Dani Dishes 7-7-14
/On this episode of Dani Dishes, it is time to do a life/job update, share about Half Ironman worries, talk about getting Back On Track & a F.A.S.T. virtual 5k/10k announcement! More F.A.S.T. race info!
T-minus 2 months 'til that little Half Ironman
/Soooo remember when I decided to go waaayyyy out of my comfort zone and sign up for that teeny tiny race they call a Half Ironman? Yeah that teeny tiny race is just 2 months away.
Ahhhhh ... commence freak out!
Prior to signing up, I have completed two Sprint Triathlons. Yup - that's it. I guess I was going for a go big or go home type situation there.
I felt lost at the beginning of training. I wished I could afford a coach, but it wasn't in the cards.
Thankfully NYC Running Mama suggested the book pictured above.
This book offers a ton of different training plans from the beginner to someone trying to land on the podium at their next Sprint to Full Ironman. All levels and distances are covered. Phew!
I'm not really sure what level I am at so I went with intermediate for now. I thought it was a decent guess. Right?
Can you tell I am getting wicked scientific in this training cycle? :)
So let's break down the different parts of the Half Ironman?
***
SWIMMING
I owe a HUGE thanks to my parents for starting my swim lessons as a baby. I may not be fast in the water, but I feel comfortable there. I love getting into the water, tuning out the world and feeling light as a feather. There is no weight issues in the pool or ocean. Now, I know weight, etc affects the speed and outcome, but I don't feel self-conscious when I am in the water. It takes that anxiety away from me ... even just for that small period of time.
I am quite the sophisticated swimmer as I jot down the workout on a sweet post-it note that is usually soaked through by the cool down. ;) The book does a great job of breaking down the purpose and benefit of each type of swim exercise. Am I 100% sure I am doing it correctly? Nope. But I am trying my hardest and I know that the meters adding up is the most important thing I can do.
Trying to condition my body to get ready to swim 1.2 miles before doing those other two little sections.
While at the Heartbreak Hill Running Festival, Sarah Reinertsen - one of the most inspirational athletes around - shared how she exhausts her arms on the swim during her Ironman because you don't really use them the rest of the race. I am trying to take that to heart during practice swims by using the arms as much as possible and resting the legs. It is giving me something to focus on and improve.
So far in training I have swum at least 1 mile straight and felt comfortable. On race day, I will need to swim the 1.2 miles in less than 1 hour to continue on in the race. Those time limits are always looming in the back of my head.
BUT, I know pool swimming and open water swimming are very different so I am working on putting on my big girl pants and getting out into the open waters...
***
BIKING
By FAR my weakest portion of the triathlon. Well it is also my least favorite so those two things could go hand in hand. :0)
I made a pledge to work on my biking this winter so I set up the free-to-me (thanks old tenant) bike trainer. :)
It was a great way to cross train for the marathons when I didn't want to leave the house. Or a way to watch a show I wanted to watch, but be productive while doing it.
I am working on following the training plan, but tweaking to fit my needs and plans on the weekend. But in May I started taking the bike outside.
I get very worried about falling off the bike and getting a flat tire. I am still not used to shifting the gears and now clip pedals. Last month, I purchased new pedals that have clips on one side and are flat on the other so you can still bike in sneakers if you want. I want to have the options. Ya know?
Thankfully my friend Darcie is a more experienced biker than I so she and I have gone out on some long rides together.
On July 4th came the biggest bike ride of my career, over 30 miles while working on clipping, hills, shifting, riding in traffic and inclement weather. And you know what? I survived.
Now I know for the race I will need to up the speed. I think we figured that we will need to keep at least a 15.0 mph. Now on this day, we were dealing with stoplights and people on the bike path so I think we were going an appropriate speed outside of those moments. But, speed is something I need to work on.
Hey, I am happy with the progress I have made thus far.
I tested out the camelback on the ride and it was perfect. I am not comfortable enough taking my hands off the handlebars to take a drink - damn balance - so the camelback allowed me to stay steady and hydrated.
I also knocked off my first fall. Now it wasn't a huge fall. Okay it happened while I was at a stop, but I got it over with. :) I successfully clipped the right shoe out, but forgot about the left and over I went into a nice piled of mulch. Ha. Darcie was the only person who got to witness it.
It felt great to tackle such a big ride. I know I have a long ways to go, but I am going in the right direction.
***
RUNNING
Let's just say I never thought I would be least worried about running. ;) I have been battling a left hamstring injury for a while so the running hasn't been my main focus. I think my body is pretty conditioned right now and I am trying to focus on the swimming and biking as much as possible to keep the cardio up.
I know once the leg feels better I will need to get back into the BRICK workouts - 2 parts of the triathlon back-to-back.
I'm hoping by now no matter how tired I will be I can make it through a half marathon. (Again never thought I would write something like that)
***
The timing scares me the most. You must be out of the water in 1 hour and done with the course in 8. So when my music died in the water the other day, I spent the entire time working out "worst case scenarios" in my head.
Okay if it takes me 1 hour to swim and 3 hours to run that gives me 4 hours to bike. Etc Etc.
While I work on the physical training, I know the mental needs even more help. The confidence needs to be there on race day since there is no music allowed in triathlons. So for most of this it will be me and my thoughts together ... alone ... for hours. I will need to stay positive and focused. Oh and singing to myself. That is a given.
So with two months to go, I will continue to improve, to study, to learn and to push my limits.
Adios comfort zone ... hello Half Ironman!
I'm No Longer A Flywheel Virgin
/I've come here in this safe space of my blog to reveal that I am no longer a virgin. Oh wait let me reread that sentence.
