Congrats to the GBTC teams that raced the Groton 10K on Sunday! Especially the men -- 2nd place finish overall is outstanding for a Grand Prix race. Wish I could have been there. The women's team also held its own with strong performances from Laura(who ran the Boston Marathon just 13 days prior), Liz, Famous, Fobert, and Christy.
My legs still feel like lead. Grrr! It is taking me a lot longer than I thought it would to recover. Recovery can really play mind games with you. I can barely manage to run for an hour at a very leisurely pace right now. Everyday I think - how did I just race a marathon? I am getting antsy and frustrated and want my legs to feel good again! Hopefully, I will feel better for the Grand Prix 5K this weekend. It will be an "interesting" race for me to say the least, since I am hardly in 5K shape, haven't done a speed workout in months, and generally feel that my ideal racing distance is about 15 miles longer than a 5K.
*megha
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Creeped Out.
Yesterday I had a dental appointment at 8 a.m. so I didn't go running with everyone else. I ran an uneventful loop around Spot Pond and then headed down a busier road to my house. In the last quarter-mile I zig-zagged through some neighborhood streets and finally stopped at my front steps. I bent over and untied my laces to get my key off my shoe and heard the sound of a car engine idling behind me. I looked back and about 20 ft away was a tan four-door sedan sitting there with the window down and a white male staring. When I looked he started moving slowly. I grabbed my key and started walking to the back of my house - as if he wouldn't think I lived there now. Totally stupid. I don't know what I was thinking.
He moved slowly for a few seconds, then sped up real fast and did a quick U-turn at the end of my street. I was still watching him from my backyard. He sped back and stopped at the side yard of my house and we made eye contact just as I poked my head out to see if he was there. At that point, I sprinted to the back door, unlocked it, bolted it once in, ran upstairs, tore through the back door of my apartment and he was gone by the time I got to the front window. Dang.
I went to the police station and told them what happened. I didn't have much info for them. No make and model: I can hardly tell the difference between a Toyota and BMW. No license number: I didn't see it. They said they'd patrol my street more often and gave me a whistle. Gee thanks.
Now I'm thoroughly creeped out and glancing out my window every five minutes. He knows where I live! He knows that I run. And unfortunately I ran and came home at the same time that I do almost every morning. I'm telling all my neighbors who to look for and next week I'll be in Montana so that makes me feel a little better. But yuck! Don't people have better things to do at 6:50 a.m. on a Saturday morning?
-Emily
He moved slowly for a few seconds, then sped up real fast and did a quick U-turn at the end of my street. I was still watching him from my backyard. He sped back and stopped at the side yard of my house and we made eye contact just as I poked my head out to see if he was there. At that point, I sprinted to the back door, unlocked it, bolted it once in, ran upstairs, tore through the back door of my apartment and he was gone by the time I got to the front window. Dang.
I went to the police station and told them what happened. I didn't have much info for them. No make and model: I can hardly tell the difference between a Toyota and BMW. No license number: I didn't see it. They said they'd patrol my street more often and gave me a whistle. Gee thanks.
Now I'm thoroughly creeped out and glancing out my window every five minutes. He knows where I live! He knows that I run. And unfortunately I ran and came home at the same time that I do almost every morning. I'm telling all my neighbors who to look for and next week I'll be in Montana so that makes me feel a little better. But yuck! Don't people have better things to do at 6:50 a.m. on a Saturday morning?
-Emily
Monday, April 23, 2007
How NOT to pace a race
So Jess invited me to run a 5 miler out in Winchester yesterday. It seemed like a chill road race. Plus, it claimed to be flat, which I'm always looking for in a road race. The more it's like a track, the better. So Jess, Jamie and I drive up to the local Ford dealership, where the race was supposed to begin. When who do we see but Mr. Tom Derderian himself. Looks like we were all trying to disappear into a small little road race. But to no avail :-)
So we all warmed up together, which was nice, and from the warm-up it did appear that the course was pretty flat. A little sloping, but no big deal. Andrea Gillespie was there, so I thought, "Hmmm...you're in pretty good shape. It's a flat course (your strength). Just go out with her and see how far you can stay with her." So mile 1 flies by and I'm right behind her...I see the mile marker...hit my watch. 5:44. Shit. Well, it was a little downhill... Mile 2 and I'm still pretty close. 6 minutes. Okay...well, it's going to hurt. And then the rolling hills began. And then my ass was officially grass. The group I was hanging onto kept skipping along and then I was on a bike path trying to dodge kids out enjoying the beautiful day. I was very quickly losing speed and concentration. I tried to keep it together as best I could, but I did indeed run a 7 minute mile at the end. Of a 5 mile race. Ouch. Well...2 lessons learned. 1) All meet directors claim that their course is flat. A track is flat. Road races are rarely...
2) Reign it in the first mile. Hopefully, I will run a much smarter race on Sunday. There will certainly be more people there to both keep me sane in the first mile and motivated at the end.
On the bright side, I won 50 bucks, which will pay for my Red Sox ticket tomorrow. A friend got some last minute tickets, so I'll be there tomorrow night. I'll miss y'all at practice, especially as I'm doing a solo workout in the afternoon.
So we all warmed up together, which was nice, and from the warm-up it did appear that the course was pretty flat. A little sloping, but no big deal. Andrea Gillespie was there, so I thought, "Hmmm...you're in pretty good shape. It's a flat course (your strength). Just go out with her and see how far you can stay with her." So mile 1 flies by and I'm right behind her...I see the mile marker...hit my watch. 5:44. Shit. Well, it was a little downhill... Mile 2 and I'm still pretty close. 6 minutes. Okay...well, it's going to hurt. And then the rolling hills began. And then my ass was officially grass. The group I was hanging onto kept skipping along and then I was on a bike path trying to dodge kids out enjoying the beautiful day. I was very quickly losing speed and concentration. I tried to keep it together as best I could, but I did indeed run a 7 minute mile at the end. Of a 5 mile race. Ouch. Well...2 lessons learned. 1) All meet directors claim that their course is flat. A track is flat. Road races are rarely...
