Boston's Run To Remember 5-Miler - 5/27/12 - PR 38:00 (7:36 min/mile)

Boston's Run To Remember has a 5-Miler option and a Half Marathon option. I chose the 5-Miler option, but after looking at the course - I regretted not signing up for the Half. The course was through downtown Boston and beautiful. The 5-Miler course was still awesome, but obviously not as long so you don't see as much. Since I was upset with myself, I made myself run a Half ... just over three days. So on Saturday I knocked out 5 sweaty sweaty miless in the 84 degree weather, on Sunday I did the race and on Monday I polished off the last 3.1 miles to complete my own Half.

But, back to the race at hand.

The course was through major streets in Boston so it had to start early so the streets wouldn't be closed ALL DAY so the Half Marathon kicked off at 7am and the 5-Miler at about 7:15.

Early start, but it was worth it for the cooler temps as well.

Tori was supposed to run with me, but she ended up playing in a gay hockey tournament over the weekend so Kim stepped in to take her place.

Additionally, I finally got to meet my Twitter/Facebook/Weight Watchers friend Melissa. For so long, we have chatted through social media and never got to meet up ... until this day! Woo! Melissa is a brand new Weight Watchers Leader and a great inspiration. She has lost 125 lbs! Wow! I know. A whole person. So impressive...

Don't you love her patriotic outfit? ;)

After snapping these photos, we headed over to the Start Line, listened to the National Anthem and lined up close to the bagpipers...

... then we were off!

It was nice to be running in my normal running attire after wearing a cotton t-shirt and carrying a golf club/golf ball during last week's Harpoon 5-Miler.

Despite running 5 miles the day before, I felt strong right out of the gate. I think the Superman socks help. ;)

I found a person that's pace was just ahead of mine, zeroed in and followed them all the way to the finish. Plus, her shirt said something about chocolate - how could I not stare at it for 5 miles? :P

The crowd of spectators may have been on the small side, but the dedicated people on the course sounded like thousands.

Plus, I love hearing all the people comment on my socks now ... thanks wife!

Mile Three may have been one of my favorites since it was sponsored by Racemenu (the racing team I am on) so it was great to see all their signs along the way ... I even ran into their two Founders after the run.

As I neared the Finish Line, we got to battle one final hill. Oh man, I thought it would never end. I had to dig down and use all my Spin training to conquer it.

But, I thought as soon as I made it over the hill the Finish Line would be there ... nope, I was wrong. The Finish Line seemed like years away. But again, I just dug down and gave it everything I had.

And it paid off ... a new shiny PR!!

My official time was 37:59 (7:36 min/mile pace) ... I finished 125th out of 2,041 overall and 17th out of 478 in my division... Woo!!

Cray Cray?? I still can not believe these are my times I write about.

I finished this race 24 seconds faster than last week's 5-Miler and 22 minutes faster than my first ever 5k - which is 3.1 miles.

Wow! I've come so far since March 2005 ... and I can't see what else I will accomplish!

Harpoon 5-Miler - 5/20/12 - 38:23 (7:41 min/mile)

I'd been looking forward to this race on May 20 for awhile ... who doesn't love a race that allows you to wear costumes and ends at the Harpoon Brewery? The 5-mile race is so popular - there is a lottery to get in to it. You can enter as an individual or a "6-pack" ... we entered as a "6-pack" and were selected ... Go "Team Big Man"! Woo!

Next big decision - what costume to wear? Hey, there is a contest, we had to enter.

Lots of e-mails back and forth between the group before we picked a nice and timely option.

 

Yes indeed we were the Josh Beckett "situations": Beckett and Lester with the Popeye's chicken and beer ... Beckett and Buchholz out for an off day of golf. :P

Thankfully the wife came along to act as official "Team Big Man" photographer and to enjoy the post-race party! :)

The Starting Line opened up to the masses at 9:45 to prepare for the 10am kickoff.

The crowd was huge and pumped for the run. It took us 3 minutes to make it to the Start Line.

We ran the first half mile together as a group then headed out at our own paces...

I do want to state for the record that each of us ran all 5 miles WITH our props! Yes, I ran 5 miles with a golf club and golf ball. Let me tell you that it gets heavier as the course went along. :P

It was HOT and HUMID. I also am not used to running in a cotton t-shirt so I felt out of my element.

