2013...a good year for 26.2!

Ahh, Monday.  You are a cruel cruel day, but after returning from a week off...well, let's just say I felt like someone hit me over the head with a baseball bat by 11am.  No, I'm not complaining-I know I was quite lucky to have a week off, but....Monday still sucks.  You with me? Good.  Well, as I said, work was pretty nuts...we just got a sizable federal grant in the program I manage, which is completely awesome, but it will mean quite a bit work work and travel for the 90 day start up.  I'm up for it....not a problem (except when my boss arranges 9am meetings in a town 300 miles away....yeah, we're working on that one!).  I'm actually quite excited about this.  We will be partnering with 3 new counties every year for the next three years in order to get some dedicated services for our clientele, which will really help out our clients and expand our services!
Okay, enough worky work.  Let's talk about....running.  Cause, really, we haven't talked about that nearly enough for me this year.  We all know it's been a pretty disappointing season for me (well, depending on how you look at it.  I was lucky as all get out to be able to run at all!).  I set out to best my half PR (1:50) and was cut short by injury back in May.  I got stung, stress fractured my foot, and then busted a big callous (yuck, I know).  I've ran, including races, 12 times since Memorial Day.  And for such a crap bag of training (oh yeah, I went there), I have nothing but love for what my foot gave me back.
But that was 2012.  We're done with races for that year.  So....what about 2013? 
Well, I'm not quite ready to plan out my tri season.  I need a break from that formal training.  But...I miss running.  So what does one do when they need a reason to run?  They find a new race!!
Last year (2011) I trained for the National Marathon using the FIRST plan from Runner's World.  I documented my adventures on the blog, and really enjoyed the plan structure:  3 runs a week-one speed work, one tempo, and one long run.  No fluff, no wasted runs.  All done at a specific speed to gear you toward your goal pace.  The "pace" is determined off your best 10k, and gives you a set goal for each workout based off of that.  I PRed by a half hour on the course, and feel strongly that I would have gotten my sub 4 if I hadn't been idiotic enough to work a 12 hour day the day before, including 8 hours of car travel (dumb, Rae).
Well, what is life for if we don't move on and try to fix those mistakes?  So....tomorrow is day #1 of the NEW FIRST plan!  (The second plan?)  I've got two marathons on my radar....one is 15 weeks away, and one is 19 weeks away.  Let's take a look....

Source

Option #1:  Ocala Marathon.  (Florida)
This race is January 20th, or, 15 weeks away. It's a small little marathon in horse country, and last year, 500 people ran it.  The course is 2 loops, and one Floridian described it as "hilly", but the net elevation gain is 200 feet per loop, and the last 8 miles of each loop look flat or downhill.  Of course, "hilly" is relative-most of our courses in NY would look flat to a Northern Californian...and Florida...is pancake flat to me.  Bonus?  The race is pretty cheap, and the hubs is playing flag football in a town 40 miles away that weekend, which makes for a double awesome reason to fly down to Florida for 5 days.

Source

Option #2:  Myrtle Beach Marathon (South Carolina)

This one is 4 weeks later, so I would just need to do a repeater of 4 weeks somewhere in my plan (no biggie).  It's a bit closer, and we have family and friends within spitting distance (kinda).  It would be a bit cheaper, because we don't have to rent a car or fly.  However, who knows that PA will be like in February to drive through.....

This race is run mostly by the ocean (how cool!) but is also a bit bigger and pricier.

Decisions, decisions.  I have until November to sign up for either at a lower price, so i think I'll start the plan and then see how it goes.  I'll post my plan tomorrow....gotta get in that 10k to figure out my training paces!

Have you ever done a marathon in SC or Fla?  Either one of these?  Which one would you pick?

Our Maine vacation in Review

It's raining.  The kitties (Panthers) are losing.  So I figured...before I go back to work tomorrow...let's take one more day to remember vacation and give you that review I promised you...The Maine Experience!

