I just returned from a short trip to Florida, where my husband and I spent some down time with family. We enjoyed a spring training game, a couple of meals out, swimming for me, golfing for my husband and a movie - all within two days - plus I ran 26+ miles in that time. Not sure that qualifies as down time, but it felt like vacation and I came to realize just how much I needed it.

I've been a runner for many years. However, I hadn't attempted to run 40-50 miles per week until this winter. Now I think of a 30 mile week as light - a week when I failed to meet my minimum mileage for one reason or another.

And there are lots of reasons.

Working, of course, 9-10+ hours each day.
Keeping up with my friends and their new babies!
Recently helping my family overcome some challenging times.
Keeping the house clean.
Getting groceries and making dinners.
Doing the laundry (a never ending task for any active person).
Going to the usual doctor appointments.
Mixing in things like writing blogs and raising money for Home Base Program.

Not much on that list is unique to me, but it makes me a particularly tired girl when you add in the fact that I'm a newlywed who wants more *awake* time with my husband and I'm running 40-50 miles/week, most of which I have to fit in on the weekends or before work on the weekdays.

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm happy and lucky to have such a full life. When one of my goals, however, is to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I wonder if I'm  focused enough on my running to do it. This weekend helped me realize that I may just be ready after all.

I went into the short vacation disappointed in my training because I either cut out or cut short a few runs. I was tying up loose ends around the house rather than out on the pavement. The break it turns out did a body good.

On Saturday I ran 9 miles at 7:39 pace. That's just slightly lower than my 10K pace and I felt like I could have kept it up for miles more. It felt effortless.

On Sunday I ran 17 miles at 8:21 pace. That's faster than my goal marathon pace and it actually felt easy! I intentionally kept the pace in the 8:30s to start, expecting to be laboring by the end, but I sped up instead. I finished it feeling tired, but completely confident in my running abilities.

These runs could not have come at a better time. Not only am I just 40 days away from my marathon, at a point in time when I need all the confidence I can get to achieve a Boston qualifying time, but they proved to me that all my hard work this winter has paid off. Even though I missed a few miles of running last week, my body knew what it needed to do, and it even surprised me.

I know I have done what I need to do to achieve Boston qualifying time on May 2. I'm thankful that this weekend's mini break from the usual routine helped me realize that. My training is by no means finished, but I'm ready and so excited! Now to start a new week of work tomorrow... right after I wake up bright and early to hit the pavement.

I am not one to turn down an amazing new experience. Run Big Sur, one of the hardest marathons in the world, as my first. Take a solo road trip of northeast ballparks - just cause. Head to Tibet and China for our honeymoon, during a time when we could have been quarantined at any moment for being near someone with swine flu. The list goes on but you get the picture.

I love an adventure. So when I saw the Run to Home Base 9K, I realized immediately that I had stumbled upon my next

The 9K is not a difficult distance for me. It's actually about the length of one of my recovery runs. The adventure comes with the bigger picture. In order to run this race, I will raise money for the Home Base Program, a new partnership between the Red Sox Foundation and Mass General Hospital to aid veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. As the granddaughter of a WWII vet, who still tells his old war stories, it couldn't make me more proud to run for such a cause.

I've always said I would not involve myself in running to fundraise (or run-raising!) - at least not now. It's not that I haven't wanted to help, but I feared losing sight of my own personal running goals in the process. I am committed to attaining a 3:40 marathon time in just 45 short days at the Providence Marathon. Nothing will diminish that drive at this point. It's what got me out the door this past Saturday and Sunday, running a combined 29 miles in some of the worst weather I've seen in a year! And, honestly, if I don't meet the goal on May 2, I'll be out there all hitting the pavement until I do - then I'll just keep on running from there.

I want to support this cause now because it does touch my heart. It does make me feel grateful to have a healthy and happy family. It does remind me of how much our military men and women do to help us - and of how much they often lose in the process. That extra motivation will be welcome company on my 26.2M and 9K runs, which is why I'm dedicating both efforts to this cause.

If you'd like to help me 'reach home base,' I would love your support! I have listed some suggested donations on my fundraising page but any and all donations are welcome - even a buck.

