I had planned this trip out for MONTHS. I was going to spend a weekend in Boston, running in the Cape, head to NYC for the week, and be back in Boston to run in Rhode Island the next weekend. I was PUMPED.
There was some drama getting out of SFO (duh), leaving me stuck at my layover in SLC. Using my quick wit and undeniable charm (present even after hours of delays out of SFO and hours of delays in SLC) I managed to get myself on the first flight out the next morning.
I still ended up sleeping on the floor of the airport though, and it's not that comfortable.
Also, when it's time to clean, they basically vacuum around your body, like your body is whatever lifeless spirit you've got left.
In any case, I arrived into Boston-Logan, where my buddy JV picked me up and we promptly went to drink at a local brewery--cause that's what good friends DO after hours of travel drama.
I woke up early the next day, borrowing JV's car for the drive out to Cape Cod. I arrived early and realized it hadn't taken long for my East Coast vibe to wear off. I was freezing!
Dislike button.
The race started right on time, after a spirited singing of both the National Anthem and God Bless America. The trail was brown--dry and dead. I think I forgot that winter a thing in places that aren't California. It was a nice and easy trail, not a ton of gain at all, with some areas boasting gorgeous single track.
It's done!
It was a really fun 10k. I finished in 1:04:22 and placed third in my age division. The food at the after party was pretty top notch...we're talking like chicken breast, soup, bagels...I had forgotten it was hardly mid-afternoon when I finished and really didn't need to eat that much.
And the award for most interesting medal goes to...
I took the rest of the day to meander back to Boston...stopping at Plymouth Rock (not that interesting) and a pretty stellar state park.
This was the race where ALL technology decided to fail and in a strange serendipitous way, led to me slowing down and missing some benchmarks
My watch died about halfway through the race. It was pretty liberating to not give a damn about my pace and timing. With no idea of how long I'd been going, I decided to stop and take several pictures of the amazing coastline and the beautiful mansions.
Little did I know my phone would also go KAPUT and almost NONE of my pictures turned out. In a weird glitch that even three hours at the Boyleston Street Apple store couldn't make clear, my phone refused to take several pictures...but not all in a row. I had no indication anything was wrong when I took the photo. After the race, a quick review of the photos showed all the thumbnails. Once JV and I sat for lunch on the harbor, I clicked on the thumbnails which expanded into huge photos of GREY NOTHINGNESS. It became very clear that while a few photos made it, none of the ones from the race course came out.
Here's the serendipity--I slowed down because I didn't have a watch. I stopped and took photos (something I have never done on a course). I came in at 2:04:27--well within striking distance of sub 2:00, if I hadn't slowed down because of the watch to take photos.
In any case, JV and I had great races. The course is absolutely beautiful, with some rolling hills and windy coastlines. The views truly can't be beat. While there aren't too many mansions in eyesight, if you know what you're looking for, you can see the tops of them from a few angles of the course. Post-race party was great--there was PIZZA! Parking was very close to the race start and end--no need to have taken the shuttle.
I *did* just ran a half-marathon and yes I'm glowing.
Don't love this medal.
It's a connector, meant to encourage participation in the series.
Since I'm not doing the series, it's just weird looking.
The next day I got to take part in cheering for the Boston Marathon. I was able to see my cousin Bonnie run--no, ZOOM--past me. I also was able to see all the elites--Galen Rupp, Meb Keflezighi, Shalane Flanagan and my new favorite Jordan Hasay. Spectating for the Boston Marathon will always be one of my favorite activities--I can't wait to run it!
I will always admit that while I have attended some of the country's most esteemed universities, I am still pretty vacant when it comes to common sense and putting things together.
It wasn't until I arrived and was greeted at registration with an enthusiastic, "Awesome! A 17k for 2017!" that I understood that 17K wasn't a "thing," but just a "thing for today."
The course was very well marked and the aid station about 6 miles in was stocked with both friendly faces and tasty snacks. I'm a slave for potato chips and soda, even if it's not for fueling up during a race.
An elevation gain of 1,850 made for a good, challenging course. I stayed with my teammates, who helped pushed through the uphill power hikes and incredibly fast, cushy downhills.
I was not trained up for this race--not at all. But 2017 isn't going to be about being the fastest.
