Hangover Classic Race Report

Running the Hangover Classic is becoming a tradition for me. This was my 5th time running. I had to go back and look at my past results when I got home today. The times vary because the weather varies drastically. I've run in 40 deg and rain. I've run in 10 deg with stiff cold winds. I've run with the roads covered in snow. This is what my past 4 races looked like:
2005 - 5K, 3rd place, 20:03
2006 - 10K, 7th place, 41:19
2007 - 5K, 6th place, 21:09
2009 - 5K, 3rd place, 21:52

The other part of this race I like is that you have an opportunity to "take the plunge." Yes, jump in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan 1st ... and all for a mug! The first thing I did when I arrived was walk up to the beach to check out the waves.


It looked good and at a balmy 32 degrees plunging was definitely an option this year.

I went down to register and signed up for the 5K. I'm still nursing a sore and tight left hamstring so didn't think I could make it through the 10K. I did a 2 mile warm-up with Laurie and Linda then went inside to really stretch my hamstrings. I went back to the car, pinned on my number, put on my flats, and changed my shirt. I jogged a little more and then hit the start line.

Now, one of my pet peeves is races that start late. There is a reason we warm-up and it's not to stand forever at the start line. For some reason the race director found it necessary to delay the start to let a few runners get through the port-a-potty line. Seriously? Urgh!!!!

We finally started and I got trapped behind a few slow starters. After we rounded the first corner I made my way through and had room to run. I settled in and felt good. I hit the first mile marker in 6:45. At about the half-way point, we take this little detour around the block before we head back. At the first corner they ran us over some person's yard to avoid a flooded street. The footing was horrible but luckily is was only for a few seconds. I was still feeling really good except my hamstring was starting to get tight. When I hit the two mile mark it was tight enough that I could feel my gait changing slightly to compensate. I crossed the line in 21:02. I had no idea where I was until I turned the last corner and saw the clock. For some reason I never looked at my watch again after the first mile. I ran hard and was happy with that. I was also pleased that my overall pace is about 6:47, which means I never slowed down after the first mile.

I collected my mug for being in the top 25 finishers, walked down the finish shoot, caught my breath, then headed to the beach. Yup, it was time to take the plunge. Off with the shoes and socks, off with the stocking cap, off with the shirt. I trotted toward the water in my tights and sports bra. In order to get the mug, you have to fully submerge yourself. I've learned from the past that you have to be careful of the waves, especially when your legs are tired from racing. I walked out and waited for 2 big waves to roll into me then under I went. I came up and headed back up to collect my second mug!

I jogged back to the car barefoot, not very smart, but I didn't want to get sand in my flats. I grabbed my bag and headed inside to change. I'm always amazed at how much sand accumulates in your hair and bra in the 20 sec you are under water. Amazing! Putting on dry clothes felt wonderful.

My 21:02 gave me an overall 3rd place finish. My 5th hangover classic, my 3rd ocean plunge. It really is a great way to start the year.

Motivating Movies

In the past couple weeks I went to see The Blind Side and Invictus, both great movies. I started thinking about all the great movies out there that motivate me. I have to admit that I kind of a movie junkie. I would rather watch a movie than TV any day. I think the only reason I have cable is to watch sports and movies, that's about it.

I think sports movies are some of my favorites! That is most likely because I consider myself an athlete and I know what it takes to get out there and push yourself. I have a lot of respect for athletes who strive to be the best, push themselves to the edge, to put it all out there. Some of my favorites movies are true and some are not, but they seem to motivate me the same.

Just a few of my go to flicks:

Without Limits. My favorite part of this movie is when Pre runs the Olympic Trails. Watching him "run away" from George young inspires me.

Remember the Titans. I love this movie. The scene where Denzel Washington is yelling at his team saying, "Will you ever quit?" And they respond, "No! We want some mo', we want some mo", we want some mo'!"

Invincible. I like this movie. I love it when Vince picks up the fumble and runs it in for a TD. Then he stands there with his hands in the air.

Pursuit of Happyness. This movie is the definition of dedication and perserverance. It may not be about sports, but it is about going after something you want, no matter what.

The Rookie. I know, this is a Disney movie, yeah go ahead and laugh. BUT, another person who wasn't afraid to follow his dream. It would be no surprise that I think the best scene is when he runs out on the field to pitch in a major league baseball game for the first time.

The Miracle. This might be my all time favorite movie. So many great scenes. so many great speeches. You can't even narrow it down. I love watching this movie when I'm on my trainer.

I am now adding The Blind Side and Invictus to the list. You can be sure I'll be snatching them up on DVD when they come out.

