KBVCM Half Marathon Recap

I know I'm going to jinx it by saying this - but Vermonters have been so lucky over the last three weekends - being blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather. Yesterday seemed to be perfect for the Vermont City Marathon. The sun was out, but the humidity wasn't.

Rachel and I met up before the 8:00 start. She ran the first half of the marathon, and I ran the second. I got to cheer for her as she came off of Church Street the first time around, then made my way to the buses that would drop us off at Oakledge.

I made it just in the nick of time too! I didn't wait too long before Rachel came running in, finishing around a 1:37 for her half. Pretty sweet!

All morning my stomach was feeling funky, and unfortunately I had a few cramps at the start. One of them got so bad that I walked around mile 4 for a few seconds. Those seconds were all I needed to relax my body and get rid of the cramp. Burlington has been the only place that has plagued me with cramps. I really don't do anything different there than I do any other day, so I'm either putting too much pressure on myself (causing me to tense up), or my straight out and backs don't prepare my body for all of the turns that take place on the course. The only other time I had to stop was to tie my shoe around mile 10. It's the first time that I can think of that I've had to do that mid race. Ugh!

As you can see from above, my splits seemed to be a little bonkers. I actually don't know my official time because every time I stopped I automatically stopped my watch and then restarted it. So miles 4 and 10 could be a few seconds slower than what is noted above. I am assuming that my time was a 1:37:XX because our final net time was 3:14:40 (gun time was 3:14:49).

Random Thought I had during the Race: Hunger Games. I read the second book last week and started the third on Saturday so it must have still been on my mind. There was one point in the race when I started to connect what I was doing (running) to what the Tributes did in the Hunger Games.

Another Random Happening:  I am very curious to know who the announcer was at the finish. As I was approaching the finish line he announced our team name (Kickin' Asphalt) but said that I was from Milton, where I grew up, not where I reside. I know that I did not write Milton when I registered. So whoever it was knows who I am!

You're going to love my dorky-ness in the photo below (chocolate milk in left hand and bag tag at the shoulder). You would think that if I ask for a photo to be taken that I would at least make it a better one...

Rachel and I were super excited to get our hands on the free Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the food tent. I've got to say that Burlington has some of the best food for finishers out of all of the races I have run. Boston was slacking this year (who wants dinner rolls?!). There was even Leonardo's pizza yesterday, although I have to admit that it did not look as appetizing as I had hoped. Even though I normally can't get enough chocolate and cheese, I prefer to stay away from those things after a run.

We hit up the beer tent for our free pint, and enjoyed the sun for a while. I departed Rachel and her friends to head to another friend's house for the annual post-marathon BBQ. SO much fun!! I look forward to this weekend every year: A weekend of running, friends, and a kickoff to the summer. 

KBVCM Half Marathon Tomorrow

I'm all set to run the second half of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon tomorrow with Rachel, the same Rachel that ran Boston. Last night I picked up our race packets from the Expo. Talk about chaos.... I don't know how Boston is able to easily give out packets to 25,000 people yet there is such a mess at the VCM expo with only 7000 runners. The other let down of the expo? No Ben & Jerry's. Seriously, what. The. Heck. I was looking forward to it all day. They give it out every year, but I guess it was too much to have it at both the Expo AND the finish line.

I am always excited to peek into the bags to see what we get for goodies. This year wasn't bad. Actually, I think I like it a lot better than Boston's race packet this year (who thought of putting rice into Boston's bag?!) Some of the goodies included a gel shot, a Vermont magazine (that I haven't opened), an awesome sticker, and my favorite - the square of Lake Champlain Chocolate. I'm not sure how I feel about the new shirt design, but it does make it easier to wear it out in public and it seems super light. I suppose I'll have to get used to the absence of the VCM logo that is usually prominently displayed everywhere.

Tomorrow marks my third half marathon at the VCM. I did a relay team one year (with 4 other runners) and have run the full thing twice. I definitely think the half is my favorite, especially when coming off Boston. For one, I know I have the endurance to get me through it. It also feels easier because it is half the distance. The other nice thing about a half is that I can actually walk the next day! 

I'll let you know how it goes. Hope you're all enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. The weather in VT is perfect!!

Corporate Cup and Weekly Training

It turns out that the lead-legs I had two weeks ago were gone when last week rolled around. Although I didn't run as much as I would have liked to over the course of the week, my time at the Corporate Cup made up for it.

