers took some nasty spills, I tripped on a couple of occasions and rolled my ankle once, without sustaining any injuries. At the end of the run, there were two enormous puddles that we splashed through to get to the finish...not too fun walking around in soggy shoes & socks. I imagine the shoes are going to be pretty stinky once they dry. Maybe I can wash them??? I managed to finish in 00:54:20-ish sans inhaler which I needed around mile two. Not the best time, but given the trail conditions and the fact that I had no idea what to expect out of it, I suppose I am satisfied. Ok, not really, but I'll live with it. I'll have to give it another try next year.

I am going crazy...

...because I haven't been able to run in 4 days! This has been torture.

Wednesday Morning: Took an 8am flight to Austin for work. Arrived at 11:30am - had lunch & wandered around the city for a couple hours. Interesting to note, my coworker got stung by a bee at the capitol building and for me, a consequence of the miles we walked (in my inappropriate shoes) was a nasty blister.

Wednesday Night: Had an amazing dinner at Fogo de Chao complete with a pitcher of sangria, creme brulee and of course, coffee. Got a message from my doctor with the dx...I have shin splints and need to take it easy with the running. Easy to do in Austin since it was a mild 88* with 70% humidity.

Thursday: The actual work began and lasted a few hours. Had some time to wander again and stumbled upon the river walk and dog run. Probably my favorite place in Austin. Fellow coworker and I decided to take the (in)famous bat boat tour and it subsequently rained guano...everywhere. Had another fantastic dinner at the 5* Driskill Grill (complete with eau de guano parfum). Spoiled (and stinky), yes.

Friday: Work commenced at 7am and was a success. Hit the road for the airport and headed home. Arrived in the evening and crashed.




Saturday Morning: It was pouring rain when I woke up at 6:30am, so I didn't make it out to the TNT run. However I did go apple picking with some friends in Harvard (rain had calmed down by that point), had a great lunch at the Fruitland Museum's Tea Room which, I might add, has a gorgeous view of the valley. I think I could live in Harvard.

Saturday Afternoon: Betty Crocker I am not, but I attempted to bake some pie with all of the apples we brought home. Tried a variation on the recipe - for the crust I used whole wheat flour and for the filling, I tried unbleached cane sugar. Let the tasting begin...

And the plan for Sunday: The Montrail 'Run Like a Girl' 8k Finally, I'll get my run in.

The Fells

Went for a long hike this afternoon with Andrea and Amina. We wandered around The Fells, which is a forested area that is right smack in the middle of about 5 different towns just outside of Boston. A little piece of paradise in the city. Went for a 3 mile run later in the evening. Tomorrow is the Human Race 10k...

Radioactive Bones

Couldn't sleep well last night in anticipation of being injected with radiolabeled liquid first thing this morning. Had a couple sips of coffee and some H2O as I made my way to the hospital at 7am. I parked and found my way through the maze that is BWH to the nuclear medicine department just in time for my 7:30am check-in. As I checked in, I realized that I'd forgotten my blue card. Apparently you can't be seen unless you have one. So I was directed to the Ambulatory Unit check-in desk to get one and I was greeted by a very friendly woman who hooked me up with my fast pass to the bone scanner.

I checked in again and was quickly whisked off to a stark room with a comfy leather chair, in which I was instructed to sit, by a tech who acted as if it was his first day on the job. He proceeded to tell me that he'd be inserting an iv into my arm and noted that I had "great veins". He proceeded to cut off my circulation with the tourniquete and I thought my veins were going to explode. He stuck me once, pushed in the iv tube and realized that he'd missed the mark as blood rushed into the attached vial of saline. "Whoops, let me try again" he said to me. He poked again, just above the first stab wound and I noticed that the tube was half filled with blood and air. That doesn't look right. I hope he doesn't give me an embolism, I have a lot of things I need to do today. He began to push the saline in and the skin above the needle quickly enlarged into a small mound. "Oh...I am so sorry," he said to me, "Feel that..." he rubbed the growing bump..."I don't want to tell you this but I am going to have to get someone else to just do a straight stick because I have missed your enormous vein again" Fantastic, I am now a human pin cushion. I rolled up my right sleeve in preparation. "No problem," I smiled.

