VS. the Road

Friday, April 11, 2014

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

*makes triumphant return to VStR*

Oh, hey everyone. Long time no post! Kudos to Louie for holding it down for us since I went M.I.A. in October. Grad school has sort of taken over my life these last 6 months and blogging (and even running -_-) has been the first few things to be put on the back burner. If you're wondering what I've been up to, check out my personal blog, FivEleveNinety! But here's a little update on my running life:

I did survive Hartford and had an amazing time running my first marathon! There were a few disappointing aspects of the event itself (no shirts, medals, and wrong bibs), but the actual race was great. Here's the vlog from the day of the race and my immediate post-race review:

I ran another half in December with little to no training. I finished, but GOD it was miserable, haha! Do not recommend it at all!
Took a few month break from racing, but ran a 5K with Louie on his birthday.
I volunteered at the Fool's Dual half, which Louie talked about here!

The past few months I've been less focused on running and a little bit more focused on getting any kind of exercise in that I can when I can find the time, as well as stretching much more. My schedule is so jam-packed with items for work and school that pulling 12 hour work days is the norm for me, and sleep is the main priority. I'm hoping with the school year coming to the end toward the tail end of May I'll be able to focus more on getting back on my running game. (I do have a multi-distance race and a marathon coming up this year, so I gotta get my act together!)

I'll try to be better about posting more frequently here, as I'm sure I'll be running more frequently, at least in the summer months! See you guys soon. :)

Volunteering at a Race

On April 6, 2014 Riley and I volunteered, with our friend Nick, for the Yukan Run Fool's Dual in Gloucester, MA. This was a first for both of us, but something we were looking forward too. The funny part about this volunteering assignment was we were sent to three different water stops throughout the course.

One of the coolest part of volunteering for this race was the people we were able to meet. I know from my experience, I met runners of different levels. One member of my team ran ultra marathons, while another was waiting to have knee cap replacement surgery so she could continue running. It was awesome to hear the experience of other runners. Turns out a few of us had run the same races and it was great to hear how others thought the race went.

Now on to what volunteering actually entailed. My water station was the water stop for both mile 5 and mile 8 of the half marathon. We had Gatorade, Water and some of the GU energy packs to hand to runners. It was interesting to be on the other end of a water stop. It can get pretty hectic and you want to make sure the runners are getting what they want at the stop. Handing a runner a cup that they think is water only to find out it is gatorade after they dump it over there head would be awful. To avoid this we called out what we were holding and runners grabbed their drink of choice. The GU energy supplements went pretty fast as well.

If helping out you fellow runner or fellow human being by volunteering is not enough, when you volunteer at YUKAN Run events you are given free entry into one of thier events. You can pass this on to someone so they can run the event you are volunteering at or save it for a later event. Also, you received a pretty cool light-up jester hat as a volunteer as well. So there are rewards on top of the rewarding experience of volunteering.

This experience was awesome. I cannot wait for my next experience volunteering and luckily I do not have to wait that long. I will be volunteering in the Power Bar, Finish Area of the Boston Marathon. I expect this to be a lot crazier than this experience, but it will be absolutely amazing.

Louie

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

An Update

Hi All,

I know the posts here on VS. the Road have been very random with no rhyme or reason lately. We'll run a few races without a race review and then post a race review or we just have not been posting anything at all. Life has gotten pretty hectic at the moment between grad school, work and trying to breath, finding time to write has become difficult.

This is not a goodbye post however. With Spring comes race season and with race season comes a new commitment to VS. the Road. Be on the look out for some new posts about volunteering at races, race reviews and just general tips.

The first of these that I hope to post is in my first experience volunteering at the Yukan Run Fool's Dual in Gloucester, MA. It should be up by the end of the week.

Louie

Monday, March 10, 2014

Hyannis Half Marathon 2014

Last year Riley and I ran The Hyannis Half Marathon and it was the first half marathon either of us had run. This year I decided I wanted to try and tackle it again. The race was on February 23.

