Tedy’s Team Group Run – 10 Miles (12/27/14)

Emotional. This run was destined to be a roller coaster of feelings.

Why?

December 27, 2012 - we unexpectedly lost my Grampa (my #1 Stroke Hero). While I miss him on a daily basis, it is always tougher on the anniversary.

But since I run for Tedy's Team, I try to make it proud each and every time I lace up my sneakers (and everyday really). So today I added a little special reminder on my hand...

My teammate and friend Page picked me up just after 7:30am and we headed into Kenmore Square. Page had to cancel our Friday run so it was great to make up our catch up session. :)

With little traffic on Storrow Drive, we made it with plenty of time to spare. Enter an extra session with a painful foam roller. I should've snapped a pic of it with its extra painful spikes on it. :P

After a quick bathroom break, it was time to head out and enjoy the gorgeous New England morning. Now last year was one of the coldest winter training sessions I've had since I started running. This winter has been one of the warmest. <<Runs to knock on wood>>

So I happily headed out to run in the sunny scenic morning...

Page and I actually run really well together, which is awesome. Great to find a running friend that keeps a similar pace, falls easily into conversation and says "yes" when you ask them to run on a weekly basis. ;) Yay!

Page usually works on Saturdays so she hasn't done many of the group runs (despite this being her fifth year on the team) so it was fun to have a newbie along for the ride. :)

Mile 1: 8:54 Mile 2: 9:09

As we made our way through Brookline Center, I thought we were pushing a much faster pace than the Garmin was giving up credit for. Thankfully Page agreed so I didn't feel crazy.

We opted to grab water at the first water stop and say hi to Coach John.

Like how he dresses up for us. ;)

After a quick shot of water, we were off. We fell back into our rhythm as we approached Coolidge Corner. Some folks were taking this opportunity to turn around and go for a shorter 6-mile run. It is nice that folks have options to run however many miles they feel up to and still have the water stops/support.

Mile 3: 8:57

As we ran, I was getting warmer. I know I'm the only person that happens to. :P But I was wicked happy I opted for my new Lululemon 1/2 zip shirt and just a vest on top of that.

I love when we get to run by the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. A simply beautiful sight.

Mile 4: 8:57

While running up the hill next to BC, I told Page all about the Heartbreak Hill weekend I had done back in June.

I didn't want to run another hill. I just wasn't in the mood. Page pushed me through. "Just run towards the light at the top." Oh sure that's easy enough. Then I spotted teammate and friend Nancy in front of us. That was a better target for me to push through. Yes I opted for a moving target rather than the stationary target of the traffic light. :P

We caught up to Nancy and guess what? We got to enjoy the downhill. What goes up must come down, right? YAY! I dished out some high fives to fellow teammates who had already hit the turnaround.

Mile 5: 8:33

And there she was - at Mile 5.21 there was Margaret, our waterstop and the turnaround spot. Woo!

We are 3-for-3 with selfies at training runs. :)

Nancy joined our party so we decided to all run back together and catch up! Page and I are training for the Boston Marathon, while Nancy is running the Vermont Marathon (5/24/15) with Tedy's Team.

Nancy lives in New Hampshire so I hadn't seen her in awhile so it was great to catch up on all things life.

Mile 6: 9:22

Chatting with friends also keep the miles moving pretty quickly. I love a good distraction.

With Coolidge Corner in our view, I knew the bigger hills were behind us... literally! ;)

Mile 7: 9:02

As we were running back towards Kenmore Square, the folks of the Liver Foundation team were running towards us. Among the crew was my friend Kim so it was great to give her a big high-five as we both grinded out an early long run.

Mile 8: 9:25

My left hamstring as always was a constant dull pain. It is more of a nagging annoyance than anything else. I am working on strengthening the leg to help it heal per suggestion of John.

When we came upon the Holiday Inn in Brookline, we picked up another friend Julia to join our little crew. :) The more the merrier, right? Absolutely!

Mile 9: 9:05

I wasn't really paying attention to our pace since I felt great during the whole run and sort of let the folks around me set the tone for the run. It is a great way to shut the brain off for awhile. Sometimes I can be too into the pace and mileage and it takes over the feel of the run.

While we headed back towards Kenmore and came up on the Mile 25 mark of Boston, the feelings about my Grampa really hit me. Some tears were shed and I let them happen. I'm usually one that masks my feelings in public, but I find that usually backfires. Running is therapy and whatever happens on the run is taking place for a reason.

So I let the memories - especially of those when I told my Grampa I would be running Boston in his honor - replay in my brain. A smile emerged as I remembered how proud he was. That was all I ever wanted to do - make him proud.

Wow the screen is starting to get a little blurry at this point... <<Runs off to get tissue>>

Okay I'm back.

Mile 10: 9:16

Since I'm a stickler for the mileage number, Page and I ran just past Joint Ventures (our hub) until we hit 10.5. Woo!

It felt great to have another training run under our belts.

Overall the run felt great. I had a mini luna bar (2PPV) at the turnaround with Margaret and felt satisfied the whole run. Man I love those little bars!

We headed upstairs to hear how everyone else's runs went and to do a little more stretching. Oh we meet again foam roller. As a reward, I treated us to Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee. #DaniRunsOnDunkin

Thankfully Page gave me a lift home so I could get ready for my first Spin class at Soul Cycle in Chestnut Hill. Ummm why did I sign up for a spin class after a long run? Because I'm crazy... and it was free! :P

***

Week 3 Workouts:

Sunday, December 21: 6-mile run Monday, December 22: 5-mile run & 5k-walk Tuesday, December 23: 5-mile run & 45-min walk Wednesday, December 24: 4-mile run Thursday, December 25: 9-mile run (broken up as 3.1, 3.1 & 2.8) Friday, December 26: 5-mile run Saturday, December 27: 10.5-mile run &56-min cycling (Soul Cycle)

Goal for next week? AGAIN – Adding in strength training and additional cross training. This week was lacking in both – AGAIN!

***

Looking to Donate?

Are you interested in helping to fight Stroke? Please feel free to click on the link HERE to share a donation.

Wicked pumped to be $417.60 away from goal! :)