As a quick preface, let me just say that this was not meant to be an extravagant vacation.  The hubs and I wanted to get away from life for a week (which we tried to do, with varying success!).  We didn't care where.  We wanted to be active, be together, and do something cool for my birthday.
So like any other addicted athlete, i looked around for marathons within driving distance.  Due to injury, a full was out, but the Portland Marathon had a half option that was really affordable ($45) and was only 7 hours away, so that sealed the deal.  Pretty foliage, somewhere neither of us had been, and a race on the weekend of my bday?  Sign me up!
Travel:  The place we stayed in was 475 miles from our house.  We drive an SUV, and filled up twice during the trip, with a little extra for a 3rd fill up (gas was about the same in Maine-$3.97.  Gas cost about $125.  Tolls were ridiculous-all 4 states (NY, Maine, Mass and NH) had tolls...NY was the worst, but tolls were $35 for both ways.  Cost of travel: $160.

Food:  Okay, the hubs and I are a bit weird here.  We looked for a place that had a kitchen because...we don't eat out alot.  We bought food at Trader Joe's, brought sandwich stuff, and ate dinner out 3 times in the 6 days....and made stuff at "home" the rest of the week-which was a treat with stuff from a store we don't have back home.  Oh, and one of our meals we used a groupon.  Trust me, we felt like that was enough-we go out to eat maybe every other month (no joke) so 3 times in a week was awesome!  Total cost of groceries and going out to eat (with tips):  $120.
Lodging:  This, of course, is the big one.  When I looked for places (Expedia, Hotwire, Craigslist, etc.) I was looking for something that:  had a kicthen, had a gym/pool (hopefully), was within a 20 mile radius of Portland (where the race was) and was less than $100 a night.  Yikes.  Well, it took alot of patience and searching, but I found the Elmwood Motor Court on Tripadvisor.com. 

It was in Old Orchard Beach, which was about 12 miles south of Portland. We were also able to visit Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, Kittery, and Portland during the trip.  Another bonus-the Eastern trail (65 mile trail road for bikes/running) was really close by, so we could bring our bikes as well.

It was less than a mile from the ocean (score!) and had cottages with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen with microwave, stove and fridge, and porches.  It had a pool (we didn't use it).  Grills, picnic tables, table tennis, fire pits, playgrounds, shuffleboard courts....and weekly rates.  For two bedrooms (the one bedroom was super super small)....the weekly cost was $260.  Yeah, you heard that right.  For 6 nights, we paid $275 with tax.  We were a little nervous....but it was a great place to stay!  The bathroom was kind of small, and you had to vent it well, but it worked.  The first bedroom had a TV (no VCR or DVD, but 60 channels), so we used it as a living room. The back bedroom was decent sized (both had full beds), and the kitchen was great sized and fine for cooking.  The owners were pleasant, had free coffee every morning, and plenty of board games in case of a rainy day.  It was within walking distance from the restaurants and beach, and 3 miles from the Eastern trail (on bikeable roads) so we barely used the car at all.  Win win.  The only downer was that it was pretty gray and some days were straight rain, so it got a bit damp, but that was our fault for opening the windows!  It also had AC and heat, which was a bonus.
Etc.:  We bought a few "Maine" things"  (shot glass, Shipyard brewery, things for a few people at home) and of course, our camera broke the first day we were there, so we had to dash to Walmart and buy a new one ($135) (you know I would die without a camera!).  Total cost of "etc":  $170 (yeah, we're wild).

Week Long Vacation in Maine Total cost:   $725 (well, plus $45 for the race, but that was a birthday present, so I don't count it).

Call us cheap or whatever, but it was a great week filled with racing, beach walks, trail riding, some treats, and everything we needed in a vacation (well, we forgot to pay the weather gods, but that's another story!)

Will we go back?  you bet!  Rev3 has a race in August right in OOB and we now know the course....hmmm.....not a hard decision!

Have you ever been to Maine?  What do you look for when finding a place to go or stay on vacation?

