Boston Half Marathon - Double Header Race #2 - Race Recap

I honestly didn't even KNOW that Boston had a half marathon until a few days before registration opened for the 10th annual Boston half marathon... on 10-10-10. This was one of the last races we scheduled. Simply because we already had a pretty full schedule. The race sold out in just a few hours, and "luckily" L and I were in the select few that were going to be able to run (after scanning the results, I bet 90% of the runners were from Massachusetts).

Anyway, after having had a successful race in Hartford, we got back in the car to head back to Boston. We wanted to DO something to kill time, and wanting desperately to stay out of the city, I saw Salem on the map and thought there might be some "historical" stuff there to go look at. The drive there? Terrible. Sooo much traffic. Sooo many lights. It took close to 4 hours to get from Hartford to Salem. Not cool!! Only to get there and not find anywhere to park. I see signs for the Visitor Center, and then we are greeting with the HUGE parking garage... charging $20!!!!!!! But there was nowhere else to park and by now I had been driving for HOURS and really just needed to get out of the car. So we paid it (grrr) and headed out.

Salem, Massachusetts is most known for the witch trials of 1692. Without thinking, we had decided to visit in October... a SUPER CRAZY month to visit essentially the "capitol of Halloween." Oy. We opted to NOT wait in any of the long (and expensive) museum lines, but wandered up and down the streets taking pictures instead (yay, free!)

John Ward house

Salem Witch Museum (under construction)

Gazebo on Salem Common

Statue of Roger Conant, founder of Salem

It was like a witch themed outdoor market. I admit, I did buy A a crochet pumpkin (only $2! That girl LOVES Halloween)

Pickman House

Outside the cemetery

It was pretty chilly out, and in my hurry to get out of the car I had neglected to put on my sweatshirt. We felt we had seen enough, and it was getting dark. I wanted to get out of there while it was still light and I could see where I was going. Next mission was of course carbo load dinner #2.

Mac and Cheese bread bowl from Domino's. Yum.

We were STARVING and still at least 45 minutes from our hotel. We ate in the car. And it was delicious. Then the drive BACK through Boston. No more fun this time than any of the other times. We managed to find the hotel in spite of Boston's terrible highway system and the iPhone's sucky GPS. We were really hoping for a hot tub, but there wasn't one. Instead... early to bed.

RACE DAY
Sunday, October 10 (10-10-10)
Half Marathon state 12/50
Weather - chilly, highs in the low 60s, clear skies

The race was to take place in the "Emerald Necklace" (which means NOTHING unless you are actually looking at a map, then it makes sense). There was to be no parking at the race, and limited parking in the neighborhood. After having driven through the city, I had NO desire to try and find somewhere to park. I opted for parking at UMass Boston and taking the shuttle. It was free to park, and shuttles were ready to go. Worked great.

Sunrise from the shuttle bus - near UMass Boston campus

The start was supposedly only 3.5 miles from where we parked, but it took 15-20 minutes to get there. Oy, I would go insane if I had to drive in that every day!!

At least everything was clearly marked

There was no line at the port-o-potties so we stopped real quick. We had some time to kill so we walked over to the "Expo" and the race merchandise was already selling out! I had planned to buy a fleece after the race, but almost all the sizes were already gone. I lucked out and got the last size small 1/4 zip fleece (in purple, sorry, no pic). That wasted close to 30 minutes. It was only 7:30 and we still had an hour until the race started. The line was looking decently long for the port-o-potties so I got back in line. Glad I did! Slowest moving line EVER! We finished and had less than 15 minutes until the start, so we ran over to bag drop, and it was CHAOS. The bag drop was inside a fenced tennis court, only one way in and one way out. And swarms of people trying to get in and drop off their stuff. About 5 minutes before start they finally started separating people by bib number to also drop outside the courts so people had a shot to get to the start on time. We had to run across the field, and once again, could not get into the corral because it was so crowded.

Me and L at the start

**I apologize for NO course pictures on this race. Due to the "prestigious" atmosphere, I didn't feel right about it**

I was NERVOUS. I was COLD. Luckily, not any time to dwell on that. Gun went off just a few minutes later. We were at the back of the pack. I wasn't too worried about that since the course had a very short time limit of 2:30:00. I had a similar attack plan to yesterday. Take it easy. As long as I kept running, I knew I'd be fine.

Immediately I thought "I'm screwed." Within the first few steps I could feel yesterday's race. I was cold, my muscles were tight and sore and I thought "I'm NEVER gonna make it." I forced myself to keep moving. The first mile of the race ALWAYS goes by the fastest for me. Concentrating on finding pace and good place to run usually takes at least that long. Within a few minutes, I saw someone's iPod fly right by me and hit the ground. Ouch. Glad that wasn't me. I had not had that much time to prepare for the course since I only saw the profile a few days in advance. For some reason, I thought most of the course was "fine" with only the last 2 miles being really tough. I was wrong.