2) Reign it in the first mile. Hopefully, I will run a much smarter race on Sunday. There will certainly be more people there to both keep me sane in the first mile and motivated at the end.
On the bright side, I won 50 bucks, which will pay for my Red Sox ticket tomorrow. A friend got some last minute tickets, so I'll be there tomorrow night. I'll miss y'all at practice, especially as I'm doing a solo workout in the afternoon.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Megha's theory of relativity
I suppose it's my turn to post a marathon story. I started writing this yesterday but couldn't quite finish. Just couldn't pull my thoughts together. Well here goes.
There is one thing about running that I embrace almost as much as I detest. Running is such a measurable, quantifiable sport. Very little is relative; times and distances are absolute. If you beat someone in a race, the reason is pretty simple: you ran faster than she did. It's not like football or basketball where there might be a handful of reasons why you won -- better defense, more rebounds, cleaner assists, bigger tackles, etc. With running, it just boils down to the time on the clock.
It's easy and satisfying to think about running in terms of time. One reason I think runners love the sport and love quantifying their performances is because net time does not leave much room for excuses. You can't blame your performance on your teammate's failure to pass you the ball or your coach's failure to call the right play or the referee's bad calls. Running performances are captured by the times. Setting goals is easier when you have a time to beat. Running for a time is predictable and safe. You can train for a time, but it's a lot harder to train to run against competition because you don't know how fast they'll run. I guess this is what makes running interesting. But I still understand running in terms of time.
It was with this attitude that I had trained for the Boston Marathon. I hinged my ability and my training more-or-less on two numbers: how many miles I trained and how fast I ran. It was as simple as that. I often tried to justify sub-par performances on high mileage, tired legs, hills, artic temps, high winds, etc. And sure, I gave myself breaks - both mental and physical - now and then when I was wicked tired or feeling sorry for myself. But when you train with really talented people day in and day out and see them race faster than you and run more miles than you and complete harder workouts in more grueling circumstances, you gain a lot of perspective on the sport. You take responsibility for your training and your performances and give yourself fewer breaks.
The irony of all this is that the more I compare myself to other runners and depend on their performances to gauge my own ability, the more peripheral they become to evaluating my performances. At some point, you stop comparing yourself to others and just decide on how many miles you want to run and how fast you want to race. Regardless of what everyone else does, you just run those miles and run that pace. At some point you stop doing it for everyone else and just do it for you. Maybe it's just me that does this. Who knows. Sometimes running is a very selfish sport because you can make it so individual and so measurable.
I had no idea what to expect for Monday's marathon. In my head, I wanted to run a 2:52 or 2:53. I ran a 20 miler a few weeks before at a 6:31 pace at the tail end of a 94 mile week, so I figured that with tapering and rest I should be able to maintain a 6:35 pace for the marathon. I know it was ambitious, but once I had the idea in my head, the goal pace just stuck. After hearing the weather forecast, I scaled back my goal time slightly to a 2:53:30 and picked up a corresponding pace bracelet at the expo. But I think in my head, I still wanted to run a 2:52 and hoped that the meteorologists were lying about the weather.
The weather forecast really bummed me out the days leading up to the marathon. I really struggle in wind, so hearing about the 20-25+ mph head winds was tough. A lot of runners are tough and can fight through the wind. I am not one of those runners. I get tossed around in the wind and get angry and discouraged. I mentally checked out of the Marathon days before the race. I wasn't excited about it and expected to be disappointed with my performance. I didn't even bring my 2:53:30 pace bracelet with me to the start line. I had given up on running a set time. Not really a good way to start a race, I know.
The night before the marathon, I got to bed around 11 pm and woke up around midnight to what sounded like nails being thrown at my bedroom window. The winds blowing from the ocean and the pelting rain shook my building and pounded against my window, and I really thought my window was going to break. It was loud enough to keep me awake pretty much all night.
Luckily, the conditions at the start of the marathon weren't quite that bad. We got so lucky. It was actually relatively warm - in the high 40s I think - and the rain had tapered from a heavy downpour to moderate showers. The winds in Hopkinton were still blustery, and my umbrella kept flipping upside down. (Who brings an umbrella to a race, anyway?) It was swampy and muddy, and there were plastic bags and ponchos everywhere - testament to the runners' efforts to stay dry.
I finally got excited for the race around 20 minutes before we started. At 9:40 am, Laura reminded me and Emily's brother Dave that Emily had just started the race with the elite women -- and I got instantly pumped! I ate half my jelly beans and a bunch more sugar and the high continued. Laura and I sauntered to the 2nd corral and basked in the super cool feeling of starting so close to the elite men and visualized Emily on the course. We stood on our tip toes to find Lynn (no luck) and studied the handful of other women who were starting in our corral.
The first mile was jam-packed - I weaved in and out to get my pace and find an open spot to run. First split was 6:38 -- which I thought was slow considering that the first mile is steeply downhill. I didn't freak out too much and just kept running comfortably. The next mile was a bit faster, and from then on, I just tried to add 6:35 to the aggregate time on my watch at every mile and run that time or faster for the next mile. By the time I got to mile 7 or so, I realized that I might have gone out too fast. But I felt so good, and I didn't want to slow down. And I was having fun.
I still don't know how to drink and run at the same time. To hydrate, I did my standard routine of taking 10 or 15 quick steps to every other Gatorade stop, coming to a full stop, guzzling the fluid, and then joining the race again. Other than that I didn't stop.
I went through the half in 1:24:35 (6:28/mile pace) -- the second fastest half marathon I've ever run. By the 30K mark, I had slowed a little but was still on a 6:33/mile pace. It was around that point that the hills started and the winds picked up. I swear I must have run 8-minute pace up some of those hills. By 35K, I had slowed to a 6:38 pace. I ran that 5K at a 7:06/mile pace. Oops. Next 5K was at a 6:56/pace. I was not doing so hot at this point. Luckily I saw all the GBTC folks around mile 23, and that totally lifted my spirits. I started screaming like a crazy woman. I swear there were at least 30 GBTC folks out there! I love the team.