But, I gave it my all. I couldn't believe that I was posting sub 8 min/miles after 3 miles - I hadn't done that before.

There were a couple slight hills, but the real opponent was the weather. Thankfully there was some extra shade during the homestretch.

I made it almost all 5 miles without dropping my golf ball then BAM! right before the Finish Line I dropped it and thankfully the guy running next to me scooped it right up.

As soon as we crossed the Finish Line, we got a Harpoon 5-Miler Pint glass full of water ... that would later be used for beer!

I officially finished in a PR of 38:23 (7:41 min/mile) ... I finished 98th out of 999 in my division and 706th out of 3,555 overall.

Wow! I still couldn't believe those numbers came from me.

The entire "Team Big Man" finished strong and everyone had a sub 9:20 min/mile pace. Hot damn we were working it.

We enjoyed our post-race refreshments and food before the costume contest began and ...

... we were jipped!! We lost to a group from the movie "Cool Running" and a set of American Gladiators. We shoulda won! We were timely and part of the costume was based on beer! Hello! :P But, that is okay - we will win next year!!

I even ran into my friend - and Spin Instructor - Jess, who I didn't know was running until after we finished. :P

Overall, the day was a BLAST ... and I cannot wait to run it again next year!

The Blues Run 5k - 5/17/12 - PR 22:23 (7:14 min/mile)

Woo hoo! Thursday (May 17) kicked off the much anticipated Summer Run Series... with The Blues Run. I remember doing this series back in 2005/2006 when I just started running and obviously hadn't been in the state to take part again ... until now. :)

Each race has a theme, a big post-race party and a BBQ. I loved the races because they were a non-standard distance of 4.2 or 4.4 miles - something like that. But, this year they had to be shortened to a 5k because of construction on one of the bridges the race used to cross over.

Oh well ...

I knew the races would still be awesome.

Plus, if you complete all five races, you get a jacket. Yay schwag.

Well The Blues Run had a 6:30 pm start, which was a little early for us since my final Weight Watchers meeting of the day ended at 5:15 and we had to get home, change and get back to Cambridge.

Of course, we leave the house by 5:45 pm, but proceed to hit every red light, get stuck behind drivers taking what seemed like a Sunday stroll and every other traffic delay you could think of. ;)

But, we made it to the race in time and headed to the starting line.

We didn't start in the normal place - again due to construction - but we found the new line and were in position.

We couldn't remember which direction the run was going - who reads the emails with the race course in them anyway ;) - so we ended up right at the front of the Start, which was kind of nice.

The course is a familiar one for me. I used the same area for my long runs when I was training for my first marathon in 2006 and will be using them for my marathon training this year.

It is nice and flat with great scenery so I was hoping for a good time.

But, I NEVER expected to see 22:23 when I came across the finish line. That works out to a 7:14 min/mile pace. What? Who? Me? No way!!

I couldn't believe it.

Every race I amaze myself with what I am capable of. I would never give myself the credit to accomplish what I have accomplished in the past two years.

My friend Kim is doing the entire series as well ... I LOVE having so many friends in the area that love getting out, getting active then celebrating with a beer! ;)

You know I stood next to the grill to get that yummy smell... :)

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Some people were debating on Facebook whether the course was actually 3.1 miles or not. My Runkeeper had 3.14 miles so I think it was actual length ... but we will see at the Raggae Ramble 5k on June 28.

M.O.M.'s Run 5k - 5/13/12 - 24:06 (7:46 min/mile)

After coming off the "bathroom incident" from the Newburyport Spring Fever 5k on May 6, I was hoping for a really good run at the M.O.M.'s Run 5k in Somerville on Mother's Day (May 13). I had missed a PR in the previous week's 5k by 10 seconds - OUCH! Damn my small bladder! :P

But, I digress.

I also need to point out since my wife reminds me ALL. THE. TIME. I know I do not NEED to nor WILL I PR every race ... BUT, I was just looking for one at this race since I know how close I had come the week before.

Plus, I am competitive. I KNOW! None of you could tell that one bit in reading this blog that I have that tendency. Since no one picked up on it ;) I thought I would let you in to the secret. I want to be better than I was the time before. Yes, I am slightly wicked competitive with other people, but I am 20 times more competitive with myself.

