color me rad 5k

****

a quick but HUGE thank you to everyone who voted/shared/retweeted/etc. about this weekends contest to win a $250 grant from Operation Jack. to quote sam from his website:

Operation Jack is my never-ending quest to help causes in need, one charitable act at a time. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. But I have faith I’ll get it done. That’s what Operation Jack is.

OJ was willing to give back and support a great charitable cause, and our 5k in September- 65 Roses 5k - to benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is very thankful.

****

back in june when i won the COLOR *  ME *  RAD  * 5k giveaway from janine i was very excited! i had seen a few people on twitter/bloggy world that had done this race in various cities across the US and it looked like a ton of fun! after a few texts back and forth, a few friends decided to do the race with me and we became team "color us maybe".

as race day approached, we started trying to figure out the logistics. since there was apparently no race day packet pick up (which there really was), we needed to figure out how to get everyones bibs and shirts prior to race morning. no one actually lived close to where the race was going to be held, but luckily SB was heading down there for a family get together so she was able to get everything for us!

pre race texts (i really wish android had screen shots...)

me: i feel like crap-o-la. exhausted. so sick of running.

SB: taperitis... so gross. running makes me want to kick people in the face right now. namely myself.

me: the world is so happy to have us right now. at least were headed to the happiest 5k on the planet or some dumb shit like that.

SB: yes. fact. we are awesome. this 5k is going to be like disney...but in braintree. in a parking lot.

me: OMG WERE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!! and fun fact, my dumb phone just tried to auto correct disney to diabetes haha

SB: HAHAHA!

me: diabetes is a likely outcome from all this GU. yay running.

the pre race instructions warned us all about morning traffic chaos and insisted people arrive at 7am regardless of when your race wave was supposed to start (we were in the 8:45am wave). i left my house at 5am in order to make it down by 7ish and i was still stuck in traffic on the highway about a mile from the exit. they werent kidding when they said "traffic chaos". people were getting out of their cars and walking to the race, abandoning their driver on the highway. in true bigpimpin style, i saw a prime opportunity to be a huge jerk and cut off about 3000 people lined up on the highway and edged my way into the front of the line right before the exit. win!

just off the exit was the mall where the race was being held, and everyone was trying to get into the parking lot (read: HUGE mess). so i kept driving about a quarter mile down the road, found a small side street with this cute old man outside in his lawn and asked him if i could park in front of his house. he said that was fine and we talked for a few minutes about what was going on for the race. seemed like a nice guy but i still wasnt sure if my car was going to be there when i got back (dont worry, it was).

SB had been there for a few minutes and texted me to tell me where she was. i told her i was wearing all white, i should be easy to spot (hehe, i crack myself up). we sat around and complained a lot (were so good at that) and waited for jessie and danielle m. to show up. everything seemed pretty poorly organized and people were just walking around looking like confused (us included)... and after taking a few "before" pics, we decided we should just go to the start and get this show on the road. it didnt appear they were checking to see who was in what "wave", so off we went!

from the start line, we weaved back and forth through the mall parking lot. so scenic (really did remind me of disney actually, with all the highway running, HA!). i think we might have run a mile before ever reaching a color stop. we had caught a few color bags before the start and colored us up a bit, and took this pic after the first color stop.

then on to more parking lot weaving/running. actually, we werent really running. well, danielle was apparently trying to win the race so she kept taking off, would accidentally run into someone/try run them over, and then trot back to us. there was no shade and we were sweating like pigs in the 90 degree sun, covered in neon corn starch. i mean really, wouldnt this be your ideal sunday morning too?

i think there were 4 color stations along the way, one of which had run out of color by the time we got there and they were just dumping green water on people. there were at least 4 more waves that were sent off after us, so we were glad we snuck in when we did. at the last color stop the volunteers were pretty much handing the boxes of color to people and having the runners do it themselves, while instructing us to "roll around on the ground". which we did, duh.

purple color stop where we rolled on the ground

and then we saw the finish up ahead. huh?! danielle's garmin read 2.5 miles, which is not a 5k. sorry folks. the ending was very lame, just running under the finish line blow up arch. a few people had color bags that were thrown in the air, but i think our expectations were a bit different than what actually happened.

after going through the finish line, there was a crowd of thousands of people just standing there not moving. we figured out that there were 3 tents that people were "in line" for to get their professional pics taken. we decided to wait, but it took at least 45 minutes. and it was hot. and we continued to complain a lot. haha, even at the "happiest 5k on the planet" we can complain. who would have thought!?

