Louie's Very Delayed Hartford Marathon Review

It's been almosttwo and a half months since Riley, Nick and I completed the Hartford Marathon. I considered skipping doing a review for this race. At first I did not want to write a review because part of the experience was bad. I will get into that later. Then I debated skipping this review simply because it has been so long since the event. Now to state the obvious, I have decided to write a review or well more of a recap.

Waiting at th starting line. Photo Credit to Riley.

The events of the day before the marathon. We headed for the marathon around 6 o'clock and this was the start of this going badly. We ended up hitting rush hour traffic on the way to Hartford and barely made it to check in on time. Upon getting to get in, Riley and Nick recieved marathon relay bibs in place of the official marathon bib and I received a generic Hartford Marathon Foundation bib. There check in was strange in that they did not have numbers assigned to pre-registered runners and instead you were given whatever number they reached for during check-in. 

After checking in, it turns out that they had run out of the official t-shirts. We were asked to write down our name, which race, address, and shirt size as they would be mailing them to us.  As of this post , we have not received our race shirts. We were informed that the order was placed the end of November and we would have them in four to six weeks. 

So next up is the race itself.  For the race itself, I have nothing but good things to say about the course and the volunteers.  The course itself had a lot of great scenery and whether it was running on water or through downtown Hartford, it was beautiful. The first six or so miles were run with those running the half marathon and then from there we split off onto our own course. The marathon course was lined with both spectators and volunteers water stops were frequent enough. They averaged about every other mile or so. 

Crossing the Finishline!

Physically, the first half of the marathon went pretty well. Having ran a few half marathons this year I was prepared for that. I came into the marathon with a sore ankle and after the halfway mark it started to act up, but I just kept running. Eventually, it turned into a run then walk then run routine, but even so I managed to finish the marathon. That was all that counted. 

Crossing the finish line was amazing. We were greeted with water bottles and what we call "space blankets". What we were not greeted with however were the hard earned finisher's medals. They had run out of them as well. Once again we were asked to put our name, event and address on a sheet of paper as it was going to be mailed to us. We have all received them in the mail. It is easily the coolest finisher's medal in my collection. 

Note: That is not the official shirt. It was one I purchased at the race day expo.

A few fun and random notes from the race:

1. Riley and I started singing Livin' on a Prayer at mile 13. "Ohhhhh, We're halfway there."

2. The highest elevation we had to climb was at mile 25. 

3. It was inspirational to see many of the runners who also achieved there goal of finishing a marathon. It can see like a daunting task.

4. The Cracker Barrel has the greatest bacon cheeseburger and apple cider ever.*

*This could have just been my hungry self making me believe this. 

Race Review: Color and Glow 5K

Louie and I ran in the Color and Glow 5K last weekend! It was so great to participate in a fun run type of race instead of something super duper challenging like I have been this entire race season. I wasn't nervous about the distance, I wasn't worried about my time, and I wasn't concerned about coming in first place (but let's be real - I'm never too concerned about coming in first place, because I know it'll never happen :P). I was just there to have a good time!

One complaint we both had about the race was packet pick up. Participants only had 2 options - the day before the race (which was a work day) from 11 AM to 7 PM at an off-site location, or on-site the day of the race from 10 AM to 12 PM (the race started at 7:30 PM) only if you were travelling more than 80 miles to the race. A. That's super inconvenient for participants who live close but work weird hours (like me) and can't get to an off-site location, and B. What are the participants that are travelling from far away supposed to do for 7 hours after they pick up their packet? A race like this always needs pre-race packet pick up as an option. Seriously, that's a no brainer. The only time races should be allowed to get away without race day pre-race packet pick up is if there's tens of thousands of participants and it's physically impossible to hand out all of the packets right before the race. Judging by the amount of people that were at the race, I think they could have handled at least one registration tent.*

The race was held at Brockton Fair Grounds in Brockton, MA. We showed up about an hour early (which is TOTALLY unlike us) and we were able to just hang out and take in the atmosphere before lining up. The race MC was tossing out glow-sticks at the starting line, so we weaved our way to the front of the pack to catch a few and get decked out for the race.

Before the glow sticks...

...and after!

The race was scheduled to send the first wave out at 7:30, but it didn't start until about 7:50. We got a little antsy for the start of the race, but it also gave us the opportunity to take in the atmosphere, rack up out glow stick collection (I think I wound up with about 12 or so, haha), and get excited for the race to come!


