What a difference a day makes! We were met with sunny, spring-like weather over the weekend which quickly turned to wintry rainy weather yesterday. At least it wasn’t the reverse!
Sign of spring in Boston: Duck Boats are back on the streets!
Continue reading “Training to Recover and Recovering to Train”
Happy Friday to all! Hope you’ve had a great week and are staying positive, as the weekend is near! It’s darkest before dawn, so hope you are gearing up for a mix of fun plans/workouts/runs/family time/friend time/alone time over the next couple of days.
This week commenced with sadness in the wake of the terrorist attack in Brussels. My heart breaks for those touched by this tragedy. In my seemingly powerless little corner in Boston, something I can control is the persistent feeling of empathy for those around me, and a promotion of kindness. Spreading peace and compassion to neighbors won’t curb violent attacks around the world, but helping others on an individual level might be the right amount of influence to deter those considering violence.
A photo I took when I visited Brussels a few years ago:
Continue reading “Making Peace on a Friday”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day friends!! Hope you’re having a great week so far. Are you doing anything to celebrate the holiday? I’m going to hold off until the weekend to observe the splendor of my heritage. :)
Speaking of celebrations, I am so excited that Boston marathon is just over one month away (one month and one day to be exact!). On that Patriot’s Day weekend, Boston will be swarming with excited and eager runners and their patient family members and friends. It’s always such a special time to be in the city, bustle and all! Stay tuned for an upcoming post on must-see’s and do’s in Boston over marathon weekend (or any other time!).
Continue reading “Happy St. Patty’s Day & Boston Marathon Advice”
Happy Friday! Hope you all have had a great week!
This first full week of March has been a great one! It’s felt like spring over here in Boston, a huge contrast to last winter where we had about five feet of snow still blanketing our city at this time. I will take it!
Five highlights from this week:
1.I signed up for my next race, which is tomorrow morning! It’s called the Black Cat 10 and 20 mile road race and is located in Salem, MA, about 20 minutes north of Boston. The race is held during the Boston marathon training cycle for those training for that race, but is for all levels of runners. Mark and I are signed up for the 20 mile race, although I am going to run about 15 because I am still recovering from Phoenix. My sister is running the 10 miler as well. It will be so great to run together again! I ran this race a few years ago and felt that it was very well supported and had great scenery. There is no better way to run 10-20 miles than with others! Race recap to come.
Continue reading “Five Updates from this Week!”
Thank you so much for all of your Phoenix Marathon love in my last post! I promised you a full review, so here you go!
First off, while I am so thrilled to have run a personal best and BQ, I am always looking to improve, and think that I can potentially meet my “A” goal, which is a finish time somewhere in the 3:20’s.
Continue reading “Phoenix Marathon Review”
Welcome to the second week of February!
I was looking at marathonguide.com (as I do most days—just kidding, kind of) and noticed that the Austin marathon is this weekend. I want to run the race as soon as I can, because I really love that Texas city!
Continue reading “Dreaming of Austin”
We got back to Boston late Monday night and I’m definitely missing the Miami sunshine already! While I love my home city of Boston, there’s nothing like escaping to warmer climates during the winter to cleanse the soul. Even a quick weekend away was such an incredible mental boost!
We wrapped up our trip with a great lunch with my parents who were also in town. Lunch with a view:
Continue reading “Back to Reality”
Happy Tuesday everyone! If you live in the Boston area, hope you’re staying warm these days and enjoying the recent snowfall!
Continue reading “Week Before the Half Marathon”
Hope you all had a great weekend, and for some of you, a day off today! I am finally feeling better (although Mark is now under the weather!), but it will be nice to get out of the house a bit today!
This cold Boston weather has me thinking about steamy Southeast Asia, and the incredible time Mark and I spent there last year. Today’s post will have a different focus from running, but will take you to Siem Reap, Cambodia!
Continue reading “Take Me Back to Siem Reap, Cambodia”
After a week-long holiday office closing, I am back to the office again. The time off has been very rejuvenating- full of rest, time spent with family and friends, travel, and getting outside on some beautiful runs- all of my favorite activities!
