Whelp

I’m due to update about the marathon training, but have been travelling for work and track alumni reunions with college teammates and sloughing through snowstorm after snowstorm and have forgotten I am trying to wear this “blogger” hat as well.

Just popping in so that my future self will know that I was already excited about and a believer in the future of technology: Quantum Computing

Here’s a joke you for the physics readers out there:

For those of you that haven’t had the pleasure of a quantum mechanics physics class, well I don’t have time to type an explanation while sneaking this post in during a coffee break at work. BUT here’s an article you should read if you’re interested!

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/creating-canadas-quantum-valley/

I will write at least two other blog posts this week. There I said it. 

She Ran

Finished up a solid training week with my longest run ever!

A group of 5 of us did an out and back on the Boston Marathon course starting at mile 21. We ran out for 9 miles and then turned back because three of them were doing 18 miles. My roommate Caitlin, the one who is “not training for the marathon” , ran the 14+ with me and then we took the T back home while the others continued on. 

It was really great to get a chance to see actual parts of the course, check out the 1/2 Marathon marker and try to envision getting there on race day. It was also incredible to really start to feel a part of the Boston experience. There were volunteer stands with supportive signs throughout the course handing out water, gatorade, and snacks to runners passing by. How many other races have that kind of support for runners training 6 weeks out from race day??

To re-cap the past couple of days, I just did some easy miles with lots of stretching at the gym. I’m trying to make sure I really recover so that I don’t get injured! Last night I realized I forgot to pack workout socks and so I had to rock argyle at the gym…

The next hottest work-out fashion trend?

And since i’m in the Boston spirit, here’s an instagram I took heading home from 21st Amendment last night:

Cheers!

 

Pumping Iron

I’ve been pumping iron both in the weight-room and at my desk

Iron, as in the oxygen carrying complex of red blood cells, has always been a struggle for me. I’ve battled anemia since high school and if you’ve ever experienced the symptoms you know how badly it effects running. I strongly recommend that female distance runners make sure they get their iron stores tested and supplement if necessary!

I’m currently feeling like my blood is rich in iron, yay. That means aerobic running isn’t a death march anymore. I owe that to keeping a bottle of Slow Fe (OTC iron supplement) next to my computer on my office desk and popping 1-2 pills with breakfast or lunch everyday. Now I just have to continue taking them religiously. In the past i’ve made the mistake of slacking off on taking them whenever I started to feel better.

Today’s workout:
2 mile warmup, 60 min lifting class (the other iron!) and 1 mile cool down.
I was pretty sore today, but the good kind of sore

I came home and cooked a delicious meal of spaghetti and a sauce made with italian sausage, peppers, onion and garlic. It was too good to photograph before eating. Can’t wait for leftovers at lunch tomorrow!

One day closer to the weekend

Double Digits!

This is a belated post, but better late than never!

Here’s a recap for the past week of training;

As you can see I hit a double digit long run on Saturday! It was really helpful mentally to knock out a longer than normal run, and gives me a little more faith that in 6 weeks i’ll be able to finish 26.2 miles. I ran the first 5.1 mile loop with all 3 of my roommates (it was a cute roomie outing on a snowy winter day) and then did the loop the second time with just one, Caitlin. Caitlin doesn’t think she wants to train or run for the marathon but my plan is to just force her to do my long runs with me and then she won’t be able to resist.

Then, I took a nice rest day on Sunday. I took that day of training very seriously and got out of bed around noon and made french toast for myself and my roommate Hannah. Then I got back in bed and watched netflix/napped until around 5pm. Oops….

Yesterday I ran an “easy” 4 miles. I put easy in quotation marks because I couldn’t even crack 8 minute pace. I’m guessing I was still fatigued from the long run.

After work this evening I found myself doing an impromptu 7 mile progression workout. I just wanted to get a run in of at least 5 miles but I was feeling much better than yesterday so I went by feel. I started at 8 minute pace and increased the pace at least once a mile until the last 2 miles were run at 7:11 and 7:05. THEN I had to get off the treadmill because of a stomach ache because I was STARVING. I drank a chocolate protein shake, stretched, then hopped back on for a mile cool-down to make it 8 for the day.

On my way home I went grocery shopping and wanted to lay down at least 10 times throughout the 1/2 mile walk home.

ANYWAY Just in case I want to remember that I actually had fun in my 20s and didn’t just run and dread grocery shopping and laundry…a quick re-cap of weekend fun:

Checking out  (and enjoying) a potential wedding band with my siblings. My oldest sister is getting married in September!

