B.A.A. Distance Medley

#13in2013 Flashback

December 31, 2013 by Michelle 9 Comments

When I first signed on for the #13in2013 challenge there was a big part of me that thought – “What are you thinking?!?” 13 races in one year? But I love a challenge – so why not?!

After my first race of the year was canceled due to a Nor’easter, I started my quest for 13 in February with the Frosty Virtual 5K. The run benefited the American Cancer Society and I ran in honor of both of my grandmothers.

Next up was the B.A.A. 5K – the first race of the B.A.A. Distance Medley! The race was held the Sunday before the Boston Marathon and the course was set up so we would finish the final “right on Hereford, left on Boylston” stretch and across the Marathon’s famous finish line. Definitely a fun race!

Later that month, I ran the inaugural Newport 10 Miler. Unfortunately this would be the first of a couple of races this year where my stomach totally turned on me 🙁 Stomach issues aside, there were lots of good things about this day including meet-ups, a beautiful course and hanging with my running buddy E.

Race #4 was Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon. I love this race and running it shortly after the Marathon bombings, it took on special significance. The race honors fallen police officers and police officers lined many sections of the route. The level of emotion, the chants of “let’s go Boston!” and all of those officers cheering and high-fiving runners – it was an experience I will not soon forget.

Race #5 was the B.A.A. 10K — Have I mentioned how much I love a Boston Athletic Association race?! Despite the heat-fest, I managed a negative split on the back 5K but missed my PR goal.

Next up was Finish at the 50 10K — This race is part of a 4th of July celebration at Gillette Stadium with great activities for the whole family. My oldest son ran in the kids’ races and then I took on the 10K. Even with a start time of 6 PM, it was soul-sucking hot! All of the runners took a “we’re all in this together” approach and there was lots of cheering and encouragement. Post-race the family enjoyed a great picnic and awesome fireworks display!

Race #7 was definitely the best race of the year as I ran with my son for his first 5K at the Narragansett Running Festival!

I finished off the summer with Race #8 – Jill & Jen’s Virtual Birthday Bash! We were on vacation in the Finger Lakes region so this was a beautiful run with the lake and mountains as my backdrop.

Race #9 was my first trail race! I hadn’t planned on it being my first tail race – let’s just say the course description wasn’t very descriptive! It was challenging and quite the experience to say the least!

Race #10 was the Wicked Half Marathon. The original plan was to treat this race as a test to make sure I’d finally put an end to my stomach troubles before taking on the B.A.A. Half, my fall goal race. Well let’s just say nothing went according to plan – I woke up not feeling so hot that morning and by mile 5, the wheels had come off the wagon. Some how I finished that race, though there was a great deal of walking involved, and I was down and out for another week after!

A week before Race #11, I took a fall during my long run that left me with a seriously bruised and swollen knee and a very tender foot. I was determined not to miss the BAA Half – it was the last race of the Distance Medley! Also, it was my running buddy E’s first half – how could I not be there?! This is the race I’m probably the most proud of completing!

The rest of the fall became about healing both the knee and especially my foot. I had to take a pass on my favorite local race and my last half marathon planned for early December. As my foot healed I found I could tolerate some short runs so I finished my 13 races with two virtual races supporting two great causes:

After such a great year in 2012, I had had much higher hopes for 2013. I’m disappointed with the way this year played out, but I’m far from discouraged. I learned a lot about myself this year – I think I’m much more mentally tough and know that will serve me well in the future. I’m even more determined to reach my goals in 2014 and cannot wait for the #14in2014 Challenge!

Filed Under: #13in2013, B.A.A. Distance Medley, Boston's Run to Remember, Finish at the 50, injuries, Newport 10 Miler, virtual race

October Rewind and November Goals

November 5, 2013 by Michelle 4 Comments

Well October is quickly in the rearview mirror!

While a very busy month in the RWA household, there wasn’t much running thanks to the fall that left me with this knee — who knew the foot would turn out to be the bigger issue?!

There was just enough running/shuffling to get me through the BAA Half to complete the BAA Distance Medley

October was largely about rest and recovery – an exercise in patience that I didn’t prove to be very good at! But my foot is improving and I’m running again, so it was well worth the mileage shrinkage.

November Goals:

Just run! — My biggest goal for this month is to complete all of my training runs. I have five weeks until my December half – and how many training runs I complete and how well my foot tolerates those runs will determine whether or not I’ll take a DNS.

More Small Changes — I joined with Marcia for her One Small Change challenge in October. The goal is to add one small change each week – or you can repeat a week if you need to which is what I’m going to do this week as I didn’t get very far with my plan of daily rolling of my very tight quads and hamstrings.

How was your October? Any big goals for November?