The registration, number pick up and expo went just as well this year as I last year. I picked up my number and did some shopping at the expo on Saturday and showed up to run the race on Sunday. Even the weather was cooperative this year. Last year it felt like we were running in a monsoon.

Now to the race itself, it was a beautiful day to run on Cape Cod. With the nicer weather this year, it's no wonder there was such a great turnout of runners. With the nicer weather it was a lot easier to appreciate the scenery around the course. If you want to run a great half marathon, I highly recommend this one.

As for my performance on the day, I set a new personal record by finishing in 1:52:05! I'm pretty excited to say the least.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

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.

Monday, December 30, 2013

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.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Riley's ING Hartford Marathon Preview

TOMORROW'S THE DAY! Louie and I are about to face our very first marathon tomorrow in Hartford, CT. Our friend Nick will be joining us for his first 26.2 as well. This is probably going to be the best bonding experience ever, haha.

I've spent most of this morning just trying to mentally prepare for the race. I've been thinking a lot about why I started training in the first place. I feel like I've always had the goal of running a marathon one day, but I never knew when. I'm a huge fan of Shay Carl on YouTube, and when I started watching he was a relatively big dude. He decided one day that he didn't want to be big anymore, lost over 100 pounds, and finished the LA marathon in 2012. If that's not inspiration, I don't know what is.

I thought, if he could do it, then I (a person who's been in relatively good shape my whole life) could totally do it. And with that, my life as a long-distance runner began. (What was I thinking?!) I took the time to watch all of his marathon videos this morning to get me pumped up, and I thought it'd be nice to share one with you all. Who knows? Maybe he'll inspire you to run your first marathon like he did for me!

I'm looking forward to this race. I know I can accomplish this goal that I've set out to accomplish, and I can't wait to get that medal!!! I'll be vlogging our experience in Hartford, so look forward to a nice long marathon video! :)
P.S. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for progress updates during the race! Louie's Twitter: @lsimoes3 Riley's Twitter: @rmfickfack

Louie's ING Hartford Marathon Preview

In about twenty-four hours Riley and I will be running the ING Hartford Marathon. I would be lying if I said I was not nervous. It is a pretty daunting objective.

When we first started this blog the timer on the side said 200+ days. Now it is down to hours. We have experienced a lot since starting this. Two half marathons, an obstacle race, a 10k and training runs. These are what will see us to the finish line. Anything you put your mind to you can achieve.

Also, these really cool finisher's medals help!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

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!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

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?

Thursday, September 12, 2013

#POWERMONTH

It's finally here - we're in the last month leading up to our first marathon.

My last few weeks of training haven't been the best. Yesterday I set out on a 5 miler and couldn't make it through. Granted I had about zero nutrients or water in my body and it was insanely humid, so it probably wasn't the smartest idea to run at the time. I haven't really been taking care of my body the way I should be.

But for this last month, I'm making a promise to myself - get my body ready for this marathon in every way possible! I'm going to call it...

Hyration . Nutriton . Stretching . Running . Sleep

These are my 5 frames of focus for this race. Constantly drinking water (which I've actually been doing really well with!), cutting out the junk (including my high sugared-high creamed coffee x_x) and loading up on healthy foods, stretching for at least 20 minutes every day, staying on my running plan, and making sure I'm getting enough sleep.

This is where it all counts, and I want to be prepared for this race as possible.

I think I can ask at least a month out of myself to get ready in every way!

#POWERMONTH - Let's do this!

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Preparing for an LSD Run

No, I'm not talking about running on acid.

In the running world, LSD stands for long, slow distance. When training for a race, it's good to work one of these runs in every week, ideally on a day when you have lots of time on your hands! The goal of these run isn't the time, it's the distance. You're ultimately just trying to achieve a certain distance (that is usually obscenely longer than what you usually run) with little to no stops, no matter how long it takes. When I go out on LSDs, I'm usually just shuffling my feet by the end of it, looking like an old lady. But I reach my goal distance one way or another!

