What to do in 2014

So, after last years large amount of races, I ma stuck trying to figure out what I am doing this year. So far, I have registered for The Hyannis Half Marathon, BAA 5k, BAA 10k, Warrior Dash, Rugged Maniac, Yuakn Run Triple Threat, BAA Half Marathon and The Zombie Run.  I plan to add one or two marathons, March, April, and July Half Marathons as well as the Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Hat Trick, a Spartan Race Trifecta, and a Tough Mudder.

New for 2014 are my plans to volunteer. I've signed to volunteer for the Yukan Run Fool's Dual and BAA Boston Marathon.  I want to see the other side of racing. I have spent a lot of time running races and have yet t volunteer for any. This year that changes. Volunteers make it all possible. Without them there would be no races. They motivate runners to keep going and they provide the necessary support of to set-up and run races.

Volunteering for the Boston Marathon holds a special place this year for myself and many others. I have the privilege of working in Boston and on April 15th I witnessed much of the aftermath of the bombings. I look forward to being on the course this year and witnessing this great event show the resilience of not just the City of Boston but the entire running community.

Overall, I plan to make 2014 a great year from a professional, personal and athletic standpoint. It all comes down to being better. Better than last year, better than I believe I can be, and better than people think I am.

2014 is all about better.

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!

What I've Been Doing

It's been a while since I've written on the blog. Riley has been picking up my slack like a champ. I wanted to check in and let you know how training is going and how a few of the races I've done were.

First, this summer was pretty rough fro training. I felt like if I was not injured then I was sick, but that did not keep me from doing some running throughout the summer.  I did do enough training to feel prepared for The Hartford Marathon, which was the goal when this blog was started.  As part of the training, I have run my furthest distance which was about 15 miles. In my preparation for the marathon, I have learned that while 20 mile long runs may be productive, they are not completely necessary.  If you can complete a 16 mile run heading into the marathon you should be okay. this is an opinion that was shared in more than a few articles.

I've, also, managed to get in some fun races as well.  Riley wrote the review for the Harvard Pilgrim Finish at the 50 so I won''t go into too much detail about that. I will say that it was an awesome event and was slightly more difficult than when I ran it last year.

The week before the Finish at the 50 race, I ran the Warrior Dash in Barre, MA with my friends Nick and Danielle.  This was a 5k obstacle race. All in all, I think it was a pretty fun race to run too. As far as obstacle races go, it was not the most difficult one that I've run. I'll get to that one in a minute. It was, however, challenging enough where someone with experience running them may still have a challenge, but it is not too daunting for new runners.  Some of the obstacles were a barbwire crawl, cargo net climb, wall climb, and up & overs.  One of the coolest things about it is that the finisher's medal doubles as a bottle opener.

The Finisher's Medal

Posing after the Warrior Dash

On September 7th I ran the Super Spartan Race in Vernon, NJ.  This race was hardest race I've ever done. It is 8+ miles and 15+ obstacles. The terrain was probably the biggest obstacle of the entire race. It was on a ski resort. For about the first two miles we had to go up the mountain. this was brutal.  The obstacles were many of the usual ones including a barbwire crawl, up and overs, rope climb, sand bag carry, and spear toss.  One of the unique twists was that their cargo net was a vertical cargo net as opposed to the angled ones that make a pyramid.  This was the biggest test of will I have done to date. The sense of accomplishment after was indescribable.  

Sandbag Carry

the Fire Jump.

Accepting that I'm about the catch a shot to the stomach and seeing the finish line.

Celebrating with a post race PBR.

Well, that's what I've been up to since my last check-in. What have you, our readers, been up to?

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!

Boston Marathon Bombings

Hey everyone. Just wanted to make a quick post regarding yesterday's tragic events.

First and foremost, Louie and I are both safe and healthy. Louie was safe at work a few miles from the race. I was at the marathon, but 9 miles from the finish line. It's chilling to think that some of the runners I was cheering on were right next to the blasts a couple hours later...

We  both went to college right on the Boston Marathon route, and Marathon Monday has been a special day to us for quite some time. It's a Lasell tradition to cheer on the runners as they pass us at mile 17, and it's really a day of school spirit and city spirit. Everyone wants to be at Lasell on Marathon Monday, enjoying the atmosphere of Boston pride.

It's really heartbreaking to see someone ruin such a happy event that celebrates our city and the people that work so hard to reach their goal of running such a historic and prestigious race. Competing in the Boston Marathon is the crowned jewel in any distance runner's career, and the fact that someone had to turn these athletes' opportunity to shine into their own opportunity to hurt people makes me sick to my stomach.

I'm currently wearing a race t-shirt in honor of those who were killed, injured, and otherwise affected by this cowardly attack, and will probably wear one every day this week. To show the running world your support, feel free to do the same. Runners are tough, physically and mentally, and we aren't going to let some lame terrorists take our sport or our city away from us.

If you'd like to read about yesterday's events from my point of view, you can check out the post over on my personal blog.

Stay safe. Stay strong. #RunforBoston

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!

Pre-Race Survival Guide

I'm running my second half marathon this weekend with Louie and our good friend Nick (it will be Nick's first!) and I'm well into my pre-race rituals. I've been thinking this week how important the week before your race actually is. Though I've been training for weeks, this last 7 day period before pinning on my number, lacing up my shoes, and running 13.1 miles with my 3,000 new best friends, is probably more important than all of those miles I've logged getting ready for the big race. So, today I wanted to share with you a little Survival Guide to the week before your race!

Rule #1: TAPER YOUR RUNNING!

