Allison (thank God for friends who are willing to make a four hour drive with you) and I drove up on Saturday to pick up my number, enjoy the expo, and drive the race course. Though it was such a loopy and confusing course it took us almost as long to drive it as it did to run it and we didn't even end up driving the entire thing. The weather was rainy and disgusting so everything was flooded and then turned hot and humid.
i decided that it wouldn't matter whether i won or lost as long as i looked good so i bought an AMAZING orange shirt and wore zebra pre-wrap in my hair.
My fueling strategy: no pockets so i safety pinned the gu to my shorts (actually, Allison did it for me)
Race Notes:
- before the race i, as most runners do, had to go to the bathroom very badly. however, the bus we took to the race start got stuck in traffic so by the time we arrived the lines for the port-a-potties were super long. i panicked. nobody wants to run when their stomach hurts, nevertheless 26 miles. i pleaded my case to a girl at the front of the line who let me go. whew! thankfully, my stomach cooperated the rest of the day. within the first four miles of the race i saw numerous people stop on the side of the road to go to the bathroom (including a girl -- gross!).
- i don't really remember too much of the race - just kept putting one foot in front of the other over and over. i tried to pick people i thought were about my pace to kind of run with. i let some girl pace me for the first half but then she dropped off so i was on my own.
- the first 22 miles really weren't bad. however, then it heated up and i started getting tired. at mile 24 there was a 15 mph wind in my face with nobody to draft off of and i pretty much hated life. i swore i would never run again. at mile 25 somebody handed me a cup and as i got it to my lips i realized it was beer, not water and i was not happy.
- once i crossed the finish line i didn't feel horrible anymore, i was just tired. i couldn't really comprehend/compare my results and it was hard to get excited.
Post Race: not the best picture, but the foil blanket makes me an official marathoner.
some stats:
- official time: 3:15:06
- official results: 136th overall (out of 3600), 19th woman, 4th in my age group
- in the last six miles i passed 48 people and 2 passed me
Post race pic with Allison. She is such a trooper - she had to stand the entire time I ran since there was no place to sit due to the rain. But, she did see me four or five times and took some good pictures.
Since I'm a nerd, I'll post my Garmin stats.
no trip to vermont would be complete without a trip to ben and jerry's!
DELICIOUS!!
The four hour drive home super sucked. So much worse than the drive up (side note: I didn't realize how close to Canada we were -- next time I'm taking my passport).
By the time we got back I was pretty positive my hip was broken it was so stiff. It didn't help that I didn't stretch post race cause the ground was soaking wet (but I did walk about three miles).
Lesson learned: next time stay overnight after the race if you go to one that isn't in your town.
But, once the pain wore off on Monday the runner's high set in.
Boston qualifying time is 3:40. My 3:15 not only qualifies me, it enables me to apply for early registration which guarantees me a spot. So, while I may never become a serious marathoner I will definitely be RUNNING BOSTON!!!!
In other news:
1. I have joined a run club at work. They meet Wednesdya mornings and do either a three mile loop or a five mile loop. They are recreational runners so there is no pressure- it is nice to just relax, jog along and socialize. Since I'm lazy I've neglected to get a BSC membership so I can't shower at work yet so I run to the office and then run home after (it's actually faster ro run than to drive).
2. July is ramping up to be a busy month but it is going to be super fun and I'm going to be seeing my family which I'm very excited about. The 11-14th I'll be in Ft. Wayne, Indianna for my very first go-live support. (side note: I'm going to be supporting a Collector Go-Live and am going to be all on my own -- there are others who are going to be in ft. wayne but they will be at other client sites -- eeeekkkk!!!). Most people aren't real thrilled about this assignment, but I will get to see Jon, Brooke, and Braden. WooHoo! Then, Megan is coming to Boston the 19-25th. We are going to go to Mt. Blue State Park in Maine and go camping for a couple days. They have swimming, hiking, biking, kayaking, etc. I haven't been camping since I moved to New England so I am thrilled. The weather should be much cooler than going in Texas and the landscaping will be gorgeous. I ordered a tent which excites me to no end. When Megan flys out on the 25th I'll fly to Ft. Wayne again. After supporting another go-live that week instead of flying back to Boston I'm going to fly to Dallas (thank you Athena for paying to fly you anywhere you want to go at the end of your trip) and stay July 28-August 2nd. I will be doing the Goatneck bike ride in Cleburne on July 30th with my parents. Yippee! My only concern is that it is June and I'm still wearing sweats and a hoodie here in Massachusetts. I'm slightly afraid of the heat in Texas, but I love to be hot so I should be okay.
3. Now that spring is upon us and summer is coming, I'm hoping to switch my food staple from soup to salad. My salad toppings vary depending on what i have on hand, but typical ingredients include: spinach, fruit (either apple, blueberry, or strawberry), beets, mushroom, pepper, edemame or tuna
4. my friend, amber, is a firm believer that you can locate anything you need to know on youtube. i will be testing her theory. i need to change my bike tire (a job previously done by my daddy) so i've bought the supplies but i don't have a clue what i'm doing. i'm pretty positive there is a video to show me how - i just need to find the one for dummies and not an advanced one. and, i really want to attempt to cook artichokes but am terrified of them. i'm hoping a chef has shared their knowledge with the world and can walk me through it step by step.
with the upcoming travels and such i should be taking more pictures so hopefully my posts won't be so few and far between. and if the weather ever becomes nice (i'm not holding my breath on this one) then i'll try to get out and take some pictures of spring here in new england. i'm loving that my new apartment is along the charles. it makes for much more scenic running than route 9 (and much safer!).
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