Weeks 10 & 11 - Befriending the Dreadmill

As always, I like to thank my amazing friends and supporters who have donated to my Boston Marathon fundraising page for Victory Programs.  Many thanks to Amy M., the O'Brien Family, Daniela F., Tashia G., Edda M. and the incredible Nancy L, for their generous donations!  I am now over my fundraising goal and am excited to try to reach $5,500!  If you haven't made a donation yet, but would like to, you can click here to give.

Snowmaggedon Strikes Again

After thinking I was in for a lovely winter of marathon training, it seems everything has taken a turn for the worst - weather-wise that is. Snowstorm upon snowstorm upon bitter cold upon bitter cold, it's been a real mess.  This has caused a rash of indoor gym runs and lack of anything particularly interesting to share with all of you, so I decided to recap weeks 10 & 11 in one swoop.  After all, how many photos of treadmill workout summaries does anyone really want to see?

Week 10

One thing of note that has happened over the past two weeks is that I have finally begun cross training.  My orthopedic doctor had told me that I really need to start working my leg muscles to avoid re-injuring my knee, but I've always been really intimidated by the weight room at my gym.  My boyfriend knows his way around all the weight stuff that scares me, so he offered to come with me on week 10 and show me how to use them.  He also tortured me with squats, lunges and planks.  I thought I was strong because I do distance running, but was VERY humbled by how HARD all of those exercises were. My boyfriend really kicked my butt at all of them! Really proved that I have a lot of work to do to get as fit I need to.  He taught me how to use the abductor and adductor machines, which my doctor specifically told me to use as well as some of the other weight machines and I have started incorporating the weight routines into my training.

I didn't get a lot of miles in on week 10 because of a very busy schedule.  On Valentine's Day weekend, I was in a performance of the Vagina Monologues and we had rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday with performances on Friday and Saturday, leaving me a very limited window to get my runs in.  I did a little 3 miler on the treadmill on Tuesday (2/10) and didn't get back to the gym until Saturday evening.  That's right, I spent a very romantic Valentine's Day evening logging 5 miles on the treadmill!  Snow was falling in earnest by the time I walked home and continued to fall and fall and fall right through the night.

The following day - February 15 - was my birthday (34 years old...yikes) and, of course, there was a blizzard.  Another 14 inches of snow on the ground meant a housebound birthday just me and my cats (in case you were wondering, my boyfriend was in Utah for his brother's bachelor party so he got an excused absence).  I spent the day enjoying mimosas, doing laundry and watching Netflix.  The snow abated around noon and the sun actually came out.  I thought it would be fun to try to get a few miles in, but when I stepped outside to give it a go, the wind was blowing so hard I could barely see.  I decided to scrap my running plans for the day for safety reasons.  Nothing is worth getting hit by a plow for!

Week 11

Monday, the 16th was Presidents Day and since I hadn't gotten a long run in over the weekend I decided to spend the day at the gym.  As far as I am concerned, the idea of running 15 miles on the treadmill is a miserable one.  To keep it from making me totally crazy, I split my run into three sets of 5 miles with short breaks between them where I used the weight machines and did some stretches.  It was the longest run I had done in a long time and I forgot to bring any fuel with me and that really impacted the last 5 miles. I ended up doing a walk/run for the last 5 miles and had to stop to re-tie my laces (hence the 4 screen shots on the left).  It was HARD and took about 4 hours out of my day.  Yikes!

Anyone who lives in Boston knows the recent storms have really taken a toll on our public transit system and my psyche wasn't the only victim of the mess.  I had planned on going to the gym after work on Wednesday before going to my mom's house for a belated birthday dinner, but after a THREE HOUR COMMUTE home, there was just no time to fit it in before dinner.  Thursday evening brought another belated birthday gathering with friends, leaving only the weekend for quality time at the gym.

My boyfriend and I had plans Friday evening so I had enough time to log 5 miles before going out and hitting the town.  I also had a realization that Friday marked the two month countdown to Marathon Monday on April 20.  Oh jeez. I gotta get serious and FAST!  