Chilly Chili

 Hello, friends!  I was a bit MIA yesterday...the hubs and I spent some time soaking up the Maine sun (it did exist!) in the earlier part of the day, then drove through the afternoon and got home last night.  Needless to say, I was pretty pooped when we finished unpacking and all was said and done.  I'll do a Maine recap soon, as well as a review of the paces we stayed and ate, but for now.....let's talk about food.  What can I say, I'm sort of obsessed with it!
Today is pretty chilly in NY.....low 50's and some sun, mostly wind...but definitely a fall feel in the air. The hubs and I are having both sets of parents over for dinner, and we decided pizza would be easy.  But I woke up this morning and the weather...screamed for chili.  Crisp, blowing colorful leaves outside....just begging for some warm fall comfort food to pair with it.
So I Betty Crockered myself in the kitchen and a few hours later...voila!  Chilly Chili and homemade french bread.  Wanna hear more?  I know you do....

Chilly Chili (serves 8(ish))

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 can Campbell's tomato soup (also called...I have no tomato paste)
1 15 oz can black beans
2 15 oz cans Kidney Beans
1 28 oz can baked beans (bear with me!)
1 pound ground turkey, browned
2 onions, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small red pepper, minced
1 tbsp. chili seasoning
1 tbsp. red pepper
1 tsp. black pepper

Brown ground turkey and add to the pot.  Dice your veggies and garlic, saute with ground meat until veggies are soft.  Add in all cans of beans and tomatoes.  Stir.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 4-5 hours.  Add in 1-2 cups beer (optional).   Simmer for one additional hour.

Serve alongside crusty french bread for a simple, yummy meal.

 Along with the chili and french bread, I'll serve a salad (brought by the lovely Lois), chicken barley soup (recipe coming!), and for dessert, sugar cookies and coffee.  Looks like a good Saturday night to me!
 Hows your weekend coming along?  Anyone else "chil(lly)i?" today?

Maine Marathon RR: Cotton Balls and Bandaids

Hey hey hey!  Well, Thursday brought sprinkles and showers to Maine....it was a crud day outside, but did that stop us?  Nope nope nope!  The hubs and I biked up to Cape Elizabeth and back...21 miles of mud slinging on the trails, or...2 hours of wet, laughter, and road spray.  I wish it was sunny out, but we had fun anyways.
We spent the afternoon relaxing inside with some hot cocoa and the latest James Patterson (me) and Star Trek marathon (him).  We got in a nice 4 mile walk on the beach before dinner, and hit up Bua Thai again for some ginger chicken and curry.  Noms!
It's been a somewhat wet week, but we've made the best of it.  Tomorrow we hit up Wells and Kittery, then it's time to come home.
Things I miss about home:  My kiddo (cat), my bathtub, dryer, and my own bed.
Things I DO NOT miss:  my cell phone.  We have crap service up here...and I wish I would never get it back :-P  Is that sad?  I am so anti 21st century. 
Oh, I also miss Big Bird.  Wait, we haven't elected Romney yet.....(just kidding).
So, with little to report on the day, let's backtrack to Sunday, shall we?
Maine Half Marathon 2012:  Cotton balls and Band Aids
 Pre race:  Someday, I will learn that 8 hours in a car or flying cross country the day before a race is, well, stupid.  Not this day, I guess.  The hubster and I drove 475 miles from NY to Maine on Saturday.  My foot felt good strength wise, but getting out of the car in the morning, I cracked a callous on the ball of my foot and started bleeding.  Not cool.  It felt a bit better throughout the day, but the roll through was rough for fast walking or running.  Perfect.
I woke up at 4:45 Sunday, ready to go.  We arrived on site at 6am for a 7:30 start.  The swag for this race was awesome-you got a long sleeved tee, towel, toothbrushes, floss, mini lara bars, baked beans (wut?  Someone has a wicked sense of humor!), granola, and a bunch of other samples and snacks in a re-usable bag,.  The race bib had your first and last name on it.  Super cool!
The race morning weather started out okay-50 and cloudy.  I wasn't super worried about anything-I ate my PBJ and did some stretches, lined up with the 9:00 mile guys.  My foot hurt, but I had taken Ibuprofen, so it felt a bit better-plus it was well band aided up to cover the split callous.  My plan was to stay under 9:00 miles until mile 10, and see how I felt.  I was loosely going for a sub 2 (blame my type A tendencies-Ive never had a stand alone half marathon over 2 hours since I started running), but I knew that if I was to go over 2, I wouldn't blame myself-I've been injured most of the year and have ran a grand total of 7 training runs sine Memorial day.  Yeah, you read that right.

