Pre-run rituals and superstitions

Like many athletes and spectators, runners have some interesting pre-run habits.  Whether it's a tried-and-true nutrition system or just a little bit of superstition, if we find something that works we just want to stick with it!

My pre-run nutrition has certainly morphed over the years (or more accurately, been narrowed down).  There are some things I just know for a fact, based on years of research (read: unplanned pit stops) that I simply cannot eat prior to running.

I know that two days prior to a long run, I won't eat a single high fiber product or leafy green.
One day prior to a long run I won't eat (in addition to high fiber products and leafy greens) any carrots, popcorn, red sauce, onions, garlic, oranges, fatty foods, anything with seeds, or high amounts of dairy.

The morning of a long run I will eat something with carbs, like an English muffin.  A tiny bit of peanut butter is okay, but if I cross the line, it will give me heartburn. I went rogue this past weekend and ate a bowl of Apple Jacks (with just a teenie bit of milk).  It was delicious, but I was starving by mile 10.  I always take two hefty doses of Pepto before every long run.  One immediately after breakfast, and another just prior to my run.  It's tradition, tried-and-true.

I have a weird little quirk about the way I lace my shoes before a run.  I always lace them on the outside edge, and I thread the ends of the laces through the loops and under the criss-crosses.  I have this weird hang up about laces hitting the inside of my ankle while I'm running, and if it happens I will lose my mind.  This solves the issue:

This past weekend I had my long 16 miler on Sunday.  It was my longest run this year, and I know I'm a little out of practice preparing for that distance.  In addition to doing my tried-and-true nutrition regime, I wanted to make sure I really took it easy on Saturday.  My "rest days" seem to always turn into some grueling work.  Like "oh well since I'm not running today, I think I'll just spend the whole afternoon digging holes" or something ridiculous.  To prevent the temptation of such silliness, I decided to go to the movies!  And yes, I am that cool kid that goes alone to the movies on a Saturday.

We all know I can't have popcorn, but went I saw soft pretzels, that just seemed like a great idea.  Here's how the order went:
Me: Hi, can I get a small Pepsi and a soft pretzel?
Cashier: Sure, would you like a jumbo Pepsi for a dollar more?
Me: No.
Cashier: Okay, would you like a whole pretzel or nuggets?
Me: Um, one whole pretzel.
Cashier:  Okay, would you like salt or a sugar coating on the pretzel?
Me: Salt. Does she not see I'm a runner?
Cashier: Okay, would you like cheese with that?
Me: <blank stare>... Huh? No, why would I want cheese with a pretzel?
Moments later...
Cashier: Okay, someone just grabbed the last whole pretzel.  You can come back in ten minutes for one, or, you have these pretzel nuggets with cheese.

It was the strangest exchange.  I've never been asked so many follow up questions just for a pretzel, and then I couldn't even get what I ordered.  I settled for the pretzel nuggets, with a cheese dipping sauce, and headed into my movie.  I think I ate all those delicious little cheesy covered nuggets before the movie even started.  I'm hooked!

In case you're wondering, I saw Divergent.  I've read the book twice, so I was really looking forward to the movie.  There were some noticeable differences from the book but it still had the same feel.  And let's be honest, two hours of watching Theo James is not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

Whether it was the afternoon full of Theo James images, my carb/sodium loading of pretzel nuggets, or just a good old fashioned rest day, I ended up having a great run on Sunday.  My 16 miles didn't feel more than 10, and I didn't have any stomach issues or fatigue.  This begs the question... do I sense a new superstition coming on?  I have my last long run scheduled for this Saturday, and as a precaution I have already scheduled a vacation day from work on Friday.  I'm seriously thinking about going back to the movie theater and snacking on some salted-pretzel-nuggets-with-cheese.  (I'm gonna order that like a pro this time).  The question is, should I watch Divergent again, or something different?  I don't know if I dare stray from what worked!  (I'm just trying to justify watching Theo James for two hours again).

Are you superstitious?  What pre-run/race habits do you swear by?

