Mentoring

Chris and I signed up to be mentors for the fall season's Team In Training participants. This means we'll check in with our assigned runners weekly, attend all their group runs to either run with them or set up water stops, help with their fundraising, etc. We won't give out running advice or anything; that's the coach's job, and we're not qualified to do that. We'll just be there to offer support and share our experiences and help out how we can.

I'm pretty pumped about it. I think this will be a great way to stay involved with Team In Training for a while. It's such a cool organization and I hope I'll be as good of a mentor as Kate and Erika. (Hi gals!) :-D

So, if anyone from the South Shore reading this wants to be on our team and be mentored by me, Chris, or our teammate Christine, the marathons (and half-marathons) for the fall season are listed here: http://www.teamintraining.org/ma/firsttimehere/teamintrainingevents/
I'm planning on running the Maine half-marathon on October 4.

Acoustic Recap & Tenth Group Run

Acoustic for a Cure was a great time! After expenses, we raised $870 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! The performers were all fantastic, and Chris and I are so grateful to all of them for donating their time! We’re especially indebted to the one and only Nicholas Lavallee for bringing his sound equipment and really just taking control of the show. We really could not have done it without him! Did I mention he was sick AND came all the way from Manchester, NH to participate? His attitude was that his friend who died of Leukemia still came to school when he was sick, so doing what he could at Acoustic for a Cure was the least he could do. I wanted to cry when he told me that! It was such a reminder of why we’re doing all of this fundraising in the first place.

Anyway, thanks are also due to everyone who came and bought raffle tickets and made the night a success! You guys are all going to heaven.

The one thing we learned after hosting our first fundraiser was that it’s really important to get an accurate head count. We had a great turnout, but we were expecting even more, so we ordered more food so that no one would go hungry! And of course, they don’t let you take home any leftovers, so anything that wasn’t eaten was just a waste. You live, you learn!

I took a couple of pictures during the night but sadly, none that came out great. I was busy manning the raffle table, or chatting, or listening to the music, that I mostly forgot to even take many. Oh well! Rest assured, we bought purple balloons and streamers and hung Team In Training banners all over the place!

When the party was over at 11pm, we were sad to have to shut it down, but the bartenders needed to break down the room. We would have liked to party longer!

The next morning though, Chris and I were glad we didn’t. When the alarm went off, we were both miserable. So tired and so NOT ready to run! We both stayed in bed a little too late, and didn’t have breakfast. We were running in Quincy that day, from our apartment, so we got a few extra minutes in bed because we didn’t have to drive anywhere, so that was nice.

Then Kristen, Erika and Lorri showed up. And only Kristen, Erika, and Lorri! Everyone else was unable to come that morning. We hadn’t realized that. Also, Lorri only came to help Erika with the water stops, since she’d done her run on her own the day before! Now that’s what I call nice- getting up early on a Saturday just to support the team! But that meant it was just me and Chris running with Kristen.

We ran up to Hough’s Neck and it was a gorgeous, gorgeous, warm day. I love running in Quincy because you can just stick to the water, and it’s so pretty! We were tired though, and starving, so our 14 mile run turned into an 8.5 mile run. Kristen said she wasn’t worried about us since we still have two months until our race, so running the full amount every single time isn’t that crucial yet.

One quick anecdote from this run I must share: Kristen and I were waiting for Chris to catch up to us at one point. As he approached, we both noticed there was something on his white shirt. At the same time, we shrieked! It was blood. Lots of it. Coming from his nipple. HIS NIPPLE. I can’t imagine the amount of chafing necessary to make a nipple bleed so much. He ended up just running shirtless for the last leg of the run. Thank the good lord for sports bras, or we gals might get to experience that special pain.

I’ll just let you to think about that for a while.

STASERA!

 Acoustic for a Cure:  Unplugged at the Fours is TONIGHT!  

I just got my teeth cleaned, picked up some decorations at iParty, and had some yummy Boston Market (BoMar) for lunch.   Now to organize the raffle prizes, get myself gussied up, and go set up at The Fours!   I can't wait - tonight will be a blast!  

If you want to come, but haven't bought a ticket, fear not- You can buy a ticket at the door! 

