2015 B.A.A. Half Marathon

On Sunday, I ran the B.A.A. Half Marathon.  I love running B.A.A. events because they are so well run (note: pun is a happy accident.)  I woke up at the crack 'o dawn and secured a prime spot in front of the Oriental House restaurant on Washington Street.  The shuttle buses to Franklin Park were already lined up at 6:15 AM and I had the pleasure of riding in a school bus for the first time in quite awhile; however, you know you're older when you try to find the seat closest to the door vs. in "way back."

The course is scenic, but pretty brutal for the last 4-5 miles as it's quite hilly.  There are plenty of water, Gatorade and GU stations, and plenty of volunteers passing out the goods.  My goal was to finish the race pain free and I tried not to think too much about the clock.  Mile 11 was the toughest, by far.  My strategy was to keep my head down and focus on my breath.  I sang the ABCs (in my head) until I saw the signage for Mile 12, and at that point I was able to put my head up and take a peek at the animals as we ran through the Franklin Park Zoo.

My final time was 2:12:34 and although it wasn't my quickest, it definitely wasn't my slowest.  The last time I ran was in 2013 and I could barely finish due to neck and shoulder pain.  Since that time I've been seeing a chiropractor regularly and more recently have incorporated hot yoga into my conditioning routine.  Both of these have helped tremendously (and the fact that I'm no longer hauling around my twins' infant seats) and it's incredible to finish pain-free.

Here are some shots from the race.  Thanks to all the people that stood along the course and cheered!  It really helps!  Also, big shout-out to the November Project dudes on bikes.  Your shouting and encouragement really made me laugh.

 Pre-race around 7 AM

 Port 'o Pottys as far as the eye can see.  A runner's dream.

 Pre-race around 7:30

 Waiting for the starting gun 

Finished!  Time for a nap.  Oh wait, that was my 2007 race self.  I mean, time to go home and spend the afternoon in a bouncy house with my kids.  

Everyone Deserves a Voice!

Dr. Deschler operated on my husband and is an excellent doctor and a wonderful person. Please click on the link below and contribute to the Deschler Fund at Mass. Eye and Ear! Thanks!

From Mass Eye and Ear:
Everyone deserves a voice. Check out this video today (www.toth.com/merrychristmas) and you’ll be donating to the work Mass. Eye and Ear’s own head and neck surgeon Dr. Daniel Deschler. Each time the video is viewed through New Year’s Day, Toth Brand Imaging will donate $1 (up to maximum of $10,000) to the Deschler Fund at Mass. Eye and Ear for Laryngeal Cancer. Michael Toth, president of Toth Brand Imaging, is Dr. Deschler’s patient. He had laryngeal cancer. He credits Dr. Deschler with saving his life. Michael created this holiday greeting to help give everyone a voice because he no longer has one. He and his employees think everyone deserves a voice so they are raising money for Dr. Deschler’s fund. Support our mission! Send along to family and friends and spread the cheer!

26.2 Miles Later...

After months of training, yesterday was finally race day! I woke up at 5:45 and made my way to Park Street Station where the BAA arranges for the school buses to bring us to the Runner's Village in Hopkinton. Once again, I was blown away by the BAA's organization and efficiency. By the time my bus arrived in Hopkinton and I spent close to 20 minutes in line for the porta potty, it was already time to check my bag and move to the starting line. Like cattle, runners are corralled by number and shuffled forward in an orderly manner until we cross the starting line.

My former company staffs volunteers at mile 5's water station, so I was greeted by several familiar face and friends. Two friends from my old department told me that there had a been a sign, but there was a small issue with it. I kind of forgot about that until this morning when they emailed me a photo of the sign and explanation as to what exactly went wrong.

It's a little known fact that my dad's side is from Western Africa

My favorite part of the course is mile 13 at Wellsley College, where hundreds of girls are screaming like crazy for everyone to give them a kiss. I saw signs that said, Kiss me, I'm Latina, and Kiss me, I'm Asian, as well as, Kiss me, I'm from Ohio. A guy looking to be in his 40's or so running directly in front of me took advantage of about 8 girls offering everything from a peck on the cheek to a wet one directly on the lips. He turned to his running buddy afterwards and said, "Now that was awesome!"

I was cruising along until mile 16 or so, until my legs started to feel like lead; however, I kept plugging along and crossed the finish line in 4:14:43. I felt so happy to finish; however, it was quite painful trying to remove my chip from my shoelaces. After two unsuccessful attempts to squat down and reach my sneaker, a helpful volunteer was able to assist me and give me my medal in exchange for the chip.

When we got back to my apartment, I saw Nick had a decorated the apartment with lots of signs congratulating me on my finish!