As the starting gun went off, it began to sprinkle.  Not too bad, I thought.  I geared myself up and took off, logging miles 1, 2, and 3 between 8:15 and 8:30.  But I never felt good.  You know how you start to run and feel like death for the first 5 minutes?  Yeah, that never went away.  My back felt tight, my foot hurt, and I just wasn't "in it".
About mile 4, the heavens opened up and it started raining harder.  My shoes got wet.  Blah.  The course went over a bridge by the ocean and through a park at this point, but the rain made it hard to appreciate the scenery.  About mile 5, we hit the rollers, and all hell broke loose.  I hit mile 5 at 42:45, still respectable...and felt a sharp pain in my left foot.  I gritted my teeth and pulled off, and saw blood coming through my sock,  Brilliant.  I made it to the medical tent and changed band aids from my freakin' callous, then headed off again.
The next section...was not fun.  It was cold.  My foot hurt.  And the rollers were a pain in the butt (think similar to River Rd. on IMLP course).  I hit the turnaround (6.6ish) at 58:30...and knew it would be tight.
Miles 7 (1:01), 8 (1:12) and 9 (1:22) passed by in a blur.  It started to rain harder.  My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls.  And I walked for a good minute every mile.  I was hurting.  And I was not alone.  There were quite a few people shivering as they ran, and also a bunch that pulled off and gave it up. 
At mile 10 (1:32) we pulled over the bridge, and I gave myself a come to Jesus talk.  I had 28 minutes to do a 5k.  I so could do it.  That's a 9 minute mile!  That's...marathon pace for me!  I took a deep breath...and trucked on.

Mile 11 (1:42) and I still felt hope. Then, all hell broke loose from mile 11 to mile 12.  I just...couldn't.  I walked more than ran, and every step felt like lead bricks with my soggy shoes and left foot.  My brain wasn't working well.  (I shudder to see these race photos).  Mile 12:1:53. At this point, I knew I had no sub 2.  I was hoping for a 2:02. No dice.  According to my watch, I crossed at 2:04:xx (according to gun time 2:05)....doing the unthinkable...stopping before the finish line!  It was kinda a daze to me.  The hubs caught me, and they did a Mylar blanket, but it was a good 5 minutes before I could make my mouth work again...I was so cold!
I finished in the top half of my age group (20-29-so weird) and the top third of women, so I know that it wasn't my best effort, but that everyone had a difficult day.
Post race, I grabbed some coffee and muscle milk, and then hightailed it to the parking garage (where they provided free parking!) to dry off and get into some warm clothes.
***

Post race thoughts?  It was a fair, but not flat course. Much flatter than Unity, nowhere near as flat as Buffalo.  50 degrees and rain is too cold for me.  The race organizers did a great great job with the logistics, swag, and medal.  And I'm not sorry I ran it.  If my body can churn out a 9:30 pace for 13.1 when I've basically NOT ran for the last 4 months...then I'll take it.
Am I somewhat bummed I handed in my sub 2 card?  Yup.  But I'd rather hand that over than take a DNF!  It was a great race for a vacation and no stress race-and I learned a few things:
No vacation races with Greg.  It always rains :-P
DO NOT drive before a race for more than 2 hours.  My poor back was so mad at me!
Always wear the garmin.  I have a sneaking suspicion the course was a bit long (13 minutes for the last mile??) But then again, I did a crap job of running the tangents.  Still, I would like to know how much over 13.1 I went!
End of story-this is a great race, and if you're looking for a nice destination marathon, do it.  Hopefully the weather will be nicer next year :-)

Portland Photo Shoot

So the day was a little gray out.  Pshaw.  Who am I to complain when its nearly 70 degrees in October and I'm on vacation?  Yep, that's right.....neither one of us.  So we packed up the SUV  with lunch and rain gear (in case!) after breakfast and headed north.
To Scarborough for the Salt marsh and Lenny, the 1500 pound chocolate moose....