So the race ended a few miles later and the only thing I was thinking about when I crossed the finish was how Emily, Lynn, and Laura had done. Sure, I was happy with my time, but I didn't think I ran a very smart race. Maybe it's because I hadn't been very excited about the race for the week prior. Maybe I had been too ambitious with my goal time. Part of me was disappointed and embarrassed that I had gone out so fast. But who knows if going out slower would have made a difference.
Looking back, I think that all four of us - Lynn, Emily, Laura, and me - are capable of running faster - a lot faster. I am so sure of it. I think we all have a lot more to give to the sport of marathoning. All four of us trained hard this season in some of the coldest temps, during the darkest mornings, and on the iciest sidewalks and roads. I know we can run more, and we can run faster. I'm glad we did well on Monday as a team. What I was most excited about after seeing the results was realizing that we have more passion and heart and talent and training to give to running and to the humbling marathon distance.
Apologies if this is a somber blog. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or greedy. I am quite pleased with Monday's race, but I think it might take all of us sometime to really understand our performances not just as absolute times or quantifiable results but as complex achievements to evaluate in the context of the conditions and in comparison with other women's times. Thinking about running like this make it seem so relative, though.
Well I am already thinking about my next race and my next marathon and hoping to run faster, maybe even get to that 2:52 mark soon. Down with relativity!
There is one thing about running that I embrace almost as much as I detest. Running is such a measurable, quantifiable sport. Very little is relative; times and distances are absolute. If you beat someone in a race, the reason is pretty simple: you ran faster than she did. It's not like football or basketball where there might be a handful of reasons why you won -- better defense, more rebounds, cleaner assists, bigger tackles, etc. With running, it just boils down to the time on the clock.
It's easy and satisfying to think about running in terms of time. One reason I think runners love the sport and love quantifying their performances is because net time does not leave much room for excuses. You can't blame your performance on your teammate's failure to pass you the ball or your coach's failure to call the right play or the referee's bad calls. Running performances are captured by the times. Setting goals is easier when you have a time to beat. Running for a time is predictable and safe. You can train for a time, but it's a lot harder to train to run against competition because you don't know how fast they'll run. I guess this is what makes running interesting. But I still understand running in terms of time.
It was with this attitude that I had trained for the Boston Marathon. I hinged my ability and my training more-or-less on two numbers: how many miles I trained and how fast I ran. It was as simple as that. I often tried to justify sub-par performances on high mileage, tired legs, hills, artic temps, high winds, etc. And sure, I gave myself breaks - both mental and physical - now and then when I was wicked tired or feeling sorry for myself. But when you train with really talented people day in and day out and see them race faster than you and run more miles than you and complete harder workouts in more grueling circumstances, you gain a lot of perspective on the sport. You take responsibility for your training and your performances and give yourself fewer breaks.
The irony of all this is that the more I compare myself to other runners and depend on their performances to gauge my own ability, the more peripheral they become to evaluating my performances. At some point, you stop comparing yourself to others and just decide on how many miles you want to run and how fast you want to race. Regardless of what everyone else does, you just run those miles and run that pace. At some point you stop doing it for everyone else and just do it for you. Maybe it's just me that does this. Who knows. Sometimes running is a very selfish sport because you can make it so individual and so measurable.
I had no idea what to expect for Monday's marathon. In my head, I wanted to run a 2:52 or 2:53. I ran a 20 miler a few weeks before at a 6:31 pace at the tail end of a 94 mile week, so I figured that with tapering and rest I should be able to maintain a 6:35 pace for the marathon. I know it was ambitious, but once I had the idea in my head, the goal pace just stuck. After hearing the weather forecast, I scaled back my goal time slightly to a 2:53:30 and picked up a corresponding pace bracelet at the expo. But I think in my head, I still wanted to run a 2:52 and hoped that the meteorologists were lying about the weather.
The weather forecast really bummed me out the days leading up to the marathon. I really struggle in wind, so hearing about the 20-25+ mph head winds was tough. A lot of runners are tough and can fight through the wind. I am not one of those runners. I get tossed around in the wind and get angry and discouraged. I mentally checked out of the Marathon days before the race. I wasn't excited about it and expected to be disappointed with my performance. I didn't even bring my 2:53:30 pace bracelet with me to the start line. I had given up on running a set time. Not really a good way to start a race, I know.
The night before the marathon, I got to bed around 11 pm and woke up around midnight to what sounded like nails being thrown at my bedroom window. The winds blowing from the ocean and the pelting rain shook my building and pounded against my window, and I really thought my window was going to break. It was loud enough to keep me awake pretty much all night.
Luckily, the conditions at the start of the marathon weren't quite that bad. We got so lucky. It was actually relatively warm - in the high 40s I think - and the rain had tapered from a heavy downpour to moderate showers. The winds in Hopkinton were still blustery, and my umbrella kept flipping upside down. (Who brings an umbrella to a race, anyway?) It was swampy and muddy, and there were plastic bags and ponchos everywhere - testament to the runners' efforts to stay dry.
I finally got excited for the race around 20 minutes before we started. At 9:40 am, Laura reminded me and Emily's brother Dave that Emily had just started the race with the elite women -- and I got instantly pumped! I ate half my jelly beans and a bunch more sugar and the high continued. Laura and I sauntered to the 2nd corral and basked in the super cool feeling of starting so close to the elite men and visualized Emily on the course. We stood on our tip toes to find Lynn (no luck) and studied the handful of other women who were starting in our corral.
The first mile was jam-packed - I weaved in and out to get my pace and find an open spot to run. First split was 6:38 -- which I thought was slow considering that the first mile is steeply downhill. I didn't freak out too much and just kept running comfortably. The next mile was a bit faster, and from then on, I just tried to add 6:35 to the aggregate time on my watch at every mile and run that time or faster for the next mile. By the time I got to mile 7 or so, I realized that I might have gone out too fast. But I felt so good, and I didn't want to slow down. And I was having fun.