Oops! Let's try that again!
I am no longer a FLYWHEEL virgin.
;)
I have finally experienced what so many of my friends have been telling me for months ... Flywheel is freakin' awesome!
Photo Courtesy SarahFit.com
Did you know that your first Flywheel class is FREE? I knew this, but it still took me MONTHS to finally take advantage.
It was worth the wait.
As I plugged the address (800 Boylston St) into my GPS - just to make sure I knew which part of the street it was on, I paced up and down Boylston as I couldn't spot 800. I figured it was inside the Prudential Center, but I couldn't find it. I had 15 minutes to get there in time. If you don't sign-in in time, you forfeit your bike.
No no. Not on my watch.
So I popped into the Lululemon and was given quick directions to the studio. Yes it was inside the Prudential Center, but just not in an obvious location. Yes, maybe I should've done better research before I left the house, but that's in the past. ;)
I made it in time.
Flywheel allows you to reserve your bike and bike shoes online in advance. Once I got the studio, I used one of the laptops above to check in and officially claim my bike. I had picked #30 just because. I looked below the laptops to find my official Flywheel shoes in the cubby marked #30. Talk about service. Now you can bring your own Spin shoes if you want, but I wanted the full experience.
With moments to spare, I shoved my crap in one of the free lockers, which have keypad locks on them so no lock needs to be remembered. I said hi to my friend and Tedy's Team teammate Melinda, who was the instructor for the class, hit the bathroom, grabbed my towels and wandered into the Spin studio.
Photo courtesy GlutenFreeBostonGirl.com
Stadium style seating makes sure there isn't a bad seat in the Studio.
There were two Flywheel employees in the Studio to help participants set up their bikes correctly.
I was locked in and ready to go. I was attending Melinda's Throwback Thursday class and was pumped for some great 90s tunes during the ride.
Now what sets Flywheel apart is the Torqboard.
Every Flywheel studio features two Torqboards - large screens that display leaderboards a few times during each class. So if you're at all competitive, you may opt in to participate in our Torqboards and find out how you rank against other riders.
For every ride you take, we capture a list of performance metrics that we post in your private account on our website. It's real data in real time. Which means, as soon as class is over, you can log on and see your stats, like how fast and how strong you rode, along with how this compares to your previous rides and how you rank against other riders. You'll see metrics for RPM's, Torq, Speed, Power, Distance and even Calories Burned. This allows you to set your own goals and measure your performance over time.
Now you know I had to take part in the Torqboard. I was still nursing the sore left hammy, but I was willing to give the class all I had.
And that I did.
Melinda was NOT joking around. She did a great job keeping the group motivated and sweating.
She leads the cues not only by position on the bike - 1st, 2nd, 3rd - but by resistance (aka Torq) and RPMs.
For example, we warmed up looking for a Torq of 15-20 and RPM around 80. There is a little screen on your bike where you can watch your Torq, RPMs and overall point total for the class.
The lights were off and I was focused right on Melinda and her movements.
But when girl told me to push it, I gaveit 110% because at any time she could light up that Torqboard and reveal our rankings.
I learned early on that I was battling near the top ... and the competitive side kicked in.
Shocking I know.
As we battled through sprints, jumps and hills, the sweat poured.
Halfway through the 45 minute class I was holding down the #1 spot amongst the ladies. The person in second was 9 points behind me and I wanted to keep it that way.
With about 10-15 minutes left in class, it was time to work the arms with weighted bars. Biceps, triceps, etc it all got worked, while the legs kept spinning.
And before I knew it we were on the last song and I made sure to give it all I had left. I wasn't about to lose the top spot at the end of the class.
And I didn't! :)
It's fascinating how adding a board to my Spin workout upped my game. I need to bring this intensity to all my Spin workouts - board or no board.
Hello calorie burn. It was a whole body workout for sure. At no point did I try to check my watch to see how much longer the class was. I was present, motivated and in the moment the entire time.
The energy was great. The song choice outstanding.
Thank you Melinda for an awesome ride.
Afterwards, I collected my stuff from the free locker, turned in my shoes, dropped my towels and left with a huge smile on my face.
So I challenge you to find the Flywheel near you and take advantage of the free class!!
***
Have you battled the Torqboard before?
Monday Musings: Carb Friday, Travel & A Wedding
/How is it Monday? How is it the final day in June?
How does Shakira get her hips to stop lying? (Anyone?)
I can't solve all of life's mysteries in one post, but I can share a little bit about my past weekend.
***
On Friday, I woke up bright and early to take this little Scrunch and her dad to the airport. Only someone that cute could get me to wake up at that hour... ;)
I also brought back the weekly series Face It Friday to the blog after attending my Weight Watchers meeting. Once that post was written and I was feeling positive, it was errands time: walk with Laney while Molly was at the groomer, stop by CVS to get necessities for my 34 hour trip to Pennsylvania for a wedding.
I was eating well and knocking the Good Health Guidelines out like a champ ... and then the wife suggested getting fresh french bread with our dinner. And the night went to carb hell. I had bread, boboli pizza and delicious beer.
Thanks for the gift Kelly!
Did I need all those carbs? Not in the slightest. But the slipper slope was there for me to slide down. But I went to bed forgiving myself for the slip-up, tracking it and moving on.
Feedback not Failure - I assured myself as I drifted off to sleep.
Well there wasn't much sleep happening as we stayed up late being all caught up on the latest season of 24 and my alarm was set for 4:45 on Saturday morning to catch my 6:30am flight.