New Bedford 2014

Last Sunday I headed down to New Bedford with Kristen and Danny for their annual half marathon.  It was my third time at this race, so it's become a bit of a tradition.  Now that I've been running for a bunch of years, some races like Hyannis and New Bedford have become my favorites.  I can't decide if I like creating "traditions", or if it makes me boring, predictable, and unwilling to try new things.  I must really be a sucker for this race though, because the first year I ran it, I got sick on the way home, and the second year I had to make an emergency porta-potty stop after several miles of aggressively praying I wouldn't mess myself.  

We got to the race super early, and even though it meant a lot of waiting around, I'm glad we got there when we did.  We were able to park right at the YMCA parking lot and not have to worry about the shuttle or side street parking.  This year the race venue featured heightened security which caused some drama at number pickup.  Kristen and I walked in with our purses, in case they asked for ID.  Outside the building we had to wait in line to have our purses searched (okay, I can understand that), and then had a tag affixed to the purse indicating it had been searched.  Good to go, right?  Nope.  We get into the building and we are informed we can't take our purses, that had just been searched and tagged, into the gymnasium to pick up our numbers.  We could, however, carry the purses anywhere else in the building, including the restrooms, locker rooms, and weight rooms.  I understand the need for security, but it didn't seem like they were using common sense in this case.  So we had to hold each other's purses while we went to get our numbers, and then since we couldn't hang out in the gym we just used the restrooms and headed back to the car.

Hanging out in the car wasn't so bad, and it seems like everyone else was doing that too.  We didn't want to spend a lot of time outside because it was freezing and so windy!  It gave us a chance to relax, at least until we saw all the cops walking through the parking lot with bomb sniffing dogs.  (Well, it's New Bedford, so they could have just been regular drug sniffing dogs on their normal Sunday patrol).  Danny wanted to go talk to the cops but we didn't want to look suspicious so we made him stay in the car.  Finally we had our last bit of pre-race nutrition and headed out to the start line.

Only Kristen could look this elegant drinking Pepto

We met up with Sarah and Peter, also members of our running club, and they all had to stand around and wait a good 15 minutes for me to get through the porta-potty line.  Once I was in the porta-potty, I really took my time.  It was a little warmer, and no wind.  You know it's cold and windy when you'd rather stand in a porta-potty than stand outside!

We got over to the start line and stood in the sun as long as possible before heading into the corral.

Kristen, Moi, Danny, Peter, Sarah. PS - I didn't get the memo we were supposed to all dress like matching ninja's.

This year I decided not to wear my fuel belt, and to bring an iPod.  I don't know why I periodically think it's a good idea to bring an iPod, because I always end up fussing around with it so much, it ends up making me nuts.  In this case, by mile 5 my ears were too sweaty for the "guaranteed to stay in" ear buds to stay in, and finally I just let the right one dangle.

The course itself was just as I remembered.  Freezing, windy, and a wide variety of scenery.  There's the two faux-hills before the real hill at mile 3, then down down down to the water.  The crowds were out in full force despite the brisk day, but I was surprised to see hardly anyone dressed up for St Patrick's Day.  Last year it seemed like every runner was wearing green, but that wasn't the case this year.  I did see one creepy looking leprechaun on the side of the road.  I passed Dick and Rick Hoyt, which is always inspiring, and then a lady with a sign on her back that said "Baby on Board".  My goal for this race was to beat my time at Hyannis, which was 2:11:45.  I didn't need to beat it by much, but I wanted my overall pace to be under 10 minute miles.  For the first 8 miles that seemed locked in, but then I faded at mile 9.  Again!  This happens every year at this course and I don't for the life of me know why.  I'm going to blame the wind coming off the ocean.  I really struggled for a few miles there, walking through water stops (and continuing to walk a bit after them).  I think the only reason I didn't walk more in those last few miles was because it was so windy I was freezing and just wanted to be done!  I gave myself a huge mental pat on the back when I passed the porta-potty that I assaulted last year without having a repeat performance.  I slowly made my way up the hill at mile 12, which for some reason doesn't bother me as much as some people.  So many people were walking going up that hill, so it kind of makes me feel good to pass people late in the race.  There was one lady I had been following pretty much for 12 miles leading up to that point.  Sometimes we would trade positions, but for the most part she was in front of me.  She was walking up the hill at mile 12.  It would've been great of me to say something like, "hey, I've been following you for 12 miles, let's go and finish this together!", but I didn't.  For one, I was so tired I probably would have said "hey!", and drool would've fallen out of my mouth and I would've scared her way.  And also, sometimes you just don't know what someone else's journey is, so I just passed her and never looked back.  I hit the top of the hill and then (best finish line ever) it slopes back downhill, around a corner, and a nice flat straightaway to the finish line.  Phew!  Man I was glad to be done with that race!