To anyone who makes a donation, I'll also enter you into a drawing to receive a pair of tickets to watch the end of the Run to Home Base 9K, which finishes - where else - but on home plate at Fenway Park on May 23. The concession stands will be open, so you can get your dog and a beer!

I have to admit, that is a really cool finish line. It's the icing on the cake if (when) I reach my fundraising goal.

Thanks for reading and happy running!

I'm feeling impatient right now. I have a terrible habit of starting my stopwatch after I've crossed the starting line or stopping it after I've crossed the finish line. My inability to hit that one little button at just the right moment often leaves me sitting at the computer refreshing CoolRunning for hours on end until I finally see my net race results. With that said, I know I PRed at today's Hyannis Half Marathon, the first race in the Cape Cod Half Marathon Trilogy.

It hasn't been the greatest week to end with a hard half marathon. I had a last minute business trip cut into my usual running schedule, which would have been fine if I hadn't tried to make up for the lost miles by running faster in the little time I did have to run. But no excuses. I was ready to PR at this half marathon. I was shooting for 1:40, which is 3:12 faster than my old PR.

On the drive down, my husband was asking how I ever found a race in Hyannis in February. I answered how not! Hyannis is probably the biggest race we've got going in New England until Boston Marathon. He still didn't quite believe me... until we got there.

Hyannis is not just the half marathon, but also a full marathon, marathon relay and 10K. It's also not just a race, but an expo and massive party. The event is hosted by the Hyannis Sheraton Conference Center. We arrived about an hour before the start to get my bib number and shirt, use the lavatory facilities in the Sheraton and stroll around the expo to some tunes. My husband was also thrilled to see Dunkin Donuts supplying fresh free donuts. I challenged him to eat a donut for every mile I'd run, but he didn't accept. Probably a good thing, even though I may have considered it myself at one point. Just not fair watching everyone eat donuts right before I had to run!

About 15 minutes before the start, I tore myself away from my husband and the Dunkin Donuts, and headed over to the crowded starting line. I lined up around the 8 minute mark to ensure I didn't start too fast, but we were asked to push back 10 feet about 10 times to fit all the late comers (and slower starters) in to the starting area. At least I didn't have to worry about being cold. I couldn't move an inch in any direction.

Just a few minutes passed 10 am (half hour after the marathon start), we were off and running! I crossed the start line about 20 seconds later to be greeted by a huge crowd of onlookers on either side of the street. It was exciting to see so many faces out on this nice crisp winter morning. We made our way through the streets of Hyannis and headed out toward the sea.

It was a crowded first few miles. I didn't bother to dart around too many people to save energy, but I tried to keep the pace steady, even and strong. Some people blew by me at mile 2-3 and I made a mental note to catch them later.

Around mile 3 I realized that I hadn't seen a mile marker. They're not the most noticeable markers, which was actually fine with me. I can't overthink my running when I don't know what mile I'm on. I did spot my a marker at mile 4 and was right around 30 minutes. I was happy with my pace so I kept it and started running along the water.

Many of the sights are beautiful in Hyannis. Not every mile has you seaside but you'll have your fair share of ocean views and spend most of the other miles running along quiet streets. That said we had to run with traffic at almost all times and we did have to run along a couple of very busy streets. It wasn't bad but not ideal.

Around mile 6 my legs started feeling stiff. I knew I should have rested more this week but it is what it is.

I welcomed the slight uphill and downhill stretches later. There are no big hills, but a few good slopes. It's just enough to keep you on your toes and engage some of the other muscles that were along for the ride. On these hills I was able to catch a few dozen people, including some of those who passed me at mile 2. :)

By mile 9 I just wanted to be in the double digits already. I was tired and my legs were ready to rest. I zoned out as best I could until I saw that happy # 10!

5K to go! That's just two laps around my house! I picked it up and lost the small pack of runners who I'd been drafting for a couple of miles. We made our way along the residential streets back toward the hotel and ran along some welcomed downhill stretches. I needed all I could get because I couldn't forget that this race ends on an incline.

More spectators started coming into view. I was at the last mile. Some guys caught up to me and I did my best to stay with them even though I was ready to puke. I just kept chugging along, focusing on my stride and maintaining my pace. I wanted to save a little bit in the tank for the last 1/4 mile.