I really wish I had a travel agent to be mad at for making a flight at that hour, but I scheduled it myself. So -- booo Dani!
Thankfully the wife dropped me off at the airport by 5:30am and I was looking forward to some Dunkins.
But that wasn't in the cards.
For some reason my flight was taking part in a part of the terminal that had just 3 gates ... and no Dunkins.
C'mon now!
In order to keep myself from gorging on a bagel so early in the morning, I spent just over $8 for a Liter of water and a fruit cup. Absurd prices, but my conscious was clear.
We had a quick 55 min flight, where I slept the whole time.
As I headed to the car rental place I learned that the Dollar where I rented my car had lost power so we were being shuttled to the Thrifty (apparently they are really the same company).
After waiting an hour to get my rental car, I happily took the 5 minute car ride to the closest Dunkins.
Oh sweet nectar.
I plugged in the hotel address, turned up the tunes and took the 45 minute ride to the town where the wedding was happening.
I parked at the Holiday Inn (Saayy whhaaa???) and headed inside to check-in.
Except the Holiday Inn had another idea.
They were at capacity and wouldn't have a room for me until 3pm.
For those playing at home, the wedding ceremony was starting at 4pm.
Ummm yeah!
So I went into panic mode and tried to find another way that I could shower for the wedding.
Could I use their fitness center shower? They didn't have one.
Could I use an employee shower? Nope.
Did they have a gym close by that I could shower at? Yes.
The woman had a guest pass to LA Fitness!
SCORE!
I happily drove around the town of Fort Washington, PA, which seemed to have little to offer, as I made my way to the LA Fitness.
I headed in ready to pass a couple hours there, shower then head back to hotel to check-in.
I pushed myself on the bike, including sprints, jumps, hills and repeats, before walking a casual 22 minutes on the treadmill.
It was about 1pm so I headed to the shower.
But as I paced around the locker room, I didn't spot a single shower.
Ummm...
I went to the front desk - none.
Apparently, they keep their monthly costs down by not offering towel service.
Well, there goes my idea of showering at the gym.
So I was back to square one.
I headed to a little pub to have lunch, while trying to devise a new plan and not turn up as the sweaty girl at the wedding.
At 2:30, I decided to head back to the hotel and the woman at the front desk remembered me. She must've felt pity on me because she moved some things around to get me into a room around 2:45. Hey that 15 minutes came in handy.
I was in and could finally get ready for the 4pm ceremony. I drove myself over and was in the church with 20 minutes to spare.
My friend Joann, who I've known since 7th grade, looked radiant with her husband Mac. It was great to see the other six friends that were in attendance from high school. I think it was the first time we were all together since either High School or early college.
We would have a great time catching up at the reception. But first I had to get my car back to the hotel and prepare for the shuttle.
And by shuttle I mean school bus. ;) For some reason I was the only person on it from my hotel. It was like private transportation until we made it to the next hotel. :P
For those that took part in the "Which dress I would wear to the wedding?" poll on Facebook and Instagram, dress #1 won!
It is still a great feeling when I can slide into a dress without having to squeeze into a pair of Spanx first. I felt lean in this cut and even made it all night in the heels, which is a feat in itself. :P
We all danced the night away, laughing, reminiscing and having a great time ... but first #LetMeTakeASelfie with the bride.
I couldn't get over how beautiful the centerpieces and bouquets were. The Sunflowers were a great choice.
It was tough having the wife at home. The slow songs were sprinkled in and I was on the sidelines. A relative of the groom was taking candids during the reception and during the first slow song where everyone at my table was dancing, he looked at me sadly, gave the "aww single girl look" and snapped my photo. 1) who does that, but 2) I wanted to be like I have a wife she is just at home. Ha.
Soon it was 11pm and it was time to wait for the late shuttle to head back to the hotel. I grabbed a nightcap at the hotel bar to bring to my room and snuggle into bed.
My feet couldn't wait to have the heels off.
Before I knew it I was out like a light and happy that I didn't have to set an alarm.
I woke up Sunday wanting to get out and run, but I didn't bring enough KT Tape so I chose a nice lazy morning catching up on bad TV. We don't have cable at home so I was sucked into a nice Law & Order marathon.
Just like that it was time to pack up and head back to the airport. Of course there was a stop at Dunkins before hitting the road.
When I went to return my wheels, I realized I drank quite a bit of water in such a short time in the car. :P
Hydrating for the win.
Since I am a worrier especially when traveling, I was at the airport and through security with 1.5 hours to go before I had to board. This allowed for a relaxing lunch watching World Cup soccer at the airport before doing laps around my gate to get some steps in.
After watching more Law & Order on the plane (I love you Jet Blue), I decided to have a lazy afternoon laying in bed with the wife and the pups.
There is always a to-do list, but on that day I needed some snuggling for the soul.
And that is exactly how we finished out one whirlwind of a weekend.
***
Have you had a crazy or frustrating travel day before?
Face It Friday ... Bringin' It Back!
/Truth Tuesday. Face It Friday.
When I was focused on losing weight, every weigh-in day I would post about the results or just how the week was going. It was that extra accountability I needed ... and allowed me to use some alliteration! ;)
But once I hit goal and then Lifetime - they stopped. Why? Because I wasn't weighing in on the regular any more. Instead of attending my meeting, I was leading it. There was a shift. So away went the posts.
Now I am not necessarily back to weighing every Friday, but I think this can serve as a space to reflect back on my week. Make note of the good and the bad. Face "it" where the "it" is myself rather than the number on the scale.
There is that whole changing with the times thing I mentioned in yesterday's post.
