Rev3 Maine 70.3 - That time when I killed it. (Another guest blog. By Eric.)

Coming into Rev3 Maine I was feeling more confident then I ever have coming into a 70.3. Before my previous two 1/2 Ironman races I was focused mostly on survival and/or getting through them intact (my last one was a tune up for the Full Ironman that I did last year). This time though, I was feeling strong and surprisingly fast. I had a couple of big bricks in training that were "break through" workouts for me and had me feeling really confident coming into my goal race for the year.

When the athletes guide came out, about 10 days before the race, I saw that Rev3 had some nice aero wheels available to rent. After discussing it with my coach and my exclusive dating partner fiance future wife (don't ask, it's just our thing), I decided that the price was worth it since I was feeling good, and this was my goal race for the year. Might as well take out all the stops.

Isn't he sexy? His name is Fabian.

The downside is now I *really* need to buy wheels...

Also, I totally look legit!

The week of the race I was also way ahead of the game in preparations and getting things ready. I really wanted to do well in this race and since I felt strong enough to actually *race* it, I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I headed down to check-in, get my wheels and any supplies that I needed the instant that the Expo opened on Friday. By Friday night everything was together clean and packed.

My awesome friend Magoo also lent me his sweet aero-helmet.

And it totally matched my kit. PIMP!

All my numbers, ready and waiting.

Saturday afternoon we headed down to Portland to check in and meet my mom, my sister and her family, get Sara checked in with her team (Pace Booty), and for me to check Fabian into transition. The expos at big races are a lot of fun because you get to see all of your tri buddies you haven't seen in a while (since the last race) and all of the athletes that you know mostly only from the intertubes. After chit-chatting and socializing for a bit we were off for our pre-race dinner. Nothing like Olive Garden for some generic, GI friendly, Italian food! After dinner it was time for an early bed time due to an early start time in the AM.

First a little background information. I have a twin (his name is Andy). He also does endurance sports. We have a death feud when it comes to competing for things. He started doing tri's two years before I did, and that is one of the main reasons I started. I hated being on the other side of the fence and I wanted to compete with him. Also, our buddy Ben started doing tri's at the same time as Andy. So, since I started doing tri's three years ago, we have had our own race within each race. Our overall placing and times mean very little, however, our place among each other is a hard fought battle worthy of the Olympics. There are a few other people who we also "race" against, but they don't really know they are competing with us. But we totally keep score. I bet they do to. ;-)

Race morning. With an early 6:24am swim start it was a very early wake-up call. But as we had gotten everything ready the night before, we were quickly off to the race. Because we were so organized and early we got a killer premo parking spot right near transition right on the run course! An epic spectating spot! I added the needed nutrition to my bike, made sure the tires were primed and off to the swim start we went.

The Swim: 39:47 (21st of 63 AG)

Andy and I with Crack. We look so pretty pre-race

When I went for my warm up swim (more of an acclimation swim then a real warm up) the water was cold, but not nearly as cold as everyone made it sound. Maybe I am used to the cold Maine waters? Anyway, after a quick dip we lined up for the swim. While I was excited to race, I was not terribly excited for this swim. I have a tendency to drink water when I swim and so in salt water that generally does not do my stomach any good at all. So, between that, my general lack of love for the ocean and waves, and that all people were doing in the weeks before the race was talking about how sharks were totally kicking around Maine waters, I was less then excited for the swim. 

It was a beach start, and on the horn we were off. I lined up generally in the middle of the pack, self seeding as a solid but not spectacular swimmer. Right away on the swim I started to get beat up a little. Sandwiched between two guys who were taking turns smacking me, getting kicked by the guy in front of me, dude behind me thumped my leg a few times. It was not an awesome start. Adding insult to injury I got pushed way to the inside (it was a counter-clockwise rectangle, so I was way to the left). I have a mean left hook when I swim also. Coming into this race I have been working on figuring out what the problem is, and I thought I had nailed it down. However, my hook came right back just when I needed it the least. Ugh. The first turn buoy took *forever* to get to. That and a few gulps of lovely sea water and my mental focus started to break down. I was having a bad swim, and I knew it. I foresaw GI issues, and terrible failures for the rest of the race. My "A" race. Shit. But, I managed to bring it back together. 