After coming around one final turn, the finish area was ahead. Lots of spectators waiting. Lots of runners also ready to run the next leg of the marathon relay. I was glad not to be running the marathon today, but the race organizers and volunteers did a great job starting the half marathon, marathon relay and 10K all together. I was never once confused about which way to run, and appreciated the crowds at the relay handoffs - just enough to give me a boost.

Now it was time to run. The final stretch. I made a sharp turn into the hotel parking lot, trailing one woman I desperately wanted to catch (but didn't) and powered my way up the hill. My husband got it on video, which was kind of cool. I spotted the clock at the finish line at 1:42 even. No 1:40 today but I still broke my old PR of 1:43:12! My net time would be faster, which I will hopefully know very soon, but it's a PR anyway.

And when it was all over, I finally got that donut. :)

Thanks for the great race, Hyannis! See you at the Johnny Kelley Half in May!

Update: I finished in 1:41:23 - almost two minutes better than my old PR. YAY!

Is it too late to run at 10:42pm?

I'm watching the 2010 Olympics opening ceremony (DVRed to avoid commercials) and I'm already feeling inspired.

For me the Olympics are about celebrating the accomplishments of our greatest athletes, people who dedicate their lives to achieving personal glory often without any fame.

They are the people who work day in and day out to break down their bodies and build them back up even stronger.

They are the people who suffer through grueling workouts and extreme physical and emotional pains that would bring the toughest men to their knees.

They are the people whose names we do not know, yet we admire for all they have made themselves to be.

We learned today that 21 year old, Georgian luger died on the ice in a horrific accident during a practice run, just hours before tonight's opening ceremony. The ceremony is now dedicated to this once promising and beloved young man, Nodar Kumaritashvil, whose name we probably would have never known otherwise.

I will never be an Olympian - not even remotely close to one. I can't imagine what it's like to train full time or run 150-200 miles a week. I only know what it's like to be a decent endurance athlete. I know how much work is required achieve my personal best, which is a mere jog by elite standards. I run alone, in the dark early morning hours, in the dark after 10 hour work days, in the snow, on the ice, through the pouring rain, in the humid heat... No one sees that. No one feels it. It's just me out there pushing myself to my limits and finding new ones in the process.

I'm not only inspired by all that the Olympians will do during the next two weeks. I admire them for all they've done over the past 2, 4, 10 years. I just hope they feel that through the HD.

It's a long road. They're out there on it. And now I can't wait to get on mine.


P.S. Just heard a great quote: "Making the Olympics is like crossing the Saraha desert, getting to the end and getting a very cold drink and a lovely cold shower."
- Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, "The Snow Leopard" of Ghana, the country's first winter Olympian, who learned to ski indoors after taking on a job as a receptionist at a ski center.

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I finally ran a 10k!

Seems odd that I hadn't run a 10k sooner. I've tackled everything else from the 400 meter through the marathon, including a bunch of 5ks, a 7.5 miler, 16 miler, 4 miler, etc. Never the 6.2 mile distance. Super Sunday 10k on Boston's waterfront provided the perfect opportunity.

As I've increased my mileage over the past few weeks, I've come to love my 6/7/8 mile runs. That's my new fun run zone. Whenever I finish any of those runs, I feel terrific... like I could run 100 miles farther. I was looking forward to this 10k, knowing that I could run it well and maybe even fast. My only concern was my recent knee pain.

So I asked myself:

"Should I run this race all out?" (Maybe.)

"Should I take it easy?" (Not likely.)

"Should I skip it and give my knee a full week off?" (Not a chance.)

I decided: "I'm going to run this race smart." That for me entails:

1. Not going out too hard.
2. Negative splits.
3. A hard pace, but one I know I'm capable of running.

I set my sites on a 7:30 pace. My last 4 miler was about 7:15 pace, so I knew I could do another two miles at the slower speed.

I arrived at Super Sunday 10k to meet my friend Jeremy who was running the 5k distance. It was his first 5k ever - his first road race of any distance in fact - and I would be his privileged pacer. He was concerned about running a respectable 5k time, and just knowing him I figured he could handle about a 7:30 pace. Still, I wanted to be sure we started out easy so we could both adjust to the race and not get too caught up in sprinting out of the gate.