The other day I was on a run in the Presidio where I saw two dogs off leash chasing each other back and forth. After the initial, "oh man are they gonna attack me?" I cued into the human in charge and littlest french bulldog trotting along behind him. I thought, "aw, poor little dude! He's all alone and his buddies are just running circles around him." But then I got closer and saw his happy, panting little face. He couldn't care less what anyone, or any dog, was doing. He was enjoying the time outside, just living the dream of being on a beach in San Francisco.
I thought, "wait, I AM that dog."
2017 is the start of this adventure...this crazy wonderful traveling adventure. And I can't be too concerned with being fast all the time. I'm going to be in some pretty inspiring places this year, and I've gotta work my best to keep my happy, panting face regardless of what everyone else is doing around me.
you find out someone is actually reading your blog and that someone is your Secret Santa at work!
WOW! I am floored! Thank you Nicole S. for (a) reading my blog and (b) noticing the fine print about my heartbreak over losing the Dunkin Donuts beanie. You're kind of the best!!!
2017 is just 15 days away, and I don't know about you, but I'm ready to put 2016 to bed. Yeah, it was an okay year, but I can't be the only one who continues to think "next year will be better." Right?
Here comes a big year. If I'm going to make my goal of all fifty states by the time I'm 40, I have to run between 5-6 races a year--that's a LOT of training, a LOT of planning and a LOT of running. I'm not starting off this adventure weak. Here's where I'm headed in 2017.
It had been four years since I last ran a marathon.
Four years ago I said “never again.”
My last was in San Francisco (coincidentally I was living in
New York at the time), so it was a destination race requiring a whole different
level of planning and preparation.
And there I was, four years later, sitting on a cold curb in
Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island thinking “how did I get here and why didn’t I
bring a yoga mat?”
Everyone knows the tried and true “bring throw away layers purchased
from the Salvation Army.”
Here’s a few things I wish I had known in preparation for
running NYC. May they serve you well should you ever be #blessed enough to run
them streets.
1.Bring a yoga mat or a nice piece of cardboard.
The grassy areas of Fort Wadsworth are wet and the curb space is limited. Also,
it would’ve been nice to carve out a space for me and my crew, a la Central
Park picnic blankets.
2.Bring food, magazines, anything else you might
think you could do to waste HOURS while sitting on said curb or yoga mat. I was
promised a breakfast burrito by a friend, but that didn’t come to fruition.
Would’ve been great!
3.Bring a big coffee cup. Seriously. Dunkin Donuts
gives out free coffee but they are in paper cups the size of shot glasses.
Throw all decency to the wind and bring yourself a mug you’d be happy to fill
up and then toss.
4.If you’re bold enough, swipe the airplane
blanket on your arrival flight. I can think of no better layer that is compact
enough for rolling into your Tent City Survival Kit but still acceptable for
donation.
5.This.
I maybe, okay
definitely, had a pre-race panic attack. I had someone there to play this for
me over and over again. It was a welcome distraction (critical in panic attack
situations) but also provided much needed mantras to repeat to myself in the
hardest parts of the race.
6.This is probably controversial, but I brought
along some sleeping pills. I knew the jet lag would kill me...and quite
frankly, I am a big P.I.T.A. without sleep. After a somewhat restless
night-before-the-night-before the race, I popped some pills the night before
the race (after setting no less than five alarms) and slept like an infant. An
infant about to run a marathon.
7.Flip Flops for the flight after—ugly runner feet
be damned. Until that flight, I knew of no worse pain than removing your shoes
midflight, and despite taking the requisite walk / stretch breaks, still
needing to unlace your shoes to shove your now swollen feet into and shuffle
off the plane.
8.Ask a spectating friend to hold a boost for you.
I was nervous to ask friends for anything more than what they had already done.
I had been the recipient of lunch and Wifi (thanks, Jenna!); I had friends
meeting me in TWO spots along the course (Heyyy, Saira); I had the promise of a
donut and a companion for the train ride back to Queens (that’s you, Big). I
didn’t think to ask a friend, if maybe, possibly, could they hold my last two
Honey Stingers and a Diet Coke? I’m sure they would’ve said yes, and I could’ve
used the mid-race boost, but I just didn’t think I could ask for more.
Ten would make for a much nicer list, but that’s all I’ve
got. Prepare your little heart out for races that require travel. Overpack. And
remember to soak it all in.