"Just relax and swim, so you'll be down a few minutes, NBD. Tri's are not won in the water, but they can be lost in the water, don't lose it, just relax and swim."

And that is what I did. I gave up trying for a good swim and just wanted to get through it as smoothly as I could. And then it was over. As soon as I could touch I stood up and walked. Probably a bit too soon, but not terribly early. There was a long run from the water to T1 so while still in about ankle deep water I took off my wet-suit to run better. I feel like I was the only one to do this, but I also feel like it was a way better idea then to run in a stiff heavy wet-suit. Who knows.

T1: 5:03  (Up to 20th AG)

As I was running by transition to the entrance I saw Andy at his bike. Nice! I didn't lose that much! Generally, I am good in transitions with my times usually right up there with the top dogs. This time, I took my time a little, got most of the sand off of my feet before putting on my bike shoes and heading out. I still managed to pass a someone in T1 which makes me happy.

Transition was effing long.

Bike: 2:48:09 (Down to 37th)

The bike is probably my weakest event overall. But, it is also the event that I have improved at the most. So, I was happy to be on my bike. The first half of the course is slightly up hill and then you come back down the second half. I tried to keep this in mind and not look to much at my speed or average speed knowing that I would make up the time on the way back. I just kept telling myself to keep within my self. At about mile 10 I saw Andy.

Now, I have seen Andy on the bike one time before, during Olympic (ish) event and I passed him about half way through the bike, and then ended up paying dearly for my first half speed and was consequently motored in the last 5 miles of the bike and then murdered on the run. So, when I saw him I briefly thought of that and was panicked for a second. Again, I calmed myself down and did a full body checkup and told myself that I was totally within myself and pushed on (dropping Andy like a bad habit in the process ;-) ). 

Motoring

What's your price for flight

You've got him in your sight

And driving thru the night

Then I started to have fun. I have never really been fast enough to keep up and ride with people. I usually just get motored the entire bike, it is the downside of having a fast swim. But I managed to keep up with people and have fun! I played leap frog with a few people pretty much the whole time and even managed to pull away from them at the end. A few times I started to worry that I was having *too* much fun and that I was going to pay for it on the run, but I checked in and seemed to be doing ok, so I cruised on.

T2: 1:45 (Even 37th) 

T2 was uneventful. A bit slower then normal since I put on socks but not terrible. I saw Sara in transition waiting for Kellie to get back from her ride. She cheered me on and told me I was doing awesome (which I totally already knew, duh).

Run: 1:57:39 (Down to 33rd but then back up to 36th)

The run started out nice and solid. I had to talk myself down a bit so I didn't go out too fast. I had eaten well on the bike but I wanted to keep the calories flowing so at each aid station I made sure to walk a couple steps and at least get down a glug of Gatoraid, a gel or some cola. There were some minor hills in the beginning/end of the out and back run with a long stretch of pancake flatness between. I got into a good rhythm and ran as best as I could. As I got closer to the turn around I kept thinking that Sara would cruise by me at any second. But she was no where to be seen. When I rounded the turn around I amused myself by trying to figure out how far behind me she (and Andy, and Ben) would be based on what mile I saw them at. Apparently over 60 miles into a 70.3 mile race you can't do math because when I saw them I thought they were *WAY* closer then they actually were. After seeing everyone and yelling and cheering them on, it started to get hard. Around mile 9 it really began to get rough. I started walking more though the aid stations, I stopped to pee in the woods. It was getting hot. I hit a bit of a low place. I know when I hit the lows because I start to do the math in my head to figure out how slow I can go and still manage to make my goals. This is not an ideal situation or plan. Just before mile 11 there was the start of the hills and I walked a bit on the very first one. I saw my plans of a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon going out the window.

"Damn it! Just run you asshat! It's your mind giving up not your legs!"

So, I started running. It was a struggle but I pushed as hard as I could and I managed to get back on pace and finished strong leaving everything out on the last 3 miles.

Epilogue
I was a bit shaky after stopping and got a seat and some ice from the nice med volunteers. Soon after I got up and started walking around a bit to try and find my family Sara, Jules and Kellie came happily running across the finish line! Sara having (as you will hear very soon) kicked the run in the teeth!

Cooling down and trying to look alive.

I am super happy with my race and that I was able to actually "race" a 70.3! Now to think about my goals for next year (and what wheels I am going to buy for Fabian ;-) ).