We walked up to the starting line and settled in about half way back in the mass of people. Unable to hear the announcer back there, we just waited and waited for everyone to start running. Luckily we could hear the starting horn.

The horn blared and we were off!!

Not really. We sort of shuffled for about 20-30 seconds before reaching the line.

Then we were off!

Kind of. We were confronted with a wall of people and fairly narrow streets. I hadn't run this race before, obviously, so I hadn't thought through the crowd issues.

Trotting along. Trotting along. This was way too slow, I kept thinking, but I didn't worry too much about it. My knee wouldn't hate me and Jeremy could start to find his race.

After about 1/2 mile, I was done with trotting. It was time to start picking people off.

We surged ahead single file as best we could.

Passed 5 people. Passed 10 people. Passed a whole bunch more.

Mile marker 1: 8:50ish.

YIKES. I'm never going to run a 7:30 pace. Time to GO.

I really started picking it up. Jeremy stuck with me the whole way, although often having to slip along side so we could fit through the groups of people.

Mile marker 2: 16:00ish

SWEET. We made up some time and we were both running strong. Keep on going.

About half mile later, I lost track of Jeremy. It was just too crowded and I was still surging ahead. I knew he was running strong close behind me, and would be able to finish strong. I just hoped he would know when the end of the race was near so he could kick it. This race was going by fast and I figured that 3.1 mile finish line would sneak up on him.

I found out later that it did. But he had a fantastic first 5k, finishing 25th in his age group! Woohoo! Way to go J!

Meanwhile I had another 3.1 miles to go. Another full loop. I usually dislike loop courses, but this race was ideal. In that second go-round, I knew exactly when to push it.

I decided to focus on the "pick offs" to keep me moving forward. No one was passing me, except for two guys toward the end, so I was feeling great that I could keep going strong.

I focused on a girl in green.

Caught her.

I focused on a dude in black.

Caught him.

We were on the last mile, running along fan pier, and I knew it was time to go. I started finding a bit of my kick in anticipation of the final stretch.

I set sights on two girls in different shades of blue, one slightly ahead of the other. I focused on the closer one, then decided to just gun for the girl in front. I caught them both at mile 6, right before the final .2.

I started pushing it, on the verge of puking at this point. Oh, and there it was - some guy stopped right ahead of me to puke. I could feel his pain.

Last stretch and there are my friends cheering me on. I let out everything I had left and crossed just under 47:00 on the clock.

First thought. Damn. I didn't make my goal. I could have gone faster.

I found out later that I netted 46:34. That's a 7:30 pace on the nose! Exactly what I set out to do. What shocks me more is that I clocked the first 5k in 23:41and the second in 22:53 -- that's only about 25 seconds slower than my best ever 5k time.

Hmm. Just how fast could I run now if I really let it all out?

Can't wait to find out. Until then, happy road running!

I've been running a lot, logging more miles than ever before. I've tried to increase my mileage carefully, adding no more than 10-15% each week. I've read books on proper training. I follow a close running schedule. I ease off my pace when I feel fatigued.

And I've completely overdone it.

Last week I set two personal records. I ran 43 miles in 7 days, and 59 miles in 8 days, taking into account the Boston Prep 16 Miler. I was so excited by these milestones and my performance at Boston Prep that I failed to rest. I skipped one of my scheduled rest days. I turned my recovery runs into aerobic runs. And I pushed myself to go just a bit harder in every workout than I should have.

Not smart. A mild ache that introduced itself to my right knee about two weeks ago is now a big fat glaring case of tendonitis.

Everything you'll ever read about marathon training says that rest is key to your success. I increased my mileage significantly and failed to rest during that time. One more hard run this morning followed by 10 hours sitting at my desk did me in. I walked to the train after work with a serious limp - not a slight limp - a serious it-hurts-to-step-off-the-curb kind of limp. Now I'm on the couch with my leg elevated in the only position that doesn't cause discomfort.

I did some research on how to handle knee tendonitis and found a good resource on iTendonitis.com.  It says I should follow the RICE method of recovery:

Excepted from iTendonitis.com:

Rest
The first step is to rest the knee. If you feel the pain during sport, you should stop and rest immediately.