All 5 of us out in Boston on Saturday night. Can you tell which one my is my twin?

And hanging out with my favorite upperclass XC teammates from college (they came and joined me at the same bar–they’re the best!):

Annnd Sunday Fro-Yo delivery with the roomies.

The $1.50 delivery fee + tip is absolutely worth it.

WILD LIFE I KNOW!

Green Line Roulette

Training for the day: 3 miles and 60min lifting class. The miles were broken up 1.75/1.25 before/after lifting.

Man am I wiped right now! This lifting class kicks my butt. So much so that I was in desperate need of protein/sugar/calories immediately after cooling down and I had to spend $4 on Muscle Milk from the vending machine in the gym.

It was the most delicious tasting chocolate protein shake I’ve ever had and I wish it lasted more than the 5 seconds it took me to drink it.

I’m sure there are awful chemicals in there considering neither milk nor chocolate are actual ingredients but whatever, it was heavenly.

After showering and heading to the train station to commute home I played the exciting, nerve-wracking, captivating game of….

Green Line Roulette!!

If you haven’t heard of this game it might be because I made it up and it’s not actually a game. It is just an example of how weird I am when trying to make mundane tasks more entertaining.

Anyway, this is how it works: In Boston, there are a few different train lines (red/orange/green/blue etc…) and the green line has 4 branches, the B, C, D, and E line. At the station I get on at by my office all 4 of the green line trains pull into the same platform where I wait. My apartment is located between the Green line “B” train and “C” line so I generally will just get on whichever one comes first .

However, the C line brings me .5 miles away while the B line gets me just .2 miles from my apartment so it’s much more appealing when it’s 20 degrees outside and i’m exhausted. However, the C line drops me off directly in front of a Trader Joes. I happen to hate the act of grocery shopping (mainly the carrying the grocery bags half a mile home when its dark, freezing, and i’m le tired)so I let the Train Gods/Fate/Destiny decide whether I re-stock on food or go another day. May the odds be ever in my favor.

Last night, the B line won out after a grueling 8 minute waiting period. BUT TONIGHT the C  line took the win! Soooo I went grocery shopping woohoo. It’s the suspense of waiting on the platform, not knowing if i’ll stock up on food or be forced to scrape together a meal from pantry staples and reject food I ignore 99% of the time. It’s thrilling. Sometimes I text my roommates real time updates of which trains go by and whether I will get food for the week or not. I’m sure they love being forced to tune in.

ANYWAY– I think this post has served as a reality check. I need more excitement in my life ASAP

I will now end this post before revealing any other embarrassing workings of my inner mind

p.s. I made stir-fry with my new groceries and it was bomb.com

Back to Reality

The front yard I enjoyed last week:

The front yard I’ve returned home to:

Back to Boston weather, back to work, and back to actually doing my marathon training.

In an effort to save face ill say my training plan didn’t exactly pan out while in the Bahamas. In truth, the problem probably stemmed from not making a concrete plan. I figured I’d have all day everyday to get a run in so why lay out a specific schedule?

Rookie mistake! Which after 8 years of running I should have known better—just the act of putting pen to paper and writing mileage or time goals for the days makes all the difference.

Anyway, I’m back to the real world routine. Yesterday’s Presidents day was a 5 mile run through the snow covered city and the joys of cruising on a sidewalk only to suddenly need to hop 3 foot snow banks to cross the street. <3winter

I returned to the treadmill after work this evening for 6 miles in 44:30 (7:25 average) and a nice long stretch and foam roll session afterward.

Less than 10 weeks until i’m on the starting line 26.2 miles from Boston

She Ran & Rebooked

The northeast is about to get slammed with a snowstorm of historic proportions.

Which on one hand is awesome because I’ve been saying all winter “I don’t mind the cold, I just wish there were piles of snow to go with it.” On the other hand, I happen to have a trip planned to Windermere Island in the Bahamas that was set to depart Boston smack dab in the middle of the worst wind and snow fall Saturday morning.

The evil email from JetBlue confirming my worst fears;

Luckily, I was able to get on a 6:30am flight to Atlanta tomorrow morning. I was also able to buy a seat on the same Delta flight as my boyfriend Jamie to Nassau Saturday morning from ATL (our original plan was to meet up in Nassau). Originally, my airfare was booked using a JetBlue credit so it had been free. This re-book cost me a few hundred dollars, but I know it’ll be worth it the second my toes hit the sand.

