You never slow down, you never grow old

5.00 miles on the treadmill at 5.7mph

0.25 miles at 7.5mph

Treadmill @ 5.7mph

treadmill @ 5.7mph

River

65.42 minutes

10 mile rollerblade as crosstraining on Nashua River Rail Trail

Day off

Treadmill @ 5.9mph

Treadmill @ 5.9mph

I hope it stops being a monsoon so I can run outside!!

WB volleyball tournament

WC+ volleyball tournament

volleyball league night

Harvard Square home along the Charles to Arsenal 

Harvard Square to H20 S+S

Cambridge Center to Watertown.. via Mass Ave and Mt. Auburn

Tried out the new shoes...my little toes are a bit sore but they don't seem too small... guess we'll have to give them a few more tries

Volleyball league night 2.5 hours

Same run home from work as yesterday, felt a bit sluggish but still got home in just about the same time (based on how far through my playlist I got because my watch died!)

My quads were having none of this run today!  Probably because I forced them to play volleyball Monday night after my run..... sorry guys!  Found a way to avoid all the pedestrian traffic in Harvard Square (and only add 1/4 mile to my run) by cutting down to the river at Central Square... good call, the run is so much nicer without stepping on people who won't get out of the way!!

Today's run = super easy!  Not sure why my body decided to cooperate but I <3 it!  

54.47

Day off!

About 4.5 miles round trip straight up Mt. Monadnock....rock climbing pretty much!  White Dot Trail up and White Cross Trail down.

WB- Tournament @ Emmanuel... got to play OH!!!!

4 mile walk to Russos and back... 

5 mile run during the Marathon with Jenny

another 1 or more mile walk back to home!

Just not feeling the run today.... ended up walking (a nice fast walk!) part of the way... still did 5.25 miles in an hour flat.

Took the day off today, thought I needed it after the crap run yesterday....and threat of thunderstorms!  

Started off horribly slow after a few too many days off.  The good old busted up ankle felt like it was on fire and was shooting those flames all the way up my leg with every step...OUCH!  But then around the halfway point when I wanted to give up I picked it up and cruised home almost a full sprint for the last about 2 minutes

Treadmill at 6.0...stupid wind/rain!

Treadmill @ 6.0mph

Ran from Jenny's house down Beacon St. around the reservoir and back.   Then we had yummy dinner (and margaritas too!) at Sol Azteca!!!  

RCOB- tournament

WC+ tournament...took 2nd place!!  The team started out the day slow but took 1st in pool play, crushed in the semi finals, and was playing pretty tired by the finals at 5pm

Got in a quick run before the Red Sox game!

The weather was horrible when I woke up.... dumping rain, thunder, lightening, wind.... almost wanted to skip the race, but I texted Jenny to see if she still wanted in and she said "Hell yeah I do, a little rain never killed anyone" and we were in the car before 7am on the way to Westport.  It was really cold so we sat in the car for a while before the race but at least it wasn't raining anymore.  The race started and we set off a bit faster than maybe we should have but we settled into our pace pretty quick and as a bunch of people passed us, I told Jenny not to worry, they were going to lose it and we would kick their asses to the finish line (and we did).  The route would have been beautitul, right along the beach most of the way, except that the fog was so heavy you could barely see more than 10ft in front of you.  I was surprised at how good I felt running since I only got in a 4 mile run last week with all the stuff going on... I guess the rest paid off!  Slowly but surely I gained ground on and passed a lot of people, but stayed at a comfortable pace.  Around mile 3.5 I was right behind this girl, just over her shoulder until just after mile 4 when she slowed a bit and I got a few strides ahead of her.  She wasn't having it so she sped up and I maintained my pace, then she would slow down again and I would get a step in front of her and she would speed up again and I'm thinking "going ahead, wear yourself out, I have plenty left for a race to the finish line.  When we turned the final corner and the volunteer said the finish was just over the little hill, I said peace out to the girl (who was still just ahead of me) and sprinted like a rockstar the last 200 meters or so to the finish line and beat her by 15 seconds.  We talked after the race and she said she kicked too soon and I told her I knew she would and had my plan to take advantage of it for over a mile!  Then Jenny and I pounded the pulled pork sandwiches and homemade pickels and went for mani/pedis!!!  I was hoping to keep it under 50 minutes since I typically run 10 minute miles for my 5 mile trips home so I was psyced and shocked to see the 42 when I was flying into the finish!!!!

Volleyball:

Women's BB championships tournament.... lost in the quarter finals....not a good day for the Cougars and Cubs....

volleyball:

league night 7:15 - 11:00 with the old team No Show!

took a much needed day off to rest today!  

Volleyball Scrimmage against Revolutions... 2hrs.

I have had to put running on the back burner for a bit to get ready for Nationals in Phoenix in 2 weeks!!!!!  Can't wait...but the running is going to have to suffer until after June 7.  Played 5 on 6 against the Rev's B and BB team... kicked the B's butts really bad and lost to the BB's only by the 2 points we lost having a ghost player so technically we tied in score and since we only played with 5 people, to me that means we won!  (Ice cream for dinner was probably not the best plan...ooops!)