The second tech thankfully acted like he knew what he was doing. He pulled the needle & radioactive isotope out of a lead vase, tightened the tourniquet and stabbed me for a third time. This time it took. Whew. He informed me that I needed to return in 3 hours and to drink lots of water. I hope coffee counts.

Three hours later I found myself laying on an over sized geiger counter watching small white dots form the outline of my skeleton. It took about a half an hour to take a full body scan and two leg scans. It was the coolest thing I've seen since grad school and I almost asked the tech to print me out a copy of the picture so I could take it home as a souvenir. I didn't, only because I thought that might be just a little weird.

On my way out of the office, the tech introduced me to one of the radiologists who would later examine my scan. He told me that at first glance, everything looked ok, but that he would take a closer look at the offending area and talk to my doctor if he finds anything. I should know my status by Tuesday. I'm thinking that I am ok.

The plan for this weekend is to run two 10ks and go for a hike (or bike ride). A little phantom pain isn't going to slow me down...

A gnatty run

An unfortunate consequence of my reservoir runs as of late are the hoards and hoards (and hoards) of gnats that hover between 4.5 & 6 feet in the air over the trail. As you might imagine, my short stature puts my head at just the right height to be surrounded by these nasty little creatures. Tonight was no exception. Every time I ran through the swarming brown clouds, I tried a preventative head duck, thinking that if I was able to drop my altitude enough, I would avoid inhaling a mouthful of bugs. Much to my dismay, this strategy rarely worked and I ended up swatting my way around the reservoir.

Bugs aside, the run was beautiful. The water was completely still except for a ripple that 2 swans left in their wake toward the end of the loop. The sun was setting behind BC and the sky was full of brush-stroke clouds.

In other news, I had an x-ray on my leg today. It came out just fine, but the Dr. wants me to have a bone scan just to be safe. Yikes. That will happen on Friday. Stay tuned...

That's what horses eat

Last night Layla came over for dinner and Amina was kind enough to cook dinner for all of us. She made butter chicken, daal and yogurt with cucumbers. It was quite a tasty meal and I was thrilled when there were leftovers because I love eating daal for breakfast - especially before running. When I told her I was going to eat it this morning, Amina laughed and said to me "that's what horses eat! It gives them strength..." Horses eat lentils flavored with garlic, hot peppers and spices (for breakfast)? hmm...

The breakfast: a plate of daal and 2 glasses of water

The run: met at MIT, ran the MOS loop, passed the Mass Ave bridge, went over the Anderson footbridge and headed back to MIT: 8.2ish total miles.

All I can say is that the proof is in the daal. I had an amazing run this morning, full of energy and completely pain free. This might become a long-run tradition. I just need to somehow convince Amina to cook for me more often.

3+ plus 2.5x Summit

Went for a jog to marathon sports to see if they have compression socks for my achy leg. Unfortunately, the girl that worked there had no idea what they were. *Sigh*

I headed back toward Summit to do a couple of repeats. 2.5 down and I headed home to make guacamole. Tasty. As of 7:12pm, I've pretty much eaten my weight in avocado.

An easy 3

I decided that I needed to do a short recovery run tonight to keep the limbs limber. I ran the Comm ave loop through Allston, Boston and back to Brookline. I left around 7 and returned a short 27 minutes later. My shin is still hurting, so I am icing it and I made an appointment with my pcp to get it checked out. Dx tbd.

Reservoir 6 + 1.5x Summit

Took off for a run this evening to make up for the slacker week I had. Hit Beacon to do the usual reservoir run as the sun was just starting to set. This is my favorite time to run the reservoir because it's starting to cool down, it is peaceful and quiet and there aren't a lot of people that get in the way. Saw a couple guys fishing again and I wonder a) if they actually catch anything and b) if they caught something, would they really eat it?

