Week 3 - Ho Ho Hauling Along

First and foremost so many thanks to everyone who made my holidays a little brighter with a

Practicing for April at the Marathon exhibit at Faneuil Hall

donation to my Boston Marathon fundraising page - Meg G., Nicola M., my brother Paul and his lovely girlfriend Lydia and an anonymous donor (you know who you are!).  THANK YOU!

If you've been thinking about making a donation, I encourage you to do so before January 1 so it will be tax deductible for 2014! You can make a gift here.

Also, don't forget that tickets to my Lori Runs Boston Fundraising Party are now on sale! The event will be held on Sunday, February 8 from 2-4pm at the American Fresh Taproom. Tickets can be purchased online here.

Hauling Butt Over the Holiday

Oddly enough, the holidays held me back from getting out and running the way I should have last week.  As I mentioned in that wrap-up post, I used it as an opportunity to rest my knee knowing what future weeks hold in store for it!  It was clear, however, that I couldn't allow myself another week off if I want to stay on schedule for my training.  I wanted to get more miles in this week, but also didn't want to go from 0 to 60 because that could be just as dangerous so I opted for a middle of the road approach to the week.

I decided last minute to take Christmas Eve off of work so I could relax, watch some holiday movies, sleep in and yes - get a run in! It was a rainy mess outside, but it's winter so it's not a very good excuse to not get my butt in gear.  I had thought about going to the gym and doing my miles on the treadmill, but honestly by the time I walked to the gym I was going to get wet anyway, so I just tossed on my hear and hit the pavement. 

Turns out crappy weather is a pretty good motivator and I did my 3 mile loop around the Mystic River Reservation at an average 9:06 minute mile - pretty fast for me!  After my run, I took a shower and proceeded to make banana pudding and homemade Snickers bars for Christmas so I'm not going to break my arm patting myself on the back for working hard :)

Christmas day brought SIXTY DEGREE TEMPERATURES!  Can you even believe it? I met my friend Dani for a 3 mile run at 8am and was totally perplexed about what to wear.  It was raining but soooo warm.  I opted for a sweat wicking tank, my lightweight Slumbrew pullover, holiday themed running tights ($16 at TJ Maxx) and the requisite Santa hat OVER my actual running cap.  It might have been a little too much, since I was pretty darn hot my the time we finished.

We did our run around the Mystic River - are you sensing a pattern here?  We are both really lucky to live so close to an almost perfect running spot. A loop around the area closest to where we live is pretty much 3.1 miles so you have a lovely 5k loop completely uninterrupted by streets and crosswalks. In the spring and summer I would run this loop and count how many bunnies I could find chomping on the grass along the river (seriously counted almost 30 on a run last spring!).  You can add some extra miles to the loop by going under a few different underpasses or making a second loop.  It's really easy to not get too creative with routes when you're blessed with something so easy right around the corner.  The downside to this awesome location is that it's not a route you want to run after dark.  Not that it's necessarily known as a dangerous place, but it's not well lit and, you know, safety first! I have no desire to end up a Law & Order SVU episode!

After our run (thanks for going slow with me, Dani!) we enjoyed our Christmas morning Slumbrews! What? You don't start drinking at 9am on a holiday?  Phst! You're missing out!  It was great to spend some time talking running shop with Dani who has so much experience as a runner and blogger. I always feel like I learn something new from her. I am hoping to tag along with her Tedys Team folks a few times over the coming months for some long runs because let's face it - embarking on a 20 mile run alone just seems like a nightmare!

She also gave me a sweet Sparkly Soul headband to test drive since I was complaining that my head is weirdly small and headbands just tend to roll back and fall off.  The verdict: it was awesome! Job well done, Dani! I am now a Sparkly Soul devotee :)

Long Run Recap

I took a break from running on Friday and Saturday to give me knee a rest and gear up for my Sunday long run.  My training plan said to scale back to 6 miles this weekend, but I knew I could do more and since I hadn't been doing as much during the week I really felt like a 10 miler was a better option.