 (Too bad I had just eaten breakfast.  Next time).

To Cape Elizabeth to see the old WW1 bunkers, Two Lights State Park and the Fort William Lighthouse (commissioned by George Washington!)

 To Portland to see (and taste!) the Shipyard Brewery beers...they had some delicious Apricot beer (yeah, I'm girly with my beer) and a great chocolate stout.

(For some reason, I can't rotate this pic.  I think Greg was drunk.  Yeah, that's it. lol)

To the shops of Portland for some homemade candies and lobster souvenirs....

 And then, yes.  To Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  Because I am a dork.  And we don't have these within 200 miles of where I live (yet-can't wait for TJ's to come to Rochester!)

 And then as it started to drizzle, we headed back.  And did a wonderful truncated WOD to get our heart rate up and get some HIIT and strength in.  Proving that even when it's sucky out, you can still get a good workout in on vacation :-).  And have room for those chocolate covered mini Oreos and candy apple jelly beans from Downtown Portlands "Ye Olde Candy shoppe".  Hey...I need something to throw at the TV when the debate starts...
 I hope your Wednesday was just as wonderful as ours!  I'd ask who you're rooting for in the debate....but let's all stay friends, shall we? :-)  Night!

Dirty Thirty

Well, we did spend alot of it "dirty", but in a different way.....
This was pretty much an awesome birthday!  Right up there with my 13th, where my best friend papered the lockers with my photos, announced my bday over the PA system, AND threw me a party....my sweet "seventeen" where we had a party for over 50 kids and with the Friday night crew (why?  who knows!) and my 21st birthday, where my mom bought me 21 little bottles of liquor (true story...I need to find that pic!)
However....this one was right up there.  It's the first year I've ever been on vacation for my birthday, and the hubs and I took full advantage of it.  First order of the day...a "reverse" triathlon. 
Yep, you got it.  For the last few years, I've tried to do the correct amount of miles as to my age on my bday (us triathletes are a weird bunch, I know.)
Leg #1:  A 3 mile run.  I took it super easy, since my legs are a bit sore after the half and our 4 hours of exercise yesterday.  I also did something new and tried trail running....not as fast or easy as roads, but a great way to start the day off!
After my run, I had an awesome breakfast with the hubs, and we did some relaxing and card opening. 
Then it was time for leg #2-a 27 mile bike ride through the Easter Trail of Maine (we went from Scarborough to Biddeford and back.  We had a few hiccups along the way, but it was an awesome ride, and great to spend time with my other half.

 After the bike leg, we decided to end the tri with what was supposed to be a mile swim...but ended up being more like a 1/4 mile scramble through the waves just to say I did it (yeah, I'm the fool-the hubs laughed and took pics of my madness).

After the 30.25 miles, the "30 reverse birthday tri" was complete.  No medals, but some awesome pink running shoes, tights, and a Cam Newton jersey to celebrate the day!

 And, of course....dinner out.  Yummy Thai food at a local joint (so bummed I forgot the camera....we might have to go back on Thursday!!)  I got ginger chicken and the hubs got Pad Thai....yum yum yum.
Post dinner, we went for a moonlight walk, and came home for "cake":  A half moon cookie with candles and a birthday serenade.  Now lets just hope I get my wish....

But I suppose I will eventually have to go back home :-P

All in all, a pretty damn good dirty thirty.  In my own definition of dirty!

