School's out!

Today was the last day of school.  I know it seems late, but that was mostly due to all the hurricane and snow days we had.  Even though sometimes it seemed like this day would never come, but FINALLY it has arrived.  The school is packed up, the building is ready to be closed, and more importantly, I made it through my first year as a math teacher.  If you know me and math, you  know that's a huge deal.  Don't worry though, I have tutoring for 6 weeks, so I won't be hanging out bored all summer.  However, I'll still have plenty of time to run.
Speaking of running, I had a top heavy week this time.  Sunday I went for a run/walk with my cousin around the Wakefield Lake.  It was supposed to be 6 miles, but there was a bit of a misunderstanding in the pacing situation.  I did 3 miles at a regular pace and sprints, and then walked the rest of the lake plus a second lap.  Monday night was a 10K Weiner Run in Hamilton.  (They have free hot dogs after the run, it's nothing creepy) Originally I wasn't going to attend but after my failed run on Sunday I decided to go for it.  When the run started it was mostly just hot.  The route itself was nice and I had a pretty good pace going for a while.  Then the clouds rolled in and the skies opened up.  Seriously.  At that point (mile 4ish) I stopped with Cynthia to wait for her sister to catch up.  We spent the last 2 miles running in a giant thunderstorm.  I wish I was exaggerating.  There was lightening, thunder, torrential downpour, and hail.  The streets were rivers and we were soaked.  By the time we got back to the start, the temperature had gone from 90 down to 70.  I won't lie though, it was nice for the most part.  Anything to take away the ridiculous humidity is fine with me.
Wednesday was, of course, the Lynn Woods run.  For a while it was looking like we might have a repeat of Monday with the rain coming through.  We got lucky though and it stopped raining around 6 p.m., just in time for our 6:30 start.  Sadly we didn't get to run the long run again this week, due to timing issues.  I'm hoping that next week we'll get back on to the long run.  2.5 doesn't seem like enough anymore.  The woods were muddy and wet, but the run wasn't terrible.  My time was basically the same as last week, but I'm hoping to improve that a bit in the next few weeks.
Since I had a weird running week, I decided to break out my bike today.  Now, I have a cute little beach cruiser, but it's not the best for actual hardcore biking.  (Seriously though, it's super cute.  Totally worth owning.)  Wait, I think I actually have a picture of it.... After further investigation, my app is disconnected at the moment, so you'll have to wait on that.  Anyways, I took the bike to the beach, which was quite a feat, considering I had to shove it in the back of my VW Rabbit.  But I managed, and had a nice little ride up and down the beach.  Altogether I went 5.6 miles, not bad at all, especially helpful since it was almost all flat.  My bike is not so great with hills.  As in, can't make it up them.  So, there you go.  That's been my week.  I'm hoping now that schools out and I'll have more time during the days I can get some more runs in, maybe a few longer runs.  We'll see how that goes.  Oh and I think I found the picture of my bike.  Enjoy!

See, told you it was cute!

Running late

Hahahaha oh me.
Sorry.  I'm normal now.  Yesterday was another Lynn Woods run.  I was supposed to run the long run which was 7.7 miles.  We even got 3 more people to join us this week, so it was going to be tons of fun.  And then, my running buddy was late.  I know I could've gone without her and done the 7.7 by myself, but I just didn't want too.  Probably because I ate 9 or 10 homemade rice krispie treats over the course of the day, but really, it could've been anything.  So we ended up doing the short run instead.  And I do mean short.  2.5 miles.  I think that's the shortest I've run in months.  So now I need to go out and run another middle of the road mile race.  I was really hoping to have my runs out of the way by Wednesday night, so that's a little bit of a bummer.  The problem isn't really the running so much as it is there's no where good to run.  I'm sick of driving places to run the routes.  At the same time, there's absolutely no where good to run in this neighborhood.  I would like to find a nice new quiet route that's not a 20 minute drive.  It would be easier to go for a run if I could just go outside and do it.  Really, it's just one of those weeks.  I just don't really want to go for runs at all.  It's nice out, but it's also hot, which makes the idea of sweating and taking 16 showers a day unappealing.
Alright, there's really nothing going on here, I'm out.

End of the (school) year madness

If it wasn't for all those snow/hurricane days, tomorrow would be the last day of school!  Alas, instead, we are working until next Thursday.  I'm not sure which is worse, knowing that we would've been out of school tomorrow but still having to come in to pack up, or being in school and having to pack up the entire school before next Thursday.  So far we've gotten as far as wrapping up bookshelves in plastic wrap and turning in the handbooks/emergency procedures from September.  What I'm saying is, there's still a ton of work to do and a very small window of time left to do it.  Most of the craziness of the end of the year is what has been keeping me from updating you on my exciting running life.
Let's see.  The Lynn Woods run on Wednesday was ok but it was quite muddy in some places.  I'm a little nervous about this week, because there are scattered thunderstorms and just regular rain storms rolling through the state for the next two days.  Mud and rocks don't mix well when you're trying to run.  Plus it's a 7.7 mile run.  There's also an option to arrive at 6 and do a 12 - 13 miler, but I'm not ready for that kind of trail running yet.
However, running the woods has helped improve my flat ground running time.  On Friday I went for a 3 miler around Wakefield Lake and had my best time ever.  I did my first mile in 7:03! My second and third miles were done in 8:03, so clearly I started off a little TOO fast.  I still did 3 miles in 23 minutes and some seconds.  Not bad, especially for running alone.  Now if only I can slow down my first mile by 30 seconds, I can make my overall time even a little bit less.
Yesterday I did the Lazy Lobster virtual 10 mile for My Team Triumph.  My Team Triumph is a charity group that raises money to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in events such as running.  Perhaps the most famous example is the Hoyt family.  The father runs the Boston Marathon every year, pushing his adult son in a type of stroller.  I found out about the race through Morty's mom, and of course I had to sign up.  The best part was that it was virtual, so I was able to run the 10 miles around me, instead of trying to make it to Wareham on the day of the race.  The people that set up the race even sent the race t-shirt and finisher medal to all virtual participants.  It was pretty awesome.  My time for the 10 miles wasn't that great, 1:40, but I know it could've been better.  The people I was running with had to stop a couple of times and since I wasn't entirely sure of where I was going, I couldn't keep my pace and leave them behind, so I slowed down a bit a few times. Even slowing down, it wasn't a terrible pace, I just know I can do better.
So, there you go, that's my recap.  Maybe I'll go for a run tomorrow if I can find time between rainstorms.  I'll leave you with some pictures of a rainbow, just because I can.