The extent of my weekly training

Over the years I have found that in order to have a successful race you have to know that you're going to have an awesome race before you start running. Every part of your body has to believe in your ability. When you're in that race, every part of your mind has to be focused on what you're doing. And it has to come naturally, without you actually thinking about doing it. In the race wind doesn't matter, the runners around you don't matter, nor do the fit of your sneakers. The race flies by, not because you're running so fast, but because your whole mind and body are fully immersed in the run. 

And that is just what happened last Thursday. 

Of course, a few Reese's Peanut Butter cups before the race didn't hurt either ;) Nor did my new fancy Old Navy shirt. 

My final time was a 20:29 which was good enough for 6th female. What made this time so special for me is that it was the first 5K post-tachycardia ablation that was back at my "college running days" pace. It is possible that a real warm-up before the race helped to lower my time or that my training was better this year after the marathon. Either way, it was nice to see a 5K time faster than 21:00. The surgery itself probably did not cause me to run slower. It's more likely that I did not completely believe in myself over the last three years, thus running slower. 

Needless to say, I am very thankful that I can run today without having to worry about my heart. And it is exciting to see what I am capable of in each of my races.

Up Next: Keybank Vermont City Marathon (Half Marathon) on Sunday

P.S. Did anyone watch Idol this year? It took me so long to write this post because I was watching the finale. I know people are going to say that Jessica is a much better singer, but I personally loved Phillip from day one and am so happy he won!! 

Lead Legs

Please don't think I'm saying lead as in "she leads the pack" when you read my title. I meant lead legs as in my legs felt like lead for most of last week. But I think that phase may be done with.

At least I'm hoping it is.

Besides the slow, heavy feeling in my legs, my training went alright last week. On Monday I got in a speedy 10 miler, averaging around 7:34/mile. I spent the rest of the week "recovering". I was hoping to get a 12 miler in on Sunday, but I did not feel motivated to run at any point throughout the day. In fact, I am surprised that I managed to do a 5 miler at all.

Tomorrow is the day of the Corporate Cup 5K. For those who aren't in VT or who have not made it down to this event, its a HUGE race in which businesses, non-profits, etc. form teams of 3 and either walk or run a 5k. All of the times are added up to give a final "team time" and individuals area also ranked by team. There are many categories for teams, and the top few teams in each category get a trophy. The CVMC team I was on last year got 2nd place for non-profit female running teams. This year I'm running with two super-awesome interns from the UVM program. We were all interning at MHS this year and are now ready to represent!

I'm curious to see if my legs are capable of running any speed at this point. I've been trying to "kick it in" for the last 200 meters or so of my runs, to get them moving, but have not done any serious speed work. And it looks like that tomorrow we will see some sunshine for once. VT has been been getting its share of rain over the last few weeks.

And now, for some good news: I received word yesterday that my teaching portfolio passed! All of my grades are in as well - 4.0 baby! This also means that I can definitely graduate on Saturday. It feels really good, but strangely odd to be done. This year, although difficult, was incredible. I met amazing people and am sad that we will be parting our ways after this weekend.

Deliciousness: The Prohibition Pig

Tom and I went paid a visit to Waterbury last evening to have dinner with a good friend of ours, Matt. Matt was in VT for the week and we were fortunate to have the chance to meet up with him before we left. We needed someplace between Milton and Montpelier, so Tom decided that we would check out the new restaurant, The Prohibition Pig.

He made a good choice.

This new restaurant takes the place of the Alchemist, which was flooded last August during Tropical Storm Irene. It looks quite classy inside, with a darker interior and jars of pickled vegetables along the walls. Their wine and beer list is quite extensive, providing many options for diners. I opted for a Vermont brew, the Hill Farmstead Florence, and was very pleased with the choice.

Barbecue is not always my thing, but it was last night. I ordered their house burger, served with pimiento cheese, a fried green tomato, and house smoked bacon. The burger was sandwiched between a sweet potato bun and was accompanied by a house pickle. It was the most delicious burger that I have ever eaten. Although I wanted more after taking my last bite, it was the perfect amount that left me satisfied after the meal.

The boys ordered apple cider donut holes and a bowl of maple, bourbon, and bacon ice cream. I nabbed one of the donut holes, but cannot tell you why I decided not to try the ice cream. Again, very tasty.

Question for you: What is the most unique burger combination you have ever had?

