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.  

Run to Remember 2010

Sunday, May 30th marked the first road race of 2010 for Nick and I! Since 2005, we have run Boston's Run to Remember each year. We normally both run the half marathon; however, this year I ran the 5 miler and let Nick do the heavy lifting in the half.

Around mile 10- running back over the Salt & Pepper Shaker bridge. I like how you can see the Citgo sign in the background.

Crossing the finish line after 13 miles in the hot sun

Baby Priselac completes her first 5 mile race feeling good!

The only downside to this year's race, (probably due to the hot weather) was that I had the pleasure of seeing 2 people puke along the course. One girl was right before the finish line- hopefully that wasn't captured by Brightroom.com (who took the photos.)

If you're thinking about running this race next year- I highly recommend signing up. Both courses are pretty flat, there are a good amount of water & Gatorade stops (as well as a GU station too), and the post race amenities are fantastic. This year in addition to bagels, bananas, oranges, water, etc.- there was a Ben & Jerry's truck giving out free ice cream. Looking forward to next year's race already!

P.S. I hope everyone who was lucky enough to get a bib for the Harpoon 5-miler this weekend had a great race!

The Family that Runs Together, Stays Together

Over Memorial Day weekend, Nick, Brad and I ran Boston's Run to Remember. When we woke up Sunday morning around 6, the sky was dark and stormy. Exactly one hour later while we were leaving the house, the sun came out and we were treated to a beautiful sunny day! I'm proud to report that all 3 of us improved from last year!

(All photos below are from Brightroom.com. Click here to search for your own race photos.)

Despite having spent the past 3 days partying in Vegas, Nick finished in an impressive 2:08:11. (Last year he ran in 2:16:32.)

Spent the race thinking of ways to spend the couple hundred he won in Vegas

Brad consistently kicks our butts and finished in 1:55:55, which was almost a 5 minute improvement from last year's 2:00:40 time.

I can only speculate what caught his interest in this photo- let's just say it was the finish line

My goal was to run the race under 2 hours, and I was (barely!) able to do just that. I finished in 1:59:22, which was an improvement from last year's 2:07:56 finish.

Mugging for the camera on the bridge during mile 10 or so

I would especially like to congratulate my sister-in-law, Jodi, who just started running on a whim this past January. She ran the Buffalo Half Marathon this same day and kicked butt by finishing in 1:59:30 and 59/199 for her age group!

Eyes on the prize!

Congratulations everyone on a great race!

Running Makes Me Feel Old

One of my favorite road races is the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5 Miler. First of all, it's right in Southie, although it technically starts/ends in Dorchester at the Bayside Expo Center. Secondly, there's an awesome raffle. Each runner's bib number is automatically entered; one year, my friend won a free pair of sneakers. The best thing about this race though, is the race t-shirt. Over the years, I've donated quite a few race tees to the Goodwill, but I always keep the ones from this race because they're tank tops. Tank tops with the arm holes that go halfway down your ribcage. These shirts are awesome for hot summer runs.

Last week we received two applications in the mail and as I was just filling them out I realized that I would no longer be able to check off the 25-29 Division box! This year the race is being held on July 16th, which also happens to be my 30th birthday. I'm not sad about turning the big 3-0; however, it was definitely a little strange checking the 30-34 box. It made me feel old. Now I'll have to start acting my age bracket.

Farewell, sweet youth!

BAA Half Marathon- A Great Race!

The BAA Half Marathon was the most scenic course I have ever run. Click here to read a course description.

Image from www.baa.org

Running through the Franklin Park Zoo was pretty awesome. I kept hoping to see some animals, but none were out and about. There was a fake crocodile (alligator?) that initially got some runners excited though. Compared to Boston's Run to Remember, this course was much hillier. To me this is a plus, because you're forced to concentrate on your strides and it's harder to lose focus. There were water stations every mile or so, and a GU station right before mile 8, I think. The race was extremely well run (no pun intended) and the t-shirt was long-sleeved; I'm definitely going to sign up again next year.

Nick and I finished at the exact same time (2:08:01), which was an improvement for both of us from the half marathon we ran in May. I improved by 56 seconds and Nick improved by 9:32! Amazing! We were both humbled; however, by our friend Brad who kicked butt by finishing in 1:56:53 (who also improved from May by 4:47!) Great job! I'll post some photos as soon as they're made available on Marathonfoto.

Thompson Island 4K

Last Thursday, I ran in the 8th Annual Thompson Island 4K Trail Run. This race is a real treat!

• A lovely ferry takes takes you through the Harbor to the Island. Prior to running the race in 2006, my only harbor ride had been for a booze cruise fundraiser for someone's ski house. The boat was like a floating VFW; complete with tin foil trays of popcorn and pretzels. If memory serves me correctly, we were so hard up for entertainment that my friends & I paid someone $5 to eat a flaccid pickle that was leftover from the sandwich platter. (But that's another blog entry.)
  
• The ferry departs at 3:30, which means I departed work at 3.


• The race course goes through "204 acres of rolling hills, forests, meadows, salt marshes and beaches along the trails of Thompson Island. " (from ThompsonIsland.org)


• There's a 1.5 hour post-race BBQ on the island


• The race is sponsored by Harpoon, which flows freely during the post-race BBQ

Keith & Brad signed up for the beer, the race was just a detail

Trying to keep up with the boys

Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5 Miler

Last night was the 21st Annual Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5 miler. The 5 mile loop takes you from the Bayside Expo Center, down William J Blvd to Columbia Rd and back. I love this race because it's close to home, it supports local charities, there's a running expo with a fun raffle, and you get a great tank top. Another reason to love this race, is that the photos are posted the following morning! Check out Nick and I tearing up the pavement:

I hope this Somerville Road Runner in the foreground finds her photo- she looks great!

Keeping my eyes on prize- the finish line