My run continued back down Beacon and all of a sudden, I had an idea. Summit. Yes, the monstrosity of a hill that I conquered oh so long ago. In true relay fashion I passed off the house keys to Amina and told her I'd meet her at home. I then stormed down the street and took a left onto Summit just as Ingrid's Tu Es Foutu (You Are Crazy) began playing on my iPod.

My favorite part of this run is on the way down. I know it's torture on your joints, but it is such a great recovery from the pain that ensues during the time it takes to run up the thing. And oddly, tonight, as I ran down it, the following thought crossed my mind, "That wasn't so bad. How about a repeat?" Since I had already gone 5.5-ish miles by that point, I cut myself a little slack and went halfway up to Bellavista and ran home. I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to own a home on Bellavista. The houses are huge, are surrounded by plenty of trees and they all have large yards. As I was contemplating how many years it would take me to save up enough for a down payment on one of the BV chateaus, I noticed that the vibrant orange sun had just about set behind the trees. Gorgeous. I finally zipped home and made myself a salad with corn and frijoles negros. And now, here I sit on my living room floor, ice pack on my left leg, munching on sheep's milk gouda, watching women's diving. Such a relaxing way to end what turned out to be, a very enjoyable weekend.

No running

Yeah, you read correctly. I haven't been running. Well, for the last 2 days anyway. After my awful Sunday run, I decided to give my left shin and right knee a break. So what, you ask, have I been doing in the interim? Watching the Olympics of course. Childhood dreams of winning the gold have passed me by, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the synchronized diving, water polo and gymnastics does it? One question though, why does the women's beach volleyball uniform consist of a barely-there bikini when the men's team uniform is a baggy sleeveless t-shirt and long shorts? My vote: the men should be forced to go sleeveless t-shirtless. But I digress.

(interesting...an hour after I posted this, it looks like I'm not the only one asking that question http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/slideshow/ss.76)

On tap for tomorrow: a spinning class! Yep, back to the gym I go at lunch time to get in a little cross training. Gonna take my old tennies for a spin on the bike. Hope I can keep up. The last time I did this, I had one of the best (and sweatiest) workouts ever. In the evening, perhaps a run. I'm going to be exhausted. But maybe, just maybe, I'll finally be able to get a full, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep tomorrow night.

One good, one bad

Did the reservoir run yesterday in about an hour -I was finally able to put the much needed 6 miles under my belt. It was a beautiful morning, I felt strong the whole time and I had a surprisingly nice finish. Today, however, was a different story. I headed out to do a 5 mile run around the river and was in pain not even a mile into it. Could have been because I didn't stretch properly, could have been because my muscles were fatigued. I did finish, but it was such a sloppy run. Tonight I rest, ice my leg & watch the Olympics.

7 at 7:30

Did another 7 today with the group at 7:30 this morning. Had an egg & chocolate Gu for breakfast and then headed out to the river. Temperature was great when we started - overcast & in the mid-70s and then as usual, warmed up along the way. The run couldn't have been better. My legs were going strong the whole time and had it not been for some rather annoying GI issues, I could have gone farther. After we finished, Amina & I headed to the South Shore Mall for some shopping. Bought some new work clothes and had shredded beef tacos for lunch (which made my afternoon, I needed the protein & guacamole). Got home and crashed. Ate a salad for dinner and then went to JP Licks and had chocolate & oreo ice cream for dessert. What a great day.

Another humid run

This week has been light in terms of mileage. I bought some new Asics, (which I love) and have been trying to break them in slowly. We did 4 on Sunday, 4 on Tuesday (with the group) and 5 last night with Vik (who is preparing for a full marathon and has already hit the 12 mile mark in only 7 weeks of training).

After an extremely long day at work, a forgotten appointment with a plumber, a potential roommate interview and my stomach full from dinner, we ran to CHB in what seemed like 15 minutes (probably more like 45-ish). What a difference it makes to run with someone new. I think this may become a regular Thursday run.

One random thought...what am I going to do once this half is done and I have nothing to train for???

