Thursday, August 30, 2012

rev 3 maine: volunteer report

so apparently ive become a terrible blogger in the last month. i used to have so much to talk about (and anyone that knows me will tell you that i rarely shut up...) so its odd that i havent blogged. but really, not a lot has happened. i get up, run, go to work, come home, eat dinner, drink beer, watch big brother, go to bed, repeat. i can only talk about those things so much. speaking of big brother though, WHOA BEST EPISODE EVER last night. cant wait to see tonights episode. i hope you all are just as obsessed as i am, or else we might not be able to be friends. yay dan. ill be sad to see brit go. still dont like frank.
 
ok so anyway... a couple of cool things have happened in the last week, one of which happened this morning at about 6am. when my garmin showed 4.39 miles on this mornings run with the husband (he made me pinky promise i would drag him out of bed to run) my 2012 mileage total became 1,000 miles. ive never made this milestone in a calendar year and i am pretty happy with it. my legs feel strong and im excited for my upcoming races!
 
and the other cool thing... last sunday i volunteered at the finish line of the Revolution 3 Maine half ironman/olympic triathlon! (also included was the sheJAMs all womens olympic triathlon to kick cancer!) i have volunteered at a few races before and a sprint tri, but this was unlike anything i have ever done. what a great experience! great day, great scenery, awesome atmosphere... everything about this day was incredible, and it solidified my desire to someday complete a 70.3 myself. and from all the talk from the finishers, i think the majority of people felt this was a great race. it was the first time rev3 had been to maine (old orchard beach) and i am confident they will be back next year (which is good cuz i kinda want to do it, and ill get $50 off since i was a volunteer this year. a perk i didnt know about til i got there!)

 
 

i was going to head down for the swim start (i didnt need to check in for my volunteer start until noon) but instead i slept in and made french toast with ty. i got down to oob around 9 and everyone was already out on the bike or run. the pics from the rev3 site show a beautiful sunrise over the atlantic ocean and i heard the water was almost 70 degrees. i went to the volunteer tent and got my shirt and made the mistake of putting it on right away. within minutes i was flagged down and asked to go man an intersection where they needed a volunteer. there were a few cops there but they were trying to direct angry drivers who didnt understand what was going on/why they couldnt go left and pedestrians trying to cross the streets. although august is a really busy time in oob, i am hoping next year they will just close those streets for the 8 hours to make things a little more smooth. it was mass chaos at times and i witnessed a few runners almost get hit by cars in part to drivers who didnt care and cops who were not able to really do all the work themselves. luckily i think there were no casualties, but it wasnt pretty.


i felt very official



back of the tshirts for sale. very cool/very maine/(very expensive)
(and they are RED andy... cough cough)
 
around 11am, i went over to the finish line, and i was able to see jordan come in for his strong finish and talked to him for a few seconds. i then checked in to start handing out medals to the finishers. it was chaotic at first since there were three different medals (half/olympic got one medal, shejams got another, and any kids that crossed the finish with their mom/dad got a medal). i was even able to medal a black lab :) a few times i got pretty emotional... the sheer happiness on the faces of those crossing the finish line, whether it be their first half ironman/olympic triathlon/race or their 100th, everyone was smiling. and we were having quite the party when they all crossed. the only thing that really sucked was right as they crossed they needed to stop and allow a volunteer to take the timing chip off their ankle. many people wanted to keep moving. then they would get to me to get their medal and i had to hold a few people up. i got a lot of sweaty hugs though :) (i also saw a lot of bloody noses.... open water swims still scare me)


great medals... which double as bottle openers

four of those great sweaty hugs came from jake, eric, jen, and elizabeth. these guys are all so freaking awesome and looked fantastic crossing that finish line. jake, eric, and jen all had their kids as they crossed, and elizabeth and i hugged and talked for a long time before she left the finishers area. im in awe of all their hard work and dedication for sure. i love having hardcore friends :)

when we got word that the last person out on the course was about a mile away, the finish line annoucner (who i think had a few too many red bulls throughout the day...) started to call in all rev3 staff and all of the crowd to get into the finish line for a grand finale finish. he kept talking about how awesome the cedar point finish was, but that we were rivaling it (and eventually surpassed it). we were all going nuts... people were doing back flips, jumping up and down, and the last lady wasnt even there yet!


when she rounded the corner the whole finish line erupted. it was sooooo cool. she had a police escort and crossed the finish with a huge smile on her face. i had to stay behind the finish line since she couldnt get her medal til she crossed it (i took my job very seriously hehe) and she was very happy to get it, saying "this is what i came all this way for!" :)

overall i had an awesome day and a really great experience. rev 3 is a really well run company and they didnt leave any detail out. im really hoping to be back here next year!


and if this guy can do it, i think i can ;)
 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

liebster award

last week i was tagged by jen at running with the girls and michelle from average girl doing average things who gave me the Liebster Award! thanks ladies!!

apparently this Liebster Award is for up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. liebster is a german word that means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

rules for receiving this award (which i rarely follow but ill try):
1. each person must post 11 things about themselves (hmmm, what dont you know about me already?!)
2. answer the questions the tagger asked, then come up with 11 questions for the bloggers youre tagging
3. choose 11 people and tag them in your post
4. notify the people you have tagged
5. no tag backs

11 things about ME! (that im sure youre all dyyyyyying to know...)

