My legs, my poor little legs

They're sore.  I don't know. That's it really.  Ran a 10K on Saturday, mostly hills, because Gloucester, calves have been sore ever since.  Welcome to running.  I tried stretching, foam rolling, shakeout runs, more working out even, but still, they fire on.  I guess this is my life now.  Oh well.  But for real. I bought new shoes to see if I could eliminate the blister problem that my good old Hoka's were causing.  Plus, I found a New Balance warehouse that was close to the house and was having a 30% off everything sale, so why not?  I wore those lovely new shoes for the 10K and surprise, got a blister.  Then in a moment of clarity, I realized that I could feel the insole back under my toes, which is not where it belongs.  After the race I looked at the shoes and the insoles had slid way back leaving a nice little gap of at least 6 inches.  So I deduced that the blister problem isn't actually from the sneakers, but from the insole sliding around.  As a crafty person I figured a quick fix would be some super glue, so I got some, glued those suckers down, and 4 days later went for another run.  I used the same shoes, took them for 8 miles on the Battle Road just to see how well the glue held up.  Seems to have done a decent job, no blisters in sight. Sadly, I think the Battle Road causes my knee to hurt, something about whatever it's made out of, so that after 4.5 there was a mix of walk/running again.  Which is too bad because up until that point, I was actually doing well on this run, making good time and not being too hot, which is a change from the usual.  But now according to science, the heat dome is coming, so it's back to turtle pace I guess.  Well, turtle pace for me anyways.


Let's see, nothing else really happening here.  I did not run the woods yesterday because we took a day trip to White Lake instead.  Next week is my camping week, so I probably won't be running the woods then either, but that's to be determined.  We have tickets to see the Impractical Jokers next Thursday night, so I haven't decided if I'm going to come home Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.  Depends on the weather up there I suppose.  Other than that I've just been reading and coming up with ideas for crafts that I'm not actually making.  Oh yea, a groundhog ate all of my pumpkin and watermelon plants that were just starting to flower, so I'm kind of mad about that.  I just wanted to have a few nice plants.  Now I'll have to wait until next Spring AND make sure I get some chicken wire to keep the things out.   Although I read that groundhogs will chew through wood and wire too, so who knows if that's actually the solution.  For now I'm just going to be annoyed about it anyways.

Ok, done with that.  Here are your pictures for the week.

Woods run from last week.  Temperature provided for your entertainment.

Obama Face Swap.  Obama now looks like Kenny. 

Ohh hey new shoes.  

10K start

10K finish

Cousin face swap.  These are the only pictures I have right now, sorry!

It's not how you start the race, it's how you finish it

As the end of the year approaches, now is a good time to reflect on my year in running.  Last December, around this date, I decided to embark on a new journey.  Unlike many others, I didn't have a real reason for this journey.  There was no major life change that I was trying to get through and I was already mostly in shape thanks to walking the dogs.  Yet I felt like it was necessary to do something new.  So I ran.  My goal was to be able to run the 2014 WDW marathon.  If we're going off goals alone, then technically, no, I did not meet my specific and set goal.  I will not be running the Disney marathon in a few weeks.  However, since I started running for real last December, I have made it from just a few 5Ks up to a 5K or more every month and completed two full marathons.  Along with those full marathons, I have completed four half-marathons and countless other distances as part of my training runs. So I think it's safe to say that even though I didn't make it to Disney, my running goal for the year has been accomplished.
Looking back, I'm still amazed that I went from 5ks to marathons in less than a year.  When I started running I flat out told Cynthia that there was no way I was ever going to run a marathon.  "That's crazy!" were my exact words.  I felt like I could barely make 4 miles, how could I ever make 26.2.  But then I signed up for a 15K.  At that time, 9 miles seemed crazy, unthinkable, out of reach.  But I did it.  After that, I though, who needs to go any further, 9 miles is more than enough, I would never want to run for more than 2 hours, no way am I running longer.  (For proof, see my previous posts, you can easily follow my progression from NO WAY, to LET'S DO THIS!)  Then some how, Cynthia convinced me to sign up for the Run to Remember half-marathon in May 2013.  I'm really not sure how that happened, but it did.  Of course I decided that a half was fine, but there was no way I was going any farther with that.  I did my training and got my miles in, and I was content with a half.  Until April.  Maybe it was the events of marathon Monday that changed my mind, or maybe my mind was changed already and I just don't remember.  Either way, after that, I started to think, if I can run a half, maybe a full isn't so crazy.  Then we ran the half, and ran it so close to under 2 hours, that I really thought, a full is something I could do someday.  I still wasn't planning on doing one this year though.
Then over the summer, Cynthia procured a transfer bib for the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  Even though I wasn't sure I wanted to run a full, I was in it now.  As we all know, I ran it and mostly enjoyed it.  So much so that three weeks later we were all signed up for Philly and lined up at the start line, once again, at 5 a.m.  Then there was another half just a few weeks ago in Gloucester.  That's the last race I've run recently, but I like to leave on a high note.  I crushed my previous recorded time of 2:01, with a new time of 1:58.
Sure, there will be more halves and fulls in the new year, and even some 5ks and 10ks. Of course I will continue with the boxing club and I have plans to stick with the Lynn Woods Running Club in the summer time as well.  I'm even throwing caution into the wind and applying to be a girls track coach at a local high school.  I have no idea where 2014 will take me but I know that if I can do all of this is one year, I can do so much more next year.

