BAA Distance Medley – Half Marathon Recap

October 21, 2013 by 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! With Nic

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!!

Eileen and I_BAA

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!

BAA Bling (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.

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

Race Week Focus

October 6, 2013 by 10 Comments

photo (16)I can already be pretty obsessive during race week…but now there’s this.

Yes that’s my right knee. I had just 3/4 of a mile to go in my long run on Saturday when my toe caught an uneven piece of sidewalk and before I knew I was air borne. I jammed my left shoulder and scraped my right elbow, but my right knee took the brunt of the fall. So I spent the rest of Saturday alternating between icing and hobbling around.

I’m happy to say that while still stiff and sore, I’ve got a lot more mobility today. I’m sure it will continue to loosen up as the week goes on (she says with fingers-crossed). I have just a couple of light runs planned for this week, and one run with a few miles at race pace – but, at this point the work is done.

My main focus this week will be to eat mindfully, get enough sleep and, yes baby the knee. (I will not obsess, I will not obsess, I will not obsess!)

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Filed Under: injuries, no excuses, race week

Irritable ITB, Step-back wk and Vacation runs – WWYD?

September 25, 2011 by 7 Comments

I was really looking forward to my 11 miler this morning…but my ITB clearly was not!

I was feeling pretty sore and tight yesterday and no amount of foam rolling or icing seemed to make too much of a difference. I kept hoping if I just took it slow that I could get the long run done. Well, when I got up this morning nothing along my outer left leg felt okay…and so the internal bargaining began. OK so maybe I can’t get 11, but surely I can at least get 8, right? Hmm…yeah…not so much.

It was a struggle almost from the beginning  – I stopped just before 2 to stretch and to decide whether or not to keep going. I kept going, but as I reached the 4 mile point and turned to head back I started to think that there was a very good chance that I would either have to walk to whole way or call J to come pick me up. Luckily, J and the boys did come by – they decided to check on me cause they knew the leg wasn’t feeling great – and without hesitation I hopped in the car and called it a day. I was really bummed to not finish the run, but pressing on just seemed like a really bad idea!

So Week 7 starts tomorrow and it’s a step back week. It also happens to be the week were heading to Disney. Originally, I had planned on running on Tuesday and then a couple of times while we’re away – the resort has a great mile and a quarter loop around the lagoon that sounded perfect for some short runs. But now given my cranky ITB I’m wondering if I should run at all or just rest it (aside from all the walking we’ll be doing) and take the 5 days off.

And when I get back I’ll have a week before the Tufts 10k – so what would you do?

Would you rest or would you run?

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Filed Under: injuries, ITB, running dilemnas, step-back

Thursday Thoughts – aka 3 things

June 2, 2011 by 5 Comments
  • Took my first post-race run this morning — it was a very tentative 2 miles. While my knee felt ok, my hamstring was not having it! It was such a beautiful morning, I wish I could have gone further, but I’m playing it safe.
  • Don’t forget about my Running on Empty giveaway – it ends tomorrow. You can click HERE for details. There are some really great giveaways going on in the blog world – I have a bunch listed on the sidebar if you want to check them out.
  • I’m WAY behind on my “spring cleaning” so I’m back on a huge clutter purge. With the end of school coming, it time to go through all the many school papers and projects that seems to be taking over my dining room table!
 It’s almost Friday – love a short week!

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    Filed Under: 3 things, giveaways, injuries, Running on Empty

    My New Target

    March 2, 2011 by 6 Comments

    This lovely necklace came my way about a month ago courtesy of a great giveaway from Marcia at The Studly Runner (aka Running Off at the Mouth).

    Since I received the necklace from Nana’s Jewelry, it’s been sitting in the box it came in on a shelf in my closet — put aside until the 10k training I was currently in was complete.

    Well, the 10k is done and in the books. So on this first day of a new month, it seemed like a good time to bring it out. It may sound corny, but this little necklace will serve as a great reminder and motivator for the journey I’m about to embark on. I’m so excited to go after this goal!

    I’ve decided to treat this week as kind of a step back week — a chance to get my half training plan finalized and give my angry left knee a little break. So I did an easy run of 3 today, and plan to get in some strength training, yoga and couple more easy runs during the rest of this week. Then it will be time to go after my new target…time for another first! I can’t wait to get started!

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    Filed Under: firsts, goals, Half marathon, injuries, training

    Hyannis 10k Race Report

    February 28, 2011 by 12 Comments

    When I woke up to snow this morning, my first thought was “This is why you train in all kinds of weather – a treadmill can’t prepare you for this!” My Hubs J and I quickly got ready, packed our gear, grabbed a bite and once the boys were settled in with grandparents we headed out to make the drive to the Cape.

    As we got into Hyannis, we decided to avoid the madness of trying to find parking close to the race start and instead opted for a lot about a quarter mile away – gave us a nice little trot, warm up.  The lines at the porta-potties were crazy and slow but everyone around us at least was in good humor and we made the best of it. We made it to the start with no time to spare and were off.