So let's get right to it.
The past two weeks I have been focusing on what helped me get to goal and what works to keep me there. I got back to tracking - because I still can't control portions when I don't own up to them with a point value - and focusing on the Good Health Guidelines.
It has worked. I feel better. The bloating that was going on has gone away and I am seeing more positively.
It's like the design says up above. You feel good when you exercise regularly and when you exercise regularly you eat better... etc! Everything relates to each other.
And it pays off on the scale as well. Adios bloat!
Now this tracking wasn't perfect but I focused on progress. I know I indulge Friday-Sunday - it's life! So I tracked as best I could those days and stayed true to my 28 DPT Monday-Thursday. :)
I also made sure that I focused on getting in the Good Health Guidelines - all of them - Monday-Thursday and as many as possible Friday-Sunday.
And you know what. I went to a BBQ, I had beer, I moved a lot and I lost. I even used all WPs and half of my APs. And you know what? The scale still went down.
So many members are scared to use the WPs and APs, but what is the harm in trying? You earn 'em - use 'em. Weight Watchers gives them to you - use 'em. That's my motto. And if it doesn't work - tweak it.
There is no rhyme or reason to weight loss week in and week out. The body may forget that it should be it's lightest at the moment you step on the scale. So think about how you feel.
Today, I feel happy and healthier than two weeks ago.
That's what matters.
So as I look at myself in the mirror today and Face It, I know I put out my best foot this week. Was every choice spot on? No of course not. But, I paused and thought about the consequences before I ate or drank something.
My question for this past week and future weeks will be:
"Will X help me achieve my goal?"
And you can bet your booty that occasionally I will say: "Will this beer help me achieve my goal?" Hellz to the yeah.
Balance is what I found this week and I will continue to strive for in the future.
Watch out folks ... Dani got her groove back!
***
WIN of the week
Attending and winning my first Flywheel Boston Spin class taught by my Tedy's Team teammate Melinda!
(Note: your first class is FREE so definitely check out a Flywheel near you!)
Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Festival Part 3: Five & Dime
/Thursday and Friday of the Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Festival felt like Summer Camp. I mean really. Okay maybe. I never actually went to a sleep away Summer Camp so I am 100% basing this on TV. Oops. But I still think it was - laughs, hugs and beer. Okay definitely no beer at Summer Camp, right?
Either way it had been a blast. But I kept thinking and saying: Oh yeah, we are here to actually run races.
Sort of forgot that one little detail. Even though I had my bib in hand and everything.
Well the running got started bright and early Saturday morning with the Five & Dime, which meant at 5k at 7:15 and a 10k at 8:30. You know I am up for a challenge so I was ready to go. However, was unsure how to handle the time in between the races. Well, nothing like flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to fueling.
Pre-race I grabbed a dark chocolate & peanut butter KIND bar and my trusty ENERGYBits. Luckily we were staying in the dorms so Athlete's Village was a leisurely 5-7 minute walk from where we were. Strength in numbers so as many bloggers as possible climbed into the elevator - for a selfie - and headed to the Start.
KT Tape matches my Team Chocolate Milk singlet - what a coincidence? ;)
I KNEW I needed to run with people. If I have learned anything, I suck at pacing myself to a slower race when running alone.
Thanks for the pic Anne!
So I lined up around the 9 min/mile pace with some bloggers and set out to keep it easy. I had an angry left hamstring and three races to make it through in total.
As soon as the horn went off, we shuffled through the corral to the Start Line and it was game time.
Hey Girls!!
As I hit Mile 2 I had separated slightly from the group, but it allowed me to cheer them on as we hit a turnaround in the race. But Marnie and I had kept together and were having a great conversation.
I was getting lost in conversation that I hadn't taken a mid-run selfie yet. I was talking all that pretend game and hadn't done anything about it so it was time to rectify that.
I thought it was one of my better ones.
The race ended on a little bit of a downhill before taking a right into the final stretch, where - of course - I had to step it up a notch. I didn't want to be dogging it in the Finish Line photo. Priorities, right?
Splits: 9:01, 8:59, 8:46
Since I love numbers, I loved the 28:28 5k time. Now my inner demon was angry at the slower than usual time, but the brain knew that it was about finishing and not speed.
After happily collecting the first medal of the weekend, I set out to find a snack (hello chocolate chip bagel) and a bathroom (thank you BC for keeping all the buildings open so I could avoid the port-o-potties)! Once that was set, it was time to start thinking about the 10k. It was an odd amount of time for me so I wasn't really sure what to do. But the bagel hit the spot.
Now the 5k didn't really feature Heartbreak Hill so I figured the 10k would be more a challenge. I knew I would need to keep the pace easy once again.
I felt as if the 5k ended as soon as it began!
So I met up with the same crew at the same spot - oh hey hey 9 min/mile sign - and planned to run with them again.
From the look of this pic, maybe they didn't want me to run with them :P #PhotoBomb
As we crossed the Start Line again, I had some deja vu and let the ladies dictate the pace. I didn't want to push it.
Almost immediately I realized that we would be hitting more of Heartbreak this time around! And it would be the last portion of Heartbreak - aka the biggest of the hills.
For those that don't know, Heartbreak Hill is not a single hill like many think. It is actually about 3-ish miles of rolling hills (3 total). They really aren't that bad in the scheme of life, but when you come upon them at Mile 17 of the Boston Marathon they seem like MOUNTAINS!
And on this day the heat was dictating how the day would go so the hill was tough. Thankfully once again the conversation flowed so the time and miles ticked by.