An almost perfect ten

A consistent sleeping schedule still eludes me...I woke up at 3am this morning to the sound of my AC blasting cold air at me. It took about an hour of tossing and turning for me to fall back asleep. Just as I was settling into a rather nice dream, my alarm starts blaring at me. It was 7am. I debated on whether or not I should just turn it off, roll over and resettle into my sleeping bliss, but then I remembered that today was the day that Amina and I were going to attempt to run our longest distance yet - 10 miles. So I threw back the covers, walked into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of bread and water and started eating my 'breakfast'. I need to go grocery shopping badly. I then walked to Amina's door and knocked, only to hear her mumble something incoherent to me. I responded with a cheery "Good morning...you ready to run?" hehe.

So here is how the rest of the morning went down:

We left at 8am and headed to the reservoir. Temperature check showed a balmy 74* with 80% humidity. I was dripping with sweat by the time we passed The Publick House. A quick water stop at DD set us up for a quick tour of the reservoir. While at DD we took out the Gu and downed it. Belgian chocolate is apparently a primary ingredient and I have to say, it actually didn't taste half bad. Once we sped through the reservoir, we headed back toward Harvard street, stopped off at SB for some more water and ran down Babcock to Comm Ave. Another H2O stop at another DD where we saw the cutest little guy (couldn't have been older than 3 or 4) in a power rangers outfit and green rain boots. I smiled at him and he flexed his muscles and stared us down. I think he was flirting. Ah, they start so young these days.

Back out on Comm Ave, we headed past Paradise (MGMT is sold out) and over the BU footbridge onto the Esplanade. We headed to the Mass Ave bridge, crossed it to Cambridge and ran toward the BU boathouse where we paused for another water stop. This was the last leg of the trip and can I just say, I was tired. I think I should have brought one more Gu with me. But I shuffled along back over the BU bridge to Comm Ave (pausing yet again for water at the BU gym) and back home. I won't post the total time because it is longer than I would like to admit, but I felt so good once we were done. I had a bit of foot pain - my right arch cramped up on me about 1/2 mile from home, but other than that, it was a beautiful run.

This afternoon, I am off to Marathon Sports to buy a new pair of shoes...

Benefit for the LLS

Our fund raising event at Felt was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who came out - we had an amazing turnout of well over 70 people. Despite not eating dinner and having a nasty headache for the majority of the night, I had a great time losing miserably in two games of pool to my coworker Tiffany, trying to learn how to play Cut Throat (I still don't get the point of the game, sorry Eric), being admittedly a bit embarrassed by the tuxedo t-shirts (didn't think you guys were serious about wearing them, but really, I should have known better), and making a valiant effort to find & return Adam's kidnapped blackberry. It was great to meet so many new people as well. It was difficult to get around to thank everyone for coming, but I believe that between the both of us, Amina and I were able to make sure everyone knew their presence was appreciated.

So, needless to say, running this morning was completely out of the question and all I've done is lounge around my house drinking H2O and Starbucks. This is all in preparation for tomorrow's long run, of course...it will be a stiff 10 miles in the heat. I've frozen my chocolate goo and am doing my best to stay hydrated in this horrible weather.

Many thanks to Vijay and Sarina for setting the space up for us, it wouldn't have been possible without their help.

Marathon Sports 5 Miler

Last night, I laced up my running shoes and hit the streets of Weston for a 5-mile race. It was a blazing 90* with humidity - the bane of my running existence. Happily, the route was residential and tree-lined, so we were in the shade almost the whole time. This course was full of hills -one in particular seemed like Mt. Everest, but I climbed it like a champion and was able to beat my finish time goal by 8 seconds.

Mile 1: 00:08:13
Mile 2: 00:09:37
Miles 3, 4, 5: 00:10:00 give or take a couple seconds

Finish time: 00:47:52

Jill & Amina Yours truly & Amina

Tuesday Night Run

Last night we met up with part of the TNT group in Brookline for a 4mile run around the river. It was h.o.t. as usual, but not so humid. Learning from past experience, I brought along a bottle of water to keep me hydrated. We ran from the border of Brookline to Comm ave (where I ran into my coworker Steve, who was riding his bike), down to the Mass Ave bridge, over to Cambridge, back toward the BU footbridge and back into Brookline. After the run, we headed out to the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse for food...