(Oh, one thing:  I lied before about the bacon-wrapped scallops.  Instead, there will be seafood-stuffed mushrooms.)

That is all!  Hope to see you tonight!

Lame Training Week

Like I said, I skipped running on Monday AND Tuesday, opting instead to sit on my butt and shove food into my face.  

Well, at least I went to the gym last night.  Pilates was tough and I loved it. as usual.  After Pilates though, I tried running on the treadmill for the first time in ages... and I HATED it.  I was so bored immediately!  I couldn't even do it.  I ran about 2.5 miles and gave up.  Music wasn't helping.  Knowing I should get in a longer run wasn't helping.  Making myself feel guilty wasn't helping!   

I never used to have that problem.  I know a lot of people do, but usually I can just zone out and listen to my tunes and power through (even if it's not that much fun and I get in fights with the treadmill in my head because I think it's lying to me).  The boredom last night was so intense, it was making me ANGRY to be on that thing!  I guess I've really become accustomed to running outside only.  

Tonight I went on a nice 5.75 mile outdoor run, and felt like myself again, thank goodness.   At least I got one respectable run in this week.

Slump

I was supposed to go for a run on Monday night, and I didn't. My excuses were paltry, but many: It was cold and rainy and my shin hurt and I was sleepy and hungry. So I put on PJ's and watched TV instead.

I was supposed to go for a run last night. But it was pouring. So I put on PJ's and watched TV instead.

I really think the recent weather has drained my motivation this week. Even though I still have a gym membership, and could have just gone to the gym to run on the treadmill to avoid the rain, I couldn't even get myself to do that. Tonight I'm determined to go though! There's a Pilates class on Wednesday nights that I try to go to whenever I can, so I can just stay afterwards and run on the mill. I haven't been on one of those things in a while, and I haven't missed it, so we'll see how it goes.

Oh me, oh my. Just as a reminder (read: another shameless promotion), this Friday is the night of Acoustic for a Cure! I'm getting psyched and nervous. Why nervous? I don't know. Everything is just about taken care of and there's not much left to do! I think it's because I've never co-hosted a fundraiser before. Its going to be tons of fun, of course. If you're planning on coming, save room for apps! We're having cheese & crackers, meatballs marinara, chicken tenders, and bacon-wrapped scallops. (Sorry, vegetarians... there weren't many meatless options!) There are also going to be some last-minute raffle prizes added to the list of goodies.

Ninth Group Run

Yesterday morning we met in Hull instead of Hingham.  Our teammate Lorri lives in Hull and was nice enough to let us use her house, even thought she wasn't there yesterday!  So, we got to have a great change of scenery.  The route was nice because we got to run along the water almost the entire time, and it was beautiful out, for the most part.  The day started out warm and sunny, then gradually got cloudy and cool, but luckily the rain held off, aside from a few drops here and there.

13 miles wasn't as bad for me as I thought it was going to be.  Actually, I felt (and still feel) quite good!  I did, however, work up and INSANE appetite by the end.  Chris brought along some PowerBar gels, which he said tasted just like chocolate frosting.  He wasn't particularly fond of them.  I brought along nothing, which I now know I can't do anymore!  When the run was over, I ate not one, but two bagels with cream cheese that our fantastic mentors brought for us.

Also, we stopped a few times for water and stuff during the run, and I found it harder than usual to stop and then start again.  My legs and knees thought they were getting to stop, and let me know that were not happy to be moving again!

Chris is having really bad knee pain now.  He's thinking of going to see a specialist.  I really, really, really hope it helps!

Spa Gift Basket

When ZuZu's Sisters donated the softest, prettiest bathrobe ever, I was so excited!  When we went to pick it up, they'd put the gorgeous pink and white robe in green tissue paper, and it looked so good, we were going to just raffle it off that way.  But then I couldn't resist buying some extra goodies to go with it, and making a luxurious spa gift basket!   

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!  I really want to keep it all.  Maybe I'll buy some raffle tickets and give it a go at Acoustic for a Cure next week, where this will be one of the prizes!  