Grilled Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwhich

Last Sunday (4/29) I successfully made a tortilla Española for dinner. Normally I destroy the tortilla when I flip it, it comes out burnt, or the flavor is just bland. This time I made sure to really salt it, cooked it on low, and didn't bother to flip it. Instead, I put a lid on the pan and cooked it for 20 minutes. Perfecto.

By Monday I was craving more Spanish-style comida (food). More specifically, I was craving a bocadillo de jamon y queso (Serrano ham and cheese sandwich), but was lacking the authentic Serrano ham and Manchego cheese.

I discovered the next best thing: A grilled Mozzarella sandwhich with Red Hen bread, basil, tomato, and prosciutto! It was amazing, and so much better than the American grilled cheeses.

Fun fact: Growing up we knew grilled cheese sandwiches as "Toasted cheese sandwiches". My mom broiled them in the oven, toasting them, rather than grilling or frying.

Anyway, to make this sandwich it is quite simple:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Butter two sides of really good bread (I used Red-Hen)
3. Lay 1-2 pieces of prosciutto on each un-buttered side of the bread.
4. Lay slices of fresh Mozzarella on top of the prosciutto
5. Cover the cheese with fresh basil leaves.
6. Put the two halves of the sandwich together, making sure the butter is facing outward.

1. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan on medium-low heat. Place sandwich in pan and cook for 3 minutes, until crispy and slightly toasted. Flip and repeat for other side.
2. Place sandwich onto pan and bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted. 
3. Remove from oven (careful - it's hot!). Open sandwich and place slices of tomatoes between layers of basil leaves.

Apparently my Spanish-styled food cravings did not end last week. This Tuesday I was whipping up some Valencia-styled paella. I wonder what the next dish will be!

"New" Shoes

Alright. It's been too long since I've posted, but I'm back. I think.

Anyway, here's a little recap of the last three weeks:

• Forced myself to take a week off of running after the marathon, although I had never been more motivated to run.
• Got a good day of running in before I was hit by a good chest cold. Guess the marathon compromised my immune system a little.
• Spent April Vacation working on my teaching portfolio and a science portfolio. And recovering from the cold.
• Turned in said portfolios last Wednesday. Life has been great ever since.
• Visited Tom at the State House while it was in session. Sadly, it was my first and only time to do so. 
• Remembered that I had a pair of sneakers in my closet to wear, instead of suffering through my 1 month old, giant, deep blister on my heel any longer (see below).
• Read TWO books for PLEASURE on Friday and Saturday (Tomatoland and the Hunger Games)!
• Got back into the running groove last week and started to focus on training for the half marathon on May 27th.

______________________________________________________________________________
Remember last month when I decided that I would never buy Asics again? Well, I totally forgot that I had another brand of shoes in my closet that had hardly been worn. It's silly to think that I forgot about them and kept running with the blister pain for so long.

Let me introduce the Scott sneakers that I got from a friend last year:

I finally remembered about these "new" shoes last week and could not wait to get back into them. I put them away in the fall because it started to get too cold. The awesome thing about these shoes are the air vents (mesh lining) on the sides! Perfect for this new warmer weather. Not so perfect for Vermont winters.

I now love how these shoes look and feel on my feet, but that wasn't always the case. They caused me to loose feeling in my pinky toes because of the design. I've worn orthotics since 2005, which means there is less room in the shoe for my feet. This has been OK in my Asics (minus the heel part), but not with these sneaks. Turns out that I needed to take out the original foot insert/cushion of the shoes in order to have a proper fit. I sacrifice padding in the front of the foot, but I'm hoping that that will be OK.

Running in them feels great. I actually feel like my form is slightly improved (which is a joke because I have the worst form), and that I am able to run slightly faster. Now that I have figured out how to run pain-free in the shoes, the only complaint I have about them is the insanely long shoelaces!

Boston 2012: The Race through Tom's Eyes

I will never be fast enough to know what it's like to have a helicopter following you as you run, or to run behind a van with cameras the whole time. Because of this, I had a lot of fun looking at Tom's photos from Boston that showed what does go on at the front of the race.

Women leaders at Mile 23. Sharon Cherop, the eventual women's race winner, is the one in red. 

Water station - clearly this is early in the race. Two cups on the ground isn't bad. 

Police escort for the male leader

Tom said this van was loaded with cops. They were prepared for anything. 

What a fun job! And so much easier than running...  