Quickly working our way to endurance sport power couple status :-)

Rev3 OOB Relay weekend!

I'm very excited for this weekend!
It's Rev3 round 2 for the season, as I head down there on Sunday to be part of a kickass women's team. Thankfully, all I have to do is show up and run. I'll leave the shark infested ocean swimming and the 56 mile bike to the other ladies, thank you very much.

Hopefully we look as pumped as these people. #enthused

My hope is that I can woman up for a better half than at Quassy. Or at the Old Port Half. Or, come to think of it, any half I have done thus far in 2013. A heads up on the fact that this is a ridiculous goal at this time as I am freshly off Ultra training and happy (boring) rest time. The past two weeks of training have been wonderful and I feel fantastic but these legs will be hard pressed to do much better than a 1:49 or so. BLERCH.

Lucky for me we have a team with a truly excellent swimmer (she wins awards, for serious)  and a biker whose prowess is quite remarkable (she rides 100 miles before breakfast pretty much daily). They are beasts of athletes and I am delighted to be teaming up with them. I guarantee lots of pictures and tales of total domination. (those pesky all male teams better watch out!)

Oh, and the weather is shaping up to be glorious! So unusual. So exciting!

 

Since this is my first official race as part of the Oiselle Volee team I'm justifiably bragging (and not humbly) about how excited I am to represent! YAY I'M EXCITED!!!

Ok I'm done.

Except not really. 

That's ME! Somebody has to bring it coast to coast! ME!

That's ME TOO!!!
My first time on the Athletes page!!!

I can't promise that these screenshots won't become a regular thing.

 

Post OOB excitement I promise to catch everybody up on where I'm at with my Fall Marathon training, it's almost time for an August recap, and I have recently been asked some excellent questions regarding running, prancing, eating and being awesome which I plan to answer here on my blog. Luckily, these queries were not the kind which require an expert reply. (it is good to note, ask me questions at your own risk and remember that I'm the queen of slightly crazy/fantastic life choices!)

 

My family likes adventures! 5K and more....

Over the past weekend we had our annual family party! What this means, is that for 2 or 3 days we tend to have some amazing feats of athletics, we play an excess of overly competitive yard games, we drink beers and basically roll from meal to meal (we are talking dozens of lobsters, mile high lasagnas, piles of French toast, yeah you get the idea...)

We are a big crowd although we were a few short this year (Miss you Bia and Amy! Hope you can make it next year!) Regardless there were still around 20 crazy people who needed big adventures in which to create appetites for whatever meal was next.

There are quite a few runners in the family and about 10 of us decided to head off to a local 5K to test our mad skillz and try to take all the top prizes. On a side note, I awoke at 4:30 that morning to run 11 miles in the dark and humid night very early morning. Fall marathon season is starting to loom on the horizon and slacking on my "long" run wasn't such a fab option. If I had some hairbrained idea to try to PR the race I might have chosen to move the 11 to another day but seriously- I am in no way, shape or form ready or able to run a good 5K right now! So a few pre race miles happened and they happened well.

Pre race! Still looking clean and fresh..

Did I mention that this was a trail 5K?

The online description was rather ominous "roots, rocks and hills that will leave you gasping for breath..." Oh dear.

At the pre race meeting the race director explained the course turn by turn which only managed to confound all of us more. The basic conclusion was that all of us needed to choose a person to follow, and not each other.

We started with one lap around the track. This was straightforward enough and we all got a nice little push of speed from the flat and bouncy surface (if only that had continued!) the course then wound through a pathway and up a grassy hill. For the first mile it continued in that manner, grassy hill, sideways grassy hill where one leg felt a foot longer than the other, very steep downhill trail, and the (at the end of mile 1) a gigantic mountain. The description was correct- it was a beast!

 

Mile 1: 8:07. A touch off my normal 5K pace!

 

The middle mile was a study in coordination and directional skills, something that I am horribly challenged in. The terrain was all grass with a few rooty paths, quite a few tricky hills, several single track bridges and quite a bit of trying to follow the spray painted arrows (and trying to find someone to follow!)

 

Mile 2: 8:22 At least I was not lost.

 

Around mile 2.25 we finally hit some pavement and the angels sang! Also at that point I saw almost the whole family since it was a place where you could see several parts of the course. Fun! Finally on the road/parking lot I was able to muster a tiny bit of speed.