Volleyball:

Reverse Co-ed B- Championships with Dream Team.

Had a pretty good day with the team, lost a few we should have won, but had some fun anyway.  My shoulder is pretty sore from playing so much and especially with the amount of hitting involved in the RCO..... but other than that, feeling good and so ready to head to Nationals in 2 weeks!!!!

Watertown Track Loop

Almost took today as a day off but at 7:45 I decided I just needed to run some stuff off my mind so I hit the road and did a quick 2 loops around Orchard St. (which involved a few blocks on Waverly where they are investigating that guy who may have sent money to the Times Square bomb attempt!!!) until it got too dark out.  

Did my 6 miles (@6.0mph) today on the treadmill at the gym so I could watch my Celtics take the Magic down..and because of the stupid rain!!  2 more games and it's off to the finals!!!  Woot!!

Day off....trip to Costco for snacks for Phoenix!

Downtown1

Volunteered at the Kendall Square Klean Up after work and picked up trash (mostly cigarette butts...eww!  I hate smokers!!!) and had an awesome BBQ with tons of food and good times with my favorite co-workers.  Then took the 2.2 mile walk really fast in my flip flops carrying all my bags to Jenny's house and went for a run around the Esplanade and Back Bay, perfect running weather!!!!

Ran Nahant beach into Swampscott

USA Volleyball National Tournament Phoenix, AZ

Cougars n' Cubs

3 matches

#1 won in 3 games

#2 lost in 3 games

#3 won in 2 games

USA Volleyball National Tournament Phoenix, AZ

Cougars n' Cubs

2 matches

#1 won in 2 games

#2 won in 2 games

USA Volleyball National Tournament Phoenix, AZ

Cougars n' Cubs

Gold Decision game

lost in 2 games....(which was crap!!) automatic bronze division

USA Volleyball National Tournament Phoenix, AZ

Cougars n' Cubs

Bronze Bracket Semi-finals

lost in 2 games...the team just didn't have it

Drove all the way out to Phillipston where is was pouring rain for the race and ran the 5.5 miler in 50:37 (unofficial).  The route was horrible!  There were a lot of rolling hills which were not bad at all but then at mile 4.5 there was a huge hill that was pretty freaking long then a smaller uphill that stretched on for almost the whole mile until the finish line.  Since I haven't run in about 3 weeks because of volleyball Nationals, it took a lot out of me, but I'm still feeling pretty good.  I am happy with my time considering the hill and lack of training.  I am taking Sunday off to recoup then Monday starts half marathon training!!!!

[43:35] Lost motivation to run home from work but once I got home, had dinner, and watched Jeopardy, I decided to just quit making excuses and get out and get a few miles in and I am glad I did.  Left quad was a bit sore for the first 15 minutes or so and the blisters on the arches of my feet from being so wet on Saturdays race were bothering me, but I set my my mind to my ipod and kept going.  I'm going to try to find the motivation to get a few miles in tomorrow morning (or at the very least run home from work) before meeting up with everyone for the big CELTICS game tomorrow night!!!   BEAT L.A.!!!!!!!!!!

Ick.... not a good run!  Averaged about 10 minute miles when stop lights and my little break for a walk are included.  Didn't feel great, left quad bothering me still....

But on a fun note, got my pic in the Boston Globe for being depressed about the Celtics loss... maybe a better pic Thursday when they BEAT L.A.!!!!

I guess my body was telling me it needed sleep more than a run today!  Had some dinner and was going to digest while watching Jeopardy before I took off for my run, but ended up asleep on the couch before 7pm and didn't wake up until my alarm went off at 6:15am!

[45:00]  Finally decided to get my butt back out there and run.... since I have a 15K in 2 weeks and I haven't really run since getting back from Phoenix!  EEK!!!!  Took it easy, just under 10 minute miles.  

[53.31]  I guess I have gotten this 10 minute mile pace down!  Well I guess it is a bit less since I have to stop at a few lights here and there.  Started the run out feeling like I wasn't going to make it even 2 miles, but then got going and pushed through the 5 feeling pretty good. 

*note to self.... do not eat hand fulls of  trail mix before going out for a run!!

[57:31] Ran home from work today.  Took it pretty slow, did a little walk in the middle for about 4 or 5 minutes because my stupid little backpack was rubbing my shoulder blade raw (bad plan wearing a tank top!) and to try to work the soreness out of my quads.  As soon as I got home, I threw the kayak in the car and took a 7 mile round trip on the Charles River with Dottie.  Had a great time and made it back in just as the sun was going down.  Can't wait to do it again (hopefully without the blister on my finger next time!)

