Morning running in Boston

This past weekend, Brian and I headed to Boston to visit my college roommate.  It was great to visit my friend and see the city, but I also was finishing up my last big week of half marathon training and needed to fit in a super long run while in the city. 

At first I was going to run Saturday morning but after a long drive and a late night exploring Boston on Friday night and an early morning planned for Saturday, I decided to reschedule the run for Sunday.

Friday night we headed to the North End for a great dinner at Antico Forno which is a great Italian restaurant! After eating, we walked down to the docks to see the beautiful skyline and I actually figured out how to use my camera at night!  Once we had digested enough, we headed back up Hanover street to get some dessert!  We stopped at Vittoria Caffe for some coffee and I had a cannoli while Brian had a giant Lobster tail.  They both were the best ever.

We then made our way farther down the street and stood in line at Modern Pastry for some take home goodies!  In that bakery, everything looked delicious - we got more cannolis, a torrone and macaroons.

Saturday we were up bright and early to get some breakfast at a local bagel shop and then head over to the aquarium.  I had been there before but Brian had not and we spent a while seeing all the fish, sharks and turtles!  Afterward we started walking again and made our way from the North End to Boston Common, Boylston Street and Newberry Street. It was so amazing to walk everywhere - something we are definitely not accustomed to.  For lunch, we stopped for a quick but delicious bit at Joe's American Bar and Grill and then continued our walking tour.  We walked towards the Charles River and crossed the Harvard Bridge.  At this point I was paying very close attention because this was the area I planned to run on the next morning.  The bike path by the river was amazing and I could not wait to get out there and run.  From there we walked through MIT (a college I could only dream of attending).  It was pretty obvious that school was back in session since there were a thousand bikes outside one of the MIT buildings.

Once we arrived back at my roommates apartment, we lounged a bit before taking the walk to Harvard for dinner. The area around Harvard was buzzing with people and it is just a gorgeous area.  We stopped for dinner at Border Cafe which has awesome chips and salsa.  I even splurged and got a margarita with my fajitas!  After dinner there was more walking to digest all the food we had consumed so that we could make room for frozen yogurt at Pink Berry!  They had so many different kinds of Fro-yo, it was hard to choose but I finally decided on the Chocolate hazelnut with brownie bits!

We consumed our frozen yogurt as we walked back home and I was ready for bed since I knew I had an early wake up call the next morning.

The best part about being in Boston was that the sun rises early than it does at my home.  The sun was up at 6:10am on Sunday which made my 6am long run start time that much easier.  I had studied the map so many times, written out directions and had my phone so I set out for my 17 miler (with 3 miles at HMP).  It was beautifully quiet as I ran down the streets - I ran through Harvard again and onto the Charles River bike path. 

I was pretty much alone for the first 8 miles and then suddenly the bike path was filled with more and more runners.  I was following this one girl for a very long time.  At the Harvard Bridge, I crossed and headed back.  I am pretty sure I saw the Citgo sign that everyone talks about seeing during the Boston Marathon.

As I finished off my miles on the bike path, I started in on my half marathon pace miles.  The 3 miles to home were my 3 miles at HMP.  I was pretty worried about this part of the run - my legs were tired from all the walking (5+ miles) on Saturday and I just did not have a lot of energy.  I decided to just try and take it one mile at a time.  I managed to get through 2 miles at 7:15 pace so I pushed on for a third mile.  And that is when I got lost.  I missed a turn and was pretty lost for about half a mile.  I had to stop and get out my phone to check where I was.  A little back tracking and I was headed in the right direction.

It was slightly scary for a few minutes there on the run because NOTHING looked familiar and I was at mile 16 of my 17 mile run so I was not exactly able to think the clearest. Thankfully I made it back home and wasn't too lost!  It was a great run and I am glad I got to explore more of the area while on the run.

After the run, I quickly showered so we could get on our way to another day of sightseeing.  Sunday we decided to take the drive up to Portland, Maine and see the area.  Brian and I had never been to Maine so we were excited to visit a new place and my college roommate really wanted to take us to this great restaurant. Sitting in the car for 2 hours was not exactly the best thing for my legs post run, but we did more walking in Portland so I wasn't feeling that bad.

Dinner was at Fore Street in Portland and it was the best food I have had in a long time.  And also some really good wine!  I definitely recommend that if you are ever in Portland, make a reservation and treat yourself to dinner there.  It was well worth the drive.  Plus Maine is just beautiful.

Monday, we packed up our things and headed back home after a wonderful weekend.  I did manage another run around Harvard before I left! It is just so beautiful there to run and I love having sidewalks and other runners around!  Totally different than what I have at home - no sidewalks and very few other runners out while I run. 


Fitting in runs while on vacation (even a mini weekend getaway) can be tough but I am glad I have an understanding husband and friends who helped me to make my visit to Boston even better!