so we just took a lot of pics while we waited.

i snapped this cool pic at the final color throw... i think this was kinda what we were expecting for the finish line, but it was something completely separate. there was a guy up on the platform in the upper right of the pic with a bullhorn yelling down what to do, throwing out prizes and color bags.

the final color throw

i know i said we complained a lot, but it was a fun/unique "race". for the first time having it in boston, id say they have some work to do but it could have been a lot worse. there was far too much "running" and not enough "color" along the way. it was a family friendly activity which was cool. and i wouldnt classify it as a 5k... and i know a lot of people had mishaps with the packet pick up/tshirts... but on the upside, the tshirts are AWESOME (sooooooooo soft and comfy), and there were NO lines for the port-a-pottys. FTW.

right before heading home, i texted crystal to try and find her in the color mess. it wasnt hard to find her prancing around in her tu-tu :) so happy to finally meet up with her, she rocks!! hoping to run more races with this chica in the future!



on the way home i stopped by the site of next weekends marathon to check out the course and run a few more miles. after getting lost (twice) on the run (going down two dead end streets) and getting many weird looks (yes i color myself in neon for fun, what about it....) i feel much more comfortable knowing what the course is like. also helps seeing this for the elevation (knowing ill be running it 8 times around and around and around....)

46 feet elevation gain

41 feet elevation loss (and i think that was from one of the side streets i went down on accident)

also thought this sign was pretty funny where i parked at the lake... that helps with my whole sub 4 goal i guess.

11 days!

fun fact friday

just a quick/semi selfish shout out: Sam, from Operation Jack, is giving away a $250 grant to a worthy charity and im kinda in 2nd place.... which means i need more people to vote for me! i am trying to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation via the 3rd annual 65 Roses 5k race on September 23rd (oh and you should also come run!!!)

here is what i wrote up for this grant:
My brother in law, Aaron T. Sterling, was born in 1981 with Cystic Fibrosis. From the day he was born Aaron was unable to do something that the majority of people on this earth take for granted: breathe. Doctors told his parents he wouldnt live to the age of 6. With the evolving miracle of technology and medicine, Aaron was able to greatly surpass the age of 6. He graduated from high school, and went on to attend the University of Maine. In 2003, Aaron underwent a double lung transplant, receiving a lung lobe from his brother and another from a family friend. After having a second single lung transplant in 2007, Aaron ultimately lost his battle with CF in 2011- but not without fighting. He left behind a fiance, a loving brother, mother and father, and countless friends who fought right along with him.
Approx. 70,000 adults/children in the world are currently living with this devistating disease, but with the help of donations and medical research they are coming close to finding a cure so that no one has to know what it feels like to be born unable to simply take a breath.

if you could take a second and please head to the Operation Jack page on facebook (and "like" his page, OJ is an excellent foundation raising money peration Jack page on facebookfor autism!) and vote for me/CFF (click "4 more" to pull down the remainder of the names, and im 2nd to the bottom). and then try to share this with your friends. i know its a lot to ask, but i have faith in my 8 readers ;) (and since im not on twitter anymore, you could also share it there ya know if you feel so inclined...) thank you!!

so now onto the "fun facts" (or more like random crap that ive decided to share today)... 13 for friday the 13th! and happy bday to my uncle jerry!!

1. i hate it when escalators are broken but thats the only way up or down (no stairs nearby). i know they pretty much act as the stairs, but its still feels weird and i get worried that they will suddenly start up again while im on them.

2. i have pretty much have better than perfect vision but sometimes wish i needed glasses

3. sometimes i have a really tough time letting things go

4. when i was 5 i got the chicken pox and then passed it on to my twin brothers. that must have been really fun for my parents. and for some reason we all walked around the house practically naked, covered in calamine lotion, wearing tupperware bowls on our heads.

5. ill never try the bud light lime. i just cant.

6. taper really really sucks. my entire run yesterday was only because i had to. i want runs back where i want to go.

7. i almost pressed submit this week on an olympic triathlon thats in 6 weeks. due to my own stupidity and lacking ability to read correctly, i thought 0.9 read 0.6. so that didnt happen.

8. a few weeks ago i got my best friends birthday present out in the mail to her only a month late. this is by far a huge success (her bday is in may, my gifts usually get there by about christmas). after coming back from the post office i realized half of her gift was still in my purse and didnt get included. its still sitting on the dining room table today.