Mile 1: 9:30 Mile 2: 9:53 Mile 3: 9:35
It was about the halfway mark that Anne and I started picking the pace up. Not sure how it happened, but it seemed organic. I hadn't met Anne before this weekend and didn't know much about her story. It was GREAT chatting with her. We learned that we have very similar PRs.
Her Half: 1:43, My Half: 1:44 ... Her Marathon: 3:56, My Marathon: 3:58. We are both 31. We like running and blogging.
Crazy similar.
So you can only imagine the talking helped dictate the pace. But we both wanted to keep it smart.
And I had the pleasure of introducing Anne to Heartbreak Bill. He is the mascot for the Heartbreak Hill Running Company and a staple all winter long during Boston Marathon training runs.
Poor guy must've been dying in the suit
Mile 4: 9:10 Mile 5: 9:18 (highest point of Heartbreak) Mile 6: 9:07
Once again ending on a downhill was appreciated and allowed us to rack up some speed to finish the race strong. We weren't about to let these 2 folks finish ahead of us so we dug down and sped around them. I wanted a nice clear Finish Line photo for us. :P
Now I had kept my 5k medal in my hand during the run just so I could keep start sporting both medals AS SOON as we crossed.
It was a great run in some bad heat. Finished with an official time of 58:49.
Definitely amazing knowing so many people at the Five and Dime races. Every time I turned around there was a blogger, friend or blog reader finishing the race. I love some sweaty hugs, high fives and hearing race stories.
I am proud of everyone I know that tackled a running challenge of two races in one morning. Two pieces of bling before 10am is A-okay with me.
The left hamstring was sore, but didn't feel any worse after 9.3 miles. Taking it slower was definitely the way to go.
After more water and snacks it was time to head back to the room for a shower and a change. The rest of the day featured Expo fun, Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee, the Dogs Run, the pasta dinner and another Sarah Reinertsen talk (I will NEVER pass on hearing her speak).
I want to thank all of the volunteers, police offers and Runner's World staff who was up way earlier than I was to put this race on and to make sure there was enough water for the participants. I also want to applaud Runner's World for the Medical presence during the race. Since I had some breathing trouble the last time I was on Heartbreak, I kept an eye out and it put my mind at ease to see so much medical staff out on the course.
I can also say the KIND Bar and ENERGYBits was a great combo pre-race. The chocolate chip bagel wasn't too heavy before the second race. Phew! I wouldn't have wanted that yummy bagel to go to waste. Plus it worked as my chocolate since the race was lacking low-fat chocolate milk. :(
But no matter what I had another meeting with Heartbreak the next day ... for the half marathon!
***
Have you run legit back-to-back races before?
(Note: if you would like to buy ENERGYBits, use code WEIGHTOFFMYSHOULDERS for 25% off your order!)
I'm Walkin' On Sunshine...
/WOO OOO!! Okay not really walkin' on sunshine since that would be hot and burn my feet. But it would be quite a feat...
I am working on being a ray of sunshine, but not have it feel forced.
Someone at work today said how calmly I was taking the job ending. Well clearly she doesn't live in my head. :P
But what I realized this weekend was that being mopey about the job situation won't make a new job appear. Thankfully my wife is still employed so it isn't like I am being thrown on the street. I have a lot of things to be thankful for.
So while I was having one kick ass awesome weekend, I focused on that.
The HERE and NOW.
I am a worrier by nature. I can't turn it off. But I can control how much I allow it to dictate my mood.
I have my health. I have amazing friends. I have a great wife and two pups. I have this little blog of mine.
There is too much to celebrate to be worried.
Now that isn't saying I am getting rid of worrying all together. I am still very much a worry wart over bills, etc - but I need to work more on the NOW.
And I set that goal last night before bed.
Can I tell you something?
It already is paying off in the mood department.
THAT could still be lingering awesomeness from this weekend. It was a jam-packed couple days, but if it is an indicator of things to come - then this summer is going to ROCK!
On Friday, I attempted the Assembly Row media event. Assembly Row is a new shopping center across the street from my house in Somerville - but it is so much more.
There are outlet shops, restaurants, and activities! They are going to have free yoga by the water, a boot camp once a week and a running club out of the Nike store (still waiting on more details for that).
The event had food samples from some of the restaurants that will be at Assembly Row - Fuji Sushi, Tony C's Sports Bar/Grill, Earl's and Papagayo.
Trying a sushi roll with EEL from Fuji
Let's just say my wife was jealous of this picky eater being at a food sampling event. ;)
They even had a game where you had to guess the prices of the three outfits being displayed. Keeping in mind these are outlet stores. I haven't heard the winning prices yet, but my guess is I was WAY off. I really wanted to win the PUMA outfit too (#2).
I stopped at the brand-new Papagayo to sample their Sangria and oohh boy it was tasty!
After a brief walk home (I can get use to that), it was a low-key evening in bed with the family.
On Saturday I let myself sleep in - until 8am - then headed out for a quick run to pick my car up from the mechanic.
The wife and I got started on a laundry list of errands we had to run to get ready for a BBQ at our house the following day.
But I HAD to get in a training ride so I brought the wife along with me for a little bike afternoon date. I'm glad she bought a bike so we can start doing more things like this. We must take advantage of the summer months! We endure such crappy Boston winters for them. :P
Saturday Night we lived it up - by cleaning. I know I know. Try to hold back your jealousy if you can.
Sunday was going to be fun from the get go! Sunday kicked off with the Cambridge 5k Freedom Run 5k with Team Slumbrew Happy Soles.
