Week 6 - Getting in the Groove

Many thanks to Karen M. and the Vincent Family for donating to my Boston Marathon fundraising page!  I am getting so close to my minimum goal of $5,000 for Victory Programs - only $1,277 left to go.

You can help me get there by making a donation to my page here or by joining me for my Lori Runs Boston Marathon Fundraiser on Sunday, February 8!  The Super Bowl will be over, the Pats will have another trophy (knock on wood) and you KNOW you'll be looking for something fun to do during the afternoon from 2-4pm!

I just picked up a donation from Bantam Cider for a tasting for 2 at their Somerville tasting room and came home to a donation of these super cool "Live This Day" hats courtesy of Nine Five Ltd., an amazing apparel company that donations a portion of all of their proceeds to nonprofit organizations.

You can buy your tickets to my fundraiser here!

Feeling Like Me Again

I have to tell you guys I was starting to feel like I might never get over my knees injury or get back to feeling as good in my sneakers as I did over the summer training for the BAA Half.  I am really happy to report that I think this week really signaled a turn around.  Not only did I log more miles this week than I have in a long time (23!), I completed my longest run since October AND am feeling zero knee pain.  I don't want to jinx anything, but I think I am back in the training groove FINALLY.  And it couldn't come at a better time since next weekend I will be participating in the Boston Prep 16 Miler in Derry, New Hampshire.  I am a little scared of it, but have much more confidence today then I did this time last week.  Bring it on NH!

I was still feeling sluggish with a cold all this past week, especially dealing with chest and nasal congestion.  I ended working from home on Thursday because I felt so bad about all of the coughing and nose blowing I was doing at the office. Surely my amazing co-workers didn't deserve to hear that all day!  Working from home have me a really great opportunity to toss on my gear as soon as the clock hit 4pm and get outside for a run before the sun set. Oddly enough, I felt my best when I was running with this cold - it really cleaned out my nasal passages (gross, I know, but seriously it felt so good to BREATH).

My goal was to run six miles.  I ended up running seven and I'll tell you why.  When preparing to head out for my run I remembered to turn on the GPS location feature on my phone but failed to turn off my wireless.  I knew something was amiss when I hit the turn in the road where I usually hit my first mile and was met by silence from Map My Run.  I run this route all the time and know approximately when I'll hear the mile markers so I knew I was around the SECOND MILE when the voice of Map My Run told me I ran my first mile. Oh geez.  I am a VERY stubborn person sometimes and I decided I would not stop my run until the app recognized that I ran 6 miles - so I ran 7.  And because, dear friends, I refuse to let you think I am lying - I point to EXHIBIT A - the first mile time on my run screen shot that clocks in at 16.11 min/mile.  We all know I am not the fastest gal around, but I did NOT run a 16 minute mile!

Miles for Meg

On Saturday, January 17, I woke up to an 8 degree morning.  Normally, I would probably have decided not to gear up and hit the pavement, but it was a different kind of day.  I had found out about a virtual run taking place world wide to remember Meg Cross Menzies, a runner in Richmond, Virginia who was killed by a drunk driver while out on her morning run.  Basically, her friends and families ask runners (and non runners) everywhere to get out there and log miles for Meg. How could I complain about the cold when I had the privilege to live, breath and run.  I threw on three layers, my warmest tights, two pairs of socks, my neck/face warmer, gloves and hat and did a 3.1 mile run for Meg.  Take THAT Real Feel of -7!

It felt good to go out there and celebrate Meg's life and remember the peace that comes with a quiet morning and seeing my breath in the cold, crisp air.  To learn more about Meg, click here.

13.1 and Done

I don't know what it is about New England weather, but on Saturday it was 10 degrees when I went out for my run and on Sunday it was 46!  It was a totally amazing, perfect day for a long run.  Warm, overcast and an occasional spit of rain. I wanted to get 13 miles under my belt this weekend so I could feel prepared for the 16 miler coming up.  I mean, if you do 13 what's 3 more miles, right?

I didn't have to worry much about gear selection since it was so warm out, but I did use KT tape on both of my knees to prevent any injury.

I didn't have a real plan on where I was going to go so I played the whole route by ear running from Somerville through Cambridge, over the Boston University Bridge, down Commonwealth Avenue into Kenmore Square and past Fenway Park.  I hit the 6 mile mark as I approached my alma mater, Emmanuel College.  I decided to stop briefly to take a picture and start a new This American Life episode for the second half of my run.  Later, when I got home I posted this photo to Facebook and the Emmanuel College Alumni page shared it and called me and the New England Patriots athletes in the same post!  How cool is THAT!? 

After my short photo pit stop, I traveled down the Fenway and around muddy river, back around Fenway Park, across the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge to the Cambridge side of the Charles River.  Guys, nothing makes you feel more like a legitimate runner than running along the Charles River.  It's THE cool running spot and  felt kind of bad ass passing other runners like, "Yeah...I am totally training for the Marathon and am sooooo cool." It's a dorky thing to admit, but there it is.

I followed along the Charles and then went back the way I cam through Cambridgeport into Central Square then Union Square then Sullivan Square and home.

On the last leg of my run from Union to Sullivan, I had to stop to take one more photo.  I have passed this spray painted piece of plywood a few times on shorter runs and didn't want to stop and disrupt my flow, so I finally decided with 12 miles under my belt I could afford to stop for a moment and snap a pic.  It was just too perfect to ignore.

So there it is. 23 miles and my best week of training so far. I want to keep this momentum going going going!!!

Thanks as always for following along!