Running – Jane Runs Wild

Boston Marathon Recap and NYC Marathon Training

When I first started running marathons, I never would have dreamed of being able to recap my Boston Marathon experience while also prepping for the NYC marathon in the same year. How lucky am I?! My Boston 2022 review is long overdue, in part because shortly after the race my family packed up and headed out west to Denver for the month of May, followed by a busy summer here in New England. I am also belatedly recapping Boston because while it was a special and memorable day in many ways, it wasn’t the race I had been hoping for. It was nothing like the 2021 fall Boston where my training came alive on the course.

I started training for Boston a few weeks after I ran the Philadelphia marathon last fall. My body felt fine going from one training cycle to another, but I think I was a little burned out mentally. But I was grateful to be training for the iconic Boston. Training included several races, two of which were getaways with Mark sans kiddos- the Fort Lauderdale half in February and the NYC half in March.

I also ran the Hyannis half at the end of February with Beth and Angela and ran a 1:39 in cold and windy conditions. In early April, I ran a local 10k (Cohasset Road Race), but my legs felt heavy.

In retrospect, doubts about running a PR in Boston started to creep in around then. I made some mistakes on marathon Monday, which I ultimately ran in 3:45.

Overhydrating with water & not enough electrolytes/salt. In the week leading up race day, I drank a LOT of water without balancing the intake with sodium and other electrolytes. This was such a rookie mistake, and one I hope to never make again, but I paid for this electrolyte imbalance on race day with cramps that developed early in the race and never went away. Since that day I have been much more in tune to sodium/electrolyte intake and haven’t had any cramps in any run since, even during the hottest days. My go-to’s are scratch hydration, nuun prime, and salt tablets.
Another rookie mistake, but I realized early in the race that my new shoes were causing problems. I had purchased some new Nike shoes leading up to race day and tested them out in 3 runs before, but for some reason they bothered me on race day. They felt very tight and I wasn’t able to loosen them appropriately during the race (I stopped a few times to untie/re-tie, it did nothing). It was hard to steer my thoughts away from this issue for some reason. I know I will be much more cognizant about wearing appropriate, well-tested shoes at races!

I think those were the biggest issues I had. But I also think that I should have dialed back more during taper for fresher legs, added in more strength training and hill work, and figured out a better pre-race eating plan for a late race start at 10:50am. Plus working on my mental game for the next race wouldn’t hurt either.

It is hard to complain about running a race like Boston but I definitely needed a break afterwards. Even though- seeing my friends all along the course from the beginning to the end (shoutouts to Amber, Lori, Ann, Luke, my parents, Beth, Ted, Mark and kids, and others…plus the amazing training partners/loved ones who followed me from afar!), made this race one of the highlights of my year!!!

That brings me to my next adventure, training for the NYC marathon. This race has been a BIG bucket list item for me. I’ve wanted to run for 10 years and finally got in!! I am running with my sister Beth which has made training and race day planning SO fun! I also started a local run club — shoutout to @harborrunclub! — in June and have met a lot of awesome new running friends. We meet every Sunday and that is often one of the highlights of my week! Stay tuned for a separate post on that! This training cycle has been filled with so much joy and I am feeling strong these days. Since Boston, I have run several FUN races including the Denver half, the Covered Bridges half in Vermont, and the Hingham Road race.

I have several more races coming up during training too. I’m excited to tackle the next 11 weeks and I hope to have an amazing first NYC marathon experience. Thanks for following along – however sporadic my updates are!

Are you training for a fall race?! Hope it’s going well :)

Anyone run NYC before?! Please share you favorite memory or a running tip!

Philly Marathon and Winter Training

Today was the first time in a week where I felt a flicker of spring. We were blanketed by a blizzard last weekend but perhaps it’s the sun setting after 5:00 PM or the slightly above-freezing temperatures that is starting to make a difference. But because of that snowstorm, I’ve been relegated to running inside on the treadmill. But I am dreaming of getting outside soon. Binging The OC (yes the TV show from 15 years ago) has almost made me believe I am running along Newport Beach.

Looking backwards though, Boston 2021 is an experience I won’t soon forget. Six weeks after that special weekend, I ran my 3rd Philly marathon on November 21^st after claiming a late entry.

Here’s a little race recap:

I didn’t do much training in between Boston and Philly and used my base to get me to the finish line. Initially the plan was to take the race very easy, and I followed the plan until about Mile 16 when I realized I had already passed the “big hill” of the new course and still felt good. This came after an earlier boost when I stopped at the 10k point to hug Mark and the kids. After this hillier section, I turned on my music and focused for the last 10 miles. The Manayunk section around mile 20 also gave me a great push. I’m not sure if it was the initial low expectations or the perfect weather (42, sunny, no wind), but I felt great until about mile 25 where the course turns to an uphill finish. I worked through that last mile and crossed the finish line in 3:31. I was so happy, a feeling that can be fleeting these days. For the first time, I felt fitness come together.

After soaking in the spirit at the finish line, I walked back to our rental in Rittenhouse Square and hugged Mark and the kids.

I had missed these “runcations” since having kids and with the pandemic. I didn’t realize that the world was about to shut down again so I’m thankful to have had that special weekend away.