I was definitely happy with my time as I am nursing a very painful left hamstring thing/injury/annoyance and it was much hotter out than any of us expected.
I wish I had noticed the photog, but since I was coming straight into the Finish Line all I could think about was cheering on the rest of the team and ... BEER!
Aren't we one awesome looking team?
I had a great little post-race celebration with this fine group before heading home for the BBQ with a couple of college friends and their kids.
After they left we needed to get the dogs some exercise so we took a family walk along the Mystic River and over to Assembly Row.
The dogs even did a little swimming. Okay Molly did some sitting in the water.
This was all followed by a CRASH. I was ready to just lay down and enjoy some TV before the final week of work.
But this weekend involved so much love, laughing and smiling.
How could I be sad when I have all of that in my life?
Boston's Run To Remember Half - 5/25/14
/I love calling Boston my home. It is one amazing place to run and explore. Boston's Run To Remember 5-miler and Half Marathon takes place every Memorial Day weekend. Since moving back to Boston, I haven't missed the race. I did the 5-Miler in 2012 before upgrading to the Half in 2013.
2012
Why upgrade?
Because I wanted more time running through this amazing city. Of course!
The Run To Remember is honors Massachusetts Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty by celebrating their lives and giving back to the community. Net proceeds benefit Community and kids programs of the Boston Police Runner's Club.
Last year's race was extremely emotional as it was the first race in Boston after the attacks at the Boston Marathon Finish Line. I think I cried from Start to Finish, but it was extremely cathartic. You can read more about that race here.
This year I popped into the Expo on Saturday afternoon, while out running errands. The Run To Remember Expo is pretty tiny and for me each year the highlight is seeing my Sparkly Soul girls. But more on that later... ;)
I quickly grabbed my bib and my shirt and took a quick lap around the Expo before rushing back outside as my wife was waiting for me.
I had to keep the number private to make sure no one swiped it! I didn't realize it was the 10th anniversary until I saw the bib. Cool!
As we headed about our day of errands, I got on the horn to my friend Susan for the details. Ones like: so the race starts at 7, right?
Yeah I am not one to look at the details too far ahead of time. Oops.
So I set my alarm for 5:45 expecting to be up at 6 and out the door by 6:15.
I was so tired that I forgot to set my clothes out the night before or really decide what I was going to eat for breakfast.
Let's just say that led to a frantic wake-up, but thankfully I live about 7-10 minutes drive to the race that I wasn't too worried.
Until a Tedy's Team running mate of mine brought up traffic ... then last year started coming back to me.
The wife and I hopped in the car and headed out. It wasn't until we were pulling off the highway that I realized ...
I LEFT MY GARMIN AT HOME!!!!!!
Ahhhhh! Dammit! I had no running partner for the run. I left my music at home. And now no Garmin.
I tried to take a quick breath and calm myself down.
Now I am not one glued to the timing of the Garmin, it just keeps me from going out too fast.
The wife kindly dropped me off as close to the Start area as possible and I headed to the masses. Thankfully I could skip the security line since I wasn't doing gear check.
I immediately found a port-o-pottie line and hung out in that until the race started. Talk about good timing. I got into my pace area just as the horn went off.
I didn't know what to expect at the race as I had done a brick workout (23.6 mile bike & 2 mile run) the day before and my left hamstring was giving me pain. So I lined up around the 8 min/mile pace.
I attempted to start Runkeeper when I crossed the Start Line so I would have some guess of pace. I think it finally clicked 15 seconds into the run - close enough!
I was ready to just have fun while running.
The course would be different from last year due to construction and since I never look at course maps - I had no idea what it meant. :P
We went over the Mass Ave bridge just before Mile 4. As I was taking a mid-run selfie a woman asked: "Do you want me to take that for you?" I smiled and let her know it is more fun to do it yourself.
Apparently the folks around me aren't used to the mid-run selfie because people kept telling me how impressed they were by my "skills." Hey! It made MY day! :)
We headed out to Memorial Drive and my favorite part of the run - the out and back. It is great seeing elite folks WHIZ past you. I was in a great group of folks too because we were all clapping and cheering them on.
When you do the turn around on Mem Drive, I then immediately start looking for friends I know! Thankfully being local I know a ton of people at any given race because social media friends, old coworkers, Weight Watchers, school, etc. I think half my Facebook timeline told me they would be there. ;)
I was getting frustrated though. I had only seen 2 people so far that I knew. I knew there were more out there. But as we headed back to Mem Drive, I saw my Tedy's Team teammate Larissa running towards me. She and her fiancé Eddie were running (his first half) so I was able to yell: "It's my favorite person," which caught her attention. Then give both of them HUGE high-fives.
Around this time I knew the Runkeeper was off, it doesn't like the tall buildings of the city at the beginning, but it seemed as if I was at about a 8:30 min/mile pace. Which was fine by me and my body was feeling comfortable. I wasn't going for a PR so I wasn't really trying to calculate what finish time that would put me at.
So I turned my attention to my next selfie ... of course!
Just before we took the right back onto the Mass Ave bridge, we hit Mile 9.
I was telling someone the other day - I might not be good at running, but DAMN I am getting the hang of the mid-run selfie! ;) Now mastering the mid-run selfie doesn't mean they are always pretty or flattering - as exhibited above.
As we headed back down Beacon St towards the Seaport (aka the Finish), a previous used water stop was being used again and guess what? I had an old Weight Watchers member Jenny give me water both times. Yes, it is the little things in life sometimes. It was great to see her and get a little "Go Dani!" when I needed it.