I woke up to rain, rain, rain!  I made a pot of coffee and listened to the weather before gearing up.  When they said the rain would end by 11, I decided to wait to go out and just enjoy a lazy morning.  By the time the skies started to clear it was 46 degrees outside and once again I felt baffled at having to dress myself. When it's hot outside it's easy - tank and shorts.  When it's freezing outside it's easy - base layer (or two), jacket, tights, gloves and hat.  This in between stuff is totally perplexing.  Do I wear a hat or will it make my head sweat too much?  Gloves? What do I do with them if my hands get too hot? OH MY GOSH WHY IS THIS SO HARD!?

I put on my brand new Big Island Running Company t-shirt that I got as a Christmas present, and a lightweight Old Navy running pullover with a pair of lightweight running tights.  I decided to skip the hat and gloves since my pullover didn't have pockets.  Thank goodness, I made very very good choices.  It was a brilliant temperature for a long run but if I had anything heavier on I would be been overheated.

For my long run this week I decided to take a route I got to know really well when training for my half marathon.  I ran from my house to the Minute Man Bike Trail into Arlington Center and back again.  I'm not sure how well cleared the bike trail will be when (if?) snow and ice set in so I figured I'd take advantage of it's nice scenery, minimal intersections and dearth of other runners and bikers.  When you get to Arlington Center on the trail you can either turn around and go back or cut across a few streets and continue on.  By the time I got there, I had done just over 4.5 miles so I decided to turn around and make up the extra half mile by looping around the Mystic River Watershed (yes, the Mystic strikes again - this time in Cambridge). 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little run loop. I love running over the wooden walkways.  I love getting to see all kinds of pretty birds (fewer in the winter than the summer, but I saw to gorgeous cardinals bopping around the trees) and the occasional small woodland creature. I love that there is a little part of the path that is sand - a nice break from all of the pavement.  It's just a  really lovely little area. Since I didn't have a whole lot of mileage to add, I did a quick loop around the watershed and back onto the path, past Alewife Station and onto Davis Square and home.  I don't really like stopping to snap photos when I run (momentum is key for me), but I when I saw these pretty pops of red berries along the brown and grey of the park, I just needed to capture it.  While I was stopped, I took a few more photos to show what makes this area so appealing - hopefully you can see why!

A Discrepancy

For the second long run in a row, I wore both my watch and used Runkeeper.  Last week, my watch lagged behind the app and this week it was the reverse.  I'm thinking I might have started running before my phone's GPS was able to locate me, but I don't know for sure.  All I know is that Runkeeper was about 6/10 mile off from my watch so when I finished the app said I had only done 9.46 miles - LIES! I know it was the app that was off because of how many times I ran this same route over the summer and fall. I know where I fall on the route around the first
mile marker and Runkeeper didn't interrupt the melodic voice of Ira Glass until long after that point.  Also, it told me I ran one mile in 16 minutes and I have NEVER run a 16 minute mile...I mean you're kind of just walking at that point right?  I'm not picking on anyone for being slow, but a 16 minute mile is beyond comprehension to me.  Anyway, there's a discrepancy between my watch and phone, but I chose to follow my watch this week.  Sometimes too much technology is a bad thing!

 Lessons Learned, Forgotten and Learned Again

I guess I was so preoccupied with what to wear that I forgot perhaps THE most important thing for a long run - fuel!!!! That's right, everyone.  Yours truly went for a 10 mile run without water or fuel of any kind.  Hello!? McFly!?! Uhg.  I learned this lesson months ago when I was training for my half marathon.  I cannot make it through a run longer than 9 miles feeling good without gummies or gu or SOMETHING to give me a little boost a long the way and forgetting to bring water was insane.

I re-learned this lesson around the 8.5 mile mark when I was starting to drag butt a little.  I was going past the athletic fields near the Alewife T stop when I remembered that there were water fountains there.  "Yes!" I thought.  Well, no actually.  I guess they turn off the water fountains in the winter so morons who forget hydration in December are out of luck.  By the time I was running my final mile along Medford Street, I felt like my legs were made out of cement and I was desperate to get to a corner store and pick up a Gatorade (I did remember to toss a few dollars in my pocket, just in case).  When my GPS watch beeped at mile 10 I felt the great relief of stopping.  I miscalculated my distance a little and needed to walk the rest of the way home, which was a fine little cool down.  I took a few minutes to stretch my legs, which HURT and got to the closest store as quickly as I could and downed some Gatorade.  Sweet, sweet Gatorade.

