Category: Running

A Not-So-Normal Wednesday

Published on by Marie3 Comments

If you haven’t heard by now, yesterday was Super Tuesday.  This is how I spent my day:

– 6:00am: Wake up.  Shower. Try to look decent.

– 7:30am: Drive to Vermont

– 9:30am: Keep driving to Vermont.

– 10:00am: Arrive in Brattleboro, Vermont.  Scope out election scene at the high school, drive around Smalltown, USA.  Shoot lots of video.  Buy a shot glass and a stick of maple syrup.

Welcome to Smalltown, USA.

– 10:45am: Ask some guy if we can shoot from his back porch.  Guy agrees.  We get great footage with minimal tree intrusion.

– 11:00am: Head back to the high school, shoot more video, interview people, do a standup, freeze bum off

– 12:30pm: Get amazing lunch at random, hole-in-the-wall pub.

– 1:30pm: Start driving home.

– 2:00pm: Stop for gas before we run out.

-4:00pm: Arrive at school, return camera equipment, start editing, writing, recording.

-9:00pm: Finish package, figure out chyrons, write other stuff, tweet, tweet, tweet.

– 9:45pm: Go into newsroom.  Send texts so people will watch the show.  Get on the phone with Skype crew.

– 10:00pm:  Live Super Tuesday show.  A little rocky, but successful.  Vermont package airs.  I get 3423 text messages from family and friends telling me they loved it.

– 11:00pm: Go to bar and drink beer with classmates (and prof) on the dean’s tab.

Report the news.. then drink.

– 11:45pm: Train home.  Almost miss stop.  Set morning alarm for 5:45 and 6:15.

-12:21 am: Sleep.

– 5:45am: Alarm goes off.  Almost throw phone across the room.

It was a long day.  Thankfully today, we don’t have class because we had it last night instead.  But that doesn’t mean I got to sleep in.  Quite the opposite.

I didn’t actually end up rolling out of bed this morning until closer to 6:30.  I had to meet the rest of the Unyted Stylz crew at the New England Aquarium at 7:30 for a show.  I was nervous that I’d totally miss our call time so I left my apartment just after 6:45 to take the Green Line to Government Center and switch to the Blue.  I met up with another crew member waiting for the blue line train and was happy that I wouldn’t get lost the rest of the way.

At the Aquarium, the host of the event was beyond thrilled to see us.  When it was time for us to perform, I was pretty nervous since it was my first show with the crew since joining last month.  Surprisingly, though, I wasn’t as Oh-My-God-I’m-Gunna-Throw-Up nervous as I normally am before performing.  Either way, it was great and the crowd really liked us.  And I looked pretty decent in the video we watched after so WIN.

Some of US Crew (with baby CJ!) at the Aquarium

When I got back to my apartment, I made some breakfast, watched Jenna Marbles (anyone else obsessed with this girl?  Fun fact: She got her Master’s at BU like me) and tried to make myself look decent for the second time today before heading off to Cambridge to meet up with Alaina for the first time in person!

I’ve been reading Alaina’s blog for a while now and when we figured out we live super close to each other, we decided a blogger meet up/coffee date would be the way to go.  Unfortunately, we are both incredibly busy so it’s actually taken months to finally take the time to do it!

We met up at 1369 Coffee House in Central Square, Cambridge just off the red line.  I had never been there before and was excited to try it.  I ordered a blood cider instead of coffee (who am I?) and it was delicious.  Locally produced piping hot apple cider with a deeply aromatic tea steeped in.  I also tried the cranberry-walnut muffin which was delicious.  Alaina and I talked about anything and everything you could think of: our blogs, running, working out, living in Boston, school…  It was great to get to know someone in person that you feel like you have known from reading their blog.

The rest of my day looked like this:

– YouTube videos.

– Nap.

– Oversleep from nap; frantically get ready; train to school.

– Anchor BU’s “Inside Boston”.

– Fro Yo (aka dinner) with a treat-obsessed dance friend.

– Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube.

And now I think I’ll sleep because I have an live guest coming tomorrow to interview on our class news magazine show and I should probably wash my hair and put make-up on in the morning.

