Weekly Recap 8/4-8/10 & Race Recap

First let's look at this past week.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 17 minutes of yoga

Wednesday: 4.04 miles

Thursday: 30 minutes of yoga

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Bobby Doyle Summer Classic (5.05 miles), Walk 2 miles

This week kind of sucked. I tried to do some yoga on Tuesday to break away from life for an hour, but I barely got through 17 minutes. I couldn't shake the crappy mood I was in. I should have had a longer run, but I didn't want to overdo it with a race on Sunday. Plus with tax-free weekend coming up I know I'm going to be tired. This will definitely be a long week and hard to keep up my runs during. I'm just taking this one day at a time. I know that life gets in the way sometimes and that will have to be okay.

On Sunday I participated in the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic. I've never been to Narragansett, RI before, so this gave me an opportunity to see the town. I picked up my bib there about 20 minutes to the start of the race. I also received a pint glass which was given out to the first 100 registered runners (I think). I didn't think that I was one of them, but I did receive one. This was a 5 mile run so ideally I wanted to be done before an hour. And I should have. I've been having some GI issues before runs lately and can't figure out what is going on. I haven't changed anything that I've been eating or anything like that so who knows. At around 3.5 miles I started to feel sick. I couldn't wait to be finished with the run, but knew it was only 1.5 miles until I was done and could go be sick in a bathroom. (Yes a real bathroom! The school was open to register, get your bibs, and use real bathrooms!) I lasted a mile before I did get sick. That added a few minutes to my time. I did finish in 1:00:18. I got my medal and a cup of water before using the bathroom one more time. I didn't take any post-race snacks or anything. I did bring a few things with me and had them in the car for the ride home. Overall I really enjoyed this race. There are very fast people out there and I can't imagine running that fast for a block forget miles. All the volunteers were very nice and always shouted out a great job. (Or in my case "I like your tattoo".)

Now I just have to get through tax free than I can focus on the Zooma Half next month.

I'm still raising money for Boston Children's Hospital too. If you can donate you can do so here. Any amount can help and goes directly to the hospital. Plus we all love tax write-offs!

A Challenge and an Update!

Let me start with a recap of my week, then we'll get into my runs today.

Monday: 4 mile run, 20 min yoga

Tuesday: 15 min legs with 3 lb weights, 1 hour yoga

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 4.13 miles

Friday: 15 min of core, .5 mile walk, dancing 

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 17.2 mile run

On Friday night I went to into Boston to see Katy Perry. This is my 3rd time seeing her, so I was obviously excited to see her again. There have been lots of reviews for the Prismatic Tour and I haven't seen one bad word about the show. She plays her hits and some stuff off the new album. There were different sections of the show, each with their own theme. You couldn't get bored watching it with so many set and costume changes. I think the Cat-oure section was my favorite. If you know Katy Perry, you know she loves cats and always incorporates them into her show.

The Hyper Neon section was great too. It had a 90s vibe and she wore a green wig. This is when she played her single "Birthday" and balloons fell all over the audience. They chose a fan from the audience to go up on stage if their birthday was in the month that the show was. 

Fan brought up for "Birthday".

She got carried by balloons as well.  

She ended with "Firework" which is always amazing to see. And yes, there were fireworks.

Today I got up early and drove up to Rockport, MA for the Triple Threat Challenge. At 9 am I started with 1 mile run. I was back for about 10 minutes before the 5k started at 9:20. I had 15 minutes before the start of the half at 10:15. This left me with no time to use the bathroom (the lines were a little long with such a short time in between runs). My right knee started giving me a little issue during the 5k so I used some BioFreeze on it while I waited for the start of the half. My legs were definitely feeling it at this point. I hadn't trained for this long of a run as of now so I knew it wasn't going to be perfect. The course had hills, which I was expecting. Just after the turn around point in Gloucester, there was a hill from hell. I swear it was so steep I was angry. At one point during the run I had to tell myself to stop being so hard on myself and just do my best. I was just tired and in pain. Luckily I pulled myself out of it. It was hard for me to find a good interval to run at, so I had to keep changing the pace. I was actually surprised with my finish time for the half. Here's the results:

1 Mile: 9:47

5k: 34:56

Half: 2:45:36

Total: 3:28:04

The race was really good. I enjoyed the views along the way. 