My Roaring 20's

 Day one of vacation....well, technically day #2, but with the 4:30 wake up call and crazy race day....we're counting today as a full day one :-)  Race recap probably on Wednesday....I'm processing.  Plus there's the whole vacation talk to fill my day with, so I promise....it's coming.  But not yet.  Not just yet.
Well, today dawned beautifully in Old Orchard Beach...sunny and mid sixties.  Perfect.  The hubs and I started the day off with blueberry pancakes, then took out the mountain bikes to find the Eastern trail, which is a 65 mile bike trail from Kittery, Maine to Portland Maine.  We decided to rock out the northern part of the trail (a 16 mile jaunt to Portland and back), and tackle the southern portion tomorrow. 
It was a gorgeous, gorgeous ride (sorry no pics, we managed to bust the camera!  $130 later, we have a new one, but we bought it after dinner so...expect some trail pics tomorrow.) The trail went through beach, wildlife reserve, and forest.  So gorgeous.
We headed back around lunchtime, grabbed some sammiches, and relaxed for a bit in the sunshine.  Then we went to the beach!  6 miles of sand, surf, and a beautiful sunset.  Ahhhh.  Relaxation, sunshine, and my sweetie.  What way could be better to end my last day as a twenty something?  Nothing, just nothing.  And tomorrow, we have a pretty full birthday planned....30 miles of biking, running, and swimming IN THE OCEAN!....a Thai dinner....and other goodies I don't know about yet that the hubs has been holding out on me for....what a guy.
But today's about my twenties.  And just for fun, I've scared up some photos from the last decade of my life.  Take a look at my "roaring twenties"!

***

20 years old: Attended SUNY Geneseo, choreographed my first dance for performance, picked up a double major and minor, got a new roommate...my old bestie from elementary school!  Met a great group of friends at Geneseo and rocked out the parties on the weekends and made some awesome memories.

21 years old: Senior year of college, stayed off campus with my 3 best friends.  Graduated.  Got my first job (ABW, residential counselor).  Transferred BJ's to Henrietta and met my future roommate.  Got addicted to Y and R (thanks to college roomie, below).  Rocked out at the Roost every Thursday.

 

22 years old:  Moved out of the house , and into my first apartment with my bestie.  Got a second job (Mary Cariola, in addition to ABW).  Made an AWESOME group of friends at BJ's.  Learned about the WRONG kind of relationships, started my first blog (good ole live journal), and went out on a blind date with a guy named Greg.....

23 years old:  Started dating Greg.  Did my first triathlon (Sodus).  Moved into my own apartment.  Got promoted at work and paid off my student loans!

24 years old:  Lost 15 pounds.  Did my first Olympic triathlon (NYC tri).  Got a new job at Catholic Family Center working with kinship caregivers.  Moved in with my boyfriend, and then got a townhouse together in Fairport.  PRed in Sprint distance by 24 minutes.

25 years old:  Got engaged!  Picked up new friends with the MRP, and got close with my co-workers at CFC.  Wedding planning!  Did my first half Ironman (Musselman) and my first marathon (Rochester-the year of the 100 degree heat index).  Set Olympic PR (2:50).

26 years old:  Got married!!  Bought our first house and moved out "to the country". Honeymooned in Vermont and threw a big New Year's Party to celebrate the new house. PRed in the spring distance at 1:22.  Finally quit BJ's after a 10 year run...yep, you read that right.

27 years old:  Did my first Ironman at Lake Placid.  Met an awesome group of triathletes that I still adore today.  Spent most of my 27th year training for this race....and worth every minute of it,.  Got my second tattoo (an M Dot the hubs designed) to remind me that I can do WHATEVER I set my mind to.  Promoted at work to management (sweet).

28 years old:  Marathon #3 (National Marathon), Ironman #2 (Chesman), and PR's in marathon, half marathon, and Ironman.  Ran the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  Started my blog!

29 Years old:  The "resting" (non Ironman) year :-)  Severe foot injuries hurt the season, but still did 2 half marathons, a half Ironman and smaller races.  Vacationed in Jamaica and Maine.  Won a poetry contest and got my work published.  Won our first horseshoe tourney!

Whew!  and I'm missing so so much, I know.  But that's what I got in 15 minutes or less...and....I've had quite the decade!  What's next for my 30's?  I can't wait to find out!