Anyway, remember kids - don't forget fuel and hydration! SERIOUSLY. 

Week 2 - The Weakening

Don't forget to buy your tickets to my LORI RUNS BOSTON MARATHON FUNDRAISER on Sunday, February 8 from 2-4pm at American Fresh in Assembly Row, Somerville!  It'll be a great afternoon with food, a raffle, cash bar and a finish line photo booth!  Tickets are on sale NOW!

You can also make a donation directly to my fundraising page. Remember that any gifts made before 12/31 are tax deductible for 2014 so there's not better time to give!

The Holidays Are a Trap

There are a lot of reasons I thought training for a marathon over the winter was going to be hard - low temperatures, snow, ice, darkness - but it never occurred to me that the HOLIDAYS were going to get in the way so much! Due to drinks with friends, parties and family obligations, I didn't put sneaker to pavement ONCE during week 2 until my 9 mile long run on Sunday.  Here's the thing - I am actually OK with it.

Listen, my doctor told me to take it easy on my knee and I feel a little bit like the craziness of the past week actually forced me to listen to him.  When I was training for the half marathon over the summer I didn't really let anything get in the way of my training...I can be VERY VERY stubborn that way.  It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for me to mentally tell my doctor where he could put his well intentioned advice and do whatever I wanted to do anyway.  I consider this week "off" an investment in my future weeks of training and decided to cut myself a little slack.

All that being said, there was NO WAY I was going to skip my long run this weekend.  It's essential to get these suckers in rain, shine, wind - whatever.  For the most part it was actually a pretty perfect Sunday to run. it was cold and gray and there were some stray snowflakes in the air.  I decided to run into Boston today and at the end of my 9 miles I would hop into the nearest T station and commute back home.  This was a fun way to not worry about where I needed to turn around to go home and just enjoy a little adventure - no planned route, no rules. 

I ran from my boyfriend's apartment in Cambridge to the Mass Ave. bridge and headed into Boston, ran along Boston Common to Faneuil Hall, to the waterfront past the Aquarium onto the Harborwalk and past Rowes Wharf and into the Seaport District and around the Moakley Courthouse.  At the Courthouse, I decided to turn back around since T stops become few and far between (let's be serious guys, the Silver Line DOES NOT COUNT).  My 9 miles ended back over by the Marriott Hotel on the waterfront. 

This run was a little funny because I wore my GPS watch AND used Runkeeper for the first time.  They disagreed on how far I had gone, so I went a little longer to hit 9 miles on my watch - 9.16 on Runkeeper (see left).

I stopped at the 9 mile mark and after a few minutes wished I had just kept a light run going until I got to State Street Station because WOW it got really cold really fast in my sweaty gear.  Fortunately, I didn't need to wait long for the train and bus back home and got to jump in a nice hot shower.

My boyfriend is from Louisiana and goes home for Christmas every year.  We had our Christmas celebration together on Saturday and he surprised me with (among other things) an awesome foam roller!  I had been dragging my feet on buying one because - well they're a little expensive - and I was so excited when I opened it.  He's a keeper, right?  Anyway, after I took my shower and threw on some sweats, I took my new roller out on a spin and could kick myself for not getting one sooner.  It was AWESOME.

It's already Tuesday of week 3 and I am afraid to say it's not starting out much differently from week 2, BUT thanks to taking Christmas eve off, no work on Thursday and a gorgeous forecast for the weekend, I hope to make the most out of what's left this week!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas (or whatever traditions you hold dear)!

Week 1 Wrap-Up!

Before we get rolling into today's post I am very excited to announce the LORI RUNS BOSTON MARATHON FUNDRAISER!