Ice
Ice is one of the best methods of reducing pain, inflammation and swelling. Ice also helps to promote blood flow to the area. You should apply ice to the knee straight away and then at intervals. Do not keep the ice on for longer that 20 minutes at a time and do not put the ice directly on the knee (wrap it in a towel).

Compress
Lightly compress the knee area when applying ice.

Elevate
Elevate the leg.
 
I prefer my rice brown and in a burrito, but I guess this will have to do.

Super Sunday 10k is this weekend. I'm hoping to be at least somewhat rested and recovered by then. I'm way too stubborn to skip a run let alone a race.

Finally a photo where I actually look like I'm running.

"A civilized society is one which tolerates eccentricity to the point of doubtful sanity."
- Robert Frost

There is no better introduction to a report on the Boston Prep 16 Miler, a race that would make even the most advanced runners ask themselves, "What the hell am I doing to myself?" yet feel so proud when they're finished.

The Setting

This year's 15th annual Boston Prep 16 Miler took place on a warm winter morning by New Hampshire standards. The third Sunday in January is usually fraught with blustery winds, freezing temperatures and unpredictable storms. This day on January 24, 2010, we enjoyed mild 30 degree temperatures, blue skies, sunshine and clear roads, save the occasional puddle of melting snow.

The race follows the winding streets and rolling hills of Derry, New Hampshire. It begins just 100 yards from West Running Brook, the small stream made famous by Robert Frost. Previous racers use words like "quaint" and "idyllic" to describe the scenes, which include rambling stone walls; solitary country homes surrounded by trees heavy with snow; perfect little mailboxes at the end of each driveway. It is a peaceful place that provides the perfect palate for a poet like Frost: plenty of quiet space to explore the depths of the woods and his mind.

Then there are the deceiving hills that make many a runner want to run far, far away from the seeming serenity of Derry, New Hampshire.

First let me back up a few steps.

Pre Race

I arrived at the Derry Village School, race headquarters, just about 45 minutes after departing from home in Brookline. The volunteers were well organized, cheerful and ready to direct me to a great parking spot. I pulled in beside a narrow walking path then headed inside to check in.

The pint-size tables and chairs in the elementary school's cafeteria were barely big enough to fit even the most petite runners' behinds, yet every seat was taken. The room was bustling with excited runners, stretching, hydrating, tuning out to the music and announcements. Feeling the energy kicked my nerves right into gear.

I looked up my bib number (355) and walked to the check in table to collect my ankle chip timer, pumpkin colored "BP 16 Miler 2010" t-shirt and ill fitted gray winter cap with race logo. Still works as a running cap.

I grabbed a GU and a few race flyers from the center of the room to keep my mind occupied. That lasted about 10 seconds. Then I claimed a square of the linoleum floor to squat and zone out until race time. At this point I had an hour to go.

The Start

Having been to the ladies' room three times, I headed out to my car to drop off my new gear and what was left of the water and PowerBar I'd been working on. I sat in the car to keep warm and call my husband... then ran back inside to use the ladies' room once again.

Hello nerves.

Finally, I returned to the car for the last time, ditched my unnecessary layers and followed the walking path to the start.

"Hey, Are You Robyn?"

Several former coworkers happened to be running the race – a pleasant surprise. I chatted up one of them in the starting corral and managed to keep my mind off of the fact that I was about to run a 16 mile "moderately challenging" course.

The race logo is an exaggerated image of hills that look more like mountains. Beneath the image is the tagline "moderately challenging." I didn't pay much attention to this when I signed up. I had heard this race was difficult more because of the weather than the hills. I had not grasped that the hills really are quite steep and long at times, not at all like you'd normally see in a race. In other words, this race is not for someone who has little to no hill training. If you're thinking of running it in the future, be sure you're prepared.

The race was set to start at 10:00 am. 10 minutes later, we were ready to go. 

The starting line was an unmarked space beside a small white house. That house, a few hundred trees and the race organizer's car complete with boom box set the stage for the start of the 15th annual Boston Prep 16 Miler.

BANG

The race was off!