The fundraiser at felt is happening in 2 days, so far over 40 people have confirmed - I just hope they all show up!

Thanks to another coworker of mine, I've broken the $2k mark. Many thanks, Clare!

Reservoir Run Part Two

Last night we ran to the reservoir again. It was an absolutely beautiful evening. The sun was just starting to set and the sky was a streaky mixture of pink, yellow and blue. As the sun dropped behind the trees, it reflected off of the windows of a building and scattered it's yellowish-orange reflection across the pond. There was a slight breeze and the temperature couldn't have been better. I only wish I'd had my camera with me...

Another 6 miles down this week. Tonight I'm going for 4 with the group and 5 at a race on Thursday. Saturday will be 6 miles of hill training in Newton and Sunday just might be a 10...

Week Ten

I woke up this morning at 6:45 hardly ready to run. I made myself a pita & labne sandwich for breakfast and threw on my running clothes. For a brief moment, I considered crawling back into bed, but my conscience got the better of me and rather than flake out on a team member who I'd told I would be there, I sucked it up and drove to MIT. I got there at 7:30 and hit the pavement with my mentor. Her pace was a bit faster than what I am used to - I could feel my breathing become heavier and my legs were protesting a bit. I dropped back to my usual pace and ran past the Museum of Science to the pinkish colored footbridge next to the Hatch Shell. I crossed the bridge and ran up beacon toward the common. The first water stop was at the base of the hill, so I paused for some water and a pink colored drink (powerade?). One of the coaches was there and ran up the hill with me, around the common, down to the public garden and then back to the base of the hill for repeat number 2. After pausing for another water stop another teammate and I took off for the hill again. We did the same loop around both parks and then headed back to MIT across the Mass Ave bridge. Total mileage, just over 6. It was hot this morning, but not humid and I felt pretty good...until I got home. I started to feel really tired and had to lay down for about 30 minutes. That horrible feeling came over me again and I made it to the bathroom sink just in time. I ate and sipped on a gatorade (orange flavor, which is disgusting) and started to feel a little better for awhile. My water intake was light prior to the run but I thought I'd had enough during. Evidently not, because since lunch, I have been laid out on the couch all afternoon with a headache, dozing in and out of sleep. I finally got up about an hour ago, made myself something to eat and have been constantly drinking water. Plans for the day were (obviously) canceled and my crystal ball tells me that tonight I'll be watching 48 Hours instead of celebrating my roommate's birthday at 33.

Reservoir Run

Last night I went for a long run to the reservoir - total trip distance was just over 6 miles. During my journey I saw:

*"the guy who runs with a messenger bag" (this guy can be seen running down beacon every evening...he carries his messenger bag in his left arm and I can only assume he always has somewhere very important to go)
*a baby rabbit munching grass
*swans!!
*two college students fishing (did they catch anything? I'll never know)
*an old man (his scraggly gray hair flowing in the wind behind him) wearing short runner's shorts, aviators and nothing else. creepy.

all in all, it was an entertaining and comfortable run

Week Nine

And what a week it has been. The humidity and heat have skyrocketed and this has made training very difficult due to my unusually low tolerance to the recent weather. Today, it seems that the weather has taken a dip and I am planning on a very long make-up run tonight. Just need to get my ipod playlist updated. Last night I went for a run at 9pm, thinking that since the sun had long disappeared, I'd be ok. Oh, not so fast there Rachael...the humidity hadn't dropped a mmHg and the air was stagnant. Beads of sweat dripped from my temples, chin and upper lip, a rather disgusting feeling, since I usually sweat microliters.

In other news...my fundraising has been slow and steady, many thanks goes out to a few more generous people who have helped me raise another $300. I am now just shy of $2K.

Amina and I have set up a fundraising event to get some more support. The event will take place at Felt in Boston on July 18th, beginning at 8pm. There will be pool, music, a cash bar and access to the VIP floor (dancing) for everyone attending. I am a little nervous about it, but I'm hoping it will be a success...