How did you spend your Wednesday?  Do you have to set three to five alarms to ensure you’ll wake up on time?

Friday Things… and why I can’t feel my legs right now.

Published on by Marie1 Comment

I’ve come to a point in my grad school life where I don’t particularly enjoy any day of the week ever.  Not even weekends… not even Mondays when I don’t have class.  I’m either shooting, editing, making myself look pretty to be on camera, getting yelled at for doing something wrong, working my ass off and only getting B’s, etc.

I know I’m being whiny and annoying.  I just hate school.

There's me.. 2nd computer in. Typical night.

Okay, I’ll try to stop being annoying now.

If you read the title of this post, you’re probably wondering why my legs are numb at the moment.  Well, it’s because yesterday, despite the nasty weather, I decided to get my sweat on in the form of a gym workout (including a treadmill/speed work run) and 3 hours of dance to follow it.

I had 3 miles on my agenda yesterday and after reading Hilary’s “HIIT to FIT” treadmill workouts, I decided to give it a try.  I modified it, of course, because that girl can run at a 7:07 pace and that just doesn’t seem conceivable for me since I usually run between 9:50 and 11:00 per mile.  Cool.

Here’s my version of Hil’s HIIT to FIT:

3 minutes warm-up, walking at 4.0.
90 seconds running at 6.7 (9:50), 30 seconds running at 5.7 (10:31) –> repeat 4 times.
3 minute recovery, walking at 4.0.
45 seconds running at 7.2 (8:45), 15 seconds running at 5.7 (10:31) –> repeat 4 times.
1 minute recovery, walking at 4.0.
60 seconds running at 7.7 (7:47), 60 seconds running at 6.7 (8:45) –> repeat 2 times.
Walk at 4.0 to round out 30-32 minutes.

Did you keep up with all of that?  Well, I was drenched in sweat and my legs were trembling by the end of it.  7:47?  Seriously?  I was pretty proud of that.

I chased my run with some ab work and a few arm exercises before hopping on the train to go to an hour of ballet.

The second I tried to move when I got to the studio, I knew it was going to be a rough night.  My legs felt like lead and even the simplest “failli assemble” seemed too advanced for my sweaty self.  Rehearsal was fun as always, but after the hour was up, I headed to a much different rehearsal, knowing I was in for a good ass-kicking.

I recently joined a hip-hop crew in Boston called Unyted Stylz.  They are amazing.  I promise to explain more about them later but just know that by the end of the 2 hours I spent with them, I was completely drenched, bright red and along with my legs being shot, my right big toe was not doing so well.  I think  I sprained it…

When I got back to my apartment, I took the hottest shower of my life, microwaved some dinner and passed out with my computer on my lap.  Today is a “good hurt, but I’ll take it easy at the gym later” kind of a day.

Tell me: Was your Thursday incredibly sweaty like mine?  How do you do your speed work?  What do you think about the treadmill… great training tool or way too boring?  Do you like microwave dinners?  Smart Ones are my fave.

That time I signed up for a 10K

Published on by Marie4 Comments

So remember that time I was going to run a 10K and then totally chickened out?  Then there was that other time when I accidentally registered for a 5-miler instead of a 5K, but got through it without dying?  Well, my friends, two nights ago I clicked a pretty little PAY NOW button and officially registered for my first-ever 10K road race.

Holy. Crap.

The race: The 9th Annual Malden Rotary Road Race 10K

Where: Malden, Massachusetts

When: Saturday, March 24th… a mere 5 and a half weeks away.

But at a $10 student race fee, I couldn’t turn it down.  Plus, the prospect of some sweet race swag had me giving them those ten dollars even faster.

I can’t say no to free stuff, especially when it has to do with running (or dance.)  The awesome bright green gloves I got from that 5-miler say “Shamrock Running Club” on them and I won’t lie – I love wearing them.  I feel like a runner or something.

I may or may not wear these everyday.