 The volunteers along the course were wonderful. Everyone was happy and cheered us along. We may have not had as much support from spectators, but there were a lot of people who came out from their homes to cheer us on which was nice. Considering I was there all day I did notice that before I finished that the sponsors were already packed up and leaving. This was kind of disappointing that people in the back of the pack didn't receive all the same things that the faster runners did. The course was still open for a least 30 more minutes if not more when I finished. There has been a lot of people speaking out about how slower runners miss out on things. This was the first time that I have personally experienced it.






CJ goes in to get surgery on his ear again tomorrow. As of today I've raised $1,235 for Children's Hospital. All money raised goes directly to the hospital to help kids like CJ. If you would like to donate you can do so here.

4 Weeks Down...

...14 more weeks to go. I felt like I was getting through the weeks really quick, but 14 weeks is still a lot of weeks. I've started 5 weeks today and feel better about it. Last week wasn't really great. I was feeling sick on and off most of the week and missed my long run. I know these things can happen, but it's still hard to not beat myself up over. I'm trying to be positive. This week will be better and longer (more on that later).

Let's take a look at last week:

Monday: 2.71 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Sequence 1 of the Tracy Anderson Method

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 3.03 miles, 5 minute yoga, & .5 mile walk

Saturday: Rest (Sick all day)

Sunday: 3 mile walk

I'm hoping that this week I'll be feeling much better. So far today seems good. I got out for my run and finished with some yoga. 

This week will be a little more challenging. I signed up for a race that I'm not fully trained for, but then again I've never been fully trained for anything I feel like. So on Sunday morning I will be driving up to Rockport, MA for the Yukan Run TripleThreat Half Marathon Challenge! The races start at 9 am. Yes I said races. This is how the morning will look:

9 am: 1 mile

9:20 am: 5k

10:15 am: Half Marathon

Extra for running all 3 races!

If you do all 3 you are completing the TripleThreat Challenge. Of course I signed up for that. (I'm losing my mind!) Regardless of which race/races you do you receive a tech-race shirt. If you complete the half marathon you also receive a medal. Of course if you complete all 3 you receive a beach cooler as well. I'm excited to go to the North Shore to run. I don't usually go anywhere north of Boston. I've never been to this area either so I'll be using this experience as a sightseeing time as well.

The following weekend I will be going south to Narragansett, RI to run. (I've never been to this part of Rhode Island either. I must be going for the ocean views!) I'll be running in the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic. This is a 5 mile run which will also include ocean views for part of the race. You do receive a tech-race shirt and a medal for finishing the race.

Not only am I excited for seeing new places that are pretty close to home, but I'm also excited that I've reached 30% of my fundraising goal so far! I've set a new goal of reach 50% by September 6th. I know there's been a lot of stories going around right now about children who are sick. As someone who has seen these people first hand at Children's Hospital, my heart breaks even more for them. 

CJ's first opening day!

I know that most people who are in my life today know CJ as a happy kid who is always running around. And that is how we see him now too. My family also remembers him being in the hospital. It is awful to think this is how we spent months, but CJ is stronger because of it. (No really, wait until he hits you or throws something at you.) We have pictures that we don't really show people hidden way on the computer. I hate that anyone has to go through this. I know that it is hard to think about good things that happen to us sometimes, but we should all try. It can be something small even. (Like that woman who held the door for you.) 

I'm running for every single child and every single family who has to go through hard times with their children. I may not be a mother, but I do feel for you. If you can donate any amount to the hospital please do so here: Nicole's Fundraising Page.

Week Three of Marathon Training Complete!

I've finished week 3 of 18 of my marathon training. This week seemed a little harder for me to get through than the previous two weeks. I've been feeling worn down lately so every workout felt like a chore. Even though the week felt like a chore, I did do a lot.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 2.07 miles

Wednesday: XT (20 minute yoga with 3 lb weights)

Thursday: 3.11 miles

Friday: XT (walking)

Saturday: XT (walking & dancing)

Sunday: 4 miles

I'm trying to do weight training at least once a week, but just couldn't get into it this week. I did get in my 3 planned runs though. 

On Friday I went on a whale watch with my mom, aunt, and cousins. (This is the summer of whale watches apparently.) The whales were close to our boat which was nice to see. I got to see 2 seals for the first time on a whale watch this time around too! I would have tried to take a picture, but it would just look like a dot in the ocean if anything at all.

On Saturday I finally got to see Justin Timberlake. The tickets were originally for the show in November, but was one of the shows that were postponed. It took 8 months, but we finally got to see him! The wait was worth it too. He played his hits and some of his newer material off The 20/20 Experience. He also did a couple of covers which was great. No one can say that he isn't a great entertainer. (It's okay if pop music isn't your thing.) If you do you must be an ass. 