I was in the zone, taking in the brownstones, trying to ignore the slight pain in the left hamstring when some guy ran by and said "I will not lose the tutu contest to you." Which I was thrown off by. He was rocking a lovely purple tutu. Now I don't want to knock him, but technically I was wearing a skirt - a Sparkle Athletic skirt to be exact. I let him have his moment and continue on.
We hit the Mile 12 marker and I got the "man I don't want the race to end" pang that I always get at Mile 12 of a Half. But on the flip side I said "yes! Only one mile to go" after having done 2 fulls in April. I was happy to not have to keep going another 13+ on that day.
Now the final push down the Seaport is deceiving. You take the final turn and you think the Finish Line should be RIGHT there.
FALSE!
Every year I feel like I am on a treadmill and will never cross that freakin' line.
Thanks for the photo Kelsey!
Even though I felt like I was going nowhere, I felt strong so I gave whatever I had left at the end.
It was an odd feeling not having my Garmin to pause at the Finish. :P But I stopped Runkeeper which had a time of 1:50 and change.
Darnit! Had I realized earlier in the run I could've finished sub 1:50. Eh - it's okay. It was about 6 minutes slower than my PR anyway.
I headed into the World Trade Center to grab water and my medal. I made sure to look for blog reader Patty, who was handing out medals. Thank goodness for her eyes because she spotted me before I could spot her. :) It was a cool experience getting my medal from a reader/social media friend. Sorry we didn't grab a pic together.
As I got my medal, my friend Kelsey came up. She had rocked the 5-miler that morning.
We headed back inside to grab some more water and check out the Sparkly Soul booth.
It was great chatting with creator Dari and I cannot WAIT for you all to see what Sparkly Soul has coming out next!! :)
I picked up a few of the new colors ;) and headed towards the train to head home.
Since I already had my water and my chocolate milk was waiting for me at home, I stopped by Dunkin' on my way.
#DaniRunsOnDunkin
It was great to add the 2014 medal to the group...
While we were celebrating the Half with lunch, the official results came in:
Finished 1,601 out of 7,172 overall and 181 out of 1,409 in my division (F30-39). I can't even believe I was in the top 13% of my division and top 23% overall. I remember finishing 3rd to last in my first full marathon and thinking I would never place in a race higher than that ...and now look.
I never take any run for granted and work hard to keep improving. But the run is about more than the pace and the time - it is about celebrating my health!
And on this day it was the men and women that have sacrificed their lives for the Boston area community. Police from all over Massachusetts lined the path during Mile 3 - cheering and high-fiving runners. While New York Police were both running and volunteering to patrol the course and make sure the runners were safe.
Until next year Run To Remember... :)
***
Have you run Boston's Run To Remember 5-miler or Half Marathon?
Can you really get running accountability from a shirt? Today's Miles Says Yes! Plus #Giveaway
/Annddddd the winner IS:
CONGRATS!!!!
***
Have you ever tossed your training plan across the room and yelled: "Screw it!"
Well, I have and it resulted in some nasty paper cuts on the dogs.
I mean I didn't mean to, but things happen.
(Please note: no pups were actually harmed in making of this blog post)
All I am saying is there are times that you don't want to live your life by a training plan ... but that is for a WHOLE different blog post.
What I am getting at is there are times when you just want to run, but you need some accountability.
For example, I have the best intentions to head out after work for a 5 mile run. But by Mile 2, I am having wardrobe malfunctions and my headphones stopped working and I am ready to call it a day. I am out there by myself and have no one to really tell me to keep going.
Sure social media can pinch hit in there.
How about a shirt?
A shirt you say - tell me more.
Today's Miles has you covered. Simply put:
"Share your daily workout without saying a word. Simply select a shirt, color and number of miles for each of your daily runs."
It's that easy.
When I came across their website, I had to check it out.
Today's Miles graciously let me try out a couple of shirts and share the experience with you all.
(As always, thoughts and opinions are my own! Ain't nobody got time for liars!)
The t-shirts, which are 100% polyester sweat wicking material, are available as a tank top, short-sleeved and long-sleeved. The tank tops and short-sleeved shirts also come in a ladies cut.
The shirt miles come in many increments from 0.0 to 50.0 and do include 5k, half marathon and marathon distances.
Can you tell I took the above photo in a mirror? :P
I took the short-sleeved orange 5.0 out for a spin (value $18). I normally don't wear t-shirts with short sleeves, while running - it isn't my style. However, it is still chilly in Boston so having a long-sleeved compression shirt underneath helped lessen the annoyance level.
The shirt - a men's medium - was nice and roomy while running. It didn't ride up. It does sport the 5.0 on the front and on the back.
I really don't know why having the 5 on my shirt impacted my thought process so badly. I think it was the fact that I take a post-workout photo every time and if I had to post this photo with the caption: "After my 3 mile run." I would've felt like a poser and a loser. I couldn't do that. So I soldiered through my 5 miles.
While training for the Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team, we had one of our final 10-mile runs on the docket. I really didn't feel like running that morning, but thought it a great time to try out the long-sleeved 10-mile t-shirt in blue (value $23.50).
Not only did it inspire and push me through the training run, but it helped my teammates. They knew what was ahead. The miles had to get done and shirt held us to that.
I again had on a men's medium and enjoyed the roominess (did I make that up?) of the t-shirt. The sleeves weren't too long and were easy enough to push up when I started to get a little too warm. You know when shirts bunch up too much when you push the sleeves up to the elbow? Boy I hate that and find it super distracting while running. Thankfully Today's Miles shirt did not do that.
Thinking about it - it is time I break that 5.0 shirt back out and get to business...
... before that it is giveaway time!!!