Pictures from the Race

Before the race...Humid & HOT
The start...
Closing in on the finish...

Week Seven (& Seven)

Week seven has begun and as a fitting start, we ran seven miles at training. I wasn't all that thrilled about it 30 minutes into it, but after guzzling some gatorade and munching on a couple starbursts at mile 4, I was ready to take on the last 3. The weather was perfect and the run was smooth. A little knee pain caused me some problems at the beginning, but it worked itself out and I was fine by the end of it all.

This Sunday, I run the Boloco Grand Prix 10k with some of my coworkers and take on heartbreak hill (twice!).

Week Six (already!)

Summer is almost here, and that fact has been reinforced by the (hot) weather we've been having recently. Training for this week has been good so far - Ran a 4 on Friday evening, and 13 hours later, I was back out running another 4. Took a break on Sunday and then ran hills on Monday and Tuesday. It was tough, but by Tuesday, I was able to ascend one particularly daunting, monsterous hill twice (!) without stopping.

Rumor has it, this particular hill is worse than heartbreak...heartbreak hill, that is.

Week 5 (part deux)

Yesterday's run was slightly better than sunday. Again, because of the temperature & humidity, Amina & I were only able to do 3 miles. Tomorrow, the heat is supposed to break and that means we need to increase our mileage significantly to make up for lost distance. Until then, the AC is on high and I'm staying indoors.

Week 5

It was 90* and humid at 7:30am yesterday. I don't think there's much more for me to say. Finishing 3 miles was torture and I took a nap for the majority of the afternoon. Hoping for a better run today.

Week 4 - Fundraising Update

I have been able to raise $1110 so far! A HUGE thank you goes out to everyone who has donated or left me comments of support so far. I only have $2785 left to raise - definitely doable.

Fundraising ideas in the works: an evening out on the town (date and place yet to be determined) and an information table at the SOWA Market...

Week 4 - 8 Mile

An appropriate title in more than one way...(for those not familiar, the term '8 Mile' represents a barrier that is difficult to cross).

My alarm jolted me awake at 6:30 am Sunday morning, alerting me to the fact that my meager six and a half hours of sleep were up. I rolled out of bed, threw on my running gear and tried to wake myself up with a cappuccino from the evil empire. My roommate Amina and I made our way to our TNT training session at MIT only to realize that the emptiness of the building signified that we'd gotten the day mixed up and training had actually happened the day before. Whoops. Wide awake and amused by our misfortune, we decided to head home for a quick breakfast and then head out for a long run.

Awhile later, with vanilla goo and $3 for water in my pocket, we took off. The mercury had already started to climb and by the time we got started it was in the low 70s. I am a cold weather runner to the core...so not even a mile into it, beads of sweat were dripping down my forehead and rolling toward my cheeks. So much for trying to maintain my 'this is easy' look.

The first 2 miles of our run were down the sunny side of Comm Ave. As we approached Mass Ave to hop onto the Esplanade, spots of shade began to appear, making the run a bit more comfortable. Seasoned runners have told me that your body will eventually adjust to the change in temperature. I'm not so convinced, because I was completely miserable. The sweat had continued to drip down my face and had begun leaving it's mark everywhere else. As we hit Mass Ave, I realized that this would probably be a good time to crack open the goo. I squeezed the clear, warm, sugary gel into my mouth and...gagged. First thought: this needs to be cold, maybe even frozen. It was just like taking a huge spoonful of that sugary sweet frosting on grocery store cakes, talk about disgusting. Second thought: maybe the chocolate flavor would have been better. I handed the package to Amina and she warned me - 'we shouldn't take too much, the coach told me you have to ease your body into getting used to it otherwise you'll end up having...uh...major stomach problems'. Third thought: Great...just call me Charlotte. My stomach gurgled. I pushed the thought out of my mind and we continued on.