Lynn Woods Running club

I joined it.  Apparently, this thing has been around since the 90s.  Not that I was super into running in the 90s.  I mean, I was on the track team in high school, but if we're being realistic, that was the LATE, (LATE) 90s.  Almost the 00s.  So there's a 99% chance that I wouldn't have joined the club then anyways.  Nor would I have joined in 2003 - 2013.  Let's be serious here.  I barely even wanted to go running when I signed up for the Jingle Bell Run last December.  Now let's be really serious, I still barely want to go running, but sometimes I just force myself to do it so I feel like I'm getting some sort of exercise.  However, I do think it's a pretty cool idea.  I almost wish I had thought to start a running club of my own.  Sure, there'd only be about 3 people in it, and sure, I'd have no official timing, but it would've been smart.  Since I did NOT start my own running club though, it's nice to have one that's so close to me.  (Until I buy a new house and it is no longer close to me.  That'll happen in the next year, I swear.)
Last week was the second week, of the who knows how many years, of this season.  I missed the first week due to an event that I have now completely forgotten about, so I'm sure it was super important.  But last week I went and signed up, becoming runner 1280 in the club. There are three different courses, a jr. run, a short run, and a long run.  Jr. is for brand new runners and kids, short is for those who aren't quite ready for the long, and then, obviously, the long run is for people like me, who like to go on long runs.  The mileage for each run varies every week, but it doesn't seem so bad.  Last week it was 5.7, this week I believe it's 5.5, and then next week is 7.7.  Even though it's in the woods and it was just a straight line from one gate to the other, and back, the run wasn't too bad.  It's always nicer to go for a run when there are other people out, especially other people that are also mad at the hills for being so hilly.  At the end of the run last week, my time came in around 54 minutes.  Not too shabby for the first woods run in months.  Plus, on Monday when I went for another long run, not in the woods and on mostly flat roads, I ran 5.6 in 49 minutes.  Boom.  Shaved off 5 minutes already.  So, there's another run tomorrow, hopefully I can make my run a little shorter, a little closer to my time from yesterday, not my time from last week.  We'll see I suppose.

Will Run for Beer - FIN

Well we finally finished the race series last Sunday.   This series has been going on for so long that it's strange to not have another run expected.  Overall the races were fun but I don't think I'll be signing up again next year.  Spending the money on each race was too much, in my opinion, so it was a one time thing for me.  I know some people do it every year but that's not going to be me.  In fact, I've decided to cut back on all my sanctioned race events.  I hate to sound greedy, but I'd rather have the money.
You might have noticed that I said that the series was fun overall.  There were a couple of races in less than ideal weather, the last one being this race on Sunday.  It was almost 90 degrees and the race didn't start until 11 a.m. which was a bad combination.  Everyone was immediately pouring sweat, even just walking to the start line.  I had the foresight to bring my running water bottle, even though it was only 3.7 miles, but a lot of people were just out to run.  With only one water stop, mega-heat, and little shade, I'm surprised there weren't more medical emergencies.  Unfortunately the heat combined with the rolling hills made the course pretty miserable.  I finished at 35:30, which is an awful time, considering my recent 5K times.  I also saw a ton of people walking, which you never see. That included people up towards the front of the race, where it's usually the super fast elite runners.
Right after the finish line there was a sprinkler set up, which felt awesome, and there was a barbeque feast, with of course, free beer.  They also had a live band.  So, the after-party was fun, but running the race was not.  We even had some friends come up to watch the last race, which we all appreciated.  Thanks ladies!  So, I made it through the series and got my jacket.  Mission accomplished.
I've decided that summer time is the best time to give up paying for races, because there are a ton racing clubs running timed races for free.  Tonight I'm going to check out the Lynn Woods running club, which offers three different courses, all timed.  There's a short race, under 2 miles, an almost 5K, and a long run which happens to be 5.5 this week.  I think it will be fun to try something new and run with a group of people for free.  Plus, the races are timed and you get a bib number and everything.  It's the joy of a sanctioned run with none of the expense. Along with this, there's a running club in Beverly that does 5Ks.  One meets on Monday and one on Thursday.  I think it will be fun to run with more people and check out new routes.

Pre-race

During the race: that's me in the white and blue

Post-race

Post-race: that's not all sweat, some of it's water

Free Smuttynose!

All the ladies, cheerleaders included!

Race jackets, with a spot for Jenna.