 

Mile 3: 7:22 Well, that was a bit better!

 

The last .25 was a final lap around the track, I could see Evan about 20 seconds ahead of me (with the lead women, actually) and I knew there was no catching him. I finished in 24:50 which is a far cry from my 5K PR BUT is a Trail 5K PR since I had never done one before. So there!!!

 



Post race, a bit sweaty and smelly!

 

So, before this finishers picture was taken we watched almost everyone finish. Evan and I missed seeing Eric and Doug run in because they were about 30 seconds behind us and we ran a couple laps to cool down. A few minutes behind them Laura and Kathleen ran in together, looking strong. As we waited for the last few of our team to run in we started to wonder where on earth Kate was! I had seen her twice on course and she was sandwiched in right between Doug and Laura/Kathleen. When we saw Bill round the corner to the finish we were actually baffled (no offence Bill! hahah!) as Bill had just re-started running 7 days prior to this event. I began to think that she had broken, become lost or been eaten by a sasquatch. All bad things. Then, right behind Bill she popped up. "RUN KATE" we all yelled "Don't let Bill beat you!" (poor Bill!) She managed to catch him in the homestretch and came thru the finish announcing that she had become terribly lost and had managed (along with 5 other people) to run an extra mile. Damn overachiever! If this had been an important race she would have been bummed but she did not care and figured that she earned more bang for her buck.

Jeff and Katelyn officially won the last place award. They have dominated at yard sports for the last 10 years so this was good payback! (kidding guys, kidding...)



The obligatory horrible face shot

Evan almost immediately curled into the fetal position to await a horrible race induced death. That will happen. I was just glad it wasn't me for a change.

We really finished strong as a group, Evan was 8th, I was 9th (and 3rd woman) Eric and Doug were in the teens and almost everyone else was in it for an AG prize. Kate won for most miles completed.

The race itself wins for having real bathrooms and actual bottles of water at the finish (take note, Old Port Half...) The race was Kelli's Run by the way- all the money raised goes towards a lovely little playground that Kelli's family sponsored after she lost her cancer battle in 2010. Sad stuff but a great cause which we were all happy to contribute to!

The first good choice of the day!

After everyone recovered we did indeed go out for a beer which was delicious! 



I tend to think the 5K may have been an easier choice!

While all of us crazies we off racing the rest of the crazies climbed a huge mountain. OOOFF!!!
As previously mentioned, we all like a good adventure. I am also quite certain that all of us who chose the 5K had an easier, more restful day. (now I feel like a slacker!)



Party time! Annual Beer Geek competition!

After the activities were over we got the party underway. One of the highlights is the Beer Geek competition. This years theme was to find a beer with a name, or description that best described your own personality. (yes, awesome. no, not easy!) To make a long story short my beer was named "Dangerously close to stupid" which is freaking amazing.

A few of the fabulous entries...

And yes, we ate dozens of lobsters and about 6 gallons of ice cream.

We played yard games, took silly pictures and had an awesome little bonfire.

A perfect end to a great day of running around!

Pretty New Blog!!!

HELLOOOOOO New blog design!
After months of waiting (kidding here. a month tops. quick stuff!) my brand new blog has landed.
I'm VERY excited about this and so thrilled about my choice to work with Tiffany, she has been so helpful, creative and all around amazing.
More later on my return to serious race training but for now, enjoy the new look!!

You are not me, but if you WERE!

You are not me, but if you were...

Duh, you'd be awesome.

Every now and then people ask me for suggestions on how to train, eat, recover and maintain a sleek, well groomed physique (ahem.) Since I am clearly an expert on all these things I am happy to help them out with wise words of wisdom and brilliant suggestions which stem from my years of expertise in all things running. And life.

 

Yes I am making fun of myself.

 

However, I do feel fully qualified on how to make myself as awesome as I can be. Pshhhh YES INDEED! Taking that into *serious* consideration I have compiled a list which should really help the rest of the world reach its full and amazing potential (at what, we are not sure.)

Read at your own risk. This is an awesome post.

You are not me, but if you WERE!!!
You would take compression, and matching, seriously!