9. i cant stand air conditioning.

10. i still balance my checkbook with a real paper check book register thingy. its a pain in the ass having two debit cards to account for, but its saved us on 4 occasions where our debit card got hacked and we got charged twice (and once three times) for something we bought.

11. im currently reading 5 books, none of which i have really any desire to finish. now taking recommendations for something i can get lost in.

12. i went through a phase when i was in middle school where i dyed my hair orange, and then i dyed my bangs blue. yes, i had bangs. and braces. hawt.

13. i really want a pair of sperry shoes... my bank account doesnt feel the same way (still refuse to buy toms, sorry meg!)

last LR... HIMYM style

"kids, im going to tell you an incredible story...." in the years leading up to your (later on down the road future) existance (dont ya'll go getting all excited now), i did a lot of stupid things. your father can likely vouch for that (and he will be sure to point out how many times he tried to pursuede me not to do said stupid things). sure these things didnt feel stupid to begin with:

"OMGyouguysihavethisGREATawesomeINCREDIBLEidea!!!!"

(everyone goes running.... crickets.....)

but as time went along, it became clearer and clearer that the idea wasnt so omgincredible after all...

like, for instance, in the spring/summer of 2012 when i decided to run a marathon. well i had originally decided to run zero marathons that year (that would have been a smart decision... but since were talking stupid decisions....), then i went back on that idea thinking "OMGILOVERUNNINGSOOOOOMUCH" and instead decided to run 2 marathons, not zero. training for my first five marathons hadnt gone all too well, so i decided i was now way more hardcore all of a sudden, kicked it up a notch, found one of the most ridiculous (yet still semi-manageable) training programs, and crossed my fingers. (yes, this is clearly how awesome people train for marathons).

so i ran, and i ran, and i ran some more. and i complained a lot about running. i bought ridiculous outfits and neon colored compression everything, and then i ran more. i think you get the idea.... (i also drank a lot of beer... but thats another story for many other days).

but heres the funny thing, kids- i really do love running. but i have found out the hard way, and maybe one day you'll find out for yourself, running sure can royally f**k with your mind.

"heres how you run a marathon. step 1: start running. step 2: there is no step 2."

kids, when you run marathons you figure out that you are truly a part of the x % of the worlds population that might actually be certifiably crazy (i even have a certificate for this craziness... from the InSane AsyLum). but the best part? youre totally not alone! you meet all sorts of other crazies just like yourself! and you hang out with them to make yourself look less crazy. logical thinking right there. so crazy SB and myself decided it was a great idea to do our very last long run before our race on one of the hottest days of the summer at peak temps (we at least waited til it cooled down to 89). running hasnt killed off all of our common sense just yet....

after sending multiple texts back and forth during the day...

 "im pretty excited to run 2,398 miles later... ugh"
 "i would prefer to sit and drink beer"
 "we'll be alright... when its over"
 "pancakes, coffee, and potato chips are good pre run fuel, right?"
 "whose idea was this anyway?"

...we finally took off. 22 miles, here we come...

"its gonna be legend-... wait for it... and i hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is DAIRY!"

465 feet into the run, we stumbled across this:

we made the executive decision NOT to try whatever white liquidy dairy

sort of product this was that someone clearly left for SB

(funny, we both are lactose intolerant....)

as much as we (ok, just me....) wanted to turn around after those 465 feet, we continued on. and when we got into portland we found a better way to refuel in the form of water (a novel idea vs sketchy milk bucket on the side of the road):

drink this, not that. hi dad!

"kids i cannot stress this enough. 'SB' and i were going through a tough time."

as much as i wanted to believe it was getting cooler, i dont think the temperature was dropping. if anything im pretty sure it was getting hotter. by mile 11 my legs were hurting. were talking sheer pain. im pretty sure i had already drank enough water to fill a small pond. instead of feeling the "water bloat", i think all the water had settled into my thighs. (this is also super attractive incase you werent aware). ive felt like this before on training runs and i knew i could still finish (maybe). i also knew that if i didnt have SB running next to me, and knowing i would fully sabotage her kick ass training run, i would have called ty and had him pick me up. yes, i was ready to bail at mile 11.

at mile 12.6 "home" by dierks bentley came on my playlist as we were running over the casco bay bridge. bridges are tough to begin with and i was seriously dragging. i felt as if i couldnt lift my legs (im fairly convinced they each weighed 110lbs... full of all that water). i had to sprint ahead since SB was flying along like a little firefly, loving the sunshine and enjoying the view, to tell her i needed to stop for a sec. i took the pic below and saw i had a text from my lovely texan lady- "chandler watches shark porn!" as i was this close to tears, i just had to laugh seeing that. who wouldnt? you have to love a friend that sends daily "friends" quotes. x1000.

yes, this is my home.