Fingers crossed that the storm doesn’t start earlier than predicted and ill still be able to escape Boston before it hits!

Such a first world pain

Anyway, after a pretty chill day at work today (and a lunch break filled with calls to airline customer service reps) I headed down to the gym for Boston Marathon training day #4:

4 miles easy

I took it nice and slow.

I’ll hopefully get a run in tomorrow in Atlanta, and Saturday will be a long travel day so i’ll take off. Then, i’ll have 7 days on a private Island to explore by land and sea. Floating in the Caribbean ocean is a form of cross training right? Definitely read that in a marathon training book somewhere…

If my next blog post is full of melodramatic poetry with dark imagery and soul searching it’s because my flight is cancelled tomorrow and i’ll be entering a state of depression

#notreally #butkindof #iwillcry

She Ran

I’ve officially made it to day 3 of Boston Marathon training without getting injured!

Only 68 more days to keep the injury free streak going before the race

I was super busy at work today but I was able to sneak downstairs to the gym for a 10 minute warmup on the treadmill before going to a 60 minute lifting class.

Jeopardy was on and for the first few minutes I felt like a genius because I knew all of the answers!

But then I realized it was teen jeopardy.

Oh well. At least i’m as smart as 13 year olds?

This class I take, called “Group Power”,  is on wednesdays and fridays and I really try to make it to each one. Technically it’s also on sunday mornings, but I never go to the gym over the weekend since it’s in the same building as my office and if I were to go to there on a non-work day that would wreak havoc on my work-life balance…right??

Here’s a photo I took of the class while everyone was setting up their weight stations:

I was trying to be stealth and act like I wasn’t taking a picture but it just resulted in a blurry photo and no one was looking at me anyway…oh well

After class I hopped back on the treadmill for a cooldown, stretched & foam-rolled, showered, and then had to head back up to the office for a few more hours of work. I find it way easier to concentrate after exercising though, so I can’t complain too much about having the flexibility at work to do that.

Plus working til after 9pm meant I could share a cab home with my roommate Caitlin! She works that late all the time and her company pays for the ride!

3 Miles in total for the day
(warmup & cooldown combined)

She Ran

I consider this to be my second day of Boston Marathon Training. Technically it was my first day of actually training but in my mind yesterday, the day I decided to try and run Boston, was day 1 (it just happened to be a rest day )

The only thing as dumb as me deciding to run my first marathon (look at me—calling it my “first” as if there will ever be a second one!) with only 10 weeks to train, is that I did a long run for my first training run. I’m going to be extremely sore tomorrow!

8 miles
in 59:52, an average of 7:29 pace.

I did it progression style…just randomly upped the speed, probably once every 3/4 mile on average. I started around 8 minute pace, and I ended up running my 8th mile in 7:07.

This is a faster pace than I would normally do for a long run, but I figure I might as well combine my long run with a “tempo” run. The main reasons for doing so are:

A) I only have 10 weeks to build up to a 26.2 mile run.  That means i’ll be doing a longer-than-ever-before length of long run once every week and will need to recover in between them. I think if I added in an additional hard day per week (a tempo run or other workout), I would risk injury (even more so than I probably already am)

B) I’m doing this on a whim and am too lazy to make a structured plan (and don’t really want to commit to one either). I’d rather just feel the “need” to do one hard effort a week, rather than mentally gear up for a workout and a long run. I’m just going to do whatever I feel like on the other 4-5 days of running each week.

C) I have no idea what i’m doing

Oh and that whole thing I said last week about being a fair weather runner–I haven’t gone back on that. Hence, the treadmill screen shot. This is what I avoided training in:

A snowy view of the State House from the Park Street T stop on my way home from work/the gym

30 x 30 #3

3. Run the Boston Marathon

Growing up around Boston, it’s hard to avoid the running fever that breaks right at the end of winter. Marathon Monday, Patriot’s day–the one day of the year (outside of olympic years) where the whole community pay attention to running.

And as I announced on twitter today, i’m going to go for it this year

April 15, 2013

26.2 miles

I figure it’ll be totally no pressure, just going to try and finish it. Two of my teammates from college have been training for it for about a month now, but not too seriously so I am hopefully not too far behind them. We’ll be able to race together and hopefully, just maybe, i’ll make it to the finish line with them as well!

70 days away