So where does that leave me training-wise?  Well, I’ve got the 5-miler and a few 5Ks under my belt so I already know I can complete the extra 1.2 miles without dying.  Will I enjoy it?  Probably not at the time, but I’ll do it.  Since I kept putting off registering, I now find myself with only 5 weeks to formally train along with a full course schedule, TA-ing and 12 hours a week of dance (oh, did I mention that even after dropping Wednesday night at DanceWorks, I somehow managed to add an additional 4 hours of dance a week?  I didn’t mention that?  More about that in a different post….), it leaves little wiggle room for hours of running.

So I found a plan that fits just right.

I can totally handle this.... right?

So obviously this plan does not come complete with almost 12 hours of extra cross training per week but as is the life of a dancer/wannabe runner.  I’ll be running various mileage 3-4 times a week, totaling from 14-17 miles per week.  This is by farther most miles/week I’ve ever done and I’m super excited to start!  I’m not going for speed, just endurance and a strong finish (aka don’t collapse at the finish line.)

But let’s be real here… I need some advice.

I want to know…. what advice do you have for me as I train for my first 10k?  What works best for you when you train?  What should I wear (keep in mind, the race is at the end of March).  Share your 10K stories!  Any and all advice is appreciated!

Winning, Losing, Sickness, School

Published on by Marie4 Comments

My team lost, it was a rough game and that’s that.  There will be no more talk of Super Bowl 2012.

Let’s talk about things that are happy or stressful.  Anything but football.  Since I’ve been away from the blog for a little while, I think this is a perfect time for an update.

School… is stressful.  I thought last semester was hard.  My fall courses were a cake walk compared to what I’m dealing with now.  One of the worst feelings in the world is when one of your professors shoots down every single idea you have for your projects.  When May 4th rolls around, you can find me doing cartwheels outside of 640 Commonwealth Avenue because after this semester, it’s smooth sailing (and flying if you’re referring to London!)

My new apartment… is amazing.  My roommates are great, it’s super convenient and I love being a 5 minute walk to the gym. 

Running… has not really been happening.  See “my health.”  I’m also still looking for a race to run this month but since Sundays are now dedicated to dance, my options have been limited.  Help!! I plan on getting back into a routine this week so hopefully that new 5K PR is in the near future.

Dance… is wonderful, albeit a huge time consumer.  Not in a bad way, just in a I-wish-I-had-more-time way.  I had to drop a night of DanceWorks Boston to free up some time for school things which was awful, but the 5 routines I’m in are going to be great.  And cardio is never a bad thing.  Last weekend, DWB even got to travel to New York City to perform in a show there.  It was a blast and dancing in NYC is always a dream come true.  That’s the “winning” aspect of this post. 

The dance I choreographed... "Hello World"

And sometimes in NYC, I put my leg in the air.

Can you find me?

My health… has been CRAP.  I got sick last Friday (of course the day I was going to NYC) and have been sick ever since.  And when I say sick, I mean it.  Gastroenteritis, norovirus.. whatever you want to call it, infultrated my body last Sunday and well, I’ll spare you the gorey details.  I managed to lose 8 pounds in 1 night if that’s any indication.  Then once that was all out of my system (literally), I caught a head cold and have been dealing with that ever since.  Good job, immune system, thanks for your hard work.

Cooking… also hasn’t really happened this week.  Between NYC and getting a sickness that didn’t make food appealing for most of the week,  I wasn’t really in the mood to cook.  I did make some delicious guilt-free piggies in a blanket and an amazing trifle for a certain football game we aren’t talking about and they were both a hit so we’ll count that as a good cooking for the week.   I want to use my crockpot at some point in the upcoming week so stay tuned!

Aren't these the cutest munchies ever? And guilt free!

Well, that’s pretty much it for now.  Next on the agenda?  Surviving this week.

Tell Me!  How has your week been?  Have you managed to avoid getting the stomach flu?  What upcoming races are you running?  What was the best thing you cooked this week?

Oh, PS – Anyone want a yummy trifle recipe?

Oreo and Brownie Trifle
Adapted from Baking Away

Mmm.. trifle...