There were digital clocks and mile markers at every mile. Which was nice. And I knew there was to be an aid station at roughly every even mile marker. Also nice. Unfortunately, the first two were only water. I'm not used to that! I really wanted gatorade! Somwhere around mile 3-4 was the first section of the first "out and back" - I couldn't believe how many people were already on their way back (not that I really knew how far away the turnaround was anyway). I saw L and realized she was probably only 5 minutes ahead of me. I was pretty psyched! The worst part about this course was that the out and backs were downhill on the way out, and of course uphill the way back.

I just concentrated on keeping moving. I really have to say that all the hill training I have put in has helped a ton. Sooo many people at my pace were barely moving or even walking up some of the hills. I actually was PASSING people. I took my 2nd GU around 6 miles, and around the corner the volunteers were handing out some Powerbar brand of gel. I grabbed one, thinking I'd take it around mile 10 to prepare for the monster hill at the end.

I gotta say I had a lot of negative thoughts during this race. I didn't feel like I was working that hard, but my legs disagreed. My lungs felt fine and my legs felt like tree trunks. But I forced myself to keep going. I did NOT want to walk. I wanted to at least get to "that point" where I could comfortably walk and still finish in the time allotted. But only if I absolutely had to. I never got to that point (hurrah!) and kept going. Saw L again during the second out and back and took the gel as planned around mile 10. I don't know if it helped or not, but I was one of the only people in my group that didn't walk up that killer hill in between mile 11 and 12.

FINALLY came around the corner and saw the final aid station at mile 12. Pretty annoyed that I could see the finish line off to my left, yet still had a little over a mile to go. The run through the Franklin Park Zoo was bizarre. We cut through this skinny path and I finally managed to pass a girl I'd been chasing since at least mile 5 (yes!!) and then finally saw the "800m to go" sign. It occupied my brain a few minutes to calculate how far that was (duh) and I realized the course was long (again). Passed mile 13 right before entering White Stadium where I sprinted down the track to the finish. Passed at least 3-4 people in the final stretch (wahahaha) and found L almost immediately. Never been so happy in my life to be done with a race. Ever. Well, except maybe Red Wing.

The medal? Pretty classy.

Front

Back

We grabbed some food and gatorade, headed to check out results, and then got our picture taken:

Quick explanation about the picture. Yes, we are wearing New Kids on the Block shirts. One of my guilty pleasures is I love their music. I loved them when I was in 7th grade, and I love them now (their 2008 album "The Block" is really good, I have at least a few of the songs on my race mix). We are wearing the shirts because NKOTB is from Boston.. so there you have it. And yes, we got LOTS of comments on our outfits. Not just the shirts, but skirts and socks. This skirt in particular seems to attract more attention than others.

Race #2 of the crazy weekend was a success:

Can you "see" the Emerald necklace? And how cool that they sent this in an email to me!

Time: 2:03:33
Distance: 13.26 miles
Average HR - 170 bpm (unheard of for me to be so low during a race!)
Paces per mile:
Mile 1 - 9:01
Mile 2 - 9:01
Mile 3 - 9:09
Mile 4 - 8:49
Mile 5 - 9:16
Mile 6 - 9:08
Mile 7 - 9:35
Mile 8 - 9:24
Mile 9 - 9:23
Mile 10 - 9:44
Mile 11 - 9:37 (this was a TOUGH mile, pleased!)
Mile 12 - 9:45
Mile 13 - 9:21
Mile 13.1 - 7:47

I was literally SHOCKED when I synced my Garmin and saw how little the elevation change really was. Less than 400 feet!! It certainly felt a lot harder than that. But the exciting news is that not only did I have NOTHING to worry about in terms of finishing, but on a double header race I actually had my second best time! I am absolutely THRILLED that in both races I didn't have a single mile where my pace was over 10 minutes. THAT ROCKS!!

Anyway, we found the shuttle busses immediately, and got dropped off only a few minutes after I had hoped we would be. Got back to the hotel at noon, super quick shower. Dropped off the rental car (after having to completely fill up, the gas light was actually on) and took the shuttle back to the airport. Super annoyed that there was NOT a Fuddrucker's in Terminal B (like there was in terminal A where we had been on arrival). Settled for a bacon cheeseburger at a sports bar:

Man, I just LOVE post-race food

Flight left on time. Was NOT sorry to leave Boston. While the race was good, I was pretty unimpressed with the city. Quick flight to DCA, an airport I've also never been to. Cool landing, I got some pictures:

Yep, that's the capitol!

Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial

Get off the plane and CANNOT find our flight on the departure board. Finally ask someone, apparently we have to take a bus to the gate?? And by "bus" I mean a rinky dinky little bus that seats maybe 20 people. You exit out one of those emergency doors behind the airport. Literally goes about a block. And then you get off, back into airport. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I had like 45 minutes again between flights, 15 of it spent waiting for this stupid bus to take me one block away because the airport does not have a walkway between terminals??? Suck less, DCA. By now I'm pretty cranky and tired. Uneventful flight back to Denver which actually landed 30 minutes early (???) and we were NOT the last people dropped off at our car. Actually got home early enough to hang out with A for a bit and put her to bed.

Overall? Weekend of insane double-header was a success.

Three Things Thursday

1. The Workouts & The Foot

Got in a couple of runs this week. SUPER exciting since I've really been doing bare bones the last few weeks. Yesterday I had tons of errands to run, but I still managed to get in just over 4 miles on my regular trail. No pics of that today, I was running late and distracted, but remembered the outfit shot:

Managed to keep sub 10 min mile pace again (averaging 9:36 pace, woo hoo!) The cooler temps are perfect for me. It was mid 60s and it felt great to be out there. I don't look forward to the snow/freezing temps, but I'm not missing the 100 degree weather right now! No real foot pain, although the inside arch of my foot felt "stretched" the first few minutes but everything else was great. I'm still "sticking" at night on my quads and calves (Maine really did a number on me with those hills!) and icing the foot at least once or twice a night.

2. The Races

This weekend is the double header!!! As you all know I'm super nervous because of the tough courses and time limits. Mind over matter, I think it's gonna be great. Both of them.

• Saturday - Hartford Half Marathon (Hartford, CT). This is the second race I've done that does athlete tracking. I've signed up for the Facebook option, it should update my status or do an alert when I cross the 6 mile mat and the finish line. Doing this... just because I can! (Also texting updates available - I'm sending those to my dad and boyfriend).
• Sunday - Boston Half Marathon (Boston, MA). Finally saw the elevation profile on this one. Most of the race looks... ok. The last two miles look tough. I've heard that the ending hill (who puts the last 2 miles of a race as a hill??) is called "Deadman's Curve" or "Mini Heartbreak Hill." Blah. Just so long as I cross in less than 2:30 I won't get a DNF and I'll still get a medal. I'm hoping to do better of course.
• Saturday, October 23 - Zombie Half Marathon (Anchorage, AK). Super DUPER excited for this one. Mainly because most of my family is going!! My parents are joining, and so my daughter and my niece. We have five days of vacation in Alaska, and then the race is our last day before coming back. My daughter doesn't get to watch me race often because I'm usually out of town. Let's hope for nice(ish) weather so everyone can be outside for it. :D
• SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31... Athens Marathon (Athens, Greece) - AKA, "THE BIG ONE" I finally FINALLY got my flight schedule emailed to me last night. Lots and LOTS of time to be spent on the plane. Layovers on the way out in Cincinnati and Paris. Layovers on the way back in Amsterdam and Detroit. Um. I'm starting to get REALLY nervous and REALLY exciting. After all this time I cannot believe it is almost here! I was on their website this morning and saw this...



3. COMING SOON...

... My first giveaway! I will have details about it next week. Psyched!! In the meantime I'd like to do a "mini" giveaway. As you know, the You Go Girl! race had some AWESOME freebie stuff. I tried, but I am just not loving the bag. I am not sure if the 10K girls got one or not, or if there is anyone out there that would like mine, but if you are interested, drop me a comment and I'll send it to the first person who wants it.

Freaking Out

Treadmill - Random Hill Program
Monday, October 4

Loving the Zensah argyle socks!

My race in Maine was tough... "hillier" than I expected, and my legs have been screaming since I got back. With that said. The Foot is feeling better so I decided to continue with my regular running schedule, AKA "Awesome Random Hill Program Race Recovery Run." I was psyched to see the treadmill was being kind and gave me an easy one:

I'm not gonna lie. This one was tough. And made exponentially more annoying by the fact that my Yurbuds seem to be dead? They still play music, but after having them a few months they slid out of my ears about a zillion times. Which was SUPER annoying. Guess I need to order a new pair (or two).

Now. The freak outs.

Freak out #1: The Double Header

In an effort to save money and travel less, L and I have booked a few double headers - back to back races on the same weekend. This weekend is my first one. And I'm started to LOSE IT:

• I'm coming off injury. While The Foot seems better, my left quad (same one I injured before Christmas) has felt... off. I've been using the stick and massaging. I need to keep an eye on that.
• Time limits on both courses. Saturday is the ING Hartford in CT, with a limit of 3 hours, and Sunday is Boston in MA, with a limit of 2.5 hours. Normally (with 10 half marathons already completed) I would not be worried. The Boston one though? The day after racing? I'm freakin.
• The course profile for Hartford. Looks hilly. :(
• The course profile for Boston is non-existent but is described as a "rolling" course.