I still don't know how to drink and run at the same time. To hydrate, I did my standard routine of taking 10 or 15 quick steps to every other Gatorade stop, coming to a full stop, guzzling the fluid, and then joining the race again. Other than that I didn't stop.
I went through the half in 1:24:35 (6:28/mile pace) -- the second fastest half marathon I've ever run. By the 30K mark, I had slowed a little but was still on a 6:33/mile pace. It was around that point that the hills started and the winds picked up. I swear I must have run 8-minute pace up some of those hills. By 35K, I had slowed to a 6:38 pace. I ran that 5K at a 7:06/mile pace. Oops. Next 5K was at a 6:56/pace. I was not doing so hot at this point. Luckily I saw all the GBTC folks around mile 23, and that totally lifted my spirits. I started screaming like a crazy woman. I swear there were at least 30 GBTC folks out there! I love the team.
So the race ended a few miles later and the only thing I was thinking about when I crossed the finish was how Emily, Lynn, and Laura had done. Sure, I was happy with my time, but I didn't think I ran a very smart race. Maybe it's because I hadn't been very excited about the race for the week prior. Maybe I had been too ambitious with my goal time. Part of me was disappointed and embarrassed that I had gone out so fast. But who knows if going out slower would have made a difference.
Looking back, I think that all four of us - Lynn, Emily, Laura, and me - are capable of running faster - a lot faster. I am so sure of it. I think we all have a lot more to give to the sport of marathoning. All four of us trained hard this season in some of the coldest temps, during the darkest mornings, and on the iciest sidewalks and roads. I know we can run more, and we can run faster. I'm glad we did well on Monday as a team. What I was most excited about after seeing the results was realizing that we have more passion and heart and talent and training to give to running and to the humbling marathon distance.
Apologies if this is a somber blog. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or greedy. I am quite pleased with Monday's race, but I think it might take all of us sometime to really understand our performances not just as absolute times or quantifiable results but as complex achievements to evaluate in the context of the conditions and in comparison with other women's times. Thinking about running like this make it seem so relative, though.
Well I am already thinking about my next race and my next marathon and hoping to run faster, maybe even get to that 2:52 mark soon. Down with relativity!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Way too much information...
Four times - I have run this event. Four time - I have promised myself the next will be better. Four times - the event has beaten me.
The day started with a 1 hour rainy wait in line for the buses with Megha and Emily's brother. Megha's umbrella kept on flipping upside down. People's shoes were getting drenched despite the plastic bags covering them. Runners were either pissed or giddy over the weather. I was excited. I couldn't wait for the race to start. I was digging the rain and wind and really pumped about racing in such challenging conditions. I had tossed aside the idea of hitting a particular time and adopted a mindset of "do or die" - similar to Emily's self-proclaimed approach.
We were herded like cattle onto the buses, sat in rain-soaked clothes for the 45 minute bus ride, peed, changed our shoes, and toed the line. The rain subsided for the start of the race. Megha and I started together but quickly separated as she began weaving through groups of people - I lost her after the first few miles.
My original plan was to try to run a 2:52-2:55. Due to the weather, I changed that idea to simply running as hard as I could for as long as I could until I died. I do that sometimes. I rarely have good races on those occasions but the trade off is that I can put myself in a position to run really well if I'm having the race of my life. I race enough that I can play around with racing tactics without mentally stressing out. So, that is what I did on Monday. Unfortunately, that race wasn't the race of my life - it was simply yet another example of what happens when Laura goes out too fast. Here are my rough splits:
6:35
6:13
6:18
6:20
6:34
6:27
6:31
6:37
6:35
6:53
6:50
6:47
6:54 (half marathon: 1:26ish)
7:15
8:15 (bathroom break)
6:15
7:30
7:31
7:30
7:34
8:08 (Heartbreak)
7:19
7:35
7:27
7:45
916 (1.2 miles)
3:05:06 (on my watch)
So, very easy to see how stupidly I ran the race. At mile 9, I almost stopped. I started feeling an incredible pain in my left leg (still there) and began to hobble a bit. I pulled myself together when I passed a few people I knew. Then, a few miles later, I began to feel sorry for myself again. This time, I had a stomachache. Thankfully, Chris Smith saved me by coming up alongside me and running next to me for a bit - taking my mind off my tummy. After that, running up Heartbreak, I was VERY tempted to veer off and stop at my good buddy's house (Andre). The only thing that stopped me from doing so was the solid line of drunk BCers barricading his street. Well, that and the solid hand on my back at one point. I turned to look and saw Lynn powering past me. Despite her heavy breathing and exhausted legs, she managed to encourage and empower me. She pulled me through the next few miles until I saw the comforting GBTC bright red banner and swarm of teammates at mile 24. I depended on their cheers to carry me to the finish line. I crossed the line next to a very energetic, acrobatic runner who spent the last mile or two performing gymnastics tricks to the crowd. I was so grateful for his entertainment - it kept my mind off the incredible amount of pain I was experiencing.
It is so funny to retell the experience. As I'm typing, I'm thinking to myself 'this sounds awful. It sounds like I had the worst experience ever.' But, that isn't the case at all. Even though it was the hardest race I've ever run, even though I didn't feel very well from the beginning, even though I think I'd be in less pain right now if I had my legs amputated, even though I ran 10 minutes slower that I thought I could run, I still LOVED racing the distance. There is really nothing like the feeling of pushing one's body to such an extreme for so long. I'm a miler at heart - through and through - and I really think that no pain can compare to the last 400 meters of a mile race, but the pain only lasts for a minute or so. In the marathon, runners have to endure this feeling for hours. It is beautiful. It is a fantastic feeling. Not only that, the amount of self-control and confidence that it takes to run a solid marathon is astounding. Obviously, I haven't figured that out yet - but I will.