Personally, I was expecting more lights along the course - kind of like the Electric Run - but the route was, for the most part, pitch black and since the majority of the race was through a field, I was super worried I was going to step into a hole (which I did a few times) and injure myself. For this reason, I was extremely careful about my footing the entire race, which definitely took away from the fun. I would love to see this course more well lit (bonus points if it's colorful lights!) in years to come.

I would like to have been covered in more paint, also. I sign up for races like these to be doused in color. We were in the first wave, so I understand that they had to conserve for the other runners, but adding in some more paint stations along the course would be awesome. (Side note - they didn't tell the voluteers not to shoot paint into the runner's faces. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other runner got their eyes painted, because I certainly swallowed some. >_>)

Either Louie and I totally beasted the course, or it wasn't a full 5K. I think we finished in about 22 minutes (neither of us timed it because we were just there for the fun!) which is extremely fast for both of us. I wasn't too surprised about the short distance (we experienced the same thing for Color Me Rad) because these types of events are more about the fun experience than completing a true 5K, which I think is awesome. I love that there are events like these to encourage people to get active and introduce them into the running world with something fun!

Post-race glow!

The race bling was really cool - colorful glow in the dark medals! It's definitely one of my more unique pieces of race jewelry. Our originally-white bibs also got totally covered in glow paint, which gave them a cool splatter effect. Loving that I have some color on my bib wall now! :)

This was a really fun race with a LOT of potential. They need to add a few things to make this a truly great event, but I think with each year this race will improve and become bigger and better. I can't wait to see where it goes! If you're looking for a fun, unique approach to fitness and night life, definitely check Color and Glow out!

P.S. Check out my video from the event! :)

To find a Color and Glow 5K event near you, visit their website www.colorandglow.com!

*It was pointed out to me that there was a registration table at the event, but it wasn't advertised at all. We were both under the impression we had to go to the times on the website. So frustrating!

Race Review: Havard Pilgrim Finish at the 50

Last week Louie and I (along with Nick and my parents) ran the Finish at the 50 races. My dad ran the 5K, while the rest of us ran the 10K in 90 degree weather with 85% humidity like crazy people. The event was A LOT bigger than I expected, and hands down the largest race I've ever run. I'm used to about 2,000 people tops, but this was the kind of race that if you split up, it was almost impossible to find each other again.
I was not properly fueled for this race. I had worked all day before hand, and couldn't really hydrate properly (I work retail and you can't have a water bottle on the sales floor) and between working and packing for the holiday weekend, I didn't eat all that great throughout the day. Needless to say I was feeling it! I finished in 1:02:41, though, so I'm not too upset about it!
I was a little disappointed in how the race was run. The water stops, though nicely spaced out throughout the course, weren't long enough to accommodate the amount of runners, and there was a huge back up at every station. You also couldn't get back into the stadium once you stepped foot off the field, which was super annoying. I think the runners should have been able to come and go as they needed as that was the only place with post-race water.
The event itself was fun, though! It was so cool to be on the field at Gillette. I know that there are various NFL sponsored races that have the same idea as this one, so be sure to check for races near you! :)
Check out the video from the race below!

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

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!

Race Review Round Up: Navigant Credit Union Running Festival, Boston Fund Run, and Tough Scrambler

It's been a while since I've reviewed any of the recent races I have completed. I have done three races since my last review. The three races are the Navigant Running Festival Half Marathon in Pawtucket, RI, Boston Fund Run/Walk 5k, and Tuff Scrambler 5k Obstacle Run. These are just quick little snapshots of what I thought of each of the races.

The Navigant Running Festival Half Marathon was on May 5th and started at 8 AM.  Needless to say, this start time was a bit rough. I saved a little time by going down the day before to pick up my bib number and race t-shirt.  Part of the pre-race ceremony was a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings.  There were also bracelets given out that said Rhode Island runs for Boston. 

Overall, I was a very nice race. It had some great scenery while running as the end portion took you through a part filled with cherry blossoms. The course itself had a few hills nothing too challenging compared to the Great Bay Half Marathon. I ended up setting a half marathon PR with a time of 1:56:25.  It was a pretty great feeling to do a sub 2 half.

Next up was the Boston Fund Run/Walk 5k was organized by a local race organizing company, Northeast Race Management, LLC.  The race itself was free. They asked that you make a donation to One Fund Boston. It was a great community event. I was really excited that I could participate and the best part was that it helped raise over $3,000 towards the cause.  

The participants for the Boston Fund Run

Lastly, I ran the Tuff Scrambler again. It was my second time as I ran it last October as well.  It was a different race as they added a few new obstacles to the course. the two most obvious additions was a new mud crawl, climbing stairs and under wooden walls. It was still as fun of a race as I ran in October and I got even muddier than last time. I still highly recommend this as a beginners obstacle race if you are in the area. It is a great introduction.