Join me on Sunday, February 8 from 2-4pm at Slumbrew's American Fresh Taproom in Somerville's Assembly Row for some great food, a fantastic raffle, finish line photo booth and Slumbrew's awesome craft beer (cash bar).  Tickets start at $25 and are on sale NOW!

Remember that all proceeds from this event will go toward my Boston Marathon fundraising efforts for Victory Programs!

If you're not able to make it, but still want to help, click here to give directly to my fundraising page.  Remember, all donations are tax deductible so make those gifts before January 1!

1 Week Down!

This has been the most intensive week of training I've had since completing the BAA Half Marathon in October.  Sidelined by my knee injury (more on that later) and purchasing and moving into my first home, I did next to no running the second half of October and most of November.  I got out a few times in preparation for my Thanksgiving run, but certainly didn't challenge myself or my body.

Bad weather and a hectic schedule made for a lot of treadmill time this week (booooo!), but I logged 24 miles in total, including an 8 mile long run on Saturday and the Cambridge Yulefesk 5k on Sunday.

I am really hoping to do all of my runs over 4 miles outside this winter (we'll see how that goes once snow and ice come into play) so on Wednesday evening when it appeared as though the rain had begun to dissipate, I tossed on my brand new Nike Shield running tights and took them for a 6 mile spin.  Yeah...the rain hadn't stopped.

A lot of people ask me if I run with my glasses on.  I do.  I hardly ever wear contact lenses because they dry out my eyes and I have one pair of glasses that don't jiggle around when I run so I wear them every time.  They usually don't bother me and are really comfortable, but every once and awhile being a nerdy runner girl causes complications.  This was one evening where I could have used those cartoon windshield wipers on my glasses!

The good news is my new running tights were awesome and my legs were warm and dry the entire time.

Long Run Fun

Long runs are actually my favorite part of training.  I don't know if I'll feel that way once I get into 18/20 mile territory, but at the moment it rings true.  My training plan called for an 8 mile run this weekend and I was pretty nervous.  This was my longest run since October and I wasn't sure how my knee or lungs were going to handle it.

I am happy to report that it felt GREAT! It was a cool morning with a few light snow flakes dancing around and the air felt so good.  I was meeting friends for brunch in Boston so I decided to take a long route from my house to the restaurant and reward my long run with a greasy, delicious breakfast!

Through the first four miles I was taking a nice, easy pace and enjoyed taking my old half marathon training route down Broadway and the bike path through Davis Square before turning left on to Mass. Ave. toward Porter Square.  Just before hitting Porter I noticed to my dismay and elderly woman who had fallen on the sidewalk and clearly needed some help.  Another woman, a man and I helped the woman to her feet and realized quickly she had hurt her hip and wasn't able to walk.  I called 911 and we all waited together for the paramedics to arrive. Once they were there (they came very quickly), I went back on my way.  I really hope she was OK!  This turn of events explains my photo here.  I didn't stop to pause my watch for several minutes while we helped the woman on to her feet and after I did stop it, my watch automatically saved the run and I had to restart it once I was ready to go again. Here are my first (slightly skewed) and second half times.

Knowing that once I got to my destination I would cool down quickly and my wet, sweaty clothes would be an icky burden, I had to plan ahead.  I tied a long sleeve t-shirt and fleece around my waist.  In one pocket of the fleece, I zipped up a dry bra and in the other I zipped up a small tote bag.  When I got to the restaurant, I went to the bathroom and put my wet clothes in the tote bag and changed into my dry clothes.  It worked brilliantly and wasn't as bulk and annoying to run with as I thought (though I probably looked pretty silly to some people).

Last Race of the Year!

On Sunday, I ran in my final race of 2014 the Cambridge 5k Yulefest! If you haven't run in any of the Cambridge 5k races before, I highly recommend it. Boy, do they know how to throw a great race and after party!  I am going to sign up for the enter race series for next year.  I was also really thrilled to run this race with my amazing friend Sarah (aren't we adorable!).  This was our first time running together, but hopefully not the last.

I love themed races.  People really go all out with costumes and fun outfits. I get so hot when I run, so I don't know that I'll ever sport the full Grinch costume, but I will give props to other folks who do it all day long.  I did manage to score these cute reindeer socks and snowflake leggings from TJ Maxx, so I was sufficiently into the holiday spirit!

