TRAINING FOR BOSTON

                                          Friday April 18 and April 19th

 My Race BFF's!  I have been running with these beautiful and strong women every Saturday for the past 4 months.  They are my TEAMmates and forever in my heart. xo

 Uta Pippig!  Uta was our inspirational speaker at our TEAM in Training luncheon Saturday before race day.  Uta is the only woman to win the Boston Marathon 3 consecutive years!

                                                       Site of the 2nd Boston Bombing.

                                                         Boylston Street, Boston, Ma

                                                Boston Marathon Scarf Project:  36,000 scarves made for every runner of the 2014 Boston Marathon.  Mine was made by Michelene from Illinois.

Photo Gallary!  Friday Expo and Saturday Inspiration Luncheon              




                                         Friday April, 18            

I find myself wandering around, not really doing much of anything but doing a lot of pacing.  Going in one room, into another, picking up a sock here, a towel there...I have so many thoughts racing through my head, mostly about...race day, ok, ALL about race day.  After 4 months of training for this moment it's hard to believe it's time.  I've waited for this weekend for more than 4 months although I think I've waited for this moment for years actually.

I don't know why, but I think I am supposed to be doing this.  I've run a marathon before, I've run more half marathons than I can count...but why do I feel so different about this one?  Aside from the obvious, I think it's what I've learned along the way, something about me has changed.   More on that later, for now I am off to teach my fitness class!  And then off to Boston for the Expo and pick up my race Bib!

I will tweet more later so follow me @MIWBetter and @susanhogantv






                                                   Last Run, 8 Miles
                                                                 Saturday April, 12

20  Mile Run, March 29th...

If you ever run the Boston Marathon for a Charity, then you will soon hear all about the "20 miler".  This is the day we build up to during our training run for Boston...in fact, if you are training for ANY marathon, you build up to 20 miles then taper (a word we so happily love to hear at this point in our marathon training!)  

There are a number of sanctioned charities that are allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Team in Training (for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) Boston's Children's Hospital, Dana Farber, just to name a few.  We all run the 20 miler together on the same day and we all start in Hopkinton, Ma.,  the official start of the Boston Marathon.  We were bused out early in the morning, mind you, we were on the bus for awhile which made us all a little nervous, because it's a long ride out, which means only one thing...it's a longer way back on foot!    When we arrived there were thousands of runners, all anxious to get started but also very aware this was NOT Marathon Monday, this was simply a training run to be ready for Marathon Monday.  From what I hear, this "practice" run was nothing like it will be on Marathon day.  We could easily move around, the porta potty lines weren't hundreds of people deep, police presence was light.  There was so much energy in the air,  lots of it.  I think when you are a runner, especially long distance, you are naturally charged.  You embrace the moment and own it.  We all know how lucky we are to be able to run.  

There was no official "gun" to start our run, we all simply walked to the starting line (which was faded from last year and not repainted yet) and then we just starting to ...run!  

These 4 wonderful ladies are my running partners.  We've run countless hours together, and miles.  We've learned about each other's job's, lives, travels, life's ups and down's...Sometimes we can chat for minutes at a time, sometimes we run in silence, lost in our own thoughts, or focused on what pain is jabbing us in our limbs, or trying to time out when we need to take our next "gu". I have always run with music, but on these long runs it's encouraged to run without, and let me tell you, I haven't missed it.  

 

                                                    Whitney, Nora, Me and Carol in Hopkinton

                                                 This is us after running our 20 miler! Still smiling!

                                                       Here we are on the bus to take us back to Wellesley!

                                              This is my TEAM right before our 20 mile run!

And this is PROOF!  I did it.  

March 25

I almost didn't look at my phone this morning to see what the temperature was...but a difference of 10 degrees when your running at 5:30am is the difference between wearing 2 under armour shirts or one.  I wore 2 for the record.   My run sucked.  My GPS watch was frozen, really! It couldn't locate a satellite so it wasn't registering my intervals.  I had to guess at .50 miles and .25 miles over the course of 6 miles!  I also wore a Go Pro on my head to record a portion of my run so that was a little top heavy, my earphones didn't work and I somehow lost one of my favorite mittens!

