Tedy's Team Group Run - 6 Miles (12/13/14)

The 2015 Boston Marathon training has officially kicked off today! Woo!

Let me tell you how much warmer it was THIS year compared to last year's first team run! I was jumping up and down when I saw the weather for today was calling for a temp in the low 30s. If that let's you know how raw the first run was in 2013! :P

Here's hoping this is going to set the tone for a warmer training season. <<Runs off to knock on wood>>

Tedy’s Team has an amazing coach, John Furey, who helps with the long group runs on Saturday morning and also offers any running advice we need. Let me tell you this guy was a HUGE help to me when I saw him at Mile 20 of the Boston Marathon in 2013 and experiencing immense right heel pain. If I didn’t see him at Mile 20, get a pep talk and some swedish fish, I’m not sure how the last 10k of the race would have gone. And in 2014 he tried to calm me down during my Mile 20 breakdown over the med tent visits, etc.

For the second-straight year our group runs will start at Joint Ventures Physical Therapy and Fitness in Kenmore Square. It is a great deal since they have an area for us to store gear, a place to stretch, foam rollers to borrow and a place to call base camp after the run.

Big thanks to my teammate Meg and her husband Joshua for giving me a ride to the run this morning. It was in the car about 2 minutes from the run that I realized I left my Garmin at home. Ugh!! I even had everything laid out the night before, but forgot to leave a post-it note to remember to take the Garmin off the charger. Thankfully the run was 6 miles so I figured my phone/Runkeeper app would hold up for that distance.

It was great seeing familiar faces as we stretched before the run. I was looking forward to meeting the new Tedy's Team mates, as well as the folks from the other nine charities that also run out of Joint Ventures on Saturday mornings.

Since this is my third-year with Tedy's Team I am finally familiar with our run courses. I am slow on the uptake. ;)

I took advantage of the foam rollers, stretched everything out, stashed my vest in the locker room and headed back out into the cold.

I started running with Meg and another teammate Carly, but wanted to take my pace back today since I had some heavy legs still. So I let those ladies take off and I found some different folks to chat with. It is so cool seeing so many folks out on a Saturday morning putting in the miles to help others in need - whatever the cause is.

Mile 1: 8:37

I was chatting with a gentleman Adam about how this would be his first marathon and swapping fundraising ideas. Which I always appreciate.

It was comfortable being back on Beacon St, seeing the familiar stores and sights.

Mile 2: 9:00

Since I was chatting with whoever was near me, the pace was not even close to consistent. Haha. Oops.

Plus using the Runkeeper app over my Garmin meant the pace wasn't as easily accessible as usual. Which was A-ok in my book.

John and Margaret were just past Mile 2.3 with a water stop.

It was awesome to stop and chat with them and sip some water before heading out to Finish the run. Okay to go to the turnaround point at Mile 3 then come back and chat with them again. ;)

Mile 3: 8:18

I won't lie I was pretty psyched the run was set at 6 miles today. I had contemplated upping it to 8, which was also an option, but wanted to play it safe. The left hamstring is still sore so no reason to tack on two miles for no real reason. Know what I mean?

It was today's run, where I felt my weight loss finally kicking in. Not everyone might understand, but I am feeling back in a place where I don't feel so jiggly.

Mile 4: 8:50

Margaret and I 

I stopped at the water stop again to chat with John. He is going to give me some strength training stretches to help the hamstring. But I really wanted to chat with him about my weight.

I know the less weight on my back is helpful for the surgically-repaired spine, but it can also help my speed. My lowest weight with Weight Watchers was 153.4. I am currently at 158.2. He suggested trying to shed 10 pounds if possible. I am not sure if I can do that due to my love of french fries and beer. ;) But I am willing to try. A number in the 140s is still in my healthy weight range and a possible goal with WW. So for now I am going to continue to focus on losing weight, fueling properly and see how the body reacts. It is really up to the body what weight it likes. :)

But I have a goal for Boston 2015 and I want to do whatever I can to get there. All I can do is try! Right?

After a good convo with John, I was ready to finish the run. I spotted my teammate Christine just ahead of me so I sped up to catch up with her. She is a huge inspiration to me. She is a 3:2x marathoner and an amazing triathlete. Plus she is a sweet person.

Christine and I

She is working on heart rate training, which is causing her to run slower than usual so I opted to finish the run with her.

Mile 5: 9:21

I love picking the brains of the outstanding athletes I have the honor of calling teammates and friends. Christine is at the top of that list. So it was a great chat about weight, triathlons, cross training and healthy snacking in general. She is a nurse so she is always on the go so it was nice being able to share some of my tips with her.

As we hit the final incline back into Kenmore, you see one of my favorite sights. You see Fenway Park and the Prudential building in the distance, while the CITGO sign is right in front of you. Hello motivation.

We made a quick detour to check Christine's meter before finishing up the run.

Mile 6: 9:41

Yes first team run officially in the books.

I headed upstairs to get a final stretch in before catching a ride home.

I need to give a special thanks to my legs for taking me through Day 50 of my running streak (#WOMSStreak). With today's 6-mile run, I hit 1,011 for the year! Woo! It may be behind last year's mileage pace, but I am proud of the progress I have made in the last 50 days. :)

Next week: 8 miles of fun!

***

Week 1 Workouts:

Sunday, December 7: 5-mile run Monday, December 8: 3.9-mile run and 45-min cycling Tuesday, December 9: 5-mile run & 45-min walk Wednesday, December 10: 4-mile run Thursday, December 11: 2.9-mile run Friday, December 12: 5-mile run Saturday, December 13: 6-mile run, 60-minute Spin class & 2.5-mile walk

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

***

Looking to Donate?

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