"when it's just not there, you cant force it"

i tried to keep pushing it but i didnt have it in me. 8:40s turned into 9:20s. i needed to stretch at every mile. i kept thinking back on my other marathons when my time didnt really matter. i brought snacks and my cell phone with me and enjoyed the miles, whether they were 9 minutes or 17. it was all still the same distance. do i even care about going fast anymore? why am i doing this? i can just run the marathon on july 27th like all my other ones. thats my comfort zone, not this....

"the future is scary. but you can't just run back to the past because it's familiar. yes, it's tempting... but it's a mistake."

after dodging traffic (where i was secretly hoping to get hit by a car) we stopped at dunkin donuts and for 25 cents we each got a large cup of ice water, which we practically drowned ourselves in, sweating all over the store (youre welcome, DD), shoving ice cubes down our sports bras, and somehow regaining our love for life.

as we headed out for the last 5 miles, i swear i heard SB yell "SUIT UP!"

 we kept counting down the miles but they seemed to be taking forever. i kept repeating to myself just one foot in front of the other... all this training for the past 15 weeks hasnt been for nothing...

"all that work i put in training for the marathon was a total waste!"

"training for a marathon? you dont train for a marathon. you just run."

just. run.

finally we were on the home stretch. 3 miles, turned into 2... turned into 1... i made SB run laps around the end of my street to make sure she really understood the true meaning of hating running...

and then we got to my house. 22 miles, albeit not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, complete. final long run DONE. time.for.TAPERMADNESS! (see kids, even when us crazy stupid runners complain about the 55 mile weeks, the 200 mile months, the 3:45am wake up calls all to get us to taper before the big race, we still add "madness" to what we've waited 15 weeks for! special. kind. of. stupid).

and officially passing out (part 1)

"sorry dude, we gotta wait for the real thing, no matter how tough it gets."

"it gets pretty tough."

"i know it does buddy."

but we obviously make running look good. and neon. and badass.

"hey, how was your day?"

"today i yelled at a little girl for drawing a rainbow."

"a rainbow? sounds like that bitch had it coming."
(pretty much how i felt about running yesterday. and i love that quote, so i had to fit in here somewhere)

passing out part 2: my view

passing out part 2: SBs view

11 miles sub 9, 11 miles not sub 9

average mile 9:02... ill take it

(read much better recap from the how other half lives HERE. and as if she ran again today. overachiever.)

but you see kids, in the end... "sometimes things have to fall apart to make way for better things..."

19 days...

finish on the 50- 10k

back in march i made a decision that is not normal to me: i didnt sign tyler and i up for the beach 2 beacon 10k. ive run that race 9 times and it is by far a "must do" race. seriously, travel up here to the great state of maine for this 10k. you will absolutely not regret it. however, it would cost almost $100 for us to run it, and i just figured we would take a year off & let our spots be taken by hopefully two people who have never run it before (this race sells out in about 8 minutes, no joke).
   **of course all my friends got into the race this year... yes i have like 10 friends, whatever... and so now im a little jealous... but hopefully i can go cheer them all on!!

shortly after not signing us up for b2b, an active schwaggle deal came to my inbox about a 10k that finishes on the 50 yard line of gillette stadium where the new england patriots play. for $17. um YES. so i bought two, and told ty he was running too :) he loves it when i force him to run (sense the sarcasm).

i made him a nice 3 month training program which he followed perfectly (.....nope). but to his credit he is very busy with work and needs his beauty sleep ;) needless to say he wasnt extremely excited when the day actually arrived, it was 90 degrees at 5pm, and we were headed towards the start line.

the pre race beers helped a bit i think...

clearly this is perfect pre race carb loading

in hindsight, it would have been awesome to head down to the stadium and hang out there for the day but we showed up around 4:30 and walked around patriot place for a bit, picked up our bibs, sat in the car (air conditioning is lovely) and then changed and walked out to the start (race started at 6pm). there were a lot of people and a small road to start out on, but it quickly spread out. as we ran through the start line we saw the patriots mascot and patriots player Jerod Mayo with his wife. hes no gronk or brady, but its was pretty cool for him to be there.