[1:30:34] Can't believe I finished the race! This is the farthest I have run since 2 years ago when Hannah and I did our tour de Boston!  I am so proud of my poor little body!!  If I could do that with no training at all then next year I am going to kick ass!  The most fun race I have ever run!  All the music and the people and the run through showers and all the free stuff....especially the beer!!  I knew I could keep the 10 minute mile pace for 6 miles since I've done it before so I tried to stick to that and hope it could get me the extra miles I've never run before... and it seemed to work!  I felt sluggish and kind of icky at about the 7 mile mark but tried not to think about the 2+ miles I still had to go.  I dumped a bunch of water on my head and used the music on the side of the road to push me to the end.  The last mile or so seemed to take forever but I felt good and sprinted through the finish line to the beer tent!  I am super excited to run this race next year and it made me feel pretty confident that I can do the half marathon in September (though I will actually train for that one).

Much needed rest day!

Scheduled Workout: 5 miles

5.10 miles running on the treadmill at 0.5 incline, mostly at 10mph, sprinted the last 0.10 miles.  Felt pretty good considering the race on Sunday.

Scheduled Workout: 5 miles

5.0 miles on the treadmill at 0.5 incline at 10 min/mile pace with the last 0.15 miles at 7:30 pace

Scheduled Workout: Cross train

Took about an 8 mile kayak trip up the Charles River from Watertown to about Central Square with Erin.  So much fun!

Scheduled Workout:  Rest Day

Scheduled Workout: 6 miles

[1:00:32] Parked the car at Horseneck Beach and ran up through the reservation with Jenny, along East Beach and down Horseneck Road by the farms.  Turned around at just about 30 minutes and ran back to the beach.  It was a bit over 6 miles but I don't have the exact distance so I'm calling it 6.25.  We were soaked in sweat by the time we finished and changed into our bathing suits right in the parking lot, found a space in the sand and went right in the water!  90+ degrees and icky humid again!  Spent the entire day at the beach...and burned my face a little!

Scheduled Workout: 4 miles

 [44:34] Got up early because I knew it was going to be another 90+ degree day with opressive humidity (can't wait for the fall!!) Ran up Mt. Auburn and down Aberdeen and was going to do a loop around Fresh Pond but didn't want to go crazy today so I headed back by way of Greenborough Blvd and ran as far as Target then walked Aresenal St. back home so I wouldn't be too far over the milage for today....and it was getting really hot so I figured it was a good plan.  I hope it cools down a little soon!

Scheduled Workout: Rest Day

8.25 miles on the bike at the gym on level 10 for 30 minutes then lifted arms and lower back.

Scheduled Workout: 5 miles

[55:50] 5.86 miles. 

Mt. Auburn St. to Greenborough Blvd. to Arsenal St. to School St. to Mt. Auburn St. to home

Scheduled Workout: 3 miles

 [29:27] 3.32 miles from intersection of North Beacon and Iriving St. along Charles River Road hook the corner by Oak Square and down Nonantum St. into Watertown Square and back along Charles River Road and end before the big hill back home!

Felt a bit sluggish today, pretty glad it was only a short run, didn't really have the energy.  Quads feeling tired rather than sore.  The thunderstorm I got stuck in on my way home from work let up and got rid of some of the icky humidity, it turned out to be really nice running weather finally!

Playing some vb tomorrow for my cross training with the old team NO SHOW!

Scheduled Workout: Cross train

Played volleyball!!!!  Grass 4's in Newton Center for a little over 2 hours with Jen, Rick, and Ben.  It felt really good to play again, I am going to miss it with this marathon training!  Had some great hits and a few crazy ups and tried to do some work placing the ball instead of just hitting as hard as I can, which also works well.....

Scheduled Workout: Rest Day

[1:19:06] Did Saturday's run Friday, 7 miles around the Charles loop from Beacon St. across the river, up to the MOS and back down the Esplanade back to Jenny's house in the sprinkling rain.  Headed out to dinner at Audobon Circle and had a yummy grilled chicken sandwich with mozzarella and roasted tomatoes!  yummy!!

Scheduled Workout: 7 miles

Took my rest day today and walked around the North End with Kristin and had yummy rice balls and gelato at the festival!

Scheduled Workout: 4 miles

[56:27] Did about 5 miles down the Southwest corridor to Jamaica Plain for bunch at Center Street Cafe.  So hot and sticky out it was like running through a wall.  Jenny and I both felt sluggish and crappy because of the weather.  Downed a ton of water and powerade and scarfed down a yummy chicken sausage omlet!  

Scheduled Workout: Rest day

Scheduled workout: 6 miles

[1:00:30] Nice little run through the other side of Watertown....ran with the map in my sports bra in case I got lost!  Felt really good!!

Scheduled Workout: 3 miles

[40:24] Jenny met me after work and we did a quick loop around the river from the Longfellow to the Mass Ave. bridge. Hit a couple of long lights we had to wait for so that sucked a bit, but hey that's running in the city!  Walked to Inman Square after the run and had yummy chicken tikka masala then walked back to Harvard Square (a bit longer of a walk than I expected!) and grabbed the 71 home.

Scheduled Workout: Cross train

Took the day off for a shopping trip to Costco and to take a look at a possible house to buy!!!