This was taped opposite a mirror on our wall

Taped to the coffee table

Recently, I have spent a lot of time soaking my feet in the tub, so this was taped to the shower curtain

Taped to wall over our pillows.

And taped to the toilet seat...

Thanks, Nick! And thank you to my parents for coming up, cheering me on, and then taking us out to dinner last night! Also, a huge thank you to everyone who donated to Team Eye and Ear! Now, I'm going to relax for a while..!

My Television Debut! (Not Counting the Time I was on the Jumbotron at Conte Forum)

Last Wednesday, fellow Team Eye & Ear member Dr. Dean Cestari (check out his inspirational fundraising page for HONORS here) and I met with WBZ-TV's reporter, Peg Rusconi to discuss running and caffeine. Peg and her cameraman were very nice and asked us a bunch of questions related to whether or not we drink coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) while training. I had never been interviewed for television before, and was definitely not used to being filmed.

Peg & I smiling despite the fact that it was about 30 degrees outside!

Peg wanted to get some shots of us drinking coffee, and it was hard for me to keep a straight face while sipping from the cup and sort of staring into the distance while the cameraman was about 1 foot to my left. He had to gently remind me a couple of times to "just look straight ahead" because I kept glancing at him out of the corner of my eye while drinking...

You can view the video here: http://wbztv.com/video/?id=75212@wbz.dayport.com

Go Team Eye & Ear!

A Fundraising Success!

This post is a little late; however, I wanted to have the final tally to report before posting on the April Fool's fundraiser. Thanks to everyone's donations, $429.54 will be donated to Mass Eye and Ear! That's fantastic, and I'm so thankful for everyone who came out to support MEEI and Team Eye and Ear!

I also wanted to thank Laura at Mantra for helping to organize the event. She and the Mantra staff really went out of their way to make sure the evening was a success, and I'll definitely recommend them in the future. I'd also like to thank Kathleen at Downtown Crossing Partnership for putting me in touch with Laura.

Oh, and congratulations to Penny for winning the Dustin Pedroia photo! Penny and my mom came up from Connecticut for the event and even worked at the check-in table. I'm glad that she was able to take the photo home with her!

No Joke! April Fool's Fundraising Event at Mantra!

I hope you'll join me for a fundraising event at Mantra to benefit my 2009 Boston Marathon charity team, Team Eye & Ear!

Who: Team Eye & Ear Supporters

What: Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased and sent to got2trotlibrarian@gmail.com via Paypal. Or, click on the event widget to the right!

Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

Tickets include a complimentary signature cocktail and passed hors d'oevres (blue cheese naan, potato cakes with onion creme fraice & roasted free range chicken with garlic, herbs & yogurt.)

Where: Mantra, a fun restaurant & bar that boasts some beautiful decor. Check out the photos on the website!

Mantra is located at 52 Temple Place in Downtown Crossing

Manta's staff has been exceedingly generous and has donated their lounge area (complete with comfortable seating and its own bar) for the event.

When: April Fool's Day (Wednesday, April 1) at 6:00 PM. **Please arrive as close to 6 as possible, as the complimentary cocktail and hors d'oevres will only be available from 6-7. There will also be a cash bar and food available for purchase throughout the night.**

Why: Why not? This is a great opportunity to enjoy some food and drinks with friends and co-workers, while supporting a world renowned local hospital, the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary!

Questions? Feel free to leave me a comment or email me directly: got2trotlibrarian@gmail.com
Hope to see you there!

It's Official

If you're a registered runner in the 2009 Boston Marathon, you can confirm your entry on the BAA's site.

Better start training... ;-)

In addition to training 5-6 times a week, I am also fundraising for my charity team, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary.

Please consider making a donation: https://www.firstgiving.com/got2trotlibrarian $5... $8.79... $20... No donation too small! (Or too large, for that matter!) Thank you!

It's Not Runusual

First off, I'd like to thank Mary Leach (of Mass Eye & Ear) and Carlton Banks for their generous donations to Team Eye & Ear! I'm now 17% to my goal!

Last night, was Team Eye & Ear's Kick0ff Party held at the Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary. Not only were my teammates there, but there were also a handful of MEEI doctors & staff too. They are so friendly and supportive; it's inspiring to raise money for a world class institution that has wonderful doctors and staff who are dedicated to the Infirmary's mission and values.

Fred Treseler spoke to us about the marathon's history (Did you know women weren't allowed to run until 1972?) as well as training techniques and what to expect on race day. Fred took the time to stress that you should always try any nutrition supplements or equipment out prior to race day, because you never know how your body will react. He then told us about an elite runner that was presented by Adidas with a new shoe model the night before the race. Adidas told the runner that they'd feature him in their ads campaigns, the shoes were top of the line, etc. The shoes ended up not being a good fit and the runner had to pull out around Heartbreak Hill. His feet started bleeding along the route and were so caked in dried blood, that the shoes had to be surgically removed from his feet. That's a drastic example, but the point was made.