After the race, I spent a few minutes trying to answer a journalist's questions through blue lips and chattering teeth before Brad picked me up. Once I got home, I was welcomed by some GBTCers who had spent the whole day cheering on their teammates and hanging around our place to meet us runners after the race. I showered, chatted a bit, and enjoyed some fish n' chips with a nice beer and the company of some of my closest friends in the world - my teammates.
The take-home messages today: 1) Laura needs to learn how to pace. 2) running is fun. 3) my friends are the best people in the world. 4) Boston is hard.
I'll beat it on the fifth try.
*Laura
The day started with a 1 hour rainy wait in line for the buses with Megha and Emily's brother. Megha's umbrella kept on flipping upside down. People's shoes were getting drenched despite the plastic bags covering them. Runners were either pissed or giddy over the weather. I was excited. I couldn't wait for the race to start. I was digging the rain and wind and really pumped about racing in such challenging conditions. I had tossed aside the idea of hitting a particular time and adopted a mindset of "do or die" - similar to Emily's self-proclaimed approach.
We were herded like cattle onto the buses, sat in rain-soaked clothes for the 45 minute bus ride, peed, changed our shoes, and toed the line. The rain subsided for the start of the race. Megha and I started together but quickly separated as she began weaving through groups of people - I lost her after the first few miles.
My original plan was to try to run a 2:52-2:55. Due to the weather, I changed that idea to simply running as hard as I could for as long as I could until I died. I do that sometimes. I rarely have good races on those occasions but the trade off is that I can put myself in a position to run really well if I'm having the race of my life. I race enough that I can play around with racing tactics without mentally stressing out. So, that is what I did on Monday. Unfortunately, that race wasn't the race of my life - it was simply yet another example of what happens when Laura goes out too fast. Here are my rough splits:
6:35
6:13
6:18
6:20
6:34
6:27
6:31
6:37
6:35
6:53
6:50
6:47
6:54 (half marathon: 1:26ish)
7:15
8:15 (bathroom break)
6:15
7:30
7:31
7:30
7:34
8:08 (Heartbreak)
7:19
7:35
7:27
7:45
916 (1.2 miles)
3:05:06 (on my watch)
So, very easy to see how stupidly I ran the race. At mile 9, I almost stopped. I started feeling an incredible pain in my left leg (still there) and began to hobble a bit. I pulled myself together when I passed a few people I knew. Then, a few miles later, I began to feel sorry for myself again. This time, I had a stomachache. Thankfully, Chris Smith saved me by coming up alongside me and running next to me for a bit - taking my mind off my tummy. After that, running up Heartbreak, I was VERY tempted to veer off and stop at my good buddy's house (Andre). The only thing that stopped me from doing so was the solid line of drunk BCers barricading his street. Well, that and the solid hand on my back at one point. I turned to look and saw Lynn powering past me. Despite her heavy breathing and exhausted legs, she managed to encourage and empower me. She pulled me through the next few miles until I saw the comforting GBTC bright red banner and swarm of teammates at mile 24. I depended on their cheers to carry me to the finish line. I crossed the line next to a very energetic, acrobatic runner who spent the last mile or two performing gymnastics tricks to the crowd. I was so grateful for his entertainment - it kept my mind off the incredible amount of pain I was experiencing.
It is so funny to retell the experience. As I'm typing, I'm thinking to myself 'this sounds awful. It sounds like I had the worst experience ever.' But, that isn't the case at all. Even though it was the hardest race I've ever run, even though I didn't feel very well from the beginning, even though I think I'd be in less pain right now if I had my legs amputated, even though I ran 10 minutes slower that I thought I could run, I still LOVED racing the distance. There is really nothing like the feeling of pushing one's body to such an extreme for so long. I'm a miler at heart - through and through - and I really think that no pain can compare to the last 400 meters of a mile race, but the pain only lasts for a minute or so. In the marathon, runners have to endure this feeling for hours. It is beautiful. It is a fantastic feeling. Not only that, the amount of self-control and confidence that it takes to run a solid marathon is astounding. Obviously, I haven't figured that out yet - but I will.
After the race, I spent a few minutes trying to answer a journalist's questions through blue lips and chattering teeth before Brad picked me up. Once I got home, I was welcomed by some GBTCers who had spent the whole day cheering on their teammates and hanging around our place to meet us runners after the race. I showered, chatted a bit, and enjoyed some fish n' chips with a nice beer and the company of some of my closest friends in the world - my teammates.
The take-home messages today: 1) Laura needs to learn how to pace. 2) running is fun. 3) my friends are the best people in the world. 4) Boston is hard.
I'll beat it on the fifth try.
*Laura
Post-Marathonal
I put up most of my race story on my family blog...
http://bostonraymondfamily.blogspot.com/
But here's the summarized version of it. The weather wasn't cooperative, but I decided that I still wanted to hammer away and go for the 2:47 anyway. I had a do or die race strategy - and unfortunately I ended up with the latter. Totally died. Ran like a marathon virgin. Biff. Ouch.
But I can still say that I gave it my all in that race. Sure, it was not a reflection of the months of training I put in. But what can you do on a day like that?
I think as a team we were pretty incredible and I'm proud of our third place finish. Megha ran amazing amazing amazing. Lynn, you did run solid! Laura, I haven't heard your full story yet but you ran a respectable time on a wicked ugly day. I think we can all do better; just imagine if Megha had nice weather and didn't have freezing hands! Deena was 15 minutes slower, so Megha could have run 2:39, right?
-Emily
http://bostonraymondfamily.blogspot.com/
But here's the summarized version of it. The weather wasn't cooperative, but I decided that I still wanted to hammer away and go for the 2:47 anyway. I had a do or die race strategy - and unfortunately I ended up with the latter. Totally died. Ran like a marathon virgin. Biff. Ouch.
But I can still say that I gave it my all in that race. Sure, it was not a reflection of the months of training I put in. But what can you do on a day like that?
I think as a team we were pretty incredible and I'm proud of our third place finish. Megha ran amazing amazing amazing. Lynn, you did run solid! Laura, I haven't heard your full story yet but you ran a respectable time on a wicked ugly day. I think we can all do better; just imagine if Megha had nice weather and didn't have freezing hands! Deena was 15 minutes slower, so Megha could have run 2:39, right?