So in summation - yes logistically I know I will not and do not have to PR every time, but it is a little extra umph that pushes me throughout the race.

Well, that and the damn lady on my Runkeeper that chirps in every 5 minutes with the distance I've run and my pace. Does she have a name? If not, I need to name her. Ruth? She sounds like a Ruth and sometimes she can be RUTH-less. Get it? Oh gosh, I am so on today. :)

Anyway, back to the run.

So I was excited to finally wear my cool Racemenu singlet and I, of course, rocked the Superman socks again.

The wife and I met up with Liz and Lauren before the race, drooled over the pre-race carb-loaded snacks, hit the port-o-potties (YES!) then headed to the Start Line.

The race was small, which meant we were actually up towards the official Start Line - made of duct tape (YES!).

The gun sounded and we were off.

Well folks, no one reminded me how hilly my hometown is. My goodness this race was the complete opposite of flat. Yes, the uphills seems to go on for days, while the downhills seemed like a millisecond long.

But, I was pushing myself.

There were great cheerers along the way and I got some more awesome shout outs for my kick ass socks (Thanks hun!)

I found a few runners in front of me and just tried to keep them in my line of sight the entire run. I tried to catch up to them, but knew that wasn't happening so I just tried to make sure I could see them at all times during the run.

Focusing on a person just ahead of me is a great motivator I use during races. I always love being pushed by people that are faster than me and this is a way for strangers to help me without even knowing it.

As I rounded the corner and saw the Mile Three marker ahead, I could also see the clock. I just kicked it in to another gear.

I came towards the finish it was still in the land of 23 minutes, but as I crossed the line I could hear the people at the Finish saying 24:06.

What? 24:06? 7:46 min/mile pace? Me? Wow! I was able to knock 27 seconds off my PR in one of the hilliest courses I've ever run ... I wonder what could've happened had the course actually been flat? ;)

I ended up finishing 65th out of 303 overall and 5th out of 36 in my division.

I was beyond thrilled with how the race went and couldn't wait to hit up the post-race spread.

Let me tell you. This race had some of the best donations I've ever witnessed at an organized run - from the Harpoon beer to the Redbones' BBQ. I enjoyed myself. I knew this day would be off my Weight Watchers plan and I was totally okay with it.

I had a great time with friends and picked up a shiny PR to boot.

Newburyport Spring Fever 5k - 5/6/12 - 24:42 (7:58 min/mile)

Have I mentioned lately how nice it is to be back in Boston? How indebted I am to my wife for picking up our lives and moving 1,000 miles from where we had set up our roots? Well, I am ... on both accounts!

Yesterday, the wife and I were able to participate in the Newburyport Spring Fever 5k, which benefited my cousins (triplets) old school.

The race didn't start until 1pm so I figured why not hit up a 70 min Spin class that morning at 9am then work a couple hours of Weight Watchers inventory at the Boston store theeennnn head up to the race.

What. Was. I. Thinking?

I ended up driving from Somerville --> Woburn --> Boston --> Somerville --> Newburyport ... which is A LOT of driving.

But, we managed to make it to the race on time. Phew!

There was one little problem however ... no port-o-potties at the starting line. Ouch! And I had to gooooo.

There was no choice other than to try to hold it as long as I could.

Off went the gun, I hit start on the 'ol Runkeeper and hit the ground running ... literally! ;)

I made it about half a mile - making good pace - before I spotted a softball field and snack shop. They HAD to have a bathroom. Not gonna lie, I definitely freaked the girl at the snack shop out as I came barreling toward her in my running attire with number yelling about a bathroom. She thankfully pointed one out and phew! problem solved.

BUT that ate up some time. I debated stopping my Runkeeper to see how long the whole ordeal actually took, but I decided against it. I would just have to try to haul butt and make up the lost time.

Most of the first mile was all down hill so we were cruising. My legs weren't as tired as I thought they would be after all the Spinning I had done that morning (and she had really kicked our butt).

I hit Mile Two and said HELLLOOOO hill. It was straight hill for at least three blocks. It looked like the hill that would never end. Halfway up the hill was the mile two marker where the woman told me I was at 16:17 - so about 8:06 pace. Darn! That is not what I wanted to hear.