1. despite my sheer ignorance to use capital letters or proper punctuation, it still drives me crazy when people misuse your, youre, to, too, lose, loose, etc etc etc...
2. its been years since i havent talked to my mother at least once a day, especially now that shes learned to text (welcome to the 21st century mom!)
3. my calves are quite large, theres no denying that... but my right calf is an inch bigger than the left

yes, we got bored at work one day

4. my left foot is a half size bigger than my right foot. wtf is up with my body?
5. i have 5 tattoos, and plan on at least one more
6. having a really awesome training/running buddy has made all the difference in this years training
7. i think i might like to write a book someday
8. last weekend i went on a 50 mile bike ride. i feel like this makes me an official "bike rider". i dont know why but i just decided that. i guess it probably means i should invest in my own bike, and give back the one i stole borrowed from a friend.
9. i also decided (on that same bike ride) that if/when i do a 70.3, my bike nutrition will be cheez-its.
10. i am on a huge home improvement kick as of lately... i want to paint everything. so far ty has been agreeable (bathroom, kitchen wall, third bedroom/office), except on the whole "lets paint the kitchen cabinets white" thing.
11. i somehow found out where the gym was on sunday... its been hiding from me for at least 6 months. surprisingly i had an amazing workout and am actually looking forward to going back. im just as confused as you are right now.

jens questions

1. what is your favorite olympic event? swimming, any and all of it (which is funny cuz i hate swimming myself), and any track/running event. i get nervous watching the gymnastics and diving.
2. have you lost a toenail? do you just leave it or paint over it? ive lost many. sometimes i paint on the skin, sometimes i paint the other toenails a dark purple or black to match, other times i just leave the awful looking toes as they are. toes are stupid anyway.
3. running skirt or shorts? i have recently become a huge fan of skirts (i have two from www.runningskirts.com)
4. what is your favorite pizza combination? the matinicus pizza from portland pie co... red sauce, thin sliced prosciutto, chunks of cream cheese, pepperochinis, and a three cheese blend. on beer crust. heaven.
5. do you write a menu for the week? what meals do you have on the menu this week? ha. no. menu this week consists of a lot of ice cream, and whatever ty has waiting for me when i get home from work.
6. what are you training for right now? mount desert island marathon, october 14th
7. what do you look for in a running shoe? do you have a favorite brand? first and foremost they have to look good, obviously. ive worn brooks for the past 6 pairs (3 adrenaline, 3 ravenna) and am looking to perhaps move towards the pure flows...
8. dream race? the bermuda triangle challenge
9. do you like to run the same race year after year or do you like to try new races? there are a few races that i love love love and will do over and over - b2b and mdi are two of my faves
10. do you listen to music on your runs? what are some of your favorite tunes? i listen to music more often than not when im alone, but also enjoy conversation with my training buddy. my music varies all over the place... acapella and christmas music, boston pops and britney spears, eminem and enrique. you name it, i probably have it.
11. if you had your own garden, what would you grow in it? cucumbers. and money.

michelles questions

1. if you could live somewhere else, either in the us or out of the country, where would it be? boston or ireland
2. would you rather have wealth or fame? why? i think i would rather have wealth, that way i could hopefully still maintain my privacy.
3. would you rather be able to race really fast but be hurt afterward, or be slow but never hurt? slow and never hurt. ill still finish, despite the time.
4. what is your favorite drink? water. and pina coladas. or coffee. maybe bud light. ahhhh too many to pick a fave.
5. what is your dream job? wedding photographer.
6. lake or ocean? ocean.
7. do you have a bad habit like chewing your fingernails? what is it? i rub the strings of my hooded sweatshirts on my lips to the point where they sometimes bleed. i know thats so gross, but i honestly dont even know i am doing it half the time. (they bleed if they are dry and cracked... i have a bad habit of always forgetting my chap stick, then wearing hoodies... its a vicious cycle)
8. i am a little nutso about recycling. our transfer station recycles everything so i do too. paper, all plastic, newspaper, cardboard, cans. do you recycle? is it easy to recycle where you live? we DO recycle, everything. our town gives us big trash bins and recycle bins and pick them up every tuesday. our recycling is always full. it baffles me when i am in places that dont recycle.
9. what race are you most proud of? hmmm, all of them? its hard to pick just one.
10. what chore do you hate the most around the house? washing the kitchen floor
11. do you love a disney vacation or somewhere less crazy? id rather go sightseeing or on an adventure of some kind other than disney. just lying around on the beach for a week doesnt really entertain me enough either.

my 11 people to pass this on to...
jessie- kissing frogs
christy- 25 before 25

and here are your questions to answer!