Looking forwards again, I’m in full Boston Marathon training mode these days as the race is about 2.5 months away! Something recently clicked in terms of motivation. I think it just took a bit of time to recover from my back-to-back marathons last fall. I have signed up for some other races to get me through the next wave of Boston training, including the Martha’s Vineyard relay race and Hyannis Half marathon. The big race I’m signed up for is NYC half in March. Depending how the next few weeks of training go, I’d love to aim for a half marathon PR there.

The biggest addition and positive change to my training recently are the amazing running friends I have found in my small town! They’ve really helped me get out there during the cold wintery days.

**11ish more** weeks to go ’till the big marathon and I hope to keep you more up to date on training! Thanks for following along :)

What are you currently training for?!

How are you handling winter running?

Boston Marathon Recap Part 2

If you missed it- check out my recap Part 1! After my bus arrived in Hopkinton, I realized an earlier start meant that I could ditch any additional food and just get going. Crossing the open starting line was much different than waiting for your wave in a corral. I felt all the emotions and couldn’t believe that this was actually happening! I quickly zoned in and reviewed my plan of attack:

First 5k, “laughably slow”. The goal was to make the difference between the first mile and last significant.
Miles 4-13, make it to 13 feeling fresh, thinking, “controlled aggression”.
Miles 14-16, either bumping things up a bit or sitting pretty.
Miles 16-21 the 4 Newton Hills, time to get the party started!! Effort level 7/8 out of 10. I was thankful my coach had outlined expectations for each of the 4 hills.
Miles 21-26.2: run with heart.

I was thankful that there was a nice chill in the air at the start. The day ultimately turned into a warm one but proved to be nicer than training in the summer heat!

I managed to comply with the first 5k plan and I think it set me up for later success. Before long we approached the roaring crowds in Natick center. The amount of energy from the crowds there was unreal and it was fun to see my cousin! I generally followed the race plan for the next bucket of miles but turned up the speed a bit when I approached the Wellesley College scream tunnel. Some runner next to me shouted “Some things never change” and I reflected on that happily for a bit.

My pockets were lined with 4 Honeystinger gels and I held a plastic baggie of two bags of Honeystinger chews combined. I went through the chews first, without any real rhyme or reason but knew I needed to get through the entire baggie (320 calories) within the first 1.5 hours. I am working towards 200 calories/hour!

After seeing my parents, Mark, and my friend Luke at mile 14, and Amber at mile 15, the course takes a sharp downhill before the first set of 4 Newton hills at mile 16. I was feeling GOOD at this point! I was carrying my Jaybird headphones until then. During a downhill, I found an opportunity to put my headphones in, and turned on the music lightly. From mile 16 through 21 (the hills), I blasted my favorite tunes to help distract me.

My mantra for the Newton hills was “forward is a pace”. I walked part of the second hill which was as coach Mary describes, “just annoying”. Even so, after cresting the 3^rd hill I was mentally thinking/hoping it was heartbreak but it most certainly wasn’t. My effort was 8/10 but I kept chugging.

The last five or six miles of the race were a complete blur with some surprising small hills. I fed off the crowds but really it was all mental and just thinking, “one step in front of the other”, “I belong”, “every second counts in a BQ cutoff”, and “how many times have you run 4 miles…you got this”. One thing my coach wrote to me just before race day REALLY cycled through my thoughts throughout the race: “Might as well go for it, you know?!? You’ve worked WAY too hard not to.” The final miles were still a blur until I turned left from Hereford to Boylston with the finish line then visible. I will never forget running by my family at mile 26 and crossing the finish line feeling PROUD. Proud for my body and proud to have contributed to the MGH team.

I was grateful for being in Boston, thankful that the race was happening after a long pandemic, SO appreciative of the incredible support of donors to my fundraiser contributing to nearly $10,000 raised, grateful for my family, friends, and legs that could carry me this far. I’m still in shock at my finish time, one that I positive split by 32 seconds (this dream outcome has never happened!!). When I first ran a marathon in January 2011, I never knew what was possible. It took me 24 marathons to PR and I’m finally starting to believe that the world is my oyster.

Thank you for reading this far! I HOPE my time gets me in to Boston 2022 (BQ-6:44), but we won’t find out until after registration in mid-November. The good thing is my time qualifies me for 2023 and hopefully by then the cutoff times won’t be as severe as these pandemic years. If I don’t get into Boston next spring, I’ll find another marathon before I start training for NYC 2022. I just can’t get enough and am so thankful for the adventure that running has brought. Stay tuned for more training updates and race recaps to come!

Packing List When Travelling to a Race

Good morning and happy weekend! Given that I recently ran a race away from home (Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC), the logistics of running a destination race are fresh in my mind. Destination races/”runcations” are one of my favorite parts of running! You don’t want to be without the essentials for race day, so I have developed a list of things you should bring with you.

Continue reading “Packing List When Travelling to a Race”

Seattle Review

A few months ago, my sig Mark and I jetted off to Seattle for a long weekend. We loved our time in this beautiful northwestern city- including the food and coffee, and access to amazing national parks!

Trail runners/hikers/outdoors enthusiasts: I’m sure you’re aware of Mount Rainier National Park. A roughly two hour-three drive from Seattle, the park offers many hikes of different durations and difficulties. Mark and I drove out to the northwestern section of the park for a two hour hike which started at Mowich Lake– an unbelievably crystal clear and majestic sight!