"Take it slow, take it slow," I kept telling myself. I have a bad habit of flying out of the gate only to crash and burn later. I was determined not to let that happen this time. I forced myself to go slow, take it down just one more notch and enjoy the serene setting.

I also reminded myself that I am not prepping for a race like Boston Marathon. I'm training for Providence Marathon, which is fairly flat. My goal was to run this 16 miler hard, but not kill myself completely since hills are not a big concern for me this year. That said, I wish I had run this race when I was training for the Big Sur Marathon. Now those are some hills, and I could have used this workout.

Mile 1: First hill already, but it was too early to care. My favorite sight of the race was also at this very early point: A corral of dark horses off to my right. They were romping and jumping around almost as if they were wild and free, trying to race along with us. It was a beautiful site in the snowy countryside. I took a mental snapshot for when I'd need it later.

Miles 2-4: Mostly down hills at this point, but what goes down must come up! :) These miles were a bit of a blur thanks to "The Breather." I never saw this guy's face, but I always knew he was running right there beside me. First water stop at mile 3 gave me a chance to break away from him a bit.

Miles 5-7: I managed to lose "The Breather" and picked up "The Talker." I understand it's easy for some people to run 8 minute miles for 16 miles, but it's a challenge for me. Listening to someone talk for several miles about how much he hates the fact that he's an associate engineer who should be paid like a senior engineer is not my idea of fun. To all the talkers out there, please be mindful of other runners who may be beside you. At least he got me to move it along.

Miles 8-9: I knew the big hill was coming on mile 10. We'd already covered a series of rolling hills and I'd picked up my pace from a 9 minute mile at the start to about an 8 minute mile. I needed to store up some time in anticipation of a slow mile 10 and 11. Also grabbed a GU and some Gatorade from a kind volunteer. The volunteers and fueling stations on this course are impressive - on par with the most well organized marathons.

Mile 10: "Why is it downhill? Hmm. I don't see this big hill everyone told me about. I thought it was at mile 10. Was it another mile? Oh wait a minute. There it is. Crap."

That's pretty much all I thought at mile 10, where a nice hill started out good and steep to put my quads to work.

An important note to any potential BP runner: The hills on this course are sneaky. They're not all that hard, but they're long and steep at points, which is enough to burn out your legs before you're even a third of the way up. The most deceiving part, though, is that you often can't see the whole hill. You'll be trotting comfortably along, feeling good, curve around some trees and - whoa - the road spikes from a 20 degree incline to a 50 degree incline right in front of you. I may not have those numbers quite right, but those hills will throw you. It's easy to get psyched out on this course. Don't let it get you.

Mile 11: I was still on the same damn hill. Still climbing to about 600 feet from where I started at around 200 feet what felt like 20 minutes earlier. It did make me think of the Big Sur hills, though not nearly as bad: One 2 mile climb on Highway 1 took me from sea level to 600 feet, only to run me into a wall of 30 mph winds at the top.

Memories.

I just kept chugging along, slow and steady. I could not leave everything I had out on this one hill. I missed qualifying for Boston at the NYC Marathon because I killed myself during the race and had nothing left at the end. I had to prove to myself that I could finish a hard race strong.

To help me get through it, I switched off between running on my toes with short choppy steps and running in longer strides to get some of the lactate acid moving through my legs. I also counted: One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One count for every swing of my arms. It helped.

Mile 12: "Woohooo! Downhill!" I couldn't have been much happier after I crested that big hill. Even better, the volunteer at the water stop said "No More Hills!" After 12 miles of constant up and down, up and down, UP and down, it was finally over. I just had to keep a steady strong pace through the end.

Mile 13-15: My pace gradually picked up on the nice flat stretch. I actually passed people. Hooray!

The Finish: Here I should have been going all out, but I was enjoying myself and my quads really did hurt. I was back on Humphrey Road near West Running Brook where we started. I glanced over at the horses that danced for us earlier, ran passed the small house that marked our starting line, turned onto the main road where the spectators awaited, and made one final swing into the school parking lot.

There was the finish line. I heard my friends cheering for me. The race announcer said, "About to cross the finish line is Robyn Lewis of Brookline, Mass!"

I finally sprinted.

Post Race

My friends were there. More of my former coworkers were there. I was so happy to be done and so glad someone saw me do it!