Scheduled Workout: 8 miles

[1:53:37] Accidentally ran 11.8 miles instead of the 8 mile loop we had planned from Crane Beach because it wasn't actually a loop!  Stupid mapmyrun.com!!!

Got Jenny at 7am and were at the beach at 7:55, took of for our run with the map for an 8 mile loop and found out why Labor in Vain road in Ipswich got it's name!  We ran just shy of 6 miles out before realizing the stinkin' road ends at a private estate and doesn't make a loop back to Argilla!!!  Our only option was to turn around and go back the way we came!  I didn't think it was too bad actually, the weather was beautiful for a long run, finally not grossly hot and humid and the beach was at the end waiting for us... how bad can that be??  Spent the rest of the day at the beach then went home and ate about half a box of pasta a most of a bottle of wine and passed out cold around 10pm. Wonderful!

Scheduled Workout: 5 miles

[48:13]  Ran the loop up Mt. Auburn to Greenborough to Arsenal.  Expected to be slow after Saturday's run, but kept a good pace and felt really good.

Scheduled Workout:  Rest day

Have to mix up the schedule for this week because this weekend is the Million Dollar Beach volleyball tournament!!!!!!  Woohoo!!!  Going to get the miles in early in the week, do the long run on Thursday, and then play vb!!!

 Did 45 minute accelerated body sculpting pilates video!

Scheduled Workout: 5 miles

Blah, blah, blah.... I usually cruise through this route, but it just wasn't happening for me today.  Ran the first 3 miles in about 24 minutes then slowed down, took a walk for a bit, ran again, walked for a bit, then ran home.  Just not my day.....

Scheduled Workout: 3 miles

I know I ran this day, just can't remember it at all!

Scheduled Workout: 10 miles (did last weekend)

Million Dollar Beach 4x4 volleyball tournament!  This is my favorite weekend of the summer!  Had such a blast playing with Stacy, Emily, and Hillary!  Team Dirty Ballz rocked!  Feeling a bit sore from finding my volleyball muscles again but I'm ready to get back on the road running on Monday!

[43:30] Met Jenny for a run along the river after work.  It was so hot and muggy out again!  

Scheduled Workout: 5 miles (switched with yesterday)

[1:13:01] Had a great run today, felt good from start to finish!

Scheduled Workout: Cross train

[48:13] 5.4 miles around work before dinner with the Nottinghill group! Wanted to get in another quick run before the race Saturday.

Can't believe I finished as fast as I did considering my legs felt like lead the whole way and I just wanted to quit. 

Mile 1: 7:17

Overall Pace: 7:46

[1:30:10] 10 mile run on the Nashua Rail Trail.  I was only supposed to do 8 miles today, but since my legs didn't feel like crap like during the race yesterday, I kept going for 10.  Perfect weather for running!  Forgot my watch but figured out how to use my ipod stopwatch.  Met up with Aunt Sandy after her bike ride and spent a day with the cousins before they head back to college!!!  Oh my god, I'm getting old!!!

My right leg feels like it is going to fall off!  Started my run and it was bothering me pretty bad but I figured once I got going it would feel better.... WRONG!  Before I even hit a mile I was limping while I was running and I could tell I was going to hurt myself more so I quick looped back home.  Going to try to get in a good stretch tonight before heading out with Jenny on an 8 mile run....

[1:33:27] Decided to go on my run with Jenny even though my right leg still feels like crap from the knee right up to my hip.  Had a nice loop around Fresh Pond (that I thought I was going to die before I finished) and was craving a Sprite the whole way.  My quads felt like they were in a constant state of flexion and it was really tiring them out so at about 6 miles we walked for about 5 minutes and it gave me the push to finish.  We only planned on 8 miles but oops I took us down the wrong street on the way home and it turned out to be over 9.5......I chugged 3 glasses of gatorade and 2 more of water and made my famous garlic pasta for dinner (Jenny found room for 3 bowls but my appetite hasn't been much lately so I didn't quite make it through a whole bowl.)  Going to take tomorrow off to try to rest the leg a bit more before the 10 miles Saturday on the Cape!!!

day off to rest the busted leg!

=(   another day off to rest the leg....

[1:30:01] Did my 10 miles after taking 2 days off to rest my stupid leg that still hurts!  The run was great though, the leg doesn't bother me when I am running, only when walking or after sitting...this is so stupid!  Anyway the run was beautiful along the Shining Sea Bike Path in Falmouth on a beautiful day!!!  A good chunk of it was along the ocean and I was trying to catch a glimpse of the Obamas across Vineyard Sound..... ok not really, being on the Vineyard when the Clintons vacationed there was bad enough!!  It was starting to get pretty hot when I got back to the beach part on the way back and with no shade in sight, the last 2 miles were brutal!!!  But I finished up and met Kara at MBL and played with the sharks and turtles and squid and things then went down to the beach for some fun in the sun!!!

Took the day off to hang out with Kara on the Cape before I had to leave... will make up the 5 miles on my rest day Monday....