I met up with Kristen, Danny, and Sarah, who had all finished well before me.  Kristen and I headed back to the car to change while Danny and Sarah waited for Peter.  All warmed up and dry, we headed over to Hibernia Irish Pub for some post-race drinks!  The place was mobbed, but my friend Chris was bartending there and we quickly got some seats at the bar and settled in for a nice afternoon of draft beer and chicken wings!  Chris was one cool cat behind the bar (and pretending to drink my beer).

He was also praised for his Thor-like qualities.  The next day at work I told him about the Thor comparison, to which he admitted, he didn't know who Thor was.  (WHAT??!??!).  I had to educate him.

Mmmm.... Thor.....

And one last thing... race photos came out today from Capstone Photography.  I always cringe, but can't help but look.  And here we go...

What? No, I'm not a heel striker.  What makes you think that?

Temporarily warm enough to take my gloves off for a bit

I finished in a time of 2:10:30, so I met my goal of (barely) beating my time at Hyannis.  Of course, then I get an auto-generated email from the timing company, which happens to mention that this was 5 minutes slower than last year's time.  I guess this is the price I pay for creating racing "traditions"!

BAA Bans Cheeseburgers?!

The word is out and everyone's all a-buzz about the hefty restrictions put on runners and spectators for this year's Boston Marathon.  Many have argued that the controversial list of banned items is too restrictive and will not only have no real benefit of added security, but will take away from the experience of the runners.
The following list of banned items is taken directly from the BAA website (as well as emailed to each participant):

Prohibited items for official participants: The following items are prohibited from entering any Marathon venue, including the course, Athletes’ Village near the start in Hopkinton, start or finish area, and all officially-sanctioned Marathon events:

• Backpacks, any similar item carried over the shoulder, or handbags of any size
• Glass containers
• Any container capable of carrying more than 1 liter of liquid
• Strollers, including baby strollers
• Suitcases & rolling bags
• Personal hydration system products (such as CamelBak®, Thor®, etc)
• Weight vests or any sort of vest with pockets (Note: lightweight running vests are allowable)
• Costumes covering the face or any non-form fitting, bulky outfits extending beyond the perimeter of the body
• Props (including sporting equipment and military and fire/gear and signs or flags larger than 11 inches x 17 inches)
• Any item larger than 5 inches x 15 inches x 5 inches

What's important to remember is that this restriction list isn't limited to the course itself.  It includes all "marathon venues", which could include the start area, finish area, or anywhere in between.  It's sad to think that no one with children will be allowed to use a stroller, or bring a diaper bag, to the race.  I remember last year, I may never have survived if Julia's husband Tony hadn't strolled up to us with their kids, given me the shirt off his back, and handed me his kid's peanut butter sandwich.  You know what I think they should ban? Sports beans.  I get annoyed listening to them rattle in runners' pockets like little mini maracas for 26 miles.

I'm pretty bummed about the costume restriction.  Not that I would wear a costume, but as a back-of-the-packer, I sure get to see a lot of them!  Remember all the cheeseburgers I saw last year?  I can only imagine all the runners right now that are frantically trying to redesign their cheeseburgers into something more form-fitting, like maybe tacos?  And what about the guy with the Pesky Pole hat?  I know I complained about him last year but now I'm worried I won't see him.

I'm also pretty disappointed about the restriction on props.  Again, not that I would ever bring one, but it's extremely inspiring seeing military and fire personnel running or marching the course in full gear and oversized flags.  I'm going to miss that a lot.

It goes on to say: 

Anyone on the course for any distance who has not been assigned, or is not displaying, an officially issued bib number from the B.A.A. is subject to interdiction. The B.A.A. reserves the right to remove any person from the course who is not displaying an official bib that has been assigned by the B.A.A. Similarly, units or groups such as military ruck-marchers and cyclists, which have sometimes joined on course, will not be allowed to participate.

