22 miles Boston to Natick and back...ouch, yawn

Today was the last DFMC Group Run and let's just say that I'm sore and exhausted, even after a 2 hour nap!  Both are to be expected so I guess I'm right where I should be.  We started at Boston College along the marathon course and did an out and back, 11miles each way!  During the run I had a lot more thoughts on what to write about, but they're escaping me now.
DFMC had a large contingent to start the day and it was only a small fraction of the runner's along the course.  A number of charity teams (a few were Children's Hosp Boston, Liver Fdn, Leuk/Lympho, Teddy's Team and yes Teddy Bruschi was running along) started in Hopkinton at the marathon start and ran into BC.  There were easily 100s of runners along the road with police details controlling traffic for us charity runners.  People who live along the course were out supporting us and a number of kids were manning their own water stops.  Quite amazing as this was just a training run!
I took the same approach that I did 2 weeks ago, just get the miles in and ran around a 10min pace.  Given a long week at work, I was definitely not 100% ready to go.  That's encouraging though as I met my goal and intend to prepare for the marathon a bit better than I was able to for today!  After starting the run with a small group people and a bit fast, I let up and just controlled my pace, eventually running alone.  The 11mi out were good and I got to hit a stretch of course (Wellesley to Natick) that I hadn't run previously.  We passed Wellesley College, but there were no girls out supporting us today.  Also, I thought it was supposed to be downhill from Hopkinton to Wellesley, though clearly it is "net" downhill since there are some nice rolling hills around Natick (BAA Elevation Profile).
After the turn around point (which according to DFMC was 11mi but my watch said 10.8mi, guess which was deemed more accurate?!) I continued to feel good.  Through Wellesley I walked with a teammate for a bit who was calling it a day b/c of pain.  Obviously there's not much that I could do, but definitely felt bad for him and hope the "taper" time period helps us all!  I also saw the truth of friends' statements that the hills don't start in Newton but at the 128 overpass after Wellesley.  After 16mi, that first hill was "fun" and from there to BC (~5mi), my legs definitely felt sore and tired.  Mentally though it was good as I was able to maintain my pace, run all the hills and finish strong with a bit left in the tank.  Granted, come Marathon Monday I still have 4.2 miles to run after reaching BC, including the 90 overpass (mile 25), the Mass Ave underpass and "Mount Hereford" (mile 26) as a friend describes it.  Two videos describing/showing the course (Video 1, more commentary, Video 2, still pictures compiled into a video).  All that said, there will be 1000s of fans, the crowd from the Sox game and of course DFMC patient partners at mile 25!  Only 3 weeks away and now time to replace some of those 2,900+ calories I supposedly spent today!

St. Patty's Weekend Means the New Bedford 1/2 Marathon

While DFMC had an 18mi training run this weekend, I skipped it as I was running the New Bedford 1/2. I still had a DFMC event though as it was the Patient Partner Poster Party!  I won't say too much since I don't have a picture of the posted, but essentially, all the Patients in the program make a poster that is hung in the hallway leading into the pasta party the day before the Boston Marathon.  I met RJ, his sister and Dad and we had a nice few hours finding our inner arts and craft skills.  A good time and I would have to say a really nice poster.

As for the NB 1/2, like previous years, I ran this race with a core group that I ran my 1st 1/2 marathon with, which was also NB, in 2008!  Last year at this race I set my personal record at ~1hr 57min and was originally hoping to best that this year given the marathon training.  Unfortunately, after the last few weeks I wasn't sure how my leg would respond to a 13.1mi run at a faster pace.  The DFMC coaches suggested a 2:02-2:06 finishing time would be ok.

Our group before the 1/2 starts

The day started much nicer than previous years and was a gorgeous day overall, dare I say almost a little too warm for the run.  Being NB though, there was a strong headwind for a loop along the water.  I met Christine and Sharon at South Station as per routine and we had a nice drive down talking about their DFMC experience from years past and me trying to soak in as much advice as possible (like pace myself the first 15mi of Boston since it is downhill!).  At NB we met with Shuhao and our group of 4 former co-workers, a subset of the 2008 group, was complete.  Shuaho also continues to wear the always popular "Half mer-a-thon shirt" from our aptamer days (if you don't get it, don't worry, we're science geeks).  We also met up with Mike, a current co-worker of Sharon's and another Boston marathoner.  We chatted about our training briefly and then it was time to hit the starting chute...


The race started and immediately I knew that my quad and hamstring were tight and I just hoped they would loosen up.  They look about 1mi to do so but after that, I felt really good for the majority of the race.  In the end, I didn't use my watch that much and just let my body dictate a nice comfortable pace.  Granted "nice comfortable pace" during the hills was a lot different than the downhill section, but overall, I held a consistent 9-ish min pace after warming up, which made me very happy.  I also noticed that the hills seemed easier in years past.  Clearly, the DFMC training runs and the hill work has helped and I'm feel much better about Boston and the hills to come.  That said, I'm not over confident since I've heard too many stories about going too fast early in Boston and then falling apart in Newton and the early parts of Brookline.  Anyway, while I wasn't trying to run a "fast" race, I did finish in 2hr 23sec, which was a great time all things considered, though I was tired at the end.

Post-race heading to the food!

For the first time, we also hit up the free spread after the race instead of hitting a restaurant pub.  NB is right on the water and as such they had fish sandwiches and clam chowder (NE variety of course).  It was tasty, though no beer but we all have to sacrifice!  It was a great day and a great race for all of us!

This weekend is a 20mi training run and then the tapering to Boston starts.  4 weeks from now, I'll be having a beer and recovering from the marathon, or, given the time (~11pm now) I'll probably be asleep! :)

Wayland is Nice When There's Not a Blizzard!