Ingredients:
1 9×13 inch pan of fudgy brownies
2 small boxes of fat free, sugar free chocolate pudding mix
4 cups of skim milk
8 ounce container Cool Whip Free
12 ounces regular Cool Whip
18 Oreos

Make brownies and set aside to cool completely.  Mix milk with pudding powder and let chill for 30 minutes.  Then, gently fold in the 8 ounces of Cool Whip Free until there are no streaks.  Chop the oreos and set aside.

To assemble:  Lay half of the brownies in a trifle bowl followed by half of the pudding.  Sprinkle half the oreos over the pudding layer and top with half of the regular Cool Whip.  Repeat layers.  If desired, garnish the top with crushed and/or whole oreos or dark chocolate shavings.  Chill until ready to serve. 

Delicious AND beautiful!

Still lookin’ for a February race

Published on by Marie2 Comments

I got a book for Christmas called Women Who Run by Shanti Sosienski and it is one of the most inspirational books I’ve ever read… and I’m only on page 49.

Go buy this book! It is a much better read than the two embassy/diplomacy books underneath it.

When it comes to running, I am not an every.single.day runner.  In fact, I don’t even really consider myself a “runner.”  I run when I want to.  I run for fun.  I run for fitness.  But most importantly, I run for me.  I honestly cannot say I love it.. yet.  And I’m not yet disciplined enough to lace up my sneakers each day because I know I should.  But I do enjoy it enough to register for races and spend money to do something I could do for free.  I feel that the bragging rights (more like I-Ran-A-Race-So-I’m-Cool rights) and t-shirt are worth it.

So back to this book.  It is full of stories of incredible women runners.  Marathon-running mothers, adventure racers, 50-somethings who can run a sub-seven-minute mile.  And as different as each of them are from one another, they all have the same message – they run because they love it.

So I get to page 49, right at the beginning of a new chapter and I decide that it would be a good idea to look for more races between the end of January and April.  So far, I’ve come up with 3 definites and a big empty calendar for the month of February:

February: HELP.

March: Hibernian 5K in my hometown (Lynn, MA).  Woo hoo!  Finally a race in the city I grew up in!

April: Energize the Earth 10K (Beverly, MA).  My first 10K.  Gah.  Who’s got a rockin’ training plan for this one?  Anyone?  E-mail me and we’ll be best friends.

May: Beach to Beach 5K (Marblehead, MA).  This will be the anniversary race of my first race ever back in May 2011.  I can’t wait to crush the crap out of last year’s time.

So, who out there has a fantastic race (5K, 4M or 5M.. ya know, since I run those now..) for February that they are dying to tell me about? (2 catches: It cannot be for Saturday, February 11th… I take the Foreign Service Exam that day(!) or any Sunday morning because I dance.)

Logging the Miles

Published on by Marie3 Comments

When I started running last March, I never expected that I would continue with it.  I did the Couch to 5K plan to prove to myself that I could complete something that was completely out of my comfort zone.

Back then, I ran in ancient (AKA gross) sneakers with no knowledge of pace or technique.  I just got on a treadmill three days a week and followed the plan.  When my first 5K race  rolled around, I did it and enjoyed it but not enough to keep track of how many miles I was running.

Now, 10 months later, I have 5 races under my belt and my cardio of choice is running.  Though I’m not exactly speedy or particularly great at it, I have come to (mostly) enjoy it.  Do I get up at 5 am and pound out 7 miles every morning?  Well, no, not yet.  But maybe someday.

This year I am adding a resolution to my list.  I want to log my miles and maybe even have a goal mileage in mind.  But since dance will take over my life once again very soon, I don’t need to resolve to run any crazy number… just enough for me.

I want to know:  Do you log your miles?  What’s your mileage goal for 2012?

Run Your Hangover Off 5-Miler Recap

Published on by Marie1 Comment

Hello 2012!  It’s nice to meet you.  My name is Marie and sometimes I do silly things.  Like take 3 hour-long workout classes at the gym back to back to back and expect to walk to the next day, or register for a 5-miler instead of a 5K for the first day of the new year when I’ve never run more than 3.1 miles in my whole life.