Went for a run in the horrible wind and rain and really wish I didn't.  My leg is getting really bad now and I am planning to call the doctor.  It is getting worse by the day. I hate that I can't run.

....headed to the orthopedic guy today for x-rays and an eval...... damn it!

So it's a Sartorius tear....most likely.  Good news it isn't a ligament tear, bad new is the Dr. says no to the half marathon (I don't agree yet) and that "someone who has had this injury ever in their life should highly consider never running a marathon".........SCREW THAT!!! 

Rest

Rest

Rest

still not running...boo!  looks like I should be able to try out the bike by the middle of the week though...

Gonna try to start running again tomorrow!  So psyched!!!  Just have to be careful not to try to run forever, I have a ton of miles backed up in these legs!!

Such a beautiful day for a hike, I couldn't pass it up!  Took Ethan and went up to NH and hiked the 5.5 mile Mt. Cardigan & Firescrew loop.  It was absolutely amazing!!  A little bit sore in the good old screwed up muscle, but I'm going to do some good stretching tonight and hopefully run tomorrow.

Finally got to run again today!!!!!!  I almost didn't do go (I think the depression of not running for almost 3 weeks really got to me) but once I got out there and started going, man did it feel good!  I felt everything just drift away and all I was thinking about was every time my foot hit the road.  The leg felt pretty good while I was running, though it did hurt a bit after but mostly just sore, not the stabbing pains that it was.  I know the doctor said just do a 1/4 mile then take a day off then do it again then day off then up it to 1/2 a mile and so on...but I couldn't do it.  A 1/4 mile seems pointless, I did 3.4 and could have done more but didn't want to push it too much.  I am running the stinking 1/2 marathon in 2 weeks no matter what!!!!

[28:23]  8.24 pace

[51:36]  9.22 avg. pace

Felt like I was carrying an extra 500 pounds on the first half of the run, then took a little break and walked 4 minutes, then it only felt like an extra 200 pounds.  Hope tomorrow goes better.

45 minutes of P90X yoga!  amazing first attempt at yoga!

ran 5 miles at 9:13 pace on the treadmill (icky crappy rainy and dark out...boo!)  felt alright running but got bored pretty quick.... held on for the 5 miles but had to get outta there.  hopefully this weekend will be better running!  the leg still aches a bit but really feels so much better from just that one day of yoga... going to try it again tomorrow.

10 miles @ 9.03 pace

Did a great loop up to and around Fresh Pond, back through Cambridge, into Belmont, and back to Watertown.  Pretty psyched at the pace especially because it includes the 3 or so minutes that I took a mental break to walk right around mile 6 because I knew I was going to quit early if I didn't take a break.  Last long run before the 1/2!!!!!

Quick little run today after the longish one yesterday.  Trying not to do too much on the bum leg before the race Saturday.

Average pace 8.09

Finished my first half marathon!  A little nervous/excited Friday so I didn't get much sleep, but felt pretty good during the race!  I wanted to finish under 2 hours but considering my injury, the lack of miles over the past month because of the injury, the wicked humidity, there being a lot more hills than I was expecting and because it was the first time I've ever run that far, I think I did pretty well!  There were certainly not enough water stations on the course so I felt a bit groggy towards the end but when I saw the 13 mile marker I just had to hold in there, 3 people got ahead of me in that last bit and I was not happy about it, so somewhere deep down I found the strength to sprint my little heart out and cross the finish line before all three of them! HA!  After running this I am a bit nervous how I am ever going to finish a marathon, but well I'm just going to have to do it!!!!  

Average Pace:  9.28

took about a 30 minute walk to/from the grocery store because I was craving spaghetti squash with pesto, tomatoes, and cheese!  My legs feel totally fine today, and other than being super tired and sleeping a lot, I feel great after the 1/2.....

Had to run on the treadmill today because of the monsoon outside!  Did 5.5 miles at 9:13 pace before the treadmill said "user not detected" and turned off on me.  I decided that was a good time to quit because I didn't feel like starting it back up again.  Did an arms lifting circuit.  I had a physical today and have a perfect bill of health and the doctor says it's a go for marathon training as long as the hip pain doesn't get worse!  Woohoo!!!

Just not a running day for me today.

A little over 2 miles was all I could muster the energy for.  =(

[47:16] 9.50 pace...except that we got stuck at a lot of traffic lights along the river so it wasn't really THAT slow.....

Took a slow run tonight in the rain with Jenny to get the blood flowing and the legs moving again!  Went pretty well other than the fact that it was dark and rainy and we had a super yummy pasta dinner and apple crisp!!!!

7.05 miles in 1:06:27   9.26 avg. pace

The run was alright, trying to get bacon on track after the half marathon because I have been busy and lazy when it comes to running this past week.  I'm going to try to really get on the training schedule now.  Felt a little slow and tired and dehydrated today but the breeze was nice on such a warm fall day. 

Followed up the run with Jenny with a yummy homemade breakfast pizza with bbq ribs from red bones and eggs and bacon and sweet onions.... I love this run and eat schedule!