Men's winner: Wesley Korir

Do you think this guy gets tired of standing like that? Maybe he trains for it while we're getting our training runs in.

Look at his stride! I am so jealous!

Alright, now onto the other runners. These may not be elite runners, but they made sure they stood out in their own way. 

Showing his patriotic side

REALLY showing his patriotic side. How the heck was he able to run in that in such heat?! 

Minnie made an appearance. Again, how were people able to run in leggings?

The guy below was dressed like a "nerd"

Tom and the rest of the spectators were super excited to find Waldo. I think the guy running next to him was surprised to find him as well!

No exciting outfits here, just an excited Dani!

And for the last photo, I will leave you with Hamburger man. Who passed me. That's as bad as the banana that passed me in the Vermont City Marathon. Ugh! Talk about embarrassment!

P.S. Did anyone else notice he had a Ben & Jerry's sticker on his bottom bun?

Boston 2012: Marathon Morning in Tom's Eyes

I love giving Tom my camera, especially on Marathon morning. I find it really neat to see how someone else views the world, especially Tom. His view is sometimes very entertaining.

He had the camera on Monday and was left on his own when we said our goodbyes at 6:30. Just like last year, he roamed around the city, made his way to the finish line, and then nabbed a spot on the course. Below are a few of the shots he was able to catch.

Paying tribute to another state's capitol

So cute!

What.....?

Beautiful

I laughed out loud when I saw this! Does this man really ride this to work? I also thought it was hilarious that Tom would manage to catch him and take a photo.

Final preparations for the finish line area

The fine folks that take our photos at the finish

The best seats in town! Makes sense that people were here so early to get them.

I definitely missed all of these when I finished.....

Stay tuned for part two: Tom's photos of the race, including the elite runners and unique running apparel.

Boston 2012: It was a Hot One!

I apologize for how long it took for me to write about this! 

I did it. I survived Boston. I have mixed emotions about the race. I am, of course, extremely happy that I was able to finish on my own and that I only walked a total of 20 seconds throughout the race. Not bad. But a little part of me is sad that I trained so well this year and had no chance of getting a PR.

It was awesome to hear how many people were following me while I raced. Some were at work, some were at the race itself, and some were the students in my mentor teacher's classes! Although I had no idea who was following me that morning, the knowledge that somebody was following me kept me chugging along.

Below is my recap of the race. It's going to be long. So if you're one of those who would rather look at the photos and skim the text, I'll let you know in advance that I finished in 3:42:03.

Saturday:
Tom and I headed down to Boston with Rachel, who I've been running with this year. We arrived at our hotel around 6:00pm, dropped off our things, and headed into the city to meet up with our high school friends, Kelley and Sean, for dinner. It was so awesome to see them again. We went back to the hotel after and headed to bed.

Sunday:
The three of us headed out for a 2 mile shake-out run. On the way back I picked up two bottles of chocolate milk and some Reese's for the pre-race meal. Oddly, I did not crave chocolate during this trip, and couldn't even finish ONE Reese's when I tried to eat them. What happened to me?

After showering, we headed into the city. By the time we got there we were hungry for lunch. We stopped at the Whiskey Priest restaurant near the Expo. BAD IDEA! That was definitely the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. I'll save you the details.

When we finally finished our meal we headed into the expo. I didn't buy anything except for GU, however, I did munch on a lot of the gummy blocks from different vendors. Tom and I decided that the Powerbar gummies were THE BEST!! They were like candy.

The best part of the expo? Seeing our friend Colin, from college, who was working at the Brooks section. I'm pretty sure seeing the excitement of his face when he saw us was the highlight of the whole weekend.

After the expo we headed back to the hotel. Prior to our trip down I had decided that the only thing I wanted to do (besides race) was to eat a cupcake. So we stopped at a cupcake van, but I didn't buy one. I simply did not want a cupcake. What the heck was wrong with me?!

We ate dinner at the hotel that night, and one of Tom's friends from his semester at American University met us there. I had rigatoni with spinach, tomatoes, and sausage in a "rosette cream sauce". It wasn't bad. Rachel and I returned to our room at 8:30 to pack and hit the hay.

MONDAY!!!!

We were up at 5:00am and our of the hotel around 5:30. Fortunately, Colin let us park at his store in Boston so we could hop on a quick train ride and get to the Boston buses.

There was quite the crowd waiting to board the buses, and just a tad too-few port-a-potties.

