Run to Remember

This Sunday was Boston's Run to Remember which is a 5 mile race and a 1/2 marathon through downtown Boston. My Dad and I ran the 5 mile race and Kara and Donna ran the 1/2 marathon. Despite it being cold and rainy for the past month, of course it was all of a sudden sunny and hot just in time for the race.   Kara and and Donna did so well in the 1/2 marathon! 

As far as the 5 mile race, I finished in 50:52.  I was aiming to do it in under 50 minutes, but came up a little short.  Looking back now I definitely could have gone a little faster at the end and tried to squeak under 50 minutes, but it's always easier to say that after the fact.  My Dad did really great too.  It was an all around fun weekend!

Lisa

Mostly unnecessary running gear purchases

Everyone has probably taken up a new sport or activity and decided that in order to do that sport, you need to buy a bunch of equipment like you are instantly so hard core that you can't do the sport without it.  Well running isn't totally new for me, but I guess I have taken on a new level of effort with this marathon training and have gotten a little carried away with the running equipment shopping.  Here is what has been purchased in the past two months in no particular order...

• GPS watch - Garmin Forerunner 210 to be exact.  The justification for this purchase is this way I don't have to map all the runs out ahead of time and I can keep track of my pace, time, etc.  I actually love it.
• Fuel belt water holder - ok I have to admit I definitely had a little bit of a stereotype with the runners wearing the belt with the water bottles hanging off.  Either I think, "wow they totally think they are way more bad ass than they actually are" or "wow they must be running so far that I feel totally like a slacker to just do my little 3 mile loop compared to them".  But hey, if I have to run these long runs on the weekends, I need the dorky belt thing. 
• New sneakers - these were actually required because my last pair were giving me blisters.
• New running socks - working on the same blister issue.
• Sweaty band headbands - purchased at the Boston marathon expo.  I mean I can only wear one at a time, so I probably didn't need 5.
• Books on running - I got Kara Goucher's book as a gift which was great.  Then I bought Born to Run and Jeff Galloway's book on training for a marathon. 
• New running clothes - I mean, I barely need an excuse to buy clothes, what girls does?... so this was a given.
• GU Energy Gel - I picked up 4 different flavors just to try then out before I buy more.  I'm thinking I'll have my own version of the Pepsi challenge.
• Visor - Haven't needed it yet, but if the sun ever comes out again, I am ready.

That's all the purchases so far.  I actually finally gave into the rewards club card at City Sports in preparation for any other purchases too.  Bring on the junk emails...

Lisa

Running on the Charles, Beers, and Buff's

The first evening race on the season was this past Thursday night.  I didn't quite make it to the start in time as I was driving from the Cape for work, but was able to jump in towards the beginning and run the race with Kara and Donna.  In the picture is me, Donna, MaryBeth, and Kara.  This past Thursday was the  "Blues Run" and Music festival and the first in the series of 4.2 mile races on the Charles.   What's better than a free beer after running?  And afterwards we headed to Buff's pub.  Definitely a good Thursday night.

Lisa

Competition

OK, so people who know me well know that I can tend to be a little competitive.  I'm not sure why that is exactly.  I was an only child for most of my life so it's not like I was fighting someone else for things as a kid or competing for attention or anything like that.  But, when it comes to board games or a race, I just really want to win.  And I can also make a competition out of something that isn't inherently competitive. 

For example, last year on a trip to Puerto Rico with two of my best friends, we were staying at a hotel on the second floor and there were two elevators to go downstairs each with their own call button.  Somehow this turned into a competition.  If two of us pushed a button (one at each elevator), which elevator would come first?  Of course if my elevator came first, there was an "I win!".  This was definitely in good fun and not a "real" competition, but you get the idea.

So why bring this up?  Well I find myself randomly in competition with other people on the street now while I'm running.  Do other people do that too?  At least once a week I will run around the reservoir and find myself desperately trying to pass the person running in front of me just a little faster than I am.  The other day I was running behind an unsuspecting guy who of course didn't know that he was in a race with me.  I think it probably took me at least 1/2 way around the reservoir to catch and eventually pass him.  Don't worry, I didn't yell "I win!" as I ran by.  Hey, if it makes me run a little faster I guess it doesn't hurt.

By the way...good 6 mile run this weekend with Kara and Donna who are training for a 1/2 marathon in two weeks.  They ran 12 miles like it was no big deal at all!

Lisa

NY and CT

This week I took the train down to NYC for a work conference and then spent some time with my family up in CT before heading back to Boston.  In NY on Friday we got a chance to take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge at the end of a beautiful day and the picture above is my view looking up.  Running over the Brooklyn Bridge isn't on the NYC marathon route, but it would be awesome if it was!

Saturday I headed back up to CT to spend some time with my family, caught a great T-Ball game, and today had a good run with my sister in law.  I also got an email today, on Mother's Day, with my official number for the marathon #684791!

Lisa

A little about the plan...

Below is the link to the training program that I am following.  When I first started looking, there were a bunch of 15 week training programs, but this one which is 30 weeks seemed to fit my schedule and looked like a good place to start.  It basically says to run twice during the week and then have a long run on the weekend.  If I'm feeling really ambitious, I can do some cross-training on the "off" days.

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html


So what is my goal for running the marathon? Basically I'm not a speed demon when it comes to running.  I fall more in the "slow and steady wins the race" category.  Think tortoise and not hare.  Based on my last 5K in which I ran 10 minute miles, I am projected to finish the marathon in about 5 hrs 20 min....give or take.  Hopefully faster if I can pick up the pace over this training.  In the books and other articles I have read so far though, they say for your first marathon, the goal should be just to finish and not to have a time goal.  Well the first thing about that is by saying "First marathon" it implies there will be more.  I'm not sure about that.  Of course after I finished my "first" half marathon a few years ago (and then laid on the floor of a friend's condo for a while for fear that sitting up would make me nauseous)....never say never because here I am training for a full marathon.

So here are my two realistic goals for this (my first) marathon:

1.  Most importantly finish.  I have to finish.
2.  Finish before the street sweeper/garbage trucks come through and the roads open up again. 

Lisa