So I kicked it up a notch. I was going to finish with a sub 8 min/mile pace if it killed me. :P

The last mile was tough, but I pushed through. I was enjoying the comments from people on the streets and other runners about my Superman socks. I got a few "You Go Superwoman!" which I absolutely loved!!

I crossed Mile Three and turned the corner for the home stretch and saw the clock flip to 24:17. Ahhh! My PR was 24:33. I tried to run as fast as I could down the last .1, but I didn't make it.

I finished in 24:42 ... 7:58 min/mile.

If I didn't have to make the bathroom stop, I totally woulda had a nice shiny new PR. But that's okay, I had a great time.

My uncle came in just after me at 26:02 and the wife improved on her last race with a 33:37 finish.

My aunt and the girls walked the 5k and posted a great time of their own.

We enjoyed some of the post-race festivities at their old school before heading to their house for a BBQ.

What an all around fun race.

BAA 5k – 4/15/12 – 24:58 (8:03 min/mile)

How cool is that? Yes the 5k course was part of THE Boston Marathon course. The bleachers were even set up for the Marathon so as you walked to the START line you could feel the energy that the marathoners would be feeling the next day. Okay, the bleachers were empty so I had to use my imagination, but man it was a cool feeling.

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) 5k was the first race of the BAA Distance Medley, which includes a 5k, 10k (June 24) and a Half Marathon (October 7). The cool thing is you get a medal for each race then a SPECIAL medal when you complete all three. Yes, I think we can see why I signed up for the whole scha-bang. :P

What was cool was actually having a big group of runners that I knew - okay, well I met three of them that day - but it was still a fun experience. We met up before the run and got our pre-race photo in.

Are we seeing all the Sweaty Bands going on in this pic? ;)

Can you also see that Dawson from Dawson's Creek even made an appearance. Yes, best race shirt ever! :P

We made our way through the crowd to the START line. Well, as best we could with 6,000 runners participating.

This is where I had to regroup. We all know how well I handle these "big races." I had to tell myself not to expect a PR since most of the run would be bobbing and weaving through the crowd since there weren't any sort of min/mile corrals anywhere. Which really shocked me seeing as how this was a BAA race. But, I digress.

So I finally hit the starting line and started the usual process of making my way through the crowd. This was my first road race through Boston and I was psyched. It is just so nice being back and taking in all the sights I love downtown.

The first mile was the roughest ... especially with elbowing. I haven't seen so much elbowing and shoving in awhile. There was one woman in particular who got me in the right side that I was determined to pass. You know, to show her. :P

Thankfully, after the first mile, I was able to break through the tougher crowd and find more space. As the space cleared, my pace sped up.

I was impressed that my Runkeeper didn't get messed up due to the buildings so I was actually able to keep track of my time/pace.

As soon as the Runkeeper let me know 20 minutes had passed, I kicked it up a notch. I wanted a PR of course, but I would be happy if I could still finish in under 25 minutes.

(Disclaimer: when did I become the person that wants to finish a 5k in under 25 minutes?? I can remember finishing in 38:21 and now I want to finish in under 25 minutes. Wow! I still amaze myself and forget how far I've come)

I just crossed the Mile 3 marker, saw the photographer getting my "about to cross face" as a little girl comes barreling passed me on the left. Yup, definitely not going to be ordering THAT photo to show off. Hey look at me getting passed by an 8 year old at the Finish. I. Don't. Think. So.

But I hit the Runkeeper as I crossed the line and I saw 24:58. I also saw 3.2 miles instead of 3.1, but I was happier with the 24:58. Okay, I was pissed for a minute that I was 26 seconds shy of a PR, but then I remembered the bobbing and weaving and told myself to get over it.

Plus, I was a-okay once I got my medal ... and my "snack bag" at the Finish. The "snack bag" included a chocolate chip bagel. It may have been the BEST bagel I have ever eaten. Or it just felt that way in the moment.

Official Results: I finished in 24:58 (8:03 min/mile pace) ... I was 1,295 overall out of 5,253, 365 out of 2,973 females and 88 out of 587 in my division.

Not too shabby.

