20 miler in the books!

Last week’s training started off great with a solid run and a spin class then took a terrible turn when I went to do my Thursday tempo run.  I got on the treadmill ready to go and just couldn’t hang, my body was sore… my stomach hurt and I eventually (to my extreme disappointment) had to bail after 4 slow miles.  I am not one to bail on a run, I am a bit on the competitive side… but I really didn’t want to push it with my big 20 miler on Saturday.

Before we get to that though, I wanted to share a special picture of me, my mom and my brother (below)

This picture was taken shortly after my mom finished Boston a little over 12 years ago and represents the day my dream to run Boston was born.  I never thought I would be able to do it and now I find myself 20 days away from the starting line.  Despite my frustrating run on Thursday, I have had a great training cycle and am looking forward to race day!

Now for the fun part…my 20 mile run in the SNOW.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It snowed on Saturday for the millionth time this season on long-run day.  Despite the poor weather I was excited to run.

I had a very relaxing evening Friday night, dinner with Paige 🙂 and an early bed time so I could get up early for my team run.  I treated it like a dress rehearsal for Marathon Monday because the TEAM bussed us out to Hopkinton to the starting line.  I got up (practically skipped) out of bed, made my coffee and my toast and quickly got dressed.  Despite the snow I was very excited to finally set foot on the first part of the course.  Once I arrived at practice, we had an amazing presentation with two very special mission moments.  Hearing my teammates stories is an incredibly inspiring way to prepare for a run.  I love being a part of this team and feel honored to be running and raising money alongside these amazing people.

Boarding the Busses!

When we got to Hopkinton we were greeted with this lovely sign and tons of other charity runners.  There were several other teams out on the course Saturday so it felt a little like race day (although way smaller).

I started out with one of my teammates and we kept an 8:45ish pace for most of the run.  Our team had AMAZING water stops (shout out to all of our wonderful volunteers) set up every two miles which were very helpful for simulating race-day fueling.  I stuck with Caitlin (my teammate) for most of the run and really enjoyed chatting as it made me conscious of keeping my pace easy, so I could speak, and made the miles fly by!  I felt really strong heading into our “home turf” of Natick and Wellesley.  I lost Caitlin for a bit around mile 15ish and felt great until mile 19 where I began to mentally struggle with the hills.  I turned up my music for the first time on my run and got ready to defeat the hills when I heard Caitlin calling, she caught me!  It was perfect timing to get me through my rough patch and we finished together with smiles on our faces.  Our TEAM volunteers and the local police officers did a great job keeping us all safe and hydrated on our run, I can’t thank them enough!

Wet and Cold but DONE!

This run was a huge confidence booster for me going into my taper.  I had a rough training cycle because of work and was concerned that my pace would suffer.  All of my long runs so far have been in the low 9s for average pace and this one came in just under that (8:45!).  I felt strong physically the whole time and after my brief rough patch felt like I could have kept running, what is another 6.2 miles…right?!

I made sure to stretch and foam roll on Saturday and did some yoga and more stretching on Sunday.  My muscles were definitely sore (first 10 miles downhill are no joke for the quads) but I felt fully recovered by Tuesday and was able to get in an easy run.  I can’t believe the marathon is in 19 days!  I am only $750 away from my fundraising goal of $5,000, please consider donating to my efforts for Team in Training.

Who else is running Boston?

What are some of your strategies for recovering from a rough training day?

Why I Run

As I begin to prepare for Marathon training (revving up over the next week – YIKES) I wanted to take a minute to share with all of you (and remind myself) why this training cycle will be different than any of the ones before.  Unlike previous training cycles where I had a personal goal, this time I am running for a reason that is bigger than myself.  I am running as a part of Team in Training raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).  The money raised by myself and other members of our Team will continue to allow LLS to fund millions of dollars of research to help advance new treatments and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and provide critical education and support to cancer patients and their families.  To date, my Team has raised over $200 K!

Nearly 50% of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA during the past decade were for blood cancers. And they are helping other patients as well. Five of those drugs have been approved for patients with solid tumors and others are being tested for other indications. Survival rates for children with leukemia have improved from 3% 40 years ago to 90% today; Hodgkin lymphoma patient survival rates have more than doubled to 88% since the 1960s. And the survival rate for myeloma patients tripled in past decade. (source)

As I have mentioned in previous posts, running the Boston Marathon has been a dream of mine for years.  I have known for a while that for me to accomplish that dream I would likely be partnering with a charitable organization and fundraising. The Boston Marathon has an incredible charity program that raises millions of dollars each year for many local and national organizations, but LLS stuck out to me in my search for a team.  Not only does LLS provide an incredible team experience for the marathon, but it also does important research to help find a cure for a disease that is close to my family and friends.

​I will be running the Marathon this year in memory of a very special family friend, Erica who courageously battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for many years.  Though I never met Erica, I know through stories from my Dad and her Dad, Eric, that she fought with courage and strength. I hope that in completing the Marathon this coming year I can carry Erica’s strength with me for the 26.2 miles to raise awareness and funds for LLS and the important research they do.

Every day when I am training this winter I want to remind myself that I am running for something that is bigger than me or one race.  If the money I raise can help one person or family during their fight then it is worth it.  I am so excited to be a part of Team in Training and to continue to learn more about the work that LLS does to fight blood cancer.

Race Recap: Chilly 1/2 Marathon

Yesterday was my first race/long run since my injury in August.  I had the best intentions to train for this race (as noted in the post a few weeks ago) but since then life sort of happened.  I ended up getting in a few 4-5 mile runs each week before the race but I wasn’t able to get in a 10 miler like I had hoped.  Given the lack of training I didn’t have high expectations for my performance and instead focused on having fun and enjoying Anne Marie’s company.

Race:

Anne Marie and I had a solid plan going in to the race, We were hoping to finish under 2 hours (9:15 ish average pace) but wanted to make sure we took it out slow.  The Chilly 1/2 course is pretty hilly through the middle miles (6-12) so we wanted to make sure we had enough energy to make it through that section.  We started slow, around 10 min/mile and slowly sped up through the first 6 miles to about 9:30.  I was feeling great at mile 6 so I kept going and ended up hitting splits of 8:38-8:40 through the back half of the race to finish in just under 2 hours, 1:58.  I was a few minutes off my PR (1:55) but was very happy with the finish.  I also got a chance to see my friend Allie who was watching at mile 10, it was so great to see a friendly face during a difficult portion of the race!

I felt like I ran a smart race overall, though I wish I had taken my second GU around mile 10.  I took the first one right around mile 6 and felt great but at mile 10 my stomach wasn’t feeling another GU and I hit a little wall through the last mile of the race.  Next time, I will try to take a second GU even if I only get to eat 1/2 of it around mile 10 to help feel strong through the last three miles.

Overall we had a great day!  The race was really well organized: started on time, plenty of bathrooms and tons of volunteers at the aid stations.  I will definitely be coming back next year!  Congrats to all the finishers yesterday!

My Day in Pictures:

Pre-Race Nerves

Bathroom Lines

Start!

 

 

 

Finished in 1:58

Really looking forward to a few rest days before I start training for the Frosty 1/2 Marathon on December 14th.

Boston Update:

I got my first few emails from the LLS coaches and am very excited that our first TNT meeting is less than 1 month away!  I have been making progress in my fundraising efforts, thanks to everyone who has donated!  I’m hoping to get 1/2 way to my goal by Christmas.  If you haven’t already, please consider donating at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston15/dclowes

Thanks 🙂