How I feel during LSDs

These runs are supposed to introduce your body to the amount of stress it will feel during a longer distance race. You need to get used to being on your feet for a few hours at a time, your muscles need to feel the impact of your feet pounding the pavement repeatedly, and your brain needs to practice fighting through the physical anguish that you're putting yourself through which will ultimately push you across the finish line. Sounds appealing doesn't it?

Your LSD should be your dress rehearsal for your actual race, and you should prepare accordingly. Hydrate the entire week leading up to it. Load up on (good) calories and nutrients the night before and morning-of. Warm up and stretch your muscles the way you would the day of a race. And make sure you pack all of the supplies you need while out on your run. Here's what I usually bring with me.

1. Cell phone

Since an LSD isn't an organized race, there aren't always going to be medical personnel near by to come to your rescue if anything were to happen. If there's an emergency, if you feel like you physically can't go any further and you need someone to pick you up, or if someone needs to contact you while you're gone for a couple hours, you'll be thankful you brought it with you!

2. Identification/Insurance Card/Blood Donor Card/Emergency Contact Info

I like to carry all of these things with me if for whatever reason I get hurt and become unconscious. Since I'm normally running solo, there won't be anyone to identify me to anyone else who might find me. This way, they know my name and address, have a number to call one of my loved ones, and can relay some medical information to any medical personnel that arrive on the scene. If you don't want to carry all of these things with you, definitely consider buying a RoadID and wearing it while you run!

3. Camelback

I don't like carrying water bottles, so I strap on a Camelback when I go out on long runs. Makes for great, hands-free running!

4. Running Belt

I usually wear long spandex when I go out on LSDs, so that means zero pockets. Instead of having to carry everything in my hands for 3 hours, I just strap on one of these handy running belts! They look pretty nerdy but its better than juggling 13 things.

5. Nutrients of Some Sort

I'm not big on gels or goos or what have you, but I do think it's important to bring some sort of nutrients with you on big runs. After sweating for such a long time, your body will be screaming for some sugar or salt towards the tail end of a big run and ust water will not do the trick. Pack a granola bar or banana or plan your run where you can stop at a store and buy something to eat. You'll definitely feel the difference!

6. Podcasts, Audio Books, and Playlists - oh my!

LSDs can be excruciatingly boring - especially if you're going it alone. I love my music, but there's only so much of the same 100 songs that I have loaded onto my running playlist. I like to load up my iPod with podcasts and audio books as well, so A.) I'm learning something new and B.) It's kind of like there's someone chatting with me along the way! Definitely try downloading a few of those or have someone else make you a playlist of their music so you're hearing something totally new during each run!

7. Suncreen, Hat, and Sunglasses

Since you'll be outside for a particularly long period of time, make sure you're preparing for it - especially in the summer! The sun can take a lot out of you, and cause scary things like severe sunburn, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, migraines, and more. Protect yourself!

I hope these tips will be helpful for your next LSD run!

I'm off on an 18 miler myself... Wish me luck!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Training Update: Lazy Long Distance

With a little under 7 weeks to go until Hartford, I've been swinging between long distances and complete laziness. Marathon training has been tough and has definitely brought out the whiney couch potato in me.

"But I don't WANNA go running!" -Me. Almost every day. Also I think I heard a two year old saying something similar just the other day...

I'd like to sound noble and awesome and tell you that I've gone out on every single run my schedule has told me to do, but then I'd be lying (and that's the opposite of noble and awesome). The truth is that I usually skip at least one scheduled run every week. Sometimes my body is just not up for it, so I make up excuses in my mind and I can't get myself out the door.