-Emily
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Marathon Monday
I have never liked the Boston Marathon as far as marathons go. It seems that each time I run it...it never goes as planned. Well after this year I can say I still am not a huge fan. I have run 6 other marathons besides Boston.....I wonder why.
The day started with waking up to pouring rain and wind at my house in NA. My biggest concern was how was I going to stay dry and warm before the race. I packed enough layers and ponchos/tarps for 10 people and headed to Hopkinton. To my surprise after taking the shuttle from the parking lot we were let into the school. I followed the mass of people into the school and we were directed to the cafeteria....the place was mostly empty and I set myself up in a corner against the wall and started the waiting game for the next hour and 2o mins. I was very happy to be dry and warm. The line to the porto-potty for our area was not that bad either. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet up with Laura and Megha due to the chaos with the sheer number of people and the weather.
Soon it was time to get organized and head to the baggage bus and then the line. I headed off with my "throw-away" jacket, pants, and poncho. I waited under a porch of a CPA office near my corral until they stared the National Anthem, anything to stay dry. I kept the poncho on until the very end and discarded it just before the gun went off. I tried to find Laura and Megha, but being 5'2 it was hopeless. I pushed my way as far forward as I could and waited for the gun. The first mile was very congested. It seemed to take forever for the pack to thin out. Needless to say my first mile was slow. I knew it would be silly to try and weave through the crowd to find the others so I decided to just stay put.
I ended up joining up with a guy from home I train with occasionally and we ran together for some time. I should have used him more to block the wind rather than running by his side, but too late now.
It was wet and windy, but the temperature was not too bad. I would much rather be cold than hot. I kept my long sleeve shirt and gloves on until about the 12 mile mark. As the race unfolded I knew it would be a tough day for a PR and just wanted to run solid. Considering the day I am satisfied with my race. It was not a PR, but it could have been much worse.
It was great to run by the mass of GBTC members in Coolidge Corner.....I was struggling at that point. The last 2-3 miles were very tough for me and the familiar faces/voices meant a lot. It is great to be part of such a supportive team.
Once I finished I waited for Laura and we walked to get our gear off the buses, both cold and shivering. Me with blue lips of course. I think I scared some medical people when I said I turn blue all the time!!
To my teammates I want to say "Job Well Done."
Emily- You went for it and ran with the big guns. Sometimes you just have to go and see what happens. Next time the outcome could be different. I was so proud to say I have a training partner starting with the elites.
Laura- It was not the outcome you trained so hard for, but it was a solid effort. Sucks when it just doesn't click on the day, but it is there.
Megha- You are soooo tough. What a great day! As I said before you have so much potential still and it has been great to watch you improve. Proud does not even describe how you made the rest of GBTC feel.
To the men-- you guys rocked!!
To Tom- Thanks for the workouts, the long runs, the waffles, and the weather reports.
I will spend the rest of the week relaxing with my puppy, taking him on walks to stretch my legs.
See you all in a few weeks.
-Lynn
The day started with waking up to pouring rain and wind at my house in NA. My biggest concern was how was I going to stay dry and warm before the race. I packed enough layers and ponchos/tarps for 10 people and headed to Hopkinton. To my surprise after taking the shuttle from the parking lot we were let into the school. I followed the mass of people into the school and we were directed to the cafeteria....the place was mostly empty and I set myself up in a corner against the wall and started the waiting game for the next hour and 2o mins. I was very happy to be dry and warm. The line to the porto-potty for our area was not that bad either. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet up with Laura and Megha due to the chaos with the sheer number of people and the weather.
Soon it was time to get organized and head to the baggage bus and then the line. I headed off with my "throw-away" jacket, pants, and poncho. I waited under a porch of a CPA office near my corral until they stared the National Anthem, anything to stay dry. I kept the poncho on until the very end and discarded it just before the gun went off. I tried to find Laura and Megha, but being 5'2 it was hopeless. I pushed my way as far forward as I could and waited for the gun. The first mile was very congested. It seemed to take forever for the pack to thin out. Needless to say my first mile was slow. I knew it would be silly to try and weave through the crowd to find the others so I decided to just stay put.
I ended up joining up with a guy from home I train with occasionally and we ran together for some time. I should have used him more to block the wind rather than running by his side, but too late now.
It was wet and windy, but the temperature was not too bad. I would much rather be cold than hot. I kept my long sleeve shirt and gloves on until about the 12 mile mark. As the race unfolded I knew it would be a tough day for a PR and just wanted to run solid. Considering the day I am satisfied with my race. It was not a PR, but it could have been much worse.
It was great to run by the mass of GBTC members in Coolidge Corner.....I was struggling at that point. The last 2-3 miles were very tough for me and the familiar faces/voices meant a lot. It is great to be part of such a supportive team.
Once I finished I waited for Laura and we walked to get our gear off the buses, both cold and shivering. Me with blue lips of course. I think I scared some medical people when I said I turn blue all the time!!
To my teammates I want to say "Job Well Done."
Emily- You went for it and ran with the big guns. Sometimes you just have to go and see what happens. Next time the outcome could be different. I was so proud to say I have a training partner starting with the elites.
Laura- It was not the outcome you trained so hard for, but it was a solid effort. Sucks when it just doesn't click on the day, but it is there.
Megha- You are soooo tough. What a great day! As I said before you have so much potential still and it has been great to watch you improve. Proud does not even describe how you made the rest of GBTC feel.
To the men-- you guys rocked!!
To Tom- Thanks for the workouts, the long runs, the waffles, and the weather reports.
I will spend the rest of the week relaxing with my puppy, taking him on walks to stretch my legs.
See you all in a few weeks.