I ran this race much faster than I had planned, given that I had done my 8 miles the day before.  When I hit the first mile marker and saw I had done it in 9:01, I couldn't believe it!  I tried to slow down my pace, but did the 2nd and 3rd miles in under 9 minutes.  So much for that!

As we were getting closer to the finish line I noticed that Sarah was right next to me and I was so happy to be finishing alongside my friend, but as we got a little closer, she took off like a shot leaving my butt in the dust!  Total rock star!  I had nothing left in the tank and kept pace until I hopped over the finish line at a total time of 27:45.

That's me in the yellow circle.  What? You couldn't tell?  Oh well...next time I'll mug for the cameras :)

Knee Update

I am beyond thrilled to share the news that my MRI results showed that I DO NOT have a torn meniscus after all!  I do still have an injury that needs to be taken care of, but it does not require surgery and is well on its way to being healed.  My doctor did strongly recommend that I replace a few runs a week with cycling and urged me to be very in tune with my body.  Any twinge in the ol' knee means STOP IMMEDIATELY! I am totally relived to not have to go through surgery, but I will be very careful about how much strain I put on my body.  I don't want to make it worse closer to the Marathon.

DONATE HERE

Let the Training Begin!

Many thanks to the fantastic Bryan G. and a wonderful anonymous friend for donating to my Boston Marathon page!  Remember, every donation helps to support my incredible agency, Victory Programs.  Should the holiday giving spirit move you, please make a donation here.

REMEMBER: All donations are tax deductible charitable contributions so consider donating before the end of the calendar year!

Not all of the photos were serious!

Lori Runs Boston Gets a Face Lift

For those of you who have visit my blog before, you're surely noticing that I've given this page a little makeover! You see, I'm a pretty lucky gal for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is my totally amazing, talented boyfriend Michael Basu. Mike is a professional photographer and gave me the awesome opportunity to do a photo shoot at his studio for my blog.  I've never done anything like that before and felt kind of silly, but holy cow the pictures came out great! This may be the closest I ever come to feeling like a Runner's World cover model!  Mike will be donating a portrait session at my upcoming fundraiser (date TBD) so if you've ever wanted to pose for your own imaginary ESPN Magazine cover, that could be your chance!

Gearing Up for Yulefest

On Sunday, December 14, I will be running the Yulefest 5k (the last of the 2014 Cambridge 5k series) as a member of the Slumbrew Happy Soles.  Slumbrew just opened American Fresh, a really cool tap room in Somerville's Assembly Row and they'll be doing group runs from this space once a month, which I am so excited about! The first run was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but in anticipation of Yulefest, we had a very special pre-run run on December 7.  A small but spirited crew gathered for a chilly 5k run around the Mystic River - including one of my best friends, Heather (front left)! Heather is a lifestyle blogger, so be sure to check her out at Create H!

I'm looking forward to running Yulefest with another great friend, Sarah so stay tuned for a post-race-post!

Getting Down to Business

Seriously. This is gross.

So, this is the week it all begins! Bring on the marathon training! I am, more or less, using the Hal Higdon Novice 2 training plan, which looked really achievable to me. It was laid out similarly to how I trained for my half marathon on my own, so I guess I did an ok job!

Of course, on my first official training day Boston sees record breaking rain.  Seriously, the previous record for rainfall was in 1952 - thanks news weather man! I was able to learn this fun fact because on my first official day of training I had to run on the treadmill. Blarg!  Not only is the treadmill boring, but OMG HOW IS IT SO HOT IN THE GYM. Seriously, I know you're supposed to get your sweat on, but this is insane.  It's December.

Day 1 of Training - 4 miles 

5 Months of training in THIS!?!
What did I get myself into?

I suppose it's fitting as I am quickly realizing that the hardest part about training is going to be motivating myself in the cold and the dark.  I mean, intellectually I knew that was going to be a challenge all along, but now that the weather is getting colder I REALLY feel myself wanting to go home, throw on some pajamas and be the laziest person alive.