I am, however, going on my long runs. Like, high-teen mileage status. Because I'm slacking on my mid-distance days, they're probably a lot more difficult than they should be, but they're getting done, none the less. I am still pretty apprehensive about this whole 26.2 business. So far I've only made it up to 17, and 18 is in the cards for me this Saturday. Those are long distances, and I'd still have an additional 8 or 9 miles to go on top of that come race day. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I guess I've just got to trust my body and brain to push me across the finish line.

(Here's my vlog from my 17-miler. I seem cheery mid-run, but the next day update makes it clear I was struggling!)

With these critical last 6 and a half weeks of my training colliding with the busiest possible time of year for me professionally, it's definitely going to be a challenge to get my booty out the door when all I want to do is hide under my blankets watching Netflix during my down time. But these 6 weeks are going to go by in a blink, so I'll be strapping the Nikes on and pounding the pavement and looking forward to October 13th when I can be lazy and not feel guilty! :P

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Runner's Envy

The other day while eating lunch, one of my co-workers said that she has "runner's envy". I've never heard of this term before, and as I set out every day on my painful multi-mile runs, I couldn't imagine anyone being envious of me. But once I thought about it, it occurred to me that runner's envy is pretty common. Even I have a mild dose!

Runner's Envy is what it sounds like - when you're envious of runners. Even if you're a runner yourself, you can have Runner's Envy (and personally, I think it's more common if you run on a regular basis!) You may see another runner that's faster than you. Another runner that's clearly in better shape than you. Another runner that's running further than you. Another runner that has nicer gear than you. It could be any single attribute that another runner possesses that you don't, and it can totally throw off your confidence.

A few weeks ago while I was out on my run, I came across another female runner who was a lot faster than me. She was on the opposite sidewalk from me, but going in the same direction. I saw her come up out of the corner of my eye and blast right by me like it wasn't a big deal. Even though I had no idea who this girl was or what kind of runner she was, I was jealous and began to doubt myself.

What if I'm not good enough?

What if I won't be able to accomplish my running goals?

Maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead.

But then I realized - I don't know who this girl is or what kind of runner she is. How she trains has no effect on how I train. Maybe she's faster than me, but can she run long distances like I can? Is she training for a marathon like I am? Is running her main fitness focus like it is mine? I'll probably never know, and once I realized that, I felt liberated and could easily focus on my own run and training.

Every runner is different. Every runner has their strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to stay focused on yourself and what you need to do in order to accomplish your goals.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Blogger turned Vlogger

HEY EVERYONE! I figured the ol' running blog needed some dusting (considering I haven't written in about 3 weeks... >_>), so I wanted to drop by and say hello!

There's a million excuses I could give you for not blogging here, but I'll save you the other 999,999 and give you the only excusable excuse I can think of - I've been logging all of my training on my YouTube channel via vlogging!

I told you guys a while back about my vlog project for the last 16 weeks of training, and I've stuck with it so far! Unfortunately, it's leaving me a little less motivated to utilize this beauty of a running blog, but I'm hoping to change that. I can't let another blog of mind wind up in the internet cemetery for under-utilized websites! :P

To tide you over until I can come up with some fresh material, here's a little training update:

1. I ran the Foam Fest 5K with my parents on the 13th! It was a lot of fun, and is on my to-do list of race reviews, but until then, here's the video!

2. I still have yet to officially register for Hartford (These damn bills acting like they're more important. Pshhhhh) but I'm still training for it like I am. Eventually I'll scrape up the money to get myself a bib, and I'm hoping that's within the next few weeks or so!
3. I'll be honest and admit I've missed a few runs, and in an attempt to make them up, I've totally stressed myself out. Since stressing myself out during this training is the one thing that I want to avoid, I decided to ditch the make-up workouts and stick to the schedule. It feels like the world's been lifted off my shoulders!
Hope you guys haven't missed VStR too much! I'll try to make a better effort of giving this space some love. In the mean time, check out the MaraVLOG playlist on my channel!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

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!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

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

Monday, June 24, 2013

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!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

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!

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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Two Year Anniversary of Racing