I’m sure we’ll be great friends.

On Friday night, I was sitting in front of the TV with my parent, laptop open, researching the my first race of the year.  I was naively looking for the starting line address when I noticed that the January 1, 2011 race was 5 miles and the accompanying walk was 3.  In a panic, I searched for the January 1, 2012 race and there it was: 5 MILE run.  Not a 5K, a 5-miler.

Oops.

I immediately panicked.  Things like “I can’t run 5 miles!” to “How could I be so STUPID?” came out of my mouth more than once.  But the fee had already been paid so instead of throwing 23 precious racing dollars out the window, I opted for my only other choice: run the 5 miles.

And to my utter surprise, relief and joy… it was great.

Hi, I'm Marie.. I don't always pay attention when I register for races..

The Highs:

– Inexpensive, local race.  A $20 race fee for a 5-miler is great, especially when you get a shiny PR and some bright green running gloves.  Plus, Woburn is only 20 minutes away so I got to sleep in, eat my toast with peanut butter, and warm up without having to rush.

– First race with the Garmin.  I’m hooked.  I knew when to slow down after I went out way too fast (seriously, seeing a 8:10 on the watch within the first .25 miles was SCARY!!) It also let me see how much longer I had to go which made it less daunting.

– Friendly, helpful volunteers.  Because the course went between Woburn and Winchester, there were volunteers stationed at the various streets to point runners in the right direction.  And at the halfway mark, a nice man shouted your time too you.  And every clapped and waved.  It was reassuring to hear “you’re doing great!” on practically every corner.

– My cheering squad.  Both of my parents came to see my race.  It was the first time my dad has been to one and only a second for my mom.  It was so great seeing them as I rounded the corner after that last hill and I almost knocked my mom over when I hugged her.

– The weather.  Partly sunny, 50 degrees with a nice, cool breeze.  A-mazing.

– Automatic PR.  First 5-miler equals 5-miler PR.  55:23 on the Garmin.  Not too shabby!

Distance = 5 miles. My longest run ever!

The Lows:

– Only 1 water stop.  I really didn’t need water during the race because I never felt dehydrated but having some to splash in my face, especially towards the end would’ve been nice.

– So. Many. Hills.  I’m happy to report that I made it up most of them without having to walk but the last hill right before the finish line was a BITCH!

Overall, I am a happy happy girl.  I keep thinking, “I can’t believe I ran 5 miles today.”  And I realized that I’d rather run longer distances at a slower pace rather than wanting to die from going to fast after half a mile.  Great lessons, great race.

Great way to kick of 2012!

2011 Recap & Wrap Up

Published on by Marie6 Comments

2011.  I feel like it went by so fast.  At this time last year, I was a completely different person and I’m happy to report that I’m a better me than I was at the close of 2010.

This year, I achieved things I never thought I ever could.  I choreographed three group routines, I started running and ran four 5K races, I got into grad school and survived my first semester, I realized what I truly want in my life and I am starting to become the person I have always wanted to be.

I worked my third summer with the National Dance Alliance, I now dance in an amazing company in Boston and BU has opened my eyes to incredible new opportunities, including an acceptance into a 6-week study abroad program to cover the London Olympics next summer.

2011 taught me to not take life too seriously.  To enjoy each day, love whole-heartedly and appreciate myself for who I am.  It’s a great feeling to look back on this year and know that I have grown in so many ways.

Back in July, I set some mid-year goals for myself.  So let’s recap them and see how I did.

1.  Work (at least) 8 NDA summer camps.  Done.  I worked 9!  I traveled everywhere from Kansas to Maryland and loved every minute of it.  

NDA friends take awesome photos.

2.  Run 2 more 5Ks.  Done.  I ran 3 more: Run for Ryan’s Cup 5K in September, Witch City 5K in October and the Lynnfield Turkey Trot 5K in November.  I wanted to run one in December as well but since I didn’t get to, I signed up for the “Run Your Hangover Off 5K” on January 1st.  I think it’s the best way to kick off 2012!