To combat this problem head on, I am actively looking for a facility with an indoor track.  That way, I can still have the movement of running with the perks of not getting hypothermia once the deep winter really sets in.

I'm also struggling with figuring out how to dress myself properly for winter running.  I got a few pairs of good thermal, sweat wicking tights (my poor, poor bank account) and a couple more pullovers, but I have yet to pull the trigger on the wool socks.  Level with me people, do I really need to spend $16 on a pair of socks? Is there anywhere I can find them cheaper? Obviously, I don't want to nickle and dime myself on socks - it's pretty imperative to keep your feet warm in the freezing cold, but $16 a pair ADDS UP FAST.  Any tips you could provide would be very much appreciated.

Tomorrow - 5 miles.  Hopefully, weather permits some outdoor running!

Coming Full Circle on Thanksgiving

It feels like forever since my last entry!  Things have been crazy the past week or two with work, and since I am running the Boston Marathon on behalf of my agency, I might as well fill you in!

Every November, Victory Programs' Boston Living Center holds the Celebration of Life Thanksgiving Dinner - a free, full-course dinner for people living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones. This event welcomes more than 700 guests and several hundred volunteers and is the Boston Living Center's largest fundraiser of the year.  Between corporate sponsorships and individual donations, we raised more than $135,000 - a record breaking total - for the BLC!  The Celebration of Life was held on Tuesday, November 25 (check out photos here), so I've been pretty preoccupied with work to keep up with my writing as much as I would have liked to, but have no fear - I am back!

Feeling Thankful

HUGE thanks to James S., Heather B., Amy B. and two wonderful anonymous donors who have given to my Boston Marathon fundraising page since my last post.  I am now only $8 away from the $3,000 milestone and $2,008 from my $5,000 goal!  You can help me out by making a donation here!

Thanksgiving is an exciting day for me from a running perspective.  I ran my first ever road race on Thanksgiving last year - the Gobble Gobble Gobble 4 Miler in Somerville. I couldn't wait to run a race for the second time and try to crush my time...and I almost did.

The G3 is a really crowded race, with about 4,000 runners.  Last year I was so nervous and excited, I started running before I even crossed the starting line.  This year, after over a dozen races, I was a little less jumpy and MISSED THE START LINE!  That's right folks, I didn't realize I had crossed the start line and walked for quite awhile before I realized my error.  Had I not made such a bonehead move I am sure I would have beat my previous time, as I was only a minute slower this year than last - 38:28/9:48 minute mile.

About 2.5 miles through the race, I came to the hill that killed me last year and cruised up it.  In 2013, I had to stop and walk.  I had a stitch in my side and just couldn't power through the hill.  It felt really amazing to get to that spot again and feel great.  Progress is real!

My mom, brother and his girlfriend met me at the finish line for the second year in a row, which was cool and the entire race was a blast - yes, even missing the start line - and it was time to get home and start the turkey!

Happy Soles

American Fresh Tap Room in Assembly 

For the local folks reading this, you're probably familiar with Slumbrew beer.  You might NOT know, that Slumbrew has a running group that participates in the Cambridge 5k races throughout the year.  I've had a great time running the Big Bad Wolf 5 Mile Trail Run and the Oktoberfest 5k with the Slumbrew Happy Soles and will be joining them again for the Yulefest 5k on December 14.

Slumbrew has just opened the American Fresh Tap Room in Somerville's Assembly Row and kicked off what is soon to be a monthly 5k run from the new space!  The inaugural run was on Sunday, November 11 and was a lovely 3.1 mile run around the Mystic River and through Assembly Row.  I can't wait to add this monthly run to my repertoire!

Knee Update - The Good, The Bad and The Torn

As you all know, I've been dealing with pain in my knee since running the BAA Half Marathon in October.  It has kept me from running as much as I would like to out of fear of injuring myself more than I already am.  Well, I finally had an appointment with a sports medicine doctor today who, after about 30 seconds of messing with my knee said I had to torn meniscus and would have to have an MRI and arthroscopic surgery.