We also received our team t-shirts.

Front

The fine print says, "I ran the Boston Marathon and all I got was this t-shirt."

Tonight, I'm running 12 quarter mile repeats, taking a quick shower and then heading to Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage to meet Nick, Vince & Steven for dinner. Dinner at Mr. Bartley's will probably negate my run, but man, it's so worth it.

Party time, Excellent, Woo Woo Woo Woo

On Saturday, I joined the FitCorp crew and ran 14.7 miles. The course starts and ends at One Beacon, and is an enjoyable loop down Beacon St, around BC, down Centre St in Newton and back down Beacon to finish. Thankfully, my water bottles didn't freeze this time and it wasn't too cold outside (although the temperature always drops considerably once you hit the reservoir at BC.) I ran the course in 2.5 hours and felt great, except for some sore knees. We were skiing at Okemo on Sunday and they felt pretty good though, and I didn't run yesterday. Today I'll go to yoga and then Wednesday's workout is the quarter mile repeats. Now that I'm pushing 30, I need to be more mindful of my body's limitations.

I'd like to thank the Babiak's and Carolyn for their generous donations to Team Eye and Ear! Want to see your name in print? Donate here and your wish will be granted! ;-)

Tonight, I'm going to Mass Eye and Ear for our team party! Fred Treseler is going to be this year's speaker, so it will be very interesting to hear from an athlete who's also a sports marketer.

2009 Boston Marathon numbers available- Run for Charity!

Team Eye and Ear has a couple of spots that just opened up due to last minute cancellations. If you'd like to learn more about joining our awesome team, please send me an email (address is located on the right-hand side bar) or leave me a comment with your contact information.

Unless you qualify, it's very difficult to get a number for Boston. Why not fulfill a personal goal and help out Mass Eye & Ear at the same time?

UPDATE: All spots have been filled. Thank you to everyone who sent an email inquiring about them though. Firstgiving.com's blog has some information though if you're still looking to run with a charity. Check it out here.

Looking for a Boston Marathon number?

My awesome marathon charity, Team Eye and Ear, has a few spots left on the 2009 team. If you're interested in learning more about becoming a team member, please check out the link on Mass Eye and Ear's website: http://www.meei.harvard.edu/what/events.php

If anyone is thinking about running and has any questions about the training or fundraising experience, please feel free to send me an email or leave me a comment.

Thanks, Mass Eye and Ear!!

This past April, I ran the 2008 Boston Marathon to raise money for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. I can think of at least 4 doctors I've seen in 3 different departments at MEEI, so I was more than happy to raise money for a hospital whose wonderful services I can vouch for. Now, I am doubly thankful that I ran for Team Eye and Ear, because Nick had a surgical procedure done there yesterday. Every person we spoke to on staff was friendly and helpful; Nick said that he was even asked several times if his chair was comfortable enough for him in the recovery room. When I was in the Family Waiting Area while Nick was in surgery, his doctor actually came to introduce himself to me and to tell me that everything went smoothly and explained how to replace his bandages, if needed. That level of service really floored me. A couple of weeks ago, I signed up to run the 2009 Boston Marathon with Team Eye and Ear again, and now I'm especially motivated to meet my $6000 goal for 2009. Thank you, Mass Eye and Ear, for treating my husband so well!

Nick post-surgery, just chillin'...

General Audience - All Ages Admitted

Tonight Team Eye and Ear is having our post Marathon party at the Union Oyster House. Freshman year in college, my friend and I had a disastrous double-date there on Valentine's Day, which led us both to end our respective relationships shortly thereafter. It's not that I hold a grudge against the restaurant, but this will be my first time back since February 1998. Marathon Monday has come and gone, but our team's fundraising efforts are still going strong until May 21st. To date, thanks to everyone's generosity, I've raised $5,820 for Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary! I believe some additional matching donations are still on their way, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll crack the $6,000 mark.

I mentioned once before how random Internet users are finding my blog through search engines. Here are a couple of more search strings that caught my attention:

• screaming women
• tightest buns
• bowl movement
• over the hill librarians
• dealing with PMS
• picture of teabag women (I'm certain this user did not find what he was looking for here)
• the good looking librarian (this one was my favorite)

Team Eye and Ear

The Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary has posted Team Eye & Ear's bios on their web site! It's interesting to read everyone's story and motivation for running the marathon.
Read about our awesome team members here: http://www.meei.harvard.edu/what/marathon.php

Team Eye & Ear 2008- What a good-looking bunch!