Inaugural Newport Night Run

If you read this blog then you already know that I love Newport, but what I love even more is running in Newport. I've already told you about the time I ran across the beautiful bridge and the other time I ran along the mansions. This time I ran through the streets in the dark.

It might be crazy to register for February races in New England, but there are some great ones out there. The Newport Night Run was no exception...crazy February weather and a great race.

The day started with a two hour freezing rain delay in New Hampshire that turned into afternoon thunderstorms on the drive down to Newport. We received an email before 6 o'clock that the race was delayed 30 minutes to allow the bad weather to clear. We picked up our bibs and spent the extra time at Easton's Beach taking some fun photos.

It was an out and back course that started at Easton's Beach, headed up Memorial Boulevard, down America's Cup to the Long Wharf turn around. Even with the wacky weather more than 500 runners joined together at the starting line.

The course was not completely closed to traffic, so we waited in the parking lot before being escorted across Memorial as ONE BIG group to line up at the start. It was easy to stay warm in the middle of the pack and the upbeat music playing made it easy to keep our bodies moving while we waited. I was impressed with the event coordinators ability to keep things fairly organized considering the rain, wind, and darkness.

I've run in downtown Newport many times, but always on warm sunny mornings. Running past the familiar landmarks in the dark with all the Winter Fest lights twinkling was something special. It was fun to look up and see Kilwins, our favorite ice cream shop, the Red Parrot, a choice spot for a good meal, and The Wave, a popular place to rendezvous.

The other fun part was seeing the line of hundreds of runners and walkers with glow necklaces and bracelets light up the streets from start to finish. On the way to the finish line we even got some cheers from the cars caught up in the little bit of traffic.

After the race, we enjoyed a few minutes of the crashing waves illuminated by someone in a parked car. Running some new races is on my 2014 bucket list and this is one I can see doing again in the future.

Have you ever run a night race?

First Run 5K 2014

Finally a recap of my first 5K of the year! Happy Friday!

Once again I couldn't resist starting off the year with a race. mrC and I returned to Lowell, MA to run the First Run 5K on New Year's Day in the bitter cold.

I ran the 10K of this event in 2012 and 2013, but this year I decided the 5K was a better fit since it was a Wednesday and I'm still easing back into my weekly mileage. This year's race was bitter-sweet because my Gpa passed away the day before, so I dedicated the 3.1 miles to him.

It was a really, really cold race. My legs felt great in my Athleta polartec tights, but I had my hands and face bundled up until about half way. The course is easy with just a couple of small inclines and loops around a busy neighborhood. It's a popular race and since the course is not closed, there are places where you get stuck behind clumps of runners. I wasn't worried about my time, so this didn't bother me at all.

This was my first race since the BAA Half that I ran injured. It felt really good to be running again and I was happy to cross the finish in 29:36.

I'm really glad that I went ahead and ran this race. Although it felt wrong at first, running did make me feel better. Afterwards, I had planned to look for friends that I knew were running, but I just wasn't feeling very "peppy" so we headed home.

This was my first race for the #14in2014 challenge that I signed up for with Jill and Jen. You know me, I love challenges!


Did you run on New Year's Day? How was it?

BAA Half Marathon & Distance Medley Recap

When I registered for the BAA Distance Medley Series back in January, I had no idea that I would end up on the sidelines (practically) for two months prior to the final race in October.

In April I ran the BAA 5K the day before the Boston Marathon and crossed the finish line on Boylston.

In June, my youngest step-daughter joined me in running the BAA 10K along Commonwealth Ave and into Boston Commons.

After accumulating two DNSs (one in August and another just two weeks ago), I was facing a tough decision about the BAA Half Marathon. My last long run of nine miles was on August 11. Since then I have been battling a hamstring injury. Two months of rest, PT, biking, walking, and only 8 "test" run miles and I still wanted to run the half marathon.

WHY? Why would I even consider doing this? To get that distance medley medal. 

The kicker was that the BAA had a 2 hour 30 minute cut off (supposedly) to get the medal. After chatting with running friends on Twitter, it sounded like we had a 3 hour window to "guarantee" race officials would still be handing out finisher's and medley medals.

After mr.C offered his support to help me get across the finish line in under 3 hours, I decided to give it a try. After all, I had finished two out of the three races, I would get to see some of my running friends, and even if I didn't finish I would know that I did what I could.

So we headed to Boston on Saturday to spend the day in Beantown and enjoy a nice anniversary dinner. After a little shopping, we eased back to the hotel to get ready for race morning. The right outfit can help with positive energy and I choose one of my favorite Oiselle running skirts, a pink Nike tank for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a new Lululemon bra, and my #mezamashii Mizuno Wave Creation 14s.