Filed Under: B.A.A. Distance Medley, building good habits, goals, injuries, month in review, Small changes

BAA Distance Medley – Half Marathon Recap

October 21, 2013 by Michelle 11 Comments

The last race of the BAA Distance Medley is done! And it proved to be the hardest of the three races. I had originally hoped that this race would be a goal race – a chance to chase a PR. Then I took a tumble a week before the race and all bets were off. In the week leading into the race, the most my right foot and knee would tolerate was a 4-mile fartlek run.

When I checked in with Coach Bennett that Friday morning he actually asked me if there was another race I could do and take a pass on this one. But not completing the BAA Distance Medley that I started back in April was just not an option I wanted to entertain. I also really wanted to be out on the course with my running buddy E as she took on her first half. So in the end we agreed that I would run a very conservative race, taking walk breaks as needed and if necessary stopping if my foot or knee wouldn’t cooperate. So my race goals were simple – to finish and to not do any further damage.

Es husband dropped us off so we just had a short walk to the start. As soon as we picked up our race shirts, I got a text from Nicole and we caught up with her at the bag check. After missing each other at the first two Medley races this year it was great to finally see Nicole!

The three of us faced the crazy long lines for the port potties and then worked our way towards the front of our wave. Soon we were off. Within the first half mile, Nicole started to pull ahead and knowing that she was targeting 2:30 I had hoped to just keep her in my sights. E & I were moving well until about 3.5 miles in when my right foot made it clear it wanted to slow down. Around this point Amy & her husband had caught up with us – Amy was also injured and had planned to do a run/walk in hopes of finishing. I would end up leap-frogging back and forth with them throughout the course which really helped keep me going. I told E that I was going to need to slow down and she should keep going. I slowed and just as I started walking a guy passed me encouraging me to join him and keep going. I started again and just tried to focus on staying just off his right shoulder. It was funny for a while we didn’t talk at all – he would just check over his shoulder to see if I was still there. We ran that way for a bit and then I just needed to walk again so I let him go.

I kept plodding along, soaking in all of the encouragement from the volunteers (BAA Volunteers really are awesome!) I shuffled passed the water stop just after the 7 mile marker and heard someone call out to me – it was Jose who volunteering! Thank goodness for friendly faces! I soon came across the guy I’d been running with – this time we introduce ourselves (he was Charles) and started chatting as we ran. We picked up a woman named Rachel along the way and the three of us ran together for a bit. Having them to chat with and seeing Amy & her husband off and on were all great distractions from the growing soreness in my foot and now my right knee had joined the angry party!

Run, shuffle, walk is how I continued to make my way. E & I passed each other on the last out and back and high-fived. We were back in Franklin Park now and soon I spied my cheer squad! At this point I knew if I could just get through the last killer hill that was mile 11 it would be a fairly flat loop through the zoo and then into the stadium to the finish.

Walk, shuffle, run and finally the finish! E had finished about a minute before me and was waiting. I’m so proud of her!!

Once I had completely stopped moving it really hit me just how much my right knee and foot were hurting. I couldn’t wait to get home, get a shower and become one with the couch 🙂 Race #11 for this year done!

(Awesome double bling – one for the half and the other for the Distance Medley!)

The BAA Distance Medley was a great series of races – as I’ve said before the BAA does not disappoint! If you’re looking for some great courses through Boston and crazy-well organized races I encourage you to check out the Distance Medley.

Filed Under: #13in2013, B.A.A. Distance Medley, blogger meet-ups, injuries, race report

Thursday’s this and that

July 18, 2013 by Michelle 12 Comments

It’s been a busy week so far around here – we’ve started a couple of new house projects, the boys both started camp this week (and are loving it) – which is perfect timing too as I started working with a new client developing their social media campaigns – should be a fun gig!

I also started my fall training this week and while I was psyched to get started the timing couldn’t have been worse. We’re in the middle of our 3rd heat wave of the summer here in the Northeast and with heat indexes approaching 100, I can’t seem to get up early enough to escape having my runs feel more like a swim. On the good side, the end is in sight and we should have some relief from the humidity by Sunday – just in time to run with my son in his first 5K!

I received my confirm for the B.A.A. Half Marathon yesterday morning!

BAA_Half_2013Banner_600x250

Registration opened yesterday at 10 and the B.A.A. announce they’d sold out in 12 minutes – what!?! Since this is the third race in the B.A.A. Distance Medley, I didn’t have to worry about trying to register, but I was thrilled to get a text from my running buddy E telling me that she got in! It will be her first half marathon – Can not wait to run this with her!

How ‘s your week going?

Filed Under: 3 things, B.A.A. Distance Medley, weather

B.A.A. Distance Medley – 10K Recap

June 24, 2013 by Michelle 7 Comments

Sunday I ran the second race in the B.A.A.’s Distance Medley – the B.A.A. 10K!