But, a little over halfway into my run the sun started to come up along my favorite road.  It was absolutely beautiful!  It was at that moment I forgot about the cold, my mitten, my frozen watch and just took it all in.  No one said "you have to run" no one is forcing me to run before dawn, this is my choice.  I'm healthy, I have legs that are strong enough to run for miles at a time.

Training for Boston isn't about me at all, I'm just the one running it.  It's about the thousands of people who I'm raising money for.  My run is about raising awareness.  Raising money for research to find a cure for blood cancers.   It's about the stories I hear every Saturday morning in Wellesley before my long run with my TEAM.   Personal stories of survival, stories about a husband AND wife both diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma within years of eachother, now they're training along side me.  They're not complaining about the cold, the pain in their joints, they're alive!

I am so blessed that I can get up when my alarm goes off at 5:15.  I am so blessed I haven't gotten frostbite, I am so blessed I have another pair of mittens. I am blessed I have a GPS watch that can help me track my runs, I am so blessed I have the resources to document my journey.

I am just blessed.

Thursday, March 20 2014

Love daylight savings time, but I totally misjudged the time on this run!    

Tuesday March, 18...it's cold, again. 





MARCH 8, 2014

BACK HOME IN BOSTON ...But today, I got to strip down to 1 layer of clothes!  54 Degrees! Bring it!  15 mile run with my Team in Training.  Each Saturday we meet for these long runs and each day I feel more and more a part of this TEAM.  Love them for life.   We all are running for differnet reasons, but in the end we are all connected forever.  

FEBRUARY 29,2014 

GOODBYE STUPID COLD...HELLO SAN DIEGO!  While I was out visiting I still had to get in my runs, including muy 13.1 miler! 

 

Saturday, February 15th.

This was 90% of my run today.  Frozen icey roads all along Commonwealth Ave in Newton.  15 miles of treachory!  We had a guest speaker who came to chat with Team in Training today who discussed  nutrition leading up to a marathon.  Bottom line, I can eat what I want, a lot of carbs, a lot of calories, coffee is ok and alcohol is, well, ok as long as I stay hydrated!! 

NUTRITION FOR TRAINING

 Here are some topics our guest speaker chatted about with us.  My Coach Kelly Flynn nicely recapped them for us.  I thought I would pass them along to you!

Saturday Recap:
We were very fortunate to have Nancy Clark give a nutrition clinic prior to our run. Nancy specializes in the nutrition needs of marathon runners. For those who couldn’t join us here are some tips for healthy eating:

1.      Eat a Balanced Diet Each Day.  To exercise consistently, you need to provide a good supply of high-quality energy to your working muscles. The easiest way to this is to eat a balanced breakfast and continue eating a variety of high-quality foods throughout the day.  Carbohydrates are important.  Carbs are the form of glycogen is the fuel that makes exercise possible, so adequate carbs must be eaten each day if you hope to train consistently.  Protein and fat also have a place in your diet and should be consumed daily. In general, each meal should contain a varied combination.

2.      Several Hours Before You Workout.  Make sure you are eating before you workout, this includes in the morning.  We’ve heard from many of you that you find it hard to eat in the morning before the long run, but that you are also finding you don’t have enough energy for the long haul.  Eating a well balanced meal early in the morning before you run will help tremendously. Give yourself enough time to digest so you don’t feel like your breakfast is sitting in your stomach.  Also, eating a small snack 30 minutes before the long run will help.  Try brining a banana, energy bar or some pretzels to snack on to the Community Center to top off your tank before heading out to run.

3.      During Your Workout.  As a rule of thumb, if you are working out or running less than an hour, you shouldn’t need any additional food “fuel” during you run.  If you will be working out longer, you will need to replenish lost carbohydrates.  Make sure you are taking in fluids every 15-30 minutes and refueling after an hour or so of working out.  This can be in the forms of Gus, candy, Honey Stingers, pretzels.  Try the different products and candy we have each week and make sure you are finding what is right for you now, so you can carry it with you on Marathon Monday.

4.      Hydration After Your Workout.  After your workout, the general rule is simple: drink enough water to replace water lost through sweat. The best way to determine this is by weighing yourself before and after exercise. For every pound of body weight lost, you'll need to consume about 3 cups of fluid.  Another way to determine how much liquid to consume is to check the color of your urine. Dark, concentrated urine may indicate dehydration.  Your urine color should be a light yellow. 