The BAA Half Marathon was held in Franklin Park south of the city. It was a quick walk to Mass Ave to catch the T to Forest Hills station where we loaded the shuttle bus to the park. Super easy and super organized. As I experienced in the past, the BAA also made it easy to pick up race shirts and drop off gear bags before the race start. There were more than 7,000 participants and their spectators, so finding my running friends wasn't easy, but I finally found Katherine.

Knowing we were going to be going at a slower pace, mr.C and I hung back and waited to start with the final wave. He had figured out that if we ran/walked 14 minute miles, we would make the 3 hour finish. The first three miles went smoothly and I even managed a port-a-potty stop. 10:34, 10:58, 14:44

Miles 4 - 7 went pretty smoothly. We caught up to Michelle and Eileen and thus began a leap-frog game that would continue for the rest of the race. Soon after my quads started feeling the effects of my under-training. Just past 7.5, I had to sit down and stretch. 11:59, 10:27, 11:05, 13:07

Continuing to count down the miles, I made it just beyond mile 9 before visiting the medical tent in the hopes of finding Advil and/or analgesic heat rub like Bengay or Icy Hot. They didn't have either, but they offered ice and a quick massage that got me moving again. 11:52, 11:29, 15:01

The last three miles were the longest and although we walked more, we were both thinking, keep moving and the sooner we'll finish. At this point, my knees had joined the achey party and I just wanted to see the finish line. 11:27, 12:46, 12:27

And then there were none...no more miles to run. Just pass through the finisher's area grabbing water, medals, and food. IT WAS AWESOME!

Crossing the finish line could not have happened without the world's most amazing husband. In an attempt to show him my appreciation, I gave him my BAA Half Marathon medal. He did earn it after all!

I wish I had more pictures from the course, but all I could focus on was moving my legs. Jamaica Pond had gorgeous views and the last miles took us through a small zoo inside Franklin Park. However, nothing compared to the amazing spectator signs lining the course.

It still amazes me that we ran a half marathon after two months of non-running. Our official finish time of 2:42:12 also seems crazy good considering how under-trained we were and the lingering head cold I was still feeling.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done for BLING?

Fitness Friday: ZOOMA Cape Cod Recap

It wasn't easy arriving at the ZOOMA Cape Cod event knowing that I wasn't going to be running this year, but I still had a great time hanging out with mr. C, the other ZOOMA Ambassadors, and volunteering on race day.

Here is a look back in pictures:

Race headquarters!

ZOOMA Fitness Expo 

Q&A with Ambassadors - Nancy, Dani, me, Jessica

Honest Tea "Mocktail Hour" - me, Jessica, Nancy & Dani

Race morning

At the starting line with Ambassadors - Nicole, me, Dani, Kelly,  Nancy

Handing out Personal Best medals was so much fun!

Post-race expo party music

Post-race yoga and massages on the Old Silver Beach!

See you next year ZOOMA!

Hula Hustle 10K

Over the years I have learned that running races in the summer heat is not that much fun. This summer Millennium Running changed all that with promises of a post race luau poolside at the Executive Health and Sports Club. There's something very appealing about grass skirts, leis, and a dip in the pool.

So, to celebrate turning another year older, I treated my birthday-boy husband to a 10K at the Hula Hustle 5K/10K. The Hawaiian themed event benefitted New Horizons for New Hampshire.

We arrived at the event about 30 minutes before start time and found that parking was much further away from the festivities than we thought, but we still had plenty of time to pick up our bibs, race shirts, and grass skirts and head back to the car to get ready and drop off the shirts.

As usual I did not look at the course earlier and learned on race day that the 10K was two laps of the 5K. I'm not a big fan of this kind of course, but it allowed me to see my amazing friend Ellen, who was volunteering at the water stop, multiple times!

After weeks of sizzling hot weather, we had a break in the temps, but with the sun shining it was still a hot day for running. The race started at 10AM, which is nice because you can sleep in, but earlier starts in the summer are better. So, even though it was an super fun race, we were ready to cross the finish line and receive our leis.

Photo by Keith Tharp

After the race, we grabbed our swim suits and headed to the pool for the post-race luau at Sizzle's poolside tiki bar. We were able to rinse off and change in the locker rooms of the club even though we aren't members (but boy do I wish we were!). We found some lounge chairs and then grabbed some food: burgers, chips, and watermelon.

This was the best summer race I have ever done. If you are going to try to run in the heat, it's nice to know that you can jump in the swimming pool to cool off afterwards.

Do you like to run races in the summer?

There's still time to enter my Reebok Spartan Race entry giveaway! 