Banning military ruck marchers is just a bad call.  It's un-American, and overall bad karma.  Here's a juicy tidbit from a Runner's World article:

Last year when the bombs went off near the finish line, members of Tough Ruck...were among the first responders to help the wounded. Carlos Arrendondo, a Tough Ruck volunteer who is credited with saving the life of Jeff Bauman who later went on to positively identify alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was also at the scene.

I caught a clip of the newly elected Mayor Marty Walsh addressing the issue of bandit runners.  His comment was, "If you don' have a numbah, don' even botha runnin'.  Ya gettin' pulled off the coss".  (This guy's accent is so thick and awesome, he could have starred in Good Will Hunting).

And my personal worst:

New for this year, there will be a “no bags” policy for the 2014 Boston Marathon.

Frequently a marathon, especially a point-to-point race, will have a bag check option.  Each runner can fill a bag with some essentials that they will need after the race.  Usually, and most importantly, clothes.  But also specialty food items, especially if you have a sensitive stomach and can't rely on whatever the race provides.  I remember last year how carefully I had stocked that bag with everything I felt I needed to have a good post-race experience, only to be blocked from getting at my bag after the race.  I remember how hopeless I felt, like a refugee.  The thought of feeling like that again makes my stomach turn.

For everyone's sake, I really do hope that the race this year is successful and most importantly safe.  But at what cost?  I just wonder how much freedom we have to give up to feel secure.  One of my favorite things about running is feeling free, being able to just float down the street, letting go of stress and the daily grind.  Last year I remember everyone saying "Thank God you're alive, thank God you're safe", and running isn't supposed to be dangerous or life threatening.  I hate the thought of needing to put such tight security around a running event, and I pray this doesn't become the new normal.  Because the thing is, I really love cheeseburgers.

Two of my deadliest things

I thought I'd end the week by highlighting a couple of my most dangerous running things.

1. Laundry
I try to keep up with laundry, especially lately with the amount of sweat I'm producing thanks to Boston Marathon/Triathlon training. Who's idea was it to train for two major events at once?

Here's a glimpse of the gear I've sweat through just since the Hyannis half marathon on Sunday:

That's nine, count-em, nine shirts. Two swimsuits, many sports bras, various shorts, and too many socks to fit in the picture.  (For your sake I didn't include underwear.  You're welcome).  In fact, during my 7 mile treadmill run on Wednesday, I actually paused and changed into new dry clothes!  Forget Tide Sport, Tide with Febreeze, or Tide with Downy.  There's so much sweat baked into these clothes, soon I'll need Tide with Penicillin.  

2. The pony tail

I've mentioned a time or two about how dangerous my pony tail gets when I'm running.  My pony tail creates such a stir it practically needs its own zip code.  Anyone within a 2-3 treadmill distance of me at the gym is in jeopardy of getting sprayed by this sweat nozzle, and now that I have my own treadmill at home, the poor cat has never been saltier.  If you think I'm exaggerating, I finally have it on film.  Here's a little mash up I made of the finish line photos from the Hyannis half marathon.  You can see the amazing arc my pony tail takes, and I think if you could pan out enough, you'd probably see the spectators looking up in the sky wondering where the rogue rain shower is coming from.

Have a great weekend!

Hyannis recap

This past weekend was my fourth running of the Hyannis Half Marathon, and it was by far my favorite one yet.  The weather was an ideal 46 degrees and sunny, with a light breeze.  After all the rotten snow and cold and ice of this winter, this run was a real treat!  A bunch of us headed down to Hyannis on Saturday and spent the night in the hotel right at the start line.  It's a huge convenience to stay right on property and I highly recommend it!  We got to the hotel just before the race expo closed, grabbed our goods, and then checked into our rooms.  We were all starved so we headed out to dinner, but then got turned away from two restaurants because of long waits, and ended up at a quiet bar and grille.  We were a little skeptical because the place was nearly empty, but the food was great, the beer was great, and it was very reasonably priced! 

Chicken parm, yum!