5.      Eating After Your Workout.  Try to have your post exercise meal within a two hours after your long run or an intense workout in order to replenish glycogen stores. Research shows that getting 100-200 grams of carbohydrate within two hours of endurance exercise helps you replenish adequate glycogen stores, but adding a combination of carbohydrate and protein seems to be an even better option. Studies have found that a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein seems of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

As Nancy said your body is like a car. You put fuel in it, and it goes.  Treat your body like you would your car and give it the fuel it needs to go.  If you have any nutrition questions or need help with your fueling during the long runs, please let us know. We can help you come up with a plan.   Lastly, Nancy has two great books on Sports Nutrition that are available for purchase on her website.  If you are interested in learning more, you can contact Nancy directly or pick up one of her books at http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/

FEBRUARY 11TH, 2014

Tuesday, February 11th....Alarm went off and I couldn't get out of bed to do my speed workout, ugh.  Kind of feeling tired and not great.  Did a kick ass cross training Spin class last night for 55 minutes.  I need to get in 10x400's today...that means I run fast for .25 miles then slow run for .25 ten times.  Treadmill at the gym?  Ugh.  I really hate the treadmill.  Have to teach my fitness class tonight which will be a great cross training session.  I've got to get in this training run...when when when???



FEBRUARY 8TH

LOVE PINK! Saturday Morning,  February 8th!  Running 14 miles today in my new running gear, afterall, isn't all about how you look??  Needless to say, this gear is warm and pretty!  Thermal Hat from UnderArmour,  Running leggings by Marika Tek (performance athletic wear)  I always look for gear that has high tech fabric for moisture wicking, which simply means as you sweat it takes the wetness off your skin so you don't get chilled.  Off I go!

JANUARY 14, 2014

UGH. Another early morning run and this is what I am faced with!  I've got to do a "track" workout today...this means I am running 8 laps around a track at various speeds, aka a "speed workout."  Thankfully I don't have to go far, I run around a circle in my neigbhorhood!  Yay me!!!  Off I go!




JANUARY 18, 2014
This is going to be a yucky run!  It's 7:15am Saturday Morning on my way into Wellsley to run 11 miles...It's cold, snowy, sleet, and just plain ick.  Hopefully my warm weather gear will keep me warm and dry!





My training sneakers!!  So that green tag on my laces is there for a reason.  On our first day of training with Team in Training we were all given this tag, our name and an emergency contact number is on it just in case during our long training runs we get lost, disoriented, passout, hit by a car, die...So far I have avoided all of those!

JANUARY 11, 2014

Ok, so don't judge me!!  I am cold and sweaty and I have no makeup on (ok, I lied, I do have mascara on, waterproof of course!)    So, today I learned why they call it heartbreak hill...it's not that the hills are all that steep, it's where they are placed, at mile 20.  Mile 20 can be the "wall" for many runners.   Mile 20 is where you'll either "make it or break it" and to have a series of hills at this point can be a heartbreak...hense, "Heartbreak Hill."

JANUARY 4TH, 2014

8:00am Saturday Morning...Team in Training assembles in Wellsley,MA to get ready for our 9 mile run.   It's another cold morning, about 17 degrees!!!  I'm pumped and ready!!  Heartbreak Hill here I come!

HERE I GO!  DAY ONE.  DECEMBER 14,2013.





TRAINING FOR BOSTON, MY STORY.

On September 19th 2013 I got a call that would change my life forever.  I was accepted into the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I will be running with Team in Training, for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Over the next 4 months I will log over 550 miles, not to mention countless hours of cross training.

I am running in memory of my Dad who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and passed away December 14, 2011.  My Dad loved to watch me run, he was there to watch me cross the finish line for my first half marathon, and he will no doubt be with me as I cross the finish line in Boston on April 21st, 2014.

Of course, this years' Boston Marathon takes on a whole new meaning for everyone.  For some it's to finish what they started last April before the Boston bombings, for other's it's to accomplish a personal goal we may never know.  No matter why or for whom these runners are racing for, one thing is certain, it's going to be an incredible experience and challenge and I cannot be more proud to be part of history...Here is my journey...

                                                                    MY DAD