    For those of you who are not familiar with Cape Cod, to say Cape roads are narrow is a understatement! So narrow roads and slippery conditions thanks to the snow falling made for a little bit of a chaotic start. As we had planned, J and I ran the first mile together and then we separated — his goal was to finish in just under an hour. I was feeling pretty good at this point, there were some twinges in my left knee but nothing indicating the trouble to come. As the course turned along the water, I was still feeling good about reaching my goal of a PR. But then the dark mile came…the twinges in my left knee grew a lot more intense. I backed off and then tried to walk, but it actually felt worse to walk (does that make any sense?!?) so I started to run again. The mile markers were non-existent so I chatted with a couple of different runners who spotted my Garmin and asked for an update.

    As I reached 5.5 miles, I decided to try to push for a strong finish. There was a great crowd at the end and I heard J cheering as I turned for the finishers chute. My brother had brought my oldest down to see the end of the race, so it was really great to see them both there!

    Despite the snow and angry knee, it felt great to be back in a race. It was a great group of runners, scenic course, and a lot of fun to run with J in his first 10k! (For the record: J did hit his goal – I’m so proud of him! And I missed matching my previous 10k time by only 40 seconds!)

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    Filed Under: Hyannis 10k, injuries, race report

    Reflections and a First Run

    January 3, 2011 by 5 Comments

    Got out today amid the fog and light rain to log my first run of 2011!

    I have been resting my left ITB for the past two weeks — though I did sneak in 2 miles on the dreadmill on NYE’s day ’cause I really didn’t want to end the year on injured reserve if I could help it.  So the hope today was to just get out on the road and run a slow and steady, pain-free 5 miles. Mission accomplished!

    I was also itching to try out some of the new gear I got for Christmas – especially my new Garmin Forerunner 305 (courtesy of my wonderful hubs J)! I am so excited to figure out how to use it to help with my pacing – which, according to my new little running partner, can be a bit erratic.

    It felt so good to be out there this morning – I kept thinking about how far I’ve come since that first “run” last January…where 1 mile felt like it went on forever …..and, then I didn’t try to run again until March! Hmmm, yeah I can definitely say I’ve improved in the dedication department 🙂

    But thanks to the C25K plan, that 1 mile turned into 3 and I ran my first 5k in June! Followed by:

    In between there were miles in the crazy heat, rain, bitter cold and…yes, even on the dreadmill. There was an off and on argument with my angry left leg. There were goals met…and some not. I discovered a wonderfully supportive and inspiring running community. And, I found a piece of myself that I hadn’t tapped into in a long time.

    Can’t wait to see what 2011 brings!
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    Filed Under: C25K, injuries, race, running community, Tufts 10k, Turkey trot

    Enjoying the downtime

    December 27, 2010 by 4 Comments

    After a great Christmas weekend filled with family, great food and lots and lots of laughter, I’m still basking in the after Christmas glow!

    Today we’re digging out from the blizzard that hit much of the northeast. Building snow forts with the kids and romping through the snow with my oversized puppy definitely count as my cross-training for today! 

    Had to share a pic of my pup
    in between snow dives!

    My ITB has now had a full week of rest and, with Mother Nature’s help, it looks like it may get a day or two more. I figure there’s no point in stressing about it — if I hope to get this ITB under control and be ready to race again in February than this is the way it has to be now.

    So my plan this week is to enjoy the rest, get in some yoga, another TRX class and, of course, more “cross-training” with the kids and the pup!

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    Filed Under: general musings, injuries, TRX, weather

    ITB, TRX and Christmas

    December 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment
    Random Thursday Thoughts…..

    Ice, Roll, Run, Aggravate….Repeat — That’s pretty much been the cycle with my left ITB for the past two weeks. But this week I’ve finally waved the white flag and am giving my angry left leg the rest it obviously needs.

    I went to a TRX demo class last night and my triceps are still not speaking to me! It was a great strength training workout. I signed up for a 6 week session starting in January to help kick the year off right and to help me to hold to one of my 2011 goals to make strength training part of my regular routine.

    There is nothing more magical than seeing Christmas through the eyes of your children! Today was the last day of school for my boys and with Christmas less than 2 days away, they can hardly contain themselves! We’ve watched every holiday special multiple times, and I have to say, the Grinch never gets old for them or me.

    Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

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    Filed Under: 3 things, goals, injuries, mileage shrinkage, TRX

    Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 Things)

    December 16, 2010 by 5 Comments
    1. So much for that quick trot through the holiday season I was trying to maintain. The days on the calendar feel like they’re evaporating and when we crossed the 10 days-to-go mark yesterday, I lost my cool and broke out into full sprint mode. If I could translate this into my speedwork, a PR could be in my future!
    2. I haven’t run since Sunday, when somewhere around mile 2 my ITB started whining and by the time I reached just over 6 it was in a full scream! So I figured it best to take a couple of days off. I got through my Pilates class last night and had no pain despite all the side leg work we did, so I’m going to try a run tomorrow.
    3. Hey I’m up to 46 followers – when did that happen! I continue to be amazed and inspired by how supportive the running community is – whether by blog comment, tweet or email I have appreciated all of the encouragement! Thanks for being a part of my journey!
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    Filed Under: 3 things, injuries, running community