Oh, and I happily passed the girl that jabbed me in the right side. Take that girlie! ;)

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The six of us headed for a post-race brunch at Brownstone Bar and proceeded to get the WORST service I have ever experienced at a restaurant/bar. The waitress was rude, the location was unprepared for a large group of customers and the kitchen produced cold and incorrect food. Boo to them. But thankfully the company was great and really that is what Brunch is all about.

Fight Forever 5k/10k - 4/1/12 - 59:01 (9:04 min/mile) - actually 6.51 mile run

I was honored to take part this morning/early afternoon in Colleen's Fight Forever 5k/10k, which was a virtual run she set up to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Determination Team. I have been chatting online with Colleen for awhile now, but was never int he same place at the same time to meet, but thankfully that changed today. It was a beautiful day here in the Boston area so it was easy to head out and meet the group at the Lexington Bike Path. After hitting up Spinning with Linds this morning I wasn't sure how my legs would take the 5k, but I was ready to give it my all. :)

When I finally got the parking lot and met up with the other runners, I quickly was persuaded into running the 10k instead of the 5k. I am a pushover when it comes to running a farther distance or signing up for another race. Are we seeing this pattern? ;)

It was great to meet a group of Boston based runners with a few who also are Weight Watchers members. I always love hearing everyone's journeys with both running and Weight Watchers.

Colleen had it all set up even securing race bibs from RoadID, which was cool. I picked 33 in honor of Jason Varitek. He will forever be associated with that number. :)

We hit the pavement in our little group for the 10k - Colleen, Brenna & Robin - and since I am a math major I was quickly able to figure out that the foursome had lost over 330 lbs with Weight Watchers. Wow! So then I spent a couple minutes in my head trying to picture this foursome running pre-Weight Watchers.

It was so nice to just head out for a run and not worry about the time or distance. I actually didn't use my headphones once so I totally let Colleen/Robin control the pace and the distance. We were so into our conversation that we ended up running a little past the 3.1 mile spot to turn around. I was actually enjoying myself so much that I didn't even mind.

I love hearing other people's stories (as we can all gather) so I was totally caught up in the number of marathons Robin has completed, the training programs Colleen uses depending on the distances and Brenna's inner debat on whether to sign up for her first marathon or not. These types of convos inspire me to push my own training to another level.

As we finally turned around, Colleen and I kinda picked up the pace as we were just getting into the groove of conversation. It is just so nice to meet someone in person that you got to know so well over the internet. Additionally, it is always nice to find other people that endure the same struggles you do and hearing a fresh perspective is always refreshing and comforting.

As we got back to the starting point, I finally looked at my Runkeeper and realized we were at 6.48 miles and as you all know I like to end on a round number so I finished out the run and ended with a 6.51 mile run in 59 minutes, which was good for a 9:04 min/mile pace.

The run was great. I didn't have any knee pain and my legs were probably stronger coming off the morning's Spin class, which totally kicked my booty. :)

Colleen even let me try my very first Arctic Ease. I had been wanting to try this fabulous product for awhile. I can tell you it is as cool as it sounds and really works. Thankfully you can use one wrap up to 10 times so I will definitely be holding on to mine to use again!

After the race, Colleen handed out medals (yay bling!) and secured one of my favorite snacks for us - BBQ Popchips! Yum!

Then we headed over to Yeh! Yogurt in Burlington for some post-run fro yo and a raffle. I had to get some rainbow sprinkles on mine...

It was a great afternoon where I met some great people - who I have already started following on Twitter - and I won a sweet new fuel belt from iFitness. :)

Big thanks to Colleen for organizing the whole thing and let's all wish her luck as she dominates the Boston Marathon in a couple weeks...

Ras na hEireann 5k – 3/18/12 – 24:33 (7:54 min/mile)

So after a ton of knee pain at the F^3 Lake Half on January 28, I scaled my running back during the month of February. It was actually the first month I didn't run a road race since back surgery recovery (so May 2011). But, I had signed up for the Ras na hEireann as soon as we decided we were moving back to Boston officially. Why you might ask? Well, it was actually the first road race I ever did (March 2005) and I wanted to show myself how much I had improved in those seven years of losing weight/exercising/running. Also exciting about this race is it would mark the wife's first race in Boston and my cousin Jen's first road race ever. Yay! I love new runners!! :)

I honestly didn't know what to expect on race day since my knee was sore every time I attempted a run since the Half (twice), but I knew I would try my hardest to beat my first time in this race ... 38:21. Going in to the day my new PR was set on New Year's Day 2012 with 25:27.