Here's a pic of the bathrobe that I found online... Once I got it in that gift basket, there was no taking it out.  It's in there until the lucky winner takes it home!  

In other news, one of my Team In Training teammates, Christine, was featured in the Pembroke Express!  

http://www.pembrokeexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=986:bryantville-teacher-going-distance-for-cause&catid=1:pembroke-news&Itemid=2

Go Christine!

In OTHER other news, I'm supposed to run 13 miles tomorrow.  Because of the insane rain and wind last week, I only ran 8.  The week before that, I also ran 8, because I wanted to "rest up" for my 10k the next day.  SO, the most I have run is 10 miles.  I really don't feel ready for 13! 

Oh well.  The Red Sox just tied up the game, so I have to go watch that now.  Good thing, since this entry is officially all over the place.

Cross-Training

So, as I may have mentioned before, I’m supposed to be cross-training. (I still don’t really know what that means except that I need to be using muscles other than the ones I use to run.)

Ever since I stopped going to ice-skating lessons, I seem to have also fallen off the Pilates wagon. I used to try to go every Wednesday night when they have the class at my gym, but for the past month or more, I’ve either had something else going on on Wednesday night, or it was nice out and I wanted to go for a run when I got home, before it got dark out. Last night, however, I made my triumphant return to Pilates! Hopefully I’ll be able to keep going for the next couple of weeks, until my gym membership runs out on May 1. After that I’ll have to find another place to go. My favorite local yoga studio has Pilates classes, but none that I can get to. I see they have a “yogalates” class now though; maybe I’ll go see what that’s all about! I like yoga too, so why not? I suppose I could also find a good Pilates video and do it at home, but I like classes much better.

I have to find another way to cross-train too, preferably something I can do outside, since I don’t want to renew that gym membership. I’d like to get a bike, but they’re so expensive. Maybe I can finally learn to roller-blade well enough so that I’m not embarrassed to/scared of doing it on an actual sidewalk… like, next to an actual street, with cars on it. But what if I roll onto the street and get hit? I am legitimately scared of this.

Anyway, I need to get motivated and stop using my cross-training days as off days.

April Full Moon

The first Full Moon Margarita Madness benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society seemed to be a big success! I don't know yet how much was raised for the LLS, but the place was pretty packed and everyone seemed to have lots of fun! I know I did. I got to eat Mexican food and drink margs, so that alone would have meant a smashing good time, but on top of that I got to see lots of friends and family members, and participate in or watch silly games (the frozen T-shirt contest was the most hilarious thing I'd seen in ages). Chris and I even got to take home some fun prizes: Sam Adams glasses and a Margaritas Frisbee! One lucky winner went home with the Red Sox tickets we donated... I hope they enjoy the game.

Here are some pics from the night, pretty much in reverse chronological order because Blogger won't let me rearrange them. WHATEVER, BLOGGER!

So that's that! I'll let you know when I find out how much money was raised for the LLS. In the meantime, mark your calendar for May 9. That's the night of the next FMMM!

April #@%-ing Showers

Kristen cancelled our Saturday morning run this weekend because the weather was supposed to be too nasty: cold, wet, and windy. Chris and I wanted to get our long run over with, and knew we'd be too busy to run the following day since it was Easter and we had plans to visit both families. So, we put on our raincoats and headed out. And got completely drenched. And got pelted with sleet.

We had planned on running 11 miles, but somewhere along the way we decided to just turn around and head home, and I think if we both had gone home from there, it would have been about 7 miles. But then we split up and I ran ahead and decided to go a bit further, so I ended up running 8.1. Chris had the same idea, but he ran even further than I did; probably between 9 and 10 (he hasn't mapped it out yet). When I got back to the apartment, I changed into dry clothes immediately, made myself some tea and wrapped myself in a blanket. It took me hours finally to get warm!

Having run 8.1 miles sopping wet, I will say this: I really really REALLY hope it doesn't rain on Marathon day! That was the longest I've ever run out in the rain and it wasn't exactly the best time.

But on the bright side, at least I didn't have any chafing!

Margs Tonight!

Tonight is the first of the Full Moon Margarita Madness nights benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

http://www.margs.com/promotions_and_events/full_moon_margarita_madness

WOO HOO!