I normally would have felt totally freaked out, but the doctor really talked matter-of-fact with me about how common this injury is and how easy it is to take care of, that I really feel comfortable with what needs to be done.  I am looking forward to getting it over with so I can finally put my energy into my training and NOT into worrying about me knee.

The good news is that given the type of injury I have, I can't make it any worse by continuing to run, so pain aside I can keep running and training.

Lori Runs...New York?

Dani and me

A very big thank you to my friend Dani for her donation to my Boston Marathon fundraising page!  Weight Off My Shoulders - she's truly amazing.  She's also mastered the art of the mid-run selfie, which you can learn more about in her Zelle piece!
Dani will be running the Marathon as a charity runner too as a member of Teddy's Team, so I appreciate her help.  You should check out her incredibly inspirational blog

Since her donation I have been in a bit of a fundraising rut, so if you'd like to make a donation but haven't yet, now would be a great time! I'm just a little over $300 away from my $3,000 milestone!

Friday was a rest day and after work my boyfriend and I hopped on the bus to New York City for the weekend to visit his brother.  It could have been SO EASY to skip my runs this weekend - especially considering we didn't get to bed until after 4am on Friday (oh, NYC, I am too old for you!) - BUT I woke myself up at 8:30 am on Saturday, tied my laces and hit the streets.  We were staying in Chinatown and I was only a few blocks from a beautiful bike path along the East River that went under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.  It was cold and sunny and an overall great morning for a run.

I ran for about three miles - I don't know for sure because in my quiet attempt to sneak out in the morning I forgot my GPS watch - down to the Battery Maritime Building and back again.  There were some big shipped docked along the water and a surprisingly bustling helicopter pad.  My knee managed ok, but I could feel a slight twinge by the time I finished and I guestimate that I ran about a 10 minute mile.  I stopped for a quick second here and there to snap some photos to share with you, and one of some cool cat graffiti, because cats.


Sunday morning brought the same route.  I decided to stick with what I had done the day before because I was on a tight time frame (we had to check out of our hotel) and because I really enjoyed the route! I had company on Sunday and ran with my boyfriend's sister, which was a lot of fun.  I usually like running alone to clear my head, but the time really does tend to go faster when you have someone along with you.  I know for sure we did at least three miles (I forgot my watch again, but she remembered hers and it tells you your info out loud, which was great) - 9:44/9:30/9:21 - before splitting off to our end destinations.

I can see the appeal of traveling for races.  It was so cool to explore a new route and take in new scenery.  It's so easy to get stuck in a rut with your routes - you know how long they are, what the terrain is like and feel confident that you won't end up as a real life Law & Order episode - but I feel a little more inspired to try to give some new life to my run locations.

Anyone have good, T accessible routes you suggest?

    

Getting to Know Victory Programs

Today is a rest day not only to give my knee a break, but because I'm headed to NYC for the weekend! I've got my sneakers and gear packed and hopefully I won't get lost on my morning runs since I have absolutely no idea where I'll be going.  I've been to New York numerous times, but I'll be damned if I can understand the layout of that city.  Go figure, a girl who can navigate the old cow paths of Boston can't manage a grid ::shrug::

Click here to watch a short video about Victory Programs

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all a little bit more about the charity I am running the Boston Marathon for - Victory Programs.  In my first post, I mentioned that Victory Programs is a Boston-based nonprofit that serves 2,600 men, women and families annually who are struggling with homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS, but that doesn't really pain the full picture of this robust agency.

ReVision Urban Farm in Dorchester

Victory Programs was founded in 1975 with the opening of its first program, Victory House, a recovery home for men returning from the Vietnam War with drug and alcohol addiction.  Since that time the agency has grown to 19 programs that include an urban farm (ReVision Urban Farm) and New England largest community & resource center for people living with HIV/AIDS (Boston Living Center).

Joelyn's Family Home kitchen & community room.
Joelyn's has remained empty since being
evacuated on October 8.