No lie. During this epic training cycle I relied heavily on compression. I only use it for recovery but from socks to shorts to full on dead sexy pants I rocked it the eff out. And I am 100% convinced that it aided my recovery time significantly. This is actually a very helpful tip. Maybe the only one. I am not committed to any one brand of compression- pro compression has been sucky in the sizing department lately, Zensa's are almost always too big, 2XU is fine but costs ten thousand dollars... You get it. I don't have a favorite.

I also have a very cute dog. Too bad he is not too bright.

You would also.... Recover with BEER!!!

I will never run for team refuel with milk products. I can not imagine swigging down a creamy vat of dairy post race. BARF. After I chug some high quality h2o I grab a beer. Or two, apparently. Never more, because I am blindingly responsible and wish to be a fine role model for the youth of America. Which I am because it is practically un American to run a race and not to drink a beer, eat pizza, bacon and ice cream immediately thereafter.

I am a wonderful healthy eater and you should be TOO!!!!

 

All I can say to this is "YES PLEASE!!!"

Too bad I can NOT eat donuts before running. *sad face*

If you were me, you would buy your actual running food in BULK.

After years of searching for the correct nutrition for running I found it in these amazing little nuggets of happiness. If you have a picky belly get some damn picky bars. They are like magic for your mouth. And your GI tract. The unbelievable bonus is that they are delicious like candy and fabulously easy to eat and calorically dense and they have REAL ingredients. BIG FAN!

(this is another helpful tip which brings us to TWO! Success!!!)

 

 

If you were as much of a beast as I am...

You would learn to change your own tires. It beats waiting for help!!! (I'm not going to share my skills on HOW  to change a tire but it is actually as easy as picking up the manual... And practicing a few times. Even if you don't want to, haha...)

And those tire irons are really good weapons, should your Ninja skills fail you.

(FYI, my Ninja skills never fail me. But it is good to have a back up plan...)

 

If you were as fashion forward as THIS GUY!

You wouldn't always wear running skirts. But when you DO they would be Oiselle bum wraps and they would be awesome.

I am not a running skirt girl AT ALL NOT NEVAH!!! But I make exceptions for this one. It is all kinda functional but most importantly it is cute without being all frills and fluff.



If you need a little nap like I DO....

Apparently you would lie down in the sun and take a cuddle nap with your BFF. What can I say? We were a little tired. She has a super new baby and is Half Marathon training like a BOSS. I'm just lazy. That is all...

If you, UNLIKE ME, had a crazy streak...

You would HIDE your 50K race medal and fabulous extras. Because if you did NOT hide them they might be a constant reminder of how (if you were CRAZY) you might really want to do another 50K someday as legit redemption. Clearly, this is NOT a problem for me as I would never want to do such a crazy thing ever again. Ever. Yeah, that's right!

 

That brings us to the end of my amazing and helpful lecture on how to get better in all aspects of life. I am sure that this will be much appreciated by the entire internet and that everyone will eagerly await my next installment!

Recovery.

I have spent the past 12 days recovering from GCI, but more importantly recovering from an intense training cycle which started in December of 2012, contained 2 marathons which were on the speedy side, a 50K, and a bunch of high volume weeks (months.)

 

I do not like recovering. It is boring.

 

But dudes, it is indeed relative. While you might be picturing me lounging on a hammock, compression socks firmly in place, martini in hand while my body healed and rejuvenated HERE is what I have actually been doing.

 

-GCI was sandwiched in between my 2 busiest weeks of the summer. So on the Monday after GCI I went back to it. I was on my feet teaching (and by on my feet I mean vigorously walking, often jogging around if it was my turn to motivate a lazy pony...) for 9-10 hours a day. No resting. Zero rest. (and hey, this is a good thing! I can't be resting if I want to make cash money so busy is good.)

-I did B2B but that doesn't count for anything other than these remarkably absurd pictures. 

 

 

Muscles. Hello.

We are clearly excited. And absurd.

-I went back to the *quiet life* this week, only teaching for about 8 hours a day but I also put my horses back to work in earnest. No REST. (and again. no rest is GOOD! Gotta work!)

-I handled 600 bales of hay last night. 600 might not sound like a lot, but I'm the stacker- so trust me when I say that IT. IS. #poorlittleme #sobrave Hahaha yeah, THIS is why I'm so damn muscly!