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I actually decided to dress up for this run...

I think it was only the second time I had run in shorts - I usually hate them - but I think this time was different since I had my running pants on underneath.

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The race didn't start til 11am, which I am not a big fan of. Mainly because I never eat at the right times. I just can't get the timing down. I like the races where you just get up and run then I eat after. But, anyway, the weather was amazing - sunny and not really cloud in the sky. Pretty uncharacteristic for Boston in March.

As I mentioned before, I haven't run this race since March 2005, but the course was thankfully pretty similar so I had a gauge of how far I was at each turn. Also this race was in Somerville, MA (my hometown) so I was pretty familiar with where we were. ;)

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I was surprised, and happy, to see pace marker corrals before the Start Line. Since I wasn't sure how I would be running, I parked myself in between the 8 and 9 minute mile. Since my cousin was hitting about 9 and a half minute miles, I had her start up with me. It is always easier to be passed than bob and weave to get ahead of the large crowd (there were over 4,000 participants).

Per usual, I couldn't hear a darn thing they were saying, but all of a sudden heard the gun. We were far enough back that we could do the little jog-walk-jog-walk dance we all do until we hit the actual Start Line. I had both of us start our Runkeeper/Nike as soon as we crossed the line ... and we were off. Yes, I left my cousin almost as soon as I crossed the Start Line. Hey! I saw an opening in the crowd so I had to take it.

It was so nice to be running through the old neighborhoods that I know so well, but have been away from for the past five years. There were bagpipers along the first street, which added some entertainment.

As I was nearing the first 5 minute marker on my Runkeeper, the little voice let me know I was at a 8:07 pace. Sweet, that would be a PR. Awesome! So I kept plugging along...

With each reminder and mile marker, I was realizing I wasn't feeling any knee pain. I kept expecting it to kick in. There was a little tenderness at the downhill parts, but I expected that.

As I hit Mile One, my Runkeeper told me I was at a 7:57 pace (or something like that). I think I yelled a nice four letter profanity in shock! I have NEVER run a sub 8 minute/mile. Then I started thinking my Runkeeper must've been thrown off by the houses or something. But the mileage was spot on. Usually if it gets wacky it is the mileage that is thrown off, which will throw off the pace. But nope, mileage was spot on.

So as I hit Mile Two, I realized I had zero knee pain, I was slightly thirsty since the sun was REALLY beating down on us, I was going to hit a PR AND I quite possibly was going to have a sub 8 minute/mile pace. OH I think that threw me into a new gear and I hauled booty during that final mile. I kept thinking about how cool it would be to cut 14 minutes off my first race time.

I took the final turn and could see the finish line just down the street. I hit the 3 mile mark and then I saw my dad and my cousin's boyfriend Nick ready to take pics. So I got myself to the correct side of the street and threw my hands up as I was running (yes, working it for the camera).

Crossing the Finish Line felt AMAZING. More amazing than many of my other races for sure. I was SOOOO proud of myself. Never ever in a million years did I think I would ever run that fast.

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I ended up posting a PR of 24:33, which translated to 7:54 minute/mile pace. I might've JUST snuck under the 8 min/mile, but I will freakin' take it.

I was eighth out of 115 in my division and 751st overall out of 4,367...

It was like a dream!! I amazed myself with what I accomplished. I cut off almost 14 minutes from my first 5k time - at the same race - so surreal. I did cut off 54 seconds from my latest PR, which had been set on New Year's Day.

Wow!

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Jen did a freakin' awesome job in her first 5k, finishing in 29:07, and Tori rounded out the group with a time of 36:09.

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You know four things I love: running, PRs, medals and beer! ;)

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This was the best race I could've done as my first "welcome back to Boston" run! It is one I will for sure continue to run for years to come...