Since my cheer squad was a little tired from a full day Saturday capped off by watching the Bruins’ game, I headed into town solo for this race 🙂 Parking was easy and I was just steps away from the start/finish line.

I had tweeted with Nicole & Amy the day before and our plan was to meet near the bag check – well best laid plans….there were so many runners and I couldn’t find them. Luckily as I was heading to the corrals, Amy’s husband spotted me! Amy and I got a chance for a quick hello and her hubs snapped a pic before I left them to head to the 4th wave group.

It was so hot waiting in that sun for the race to start! We had a moment of silence in honor of those lost in the Marathon bombings and then the runners were encouraged to join in the singing of the National Anthem – it was a very special moment to have all of us singing! I chatted with a couple of the other runners as we started to shuffle our way up to the start and tried not to think about how hot it was going to be on the course. And then finally we were off!

As expected finding space to settle into a comfortable pace at the start was hard – truthfully things never really opened up, I ran in a crowd for most of the race. I had a really nice surprise as I made my way up Comm Ave – my dad had come out to cheer me on! He knew J and the boys might not make it and he wanted to me to have someone on the course 🙂

The route took us out through Boston’s Back Bay to Boston University where we made a hairpin turn and then headed straight back. I like out-and-back courses as it gives you a chance to see and cheer the lead runners. The heat was really draining – I am clearly not acclimated yet! But the runners and volunteers were great and made the whole experience a good one. I won’t lie though, by the time I spotted my dad again and he yelled out “One more!” I was so ready to get that last mile done! In fact my last mile was my best split on the back 5k – I was so happy to cross to cross that finish line! I had a quick cool down, jumped in my car and headed home in time for a late breakfast.

So race #5 in my quest for 13 in 2013 is done. Next up is the Finish at the 50 at Gillette Stadium – I was planning to run the 10K but after yesterday’s heat I may aim for the 5K instead 🙂

Filed Under: #13in2013, 10ks, B.A.A. Distance Medley, Finish at the 50, race report

B.A.A Distance Medley – 5K Race Report

May 3, 2013 by Michelle 7 Comments

This year I’m participating in the 2nd Annual B.A.A. Distance Medley which consists of a 5K, 10K and half marathon. The 5K was held the Sunday of the Boston Marathon weekend.

It was a great morning for a run — sunny but cool (just 40 or so). J and the boys decided they wanted to come cheer me on so the whole family headed into downtown Boston. Getting in and parking was easy. It was definitely chilly so I left the guys to do some warm up strides. Just as I was heading over to get my good luck hugs from my kiddos, I was lucky enough to find fellow FitFluential Ambassador Amy from Running Escapades and her husband in the crowd!

As we stood in the shadows of the high-rises it was even cooler and I did my best to stay warm and loose. I chatted with some of the other runners and just tried to soak in the atmosphere. I couldn’t get over the size of the crowd for a 5K (5,000+ runners) – the energy was great!

The downside of a crowd that big on a course that winds in and around the narrow streets of Boston’s Back Bay was the amount of bobbing and weaving I had to do. There were also a fair number of people who clearly didn’t seed themselves properly as I found myself running up on people who stopped to walk within the first half mile….seriously?! But I settled in the best I could and just enjoyed the run.

The B.A.A. had set the course up so we would finish the final “right on Hereford, left on Boylston” stretch and across the Marathon’s famous finish line. J and the boys were watching from the grandstands and said they could see me make the final turn on the jumbotron — my boys thought that was pretty cool and allowed my oldest son to catch these shots of the finish. (My youngest liked that I passed that guy right at the end!)

I made my way through the corral, got my medal and a bag of snacks and found my wonderful cheer squad!

Overall I was happy with my time of 30:56 and I’m really looking forward to the B.A.A. 10K in June!

Filed Under: #13in2013, B.A.A. Distance Medley, FitFluential, race report

April Rewind

May 1, 2013 by Michelle 6 Comments

I’ve always loved turning the page on the calendar and see a whole new month laid out before me. While April clearly provided some agonizing days, there were, for me, many good things mixed in there too!

Good things for April:

Continuing to run injury-free….always something to celebrate!
Returning to speed work at the track — truly my favorite workouts
Ran races #2 and 3 for the year (BAA 5K and the Newport 10 Miler) — race reports still to come
Fun blogger meet-ups

Jill, Nancy, Samantha, me, Amy

Volunteering at the Boston Marathon!! This was hands-down one of my most favorite experiences! I was assigned to the Athletes’ Village working as a “bus greeter.” The energy of all of the runners was just the best and I had an awesome team of volunteers to work with. There is no doubt that I will be back to volunteer in 2014!

What’s up for May:

Boston’s Run to Remember Half Marathon! This is my goal race for the spring and with all that has happened in Boston, I know this is going to be an extra-special race this year!
Log 100 miles
Another 30-day Ab Challenge
Continued focus on my nutrition