 

So the message here is that while I have not been running and have been following my rest plan like the model athlete that I am it certainly has not been very relaxing. This is not a bad thing, as on the one quiet day of my weekend I got very bored (since I did not have a 4 hour workout) and decided that I would DIE if I couldn't start doing normal things again soon. (I might have been a bit dramatic) I was given permission to go out for a teeny tiny 30 minute run today which I am looking forward to tremendously.

 

The smart side of my brain knows and accepts that a recovery period is absolutely critical in order to be a life long runner. I continue to be so very pleased that I have remained uninjured this season and feel that following the plan given to me by Coach Kelsey contributes to that 100%.

We all know how I spent last late summer...... Sidelined for 3 weeks to let the shin heal. As soon as I got back to it I hurt my foot, since I had been running lop-sided for months with the shin shit, running normally again caused much drama. Immediately after that I was plagued with pesky Achilles pain for a few weeks, and a VERY painful hip flexor which kept me up many nights. SERIOUSLY.... So dumb!

Staying uninjured is probably part luck and part hard work. I have put in a HELL of a lot of hard work doing things I used to dislike like cross training. Which believe it or not *ahem* is very very important if you want to be a damn runner.

 

So anyway. Things will get exciting soon once boring mandatory rest is over!  

July Recap, and exciting news!!!

Recap Time!!!

Miles run: 127

Miles biked: 110

Core: Much better this month. Could still improve.

 

Times I puked on my shoes. Zero. but I could have twice.

 

Times I quit running. Once. And I legit quit and called for a ride....

 

Longest training run: 20. Note to self. I need a longer long run than this if I choose to do another 50K. I also need to get in a 22 or 24 before Smuttynose because  need to know I can do it...

 

Takeaway message from July. An ultra is not an extra long marathon. The end.

 

Number of PR's: ONE, as I had never run a 50K before!

 

Number of races run that equaled really awesome pro pics. THREE.  (that is a first...)

 

 

4 on the 4th.
Just badass. Possibly my favorite pic ever.

Old Port Half.
Cute despite the overall yuck of the day...

Shit.....Who broke away from the peloton?
ME THAT'S WHO.
I take back that the first picture is my fav. THIS ONE IS.

My exciting news is that late last week I learned that I had been chosen to be on the Oiselle team for 2013/14!

 

This story takes us back over a year... I had picked up a pair of Oiselle shorts and a tank to try and I loved them- instant LOVE. I had been aware of the company for some time prior to that because when I was on a mission to find athletic attire made (almost entirely) in the USA their name was on the list.. I was genuinely put off by so many of the running duds I owned being made elsewhere, being low quality, being $120 and lasting one wash.... I put the Oiselle clothing to the test and they passed.   Not only do they strive to make most things here in the USA but they are a company owned by women, and as a woman who owns her own business I totally got behind that!!!

 

I was hoping to get more involved in the company and with their other runners at that time but discovered that they had already selected their team for the year. I was bummed to have missed the deadline but also appreciated the fact that they took time to select athletes carefully. I applied this year, kept my fingers crossed and was so happy to have been selected! It has already been a ton of fun getting to virtually know my other team mates and believe that they are a very motivated, supportive fit group of women. I am delighted to be able to be one of the faces of a team and a product that I am a huge fan of- and that I have already been promoting and recommending to my runner (and all athletic) friends!

I will be talking more about this exciting new adventure in the coming weeks but wanted everyone to know how lucky I feel and how excited I am!

One additional thing that makes me pumped about teaming up with Oiselle is that they chose me for who I am- a sometimes potty mouthed, post-race-beer-drinking, slightly off centered occasional over-achiever. With poor grammer and a tendency to be bad at twitter and blogging.... The application was quite thorough and I was brutally honest about how I roll... (awesomely, duh)  I plan to continue in this questionable fashion, and with any luck they will continue to love me for being the unique individual that I am!

 

Beach To Beacon, a FUN day!

Last March I signed up for Beach to Beacon, along with the rest of the free world, in the same week that I put in my application for GCI. I had decided that if I did 't get into GCI then (for the first time ever) I might put in a huge effort at B2B and win the whole damn thing, beating the elites and Kenyans like it was no big thang.

As we all know I snagged a coveted GCI spot and made that my A race. Once again poor little B2B had to take a back seat to a bigger more badass race. Sorry. But not really because I have no plans to PR the 10K this year....

