May 30, 2011: Finished in Vermont!
Finished my 3rd marathon in 6 weeks! The VT City Marathon was a great race yesterday. The weather was not ideal... rained for the first hour, followed by sunny, humid, 80 degree temperatures for the remainder of the race, but I made it to the end. The heat definitely slowed my pace, and that darn IT band that seemed to be doing better since Providence came back screaming towards the end. I knew with the heat I wouldn't make it in the 4:30s, and with the IT band, my goal became to finish in under 5 hours. Every runner has good days and bad days, and you hope a marathon never falls on a day when you are not at your best, but sometimes it happens. I did make my adjusted goal, finishing in 4:55 (my slowest marathon yet). My motto for this race was "just keep swimming". But it's not the time, it's the cause that matters, and I'm over $3000 since I kicked off the challenge this spring. I have 47 more marathons to improve on my time, and to keep working towards my $25,000 goal!!
Highlights from VT City:
Awesome course and great support
There were lots of people out spraying us with their hoses which was awesome
Beautiful scenery
It's my home state so lots of people I know running and cheering!!
My first Marathon as a Marathon Maniac!!
Only 2 days until the Vermont City Marathon! Training has been going well and I am excited for the big day. The weather forecast is looking a little toasty, so perhaps I'll have to run fast so I can finish before it gets too warm out there! The IT band is doing better since Providence and I'm hopeful it will not cause issues along the 26.2 miles. I'm aiming for a time in the 4:30s but have a feeling I might be a little slowed down by the heat. We shall see!!
Finished in State #2! I completed the Cox Providence Rhode Island Marathon yesterday and it was great! It was a beautiful day (it was actually a little toastier than I would have liked!). At mile 25 the IT band tightened up and made it difficult to run comfortably, but this is when the cause takes me through. I thought about my Gram and all those I am running for, and it gave me the inspiration to keep running to the end. A little pain in the leg is nothing compared to what someone goes through when they suffer a stroke, and I wasn't about to let it stop me (especially with only a mile left!). I dug deep and made it to the end, and crossed the finish line for my cause. And in less than a month I will do it again in VT!
Highlights from the Cox Providence Rhode Island Marathon:
Small race
Beautiful course
Well organized
Qualified to join the Marathon Maniacs!
April 23, 2011: Finished Boston!!
Well, I made through my first of the 50 States Challenge!! I could not think of a better place than to kick off this fundraising endeavor than at the Boston Marathon as part of Tedy's Team. From our pasta dinner, where our team gathered to share our stories of what motivates us to run for this cause, to hearing inspirational words from our team leaders, Tedy and Heidi Bruschi, to the incredible 26.2 miles and the celebration that followed, this was an amazing start to this challenge. This was my second Boston (I ran both as part of Tedy's Team), and I managed to knock 6 minutes off of last year's time, which was a great way to start. The legs are a little tired, but will be ready for #2 in Providence in just 1 week!! I hope to reach $1500 in fundraising before I step to the start line next week, and so please join me in supporting the American Stroke Association!!
March 23, 2011
26.2 days until the Boston Marathon!! I am so very excited that the big day is getting so close! Most of the snow you see in the post below has melted, and I even had a nice run in sunny 45 degree weather this past weekend! Today we're back down to 20s though... gotta love New England!!
March 8, 2011
Well, I'm off to a good start getting ready for the first 3 marathons... although the 2 feet of snow that just landed on us here in VT a few days ago (yes in March!) has made this week interesting. To illustrate just how much snow we have, here is a photo of my basset hound versus the depth of snow along my driveway :). As you can see, he is having a difficult time seeing over the snow!!