Swagtastic Virtual 10K Recap

I really enjoy virtual races. They're fun for all sorts of reasons as I mentioned when I talked about my first experience in 2009. Since then I have done a few more including the recent Swagtastic Virtual 10K.

This race is organized completely online and race bibs are emailed to registered participants prior to the five-day race window. Participants run the registered distance and self-report their results online.

I normally do long runs on the weekends. Since most of my "long" runs have been under 7 miles recently, it made perfect sense to run 6.2 miles on Saturday. To make it even better, we would be in Newport for the holiday weekend, so the route was going to be gorgeous.

The goal was to get out the door as early as possible: 1) to beat the heat and 2) we had a sailboat to launch at 11AM. So, a little after 7AM we laced up our shoes, grabbed our Simple Hydration water bottles filled with Cytomax and stepped out into the SOUP!

We made our way off the base and along the waterfront into town. Along the way, we passed numerous other runners, walkers, and bikers all out getting their workout done early. The sun was shining, the water was glistening, and the wind was...well, light. With little shade except through a section along America's Cup Ave, we pretty much felt like we were melting.

With each passing mile, the run got harder. At King's Park, our turn around point, we took a little break, used the port-a-potties, and took some pictures. It was difficult to get going again after that. On the way back, we walked and hydrated at each mile.

Mile 4: The Wave

This was a very tough, sweaty run. During the last mile, we saw a dog owner throwing a toy into the water for his dog to retrieve and I was ready to join the dog! I remember saying to mr. C, I just want this run to be over!

So we might not have made the smartest run decision on Saturday: it was warm, it was humid, it was sunny, and we were sunburned. We did it though. Fortunately receiving the swag from this race has nothing to do with how well you do.

What's your favorite virtual race? 

Fitness Friday: BAA 10K 2013 Weekend

Last weekend we made our way to Boston for the BAA 10K, the second race in the BAA Medley Series. This time I had a running partner: my step daughter.

Our mini race-cation started on Saturday with our first destination on Boylston Street. The last time we were there was for the BAA 5K on marathon weekend. It seemed fitting to pay our respects on the same weekend of the BAA's first race since the tragic events of April 15.

We spent the rest of the afternoon milling around Faneuil Hall, Waterfront Park, and Boston Common before heading to dinner. We chose Maggiano's Little Italy because they offered 15% off to race participants and we scooped up some cookies from the Chip Yard for dessert.

After dinner we strolled back to the hotel. With some time to spare before the start of the hockey game, we took advantage of the spacious room to do some family-time yoga and get our game plan for race day ready.

In the morning we walked the short two blocks to the starting area to meet up with some runner friends prior to the start. The BAA encouraged runners to wear blue and yellow as a tribute to April 15 so I chose my blue Nike running skirt and yellow tank, but I was loving all the Boston tees.

First we ran into Nicole and then Michelle! I also saw Alaina in the corral and on the course!

With the race capped and sold out to 6500 runners, getting into the pace corrals was no easy task. We got in Wave 3 with the 9-959 runners and it took about 10+ minutes to cross the start line.

Here's a glimpse of us at the start turning onto Beacon Street caught by mr C.

We spent the next 6.2 miles cruising through Boston's Back Bay, enjoying the cheers and cow-bells from the spectators, and sweating our butts off. IT WAS HOT! As much as I love bright sunny days, running in the heat after being sick was tough. I just wanted to get to the finish line as easily as my Wave Creations would carry me. 

The out & back course followed Commonwealth Ave. on the south side of the Charles River and led us to the turn around at Boston University. My step daughter and I stayed together until the last port-a-potty at mile 6. It sounds crazy to pitstop so close to the end, but I knew it would be a maze at the finisher's corral and I had no idea how long it would take to get to the port-a-potties there. The next time I saw her, she was showing off her bling!

We hung out on the Common afterwards long enough to cool down a bit and see the 2013 Boston Marathon Champion, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, gift his championship medal to the city of Boston to honor the victims and families of the marathon bombings.  

As much as we would've liked to enjoy the festivities on the common all day, we were mere visitors and had to get cleaned up and checkout of the hotel. It was a great weekend, a great race, and a great first 10K finish for my step daughter at 1:02:03 - and I came in right behind her at 1:02:44. 

See you in October for the BAA Half Marathon!

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On a side note, Shlomo from the Brain Tumor Foundation in New York City asked me to share this for readers who are interested in running the ING New York City Marathon on November 3 but were not chosen in the lottery: "The Brain Tumor Foundation has a limited number of slots left on Team BTF in this year’s ING New York City Marathon, and we can offer guaranteed entry into this year’s race for those who will run with Team BTF." You can find more information on the website or go directly to the Team BTF application.  

There's still time to enter to win a Bestowed box delivered right to your door! Click here!