Photo Friday: Bad Race pictures

I dug into my old race pictures and found some really bad ones!  I seem to have perfected my "death face" over the years!  Enjoy!

First Boilermaker - 2006

Summer 2007

Summer 2008

Summer 2010

Boilermaker 2010

March 2011

Half marathon - Spring 2011

 Have a great weekend!

Dark and Easy

After a over month "vacation" from running group practices, I headed back last night. I was nervous because a) it was dark outside and b) I was worried about my knee.

The workout:

Easy 20 minute tempo (~2.4 miles)
1x 600m, 400m, 400m (2:49, 1:45, 1:40)
cool down (~1.5 miles)

The tempo portion started slow and then we picked up the pace. Winter running really is unique because you can feel your body get warm. As we ran I could feel the warmth slowly seep into my fingers and legs. Street lights were few and far between which made seeing the uneven sidewalk cement in front of me difficult, but thankfully I didn't fall. The guy in front of me did though, twice. The tempo run was over before I knew it and then we went into the intervals.

We weren't able to do the intervals on the track because the football team was practicing so we ran on the sidewalk. Not exactly your most ideal spot to do intervals but we made it work. I had no idea what pace we were running, I just followed the group and hoped that my legs would keep up. And they did. Which I was really happy about. I know I have lost some speed but it doesn't really feel like that much.

After a quick cool down, where my knee/IT band started screaming towards the end, I headed home. I reached my mileage limit for the night of 4.7 miles but I felt pretty good. Today though I am sore and my legs feel like lead. There will definitely be some inconspicuous stretching done in my cube today. Maybe even some icing too.

I will leave you will one picture that I managed to obtain from the Brightroom photography website from the half marathon in September! This is at mile 11ish and I actually don't look as bad as I was feeling at that exact moment! Have a great day!

Embarrassing Photo Friday

I was debating whether to post this picture or not. I took it last Wednesday before my outdoor run when the temperature was about 30F.

Yesterday Lacey posted about matching outfits and feeling self conscious! Well I usually don't even look in the mirror before I head out for a run because I don't want to see what I actually look like.

Important things to notice in the picture:
1. Yes that is my bathroom.
2. I am wearing a reflective vest - I wear this pretty much every time I run so that cars can see me.
3. I honestly hate my hips - I hate how they stick out and I especially hate how they look in spandex. I have always had wide hips and no matter how much running I do, I can't seem to lose the little stuff on the sides there.


Previously I also posted what I looked like before a morning run so you can check that out too!

And that is my Embarrassing Photo Friday! Hope everyone has a great day and good weekend!!

Friday morning run

This is what I looked like before my Friday morning run. (see Glenn - thats my headlamp! Sorry for the bad quality - I took these with my Mac because I loaned my camera to my mom for the week)



As you can see behind me it is DARK out at 5am but none the less I had a great 4 mile run. It even started to snow a little bit mid run! The temperature before I left said 34F degrees!!

4 miles in 32:54 (8:14 pace)


Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Fall Photos for Friday

October is almost over! I can't believe it! This Fall has been one of the best I can remember. There is a tree right outside my apartment building that is several shades of color. It is just beautiful!




I took off yesterday and today from working out because I felt I needed the rest. Tuesday I did a timed 5k run to see how it would go. I was just under 8 min/mile pace and I didn't feel like I was pushing it, just gliding along. Things are looking good for running!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Photo and Food Friday!

Well it's Friday once again. The weeks just keep flying by! Yesterday it was beautiful outside and while I was driving home I saw no less than 12 runners. I wanted to do something different this week for photo friday so I am including a recipe for one of my favorite foods!

Wednesday I made Stuffed Peppers for dinner and this was the first time I had made them on my own. They came out so good that I wanted to share the recipe:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 cup water
5-6 green bell peppers
1 - 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice and water in saucepan and bring to boil. In skilled over medium heat cook beef. Remove and discard tops, seeds, and membranes of peppers. In a bowl mix cooked beef, cooked rice, tomato sauce, chopped onion, worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. (My mom and I call this mixture spanish rice!) Put mixture into peppers and then place in oven to cook for 1 hour. Enjoy!! (Sorry I forgot to take a picture of this meal - but I promise it was delish!)

On to the photo part of Friday!

A week or so ago I won a giveaway on Amanda's Blog for Gluten Free Life. I received the package this week and inside it contained some gluten free foods. I was super excited to win this giveaway because my dad is gluten free because he has celiacs disease which means he cant have gluten or wheat products. He was diagnosis about 3 years ago and I know that he struggles with it sometimes. He also had surgery Wednesday to correct a broken collar bone he had from years ago. So I brought over the gluten free bread, muffins, and cookies for him to enjoy while he is recuperating!!


Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Photo Friday: My new Room

Happy Friday to everyone. For this weeks photos I wanted to share my new room in my apartment.

That is pretty much it! I have a nice little closet and then a bathroom connected which is really nice. I still have to work on hanging up my pictures on the walls. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Boilermaker Photos!!

I got the race photos in an email yesterday and they are horrible. I mean I look ok in them but they are just horrible pictures! Oh well...thank goodness for Brian and his camera! Enjoy and have a good weekend!!

Me, Kim, Kims sister, Kims dad

(All these photos are from the end of the race or post race!)

Florida Photo Friday

The first day we were there it was sunny and then the thunderstorms came in!

Going to the beach! yes I did buy the swimsuit that Chic Runner has and I absolutely love it!!

After my morning beach run I found these tracks in the sand - a turtle had come and lay eggs right next door to the place we were staying!! I wish I had seen a turtle while we were there but sadly I didn't.

We went to this Lighthouse and walked the 200+ stairs to the top!

We made it to the top of the lighthouse!!

Brian spent 3 hours building this turtle in the sand!!

So those are just a few of the 200+ pictures that my uncle and I took on the trip. It basically was a big family vacation and a lot of fun! Today I did my long run (more on this later) and Saturday will be an easy recovery job. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Fabulous Friday

I am very excited from all the comments that I got about wanting to do a relay team race and/or the actual Wild West Relay. I don't think that the relay will happen this summer (the Wild West relay is in August) but I am totally up for this relay race in 2010! More on this to come later!!

Also another random tid bit...I was reading the magazine Real Simple yesterday and came across websites for book exchanges. Check out the websites here, here and here. If you haven't checked out that magazine, I highly recommend it...it actually has a lot really cool stuff in it every month, like tips on saving money and the best products to use!

An now on to Photo Friday. This is my 18 year old cat, Itsy. She has a very strong personality!! It was hard just to get her to look at the camera! Happy Friday! And have a fabulous weekend!!!

Literary Wednesday!

I think this is the third week that I have been doing Literary Wednesday, thanks to the TFH for the genius idea! This weeks book I am currently reading so I am not sure if the whole book is good, but its good so far. This book was made into the movie "Shooter" with Mark Wahlberg (Love him!!). I recently have been watching movies and in the beginning during the opening credits there will be a little portion that reads:

"Based on a book by...."

and so since I happen to like the movie, I then go and look up the book! This seems to be my new fetish because if I liked the movie then wont the book be even better? Logically!! So this week I am recommending Point of Impact By Stephen Hunter or any other book that happened to inspire a good movie for that matter!!

Now I have a question for all of you. As I mentioned before I am heading to Florida for vacation on Saturday and I want to bring along some books to read on the beach! Please comment and leave your ideas for some good books to read!

Yesterday was my tempo run and it was sucky. I think something is up with the way I breathe when I run because I keep getting a cramp under my right lung when I get to about 3 miles on a tempo (or race) run. It is extremely painful and yesterday I had to stop - it feels like I can't even breathe!

After the run I went with my mom for pedicures! I haven't had one since last summer when I went to a wedding! Now my feet look pretty and not so ugly from track running! I always go to the same place and the ladies there are so funny and nice to talk to! It was a nice mother-daughter bonding!

From our toes do we look like we are related?? My mom got the french pedicure and I got the pinky/red toes!

Graduation Photos

Who doesn't love Fridays? And photos?? Well here they are...some of the photos from my recent graduation!!

B and I

B-rabbit, Scottie, Me, Kim, Anna

Just after walking across the stage...
Notice ridiculous large smile

I ran in the Corporate Challange yesterday and it POURED rain pretty much the whole time. I was soaking wet but it was a fun experience. The funny thing...I got home and checked my running log and found that I ran the same course last year in the same time as this year! 3.5 miles in 27:21! Happy Friday! I am off to the track for my speed workout! Have a good weekend!

Apologies

I am so sorry that I didn't post Wednesday or yesterday. Please Forgive me?? Things have been super hectic...who knew that graduating and moving out of an apartment could be so time consuming. Anyway, I don't have a lot of time because I am off to get a haircut, pedicure and a graduation outfit (Why did I leave this to the last minute...I don't know!). Here are some lovely track pictures for Photo Friday! Happy Weekend! Graduation is tomorrow!!

Matt and I - The multi athletes

Long Jump

State meet - 4x800m relay

Seniors!

Five Year Old Photos

It has been a while since I did Photo Friday and although I am still currently in Massachusetts at my track meet I decided to put up some pictures from 5 years ago.

Five years ago at this time I went to my Senior Ball in May and Graduated in June! (Then in July I got my appendix out! Talk about three months of fun events!!)

Senior Ball

Graduation!! (all the ones of me with my cap on aren't on my computer)