Boston Marathon

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Enjoying the Journey

March 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 10 comments

Boston Marathon alert! 23 days to go, my long runs are basically all in, and now I am concentrating on hills, strength, yoga, and FUNDRAISING! It has been quite the journey since I secured a spot on The ALLY Foundation’s Boston Marathon team, and I have to admit I haven’t enjoyed all of it. Mainly because every time I felt like my training was going really well, I got injured. Kind of like right now. On Thursday night, a beautiful, 60 degree Boston evening, I planned on a 3 hour run. I kicked off running along the Charles River, up and down hilly side streets in Beacon Hill, zigzagging through the North End (Boston’s Little Italy), and over the bridge to Charlestown.

Boston is decorated with signs like this:

Boston Marathon

These make me tear up every time I see them! And throughout my run Thursday night, they kept me going.

Up until Charlestown I felt okay, and I started in on the hills. The good news? The last time I was running Boston, about 3 weeks before the race, I ran Monument Hill in Charlestown and was DYING. Last night I did it twice and felt awesome! But after a variety of up and down hills, my previously clicking knee started to hurt. Walking didn’t help, in fact when I walked, I had to kind of kick my foot out the side to avoid the pain.

Nice.

I ran, I walked, I limped. And while I knew I COULD finish the run, I decided it was better to drop out of a training run than to miss the marathon. Along my walk back to South Station, I made a few decisions.

1) I am going to enjoy the rest of the journey. Sure, marathons are hard, but the Boston Marathon is an institution that is incredibly historic and special. It seems like all of Eastern MA comes out along the route, and I want to take all of that in.

2) I don’t care about my time. That’s right. I’ll tell you that my last Boston Marathon time was 4:20 flat. My Bermuda Marathon time was 4:16. But both of these times were before I had a very time consuming job, and I had more time and energy to train. So whatever time is best for where I am right now is fine.

3) I am Bib #24739. I planned on only telling my husband and family my number so that they could follow me. In my head, I start worrying, “What if people think my time is too slow? What if I don’t do well?” That’s just silly.

4) The most important things that I can do in the next 3 plus weeks are resting, revving up my nutrition, stretching, and mentally relaxing.

As I walked along the Boston waterfront, I had a runner’s high that couldn’t be beat, despite the pain in my knee, it finally clicked with me last night that all of those months, those hours on the elliptical, the spinning classes, the walking, the running, its all been for this.

Coincidentally, when I got home and took my mail out of the mailbox, my official Boston Marathon bib pickup card was in it 😉

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Tags: Boston Marathon, fundraising, running

Friday Foodie Feature

February 26, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 6 comments

It’s Friday! Today I am very excited to feature Erin from The Red Menace Eats. I had the pleasure of working with Erin at Boston Partners in Education, an organization committed to enhancing the academic achievement of Boston’s public school students by providing them with focused, individualized, in-school volunteer support. While we worked together, Erin managed the Power Lunch program which paired corporate volunteers with students to read during lunch hour. She is not only super committed to helping Boston’s students, but she is running the Boston Marathon for the organization, and on top of that is a cocktail expert, amazing baker who shares her baked goods with grateful, hungry colleagues, a foodie, and food blogger.

Erin-Pie

 

How long have you been blogging?

Since August of 2009.  I’d tried it out a few times before, but the current blog is the first one to have a real theme and thus any kind of sustainability.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Blogging gives me a framework in which to think about very specific aspects of my life – a way to process my experiences with cooking, eating, and training for the Boston Marathon.  In addition it’s given me a reason to find new challenges for myself – and a lot of really wonderful food.

Least favorite?

When I write about a topic I’m really excited about and it doesn’t generate that many views or comments.  Alternatively, those weeks when I feel like I have nothing interesting to write about are also a drag.

What has been your most fun blog post to write? 

The pig head post! http://wp.me/pCGsu-2O  As you know, Craigie on Main is an absolutely wonderful restaurant to visit in any case, and people get very excited when you order the head.  I also really love writing the Vegetable Therapist posts.  Vegetables are so misunderstood!

Where do you see your blog this time next year?

Still going strong, perhaps gaining some new readers.  I’ve been giving thought as to how to step it up and welcome any ideas!

Is there anything else about your blogging experience you would like to share?

It’s shockingly easy to become very blasé about whipping out a camera in the middle of a restaurant.  I’m not certain whether this is a good or bad thing, but luckily all of my friends have gotten used to it!
I’m running the 2010 Boston Marathon to benefit Boston Partners in Education and Boston Public School students! Sponsor me at http://www.firstgiving.com/erinmcgrath! Learn more about Boston Partners at http://bostonpartners.org

 

Interested in being the next featured foodie? Or perhaps you want to share a Wednesday Wine Pairing? Email me at traveleatlove2009@hotmail.com

Tags: Boston, Boston Marathon, Food, foodie, Friday Foodie Feature, Guest Blogger

Boston Marathon Training Update

February 18, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 9 comments

I haven’t done a blog update on my Boston Marathon training in quite awhile, and now that I have a slight injury, I thought I would slow down and catch you all up.

My training has been progressing nicely with a weekly long run being the central part of my training with shorter, indoor workouts to help build muscle strength, endurance, and speed. I have been sticking to a formula that includes one spinning class a week, one 5 mile elliptical workout with hills at a “pushing it” pace of around 8 minute miles, and then some upper body strength, stretching, and of course a visit to the Healthworks sauna. It gets me through the winter!

Last week I started to notice the left side of my left foot. It didn’t hurt exactly, but I was aware of it in a way that I normally am not. I decided to skip the long run after completing a not-so-great 5 mile hill workout outside after I got out of jury duty and got to go home early. (So happy THAT is over with!) Instead of running, I went home to mom and I spent the weekend relaxing and off my foot, happy but a little stressed about my training.

When I returned to Boston on Monday, I mentally and physically prepped myself for a solo 18 mile run. . . and I did it. Miles 1-3 were okay with the exception of a bitter wind in my face. Boston Marathon training gives you a whole new appreciation for spring. I am just about all set with cold, whipping winds!

After mile 3, the run went downhill (though technically it didn’t as I ran the Beacon Street part of the course, where there were plenty of up hills!). I felt a jarring, throbbing pain in the side of my foot. I kept running. There was some walking involved and even a bit of hobbling, I made it to my 9.1 mile mark, all the while thinking about getting on the train and going home. It was then that I saw a familiar orange ski jacket up ahead. My husband knew my route, and he had driven to my halfway point with a snack and a drink for me. How sweet is that? It  saved the run, made me feel totally supported, and kept me going as I turned around and headed home.

Every step was a struggle, and fast forward two days later and I am in bed with ice on my foot. It hurts big time, and I have had to revise any sort of activity this week, including walking around my office.

So this is where the mental part kicks in. I am used to a certain amount of training each week, and I know that training needs to intensify for about another month before I start tapering.

My plan is to give the foot a couple of days and then to return to non impact cardio like spinning and to increase the intensity of my upper body workouts, then to try running again mid next week. In the meantime, managing the mental effects of an injury will be my top priority. . .

I would love to hear from you all how you deal with the mental aspect of being injured/working too much/traveling whatever keeps you from working out the way you are used to.

 

Even though my training has taken a slight pause, my fundraising for The ALLY Foundation is as important as ever! I have a bunch of great raffle prizes, so there are many chances to win, just a $10 donation per entry here:

http://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally

Tags: Boston Marathon, fundraising, injuries, marathon, marathon training, running

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