Race Review: B.A.A. 10K

On Sunday June 23, 2013, Boston Athletic Association hosted it's first race since the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Parts of the pre-race ceremony were used to pay tribute to the victims as well as the heroes who acted on that fateful day. This event drew 5,436 participants. Many of the runners were sporting a shirt in support of Boston.

The Starting Line

It turned out to be a great event. It was helped greatly by my friend Lauren running the event with me.  As part of registering, runners received a B.A.A. 10k Adidas tech shirt and a finisher's medal.  The course itself was beautiful with flowers and the architecture around Boston. The race started and ended at The Commons.  The rest of the course is sort of a blur because I was so focused on completing the race, but I can say that it was mostly flat and there were plenty of water stops along the course. These were extremely helpful because it was a hot day even at 8 AM.

Race S.W.A.G.

Lauren really helped to push me to continue at a pace. A big part of running is mental and because it was such a rough month, I was a little worried about my ability to run.  We finished in around an hour which was fine by both of us because it meant we average less than 10 minutes a mile, but this race was also about more than our finishing times.

The experience of running this race was more than just challenging myself. It felt more like a therapeutic exercise for many involved. The running community is great and to see the support within this group was amazing. There were the elite runners, including Lelisa Desisa the winner of this year's Boston Marathon, recreational runners and even runner's who were inspired to start running to honor the victims.  It was a great display of camaraderie. It was easily one of my favorite races I have run.

A few interesting things that happened on Sunday.  Adidas had their Boston Stands As One shirts for sale both before and after the race. A few of the sponsors where Marathon Sports, Powerbar, Poland Springs and Adidas. Lastly, and the most important detail I have not said yet, is that Lelisa Desisa post race decided to give his winners medal to the City of Boston as a sign of solidarity.  It is a very touching measure and means a lot to many.

Lauren rocking the race S.W.A.G.

The set-up on the Commons

16 Weeks to Go!

Whattup y'all!

GUESS WHAT. There's only 16 weeks (even less now!) until Louie and I run the Hartford Marathon! That means it's time to kick our training into HIGH GEAR! 

I've decided that I want to vlog my training throughout these 16 weeks to document my journey. I just posted the first video on my YouTube channel this morning, in which I talk about my training plan and the vlog project itself. Make sure you subscribe and check back every Sunday for a new video! :)

P.S. You can find the training programs that I talked about in the video here!

Race Review: Superhero Scramble

The new official photo of the VS. the Road crew :P

This past weekend Louie and I ran the Superhero Scramble! The New England race was what they call a "Charger", which means it was their shortest race at approximately 4 miles and 20 obstacles. It was hosted at Amesbury Sport Park, a popular location for New England obstacle races. With Tropical Storm Andrea hitting the northeast on Friday night, the race got pushed back three hours, so we didn't get there until the afternoon - nice change of pace after all these early-morning starts!

Race Review: Memorial Day Marathon 15K Trail Race

A couple weeks ago I ventured over to the Berkshires to run the MDM 15K Trail Race. The race was part of a huge race weekend sponsored by Berkshire Bank, which also included a 5K, 10K, half marathon, full marathon, and a kid's race. The 15K Trail Race, which happened on Saturday, was the first race of the weekend.

Unfortunately it was raining the morning of the race, which made waking up at 4AM and the 2 hour drive slightly miserable, but I decked myself out in Red, White, and Blue (even put a bow in my hair!) to celebrate Memorial Day, slapped a smile on, and hit the road!

Since I live so far away, the early packet pickup wasn't an option for me, so I had to be at the race site at 7AM sharp to beat the lines and pick up my number and swag bag. The registration fee came with a super nice tech shirt, a "Boston Strong" wristband, and some other goodies from local running stores. Berkshire Bank also matched the amount of registration fees for the weekend and donated them all to One Fund Boston, which I thought was a fantastic part of this entire event!

The race began at 8:15. There was about a mile of road that we had to run before hitting the trail, but it was full of great views of the Berkshires. There were 3 different trails that we looped (slowly and carefully, as it was very slick from the rain) but the second one was by far the most difficult to conquer. The second trail was essentially straight up the side of a mountain. I tried so hard to keep running, but eventually I had to break down and walk, along with everyone else. I did, however, make sure I ran the flat parts, the uphills that were reasonably steep, and the downhills that weren't to slick.

I would have to say that this was the most difficult race that I have run so far. I figured that being used to trail running and being a half marathoner would make this 15K a piece of cake, but I was wrong. I'm more proud of myself for finishing this race than any other race I've run so far. I came in at 2:01:11, which gave me a pace of about 13:01. Far slower than my half marathon PR, so that should give you some idea of how hard it was!

If you're looking for a challenge and you're in the half marathon range in your training, I suggest trying a trail run for a change of pace. It will test your endurance, strength, and mental toughness, and will make you feel awesome once you finish!

Happy National Running Day!

No matter how far, fast, or often you do it, make sure to get out there today and celebrate your ability to run!

Happy National Running Day, Everyone!