I'm especially excited for it since I have tomorrow OFF. That means I can stay out late and drink many, many margs. No deciding between the many fun flavors of margs for me! Lime In the Coconut? Russelrita? Sour Apple? Original? Bring 'em on! Bing 'em ALL on!

The only thing I have to wake up for tomorrow is my appointment to get a massage, a manicure, and a pedicure. That's right! Chris got me a gift certificate for a couple's spa day for my birthday. My birthday was in November, but we didn't get around to scheduling the appointment until now. And tomorrow just happens to be Chris' birthday! So, if you come to Margaritas tonight (which you totally should), you can sing "Happy birthday" to him at midnight!

Here's the address. Hope to see you tonight!

765 Bridge St.

Weymouth, MA

Cohasset Road Race By the Sea!

Yesterday was my first 10k, and Chris' first-ever road race!  

We got up around 8:00, had a leisurely breakfast of coffee and hard-boiled eggs, and headed out around 10:00.  We got to Cohasset around 10:30 and we were the third car in the parking lot.  The race didn't start until 1:00pm.   So, we had lots and lots of time to kill.  We got our numbers, our chips and our T-shirts and hung out for a few hours.  We ate some fruit & yogurt cereal bars, had some free coffee, and walked around.  Chris' mom came out to see us, so we hung out with her for a bit.  

Also, we shivered.  The day started out really cold!  I was absolutely freezing in my sweats and didn't know if I wanted to take them off to race (I had shorts and a T-shirt on underneath).  But the sun eventually came out and by race time, it was tolerable, so I stripped down and shivered some more for a couple of minutes...

But actually, as we got behind the starting line, I started to feel hot.  Then when we started running, I was REALLY hot!   Then I got REALLY thirsty.  I don't ever remember being so thirsty so soon during a run before.  Granted, I was running a lot faster than I normally do, but I think I must have started out a bit dehydrated.   I may not have had enough water after running on Saturday.  Oops!   

Anyway, I started out pretty fast (I think), but was too hot and too thirsty to keep up that pace.   I think I stopped for water at every opportunity.  Before the race, I had thought I'd only need to stop once, if at all!   When I go for a 5 mile run on my won, I don't bring water, but I forget that during a race, it's different.  I'm pushing myself harder.  I think pulled over to grab a cup of water four or five times during the 6.2 miles.  

The course was also very hilly.  Mile 4 to mile 5 was a killer.  It included the steepest hill and that mile just seemed to go on forever.   In fact, after a while, I'd made up my mind that I had missed the "Mile 5" sign, or that there just hadn't been one, so when I finally saw it, I was a teensy bit shocked that I was only at mile 5!

That's enough griping; now on to the good stuff.  For one thing, the course was amazingly, stunningly beautiful.  I really wish I could have taken pictures of it along the way!  The water was such a gorgeous blue-green, and you could see Boston in the distance at one point.  The sun was shining and I had the urge to just jump in the ocean a couple of times.  I resisted though!   People were sitting outside on chairs in their driveways to cheer us on.  It was so cute!  For those of you not familiar with the area, just know that Cohasset is too adorable to be real.    

I also achieved my goal, and came in at just under an hour!  My time was 59:08.  YAY!  

Also lots of fun was hearing my name near the very end of the race, looking over, and seeing Jenny!   I was psyched!  

But then this girl and her dog jumped into the race to run alongside the girl's dad or something, and just at the mat where the chip records your time, the girl totally wiped out.  I had a moment where I really thought I was going to land on top of her, and I have to admit that my first thought was not "I hope that little girl is OK."  It was more like, "wow, I really hate that little girl. "  I did manage not to trample her though, so that's gotta count for something, right? 

I also managed not to throw up when I stopped running, even though I really felt like I was going to for a minute there.   I made a bee-line for the water and downed a bottle in about 2 gulps, and was right as rain after that!  

Chris came in at 1:13:28, and I got to see him finish and cheer him on!  He told me a pretty scary story about seeing a woman collapse right in front of him during the race.  He actually ran backwards to the closest water stop to make sure someone was getting help.  Clearly, he's my better half. 