-Lynn
P.S. Megha is a star
I would also like to give a HUUUUUGE shout-out to Megha. Running a PR (2:54!!!) on a day like yesterday is truly a great athletic achievement. You really kicked ass, Ms. First Woman in the 10am start and 35th overall, and I wanted a special post to give you the credit that you deserve. That was a tough-as-nails performance, and I'm proud of you :-)
-KT
-KT
Rainy Day
Hi gals,
I just wanted to say congratulations on yesterday's race. I know that for many of you it was a disappointing day. All of that training...all of those great races...only to lead up to a 20 mph headwind and soggy shoes. But you all toughed it out and ran the best you could given the day. Which is really all you can do. I have to say that you all looked super-tough out there and it was definitely one of the many days that I was proud to be a GBTCer. You all are tremendous athletes and this training and racing will only serve you that much better in the upcoming year.
-KT
I just wanted to say congratulations on yesterday's race. I know that for many of you it was a disappointing day. All of that training...all of those great races...only to lead up to a 20 mph headwind and soggy shoes. But you all toughed it out and ran the best you could given the day. Which is really all you can do. I have to say that you all looked super-tough out there and it was definitely one of the many days that I was proud to be a GBTCer. You all are tremendous athletes and this training and racing will only serve you that much better in the upcoming year.
-KT
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Long time, no blog!
Its been a while since I last blogged. I've been without internet access at home so I've had to internalize all my pre-Boston jitters as opposed to publish them all over the net.
Well, in exactly 12 hours, I will fearlessly begin the daunting task of battling 26 mph headwinds as rain pelts against my skin. As if racing 26.2 miles isn't hard enough, Mo Nature has decided to spice up the game a bit. I have to say...I'm quite pleased with this weather forecast. Often, people fall into a bad habit of racing the clock, turning the sport of running into a game of calculations rather than a game of guts. I say...lets see who can handle tomorrow's weather...lets see who is brave enough to toe the line knowing that months and months of training hasn't prepared one for the gusts of wet winds...lets see who can duel with a 26.2 mile course and win...
GBTC runners are well prepared. We are fit. We are smart. We are certainly competitive. But, more importantly, we are undoubtedly strapped with the mental armor to rock this marathon, Mo Nature, Heartbreak, and any other obstacles thrown our way tomorrow morning...
Just try to stop us...
*Laura
Well, in exactly 12 hours, I will fearlessly begin the daunting task of battling 26 mph headwinds as rain pelts against my skin. As if racing 26.2 miles isn't hard enough, Mo Nature has decided to spice up the game a bit. I have to say...I'm quite pleased with this weather forecast. Often, people fall into a bad habit of racing the clock, turning the sport of running into a game of calculations rather than a game of guts. I say...lets see who can handle tomorrow's weather...lets see who is brave enough to toe the line knowing that months and months of training hasn't prepared one for the gusts of wet winds...lets see who can duel with a 26.2 mile course and win...
GBTC runners are well prepared. We are fit. We are smart. We are certainly competitive. But, more importantly, we are undoubtedly strapped with the mental armor to rock this marathon, Mo Nature, Heartbreak, and any other obstacles thrown our way tomorrow morning...
Just try to stop us...
*Laura
Saturday, April 14, 2007
My mom's emails
My mom worries a lot and wonders why people, especially me, like to run. She doesn't actively discourage me from running, but her "advice" hardly qualifies as support.
I've pasted below the last email she sent me. My mom is not super skilled with email and computers and whatnot, so the all-caps and no punctuation and mis-spelled words are just more of the charm. I thought it was amusing.
"Megha hering about weather I DONOT THINK YOU SHOULD RUN ITS NOT BIG DEAL OUR LIFE AND HEALTH ARE MUCH IMPORTANT ALSO YOUR HAND CAN GET DAMAGED uou can always run again i donot think you should worry about what other people say please think all the pros and conslove mom"
I still plan on running, of course, and the wind and rain and cold temps don't scare me at all!
For all of you who want to track the GBTC runners during the marathon, here are our bib numbers. Just go to www.bostonmarathon.com on Monday, April 16 to get splits during the race.
*megha
Men's Open Team
1 Bedoya, David (1084)
2 Borling, Jeremy (1068)
3 Uchiki, Tomoaki (1484)
4 Wells, Kit (1141)
5 Woodward, Lucas J. (1134)
Women's Open Team
1 Doshi, Megha (2042)
2 Edwards, Bethany J. (23171)
3 Hayden, Laura A. (2808)
4 Johnson, Lynn (3797)
5 Raymond, Emily S. (F81)
Men's Masters Team
1 Bond, Bruce E. (3116)
2 Hare, Brian (2689)
3 Jessup, Hubert D. (23257)
4 Whitney, Thomas (11416)
I've pasted below the last email she sent me. My mom is not super skilled with email and computers and whatnot, so the all-caps and no punctuation and mis-spelled words are just more of the charm. I thought it was amusing.
"Megha hering about weather I DONOT THINK YOU SHOULD RUN ITS NOT BIG DEAL OUR LIFE AND HEALTH ARE MUCH IMPORTANT ALSO YOUR HAND CAN GET DAMAGED uou can always run again i donot think you should worry about what other people say please think all the pros and conslove mom"
I still plan on running, of course, and the wind and rain and cold temps don't scare me at all!
For all of you who want to track the GBTC runners during the marathon, here are our bib numbers. Just go to www.bostonmarathon.com on Monday, April 16 to get splits during the race.
*megha
Men's Open Team
1 Bedoya, David (1084)
2 Borling, Jeremy (1068)
3 Uchiki, Tomoaki (1484)
4 Wells, Kit (1141)
5 Woodward, Lucas J. (1134)
Women's Open Team
1 Doshi, Megha (2042)
2 Edwards, Bethany J. (23171)
3 Hayden, Laura A. (2808)
4 Johnson, Lynn (3797)
5 Raymond, Emily S. (F81)
Men's Masters Team
1 Bond, Bruce E. (3116)
2 Hare, Brian (2689)
3 Jessup, Hubert D. (23257)
4 Whitney, Thomas (11416)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Freaking Out
My nose is stuffy! (despite the Zicam, zinc losenges, and orange juice)
The forecast includes a 20 mph headwind!