watching the kids run
note: our race finishes running out the helmet... SO COOL!

it was so hot the camera lens fogged up on my phone

someone was clearly excited to run

someone is OMGalwaysexcitedtorun!!!

we had just been talking about this episode and then we saw this shirt at the start!

it was pretty hot when we started but the roads outside the stadium were faily shaded and there was a cool breeze. i wont go as far as saying it was "cool", but it wasnt as hot as i had expected it to be (minus the stretch in the parking lot that has just recently been repaved. thanks for that, gillette). we ran thru the parking lot and out of the park on the back entrance that im assuming the players drive in on. then the course weaved through neighborhoods in foxborough.

the only downside i found to this race was discovered at the first water stop.... the water was WARM! ugh. either they did a poor job of cooling the water before the race, or it was just really that hot and we ran too slow to get warm water. this will not deter me from doing this race again, but cold water would have been nice. the volunteers were excellent though, some of them juggling 4 cups of water at a time!

we ran the first mile in 9:15 and then started slowing down after that, which i was perfectly fine with. the back of my leg had been giving me a little trouble and i didnt want to hurt it more, and i loved running with ty. HE did not love running with me though... i kept bugging him to make sure he was ok, and he wouldnt talk to me so i thought he was mad, and i wanted to sing and dance and that was just totally not entertaining to him (im always entertaining to myself, and thats probably it haha). but alas, our marriage didnt end at the finish line and for that i am thankful ;)

coming back into the stadium

just before mile 6 we turned back onto that back entrance road again and i was so excited for the upcoming/ much anticipated finish. we turned a corner and headed into the tunnel....

this pic sucks cuz i didnt want to stop to take it but it was such an awesome feeling!

and as we came out of the tunnel i just took it all in (i had never been to a game before at this stadium)... i can only imagine what its like running out of there with thousands of screaming fans! what a rush! i saw the finish line ahead and i heard the announcers butcher say our names, and we sprinted in for a strong finish! ty looked up and saw us cross on the jumbotron (that i missed, booooo) and he had a huge smile on his face! we didnt make his time goal but after we crossed the finish line he said "this is so cool! i will definitely do this race again!" yes! (and looking at the results he finished one second before me haha. youre welcome for that, ty)

after running through the finish line

then we heard the announcers say that team hoyt was coming across the finish line and i was able to snap this photo. they are simply amazing. (we had passed them shortly before coming into the tunnel)

team hoyt finishing

dont let his silly face fool you, he had a great time!

the jumbo tron showing the finish line

this was by far the best finish line of any race i have ever done, and i was so happy that ty came and was able to experience it with me. we are both huge pats fans and to be able to be inside the stadium and right down on the field was incredible (despite that it really didnt actually "finish on the 50" yard line since the revolution soccer field was out, not the football field markings). i cant wait to do this race again, hopefully next year!

june recap

direct quote from last months may recap: "if i wasnt attacking my fridge or sleeping, i was running." and its true, that month i really did feel like i was running all.the.time.at that time, may had my highest monthly miles EVER at 166.6 (i dont know how i could have allowed myself to finish a month on that number. who does that?!)

so if i felt like i was OMGRUNNINGALLLLLLLTHETIME in may, you dont even want to know how i felt in june....

june

run: 200.13 miles
bike: 21.5 miles (this was one ride)
swim: 1050 yards (also one time in the pool... you saw the running mileage above, yes?)
sitting on benches whining about how i dont want to run anymore: 10 minutes
other stuff: not a lot

(disregard the suck fest that was the month of january)

races
bands on the run half marathon

   it was hot. it was kinda hilly with some "technical" trail running. very little shade. BRIDGES. ugh. just wasnt our day, but the three of us had a really great time, cant you tell? (sarah, you ARE smiling!) poor andy, im not sure how he put up with the two of us.

andy took every opportunity to photo bomb us

(dont worry photo company, we're buying the pics so no need to send us to jail)

also, add this to the "im flyyyyyyying" pics! none of us are touching the ground!

ew, holy calf explosion

current song obsession: "some nights" by fun and "wide awake" by katy perry

currently reading: "fifty shades darker", "wicked", "a stolen life", "in the water they cant see you cry", and still making my way through "harry potter and the order of the phoenix". i should probably stick with one book before i start another one.

