Finished State #7 in NH!

Last Sunday (September 30th), I finished my 7th state at the Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon in Hampton Beach, NH.  It was a great day even though it rained for pretty much the entire 26.2 miles.  I even set a new personal record (PR) for my time!

I knew it was going to be a rainy day for about a week before the big day, and so I just accepted it and tried not to let it get me down.  I had run a 30k race in the rain a few weeks before the race, which was good practice.  Our hotel was only a few blocks from the start, and so we waited until the last minute to get to the start so that I could stay warm until I started running (and so my friend didn't have to stand in the rain very long either!).  I jumped into the coral with about 10 minutes to spare, and happened to jump in right next to another runner who had run for Tedy's Team (Tedy Bruschi's team for the Boston Marathon and American Stroke Association).  There couldn't have been a better way to get my mind off the rain and focus on my cause than to talk about our incredible experiences with Tedy's Team at the start.

Soon we were off and running!

I'm the one in the blue shirt - it was my extra throw-away layer until I warmed up a little :)

I started the marathon with no expectation of PRing, but found myself running at a little bit of a faster pace than usual, and feeling pretty comfortable with it.  I try to be very careful about pacing myself and not getting off to a fast start, but I was feeling very energized that morning, and so I went with it.  In the back of my mind I thought that the faster I finish, the less time I would have to be out in the rain!

This was a pretty flat course, and I was off to a great start.  There were two loops for the full marathon runners, and it was a little tough to see the mile markers for miles 18-22 when we were only in the first half of the race, but I tried to just think of how good it would be when we were hitting the higher miles.  The full and half marathoners were on the same course until just about mile 11, when the half marathoners headed towards the finish and us full marathoners broke away and did another loop.  There were a lot more half marathoners than marathoners, and so the road became very sparse with runners after that point.  That was the only time that I slowed down, I think because I didn't have many people to compete with anymore.  The rain also started coming down a little harder and that was when I had to dig a little deeper and think about my cause.  I started thinking about memories of my Gram and Pop, and also about everyone who I know that has been affected by stroke and heart disease.  That always gives me the motivation I need to keep going.  Soon I was back to my normal (even a little faster than normal) pace and ready to make it to the finish.

Hitting the half point can be a bittersweet time.  While it's great to know you've made it half way, you also know that you still have 13.1 miles to go.  It's the miles between 13.1 and 19-20 that I think take the most mental toughness.  But that day, they went by easily for me as I thought about my cause, and also about how nice it would be to get out of the rain when I finished.

Once I hit mile 20, I knew that chances were good that I could PR!  My first marathon had been my PR for 12 straight marathons (4:33:48), and I was ready to finally beat it.  I think the rain actually helped me to run a little faster throughout the 26.2 miles.  I kept up my pace and only slowed a little during mile 24-25, but not enough to lose my PR for this race.  I could see the finish from about mile 25.5, and I picked up the pace for what seemed like forever, and made it to the finish line to set a new PR of 4:29.23!

 

The clock is showing gun time, which was about 4 minutes off of my chip time.

Sometimes I stop and think about what Gram would think if she knew what I was up to, and I'm pretty sure that she would have been a little mad at me running 26.2 miles in the rain.  But what I wish she could know is how much her stroke has changed my life.  It was devastating to watch her suffer through the effects of her stroke, and then to lose her a year later.  But now, years later I have found something I love that gives me so much fulfillment that I can do in her honor.  It keeps her close to me even though she's not with us now.  

With that... onto State #8 at the Roxbury City Marathon in CT in December!

Race Highlights:
A nice flat course

Lots of support along the way - those volunteers were much colder than we were out in the rain, but they gave us great support!

GREAT jacket with registration 

Even though it was raining, it was a beautiful running along the Hampton Beach coast for parts of the race

#1 Song that got me through a tough patch:
Some Nights  - FUN

The First Year in Review...

Well, I'm including NJ, which makes it a little over a year, but that's okay.  So how has the first year of the 50 States Challenge gone?  It's been wonderful!

I kicked off the Challenge at the 2011 Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team, lead by former New England Patriot Tedy Bruschi, and I cannot think of a better way to have started this challenge.  Running from Hopkinton to Boston as part of this team is one of the most incredible things I have done.  Everyone at the American Stroke Association, Tedy, and all of my teammates were amazing in making this a fantastic day for all of us!

