Collecting a Few BAA Medals

Today was the First BAA 10k.  The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) is the same group that puts on the Boston Marathon and they also have a 5K and a 1/2 marathon.  This year they added a 10K to the list.  It was a great race that started on Charles Street in the Boston Common and goes up to Babcock Street on Comm Ave and then back to the Common.  Since it was the first one, they invited the Boston Marathon winners from this year to participate.  Geoffrey Mutai who won the Boston marathon this year and the race today, did it in a very speedy 27:19.  Yep, that's right....6.2 miles in under a 1/2 hour.  He did the first mile in some ridiculous speed in the 4 minute range.  Since it was an up and back course, we saw the leaders on their way back before we had even reached the 2 mile mark. 

My finish time was a 1:04:50 (10:26 pace).  I was definitely happy with that.  I was hoping to run faster than 11 minute miles and I managed to do that.  And this gives me a goal to try and beat an hour next year!  It was fun to have Linsey and Kara running the race today too! 

Here are the BAA medals from a few races (1/2 marathon from 2006, 5K from 2010, 5K from 2011, and the 10K from today).

Lisa

First Training Run in NYC

On Saturday 6/18, I went down to NYC to participate in one of the Fred's Team Training runs.  It was great!  The part that wasn't ideal is that there is no train that could get me from my Dad and Mary's down to Central Park to make the 7AM run, so I had to drive.  And to get to the run in time, I had to leave the house before 5AM.  Aside from the early morning, it was great to be in the city and also to feel like part of the training team. 

This is a picture of the reservoir at about 6:20AM.  I was definitely not awake when I took this picture, but it was a beautiful morning.

The training run was 8 miles which was two 4 mile loops around central park.  I am hoping to make another run or two this summer.  Being in the city made me even that more excited for the race!

Lisa

Other than running...a little art maybe?

Last year I started oil painting and have been taking a class through the past two winters and into this spring.  I really love it.  It's fun to pretend I can hang with the other artsy folks.  I never know any of the artists anyone brings up, so I just nod and pretend like I do.  It doesn't help that the last art class I took before last year was most likely in 7th grade.  Anyway, yesterday was my last class from the latest session and I most likely will stop for the summer just because it's hard to fit in along with running 3 times during the week with this training program.  Below are two of the paintings that I have done recently.   

The first painting is Lisa "original".

This next painting is actually a copy of a Georgia O'Keeffe painting called "Above the Clouds".



Lisa

Fred's Team Training Info

I've started receiving updates and newsletters from Fred's Team now that the "official" training program has begun.  They sent me another training program which I think I am going to swtich over to start doing. It has more miles during the week than the other program I was following, but I think that will be good.

Training Chart

They also sent a schedule of weekly training runs coming up.  It includes long runs on the weekends which would be great because there will be water stops organized and all the logistics that will get tough when I have to run over 10 miles.  It's a little tough to drop water bottles all over Boston on my runs. The only tricky part is the long runs are all organized to start in Mahattan on a Saturday morning at either 6:30AM or 7AM.  I think I am going to try to make one run at least in July although it means catching a train on Metro North from my family's house at a ridiculous time in the morning.  It would be worth it though right?

Lisa