I am a visual person. I need to see my goal in front of me, it keeps me focused. When I wanted to qualify for Boston the first time I went to Boston and took a picture of the finish line painted on the road and then put the picture on my mirror. I also wrote my goal time for my qualifying marathon next to it in red lipstick. When training for my second Half IM, I again wrote my swim/bike/run splits and total time on my mirror so I would see them everyday. Currently, I have my swim/bike/run splits and total goal time for my IM taped to my refrigerator door. Motivating movies are another "visual" way to motivate myself.

What about you? What are the great movies on your list?

Mill Cities Relay

Today was Mill Cities Relay. A 28.3 mile relay race, with 5 legs, that goes from Nashua NH to Lawrence MA. This was my 3rd year running. I love relays! I love the team spirit. The weather is usually bad too which makes it even more fun!!

The first time I ran this was 2007 on a Coed Open team. I ran leg 3 which is 2.5 miles. In 2008 I ran on another Coed Open team and ran leg 2, 4.75 miles. This year I ran on the Women's Open A team, leg 4 which is 9.5 miles.

Now, I was suppose to run leg 2 again, 4.75 miles. On Tuesday of this week I get an email from my friend Laurie, who is the relay coordinator for the Winners Circle Running Club. (I don't run for the Winners Circle, I run to help out my friend.). Anyway, she asks if she can move me from leg 2 to 4. Wow... 4.75 to 9.5. I thought about it for awhile and then was like, why not?! I am not in shape to race a 9.5 race, but I said yes. She emails me back and says, "That's why I love you!" On a side note, I can't complain to her because she ran leg 4 for the Womens Masters team (which took 2nd) and then turned around and ran leg 5 for a team of new runners because they couldn't find a 5th runner! And that's why I love her!

I drove to York last night to stay at Laurie's house. It makes the morning drive much better! Another girl on my relay also stayed. We had dinner and went to bed early. Early, but I couldn't sleep. I've been having back issues for the past two weeks. My back was aching. I tossed and turned and think I fell aspleep around 10:30. I got up once in the night to pee. Probably all the water I drank. Then I woke up at 4:30. My alarm was set for 4:45 but at that point I just got up. Next, shower ... wait, there's no hot water. Ugh. I took a very cold shower. Not sure if it was worth it. I tried to eat but could only get down 1/3 of my oatmeal and was not feeling well. Wow, this isn't good. We leave the house at 5:30, stop at the Portsmouth traffic circle to pick up Beth and then head to Nashua. We had to make 2 stops for bathroom breaks and more coffee. Still not feeling well. We drop off the leg 1 runner and then head to the 2nd relay exchange. We parked the car, grabbed a few items, then jumped in with Linda and drove to relay exchange 3. Another trip to the bathroom. Still not feeling well. Trying to be positive. Finalize race attire and head to the relay exchange.

Now, I listen to music when I run and when I bike, but I never listen to music when I race. Never. Today, my stomach was such a mess and my back was so sore that I thought, I need music to drown out the pain. I made sure it wouldn't disqualify my team and strapped on the iPod.

Back to the relay exchange, I see my girl coming, take the wrist bracelet, and I'm off. It is very slick in the beginning. I'm not running as fast as I should be because I'm trying to keep my footing. Finally the path gets better and I settle in. I have no idea what pace I'm running. The mile markers are painted on the road under the snow. I pass 2 females in the first couple of miles. I keep running. I finally see a mile marker at mile 4. Nice! I check my pace, just under 7:30. I'll take that. I keep running. I take a gel at mile 5. I hit mile 6. My back it starting to hurt and get tight. I just keep running. I'm trying to get lost in the music and just run. Keep to the beat. I tell myself that just leaves 3.5, that is just one loop around back bay. I do it all the time. I keep running, but I fall off a little. I hit mile 8 and some chic passes me. I thought for maybe 30 seconds and then was like NO! I can do this. It's only 1.5 miles to the finish. I pick up the pace and run behind her for about a half mile. I finally pass her back. We hit the 9 mile marker and I pick it up again. That chic is NOT passing me again. I come to the relay exchange and hand off to our last runner. Wow. I covered the last 1.5 miles in 10 min. Overall pace was somewhere around 7:25 I think. I was very happy with my race.

Now it hits me. I stopped and reality set in and my stomach went crazy! Ugh. I found another one of my teammates and we had 2 cars to drive to the finish. We finally get parked, get inside, and change into dry clothes. Wow am I sick. Eat or no? I eat. Bad decision. I'm standing there and all of a sudden I get a hot flash and I think this is it, I'm going to puke. I breathe. I find some Ginger Ale and go sit on the floor. I sat there for a long time and finally started to feel better. I have no idea what it was, but as I sit here tonight I am fine.