Only 13 days after Boston, I was hitting the pavement for State #2 at the Cox Providence RI Marathon.  Despite less than two weeks of recovery from Boston, I managed to run a faster marathon that day.  This was a great marathon, and I was fortunate to have a good friend come along and support me.   Running two marathons that close together also qualified me to join the Marathon Maniacs!

One month later, I was running the Keybank VT City Marathon for State #3.  Not my best marathon (perhaps due to rediculous humidity and tired legs after 3 marathons in 6 weeks), but the thing about running this challenge is that my time doesn't matter.  It's raising awareness and funds for the American Stroke Association, and honoring all of those I know who have been affected by heart disease and stroke that matters.  So if I have a not-so-great marathon, I still feel good about what I have accomplished.  My Dad is one family member who I am running in honor of, and he came to watch me run that day, which gave me motivation and inspiration to get to the finish line no matter what.

Well, a few weeks after that, I had surgery (unrelated to running) which kept me down and out for most of the summer, so I didn't get to make much progress over that time.  Three months of no running left my feet just itching to hit the pavement, and the day I was cleared to run, I went home and put on my running sneakers!   I had about 40 days to train for the Maine Marathon in October - yikes!  I had never run a marathon with that little training, and I almost backed out, but thanks to some great training advice from fellow runners, I was able to get in shape and ready to go.

40 days later, I was at the rainy start line of State #4 at the Maine Marathon!   This was the first time I had ever used a run-walk strategy, and I liked it so much that I've continued to do this ever since that race.  I  knew that I wasn't ready to go all out and push myself and risk getting injured, and so I took a one minute walking break every 5 minutes from start to finish.  Despite not having ideal training and the rainy weather (and wearing a lovely looking garbage bag through most of the race, since I had managed to forget to pack anything water resistant), I was able to keep good spirits by thinking of the cause, and this took me to the end, which surprisingly came at about my normal finishing time.  It's amazing where pure inspiration can take you.

I had originally planned to run one marathon in November and one in December, but I realized that I still needed a little more recovery time, and so I took it easy with training and opted out of those two marathons.

I rung in the new year at the Walt Disney World Marathon for State #5, and what a wonderful escape from the winter weather!  This was my favorite marathon yet (except maybe Boston - nothing can really beat that).  Train to End Stroke had a team running Disney, and it was absolutely wonderful to be able to have the support of all of the awesome folks from the American Stroke Association.  And who wouldn't want to be cheered on by Disney characters while running through the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom (where there were many cute little animals cheering), and Hollywood Studios!  It was awesome :).

This was also my first attempt at taking pictures while running - hence the horrible photos from this marathon :) 

Just a few weeks ago, I finished State #6 at the New Jersey Marathon, which was another great run.  Perfect weather and beautiful views, and we even had a Kentucky Derby style start (with the horn).  

It's hard to believe I've run 6 marathons in the past year, and that I'm feeling disappointed that I didn't run more!   Overall,  I have run over 157 marathon miles (plus a whole lot more in training).  Since I started the Challenge, I've gone through 3 pairs of running shoes, taken in gallons upon gallons of gatorade, eaten endless packs of Sports Beans, and greatly expanded my list of songs on my ipod.  I qualified to become a member of the Marathon Maniacs by running 2 marathons in 13 days, and after 2 more states, I can join the 50 States Club.

You might wonder what has kept me going, and the answer is simple: it's the cause.  I think about my Gram, my Pop, my Grandpa, my Dad, my teammates from Tedy's Team and Train to End Stroke, and all those for whom donations have been made in honor of, and it gives me the inspiration to keep my focus on making it to each finish line so that I can complete this challenge.  I am doing this to fundraise for a cause I am passionate about and that makes it easy to push through each race, even when I find myself struggling. 

In the past year, I have have raised a total of $3866 for the American Stroke Association, and my goal is to reach $10,000 in the upcoming year.  Please click my fundraising link at the top of the page if you would like to help me to reach that goal!  Together we can make a difference in the fight against stroke.

Onto year 2 of the Challenge!!  

Finished State #6 at the New Jersey Marathon!

Another great 26.2!  On May 6th, I crossed the finish line for State #6 at the New Jersey Marathon in Oceanport, and what a perfect marathon day.  It was a little chilly waiting for the start, but I had a garbage bag to keep me warm (a cheap alternative to throwing away an old sweatshirt).  We headed out at about 8:00 in the morning and I was feeling pretty good.

All was going well and I was running at good comfortable pace through most of the race.  The weather was perfect - 50-60s and cloudy with a little bit of a breeze.  I met a few folks and chatted along the way, which made it go by even faster.  At about mile 18, the sun came out and it got a little toastier, but not bad.