5.1 miles in 45:31  average pace 8:55  (walked for 2 minutes around 4 miles for a mental break)

Beautiful fall day in New England, perfect for a run out by the river!  5 miles today felt more like 50, but I got though it and now I'm jumping in the shower and getting ready for Fanny and Hollan's wedding!!!  Yippie!!!

What a perfect day for a hike!!!  Got up early after Fanny and Hollan's wedding (yippie!!) and drove up to the White Mountains in NH and climbed the 4.6 miles up to the summit of Mt. Chocorua.  It was moderately difficult  and ended in some serious rock climbing to the summit!  We had so much fun and could see all the fall colors for hundreds and hundreds of miles, the view was insane!!  Got an extra bit of a workout carrying up all my layers and layers of warm clothes because I expected it to be freezing but it was such a wonderfully warm and sunny day that it all just stayed in my pack. 

Walked/run on the bike trail with Jane in the running stroller..... running didn't work that well, had to keep stopping because the little one was hungry then she needed water then she was cold then she was hot then she wanted to walk.  So didn't really get my run in, but I had a blast with my little Bubsy!

5 miles at 9:31 pace on the TM.... still having trouble breathing though all this snot!

Happy Birthday race!!!  It was freezing with the super cold winds but so beautiful to see the beach through all the pretty houses!  Felt like I was running pretty slow, but I guess it wasn't too bad.  Jenny and I finished in a tie, but they gave her the earlier finish..... so technically we tied for 3rd in the age division!  I wish the finish line wasn't hidden behind a building because I had no idea how close we were so I didn't get my sprint to the finish in but hey I think I did really well for being sick!!

mile times shouted out as I remember them:

Mile 1: 8:00

Mile 2: 16:27

Mile 3:  ??

Mile 4: 34:00

Finish: 42:33

6.85 miles in 1:11:25  [10:25 pace]

eek!  that's slow!  bunch of long traffic lights and a quick stop at the water fountain included in there (always forget to stop my watch), but that's my only excuse!

Crappy treadmill run at the gym.  Wasn't feeling it.....

9.5 miles total

8.25 in 1:14:54.....9.04 pace

It is days like today that I suffer through the New England winters for!  What a perfect day for a run!  A little chill in the air, colorful leaves like confetti on the ground, people and their dogs out enjoying the beautiful sunshine at Fresh Pond!  Awesome day, awesome run! 

Another beautiful run today!!  I went to visit Kara on the Cape for a Halloween movie night last night and got to do my run today on the beach!  I love the Cape so much more in the fall when all the tourists are gone and the beach is quiet!  It was a bit windy down on the sand (ok more than a bit, my lips were actually blowing sideways making it hard to breathe) and the tide was coming in so there were a few spots where I just had to suck it up and run right through the water that was up to my ankles (surprisingly not as cold as I expected).  Finished off the run with about 2.5 miles on the road looking at all the pretty little empty for the season houses (including Boyd Tinsley's from DMB!!) to dry out my shoes....which I then left on Kara's front steps and only realized when I was back in Boston.....good thing they were my secondary pair!

6.0 miles in 1:00:46

Slow loop through the neighborhoods with Jenny then homemade channa masala and naan for dinner!!!

5.4 miles in 47:16.........8:45 average pace

It was crappy rainy out today and dark by the time I got home from work.  Instead of using those as excuses to skip my run, I decided to go pound out a few miles on the treadmill at the gym.  I get in my car and pull out of the driveway and hit the brakes at the stop sign and my foot goes to the floor.....NO BRAKES!!!!  Panicking, I back the car right back into the driveway and decide that is an excuse to skip the gym anyway....  Switching my day off tomorrow for today...

Ran 4.5 miles at 6.5 on the treadmill at work during my lunch break to make up for not getting a run in yesterday.  Hopefully someone can pick me up for the volleyball tournament tomorrow because I am scared to take my car!

No miles today but I played the Reverse Co-ed B- volleyball tournament and had an awesome time!  This is probably the one part about marathon training that kills me, I don't get to play volleyball!  I haven't played in a while so it was ok but as soon as I got out on the court today and starting pounding balls and blocking the crap out of everyone, I remembered how much I love that damn sport!  Gonna play again.... can't stay away!  I'll fit the miles in somehow!

8:18 average pace.....

5th in age group

14th female

67th overall (out of 326)

So here are my excuses for such a crappy time:

1.  I played an 8 game RCOB- volleyball tournament yesterday after not playing for 5 months and as primary hitter and blocker, I jumped about 4,000 times and had to run from the server's spot up to block every time.  I couldn't even walk this morning my legs are killing me! not to mention my abs, lower back, right shoulder, and neck.  The fact that I even made it from bed to the bathroom this morning was a miracle.

2.  The entire first mile of the damn race was short steep uphills, I considered quitting around .75 miles in and just walking home.

3.  Daylight savings time.... probably didn't actually effect my run but I just need to blame it for something other than it being dark at 4:30!