End result, my Female Open team took 6th. Laurie's Female Masters team took 2nd. Jeanne Hackett's Female Senior team took 2nd. It was a good day and a lot of fun, despite the stomach issues.

This race actually made me feel good about my fitness. I am looking forward to the Mid Winter Classic and feel good about what I may be able to do in about 2 months.

What is it and where does it come from?

Everyday we make decisions. Some are unconscious decisions, habits. Decisions we make day in and day out. Decisions that take a split second. Other decisions can be big, life changing decisions. Decisions that take weeks or months to consider.

Lately I have been thinking about how some decisions come so easily for some and so difficult for others. For example, every morning I get up and eat breakfast. It’s not a hard decision for me, it’s either organic eggs and wheat toast or oatmeal. I rarely eat anything different. What about the person wants to eat oatmeal but ends up eating donuts instead? I exercise. Even though I love it, there are still days I want to turn off the alarm and roll over. There are days when I get home from work that I would rather crack open a beer and sit down on the couch. I don’t. I know I’m on the far end of the spectrum, but it’s still a choice I make daily. I listen to other people tell me how they want to exercise but they just don’t have the time, or they’re just too tired, etc. so they don’t.

What about the decisions that are life changing? What about the person who decides to quit smoking or has to conquer something as difficult as alcoholism or an eating disorder? What is it that enables us to do these things? Motivation? Will power? Determination? Why is is that some have it and some don’t? Why is it that one alcoholic can stop drinking and change their life and the other will die an early death?

Are we born this ability or is it learned? I’m not sure where mine came from but I’ve had it as long as I can remember. I’ve known people who always want to change or do more or do something different but they never do. Again, what is that? Is it fear? Is it lack of motivation? I don’t know but what I do know is that I’m thankful that I have what I have ... whatever you want to call it. I wish I could share it.

Being Thankful for your Friends

I’ve thought a lot about what I’m thankful for this year. I’ve had quite a year. A lot of ups and a lot of downs. As I run the list through my head, the one thing that jumps to the top is that I’m thankful my best friend is with me today. I almost lost my best friend this year. I watched him struggle for his life. It is an experience I will never forget. I will never know where he found the strength to be strong through an impossible time. I watched him fake it on the outside and I watched him fall apart on the inside. I will never know where I found the strength to be there for him. I remember the nights that I had to hold myself together while he fell apart. It drained all my energy. BUT, all that will not even come remotely close to what he had to endure. I have so much respect for him.

I can’t imagine my life today without him. Anytime something happens to me, good or bad, he is the first person I tell. My day isn’t complete unless I talk to him. He lets me talk a hundred miles an hour, forever, saying nothing when I’m nervous. He let’s me cry, and cry hard, when I need to or sometimes for no reason at all. He let’s me go crazy when I can’t cope with life. He lets me be me. He never judges me, but he does keep me honest. He always calls me on my bullshit. He always tells me when I’m wrong. He tells me when I look like hell. He tells me when I look good. Most importantly, when I really need a friend, he’s there.

Sometimes I look back and think about how we became friends. Our story is definitely a unique one ... it’s a funny one, it’s a serious one, it’s a happy one, it’s a sad one, it’s a great one. It’s our story.

This year, be thankful for your friends, tell them how much they mean to you. Don’t ever take them for granted.

Swimming

I've been thinking about my swimming lately. My swimming ... that's a pretty funny story. So, I grew up in the water. I was a fish. I spent all day, every day, in the summer at the pool. Starting at like age 6, I swam all day all summer. I was a lifeguard by age 14 and continued to lifeguard and teach lessons until 19. I was on the swim team and dive team when I was younger. I have always been a strong swimmer; BUT, what I have learned is that being a strong swimmer does not mean you are a fast swimmer.

I didn't swim for many many years. Then, a running injury put me back in the pool and I couldn't swim 4 laps without feeling like I was going to have a cardiac arrest! I was like WTF? I can run a marathon but I can't swim? Like anything, it just took some time. Before long, I was cranking out 2000m at a time. Little did I know, I still wasn't "training." A friend of mine convinced me to toss my hat into the triathlon ring. So, I added swimming and biking to my regular schedule. The moment of truth came at my first tri. I thought I was a fast swimmer. Funny. Really funny. I came out of the water so far back it wasn't funny. That was the moment of truth when I realized I sucked!!!!