Sunday called for another long run and it was actually a lovely day - the first above freezing day in as long as I can remember.  The sun was shining and it would normally have been a perfect day to run outside - and I probably could have except I didn't want to deal with the insane amount of slush the warm temperatures caused to pool at each and every crosswalk. I haven't invested in very good wet/winter weather socks and one wrong step could have made it a REALLY long run.  Long story short, I went to the gym to tackle 16 miles. 

This time, I remembered to bring water and fuel but forgot to bring my phone! You'll have to take my word for having completed the run, but I did!  I found out that the treadmills by the window allow you to go for up to 99 minutes, as opposed to the set of treadmills on the other side of the room that I usually use that only allow you to do 60 minutes at a time.  Lesson learned!  I set a slow pace and ran 9 miles before taking a break to refill my water bottle and help myself to some Cliff Shot Bloks (my fuel of choice) before resetting the time and doing another 7 miles.  I had my boyfriend snap this pic of me once I got home as some way to prove I really did it.

Two long runs in one week meant a total of THIRTY-SIX miles logged in week 11!

So here were are, less than two months to the big day and it's time to get down to brass tacks.  I am going to be doing a 21 mile run in March and want to be sure I am strong and ready by the time it comes along so I am looking forward to bringing my momentum into week 12.

Week 9 - From NOLA to Heartbreak Hill

 WE DID IT!

Before I get started on my week 9 recap today, I need to make a very exciting announcement.  Yesterday, I held my Lori Runs Boston fundraiser at Slumbrew's American Fresh Taproom, where I was joined by my incredible friends and family in the middle of a snowy Boston Sunday.  The event was not only incredibly fun, but also brought in a net total of $920, which brought my total fundraising efforts to $5,053!!!!  

Thanks to YOU, I have surpassed my fundraising goal for Victory Programs!!!!! 

I cannot thank everyone who donated to my Crowdrise page and came to my event enough for your amazing generosity.  This experience has been a truly humbling experience and your support and I can hardly put into words how much your faith in me means.  I am so touched and thankful.

Although I have reached my goal, I am still more than happy to accept donations at my Crowdrise page. Every penny donated does directly to Victory Programs so there's no such thing as being finished!

I'd also like to share that last week, while most of the city was shoveling snow or at the Patriot's Super Bowl victory parade, Victory Programs expanded its Chamblet Family Home to 6 additional families. YOUR donations helped make this happen!  Good job, guys and gals!!!

Note: Please note that my Crowdrise page does not reflect the total $5,053 as I have to wait for all of the funds from my event to be processed and manually entered into Crowdrise, but I promise you, we did it!

Lori Runs New Orleans

Last I left you, friends, I was in New Orleans celebrating a Patriot's Super Bowl victory! I was careful to keep the celebrating in check because I wanted to get up early on Monday and get my long run in. My boyfriend, who went to college at Tulane, gave me directions on a nice route that would allow me to get my 13 miles in.  Unfortunately, my sense of direction was WAY off and I got a little lost.  I wasn't sure what to do when I caught sight of a pair of runners and I thought, "hey, let's just follow the locals!"  I ended up on a nice riverfront stretch along the Mississippi River.  The sun was out and it was really lovely.  Unfortunately, I didn't want to get lost again so I just ran the river walk back and forth several time, which was less than exciting after the 3rd time or so.

I did a little bit more of the run around the French Quarter, which was really great.  I think New Orleans might be the most magical place I've ever seen.  The architecture was so beautiful and everyone I passed smiled or waved or wished me a good morning and I loved it.  All of the houses and businesses were also decorated for Mardi Gras, which was totally awesome.  I couldn't help but stop and take this photo of a house totally done up for the holiday.

Later in the day, Mike and I went for a drive around the city and he showed me where I went wrong on my run - I took a left instead of a right and threw myself off course.  Oh well, I'll know better when we go back in June.

Home Sweet Home? 

 

Tuesday was a busy day in New Orleans, as Mike and I tried to pack a lot of fun things in before going back to the airport to go back to Boston so I didn't run.  We came home to a LOT of snow on the ground.  An additional foot or so of snow landed while we were away and I immediately wished we had stayed in NOLA for a little longer!