At mile 20 I was feeling pretty good, and discovered that this was the first marathon I have run where we ran through the middle of a building!

Shortly after passing through the building, I suddenly started feeling a little bit under the weather.  I figured I probably needed some fluid and electrolytes, and so I took a longer than usual walking break while munching down a handful of Sports Beans.  I drank a cup of straight Gatorade at the next water stop (usually I cut it with water), and a few minutes later, everything kicked in and I was able to run from mile 22 to the end with only a few short walking breaks.   However, on my extended walking break, I was able to enjoy a pretty great view.

Even when I struggled a little around mile 21-22, I thought of everyone who I was running for and it gave me the inspiration to know that I could make it to the end.  The last miles of the marathon went quickly, and soon I was across the finish line!!

Race Highlights:
Very well organized race
Met lots of fellow Marathon Maniacs along the way
Scenery was great over the last few miles
Flat course
Perfect weather for a marathon

#1 Song that got me through a tough patch:
We Are Young - FUN

Finished 26.2 Magical Miles in State #5!

What an incredible marathon!  On January 8th, I headed south to run in the Walt Disney World Marathon, and loved every minute of it.  It was an early morning (had to get up at 2:30 to catch the 3:30 bus to the start for a 5:30 start - yikes!), but it was worth it.  We started in Epcot, but by the time we reached Magic Kingdom, the child in me realized that I had to let go of worrying about my time and just have fun and enjoy the run, and that's what I did.  I finished in 4:54:14 - not my best time in the world, but it was worth it to stop and take a few pictures and just enjoy the sights and see the Disney characters along the way.  And best of all was that Train to End Stroke had teams running the half and full marathons, and it was so great to be running with others for the cause, and to see the awesome support crew from the American Stroke Association along the way.

Most Memorable Moments from the Marathon:


I would say the whole thing!  But here goes...

The Start:
This was the first marathon I've run where we had fireworks at the start!  What a great way to get pumped up to run 26.2 miles.  It was a little chilly waiting for the start (although nothing compared to our VT winter weather), but the fireworks and music helped to get everyone ready to hit the start line.

Mile 9-10:
We entered the Magic Kingdom!  What a way to relive childhood memories of visiting Walt Disney World.  We came around the corner on Main Street to see an enormous Christmas Tree, and the streets still lined with decorations.  Crowds of spectators were along the street, and it was then that I realized I needed to let go of worrying about my time, and just have fun.  I pulled out my camera for the first time ever in a marathon and started snapping pictures.  I was a little distracted by seeing characters and rides that I hadn't seen in years, and I twisted my ankle on the tracks for the parade cars (I saw the parade later in the day).  It briefly sent me into a panic, but it wasn't bad and I was able to continue without much of a change in stride (and without too many people noticing, at least I was hoping not too many people noticed!).

Mile 16-17:
This was where we headed into Animal Kingdom.  We came around one corner and there were a number of folks walking animals, and among them was an adorable pig, which I would have stopped to say hello to if I had seen him/her with time to get to the other side of the road.  We were getting closer to mile 20 and I was feeling pretty good.  It's amazing how running through the parks takes your mind off of the fact that you are running 26.2 miles!

Mile 22 - Finish:
Here we were running through the Hollywood Studios park and it was great!  At mile 22 I saw some familiar faces from the American Stroke Association and it was a great motivation to get to the finish line.  We came out of the park and along the boardwalk, and finished back in Epcot.  What a great run - I felt great after finishing my 5th state for this cause!!

And of course, that evening I couldn't help but end the day with a trip back to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy the park, the rides, and the fireworks!

Race Highlights:

I think the name of the marathon speaks for itself - if you love all things Disney, you will love this marathon!  

Everything was very well organized from the expo to the race itself.

Disney characters and entertainment all along the way.  Even in the quieter stretches between parks, there were lots of characters that you could stop to have your picture taken with.

The early start is a little rough, but it's worth it!

What better way to spend 26.2 miles than running through Walt Disney World.

The weather was absolutely wonderful, especially for a Vermonter in January (started in the 50s at 5:30 and finished in the 70s - the end was a little warm for those of us who are on the slower side, but not bad).

I would definitely run this marathon again - next time I'll go for the Goofy Challenge!

#1 Song that got me through a tough patch:

I don't think I really had a tough patch in this race, so it wasn't so much a song as it was the music and Disney sights and characters along the way... and of course seeing my friends from the American Stroke Association!