After dinner we headed back to the hotel, with plans to get changed and meet back up in the hot tub.  I had a bit of a headache and decided to lay down for a minute, which turned into getting under the covers, and then realizing Twilight Breaking Dawn was on, and that was the end of my interest in the hot tub!  I think I was sound asleep by 9pm!

Sunday morning we all met up in the lobby for breakfast.  We had all been worried about Julia, who had gone to a chiropractor earlier in the week for a calf issue, and walked out of there with a bruise covering the entire bottom half of her leg.  It was (and I mean this with love, Julia) completely disgusting and horrifying. She had only just begun bearing full weight on the leg, and hadn't really run in a couple weeks.  We were calling it her corpse leg, because it really looked like it belonged in a morgue.  Julia went over to the Spaulding booth at the expo where they were offering kinesio taping, and they fixed her up with the most amazing tape job:

Her leg looks like a Jackson Pollock painting!

 My breakfast consisted of a half bagel with peanut butter, a Starbucks breakfast blend, two doses of Pepto, and then a honey stinger waffle right before the race.  That all seemed to do the trick, it gave me the perfect balance of energy without tummy troubles.  Every time I run past a porta potty without stopping is like a personal victory to me!

We stopped just before the race for a quick photo op, then headed into the corral.

The "before" shot

My plan all along was to treat this race as a training run, since it was my longest run so far this season.  To help me stick with my plan I wore my fuel belt and started pretty far back in the corral.  I wanted to stick to 10 minute miles (or so) since that is my long slow distance pace.  Some people say they get too caught up in the race to treat it like a training run, but I've been pretty disciplined this season on my road to recovery, and I really felt that I would stick to my plan.  I started off the run with Ron, so that was nice to have some company.  It was good for him too, since he's had some leg issues lately.  Each of our miles were between 9:35-9:45, so we were cruising along a little faster than I expected but still totally acceptable.  At about mile 8.5 I decided to take a short walk break to pull myself together a bit, take a good drink, and settle in.  Ronnie kept running, and I walked for about 20 seconds and then continued on.  The rest of my run was great, and I did stop one or two more times for short walk breaks.  At mile 11 I started listening to my iPod, because I'm planning to do that towards the end of Boston.  For some reason mile 11 seemed to take forever, but then I hit mile 12 and it seemed like instantly I was at the finish line.  I was thrilled to cross the finish line feeling so good, strong, and not tired or nauseous!  This was my best long run yet.  I wish all my long runs could be races!  My final time was 2:11 with a 9:55 pace, so I was very pleased to meet my pace goal.

Happy finishers!

I was thrilled that my foot held up so well on this run, and never really got too tight afterwards.  The next morning it was tight, but no worse than any other shorter run.  My quads were (and still are) a bit sore.  I did a 4 mile recovery jog on the treadmill yesterday and then an hour of cycling, and the cycling really seemed to help.  So, to everyone who was anxiously wondering if it was possible... the answer is yes, it is possible to run a half marathon with a longest run of less than 11 miles, and substituting several runs with snowshoeing and cycling!

Olympics & winter training at its worst

Tomorrow I head to Hyannis for the Hyannis Half Marathon.  This will be my fourth appearance at this race, so I'm pretty excited to carry on the tradition for another year!  Training for it has been a bit of a challenge, but with several 10-11 mile runs under my belt at this point, I think I'll be okay.  My plan is to take it easy and treat it as a training run, and most importantly to just have fun!  I'm thrilled but skeptical to hear that the weather is actually looking promising: 40 degrees and sunny.  This breaks Hyannis tradition of reliably crappy weather, so I'm curious what rogue storm will blow in and surprise us!

Did I mention weather, and how challenging training has been?  There have been snowstorms every other day it seems, and it's really made my training a challenge.  I've missed several runs in the last couple of weeks due to weather.  I hate to seem like I'm making excuses, because I know so many other people that have still managed to get out in the dark, the cold, the ice, the snow, and yet for one reason or another I just can't do it.  At least the good news is I've gotten in a ton of snowshoeing, which is excellent cross training!  Every time I snowshoe in the deep snow I can feel it in my hip flexors and glutes, and that's exactly where I get sore after long runs.  I'm not a fan of snow, but I may as well take advantage of it while I can!