Heavy rains maybe? Yikes!
Anyone else freaking out?
-Emily
The forecast includes a 20 mph headwind!
Heavy rains maybe? Yikes!
Anyone else freaking out?
-Emily
Monday, April 9, 2007
Tapering and cupcakes
This week is the long-awaited week of tapering. Last week, most of us marathoners took the mileage down a couple of notches, but the mileage takes a real nose dive this week. Today Emily and I started our run 25 minutes later than we usually do (at 5:45 instead of 5:20) and ran for less than an hour. It was almost daylight when we started, and we still finished before 6:40 am. That never happens! Emily, Audrey, and I usually do a longer loop on Mondays, so it felt especially awkward to run so little today. I threw in some long strides in the last mile to mix it up a bit.
Tapering is always a mental challenge for me. The drastic drop in mileage leaves you with so much self doubt. One day, I feel slow. The next day, my legs will feel heavy and tired. Sitting at a desk all day at work leaves me creaky and tight. Everyday I wonder how I will manage to run all those miles on Marathon Monday. I go through this mental routine every time I run a marathon. It never gets easier!
Perhaps one of the reasons I feel slow at the beginning of this tapering period is because I ate about 73 cupcakes on Friday. Good thing the race volunteers opt to hand out gatorade and gu instead of carefully-portioned vegan cupcakes.
Here is one of my favorite recipes. It's from the best cupcake cookbook ever, Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
Hazlenut Cupcakes with Mocha Hazelnut Mousse Filling
makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcake ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup hazlenut meal or almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup soy milk or rice milk
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp hazlenut extract
Mousse ingredients
6 ounces extra-firm silken tofu (half a package of the aseptic kind) (yes, tofu!)
2 tbsp soy milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp hazlenut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate or 2/3 cup chocolate chips
First, make the mousse filling. In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, soy milk, maple syrup, and extracts. Blend until smooth. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or just put it in small saucepan over another pot with boiling water). Stir till it melts. Once the melted chocolate has cooled, pour it into the tofu mixture and blend again till smooth. Transfer to an airtight containter and refrigerate at least an hour until firm.
Now, make the cupcakes. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the milk and ground flaxseeds in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, almond or hazlenut meal, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Add all the other ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until just mixed. Pour into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of the way. Bake 22-24 minutes.
Once the cupcakes are cool, poke a narrow, deep hole in the center of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse and pipe it into the holes you made in the cupcakes.
To make the ganache, melt some more chocolate with a teeny bit of soymilk. Once it's cool and smooth, spread over the tops of the cupcakes. Chill slightly to set. Eat. Yum.
Tapering is always a mental challenge for me. The drastic drop in mileage leaves you with so much self doubt. One day, I feel slow. The next day, my legs will feel heavy and tired. Sitting at a desk all day at work leaves me creaky and tight. Everyday I wonder how I will manage to run all those miles on Marathon Monday. I go through this mental routine every time I run a marathon. It never gets easier!
Perhaps one of the reasons I feel slow at the beginning of this tapering period is because I ate about 73 cupcakes on Friday. Good thing the race volunteers opt to hand out gatorade and gu instead of carefully-portioned vegan cupcakes.
Here is one of my favorite recipes. It's from the best cupcake cookbook ever, Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
Hazlenut Cupcakes with Mocha Hazelnut Mousse Filling
makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcake ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup hazlenut meal or almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup soy milk or rice milk
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp hazlenut extract
Mousse ingredients
6 ounces extra-firm silken tofu (half a package of the aseptic kind) (yes, tofu!)
2 tbsp soy milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp hazlenut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate or 2/3 cup chocolate chips
First, make the mousse filling. In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, soy milk, maple syrup, and extracts. Blend until smooth. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or just put it in small saucepan over another pot with boiling water). Stir till it melts. Once the melted chocolate has cooled, pour it into the tofu mixture and blend again till smooth. Transfer to an airtight containter and refrigerate at least an hour until firm.
Now, make the cupcakes. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the milk and ground flaxseeds in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, almond or hazlenut meal, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Add all the other ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until just mixed. Pour into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of the way. Bake 22-24 minutes.
Once the cupcakes are cool, poke a narrow, deep hole in the center of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse and pipe it into the holes you made in the cupcakes.
To make the ganache, melt some more chocolate with a teeny bit of soymilk. Once it's cool and smooth, spread over the tops of the cupcakes. Chill slightly to set. Eat. Yum.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Cupcake Recipe
There were a few requests for the pumpkin cupcake recipe, so here it is.
1 x 15 oz can pumpkin
1 box of spice cake mix
8-10 oz dark chocolate chips
Mix those up (dry cake mix; don't add any eggs or whatever else) and put them in muffin tins. 350 for 25 minutes. Makes about a dozen.
I'm putting in a request for the recipes for Megha's super vegan cupcakes.
A little more than a week to go. I ran some marathon-paced miles today, called my brother and chatted about our training (he's running the marathon too), and lined up some air mattresses for next weekend so I can fit seven extra bodies in my apartment.
-Emily
1 x 15 oz can pumpkin
1 box of spice cake mix
8-10 oz dark chocolate chips
Mix those up (dry cake mix; don't add any eggs or whatever else) and put them in muffin tins. 350 for 25 minutes. Makes about a dozen.
I'm putting in a request for the recipes for Megha's super vegan cupcakes.
A little more than a week to go. I ran some marathon-paced miles today, called my brother and chatted about our training (he's running the marathon too), and lined up some air mattresses for next weekend so I can fit seven extra bodies in my apartment.
-Emily
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Marathon Weather
I've been stalking the 15-day forecast for way too long and the marathon is finally on the radar.
54 degrees. Sun and clouds.
Sound like heaven? This is going to be good. Unfortunately that's not the forecast for tonight. See you all at practice.
-Emily
54 degrees. Sun and clouds.
Sound like heaven? This is going to be good. Unfortunately that's not the forecast for tonight. See you all at practice.
-Emily
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