favorite nephew born this month: ronan joseph nappi!

favorite run: 19.1 miler....from my dailymile entry: "i took yesterday off cuz, well to be honest, im so sick of running. i feel like i run ALL THE FREAKING TIME. and when im not running im thinking about running. and when i try not to think about running, i think about running. or someone texts me about running. it is my life right now. and i get it, im 5 weeks away from a marathon. im supposed to be all running. but really, i just want to take days (weeks) off and be ok with it. and i was. will there be more days like yesterday? sure. whatever. so anyway... i was supposed to run 17 today. and an hour before leaving my house i had 2 chocolate chip cookies for dinner. then i went out and crushed 6 miles before meeting sarah to do 13 with her. for some dumb reason she decided tonight was the night she wanted to do speed work (mind you she has not wanted to do speed work EVER, grumble grumble...) so i sucked it up for her benefit, obvs, and went fast so she didnt think i sucked at life. if i had known i would be running an 8:17 mile for my 19th mile, i might have thrown her into oncoming traffic at some point... but she got a nice 1:55 half marathon in tonight and im pretty happy with my 19 mile time. so ill keep her around for a few more weeks i guess. so i may be sick of all things running, but its good to have good friends to push you when you least expect it ."

times i thought about doing one of these: 4

times i further contemplated doing this (in a really long time, not this year): 6

# of puppies i prayed for and cried for and continue to think about (and his family too): 1

favorite pin of the month:

 
june goals
-smart training, rest, stretching, ice, compression. i cant afford to get hurt.... id say i really did focus on this goal this month other than anything else, especially since i was really upping my mileage. i actually stretched before and after i ran (whoa...totally new concept), i foam rolled like there was no tomorrow, took a few ice baths, and pretty much wore my compression socks whenever it was socially acceptable (which lets be honest, is pretty much everywhere. obvs). only one day did i wake up to run and really feel like i wanted to cut my legs of, so i think that counts as improvement in and of itself.

-another long bike ride... um..... not a lot of time to do that when youre running all the time. i guess the 21 mile bike can be considered long (already have a 40 ish mile bike ride planned for july at some point, so we'll take a rain check on this goal)

-figure out a freaking time goal for around the lake marathon since my original goal might not be enough any more (56 dayyyyys!!) (yes i have a goal to make a goal)- ok, its official. i made "the official around the lake marathon #6 time goal". and i printed off the pace band. is it a "way out of my element omgonly26daysleft" unattainable goal? no. did i print out 3:59:59? no. i made a reasonable choice for where i think i am right now. im still stuck in my own head and need to just let shit go and focus. i have 26 mile splits that i can look at along the way and know that if i want to/can go faster, i will. when i step up to the starting line at 7pm on july 27th, its just gonna be me and the road/path, one foot in front of the other, trusting the difficult training that i have powered through and will push myself til ive run 26.2 freaking miles, leaving everything out there. i want to be sore on july 28th. i want to not be able to walk down stairs. i want to need 3 ice baths and 7(teen) beers. i want to cry crossing the finish line and give my husband a huge hug. i want to leave wakefield, mass, knowing that i truly gave it my all. and whatever time comes with that, ill take it. (buuuut, see july goal below....)

-attempt p90x yoga atleast once- oops. would you believe it if i told you i dont know where the dvds are? or that chips ate them? yeah, i wouldnt believe me either. fail.

-200 running miles for the month. yikes.- like. a. boss. dont get me wrong, this was not easy for me. twice i had given up thinking it wasnt attainable. but i did it, and despite it just being a number, i am happy that i accomplished it. now ill probably never do it again, and thats just fine with me. (maybe ill go for biking 200 miles instead....)

-go back to the chiropractor- i did! actually, i went twice! and oh man did he crack the ever loving shit out of my back. and oddly it worked numbers on my knee. love it. another appointment in two weeks.

-sit ups/push ups. every. damn. day. so help me God.... didnt this goal say "sit ups/push ups at least twice during the month of june?" i swear thats what i originally wrote... who hijacked my blog....

-lets revisit that track 800's goal, shall we? -  i seriously give up on this goal. ill probably never do 800s again.

-regain the attitude: suck it up and just fuckin do it. #bigpimpin- oh did i ever dominate this goal this month. seriously... june was... a really good month. really. good.