Today, I want to tell you about one program in particular - Joelyn's Family Home.  Joelyn's Family Home is a long-term recovery program for women with drug and alcohol addiction that, up until October 8, was housed on Long Island in Boston Harbor.  On October 8, the Long Island Bridge - the only access road from the mainland - was closed swiftly and without warning, causing the evacuation of Joelyn's and several other programs for Boston's homeless and those in recovery.

The 37 women who were in residence at Joelyn's had to leave their home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Personal items, photos, medications and clothes were all left behind.  No one knew when or if they'd ever get to return.  The amazing Joelyn's Family Home staff sprang into action, securing beds for all 37 women at other Victory Programs sites on the mainland.  It's been a month since the bridge closed and Joelyn's Family Home's future remains in doubt.  It is currently a program in name only without a facility to house it.

Photo: Boston Globe's
Jessica Rinaldi

With the closure of the Long Island Bridge the City of Boston lost 57% - more than half - of its substance abuse treatment beds in the middle of what Governor Deval Patrick has deemed a heroin epidemic in the Commonwealth.  Programs like our Joelyn's Family Home are needed now more than ever.  It is estimated that the Bridge will be closed anywhere from 3-5 years - a lifetime for a nonprofit agency and for a person in need.



By donating to my Team Victory Boston Marathon fundraising page, you're not just helping me run a race - you're helping the women of Boston who are desperate for help.  Your donation goes toward bringing Joelyn's Family Home back from the brink and offering a second chance to women who are trying to get their lives back on track for themselves and their families.

Setbacks and Steps Forward

Before I jump in, I want to make sure to thank everyone who has donated to my Boston Marathon fundraising page since my last post!  Big high fives to Roseann H., Jessica S., and Alison M. for your generous donations!  If you'd like to help me out and make a donation, you can:

Who's the sexiest gal at the gym?

On Monday, I went to my doctor to see what could be going on with my busted up knee and...drum roll please...she didn't think it was a big program, which is great news!  She thinks it's a bad sprain and put me on a regimen of ibuprofen and ice and told me to get a knee brace. I am following her advice to the letter and taking one run at a time.  If it persists, I'll go to see an orthopedic doctor.

On Tuesday, I FINALLY had the opportunity to go for a run with the RUNFELLOW crew in Cambridge, something I've been wanting to do since it began about 5 months ago.  Runfellow organizes 3-5 mile group runs in Cambridge and Somerville on Tuesday nights.

Truth be told, I have been putting off joining them for a run, because I am a huge introvert and get really intimidated going into situations where I don't know anyone.  I revert back to being in school and am afraid no one will talk to me and so I just don't go. Knowing that the winter is coming and accountability is going to be really important, I decided to put my big girl pants on just put myself out there...and I am so glad I did! The Runfellow group was warm and friendly and I look forward to making it a part of my weekly training.

Get ready, Runfellow!
Here I come!

The great news is that I ran the full 3.5 miles (in my knee brace) without stopping and without pain.  My pace was a little slower that I would have liked (9:45 avg min/mile), but considering I had to stop three times on my Sunday run from knee pain and difficulty breathing, I'm more than happy with it!  It was a great reminder that I didn't fall completely apart from my peak shape a month ago and that with every run I'll get closer to being where I need to be.

That being said, I tried running on the treadmill on Wednesday and only got about 2 miles in when my knee wasn't having it anymore.  It was frustrating to go from feeling so good to feeling so bad, but I think this is just part of the healing process.  I'm trying to stay patient and not let setbacks upset me too much.  I'm just trying to listen to my body, push it when I can and give it a break when I need to.

Photo courtesy of Runfellow. 
They do a group photo before the run &
everyone gets a high five at the finish!

Hit the gym again today planning to take it easy and hop on the elliptical machine, but my knee was
feeling so good all day I decided to take it to the treadmill.  SUCCESS! Three miles, no pain, no trouble breathing!  I took it slow and have felt the best I've felt since before my half marathon.  Progress is a beautiful thing.

I plan on posting again tomorrow to share a little bit more about Victory Programs, the incredible agency I work for.  I gave an overview of what we do in my first entry, but there's so much more to share about who we are and what your donation dollars are helping to support.

Until then, run happy!