After the race, we got our well-deserved hot dogs (WITH mustard, thank you very much).  However, that was not enough food for the likes of us.  We were both still starving, so we went out for a late lunch.  I had a weird hankerin' for a chocolate milk shake and a burger.  It was all I wanted!  So, we went to Chili's and I got my wish.

Overall, it was a great day and I'm really proud of myself and Chris (and Jenny and Kristen and Kate)!   I'll definitely do this race again, and next time, I'll drink more water beforehand, and I'll bring my iPod (I lost Chris and Kate almost right away and had no one to talk to, not that I could have talked anyway).

Now, as promised, here are some photos!

 

This is Chris' chip

Me pinning my number on.

Ta-Daa!!

Chris on a bench

#1283!

Me and Kate (Kate had a bad day.  Her knee popped during the race.  Poor girl!   She is awesome and I hope her knee gets better SOON!)

Chris lounging on the grass

Chris' mom took this one of Chris crossing the finish line.

Chris & me, after the race

Chris with a hot dog

Me DEVOURING my hot dog

Me at Chili's, looking like the undead.  

Chris, looking a bit red because he didn't wear any sunscreen! 

Our Next Race:  Boston's Run to Remember Half-Marathon!

Eighth Group Run

Today, Chris and I were scheduled to run 11 miles, but since we're running in a 10k tomorrow, we decided to run 8 miles with the people training for the half-marathon.  In fact, Lorri was the only one on the team today who ran more than 8, and she got up even earlier to get a head start!  Props to her.  As if starting at 8:00am isn't painful enough...

So, anyhoo, the run went well.  The sky was looking a little nasty, but aside from one quick sprinkle, the rain held off.  Woo hoo!  We've really been lucky so far.  However, Kristen says she's determined to get us prepared for running in the rain and getting all chafed.  Uh...sounds like a total blast!

After the run and some ab exercises, we went over to Panera, then went back on over to HQ (Greater Boston Running Co.) where we got to hear from a nice nutritionist named Melanie.  She answered lots of good questions and I now know that half of my plate at meal-time should be veggies, 25% should be protein, and 25% should be carbs.  Until a week before the marathon, when I should up the protein.  And then a few days before, I should start upping the carbs.  I think?  Oh man, I already forget.  But I DO remember lots of stuff she told us!  Stuff about how to eat and drink during the race, and how much to eat before, and how long before, and what to eat afterwards to help prevent the post-marathon cold.  She said drinking coffee before running has been shown to help, and it won't dehydrate you, but only to try it if you're used to coffee.  She said to eat the yolks in eggs.  She talked about eating "goo" during long runs.  I've never tried those before, but it's time to start experimenting.  

After that, Chris and I had some errands to run, including picking up the softest, nicest bathrobe that ZuZu's Sisters in Hingham donated!  I'm making a pretty sweet spa gift basket and including the bathrobe in it; it's going to be one of the raffle prizes for Acoustic.   I love making a fun gift basket!

And now it's nighty-night time, since I'm exhausted and I need my rest for the Cohasset Road Race by the Sea tomorrow.  Chris, Kristen and Kate are all doing it too, and so are my pal Jenny and her dad.  The forecast is looking good and I'm not feeling too achy (aside from some weird hip joint pain... that's a new one for me), so I'm really looking forward to my first 10k.  I hope to finish in under an hour... but of course I won't beat myself up f I don't.  

Stay tuned for an update on the race.  Maybe I'll even post some pictures.  This blog needs some photos to add PIZAZZ! 

Commercial for Marshall's

This is just a quick note to tell you never, ever to shop at speciaty running/sports stores for running clothes! Go there for your footwear, but buy the clothes at Marshalls. Over the weekend, I went there and bought a ton of great Nike, Adidas, and Reebok stuff! I got good quality shirts, shorts, and sports bras... all the same exact stuff you'd find at the more expensive places but for probabaly a third of the price!

Maybe it's last year's stuff or something, but who cares!? You're most likely not trying to look your most fashionable while you're running anyway. Or maybe you are. If so, go ahead and spend too much money! SEE IF I CARE!