I didn't let the snow stop me on Wednesday, though.  The temperatures were reasonable on Wednesday (above 32!) so I threw on my running YakTrax and gave it a go.

::START RANT:: If you don't shovel your sidewalk you are evil.  I know there's a lot of snow on the ground and it's tough to keep up, but if you don't even at least TRY to make it safe for people to walk/run down the sidewalk you are a jerk. Not only is it dangerous for pedestrians and runners like myself, but it's wildly hazardous for the elderly and virtually impossible for a person with a disability. Not taking care of your property forces people to walk in the streets, which adds additional potential for accidents and it's no bueno!!!  As Bill Belichick would say, "Do your job!" ::END RANT::

I logged 5 slow miles, dogging ice and snowbanks, cars and slush puddles.  It was TOUGH, but I'm glad I got out there.  Can't let the snow slow me down...I'd never run again if I did that! Just a note, I mentioned the other week that when I used my YakTrax for the first time that I was hitting my right leg with my left foot and got a bruise.  Well, it happened again this time and I actually took a photo of it.  The YakTrax are 100% worth it, but beware that if your form is a little wonky like mine, this might happen.

Cross Training 

 

At my last appointment on 1/26 my orthopedic doctor suggested that I do some more work to strengthen the muscles in my legs to avoid another muscle tear. Honestly, I know nothing about using weight machines or free weights or any of that stuff so on Thursday, I brought my boyfriend to the gym with me.  He does a lot of weight training and was able to teach me how to use a bunch of the machines and some good free weight exercises.  I want to start incorporating these into my training because another muscle tear is NOT an option during marathon training!

Facing Heartbreak Hill

 

Training for the marathon alone is HARD so I am lucky to have a friend that is looking out for me! By now, you've heard me talk about my friend Dani who is running with Tedy's Team.  She's been so awesome by inviting me to different runs and giving me really useful advice.  I was so psyched when she invited me to join Tedy's Team for their 10 mile run on Saturday that included Heartbreak Hill since I had never run it before.

In case you didn't know, Heartbreak Hill is actually a 3 mile stretch of rolling hills - not just one hill - and taken on their own are actually not so bad.  Heartbreak, however, falls at a critical point on the Marathon route (around mile 16) when runners are really starting to hit a wall so the hills feel 10 times worse then they normally would.

We all met in Kenmore Square and took the Green Line to Riverside and off we went!  It took about 2

miles to get from the station to Heartbreak so I was nice and warmed up but not tired by the time we got there.  I couldn't believe how many people were running the carriage road along the hill!  Individuals and charity teams alike were everywhere! It was so inspiring to see all of these people out in the morning working toward the same goal.  I was so caught up in the moment and the excitement of being around all of these other runners, I didn't even think to take out my phone and snap a photo.  Fortunately, Dani snapped a pic at Riverside before we began, so I am at least share that one!

We ran Commonwealth Ave to Beacon Street and back into Kenmore Square, where Dani's wife picked us up and spared us a long train ride back into Somerville.  Thanks, Tori!

Now that I feel like I have a  handle on how to get to get to Heartbreak, I want to try getting out there on my own and incorporating it into my long runs so I can really be ready for it on April 20!

An Amazing Time at American Fresh

 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I held my Lori Runs Boston fundraiser on Sunday at Slumbrew's American Fresh Taproom.  I was so surprised that everyone who bought a ticket still came even though a steady snow fell for most of the day!

The raffle was a great success, and even strangers who were just at the Taproom for a beer bought tickets!  Everyone was impressed at how great the prizes were, so I owe a lot of thanks to the businesses that gave so freely to my cause.


Mike set up a Finish Line photo booth and people had a great time posing for photos.  You can check them out here.  I am particularly partial to this one of me and my mom.  She's the best!

I was also selling my Lori Runs Boston tote bags at the event and only have 8 left for sale!  They're $20 each and I'll cover shipping if you want one mailed to you!  If you're interested in purchasing, please email me!