The next season, I was talked into swimming at the lake with a group of triathletes. I was so nervous and had no idea what to expect. But hey, it's me ... so there I went. I was the last one out to the point and the last one back to the dock. This would be my place for quite a long time ... last. I kept swimming. Triathlons starts never got any easier. The anxiety I had at the start of every race drained my energy. I hated it. It was constant battle through the swim to keep positive thoughts ... to keep telling myself just get out of the water and go. Just get out of the water. Keep moving forward and get out of the water.

In 2007, I decided to train with the Masters group in Portland. Best decision I have ever made. I had a blast. I swam more yardage than ever and started to actually get faster! I had confidence! Wow! I was training for my second half IM and really getting after it. I wanted some revenge after my first half IM. Anyway, I kept building endurance and getting faster, but I was still the last one to the point and the last one to the dock on our open water swims. My new nickname was Nemo. Yes, Nemo.


I'm not sure what happened, but one day I put it in my mind that I was going to stay with the pack no matter what it took. I swam hard, got in a rhythm, and kept going. All of a sudden I feel someone grab my ankle. Huh? I stopped and turned around and Erin was like dude! WTF? I hit the point in the front for the first time ever. I was stoked! Then, we headed back and again, I was the first one back to the dock. Erin was just looking at me and finally was like ... "what the hell did you put in your Wheaties this morning?" Ha. The ironic part, it never happened again. Ever. I went into my half with a lot of confidence and ended up swimming slower than my first by a whole minute. Ugh.

That put me into a mind set that I couldn't swim. I started saying "I can't" and "I will never" and etc etc. That has stuck with me for two years. One of my best friends said to me this year, "Stop saying I can't!" He was kind of angry when he said it, okay REALLY angry, but I got it. It hasn't come easily but I did have two good swims this season ... Rhode Island 70.3 and the Colby Sprint Tri.

I started analyzing my swim training and making changes. I deciced that I'm not stepping to the line of my first IM without some confidence. and the training to back it up.


There will be no Nemo next season!

Planning 2010

So after reading Mary’s post I realized it was time for me to look at 2010 too. I had some time on my flight from Portland to Houston so figured no better time than the present. What will my race schedule be? Which races will be my A races and which ones will I just be training through? What are my goals for the year? Is there a distance I want to PR? Is there one discipline that I want to really focus on? These questions would be easier to answer if I didn’t have an Ironman in the middle of my season. Ironman.

I don’t have a lot of time before my IM to participate in any other triathlons. The Mooseman is too close to my race which leaves me no choices unless I want to pick one that I have to travel to. I think this IM thing is expensive enough so I think I’ll pass on that option. And since I have no idea how I will feel after my IM, it’s tough to think about the rest of the season. I’m hoping that taking the month of July to recover will do the trick and I can enjoy the rest of the triathlon season in August and September. Those are the best months to race anyway! With all this in mind, this is what I‘m thinking about for 2010:


Mid Winter Classic 10-miler
New Bedford Half Marathon or the Hyannis Half Marathon
Polar Bear Tri
Ironman CDA
Kennebunk Tri
Lobsterman Tri
Colby Tri
Maine Marathon

Obviously, IM CDA is my A race, my main focus, my entire life basically from Jan to Jun. I would like to make a good showing at the Mid Winter Classic. I would also like to really throw down at the Maine Marathon. I love that race and I love the course. The last time I ran the Maine Marathon was in 2004 when I clocked my 3:31 PR. I would like to try to PR again and make a great showing at home! The other late season triathlons, well, I just want to have some fun. I know me and I will probably jump into some other road races here and there, but not many. My weekends will be taken up with lots and lots of biking and running. Wow, this IM thing certainly is going to be an adventure... and boy am I looking forward to it.

The other thing I do is start thinking about the things I’m going to need! Yes, more purchases of triathlon stuff. The list looks something like this: 1) A new pair of bike shoes. I have been wearing the same bike shoes for 5 years. They are beyond worn out. 2) An aero helmet. Yes, I have finally decided I need an aero helmet. I know they are more for the really fast folks, but I want one anyway. 3) Hammer. Not a hammer from the hardware store. Hammer products, a lot of hammer products. I need to stock up on gel and heed and sustained energy and recoverite and electrolytes. 4) New racing flats. This will probably also require a new pair of yanks. Matching my yanks to my flats is a necessity for me. Yes, another one of my quirks. 5) Two or three new pairs of running shoes. 6) Two new pairs of bike shorts. 7) A new racing outfit since my team is no longer. That should do it. Actually, that isn’t too bad. At least there are no big purchases this year like a new bike or a new wetsuit.

Here’s looking at a great 2010 season.