-just breathe- everyday. thats probably a good thing. ill take this goal every month.


july goals

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

#thatisall

for Graham

while i was sitting here trying to figure out how to wrap my mind around the following huge life problems:
 - how is tomorrow the last day of the month??...
 - wait, my marathon is in how many days?!?...
 - i really should have taken an ice bath yesterday...
 - why cant i get my ass to do 800s at the track?...
 - how in the world could i let myself run out of ranch dressing?!?!.....

...like i said, admist all my huge life problems, i saw that a friend was in need. and i looked further and saw more friends were reaching out for their family. and i knew i wanted to help. but ya know, my huge life problems are really big..... (*shaking my head)...

i met katie through blogging and the twitter world and was able to meet her a few years ago at the boston marathon. although we live far apart and keep in touch via random drunk phone calls/texts, i still feel a connection to her (not to mention she has THREE awesome golden retrievers.... and we all know how i feel about them).

whenever i tell ty a story about katie he goes "the one with three dogs?" (yes, that katie....) and its often followed by something along the lines of: "i cant imagine how much hair is in their house" or "i wonder if they all sleep in bed together... they'd need a triple king" or "just so you know, we will never have three dogs, but it does look like they never have a dull moment over there".

yes, there is never a dull moment in that house. katie just accomplished a huge HUGE IRONMAN!!! only to come home to a very ill puppy. her baby. and my heart just breaks seeing what they are going through.

another friend of katies wrote this am "Thankfully Katie has some wonderful friends named Amy and Liz who are asking for help via PayPal donations. I donated. It wasn't a lot, but I think every little amount counts and I know how thankful both Katie and her husband Thom will be."  (http://discombobulatedrunning.blogspot.com/)

and i wholeheartedly agree.

here is the post that katies good friends wrote: for Graham

...in the midst of all my seemingly huge life problems, it just makes sense.

mid month rambles

someone please tell me how we are seriously 3 days into the 2nd half of the month?! what?! when did this happen? the days/weeks/months are flying by and before we know it there will be snow on the ground again! (ok sorry, didnt mean to bring that up.... i wish fall could come tomorrow and last til december...of 2013). with a few hot sunny beach days in between. k thanks.

but yes, we are now just over halfway through the month and just under 40 days til marathon #6. ive actually looked at the goals i made for myself back at the beginning of the month, and am already working on doing a few of them:

-smart training, rest, stretching, ice, compression. i cant afford to get hurt....
i guess this is going as well as it can go right now... i had some more hamstring/groin issues but i went to the chiropractor and he worked his magic. and my compression socks and i are true bff's right now.

-figure out a freaking time goal for around the lake marathon since my original goal might not be enough any more (yes i have a goal to make a goal)
i * think * i have it figured out... i havent printed out the pace band yet, but almost... (still slightly in denial/wanting to run without my garmin.... somebody thinks thats a really bad idea....)

-200 running miles for the month. yikes.
im currently on pace to accomplish this goal (current mileage: 116) despite feeling like omg i run all the time i haaaate running and taking a break this weekend. i pretty much eat, sleep, breathe running, but its almost taper time (well ok, 4 more weeks...) and i have a 4 mile cushion for the next two weeks so we'll see what ends up happening...

(side note: after this race i have 11 weeks until the next marathon.... training started back in march and wont end until october 14th. who decided to do this again?!)

-go back to the chiropractor
done! and i have another appointment next week!

-regain the attitude: suck it up and just fuckin do it. #bigpimpin
obviously, always. (minus skipping saturdays run hehe oops)

-just breathe
every day. a bunch of times.


yesterdays 19 mile (well, 19.1 mile) run really drove it home how far ive come in my training and that with a little extra push i really can overcome pain and (despite a LOT of complaining) finish strong with a good time. i went out and ran 6 before meeting up with sarah to run 13 with her. she and i are running a half marathon next sunday and ill be pacing her to her goal time, and shes been working really hard at gaining strength and speed as well. ill let the numbers do the talking, but needless to say she pushed me to be fast on this run when i really just wanted to lay down in the road and quit. thank you to best running buddy ever for not letting me fall over and die, although i know if i did she would stop my garmin for me ;) thats what friends are for.

um hi... an 8:17 mile at 19?! shoot. me.

but i love it, obvs.

and i also became an aunt for the first time last week... meet Ronan Joseph Nappi :)

love him.

one lovely blog

last friday (or was it 2 fridays ago? im way behind here.... ) i was nominated by JEN at running with the girls for the "one lovely blog" award. thanks, jen!!