4.  It was 33 degrees out and windy at start time and my teeth were chattering at the starting line.

5.  I have nothing else but I just feel like complaining!

I did however win a $50 gift card to Awol Boston (never heard of it!) and I took enough fruit to pack for breakfast for work for the week!

Filled in for volleyball league night and had some great blocks and kills... I was pretty psyched considering I could barely walk during the day because my legs were so sore from playing on Saturday then racing Sunday!  Played 5 28 minute games.....

6.5 miles in 1:06:46  AP 10:16*

Took the 57 over to Jenny's house since I haven't gotten my brakes fixed yet and we ran 6.5 miles along the river in the misty rain.  *Jenny slipped on a hunk of tree and we walked it off for a few minutes so the average pace isn't really correct.....

After we ran we had beetza which is my new favorite thing on the planet.  Take pizza dough, brush lightly with olive oil, smear on a head or two of roasted garlic, then add slices of pre-roasted beets (we used golden beets this time), grate on a little bit of mozzarella cheese, little bit of salt and pepper and bake..... SO GOOD!!!!

5.4 miles in 48:08   AP  8:55

Had to wait to run after work today because of a stupid training session that wasted an hour and a half when I should have been running!  The sun was just setting at 4:45 (GROSS!!) when I got out and by the time I was about a mile and a half into the run it was dark and hard to see.... right at about 5 miles I must have tripped over something (I couldn't see a thing by that point) because I took a good spill but luckily using my volleyball skills I was able to roll right out of the fall over my shoulder and get right back up and keep on trucking.  Only a little scrape on my knee and on the palms of my hands....

Psyched for the day off tomorrow to hike Greylock!!!

Another beautiful day for a hike!  Headed to Mt. Greylock....the highest point in MA.... and hiked the Cheshire Harbor Trail to the war memorial at the summit then hiked back down on the Gould Trail.  Perfect hiking weather, endless views, a bit of snow at the top and an awesome cross training day!!!

did (most of) P90-X yoga..... that video kicked my butt!!  I'm just not a yoga person!

Big loop from Cambridgeport to JP and back through the Back Bay, down the Southwest Corridor through JP and back home from cinnamon raisin french toast and veggie sausage!!  Felt great the whole time and if I didn't know breakfast was waiting at home I could have run for days!

Switched my rest day to today because Kara was in town.  Hung out in the North End then went shopping for warm winter spandex (it's beautiful out now but I know that snow is coming soon!) and a hydration belt and a foam roller....oh and some cute heels!  

6.25 miles in 54:04  AP  8:39

Didn't think I was going faster than maybe a 9:30 pace, but I guess I was!  Nice little run along the river during my lunch break.... now it's back to quality gels and PCRs....

5 Miles in 42:40

AP  8:32

Longfellow Bridge to Charles St.

around the Public Garden

down Comm. Ave.

over Mass Ave. bridge

along the river on Memorial

back up Broadway to Ames

5 miles on the treadmill  8:57 pace

5 miles in 41:58  AP  8:24

Hi Mark.... 

day off!

WB tournament @ MIT

6.30 miles in 54:00  [8:34 AP]

Played league volleyball 4 x 28 minute games

5.15 miles in 43:24  [8:26 AP]

Took the day off from running because of the race tomorrow, but I did end up speed walking about 4-5 miles around the city going shopping because I got out of work early for the holiday.  Booked it to the North End to grab a panino and cannoli then back to The Garden to see my CELTICS (just barely) beat the Nets!!

Salem Wild Turkey 5 miler

gun time:  40:35 (took a good bit to get to the start line with almost 1400 people so I am thinking I was damn close to my goal of breaking 40:00 especially battling all the wind off the ocean!)

283 out of 1358 overall

86 out of 752 females

19 out of 100 females age 25-29

I was really psyched I felt great the whole race (other than freezing to death!) I held right at 8 minutes per mile the whole way and didn't slow down like I usually do for the 2nd two miles!  After the race I felt like I could have run faster but I was happier to be able to stick to a pace and sprint super fast past 11 people in the last 100 yards or so!  Such a fun race!!

10.25 miles in 1:34:52  [AP  9:15] on the bike trail..... turns out my ipod battery only lasts 9 miles....eek! 

5 miles in 41:25  [AP 8:17] 

Felt slow and crappy (guess it wasn't really that slow afterall...) but I'm glad I did it.  Running at lunch time makes the work day go by so much faster!!

I'm a little bit mad at myself for not getting my short runs in during the week but I was just so sick and because of that wasn't getting any sleep and just barely making it through the work day...it sucked!  Did my 14 mile training run with Jenny on the Minuteman Bikeway from Cambridge up into Lexington.  Felt really pretty good until about 11 miles...I think it is because that is where the end of the trail was but it was still 3 miles home from there so mentally I think I checked out there because in my brain it was like the end so the last 3 miles were pretty crappy and my knees were sore but we finished and I am really proud at what my non-runner self has accomplished so far!!  