F^3 Lake Half Marathon – 1/28/12 – 2:05.40 (9:36 min/mile) – PR

I had been looking forward to this run for months! I decided in October I believe to run the race for a charity. I wanted to pick one that was near and dear to me so I picked the Ryan and Jenny Dempster Foundation. Ryan is a player for the Cubs, who I got to know well over my four years with the team. His daughter Riley was born with DiGeorge Syndrome in April 2010 and he and his wife have been working to help other families in the same situation. I was more than happy to help. I set my original fundraising goal at $2,500 and was hoping to reach that. The outpouring of support was overwhelming and I was able to up my fundraising goal not once, but twice to $3,500. In total, I ended up raising $3,645. Wow! I am in amazement and beyond excited for the Foundation. They showed me such support during the training - putting my story on their website, checking in to see if I needed help or to just offer encouragement. So happy I could give something back to them.

Training was going along smoothly until a 10 mile run in Hawaii on Thanksgiving Day resulted in an injury. When we got back from Hawaii I couldn't run more than 5 miles in December without pain in my knee. I went to the doctor and found out I had an IT band/patella injury. He and I knew there was NO way I was missing this race so we went into work mode. I signed up for PT twice a week and stopped running. THAT was difficult. I ended up running probably three times after seeing the doctor - 2 5ks I had signed up for already and a 5 mile run - all were painful. So the week before the race I didn't do anything except walk to and from work. I halted all other activities, which let me tell you was hard to do.

I knew that the race would be difficult, but we had prepped my IT band/patella as best we could. I was determined for the Foundation to finish. Oh and I had also decided to move to Boston the day after the run so things were more than hectic leading up to the run. Thankfully I knew my wife and dad would be there cheering me on and pushing me to keep going. Also (as seen in the pic above) assigned names to each mile, which helped me keep going!

The race wasn't until 10am, which is LATE in terms of road races so I was actually able to sleep til 8am. This late start threw off my normal pre-race rituals. But I woke up, hung out with my dad, had a vitatop then waited for my friend Miguel to pick us up (he was also running). It was freakin' windy up near Foster Beach so we may have only had 20-25 minutes before the race was going to start, but it felt like waaay longer.

Thankfully there was a flash mob that took place. First one I had ever witnessed in person. Good work if you were part of that group.

I finally said Adios to my dad and headed to the Start Line. Let me tell I have never felt so unprepared for a run! I was in my own head that I didn't notice that Katie was grabbing me at first. Katie is a twitter friend who I had the pleasure of meeting in person - love when that happens. She was running her first Half Marathon and I was psyched for her.

I couldn't hear a thing at the start before I realized it was time to go. I hit the Runkeeper as I crossed the Start and we were off. The first mile was treacherous!! Ice, slippery, wattery, sandy, snowy - you name it we had it in the first mile.

Just after the first mile I ran into another twitter friend - Nina! I love that she realized it was me - not by the name on the front of my shirt, but that Mile Two was dedicated to "My Wife" :) This made me smile. Nina and I have chatted a ton online, but it was great to actually run a couple miles with her.

The knee pain was there, but manageable through the first half of the run. The Runkeeper somehow got messed up so the mileage was off, but thankfully the time was right. So I just used that to know when to eat my  Sports Beans/try to figure out my time in my head. :) Yay being a math major paying off. :P I realized around the halfway mark that I was actually still running 10 minute miles despite the knee pain.

Since I knew I was moving to Boston the next day, I really tried to take in the surroundings as we ran along Lake Michigan. I have run the Lakefront Trail more times than I can count, but I still can't get enough of it. It was especially beautiful on that Saturday morning. The sun was shining and the volunteers/fans along the course were rockin'.

I figured my dad and wife were hiding somewhere keeping warm so I texted them at Mile Seven and 10 to let them know where I was. As I continued on, the knee pain really started to kick in around Mile 11. It felt as if I was running with a sprained knee and a broken ankle. I thought the cold air would help dull the pain - it must've for the first 10-ish miles, but warn off. I was really feeling it. I just kept telling myself to keep moving. Just keep going forward. I had put the most important people at the beginning miles and ending miles for motivation!! I just kept thinking of those people as I pushed on.

My cheering section was on the course just as I rounded the corner heading to Mile 12. It was exactly what I needed to see. I cannot tell you how long the last mile felt. I NEVER thought I would hit the finish line.