Some pictures from the Gloucester half, because I'm not sure I ever shared any.

Pre-race porta potty shot

Staying warm before the run

Finishers!

Race swag

And a pair of brand new shoes for the new year.

Ouch

Two of my friends joined a boxing club at the beginning of the month.  One of the enticements to get people to join this club is that you get your first shot free.  So yesterday I joined the two of them for their 9 am boxing class.  It was awesome, overall.  The class was an hour long, which included the warm-up, the boxing, ab work, and the cool down.  I had a good time and I really enjoyed punching the bag.  Yes, if you're wondering, I did join, and I plan to head there tomorrow for another round of boxing.  They also offer kickboxing, which I think we may be doing later in the week.
There's only one downside to all of this.  Every single muscle in my body aches today.   This isn't just a running ache, where your legs hurt, but you can manage.  This is legs, abs, arms, chest, and back muscles.  If there's a muscle in my body, it's aching.  But I had to go for a run today, since I didn't do a long run this weekend.  In fact, I haven't gone since Wednesday last, I believe.  So, after suffering through a torturous day of aches and pains, I decided to suck it up and go for a shorter run.  6.2 miles, because I figured it would be like running the last 6.2 of the marathon.  Really, it gave me a small idea of what it's going to be like, running on legs that feel like they're about to give out and having every muscle ache.  I'm sure it was a worthwhile experience.  The only problem, now that everything is done, is moving.  It hurts to stand, to sit, to walk up or down stairs.  I can't even sit up from a half-way lounging position without a struggle.  It's really a huge issue because I have laundry to do and I have to go down to the basement to put it in the dryer.  Everything hurts and it's torture.  So, why not do it again tomorrow?

Whoops

I guess it's been a few days since I updated.  Clearly my blog skills are not on par with what they should be.  Here's the thing.  I've been busy.  SUPER busy.  Not too busy to run, just to busy to write apparently.  So, let's just recap, shall we?
Last weekend I went for a nice 10 mile run in Manchester by the Sea with Cynthia, Murdock, and Jenna.  Overall I think the run was pretty nice.  The views were nice anyways.  I also spent some time ripping up the wild bamboo growing in the backyard.  Monday I went for a 5 mile run with Katie, up and down the beach.  That was also...nice. It was crazy foggy out, but worse than that, it smelled like Lynn beach. There's nothing to explain the smell of Lynn beach to you.  Just know that low tide smells like a combination of sulpher, rotten eggs, and porta-potties.  Yes.  Lovely, isn't it?  So, that part of it was, not so nice, but the run part wasn't too bad.
Some of Ryan's family came to visit during the week, so I didn't run on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.  Shameful, I know.  Friday I got in a nice little 3 miler in the morning, but the humidity was at 90%, so it was awfully sweaty.  I guess it's time to accept that the humidity factor is now something to take into account when running.  That means it's time to start trying for early morning runs, because the humidity is not going to be much help to timing.
Today I managed to get in 6 miles around the Wakefield lake.  Unfortunately, it started to rain on me about a third of the way into the run.  It wasn't a huge rain storm, and luckily it was warm enough that it didn't bother me too much, but I still did not enjoy the wet sneaker sensation.  My time was fairly good though, 6 miles in 54 minutes.  I am pretty confident that I can keep that 9 minute mile pace, which would put me under 2 hours for a half marathon.  Seeing that I only have about two weeks to ensure this pace, I aim to get in another 10 mile run at that pace.
Earlier I also mentioned the virtual 10K by Charity Miles.  I can say with full confidence that I have  definitely surpassed the 6 mile requirement and I am expecting my t-shirt to be shipped any day now.  That's a bonus for me and for all the charities I've been selecting. Once again, if you don't have this app yet, you really need to get it.
I think that's it for running news.  I'm signed up to stuff packets next week for the Run to Remember.  That should be fun.  Since Ryan's family was visiting, we did a lot of touristy things this weekend, so I shall share some photos of that with you, as well as a map my run photo of my 10 mile run.  I'm sure you're pumped.  Enjoy them!

6 miles in the half rain.

Old Ironsides

Ryan and I on the deck of Old Ironsides herself.

Ryan and Britney down below.

Got my ring back, FINALLY!

Emerson's grave

Bridesmaid dresses FOUND!