I heart bib numbers.

3.  Host a blog giveaway.  Done. I hosted my first giveaway in September for Chocolate and Wine’s 1st Blogiversary!

4.  Stick to Weight Watchers (not playing a numbers game here. Work out, eat right, follow the points, be healthy and let the body do what it will.)  Kinda done.  I don’t exactly stick to the WW plan but I did manage to drop 12 pounds this year and I am VERY happy about that.

I, I, I, I WORK OUT.

5.  Rock the first semester of my grad program at Boston University (all A’s would be sweet but we like B+s too.)  Kinda done.  1 A-, 1 B+ and 2 Bs.  I am very proud; grad school is hard, man.

Dream job.

6.  Try 1 new recipe a week.  Fail.  Sometimes when I cook, I use the same recipes over and over.  But now that I have a beautiful new crockpot, I might be able to achieve this goal in 2012.

7.  Dance in 4 DanceWorks Boston fall pieces.  Done.  I danced in 5!  6 if you include the finale/Flash Mob!  

Some of my DanceWorks family...

8.  Train for and run a 10K.  Fail.  I chickened out.  2012 will hold at least one 10K and maybe even a half marathon.

9.  Take hot yoga regularly.  Fail.  I probably did it a total of 3 times between the summer and now.

Overall, I think this has been a great year.  I achieved most of my goals and really let myself let go of the rest of the emotional baggage leftover from undergrad.

So long, 2011…On to 2012! Goals and “resolutions” to come!

Lynnfield Turkey Trot 5K Recap

Published on by Marie2 Comments

November 5K – Check!

So far this year, I’ve run a 5K in May, September, October and November.  And damn, it feels good.

I decided to run the Lynnfield Turkey Trot this month for a few reasons.  First, it was super close being in the town right next to mine.  Second, it had “Turkey Trot” in the name and we all know how much I love anything holiday-themed.  Third, it started at 11am.  Hello extra sleep!

The morning of the race, I slept until 9, made my pre-race breakfast (2 slices of light wheat toast with peanut butter) with lots of water, and drove over to Lynnfield at around 10am with Stephen to pick up my race packet and free t-shirt.  Fun fact about me: I love t-shirts, especially free ones.

The race started right at 11 and I was ready for it.  I made a great playlist complete with the songs “Sexy & I Know It” and “We Need a Little Christmas” Glee version.  My strategy was simple: run slow to start, run smart the whole way.

And that’s exactly what I did.

Happy pre-race .... even with the sun in my eyes

The Highs:

– The weather.  It was the perfect day to run.  Cloudy with some sun, 60 degrees with a nice cool breeze.

– The course.  With the exception of one HUGE hill, the course was very nice.  I ran around pretty Lynnfield neighborhoods and there was still enough foliage to keep the sun off of my over-heating face.

– My stomach.  Woo hoo, it cooperated!!  The only time I wasn’t feeling so hot was when I sprinted at the very end.

The Lows:

– No PR.  I honestly thought that I had done enough to get one and when I saw the clock and realized I missed it by 40 seconds, I got upset.  Like very upset.  I crossed the finish line, grabbed a water bottle from Stephen and demanded we leave right away (I didn’t even know I missed the free bagels!).  In the car, I came very very close to tears and almost had an all-out tantrum.

But then I stopped being a 5-year-old and thought about the race.  I ran almost the entire thing without stopping.  I didn’t think I was going to throw up or pass out.  I wasn’t hurting (yet) or want to quit running right then and there.  I felt good, accomplished and for once in my whole life, I ENJOYED running.  Genuinely enjoyed it.  Go figure.

New running tights = love. Also, I love finish lines!

 December is so close and at this point, I haven’t signed up for a race yet.  Since I’m nervous about running in the snow, I wanted to do the Beverly Reindeer Run 5K on the 3rd and pray that the snow holds off.  But now I might have to do shooting for school that day.  Dilemma.

Your turn: How do you feel when you don’t PR?  Do you throw a tantrum or chalk it up to a good experience?  What holiday races in December are you running and can you recommend a good one for me?