As my Runkeeper kept chirping off with an update every 5 minutes, I figured out that despite severe knee injury I was going to get a PR. Say whaaa?? How the heck? But it was true ... I crossed the line at 2:05.40 - good for 9:36 min/mile and 6 minutes and 35 seconds faster than my previous PR set in August.

I threw my arms up as I crossed the Finish Line and quickly fell into my wife's arms as I couldn't stand on my left leg any longer. I proudly put my medal on and hobbled off to the side. Thankfully I was able to see my friend Chrissy one last time before we hopped in a cab to head home so I could ice my poor legs.

Overall, the race was great. I am really proud of what I accomplished when I wasn't at 100%. I am prouder of the money I raised for the Ryan and Jenny Dempster Foundation. But, most importantly, I am proud of me.

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Here are a few pics that my wife was able to snap for me:

New Year's Day 5k - 1/1/12 - 25:27 (8:13 min/mile) - PR

There were many reasons I was looking forward to this New Year's Day 5k, but the most important was that I would be able to run the race this year. Last year, my wife and I signed up to run the New Year's Day 5k and then BAM! Herniated disc. See ya later activity. What could I do? Walk. That was it. I technically wasn't supposed to walk for more than 30 minutes a day, but I had already paid for the 5k. I was going to do it. So my wife and I got out there last year on 1/1/11 and walked the 5k. It took about 48 minutes to complete. I felt accomplished, but upset I couldn't try my hardest.

So once the race registration opened for 2012, I was on it. I was determined to run it this year. Yes, I know I just got diagnosed with an IT band/patella injury, but the PT told me I could run today. I had withheld from running for 2 weeks so it was okay to test it.

Getting off the bus and walking to the pre-race area was a rush ... not just from the wind gusts Chicago was rocking today. Wow! I have really progressed since this time last year. Heck, I lost 27 lbs this year ... that alone was monumental!

Despite feeling some soreness in my knee, I was ready to complete the run (plus it was MUCH warmer than last year). I had my patella brace on. I was stretched. I wasn't going to push for a PR since my eye is on the F^3 Events Lake Half on January 28 - but I wanted to finish in under 27 minutes if possible.

(Note: Crazy that I now push for sub 27 min 5k. My first 5k was 38 min and for years I tried to get under 30 min and now, now I amaze myself)

I kissed the wife before we started and we were off. Wow! Did getting back on the path feel gooood. I didn't care that my knee hurt. I hadn't run in two weeks and my body missed it.

Throughout the first 1/2 mile, I felt some sharp knee pains, but I adjusted my knee brace and pushed on. There was NO WAY I was going to stop running.

As the race went on the pain turned to more of a dull, constant pain. This is to be expected the PT said.

I saw the sign for Mile One and was psyched, I was sub 9 minute miles and ready to push myself. I got back into my normal groove and started to pick up the pace. As I saw the sign for Mile Two, I realized my pace was about 8:20 per mile. My PR is 8:14. Okay, time to go all out. I knew I wouldn't be running for a few more weeks so might as well give it all I had today ... now that there was a shiny PR in sight.

I got to Mile Three right as my Runkeeper announced 25 minutes. Okay, time to go all out.

I crossed the Finish, hit the Runkeeper, looked down and saw an unofficial time of 25:26 (8:13 min/mile) ... A PR by 8 seconds! You gotta be kidding me. :) I couldn't stop smiling. I knew I would have to wait for the official results, but my Runkeeper isn't usually off by that much.

My knee was sore after the race, but just the same dull, nagging, constant pain.

After realizing I had dropped $12 out of my pocket (Happy New Year whoever found it), the wife and I headed home and I iced my knee/foam rolled.

I really hate how long it takes some organizers to post the results, but I understand they have post-race parties/lives ... but still. I am anxious! :)

Finally got the results...

My Runkeeper was off by only one second: I got a new shiny PR of 25:27 (8:13 min/mile) and cut seven seconds from previous PR (25:34)! I finished 155th overall (out of 753), 40th among women (out of 411) and fifth in my division - F 25-29 (out of 49)! Okay well tied for fourth on the last one. The girl listed before me had the same time (25:27), but must've crossed just before me.

But, man I will take it. Last year, I could only walk the race and this year I PRed. I am feeling truly lucky and blessed right now. So happy to have reclaimed my love of running!! Because if you didn't know...

Running Changes Everything