Fenway <3 nbsp="" p="">

Jacoby

Nothing says Summer like Fenway and the Sox

Just one of them days.

Someone in the land of the internet will be able to make sense of my title and understand that I'm not a total whack out when it comes to grammar. The rest of you, well, you'll have to take my word for it.  Even though it's Friday, it was a LONG day.  We had lots of teachers out today and only two subs, which meant a lot of room covering and running around.  In the midst of covering a 1st grade room, right as I was about to give the math test, I had a puker.  You can imagine how the rest of the class reacted, as this poor child was spewing liquid all over her desk and the surroundings.  Needless to say, it took a few minutes, a bucket of sawdust, and some open windows before we could actually get on with the test.
As you might imagine, it was a good day to run.  Sometimes work causes problems, and running them out is helpful.  But, I wasn't exactly in the mood to run.  In fact, I would have preferred to sit around at home with the dogs and watch tv/nap.  Instead, I begged my facebook friends for motivation, which I got.  After a few encouraging words, I headed to the beach for a 3 miler.  The run itself was ok.  My mile splits were all in 8s, and that includes an elevation gain of 95 feet.  When I got to 3 miles my time was 25:57 and I threw in the towel right there, even though I had another mile before I was back to my car.
The odd thing about running is, no matter how often you do it, some days you feel awesome, like you could run for miles.  Other days, two seconds in you're out of breath, your legs hurts, your lungs hurt, and all you want to do is lay down where you are and beg someone to carry you back to the car.  Today it was the latter.  It truly felt as if this 3 mile run was taking hours.   My shins were burning, my knees were killing me, and I had major cramping.  I think it was the sausage and pasta I had for lunch.  But I made it through the 3 miles and really, that's all that matters.
I've actually done a lot of miles this week, 20 total.  Wednesday we did a nice long 6.5 and this coming Sunday I'm attempting a 10 or 11.  Only 3 weeks until Boston's Run to Remember and I'd like to get up to 13 at least once before that.  I'm excited for the run, I think the crowd energy will be awesome and hopefully it's a nice day out.
In other news, I think the WDW marathon may be out of the question now.  It's expensive to get down there and I need to save my money for a wedding.  Maybe I can find a marathon closer to home. Or maybe I don't want to do a marathon at all.  We'll see how the half goes first.  Since we're going to be running long distances anyways, I decided to join Charity Miles Boston Strong 10K.  It's a virtual 10K, but all the proceeds go to the One Fund. If you register here you get an awesome t-shirt after running. You can also win some great prizes, according to the site, but it doesn't say what the prizes are.  It's $25, which includes the t-shirt.  You also have download the app, which is free, and you should be using anyways, if you're a runner!  I'll probably put my Sunday run miles towards it and be done, but you have the option of extending, doing some shorter runs that equal a 10K, as long as you're done before May 13.
Well that seems to be everything of importance this week.  Here are two more routes for you, and a picture of the t-shirt I got from the b positive project, which is a local company that you should check out.  Enjoy!

yes, I took a selfie in my bedroom, after a run. Judgement free zone people!

1st run

Happy New Year!
If you're making a resolution, good luck with that.  Personally, I skip the New Years resolutions.  Oddly enough, I tend to give something up for Lent and follow that 40 day rule.  I find it easier than making a resolution because I tell myself, it's only 40 days.  Usually by the time the 40 days are up, I find I no longer want what I gave up anyways, so I don't go back to it.  I'm not really highly religious, so I don't know why I follow the Lent rule, but it works for me which is really all that matters.
To start this year off right, a couple of friends and I signed up for a 5K/10K.  I commend them for getting up after a long night of celebrating and coming out to run.  It was a really nice day out, but awfully cold.  I think the temperature was somewhere around 32 - 35 (Farenheit of course.)  Thankfully the course was almost entirely flat.  The streets could've been set up a bit better as there were cars coming towards us and at one point, we were running on a major 2 lane highway, which was open for normal driving.  The race itself was set up nicely.  We started and ended at the Lowell Elks Club, they had timing mats that told you the results immediately after, and there was food and drink.  All in all, a nice run, better than some of the big name runs I've been too.
My goal when I got there this morning was to beat my time from the Jingle Bell Run that I did back in December.  That was also a 5k but there were a lot more hills. That being said, my time from the Jingle Bell Run was  31:09 at a 10 min pace. My time from today was 30:54 at a 9.5 min pace.  So I did beat my last time, but not by a lot.  I was hoping to come in around 29 or 28.  I probably could have gone a little bit faster than I did, but there's always next time. I think I"m going to start adding a mile onto my training runs and work my way up to a 10K.  Maybe by the last race of the series, in June, I'll be able to do one.  And now, as always, some pictures.

Before the race.  Two of these lovely ladies ran the 10K. Way to go girls!  The rest of us just stuck to the 5K.

Sadly, we didn't get a group shot for the after.  The medals were wine stoppers!