Knowing that I was still in the "forbidden to run" time period of my GCI recovery I decided that it would be a wonderful day to have the social event of the season and to watch my friends have kickass races. While I ran alongside ALL OF THEM!

A side note on B2B being the social event of the season: Everyone is there. And you CAN NOT find anyone. It was tough enough keeping track of the people in my group let alone FIND anyone!

 

 

 

My SIL Jyoti,  My sister Kate, ME and my BFF Angie!
Jyoti and Angie are racing their FIRST EVER Half Marathons in October so this was a big race for them!

This race is usually twelve million degrees, one hundred percent humidity and blazing sunshine. This year it was cool and cloudy, quite ideal actually but rather humid once you got rolling.

I was pretty excited for this run as my legs felt ready to do something other than yoga and a little biking. I seem to have beaten the ever loving bejeebus out of my little toe at GCI resulting in what might be my first toenail casualty of all time. It was quite painful all week but finally had calmed down. So overall, I was ready to run will ALL the people and take ALL the pics!!

Right after the start.
Angie and Kate moving along!

Kate and Angie set off at a very similar pace so I went with them through the worst of the traffic and congestion that always occurs here. I wasn't sure what pace Ang was planning to maintain but she warmed up well and really picked it up at mile 2- she is really looking awesome at this point and will be more than ready for her Half debut in October. Kate, who claims not to be a runner seemed to run just fine proving that she is a very big liar who lies!! She should probably do a half too, it's what all the cool kids are doing (obviously...)

 

Around the 5K point bad things started to happen!!!

 

Shit. We got passed by the damn lighthouse! NOOOOO!!

Yeah, the moose runner was moonlighting as a lighthouse and he moseyed on past us. I ran over to him... "Look lighthouse" I said "I've really had it with you passing me while driving a huge costume... Enough is enough!" He laughed in a manner that was clearly evil and proceeded to push his lighthouse faster. "WELL" I shouted "At LEAST you aren't a DAMN MOOSE today!!!" "Next week I will be" he trilled, while he ran away to certain victory. Hmmmmph.

And then.....
The camelbak's started running by. NOOOO!!!

BTW: If you are confused about why this had suddenly turned into a truly dreadful day read here: Now you understand!

 

Not to be deterred by moose-men and backpack runners we ran on as Angie continued to pick up the pace and as Kate bowed, waved and blew kisses to her throngs of adoring fans lining the streets of Cape Elizabeth. Good times! At mile 5, concerned that if I finished they would not let me back on course I turned around and ran back to mile 4. At B2B I like to get the most bang for my buck and think that 2 extra miles gave me just that.

 

At mile 4 I found Eric and Jyoti!
And Jyoti was running on pace to PR so I was extra glad I found them!

The tricky thing about Beach To Beacon is that in the last mile or so of the course there are a couple of sneaky hills that can catch a runner off guard. Being the amazing liar cheerleader that I am I told Jyoti that it was ALL FLAT! NO more HILLS! I do not think she believed me which was wise since I was clearly fibbing... She didn't let the hills bother her though and she motored thru the finish for a sweet PR! Definitely on her way to a really great first 13.1 experience in a few months which I'm super excited for!

 

YAY! Photo op with Joan Benoit Samuelson!

So obviously I got my picture taken with Joanie because she is as badass as they come. I went to put my arm around her and it bounced off her formidable muscles- that woman is a rock. I'm gonna have to up my game if I want to grow up to be as cool as she is.... She is also very tiny and I assumed in this picture I would tower over her like a big jolly green giant. Which I do so all of you just be quiet.

 

We all finished and quickly discovered that not only did Angie PR too but my friend Amy was there at the finish! It was a wonderful surprise as she lives in CT and we are lucky to see her a couple times a year. I was very happy that she made the trip to the race and that we were able to spend a little time catching up and eating frozen yogurt bars (again the yasso bar truck made an appearance- those things are ballin'...)

 

The happy finishers!

 

 So a successful day at the races. I'm wicked happy for the future half marathon girls on their PR's! I'm also happy that I was able to enjoy this race in such a relaxed way- I had a blast playing paparazzi, seeing everyone have awesome finishes and taking in the scenery and awesome crowds.
These good things somehow managed to outweigh the pain of being beaten by the lighthouse... That's a tough blow!!