Race Review: Great Bay Half Marathon 2013

Nick (#290), Louie (#876), me (#291), and my mom (#1267)

On Sunday, Louie, our friend Nick, and I all ran the 7th Annual Great Bay Half Marathon in Newmarket, NH. This event was sponsored by Exeter Hospital, and was run at the same time as the beyond the Rainbow 5K, which my mom ran!

Pre-race was a bit hectic. Packet pick-up was at Newmarket High School, and most of the participants kind of hung out in the gymnasium before heading up to Newmarket Elementary School, where the starting line was. There weren't many bathrooms available, so if you needed to use the bathroom, you had to risk missing the start of the race due to the giant lines. Shortly after we started running, we ran by a few stragglers that were still waiting in line.

The 5K and Half Marathon runners all started at the same time, which was awesome because I got to start the race with my mom! The course split after 2.5 miles - 5Kers heading back towards the city, and the Half Marathoners headed into the woods of NH. The half marathon course was beautiful, taking you past streams and great views of the water front. There were lots of supporters hanging outside of their houses, partying, playing banjos on top of their cars while hula hooping (talent!), belly dancing, and giving out pretzels and Twizzlers to the runners. (I'll admit, I took a Twizzler. It was awesome after 8 miles!) It was a great change of pace from Hyannis, which (due to the pouring rain) was pretty desolate.

One of the biggest challenges of this course was how hilly it was. If you aren't used to running on hills, this course will definitely be a challenge for you, because there are some monsters along the way! Luckily, being from New Hampshire, conquering hills during long runs is something I'm no stranger to, but I don't think I can say the same for Massachusetts natives Nick and Louie.

Even though this course is challenging, it's definitely manageable for beginner half marathoners. Louie and I both PR-ed by a considerable amount, and Nick, who was running his first half, reached his goal of finishing under 2:45. Don't let the hills scare you off - if we all finished, so can you!

Race Review: James H. Lamb Memorial Scholarship Road Race

Race season is officially in full swing. With my third race in three weeks it's great to be back at it on a regular basis.  The race this week was the James H. Lamb Memorial Scholarship Road Race.  It was a 5 mile course in Taunton, MA.

So for the registration and fees concerning the event. Pre-Registering it was only $16 and Day of Race Registration was $20. This was great pricing for a race of this distance. Usually they are more expensive.  The lower price however did not affect the S.W.A.G. (Stuff We All Get) bag given out to runners. Included in the bag, was a long sleeve t-shirt, sun glasses, a water bottle, a stop watch, and a few other items. It was surprisingly impressive for a race that only had a total of 79 participants.

As for the course itself it was a nice loop that started and ended at Coyle & Cassidy High School. The course went passed Hopewell Park, down towards the old Leonard Elementary School, a left onto Fremont St. and then down some strides and back past Leonard Elementary school and back the way we came. There were two water stops and every mile was marked and had a timer. The course itself had quite a few hills and some were steeper than others, but overall it was a great course to run.

The best part of this race was the after racing in many different cities and towns in Massachusetts, I finally manage to run on in my home town! It was a great feeling to run it and feel a certain sense of pride to race in the city I grew up in. I finished the race in 43:06 which is a personal record for 5 miles outdoors.

I am taking this weekend off from racing,but I will be back to racing when Riley and I conquer the Great Bay Half Marathon.

Race Review: New Bedford Half Marathon 2013

Yesterday, I ran the New Bedford Half Marathon in New Bedford, MA with my friends Arianna Magee and Joe Nusca. For them this was their first half marathon. For me, it was a follow up to the Hyannis Half Marathon with the hope that it would good much better than that one.

The day of the race was already much better than it was for the Hyannis Half Marathon. Instead of it being raining, windy and cold it was sunny with wind gusts. A much better setting to be running a race in.

There were 3135 runners in this race, but even with this many participants parking was not an issue at all. They planned for the large crowds and had ample parking spaces available.  The biggest pre and post race issues for this race were the lines for locker rooms (pre-race) and the festivities (post-race).

Before we discuss post-race though on to the race itself. With such a massive crowd and a highly popular event this race was amazing. Part of the course took us by the beaches and harbors in New Bedford.  It made for a very scenic race at times. With it being in a decent size city this view did not last for the entire race, but it certainly made it better when I got to see it.

However, the two toughest spots for this course are stated in the course description itself. There are two hills that are rather long and up the level of difficulty for this race. The first hill is at mile 3. It is by no means the steepest hill a runner will encounter, but it tends to be a long hill with a steady incline. The second big hill comes in around mile 12. This was a rather difficult hill due to fatigue and soreness in my legs, but I managed to conquer them both.