The giveaway will run from Monday May 12 (3pm ET) through Monday May 19 (7am ET)!
The winner will be selected and announced on Monday!
Boston Marathon Weekend (Friday): Expo & Runkeeper Party
/You probably are thinking to yourself - Boston Marathon - that old event was like 3 weeks ago... ... and you would be right!
Well I got a little dose of reality from my dad yesterday who was taken aback that I hadn't recapped the weekend yet. Now this coming from the man who doesn't really understand my blog nor read it. But, it lit a little fire under my big butt to get a move on.
So let's get this recap party started.
I like to set the scene so we are kicking it day by day style up in here. Why? Because it is my blog and I said so. So there. :)
On Thursday, April 17, my dear boo Linzie from See Sharp Run arrived in town from Cali. Of course I jumped in the car to go meet him and Adam and Katie (hi twitter friends) for a brew ... or two.
Reunited and it feels soooo good! Sometimes you meet a person and you just click. For those that don't know Linzie and I first met in October 2013 and ended up running a 10k trail run together through the Hollywood Hills that night sharing his one headlamp - yeah that can bond two people together - plus the convo was great! :)
But I digress ... as we were enjoying some beer and food we were joined by Angry Julie. I was so excited to finally meet her after years of chatting online. Blogger fail for not getting a photo with her that night, but there will be one at some point in the weekend.
After a great night, it was time to head home and rest up for one of my favorite days of race weekend ... the Expo!
Now, I had to knock out four hours of work before I let loose on the Expo and it felt like 20 hours. :P But the clock finally hit noon and I was out the door.
Many folks are not a fan of the Expo - it is a get in, get the number and get out.
Maybe it is because I am connected to a lot of companies and folks through social media that the Expo turns into a social party for me!
You can imagine what is coming next ... pictures!! :P
I arrived at the Expo just before 12:30 on Friday and immediately got in line to get my number.
Thankfully I ran into a friend Stephanie (who was running her first marathon) and was able to sneak in with her. The line was RIDICULOUS when I got there. Doors opened at Noon. I know there were about 10k extra runners, but the line was about 3 times the length from last year at the same time.
Thankfully the line moved at a good clip and before we knew it was the magic moment - the pic we had been waiting for - you and the bib!
After sweeping up my number, it was off to get the official t-shirt (loved it this year) and finally hit up the Expo floor.
Ahhh a great sight. Occasionally I still question whether I can call myself a runner - I don't know what the hold up in my brain is - but I still love seeing the sign.
First and foremost I had the sign the big runner wall.
I had an Expo game plan: I was going to hit the booths of my favorite products first! And in no particular order...
Sparkly Soul
It is always a pleasure seeing Pamela, half of the dynamic sister duo behind Sparkly Soul headbands.
ENERGYBITS
It was awesome picking up the free bags of Bits I earned as an ENERGYBits ambassador right before a huge race weekend.
KT Tape
I always hit up the KT Tape booth if they are at an expo. While I am confident in applying the KT Tape myself, I never pass up the chance for a professional to do it. PLUS sometimes they tape it in a way you would've never imagined. Like on my foot above. I had never seen that style before, but was open to giving it a try for the BAA 5k the next morning.
After hitting up my Top Three booths and making a quick lap of the whole floor (two large rooms), it was time to sneak away to the Old South Church.
Thank you Diane for my scarf!! It was made with love by Jean in Hollis, NH!! The knitters were told to make the scarves with 1) blue & yellow and 2) love & courage. Then I started crying!!
I popped into Dunkins for a healthy lunch of iced coffee and munchkins. Hey a healthy lifestyle is full of balance, right? :) Then headed back to the Expo to see friends. And see friends I did. While I didn't get a pic with everyone here are a few:
Kelly, a fellow Weight Watchers and a current Chicago resident (she has my leader I had when I was in Chicago)
The amazing Kimberly stopped by the Expo to spread some good hugs and cheer to Linzie and I for the race
More RunDisney love with Linzie, Kelsey and Kristin
What I absolutely love about the whole Expo??? Is that everyone I interacted with, saw, loved, hugged and laughed with ... I met online! Thanks Twitter and Facebook! :)
Thanks for the pic Adam
Before heading out with the crew to the Runkeeper Marathon party, Linzie and I needed to take a quick break with the power supply. #BloggerProblems
Since it was a nice day out, we took the opportunity to get some steps on the ol FitBit and take the walk from the Expo to Runkeeper, which really was only about a mile or so.
I was wicked excited to finally see the Runkeeper HQ. The event was from 3-5:30 and included a scavenger hunt. I was having too much Expo fun to pull away for the Scavenger Hunt portion, but made it in time to meet some Runkeeper folks I speak to online often and see the power duo behind Notch Brewing.
Notch was providing refreshments for the soiree. I love Notch and the folks behind it. It is great to find a cool local brewery you can support. I often see Notch at the Cambridge 5k races while captaining the Team Slumbrew running team. But as Chris said "friendly competition" here. :)
But, it was nice to have some time to chat with Chris and Mary Ellen at Runkeeper. As I chatted with friends and the Runkeeper staff, I realized it was bathroom time. So I excused myself, took care of business and came back to an empty room. I'm not sure if everyone got invited to a party that I wasn't or what but all of a sudden everyone was gone.
So I took the opportunity to snap a quick selfie with the Runkeeper treadmill, ask my way into a Runkeeper HQ tour and then head on my way.
It was a great way to kick off the Boston Marathon weekend ... and I hadn't even done any running yet! :P
***
Are you an Expo lover?