Saturday night game night!
Continue reading “Back to the Grind”
Hope your week is going well so far! Just wanted to check in with a quick trip update. I consider blogging a fun hobby of mine rather than a chore or job (a sentiment encouraged by long-time bloggers!), and so here I am blogging from the tropics :)
We have loved San Juan, PR so far! The island has extensive history dating back to the 16th century, and the streets are full of culture and color.
Continue reading “Hello from PR and Thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions”
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend with your loved ones! We had a great time together in our little town south of Boston. I’m so lucky that most of my immediate and extended families live in the area!
Continue reading “Holidays and Getaways!”
Happy Friday all! This week seemed to fly by- hope it did for you too!
We are road-tripping to Philadelphia tomorrow morning for the marathon on Sunday! I will be watching the race/running part of it with my sister and cousin. Just like old times.
Continue reading “Road-tripping to Rocky!”
Most Americans visit Disney World for the first time as a kid. I was 26 years old for my first Disney experience – my first marathon. Some may say that I was a deprived child, but I disagree. Needless to say, I loved Disney Marathon! Yes, both the physical running of 26.2 miles as well as being at Disney.
Continue reading “Throwback to First Marathon @Disney!”
Warning: this is a long post! I have been meaning to write about my BQ at Big Cottonwood Canyon UT for a while and wanted to include info on the training leading up to the race as well as an overview of the race itself. If you don’t want to read about the blood, sweat, and tears I faced in this race, I won’t be offended if you click away :)
After my annual viewing of the Boston Marathon this past April, I found myself more determined than ever to attempt to re-qualify for the marathon (even despite the horrifically rainy and cold conditions of the 2015 race!). I decided that day in April to find a race in a unique location, which had a favorable course for a PR. I perused through my marathon go-to source (www.marathonguide.com), and quickly found my race of choice: Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah. The race is put on by REVEL, and had great ratings. I watched some footage on a previous year’s race and promptly signed up.
Marathon training in Boston is fun!
My training:
My Big Cottonwood marathon training cycle started in mid-May. I had already built up a solid base after running Philly marathon the previous November, and had also run a couple of half marathons in the spring. But in general, I was starting this training cycle with fresh legs, and was determined to train hard and with consistency.
As a part of this plan, I hired my first running coach because I needed to make some changes to my training, and needed someone to push me. I also work best (like many others) when I am held accountable to someone other than myself- and this ended up being the missing link for me.
My coach set up my training schedule on google calendar a month ahead of time. I would log each run, and she would comment on occasion. Throughout summer 2015, I built my long runs up to 22 miles, and also added in speed work and tempo runs (400 meter, 800 meter, or mile repeats, with cool downs in between). I incorporated 4 half marathon races into my training, and at times added on more miles post-race if the day called for more miles.
Providence half & Gloucester half this summer. Love incorporating half marathons with marathon training!
Some of my long runs were “fast finishes”, ie- the last several miles were at marathon pace. One long run included a couple mile warm-up, 10 miles at marathon pace, and a couple mile cool down.
4th of July road race!
In general, I think I was prepared for Big Cottonwood Canyon on marathon day (September 12th, 2015). Some of my long runs during the training cycle did not go as well as I had wanted, particularly because of the time of year (summer), but I usually hit my speed work splits, so hoped that those runs would help me run strong in those last few precious miles.
Another training run along the Charles River
The race:
Big Cottonwood is known as a fast race, amenable to PRs. The first 19 miles of the course are mostly downhill, but miles 19-23 have some rolling hills. The last 2 miles are mostly back to being downhill, a change which is subsequently very tough on the legs (well, more tough than usual for the last two miles of a marathon). My sig Mark (who was running the half) and I decided to drive the course the day before the race, which helped me mentally prepare for the downhill and course logistics. I highly recommend driving a race course to prepare if you can, especially if the course is completely unfamiliar!
