Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Boston Marathon ... THE BIG RACE!

EPIC!!!  I woke up at 5:15 am and was excited for the day!  The Lenox always has a nice breakfast for runners ... Danny grabbed me a cup of coffee so I could start caffeinating while getting dressed!   Once I was ready we went downstairs and I grabbed some oatmeal, banana, PB, and more coffee!  Oh yes,  I also drank a bottle of Nuun before bed and one again to take with me to the start.

Don't mind my sleepy face!




We met up with Jen and walked to the buses:

I really liked the set up for the buses this year.  It was way more efficient and controlled.  I still do not like the fact that we could not take a bag to athletes village with us.  The bus ride is about an hour to the Athlete's Village and it was nice to have a friend on the bus with me!




Our cheer squad claimed their spots while we went to the start!  I LOVE them so much and can never thank them enough for their love and support!  BLESSED!

We had about 2 hours before we started the race and thankfully the weather was nice!  My first mission was to get a bagel and get in the port-a-pot line ... Success!

Jen and I chatted and relaxed until it was time to walk to our corral....then it was game time!

The crowd support was FANTASTIC!  From start to finish there were thousands of spectators screaming and cheering for us!  My watch and I just don't get along ... I know it is probably a user error but I just stopped looking at it around mile 8 when it kept saying 8:27 pace!!  I decided to just pick a friend and stick with them until I passed them.

Smooth sailing and smiles until mile 15 when my legs started to feel a little heavy... I took a honey stinger at mile 16 and kept with the pace through the Newton Hills and was so happy to get to the top of Heartbreak Hill!  I love seeing  " the heartbreak is over " inflatable!!  I felt strong running the hills and was so proud of my effort.  Miles 21-23 were good and I kept saying " run faster when the legs are tired, run for those who can't".  Mile 23ish my calf and toes started to cramp ... I had to stretch out my calf and walked for a few seconds to work out the cramp in my foot.  I saw Ed from Nova timing at the 40K mark and cruised up to the Citgo sign until my toes curled again ( crazy feeling )... A guy yelled to me  " you can't slow down now "  and yes he was right!!  I cleared my head and got to work .. This is were I really wish my watch worked better .. If I had known my time and how close I was I feel like I could have push WAY harder!!!!  Oh well ... I turned right on Hereford and Left on Boylston and took in the roar of the crowds!!!!  This was my FAVORITE part of the whole race...you can see the finish line and here the thousands of people screaming for you.  I knew exactly where my hubby and parents were and I could not wait to see them and cross that line!

3:26:56 ... AMEN!!!




I really like the finish line capes that we received this year!  They were perfect and kept me nice and warm post race.

I have to laugh at this and share it with you all .. My hubby is amazing and truly my #1 fan ... he gets really excited and was cheering for me and lost control of the camera:

Home stretch!


Headless runners!

The cheering took control!

MIZUNO!
Haha!!  I love this and I love him.





THANK YOU to everyone for all of your love and support!  I feel so honored to have been able to experience such an epic day in history!  Meb won, Dawn was able to properly cross the finish line and I had a PR!  Life is good, God is good!

Happy Running!

Boston 2014 ... Part 2

Holy Rain!!!  Wow wee it is pouring outside today so I started off my day with 6.2 miles on the TM then did a weights workout at the Y.  I ran a few times since the Boston marathon and I have to say it is so nice to run and NOT have a goal in mind!

Ok so here is the 2nd part of my Boston recap:

Easter Sunday we went to St. Cecilia Church in Boston for the 8 am mass!  I am so glad we did this!  The service was amazing, the church was gorgeous, and my prayers were heard. 

I loved seeing so many runners in church also!  Right after church I met up with Jen and we ran a little shakeout run of 2 miles...I followed that up with my Oiselle team meet-up and shakeout run!  I absolutely LOVE my teammates!  There are so many amazing personalities in this bunch of women:




While we were out running we saw Desi Linden running also!  So cool!  We did 3 miles at a conversational pace:
The Citgo Sign!


On of my favorite sights in Boston:

While I was walking back to the hotel I stopped to pay my respects to those who lost their lives last year:


I saw this peace sign that says " No More Hurting People.  PEACE " on one of the fences.  The little boy Martin who lost his life had made a sign with this saying last year.



After the run I met my hubby and parents ... we decided to do what my dad has wanted to do for 4 yrs:  A DUCK BOAT tour!


Our boat was awesome!

 Our view from the boat.

Our AWESOME driver:  Plucky Ruffles.  Hilarious!

We decided to call it a night and got a Regina Pizzeria pizza to enjoy back in the room.   I made sure to carb load properly and RELAX before the race!!

Gear laid out, mind is set, body is ready!

Happy Running!

Friday, April 25, 2014

BOSTON 2014 .. Part 1

EPIC..... this is the best word I can use to describe my Boston 2014 experience!  I am breaking this post into a few parts because the whole weekend was so amazing!!

We drove to Connecticut Friday night and stayed about 2 hours away from Boston .. there was this delicious Italian restaurant by our hotel where we ate dinner and then got a good night sleep before heading into all the awesomeness!!  I did have to swing in and checkout the gym ... Taper Madness??



Luckily this broke up the 6+ hour drive and sitting in the car!  On the way to Boston my hubby decided to drive and see some of the course ... we picked up the marathon route just past Framingham ... finally my parents and hubby got to see Wellesley, THE Newton Hills, Boston College and the Citgo sign section!


Right before the Newton Hills .. Boston Strong!

Pulling back on to Exeter Street was emotional for me ... Just seeing how close we were to the bombings and remembering not knowing if my parents and my oldest son were safe made me cry.


But feeling the excitement and seeing the strength on Boylston made me realize that this years race was way bigger then a time on the clock!


We checked into the hotel and were immediately greeted by our "Boston Family" ... Mike, Sid and Pete!

SID!!  He is truly the best!
New Balance sponsors our hotel so the staff all get to wear New Balance gear all weekend and they truly take care of every detail!  Look at our room key!



Our first stop was the expo!  On the walk to the expo there was a group of little kids selling Boston Strong rainbow loom bracelets!!  They were seriously the cutest kids and so enthusiastic about their products .. of course we had to support our future millionaires!!  1 bracelet for $3 or 2 for $5 !!  Genius!


Then it was straight to packet pick-up:


Then I had to scope out the Mizuno booth and chatted with The Shoe Guy Bob.  I absolutely love everything about Mizuno and wish I had more time to spend at their booth but it was crazy crowded!!


I also HAD to swing by the City Sports booth!  My mom was on it and quickly jumped in line for us to meet Oiselle Teammates Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman ... AMAZING!


I kinda LOVE these two ladies!!  I was a little star struck and kept it together .. Thank goodness!


Strength, Beauty, Inspiration!!

I made my way through the crowds to find my beloved FEETURES! and chatted with Mary for a little!  If you have not tried Feetures yet you must!


The expo was super crowded and very difficult to get around so we decided to call it a day ... Mom and Dad grabbed a quick lunch and I met up with Jen for a quick 3 mile shakeout run!


My crew!
I also took a peek at the gym:
Still up in the Lenox gym!



After a quick shower and change we went to Solas and I enjoyed a refreshing Samuel Adams 26.2 Brew!


Cheers!!

We went to the North End for dinner and ate at Dolce Vita which was just what I wanted!! MMMMM
After a quick stop at Mike's Pastry we went back to the hotel to relax!


Pistachio cookies!!!


The front desk even sent coffee to our room for us to enjoy with our dessert!  I LOVE THE LENOX!!



WELL that was our Saturday in Boston ... Sunday to follow!

Happy Running!