Another really cool aspect to this race was the crowd turnout. New Bedford takes a lot of pride in this race and you can see it with the spectators who are there cheering on the runners. It was easily the largest turn out fro spectators I have experienced yet.

All-in-all, this was probably my favorite race so far. Between the crowds on the street, my time and just the overall feeling at the end, I have never felt more accomplished when finishing a race. When I crossed the finish line I yelled "Yes!".  That's the only time I have have ever done that.

In the my resulst were a chip time of 2:13:24.  This average of to a minute per mile time of 10:11.  This was 12 minutes faster than my time for the Hyannis Half Marathon. Such a great improvement and now, I am looking forward to the Great Bay Half Marathon on April 7th.

Race Review: Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 2013

     Last weekend I ran the Ras na hEireann U.S.A. in Somerville, MA. This was a fun 5k to run that was made even better by running it with my friends Brianna Strunk and Nick Fernandez. There was a very big turn out for the race as well. It was easily the biggest turn out I have seen for a 5k yet. It turns out there were 4435 participants.

     Even though there were that many participants races day went smoothly. This was aided greatly due to the fact that race bib and t-shirt pick up were made available during the week leading up to the race. While I did not personally go to pick up my bib and t-shirt, Brianna had picked them up, I was told it was a rather smooth process and that is a good sign for a race.

     Now, back to race day.  We arrived in Somerville at around 10 o'clock and headed to the starting line around 10:30 with the race starting at 11.  It was a very St. Patty's Day themed crowd.  At one point while waiting for the starting gun, we were hitting a beach ball around.

     Now for the race itself.  Having run a race in Somerville last October, I was not to surprised by the course. It was very similar to the previous race with the starting and ending points only a street away from the previous race.  The course itself is a relatively flat course with only two hills that may cause issues for some runners.

My results for this time was a 28:15 with an average minutes per mile of 9:06.  As for where I placed within the group itself I was 1595 out of the 4435. Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the finish of this race. It was a very fun run with a good time.

     Part of finishing this race included receiving a finisher's medal and specials at some of the local bars in the area. We tried to go to a one of the bars that had the specials the lines were outside the door and they did not seem to be moving fast at all. We did find a nice little pizza place to eat though. The Davis Square area does not lack for restaurant options.

I highly recommend anyone who likes running to do this race next year!

Race Review: Hyannis Half Marathon 2013

This weekend Louie and I both completed our first half marathon - the Hyannis Half Marathon in Hyannis, MA, which is the first race in the Cape Cod Half Marathon Trilogy. This event has been going on since 1996, and over the years has evolved into the Marathon, Half Marathon, and Marathon Team Relay that it is today. Needless to say, it was very well run event.

Despite threatening weather warnings, the event was not cancelled or delayed. The race began, as scheduled, right at 10AM in the pouring rain. As it is in every large race, the first few miles were a bit crowded, but after the first 5K everyone started to find their pace and spread out. Around miles 2.5 and 3, there were some giant puddles that covered the width of the road. At some points, we had to trudge single-file through the muddy grass on the side of the road. Fortunately, those disappeared after that section of the course.

The course itself wasn't completely closed. I'm not sure if this is normal for races of this length as it was my first one, but there were points where regular traffic was on the course or waiting for runners to go by to make turns and cross intersections. I thought that was a little odd, but the police for each town did a great job controlling traffic and made sure the runners got the right of way.

The wind and rain wasn't so bad at the beginning, but right around mile 10 I could really feel the weight of the water in my clothes. Even though I was only wearing a Dri-Fit sweatshirt and Under Armour Cold Gear pants, it felt like I was carrying around an extra 30 pounds.

Crossing the finish line was one of the best feelings ever. Even though my whole lower body felt like it was going to fall apart, as soon as I passed mile marker 13, a whole new rush of energy went through my body and it felt like I was sprinting for the last .1! I felt so accomplished when I got my finishers medal and I wore it around with pride for the rest of the afternoon. (Louie and I also got our photo taken for Core Power's website, because we're basically models. :P)

By my watch, I finished in 2:14:52, but my official time was 2:15:56 (I paused my watch when we stopped a couple times to stretch out). I came in 1,800th place (haha) out of about 2,400. I'm so happy I finally accomplished my goal of completing a half marathon, and am looking forward to getting better and better at this distance! 

The next race for me will be the Great Bay Half Marathon in April, and I'm definitely looking forward to competing again! :)