With Jackie!

Mom sporting the vintage shoes!

I'm not totally full of excuses.  I did make several attempts to get my runs in on the treadmill at the gym.  I ran into some problems here too though!  Sunday I got to the gym an hour or so before it closed, figuring I could get in 6-8 miles on the treadmill.  There's a 30 minute limit on the treadmill but I figured no one's going to be at the gym right before it closes on a Sunday.  Right?  Wrong.  While I'm running, suddenly everyone wanted a treadmill and when the line was 4 deep waiting for a machine, I finally relented and jumped off.  I only ended up getting in 4 miles.  On Monday morning I went back to the gym, swam in the pool, and then changed to run on the treadmill.  They were all taken and several people were in line waiting.  I waited as long as I could, but had an appointment and ended up having to leave without even running.  Any idea how frustrating that is?  For me, it was frustrating enough that after my appointment, I went straight to Sports Authority and bought a treadmill.  No joke.  It got delivered yesterday, and I splurged for the $70 assembly fee.  By 5PM last night, my treadmill was all set up and begging to be used!

I don't know why there's a sombrero in the corner.  Now I feel compelled to wear it.

It's super fancy too.  I didn't really need a lot of bells and whistles but they sure are nice to have!  This one has a built in fan, iPod connector, and a huge speaker.  It also has "quick speed" buttons that are very convenient, to instantly bump you to a different speed without having to continuously press the increase/decrease button.

I know everyone complains about the agonizing runs on the "dreadmill", but I couldn't be happier with my decision to buy this.  Having this treadmill just lifted a huge stress off my shoulders.  I never have to worry about it being too cold, icy, dark, early, late, or hot to run, and I don't have to stress over not getting enough time on one of the treadmills at the gym.  I finally turned the tables, and took control over something that has been getting out of my control.  I ran 4 miles last night and 3 today, and I feel spoiled running on such a nice machine!

I've really enjoyed watching the Olympics this year, despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of snow.  These athletes are amazing to watch, and it's awesome seeing all the countries competing peacefully against each other.  I love watching the back stories about the athletes, hearing about how many of them have had to overcome serious obstacles to reach their goals.  It's inspiring, seeing all the work they've put into their training throughout the year, so that on race day they make it look easy.  That translates well into marathon and triathlon training!  My favorite sports to watch are the snowboarding events.  It's so exciting seeing all their tricks, but it's a dangerous sport.  I'm not talking about for the snowboarders.  I'm talking about for me, running on a treadmill, watching the snowboarders.  I get so into it, I'm running on the treadmill, I'm dropping my shoulder, I'm tucking my elbow, I'm rotating, and before I know it I'm tripping myself and nearly corking myself right off the side of the treadmill.

And finally, in my last blog post I mentioned how I signed up for the cycling program Torture Trainer Road.  After re-doing the 8 minute test with the power meter set up, my FTP (cycling term meaning functional threshold power) was reduced from the default 200 down to 146.  I think I should have been depressed about this, but I was delighted, because it meant they would scale my workouts down accordingly!  My triathlon training program (I know, I still owe you a post on this) calls for some pretty high volume cycling each week, so I'm thrilled to have this software kicking me into gear.  I'm pretty certain there's no way I'd be completing 60-90 minute trainer rides without it!  Here's what a completed workout looks like on Trainer Road:

Tough stuff

In other completely unrelated news, I got new glasses!  I ordered them through Warby Parker.  I really like this company, because for every pair of glasses they sell, they donate another pair, and the prices are very reasonable.  They even have a home try on service, where they'll send you five frames to try on and return.  I'm a big fan!

Stay tuned for next week's blog post, where I can tell you once and for all if it's possible to train for a half marathon almost exclusively through snowshoeing and cycling!

Don't Ask Me...

Over the last few days I've made a few teeny weenie mistakes, all of which were harmless and only result in some good entertainment.  I've never claimed to be an expert of any kind, so if you ever think of coming to me for advice... don't say I didn't warn you.