Another weekend, another long run, another day of taking it easy to let the quad strain improve.  We were back at the Longfellow Club (DFMC Group Run - Wayland) this week and unlike our first run out of the club, we could actually see the road and we weren't dodging snow plows or cars!  It's the small things that can make a difference.  We had a large group, probably 50-60 runners, and it was nice to get back with the team after almost 2 weeks of not seeing a lot of teammates.  One of the coaches stressed to me that I just had to get the miles in, don't worry about pace because "it's all about endurance."  This was my plan going in, but there was still a piece of me that wanted to push it and run a nice pace.  Luckily, that little piece lost out and I followed my plan/coach's advice.
Overall, it was a good run and a pretty nice day to be outside running.  I ended up running mostly by myself which was a first for DFMC runs, but it was probably best since I simply ran my pace and wasn't pushed by others.  I was surprised that at a slower pace I felt more tired than in previous runs, but with the cross training I haven't felt like I'm getting the same quality of workout as running.  Perhaps I've lost some cardio/endurance over the last 2 weeks, perhaps I was just tired.  Either way I got the run in and felt good during the run.  I was happy that after the first few minutes my quad wasn't bothering me and as of today I'm still feeling good.  Some soreness, but less that in previous days and weeks!  Guess I'll have to cross train a bit more this week and if I do run, just take it slower than normal.

Cautiously Optimistic After a Great Weekend

While it is a Tuesday night, I'm not at the track workout tonight, which is a little disappointing. That said, I'm being cautious as my thigh strain is improving each day by cross training and stretching.  I'm hoping to take advantage of the soon-to-be spring like weather here in Boston...50s/60s Wed and Thurs!  If that comes true, I'm hoping to rejoin the team activities on Thurs PM for the Crossroads run.  A nice slow pace would be planned for 9mi, but to prepare for the weekend, I don't want to run too quickly and strain anything else.  Fingers crossed that Thurs night is a group run rather than the gym, but being cautious with 40 days til the marathon is just as important.

This positive turn follows a nice weekend run (previously blogged about) and then a very nice Sunday dinner with RJ and his family.  Additionally, I met Paul, RJ's DFMC runner from years past that unfortunately couldn't run this year.  I had previously said that I was a bit anxious whether I would represent RJ as well as his previous partner, and now that I've met Paul, I know that I have no reason to be anxious.  I've realized that how I do doesn't matter...being out there representing the struggles that these kids and others go through during treatment and helping the patients stay positive while overcoming difficult goals is what it is about.  Obviously I have a personal time goal, but that's secondary to finishing and running a good race for RJ.  We have more Patient Partner activities in the coming weeks and I look forward to those for the reasons just stated.  A big Thank You to RJ, his family and Paul for a relaxing and enjoyable Sunday afternoon!

Rainy and Raw

While the morning was overcast and blah, this week's fundraising went very well!  Between new donations and company match contributions, another $525 was donated to DFMC and The Claudia Adams Barr Program!  Between 94 donors, a total of $6710.80 has been raised for the supported research programs.  As always, thank you to everyone for your support.  It will definitely make a difference and helped make this morning's run in the rain more enjoyable, ok, well perhaps not enjoyable, but rewarding at least!
This morning's group run out of Waltham was canceled a few weeks ago unfortunately.  Having been spoiled with a large group of people, water stops and a base of operations where we could leave our stuff, this morning we slummed it, though I'm not quite sure if Brookline and Newton are "slumming it" towns?  5 of us from the DFMC team met at Coolidge Corner, carried our own water and ran through the drizzle, overcast and eventually the rain for 14+ miles (Coolidge Corner to Woodland and back).  The worst part wasn't the rain that started to come down harder for the last 3 miles, but the slush and puddles from the overnight sleet and snow.  With the warming temps, this all melted and the puddles were unavoidable; they were also really cold!
My uncertainty going into the run was obviously about the muscle strain in my thigh and how it would hold up.  It took a few minutes for my muscles to loosen up, but once they did, things felt ok.  I could still feel some low grade ache while running for a majority of the run, but it never increased in pain, which I took to be a good thing.  I'll see how it responds after a day and more before deciding on the training place for the week, but last week's conservative approach was definitely the right one!

Encouraging Week

After last week's muscle strain I had decided to take this week slower and a bit easier, focusing on cross training activities.  I hadn't been to the gym in a while so it was nice to put my membership fees to work again, but it also reminded me why I prefer to run so much more!  Inside on a static piece of equipment just is not that exciting. Anyway, the cross training coincided well with a bit of a cold, so it good week to rest up a bit.  As a result my muscle strain/over use injury has definitely calmed down a bit and was feel pretty good today.  I still plan to rest up tomorrow and then another slow training run this weekend, but a bit longer, say in the 13-16mi range.

I also received a nice little package today from DFMC upon returning home.  I had heard about the DFMC shoelaces as a gift for hitting the $6000 fund raising mark and was lucky enough to hit that earlier this week!  As always, thanks to everyone that has contributed directly or supported me in some way!

Given that I may only run marathons, especially Boston, a limited number of times, I sure chose a good time to run Boston for the first time.  This year, 2 highly enjoyable things are being combined - the Boston Marathon and Sam Adams beer: "Sam Adams Brewer Crafts Beer for the Granddaddy of All Marathons"  Of course, there's also the apparel, which of course will need to be purchased.  Luckily, this year's color is just what I was hoping for.  Who really wants normal blues, depressing blacks, happy yellows, and Red Sox Red?  No, we need something a bit more, hmm, energizing! This is the Men's Official Jacket and the picture doesn't do it justice...it is traffic cone orange bright!  At least I'll be safe running/walking at night, safety first of course!  Throw the decent weather (thus far) into the mix and this has been a great year for Boston thus far!