We really did have excellent seats.

I'm still at $1,000 towards my fundraising. Every cent goes directly to Children's Hospital. If you would like to donate you can do so here. I may have a special connection to the hospital with my nephew, but I'm running this marathon for any and all children who need this hospital.

Week Two Check-In

Week 2 of marathon training has finished. I feel like I've been training a lot more than 2 weeks, but maybe because I was running a race up until 1 week before training started. This is how this week looked:

Monday: XT (walking)

Tuesday: 1.54 miles

Wednesday: XT (walked in Boston)

Thursday: 2.03 miles

Friday: 30 minutes of yoga

Saturday: 3.1 miles & 10 minutes of yoga

Sunday: XT (walk along the beach)

On Wednesday I went on a whale watch with my boyfriend. We saw a ton of whales and had a beautiful day in Boston. We also went to the New England Aquarium before walked a little bit in Boston.

 It was a great day off.

On Sunday I took a walk in Falmouth with him again. It was a nice beach walk while the sun was starting to go down.

One of the beautiful views you can find down the Cape.

I've officially hit the $1,000 mark on my fundraising this week too. To donate to this wonderful hospital you can do so here. Remember no donation is too small.

NYC Marathon Check-In

I can be bad at talking about my training. Okay, I'm awful at it. Maybe it's time for some accountability here! Plus I'm barely talking about how I'm running the NYC Marathon.

I've always thought about how awesome it would be to run this marathon. Most people strive to run Boston, not me. (Yeah I know, but you're from there.) I can't wait to see the city in a whole new way. I'm currently at 28% to my goal. You can always donate and help kids get better.

CJ is much better at taking pictures now.

My training for NYC and for the Dopey Challenge started last week. The hospital has a training schedule that I'm following for right now. I'm following the beginner plan. I've only done one marathon before and don't want to push myself further than necessary. I have enough problems without hurting myself by going to hard. Here's how my training looked for the last week:

Monday: Rest day. (I ran 1.18 miles the day before.

Some XT with walking and dancing at a concert.)

Tuesday: XT (walking, stairs, dancing)

Wednesday: Rest day.

Thursday: 1.52 miles

Friday: XT (workout DVD)

Saturday: 2.02 miles

Sunday: XT (walking on the waterfront in Plymouth)

The mileage isn't super high (yet). I've also been working everyday so there's always other things that I'm doing. I actually haven't felt overwhelmed by this training plan. Usually I feel like I can't do it or that I don't have time, but 1 mile isn't bad and can be done in a short amount of time. I know that I'll have to do back to back long runs sooner or later, but the runDisney training plan for Dopey begins the back to back runs starting on Week 12 (the week of September 15). There are 3 weeks that I'll need to add back to back long runs during my NYC Marathon training and I'm okay with that. 

Let's see how next week looks when I check in again!

A Concert and a Run

Saturday night I went to the House of Blues to see Phantogram with a few friends. I have never seen them before and was pretty excited to see them. They were amazing. I'm glad I got to go and hang out with some friends outside of work.

On Sunday morning I was back in Boston for the B.A.A. 10k. Heading into the run I had the plan of doing better than the 10k 2 weeks ago. Little did I know things would change. As soon as I got in the parking garage I knew I was going to be sick. I tried to find a bathroom, but I couldn't. Then it was too late. I sent a text to my friend Kevin saying I didn't think I was going to be running that day. I knew that if I could just clean up that I could run, but I didn't think that was going to be an option. I wasn't upset that I was going to have my first Did Not Start (DNS), but more that I was missing my second of three races with the B.A.A. I actually found a bathroom and cleaned up. I walked back to my car disappointed, but ended up finding something else that I could wear in my trunk. (Guess it's good that I haven't donated those clothes still.) I changed and ended up at the starting line. At the 5k mark I saw a proposal. (Why at the 5k? You knew that photographer was there?) It was warm. There were plenty of water stops along the way so that helped. All the volunteers along the course were awesome. Then I was at the finish. After I finished Kevin came up to me, made fun of my outfit, and walked with me to get my shirt. 

This may have been quite the morning for me, but I finished. In October I will go on to run the half and requirements for the Distance Medley. I also did PR for my 10k. I didn't do it by much or got the time I went in planning on, but I finished. Sometimes you have to change your goals. For me sometimes I need to remember that I just want to finish.