I want to again thank everyone who came on Sunday and a special thanks to Slumbrew and the staff at American Fresh!  I highly recommend connecting with them if you'd like to hold a fundraising event. They were friendly, helpful and very easy to work with.  My guests had a great time and so did I!

Week 8 - Lori Runs Louisiana

THE LORI RUNS BOSTON FUNDRAISER IS THIS SUNDAY!

If you will be attending my Lori Runs Boston fundraiser, please purchase your tickets in advance of the event on Sunday, February 8.  I need an accurate guest count so I can pay for food and you never want to run out of food!

Buy your tickets here!

Don't forget to bring some extra cash to buy raffle tickets!  There's a lot of great stuff up for grabs including the newest addition - A tour and tasting for 4 at Aeronaut Brewing Company in Somerville!

Other raffle items up for grabs include:
Three-course dinner for 2 at Bergamot in Somerville
$25 Gift certificate to Redbones BBQ in Somerville (2)
$25 Gift Certificate to AMC Theaters
$25 Gift Certificate to Target
$50 Gift certificate to La Brasa in Somerville
$20 Gift Card to Flour Bakery+Cafe
Cider Tasting for Two at Bantam Cider in Somerville
In-studio photo portrait session with Mike Basu (the genius behind my Lori Runs Boston photos!)
Wine Basket courtesy of Victory Programs
Live this Day baseball cap from nine five ltd.
Two tickets to a spring performance at José Mateo Ballet Theatre

There will also be a FREE marathon finish line photo booth and a cash bar!

Buy your tickets here!

Snow Kidding, Winter Training Stinks!

Before I get started, I want to thank my amazing cousin Sue for her donation to my marathon fundraising page!  If you can't attend my fundraiser, but would still like to give - you can donate here.

Just as I started to feel like I was getting into a pretty killer training groove, there was a blizzard! I am beyond impressed with my friends and fellow marathoners who went out in the middle of the snowstorm for runs, but I just couldn't do it. 

I didn't let it get in my way entirely, though.  On Friday, I strapped on my new running YakTrax and hit the road for a 3.1 mile run.  It was my first time using them and I don't know how I would have ever made it without them!  I know people get around just fine without them, but I think I am so nervous about tweaking my knee again that I found wearing them gave me an extra sense of security.

The one downside of the YakTrax is that I kept hitting the bottom of them - springs and spikes essentially - into the opposite shin leaving a pretty nasty bruise.  Maybe I should be wearing them all the time so I can improve my form!

Lori Runs Louisiana

Just a few short hours after running in the remnants of Juno, my boyfriend and I hopped on a plane to Louisiana! We were going to a Mardi Gras Ball in Baton Rouge on Saturday with his parents and then spending a new days in New Orleans.  I had never been to LA before and was really excited about getting away from the nasty snow and cold!

 

I woke up early on Saturday morning and put on my gear for a 4 mile run.  There weren't a lot of good places to run given the lack of sidewalks in the area, but the loop around his parent's neighborhood was about 1 mile, so I repeated it 4 times.  You guys, it was SO NICE OUTSIDE.  No snow on the ground and in the high 50s when I headed out in the morning.  The sun was shining and I loved every second of that run.  

As I was looping around I couldn't help but notice that one of the mailboxes was for street number 617! I couldn't resist finishing my run in front of it and snap a pic.  617 represent!  It's funny because it was so bright and sunny outside I couldn't tell what the photo looked like! As you can see, it's not the most flattering photo, but who cares :)

Saturday night we went to the ball, which was totally awesome.  At this point you all have pretty much only seen me in my running gear, but as you can see I actually clean up pretty good!  The next morning we had breakfast and headed to New Orleans for a few days.  

Normally I would have done my long run on Sunday, but it just wasn't to be this week.  Not only were we traveling that day, but I had never been to New Orleans before so I kind of just wanted to have fun and explore as soon as we checked in to our hotel.  It was also Super Bowl Sunday so we only had a few hours to walk around before heading to a party.


I did get a nice 6 mile run in on Monday morning, but that's a story for next week's blog entry!  Stay tuned for Part 2 of Lori Runs Louisiana!