The One Lovely Blog Award is a "pay it forward" kind of way to recognize your favorite blogs.

Here are the rules:

1. Post the award logo and and picture on your blog and link back to the person who nominated you.

2. Tell seven things about yourself.

3. Nominate bloggers who you think deserve the award.

Here are my 7 things -

1. ive never had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. i know, i know. ive tried jelly once (on an english muffin about two years ago)... ew, gross. ive probably had about 6,943 peanut butter sandwiches in my life (or probably more like in the past 5 years), but never a real american peanut butter & jelly sandwich. yes, im aware thats not normal. (this should not surprise many of you that have actually met me)

2. i actually went back to the chiropractor last week (this was one of my june goals!), and he told me my ass wasnt strong enough, hence the hamstring/groin issue. lovely. squats and clamshells for the next 5 weeks.

3. pinterest has again sucked me back in after a short leave of absence. i even made one of the recipes last week (forgot the whole spicy red pepper flakes though, still came out delish) and have plans to buy a new purse i found on there! i figure if im gonna be on there twenty three two hours a day, i might as well make it useful to my life.

4. i still struggle with the "toilet paper rolls over the roll" issue. everyone needs to understand thats the only way it goes. if you think it goes under, youre wrong.

5. back in december i wrote all about how i was so "A-ok" with my "no marathons in 2012" decision. and then i changed my mind. and now that im less than 6 weeks away from a potential huge 26.2 PR, and although im powering through my training like a boss, and im hitting minutes per mile i have never seen before on longer runs, and im loving it and hating it and laughing and crying and and and... i regret choosing the race i picked. i cant wait for mount desert island in october. (18 weeks... but whos counting?)

6. im terrible at getting birthday/christmas gifts sent out on time. cassie, you always wanted your birthday in july instead of may, right?

7. i have an obsession with feetures socks, anything/everything zebra print, and hooded sweatshirts.

(and now im supposed to nominate  people/blogs for the award but pretty much everyone i know already got nominated cuz theyre awesome, so yeah. im not gonna do that)

 

another awesome thing happened this week (amidst all the non awesome things that have been simultaneously occurring lately):

saaaaaay whaaaat?!?!?!

oh yes. its true. i will be rockin the streets of boston covered in neon and awesome with this chica and this chica. we are team "call us maybe". thank you to janine for my giveaway win! if anyone else wants in, feel free to join our team!

may recap

i have to say, the month of may was pretty much insane with regards to running. if i wasnt attacking my fridge or sleeping, i was running. i even had quite a few times when i was running around the hospital at work. i just never slowed down. and i loved every minute of it (minus the few days when my hamstring told me to fuck off... but i showed it who was boss).

may
run:  166.6 miles (ill have to check but this might be my highest monthly mileage ever- checked. yes it is. and i was off 8 miles on the original posting of this)
bike: 71 miles
swimming: 1050 yards

races:
polar bear sprint tri
reach the beach 200 mile relay

pineland farms 25k trail race

favorite run: that time i just went out and ran a marathon cuz i just felt like it (smart)
# of times i went out and biked 43 miles just for the hell of it (also smart): 1
quote of the month: "did you do this in high school?"
current song obsession: "fighter" by gym class heroes, "marilyn monroe" by nicki minaj
least amount of sleep/most uncomfortable: reach the beach parking lot at 6am
favorite pins of the month:

may goals:

- dont crash and die at the triathlon - win. although i took a turn a little bit too wide and ended up in gravel. that crap is NOT easy to bike out of!
-track 800s - oops. although, i ran two of my four miles last night at 5k pace(ish) so does that count? (maybe i should have looked at these goals once during the month)
-strong/smart/stylish (obvs) reach the beach & 25k race - done. clearly i rocked both of these things.
-win the lottery- guess you cant win em all
-convince ty i might need the new saucony kinvara 3's- fail.

june goals:
-smart training, rest, stretching, ice, compression. i cant afford to get hurt....
-another long bike ride (before i have to give the bike back, booooo)
-figure out a freaking time goal for around the lake marathon since my original goal might not be enough any more (56 dayyyyys!!) (yes i have a goal to make a goal)
-attempt p90x yoga atleast once.
-200 running miles for the month. yikes.
-go back to the chiropractor
-sit ups/push ups. every. damn. day.  so help me God....
-lets revisit that track 800's goal, shall we?
-regain the attitude: suck it up and just fuckin do it. #bigpimpin
-just breathe