1. what is your favorite blog to read (other than mine, obvs)
2. if you could have a $5,000 gift card to anywhere, what would it be/how would you use it?
3. how do you like your coffee/tea?
4. iphone? droid? other?
5. if you could relive one time/day in your life, would you choose to do so? would you do it the same or do something different?
6. is there a race that you have never done that you would pay anything/travel anywhere to do? i guess this is similar to a whats your dream race sort of question...
7. what is your favorite brand of jeans (selfish question, need new clothes here haha)
8. what is your go to breakfast?
9. what 3 books would you take with you to a deserted island?
10. what are your 3 current favorite tunes?
11. is there anything you still keep that you have from your childhood?

a few other side items (to help support others):

-suz and allen from cows and lasers and everything in between are soon running the wounded warrior project 8k to support their friends and family who are serving or have served for our country, and they are putting on a virtual race until this friday! there are some great prizes and its for a great cause so go check it out (at the link above)

- my friends jessie and julia are both raising money for their upcoming races as well... julia is doing the timberman half ironman in support of make a wish foundation, jessie is participating in the multiple myeloma research foundation race for research 5k. please consider helping them reach their fundraising goals!
 (donation pages):
julia- make a wish foundation
jessie- MMRF race for research

- i also wanted to give a long overdue thank you to Treadmill Review Guru, for awarding me with the "get up and move blogger award"

happy tuesday everyone!

Friday, August 3, 2012

july recap & 200th post!

july recap:

july sucked. it was hot and humid and i got really sunburnt. i didnt eat enough ice cream or drink nearly enough beer. and i wrote all over every internet outlet i have (which is now up to about 367 things) how awesome my running was going and psyched myself up for going sub 4 in my marathon that i trained 18 long weeks for, and it didnt happen. so that was cool.

but i guess if there has to be something good that came out of july, i had made one goal for myself for the month (as opposed to trying to do ALL THE GOALS like i usually do):

"cross the finish line of marathon #6 with a smile on my face"

success. (even if the reason i was smiling was because i was finally done and didnt have to run anymore. and i also needed to be sick, again, and didnt have to do it on the side of the road. win!)

run: 150 miles
bike: 57 miles

(year update: 884 running miles for 2012, 411 biking miles for 2012)
swim: haha

# of ice baths: 6
# of times i threw up: 4
# of times i decided to retire from running: 3
# of pounds i lost on my super awesome 5 hour weight loss plan: 6.4lbs
french fries and pizza with ranch eaten: 6.4 lbs

races:

finish on the 50 10k- by far the most awesome finish to a race. nothing cooler than running through the tunnel and out onto the field where the patriots play! (ok im sure there are a lot of other cool things out there, but this was an experience for sure)

around the lake marathon- you all know how that went.


august goals:

none.
no, wait... more ice cream.


so, moving on and switching gears a little bit.... todays post is # 200! (applause, applause... ive successfully come to some akwardly large number of entries documenting the last two plus years of my random life...)

when i started writing, i figured it was going to be mostly about running but i really wasnt sure at the time which direction it would take off in. i started writing on october 27th 2009, and looking back im really glad i did it. i know i wont write forever but its fun to look back and read through the experiences ive had and how i felt at the time. i also have the first year of this blog in hard cover print (thanks to my husband who got it made for me for my wedding gift), and i hope to get the rest of it printed out at some point.

since the majority of this blog is about running, here are my current racing stats:

(2002-present):
 -eighteen 5k's
 -four 4 milers
 -one 5 miler
 -eighteen 10k's
 -fifteen half marathons
 -six marathons
 -four reach the beach 200 mile relays
 -one sprint triathlon
 -one 25k trail race

so yeah, i run. a lot. and ive blogged about running a lot. but ive done some other things over the years too:
(which includes how to add links.... i apologize about that one...)

-i finally saw my favorite band of all time (set list here)

-we got married
-i revealed the other love of my life

-we bought a house

-heaven gained another angel

and a whole lot of other really random stuff.
....like this
........and this........
.............annnnnnnnd this


and so this journey will still continue on. im not retiring from running as previously mentioned after last weeks race. there will be more ups and downs in this unpredictable world, and new experiences ill want to write about/share. there are times when i think about why i really write this blog... i know a few people read it and thats great and i appreciate all the comments (and ive met some really awesome friends through blogs/twitter/etc), but i do this for myself first and foremost, and am happy to have it as an outlet to write and look back on.