Adios! See ya at the Finish

We got to Athlete Village in Hopkington around 8, grabbed some food, and camped out until we were able to drop our bags and head to the start.

We were already sweating before we got to the start, which I barely made. I don't know what happened this year but it was definitely too congested at the bag drop off area. I literally had to run to the start and made it with just 30 seconds to spare (the announcer gave a 30 second warning). I saw the awesomeness of runners, as they all passed around someone's sunblock to help each other out. Little did they know that it would be washed away about 20 minutes later.

The Race

• First 10 miles: Felt good mentally and physically. Held myself back and tried to maintain constant splits, just under 8:00/mile. Had it not been such a hot day my goal was to run faster splits, but I adjusted for the weather.
• Rachel: Rachel and I were pretty close together during the race. I caught up to her somewhere near mile 10 (I honestly can't remember which mile) and she definitely passed me before Heartbreak Hill. She was on fire!! It was her first Boston and she did awesome.
• So many walkers: Unfortunately these were a lot of really good runners that were walking. I had never seen so many people stop so soon in a marathon to walk. I found myself unconsciously stopping to walk twice, but quickly realized what I was doing and began to run again. 
• Signs: We had warning signs all over the course saying "Hot!" and "SLOW YOUR PACE". Ugh! What was I to do?! Looking back, I wish I had been a little more daring and pushed the pace a bit longer, but I gave in and listened to the signs. I maintained below 9:00/mile for a while, and by the end had a few miles in the 9's.
• Sprinklers: I'm pretty sure I ran through 3/4s of the sprinklers along the course. There were "tunnels of water" set up every couple of miles to run through. You go in hot but come out soaking wet after being sprayed with nice, cold water. I also hit up most of the water stations, which were spread out every mile, and made sure to dump cups of water on me. I could not get enough water!
• Craving: I started craving a big bowl of vanilla ice cream around mile 7. I wanted it more than I wanted water.
• Warm disgusting-ness: GU on a hot day is absolutely disgusting. 
• The Hills: I felt like one of the few who actually ran the hills. Many people stopped to walk them. They hurt. A lot more than last year. And just like last year, it wasn't Heartbreak that was the killer. It was the one before. 
• Tom: We actually saw each other this year!!! He was at mile 23. Funny part was that 100 meters before I saw him I thought, "maybe I should stop and walk for a bit." Good thing I didn't! That would have been embarrassing.

• Eternity: That's what it felt like to run the last four miles. Unlike other marathons I've run, I never actually had a moment where I felt like I had "hit the wall." It felt more like time was slowing down as I was slowing down. I can't tell you how happy I was to turn that last corner and see the finish.
• The Power of Ice: Boston was prepared with a lot of medical staff at the finish. Thank goodness. My legs started cramping up immediately after I stopped running. Half-way through the corral I realized that I was going to need the med tent. I managed to walk there with a nurse, but very slowly. Fortunately they were prepared for the number of people they would be seeing and had pallets of ice bags ready. I sat my butt down on two bags of ice. Relief! I spent about 20 minutes icing my legs because every muscle in them had cramped. I was able to walk out of the tent feeling relieved and cramp free. I never knew the power of ice prior to that moment. My legs felt so amazing that night that I was able to skip around the McDonald's parking lot (don't judge - other marathoners were there too).

I wish I could send a thank you note to all of the spectators of Boston. It was awesome to see how many people were out there supporting the runners. I cannot tell you how many people had oranges and popsicles for the runners, who must have been holding their sprinklers and hoses up for us for hours, and who were running back and forth to fill up their water cups so we could stay hydrated. It was really awesome to see college students at mile 24 filling up cups right outside their apartment. THANK YOU! That ice cold water was greatly appreciated!

I also want to thank YOU! All of you who gave me support and advice along the way. I cannot tell you how much that helped during training and during the race. Thank you!

It is now Friday morning and my legs feel like they're back to normal. I had two days of hobbling, or what I call, "Pirate-leg Syndrome" (I felt like a pirate with a wooden leg any time I walked down stairs). Yesterday, I went for a 35 minute walk around town since I wasn't able to run. The week after the marathon is so hard for me: I'm always more pumped to get out and train, yet I have to rest to let my body recover.

Unfortunately, I did not re-qualify for Boston. I thought I was too far off with my splits to make it my goal in the race. So the next decision: summer marathon or take a break from the Boston running....