Down the Esplanade, things began to get a little strange. The goo had started to work it's magic and we both settled into a steady pace. The path was shaded and I was starting to feel more comfortable with the temperature. By now, there were many people who were biking, walking and running along the river. As we passed a playground full of children playing, something caught my eye. I turned my head and saw a child, who couldn't have been older than 3, standing off to the side. His back was facing the path and he was leaning forward as if looking at something on the ground. Behind him stood a woman, who was also bending forward, holding something in her hands. I inched closer and realized the child's pants were down and in the woman's hands was a bag which she was using to collect the child's poop. What the...?! I looked over to Amina, a mortified look spread across her face and we both looked at each other in utter disbelief.

Our attention was quickly diverted due to the fact that an AIDS benefit walk was just about to get started and hundreds of people were milling around all over the grass - as well as the path we were running on. We played human frogger for the next half-mile as we made our way through the madness. Over the Longfellow bridge, we had open views of the skyline and the river. Boaters were out, the air was clear, it was a gorgeous day. Running down the Cambridge side of the Esplanade was a bit of a struggle. We were nearing mile 5 and my muscles began to protest. We paused for a water break and continued. We crossed back into Boston over the BU bridge and headed toward home 6.5 miles down. Amina began to leave me in her dust, my muscles were still staging a sit-in and I could only keep shuffling along. Good news was that this part of our run was primarily shaded and whenever I am in this area, I mentally prepare myself for the last mile and a half home. As we continued running down Beacon, a man on a unicycle (?!) pedaled past us. Strange people out today, I thought. Mile seven came and went - I knew we were almost there but my legs were still struggling with each step. We made a pit stop at Peet's to grab some water and as we made it to the apartment, a big smile crossed each of our faces and we looked at each other with pride. We'd made it through the 8 miles.

Week 3

This week has been a slower week than the last few. Monday & Tuesday were 3.7 milers. Luckily we timed our run well and just missed the downpour yesterday...

Today is a rest day and tomorrow, we'll ramp it up to 5 miles...shooting for 6 this weekend since I have vanilla flavored goo that I want to try out...

Week 2

7 miles down!! Last night, we completed a 7 mile run in an hour & a half...this is the farthest I've run, ever. It was overcast, slightly drizzly and the perfect temperature. I drank plenty of water all day and made a quick pit stop to guzzle an electrolyte-rich lemon lime carb/protein drink (which tasted dry and powdery) about halfway through the run. But it did the trick (no post-run sickness this time). I feel great today and I'm pretty impressed that it seemed so easy to finish this distance. This week we taper down a bit and the longest run will probably be about 5 miles.

Week 1 (part 2, lesson 1)

Wednesday was a 5 miler, I've done this before, so it should have been manageable. My roommate & I mapped out a course and hit the road. The run was fine, we ran the Boston side of the Esplanade and I felt good the whole time. It took us 55 minutes to complete the route, which I was pretty satisfied with. The problem didn't occur until about an hour later when I walked into a restaurant that was packed full of people. It was hot, noisy and crowded. The feeling hit me like a brick...I became restless, lightheaded and needed to sit down. My stomach turned as I sat, only half hearing what my roommate was saying to me. I got up, told her I'd be right back and ran to the bathroom. I won't describe what transpired over the next few minutes, the only thing I'll say is that I didn't envy the guy waiting in line for the bathroom. I overheard him talking to on his cellphone "I don't know what's taking this girl so long, she's been in there forever". Lucky for him, I'd made it to the sink just in time.

So lesson 1. If you're going to run more that 2 or 3 miles at a single shot, it is useful to make sure that you've stayed hydrated all day. I'd had a couple cups of coffee and very little H2O. I know. Bad move. Lesson learned, the hard way.

Week 1

Yesterday was our first 'official' team run. We met at MIT and were told that we were going to do a short 1 miler. My roommate & I looked at each other in surprise-that was it, only one mile?! We decided that to get a better workout, we were going to extend the distance to 3 miles. So we took off running on the Memorial Drive side of the Esplanade. For those of you not familiar with the area, the Esplanade is a paved trail that runs parallel to the Charles River on both the Cambridge and Boston sides and is a popular place for runners, bikers, in-line skaters and walkers. It stretches quite a few miles and is a great place to people watch. We ran by a group of people who were cheering on rowers in a crew race, up a small hill to the BU boathouse, crossed the BU bridge down to Comm Ave and crossed back into Cambridge over the Mass Ave bridge. It was a beautiful morning and the temperature couldn't have been better.