Played in a WB- volleyball tournament at Johnson & Wales Univ. today with a few girls from the old UMD team.  Had so much fun with them!  Played 9 matches total and somehow only went 5-4....but we played really well!  I was surprised that I played as well as I did and wasn't even sore from the long run yesterday!  This is the last time I'll play volleyball until after the marathon (assuming I can still walk after it)   =(

4.0 miles on the treadmill on my lunch break

First 3 miles at 6.5 mph  (9:14 pace)

Last mile at 7.2 mph  (8:20 pace)

Getting my new sneakers tonight!!!!!  Psyched to be done with the Asics....

Tried out the new shoes (Brooks Defyance 3) on the treadmill at the gym because it is FREEZING outside!  

Mile 1:  6.5 mph (9:14 pace)

Miles 2-5:  7.0 mph (8:34 pace)

then walked 0.5 miles at 10% incline  then 0% incline both at 3.4 mph

I don't think I like the new shoes..... crap!  When will I ever find a pair I like?  Good thing Marathon Sports has a 2 week return policy on shoes they fit for you!  I don't know why I have had better luck just grabbing shoes off the clearance rack at the Adidas outlet than when I go have them fitted.... The Brooks make me feel like I am running on the very outsides of my feet and it hurts the inside and backs of my knees and the outside of my foot near the joint of my baby toe.  I am going to give them another shot tomorrow but then I'm bringing them back.  I am going to do some serious internet searching on shoe fit because for some reason this is not working for me

smidge over 16 miles on the Minuteman trail with Jenny.... felt really good!

16.3 miles in 2:34:37  [9:29 pace!!!!  holy crap!]

5.0 on treadmill

mile 1: 7.0 mph

miles 2&3:  7.2 mph

miles 4&5:  7.0 mph

6.5 miles on the treadmill in 55:43 [8:34 pace]

My new shoes came in the mail today!!!!  I don't know why I ever switched from Adidas, they just fit me the best.  Twice I went to Marathon Sports and got fitted for sneakers and both times they didn't feel right and made me feel like I was running way on the outside of my feet which bothered my knees and now that I'm back to Adidas all is right with my world again!!  And it is nice to have women's shoes again because stores never stock my size and I get stuck with men's...annoying!!

3.0 miles on the treadmill at 8:31 pace

18 miles in 2:52:32 [9:35 AP]

It was absolutely freezing this morning when we headed to the Nashua River Rail Trail!  Warmed up fairly quickly and ran our butts off....we went just shy of the New Hampshire border (which we will hit in 3 weeks)  Had 2 gu gummy things and some gatorade at mile 9 then half a packet of gu (which I have decided is like eating flavored neosporin)  at mile 13 and actually felt really good right to the finish.  I was ready to be done when I saw the end but I still felt strong.  Headed over to visit Aunt Sandy, Uncle Bob, and Erica for calzones, veggie chili, and yummy desserts!  Now I am headed to bed early hoping to get enough rest before my volleyball tournament all day tomorrow.... eek!

So I figured no big deal, I can play a women's B- volleyball tournament after running 18 miles yesterday...turns out after getting painfully beaten in the first 2 games, we won the next 6 and end up taking 2nd place in pool play.  So of course we take the semi-finals to 3 hard fought games then have only a 5 minute break until the finals...against the only team that beat us.  We lost the first game in a pretty tight match then managed to win the second game (with about zero energy left) so we are forced to a third game to 15 points, win by 2, no cap.  We were up a few points to start but then they caught up and and we played back and forth points until we finally pulled it out to a 20-18 win!!!!!!!  I have no idea how I found the energy to play, especially middle position and hope I don't fall over dead!

5.0 on the treadmill in 42:52 [ 8:34 pace]

Finally got in a run after my intense long run/ volleyball tournament weekend that had me sleeping a wicked lot this week!  My left hip and quad is still pretty tight but I spent some extra time stretching yesterday so hopefully that helps.....

Today's run was miserable.  Mentally, Jenny and I were so not into the run then there was tons of ice on the Minuteman trail so we decided to get off the trail and run the sidewalks because at least most of them had been cleared so we just ran around and around and around until we hit 3:10:13 and figured that had to be 20 miles....(it was really close when I Gmaped it.... it was only shy a little).  We just had a crap run and we both knew it and were glad it was over...

Wanted to run today but I spent most of the day digging out Mom's house from the almost 2 feet of snow that fell!!!  There was no running outside (I was barely able to even get out the door the snow was piled so high) and certainly no driving to a treadmill since the street didn't get plowed until way too late.... oh well....

I was just getting ready to head to the gym to go for a run when I got a call to see if I could sub tonight..... so obviously I went and played 3 hours of volleyball instead!  damn it I need to learn to say no, I have to run tonight!!

6 miles on the treadmill 53:32

first 2 at 8:34 pace

last 4 at 9:04 pace

5 miles on the treadmill at 8:34 pace then did the last mile on 10.0 incline at a quick hiking pace

woke up and put my running clothes on before I even completely opened my eyes....I knew I had to go early if I was going to get myself to run today!  

Happy New Year!!!