Freak out #2: The Marathon

• Um, 26 days away???????????
• No long run over 16.7 miles completed (thanks stupid Foot)
• No plane ticket yet???? I've sent a few emails with no response. I am Queen of planning and this is very troublesome to me.
• I'm doing this completely alone. I don't know anyone else doing this race, and none of my family will be there and L couldn't raise enough money. Sucky :(

Training Runs - Wednesday, July 14

Outdoor Training Run - Davidson Mesa Open Space

This workout could also be called "Hello, Calves." Without having changed any other part of my workout, I have to assume that my calves being sore are from the Vibram FiveFingers I've been testing out. I have only run the one (treadmill) mile in them so far. I got off work early, and decided to do the Davidson Mesa Open Space loop (just under three miles) to test them out on trail. It was super hot again when I headed out around 2:30 - it was 93 degrees! I grabbed my skirt... only... it was my compression shorts (and by short, I'm talking "boy shorts" short) instead. Blah... ok.

HOT!!

The "shorts"

Heading out:

Thanks to the cloud cover, it didn't feel quite as hot as it actually was. The compression shorts totally threw off my vibe, and when I realized my regular pouch wasn't going to work and that I'd actually have to run with my fuel belt (even though I forgot the water bottles and was just going to run with a regular one), I ended up forgetting the water altogether. I realized it a few minutes out, but being pressed for time, I figured I'd be fine for 30 minutes.

So. First trail run with the Vibrams. They actually felt better than I thought (assumed?) they would. I certainly could feel it if I stepped on a larger pebble or something, but they didn't "hurt." And by hurt, I meant that the first few days I walked around in them, a plastic piece in the back kept rubbing on my heel. I had applied Bodyglide on my feet (specifically on the sides and heels) and I think it must have helped. Pretty day out:

With maybe 2/3 of a mile to go, I noticed a pain on the ball of my right foot, and a bit of pain along the heels. I of course pushed through and finished in just over 30 minutes. After I got back to the car, I took off the shoes and could see some blisters on my heels. Lovely... I haven't had blisters from running... well, ever. So now I'm either in the market for some type of sock-like contraption that will work with these shoes, or more training/suffering while building up calluses? Undecided.

Treadmill Training Run

Such is Wednesday. Well, after my run earlier, I met up with L for her company picnic. Catered by KT's BBQ, I tried not to overeat (I just love BBQ though!) Had a few ribs, sausage, chicken, potatoes, salad, veggies. Delicious! My parents dropped off the kids and after feeding them and letting them play at the park for a bit, we had to drive home and get ready for the gym. I apparently went the wrong way, got stuck in traffic and it took me over 40 minutes to get home (we're talking 10 miles? maybe 12?) Long story short, with everything going on, we got to the gym late. After a brief warm up, my calves were STILL killing me (yeah, because I expected my run earlier to fix that?) I started the run and was hot and fatigued - which seems to be the norm. It was a tough run, and I'm actually a bit surprised that I managed to get through it as well as I did.

Most fun part of the long run on Wednesdays? THE RUNNING SKIRTS!! Here we are, "matchy matchy" again:

In other random fitness related news.

In my never-ending quest to find awesome fitness apparel/accessories, I had come across some compression leg sleeves, manufactured by Zensah.  They could NOT have shown up at a better time for me to try out - remember, severely sore calves? I got them specifically to wear with the Vibrams - I wanted something footless, just in case.

So far, I give them an excellent rating! SO comfortable!!!

One more thing... I'm super psyched to report that we got into the BOSTON HALF MARATHON!!! No, you don't have to have a qualifying time for it, although they do kick you off the course if you can't finish in 2:30 - I have never seen a time limit under 3 hours for a half, so that is pretty intense. The race sold out in only 2 HOURS, so I'm glad that I registered as soon as I got to work in the morning. I'm excited to be a part of the 10th annual race - taking place on 10-10-10, how cool is that?? Which brings me to part two...

So my goal is to complete a half marathon in all fifty states. As you know, travel is NOT cheap. So being out here in the west, so far away from SO many states, means that I will have to do some double headers. Getting accepted into Boston means I will also be doing the ING Hartford half marathon the day before. Any suggestions you can pass on for training for this would be appreciated! I want to be sure I don't tire myself out too much. With Boston being the second race, I need to make sure I finish in the time allotted.

Lastly, I'm *SUPER* close to reaching my donation requirement for my entry into the Athens marathon (which is coming up right around the corner on October 31). Here is the link for my donation site. $1, $5, any amount helps.

http://www.active.com/donate/athensmarathon/RWALKER539