View in Moab during my last training run before the marathon!
Race expo was easy, on the small side. Plenty of parking, but you’ll need a car. Note that Utah is a very car-friendly, car-necessary state.
Our hotel was not one of the official hotels for the race, as those had sold out, but we were fine with the Courtyard Marriott in Sandy, UT. On race morning, we had to drive a few miles to the shuttle pickup. The lines for the shuttles were VERY long, but moved surprisingly quickly. They took us to the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, roughly 9700 feet high in the sky, to where the marathon starts. Half marathon started a couple of hundred feet south of us at 7300 feet. Coming from Boston, I felt a little hard core being so high in the mountains.
REVEL runs an organized race- the top/start had plenty of porta potties, and our bags at bib pickup included mylar blankets and gloves, which were perfect for early mornings on the top of a mountain. Coming from sea-level, I could feel the effects of being almost 10k feet high, but the downhill nature of the course outweighed some of the effects.
True to the course description, the first 19 miles of the race were basically a steady downhill (with an exception of a steep hill at mile 4, which was at an elevation of roughly 8500 feet high- this was tough on the lungs to say the least). I maintained a 3:25-3:30 pace for this portion, and was determined to stay well ahead of the 3:35 pacer. A 3 hour 35 minute (or less) marathon finish was the time I needed to qualify for Boston.
After the half-way point, I desperately wished that I had trained on downhill courses more frequently to prepare for this terrain. But despite the deep fatigue my legs were feeling from all of the pounding, I felt great and ran consistent 7:30-7:45 minute miles. At mile 19, my pace slowed up as the course became hilly. Hills at 5500 feet elevation were no joke. At one point I had to stop and stretch, and also just catch my breath. It was a very interesting feeling, being out of breath at this point even in the flat sections. I knew that I was far from home.
At mile 23, I noticed the 3:35 pacer slowly creeping up to me and at that moment felt very emotional and overwhelmed. The pacer caught up to me at 24, and asked me how I was doing. I was honest and told her that I was very disappointed to see her. She said that she was running a minute or so ahead of a 3:35, that the rest of the race was downhill, and that she knew I had it in me to push myself. I know she had no idea, but her motivational lines helped me push through.
At that point, I was determined to reach my goal and pushed as.hard.as.I.possibly.could. I crossed the line @3:33.06 and saw Mark, who promptly yelled “you friggin qualified!!!”.
The rest of the day was a blur, but I remember bits of the following: devouring pizza and Gatorade at the finish, crawling to the car, showering off the massive amounts of salt that caked my body (maybe the dry air evaporated the sweat?), passing out for a long time, then crawling to the movie theatre and lastly eating amazing Mexican food at a restaurant in SLC where I devoured so many chips and guacamole, that I got my fill for the year…almost :)
End of story: run this race if you can. Loved everything about it, and it’s a great one if you’re serious about qualifying for Boston (aren’t we all?).
About to cross the finish line- won’t ever forget that day!
What is your favorite running memory?
Anyone else on the road to a BQ?
Good morning and Happy Monday! Hope your week gets off to a great start.
Two weeks from now, I will be heading down to Philadelphia with some family and friends. My sister and cousin are running the Philly marathon, and I am going to cheer them on!
City Hall along race course
I’ve run the Philly marathon three times- in 2011, 2012, and 2014– and just thinking about the race brings back many happy memories. Philly marathon was my second fastest marathon finish (2011 race), as well as one of my slowest finishes (2014 race). Yet in the three times I have run the race, I learned so much and enjoyed it every time.
2014 race with my sibs and Mark
Some thoughts:
2012 race finish
I am disappointed to not be running Philly this year, but am really looking forward to being a spectator this time around! I might jump in towards the end of the race to help pace her, but TBD. She is going for a BQ and I think she will meet that goal in this race!
2014 race finish
Stay tuned for a recap in a couple of weeks!
Has anyone run Philly marathon? Any tips or tricks that you’ve learned from the race?