I achieved everything I'd hope to in this race: I started easy, finished strong and walked away from it all within one minute of my goal time. Not bad for a hilly race that I'd admittedly underestimated.

Despite my glory moment, no water or food was available for us non elite runners at the finish line. I quickly made my way to the car for some sustenance. The light jog over there was anything but light, especially along the down hill walkway to the parking lot. Quads. Ouch.

After waiting for a few more people to finish, we headed back to the school cafeteria and collected our soup, pizza, coffee, cookies, bananas, Gatorades, waters and anything else edible they wanted to hand to us. The race organizers treat you very well at the Boston Prep 16 Miler.

Then we went out for pizza.

My Race Results

Pace: 8:12
Time: 2:11:12
Division place: 20/94
Gender place: 50/281
Overall place: 253/707

And I couldn't be happier.

I went into this race on a relative whim. "Sure I'll run a 16 mile race. In the middle of winter. In New Hampshire!" That sounds nuts. Throw in the possibility of blizzard, sleet, black ice or sub zero temperatures and you have the definition of crazy. Throw in those hills to the mix and it's pretty insane.

To all my insane runner friends out there… See you at Boston Prep 16 Miler 2011!

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock

Here it comes. The nervous energy is already beginning to build, and I'm 34 hours from gun time for the Boston Prep 16 Miler.

Granted I'm not technically prepping for the Boston Marathon, but I am preparing for a Boston qualifying time - and I'm anxious to run this race. I'm always a ball of nerves on race day. I start to lose my appetite around dinner time the night before. I force myself to eat something the morning of. By the time I step to the line I'm shaking, and not just from the cold. It's all very normal. I'm not trying to win a prize. I'm not trying to beat a competitor. I'm just trying to do my best.

I've been that way since I started running in the 7th grade. I'd get so worked up that I'd be ill the entire school day before a track or cross country meet. But it worked. That energy is just what I needed to reach performance levels I had difficulty attaining in training. It's the same today.

This race seems like it will be particularly interesting thanks to the "moderately challenging" billing, which includes a 2 mile ascent from miles 10-12. Just what you want to see at mile 10. A huge hill.

I never did mind hills though. I'm ready for you Derry! And I am looking forward to the run through Robert Frost's old stomping ground. Maybe I'll be inspired to do something great.

Full race report to follow.

P.S. I'm also volunteering at the MIT Coed Invitational tomorrow, Saturday, January 23. Should be an exciting event for track and field fans!

Today's Run: Just over 4 miles at marathon pace. Loved it. Felt a bit like flying.

"Journalism will never hold you."

One of my college professors said that to me on the last day of class. It was a literature to film class that required me to find unique analogies in filmmakers' interpretations of books and plays. I loved it. I was so deeply absorbed that I became temporarily obsessed with every version of Romeo and Juliet I could get my hands on. I wrote a dozen page paper just on the use of color in the films, detailing how it foreshadowed events, exaggerated character emotions and helped set the the tempo of each scene.

The thing I remember most from that class, though, was not Leonardo DiCaprio running around in Shakespearean tights. It was that one statement: "Journalism will never hold you."

Of course I was a journalism major at the time; almost double major in English. I was fully committed to my path and exceeded my own academic goals as a straight A student. But my professor stopped me in my tracks. I never thought beyond my university universe: Finish top of my class. Get a job right out of college. Become a successful writer and editor in the real world. I chuckled at the idea that I may go further than all that (I was thinking like a 20 year old), but I knew he was serious. I just couldn't fully comprehend his words.

I'm still thinking about it today. Only now I apply it to several aspects of my life. Am I pushing myself to my full potential at work? Am I doing all I can to make my loved ones happy? Can I really qualify for Boston?

Running is one area where I am proud to have broken through my little mold. 5ks didn't hold me. Half marathons didn't hold me. The day I finished a marathon... that was the day I opened a door to a world of possibilities. What began as a way to stay healthy and in shape (a means to an end) has turned into the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and an ongoing motivation.

I intend to think big and continue opening many more doors in the future. I hope others find the inspiration to do the same. Until then, choose your own adventure and trying telling yourself "Fill in the blank will never hold you." It will get you thinking.