Since Sunday is our 'long' run day we decided that we'd add on an extra 3 miles later that afternoon. It took a lot of motivation, but around 7:30, we headed out the door again for a quick run around Coolidge Corner. It was a bit of a struggle, my legs were pretty stiff from not stretching properly after the morning's run, but I pushed through it and we finished in about 30 minutes. Needless to say, I slept like a baby last night.

Another Way to Donate

As a part of my fund raising effort, I have decided to donate $50 for each 'Recuerdo' bracelet sold through my Mezze store. I created this petite sterling bangle as a personal reminder of the reason I am running this half marathon. I put it on the day I pledged to run and I will not take it off until I cross the finish line.

For each bracelet sold, I will donate 100% of the proceeds to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Proceeds will be submitted in the buyer's name or in the name of a person they wish to honor and are entirely tax deductible.

The bracelet is entirely handmade by me out of sterling (.925) silver. The thin bangle is highlighted with a string of 5 Japanese seed beads and a 1/2" diameter hammered circle.

Materials: Sterling silver, Japanese seed beads (available in purple or blue)

Size: 2 1/4" diameter

Please contact me directly to order.

Week 0 (part 2)

Last night we had our kickoff meeting with the rest of the Team in Training participants. There was a huge turnout, which was fantastic. We will have our first group run this Sunday morning and from that point on, the team runs will take place every Saturday bright and early at 7:30am. No more sleeping in for me :)

Tonight is a short 3 miles with my roommate. As I type this, it is drizzling outside. I hope it doesn't start raining, otherwise we're in for an uncomfortable run.

Week 0

I just returned from vacation (which resulted in a 4 day hiatus from running) and was nervous that I'd have a hard time getting back into the pattern of running regularly. My roommate and I decided we'd go easy on our first day back and ran 3 miles at a talking pace last night. It felt great to get back - the weather was definitely on our side and we weren't worn out at the end of the run. Tomorrow we go to the kickoff meeting where we'll be paired up with our coaches and mentors...can't wait.

Saw this article today in the news about The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's new industry partnership http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?NewsEntityId=95123

Week -1

My first waking thoughts this past Saturday morning were of the 5 miles I had to run that afternoon. It was cold and windy outside and frankly, I didn't want to do it. I wanted to stay in bed where it was nice and warm and where I didn't have to feel the pain of pushing through miles 4 and 5. The problem was, I had already committed to going with my roommate, who had also convinced me to attend a Team in Training (TNT) informational meeting that morning at 9am. So I rolled out of bed somewhere around 8am in, what I would describe as nothing less than a bad mood.

Before we left for the meeting, I tried my luck at convincing my roommate that it just wasn't a good day for me to run. "Maybe we can do it tomorrow," I said, "I'm really tired today. You know we had to get out of the house early for this meeting. I didn't even get to sleep in." She looked at me in disbelief and uttered one word to me, "No." My shoulders sank, as my lame attempt failed nothing short of miserably.

With some luck and a latte, we made it to the TNT meeting and listened to a coach and a volunteer talk about their experience running on behalf of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We also heard from a survivor of leukemia who had benefited from the services that The Society offers. It was completely inspirational. It was the experience at that meeting coupled with the fact that my life had been touched by someone who lost his own struggle with acute sickle cell leukemia, that I decided I had no choice but to volunteer to raise money by running a half marathon. That's 8.1 more miles than my 5 miles I was fighting to find the energy to run that same afternoon. But I am determined to do this.

So I hope you will take the time to follow my progress and lend me the support that I'll need to make this a success. Please visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/nikesf08/rdepasquale
to make a monetary donation toward my goal of $3895.00. You can also support me by sending me messages of encouragement here.

And yes, my roommate and I did run the 5 miles that afternoon and we did it less than 50 minutes. A good start even before the real training begins. Stay tuned...