I ran the Chicago marathon in October 2013. It was a race to remember for many reasons, but most memorable was the fact that I ran with my sister and brother (my cousin came too but sadly couldn’t run due to an injury). My parents also came to watch the race, and we had a fantastic time together in the Windy City. There are so many things to say about the race, one of the largest races in the country, but I will narrow it down to two quick lists of what did and didn’t work. Chicago was my 7th marathon, but I still learned a lot from the race.
What didn’t work:
The Chicago bean (cloud gate)! Can you spot me?
What worked:
I really want to run this race again one day, after training sufficiently. It is certainly a race to run a PR- and if not, you’ll still have a wonderful time in the city!
Zion National Park in between monsoons
After Big Cottonwood Canyon marathon in Salt Lake City, Mark and I packed up and drove four and a half hours south from SLC to Zion National Park. We didn’t think that anything could compare to our time in eastern Utah at Arches and Canyonlands, but we were wrong!
First stop en route to Zion was Kolob Canyon, a section of the national park that is northwest of the main site. We were still very sore from the marathon & half marathon, but were able to drive to an amazing overlook.
We then headed to Zion, which is accessed via the quaint town of Springdale. Our B&B for the next few days was situated in the downtown area, and surrounded by the canyon. Shuttles buzzed back and forth from Zion entrance to downtown, making the location of our B&B very accessible to the park. We loved the Novel House Inn!
Virgin river was wild post-monsoons!
We spent the next couple of days exploring Zion’s impressive geology, molded by the elements over thousands of years. Our legs continued to feel the effects of the race, so we opted for more moderate to easy walks. Some memorable hikes include Emerald Pools Trail, Weeping Rock, and Riverside Walk, the gateway to the narrows.
During our second evening in Zion, Mark attempted to hike the Canyon Overlook Trail (which is on top of a tremendous switchback road) while I rested my legs in the car. As he started to ascend the overlook, rain began to trickle down, but the trickles soon turned to monsoon rain. Luckily he was able to climb down without too much difficulty, but this gave me a real scare! We noticed right then that waterfalls appeared suddenly out of nowhere across the canyon walls. On our drive down the switch back, a boulder had fallen in to the road! We were able to drive around it but were reminded again how powerful nature is, and how Zion National Park is an active park continuously being formed by nature.
While in Zion, the surrounding area experienced some intense flash floods, an intense battle between water and rock. At the Zion visitor center, there was a hand written note at the wilderness desk indicating that flash flooding was “probable”. At the entrance to the narrows, there was another more permanent sign indicating the same thing. Regardless of how formal or up to date the warnings were, we did not make it far into the narrows/slot canyons, given our physical shape post-marathon. We were lucky, as the flash flooding in the area became a very serious issue. Another reminder of the power of nature.
Beginning of the narrows
In between monsoon rains, I was able to take a photo of the rainbow (top of post). Our third day in Zion was met with some rain, so we stuck to the shuttles and visitor center, as well as the town of Springdale. We were sad to leave this incredible place but are looking forward to returning some day! I am eager to visit Zion (and Utah!) again with fresh legs! Angels Landing here I come!
Good afternoon readers! Hope your day is going well.
I have been working on my post for Utah for awhile now, and it’s been tough to narrow down the photos to use for this blog- the state is so photogenic! There is so much to say about Utah that I decided to break up the posts into three sections- stay tuned for a post on Zion National Park as well as the Big Cottonwood Canyon marathon review!
When I signed up to run Big Cottonwood Canyon marathon (Salt Lake City, UT) in September, Mark and I decided to make the most out of being out there. We booked a week-long trip, with the marathon falling in the middle of the week. Neither of us had been to Utah, so we wanted to see as much of the state as possible! Thank you to friends and bloggers such as Hungry Runner Girl for inspiring us to visit Utah!
Canyonlands National Park
After landing in Salt Lake City, we picked up the rental car and headed directly east to Moab (about a 4 hour drive from SLC). We checked into our glamping site, Moab Under Canvas, and headed to Canyonlands National Park for a quick afternoon visit.