"Taper" is a fancy term runners use that basically means slow down and give your body a rest. The week (or in some cases 2 weeks, depending on how long your race is) before a big race is the time to let your body recover a bit from the long miles you've been putting down day after day during your training. It is still important to continue to run so you don't fall completely fall out of shape, but make sure you're running shorter distances at slower paces. In doing this, you're saving your body from stress so it is in top condition to race.

Rule #2: Water, water, and more water.

Water is your best friend the week leading up to your race. Try to drink one or two Nalgene-esque bottles of water a day. Choose water over other drinks with your meals. Water when you wake up. Water when you go to sleep. Water when you're thirsty. Water when you're not. Drink so much that it annoys you how often you have to run to the bathroom with a full bladder. (That means you're doing it right!) Although it may be refreshing in your dry mouth, the water that you drink during your race does not actually hydrate you, so it's important that you start chugging your H2O during the days leading up to your race.


Rule #3: Ssssttttrrrrreeeeeetttttcccchhhhh

The same idea of drinking water applies to stretching. Do some simple stretches at your desk at work. Instead of plopping yourself on the couch, take 20-30 minutes to get a good stretch in while your catching up on your favorite reality TV show. Stretch in the shower while your muscles are warm and loose. The more your stretch in the days leading up to the race, the better your body's going to feel during it.

Rule #4: Stalk the Weather

I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to checking the weather for big events, but with a race it's a little bit more important. Since you'll be outside for an extended period of time, you need to know exactly how you'll need to dress in order to be comfortable throughout your run. Temperature wise, dress as if it's 15 degrees warmer than it is. If it's raining, dress with lighter, less absorbent materials, so you aren't running with extra weight absorbed into your clothes. Dressing right can make a huge difference in how you run your race!

Rule #5: Pick out your race day attire!

This is my personal favorite part. You want to pick out clothes you'll feel running in, and if you have people coming to cheer you on, something they can spot you in out of the thousands of other competitors. I prefer bright colors!

Rule #6: Lay everything out the night before.

This way you can make sure that you have everything you need for race day and you'll cut down your chance of forgetting anything early on race day morning when you're groggy and trying to mentally prepare for the race. I like to have my race outfit layed out (everything from my number to my socks), and put all of the extras (change of clothes, foam roller, snacks, water bottle, headphones, etc) into a bag that I can just grab in the morning.

Rule #7: Visualize

Think about your goals throughout the week and how you plan to accomplish them throughout the race. Positive thinking is one of the most powerful techniques in sports (and life) for success. Tell yourself that you can accomplish the goals you set out to reach, and if you put the work in during your training, you will reach them!

Rule #8: Relax!!!

At this point, you've trained all you can, and there's no use stressing over it if you think you didn't do enough. Have confidence that you've set yourself up for success and that you'll do the best you can come race day. Once the race is over, you can evaluate what you did right, what you did wrong, and how you can adjust your training to have a better race next time. But for now, enjoy the race and the events surrounding it, take in the atmosphere, and have a great time!

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! :)

Sent from Heaven: Foam Rollers & Lacrosse Balls

As an athlete, sore leg (and entire body) muscles are something that I'm no stranger to. I remember the first few days of high school every year were excruciating because it was smack in the middle of soccer pre-season, and my school had a lot of stairs. So many memories of not being able to move... >_>

When I got to college, being an athlete meant I got access to our awesome training room. I was never really in the training room because I was never hurt, but once my knees started to really bother me my junior year, I knew I'd better get it checked before I injured myself and ruined my season. The trainer just told me that my quads were tight (wouldn't have guessed that) and showed me a few different stretches to relieve the pain. She also introduced me to what I now believe is God's gift to leg muscles - the foam roller.

If you've never used one of these things, you've really got to try it. If I'm being honest, I'm pretty terrible about stretching... ever. My muscles are constantly tight, I have knots all over my body, and I definitely can't touch my toes.

I know. It's disgraceful.

But as soon as I rolled out my legs on this contraption for the first time, I was hooked. I'm not going to lie, it definitely hurts while you're doing it. You're essentially forcing knots out of your legs that aren't ready to leave by using all of your body weight. But as soon as you stand up off of the ground and shake your legs out a little bit, you feel like a million bucks. You're muscles are loose, you can stretch a little bit further, and (the best part) you can run a little bit faster! Awesome.

When my senior season of lacrosse wrapped up, so did my opportunity to use the foam rollers in the training room. I went almost a whole year without rolling my legs out, and I definitely felt the difference. My legs felt heavier and I was significantly less flexible than I was during lacrosse season. A few days ago, though, the stars aligned and I wound up with a foam roller of my very own in my apartment. With my first half only 4 days away (WHAT?!), it couldn't have been better timing!

For those of you who may be intimidated by this large, foamy miracle, lacrosse balls work just as good for un-knotting muscles in your body. Since it's smaller, it will (obviously) only help smaller areas of your body at any one time. The plus side, though, is that it's portable and hand held, so you can take one wherever you go. You better believe I'll have a few of these in my bag come race day!

One of my favorite things to do, especially after a long run or a long day of work, is roll a couple of lacrosse balls under my feet. Bam - instant foot massage! I also use them to target more problem knots. The muscles around my knees tend to carry a lot of the stress caused by running, so taking one of these and really focusing on getting one knot out is super helpful. However, since lacrosse balls are made of hard rubber, they might cause bruising, so be careful!

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In other news, like I mentioned before, Louie and I are running our first half marathon this upcoming Sunday! I'm sure Louie and I will be updating the blog like crazy next week, but I'm planning on live Tweeting/Instagramming/Vine-ing the expo on Saturday and the race on Sunday, so make sure you're following me!

Twitter: @rmfickfack

Instagram: rmfickfack

Vine: rmfickfack

See you guys on the other side!