Don't ask me how long it takes to ride a bike for 8 minutes.  Okay let me back up a bit.  Last month I joined a triathlon club, MRA Multisport.  I know I have a lot to learn and these club members are more than eager to share their expertise.  Trainer Road seems to be the drug of choice... It's a software program for cycling that gathers all of your vital stats to create a personalized workout.  I'm not really a gadget/data junkie, and wasn't planning to participate in this, but supposedly this is the single best way to improve cycling so I figured I'd give it a shot.  Plus, Kristen signed up for it, so that was the kick I needed.  She posted on Facebook about how she completed the 8 minute test, and how difficult and yet awesome it was, and how quickly the time went by.  I mean... I don't want to say anything, but really Kristen, 8 minutes is a very short period of time.  Of course it flew by.
On Saturday I had done my long run (more on that later), so Sunday was going to be an easy day.  I did a yoga workout on my BOSU to get in a lot of stretching, and then decided to finally go for it and sign up for Trainer Road.  Since I have triathlon training starting soon (more on that in a future post) I knew that this program would be ideal to help me conquer those long rides.  And even though this was my rest day, I figured what the heck... it's only 8 minutes.  So, how hard could it be?
Well, I'll tell you.  The 8 minute test is actually an hour long.  I should have investigated this more thoroughly before I started.  I should have noticed something was up when it said to start off lightly spinning for 5 minutes.  As it turns out, it was a series of short sprints, followed by periods of recovery, followed by a series of 8 minute intervals where you are supposed to pedal just about at your maximum effort.  All the while the program is capturing all of your statistics to make it an interactive experience.
It was the hardest "eight minutes" of my life.  The amount of sweat rolling off me was dangerous.  There was sweat on my bike.  On the floor.  On the couch.  On my phone.  On the laptop.  On the cat.  On the TV.
After I finished the workout, I realized I made a fatal error and forgot to set the power meter, which was a critical piece of information it needed to give a complete performance assessment.  So guess what, now I get to take the test again!

Don't ask me how to get to Boston from Hopkinton.  On Sunday, Ronnie was running the marathon route to get in one of his long runs.  He had expected to meet up with other runners on the course but ended up being alone, so he asked me how to get to Boston College from there.  Here's how it went:
Ronnie: Do I just stay on 135 all the way to BC?
Jill: Well no, you stay straight on that road all the way to Newton, pass Newton Wellesley Hospital, go over 95, then when you see a fire house on the right, take that right, and go up Heartbreak Hill which is really only a slight uphill and probably won't really even look like a hill.

Fast Forward 2 hours, Ronnie calls me from the side of the road, lost in Wellesley, who insists he's still on 135 but doesn't think this is the right way.  I pulled up a map and realized he stayed on 135, which took a right, instead of staying straight and merging onto route 16.  Luckily I navigated him back on course, so when he then got lost on Heartbreak Hill, he has only himself to blame.

Don't as me what the current weather conditions are, at this very moment.  Because that would require me to look out a window, and if I had looked out a window before I dressed for my lunch time run, I may have seen the awful road conditions and thought better about heading out.  But once I was outside, in my running clothes, there was no way I was going back in.  Today's 4 mile lunch run was probably the worst road conditions I've ever run in, and I felt like an idiot for being out there.  I'm pretty sure everyone else was calling me an idiot and worse.  At one point a police officer drove by me, and I expected to be pulled over and ticketed for being an idiot.  Cars were sliding and skidding everywhere, and I had zero traction because the roads hadn't been treated yet.  The only cool thing about it was seeing all my foot prints on the way back, and having the nice soft snow to run in was a cool bonus cushion.

Week 7 recap
Staying right on track...
Total miles ran: 19.25 (long run 10.25)
Total miles biked: 27.25
Total yards swam: 1,900 yards
2 Bosu ball workouts

The highlight of this past week was definitely my long 10.25 mile run, which is my longest distance since training began.  It seemed so easy compared to last week's 8 miler!  The coolest thing was when I was running down a side road in Upton, and I passed a lady walking a dog.  As I passed her, she asked me if I was training for the marathon.  "Yes, I AM!" I responded.  She wished me good luck.  That added a little pep in my step!

This week is shaping up to be a bit more of a challenge, trying to squeeze in my runs in between snow storms.  As long as I don't have to do a 12 mile run on the treadmill, I think I'll be okay!