Sun rising slowly over Moab
Canyonlands is a beautiful national park, and we loved the areas we explored on the Island in the Sky side of the park. We checked out Mesa Arch via a short hike, and then chose a slightly longer hike up Aztec Butte. Both hikes offered incredible views of the canyon.
Mesa Arch
We wished we had more time in Canyonlands, but it was hard to fit everything in!
Looking over Canyonlands
View from Mesa Arch
Our stay at Moab Under Canvas was a memorable experience as well. It was truly glamping at its finest! Everything you would need under a tent, with hot coffee and breakfast each morning and relatively clean portable bathrooms with showers. Camping under the Moab sky allowed us to see a night sky that was nothing like I’ve ever seen- everything from the milky way to the north star was glowing. We would highly recommend staying at MUC if you’re in Moab.
Our glamping site
Following our first night in Moab, we spent the day at Arches National Park. This majestic park has over 2,000 stone arches, and amazing sandstone rock formations molded over thousands of years by the elements. The sunsets over arches national park are also incredible, lighting up the red rocks so they appear to be on fire.
Arches at sunset
Arches is accessible by car, with lots of parking at many of the must-see sites (we did go slightly off-season, in September, as opposed to the peak July and August season). Many of the sites require walking and/or more intense hiking. Given that we were running a marathon a few days from our visit, we decided to stick to the easy to moderate trails. Some highlights include balanced arch, skyline arch, delicate arch (only saw from ground), fiery furnace, and park ave.
Delicate Arch
Fiery Furnace
We can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed Arches National Park. It was a stunning and unforgettable, very different from anything we have ever seen. Words do not describe the incredible beauty of the park, and it is a must-see when you are in that area of the country!
Arches at sunset is incredible!
Good morning, hope your week is off to a great start! Running outside after work in the dark yesterday reminded me that daylight savings won’t happen again until March! Only about 4 months to go until longer days! :)
Last March my sister and I decided to escape the Boston winter and run the Los Angeles marathon. While running a PR was not the goal of this race, I did fit in some long training runs prior to the race. However these runs were mostly inside on the treadmill because of the weather. The race was just over three months after my previous marathon, Plymouth Plantation in MA.
Santa Monica Pier
We flew to LA the Thursday night before the race. We stayed in Santa Monica, near where the “stadium to sea” race ended at the Santa Monica Pier. We loved this area of LA (like most people!), and found some great food options. Sugar Fish, Stella Barra– pizza and other carb-rich items were perfect pre-and post-race! We also enjoyed exploring the Santa Monica Pier, Muscle Beach, and Rodeo Drive and shopping at Third Street Promenade.
Bib and t-shirt pickup were at the LA Convention Center- plenty of parking and we thought it was conveniently located in the city. After eating our pre-race meals of peanut butter and banana on bagels, we shuttled over to Dodger Stadium a couple of hours prior to the 7:30 am race start. We felt that the shuttle system was convenient, and enjoyed hanging out in the stadium until the race started. Always a luxury to use real bathrooms instead of porta potties!
Dodger Stadium prior to the start
The race started with a steep downhill, and a few more rolling hills followed. The rolling hills continued throughout the race until mile 24, when the course veered steadily downhill until the last 0.2. Course was overall scenic, passing all of the notable LA sites including Hollywood Hall of Fame, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Palisades Park, and Santa Monica Pier.
Santa Monica Beach
There was also a decent amount of entertainment along the course, and adequate water stations. The issue that my sister and I had with the race was the heat—the race started with a 70 degree temperature and climbed up into the mid-80s by the time we finished. I decided early on that given the heat, I would take this race easy and enjoy the sites. The race directors pushed up the date of the race by several weeks, which I think is a great idea. Hopefully future LA marathons are met with cooler temperatures!
Santa Monica finish line shot
My sister and I were happy to relax in the California sun on Santa Monica Beach for the rest of the trip!
Jane Runs Wild 