Sunday, May 23rd

The Team is starting Week 12 with a 10K. We are registering for the 10th Annual Evan's Run 5k/10k road race, starting and ending at the Norwell High School. Evan Henry was an 11 year old child from Norwell, MA who was diagnosed with Autism and who accidentally drowned in July 2000. This year there are over 1000 participants.

It's only 8:37am and the race doesn't start until 10:30am. I get racing bib number 549, my chip and a tee shirt and head back to the car to wait and people watch. With an hour and a half left to go, I contemplate a nap since I'm going on only 4 hrs of sleep. With my luck I'd actually fall asleep and miss the race. Oh, wow, never knew my front seat reclines back this far, cool.......resting the eyes, ah! I think there is something about racing that phychs(sp) me out!

30 minutes to go, time to eat yogurt. Seeing some other Team Challenge mates. Now to play with safety pins, bib and sneaker chip and find potty one last time.

So much for cloud cover, the sky is blue, darn. The temp is creeping up a little higher than expected but there is lots of excitement and energy. The line up is crowded and getting smelly I might add....need to get this show on the road. We've got some Team Challenge in the front, some in the middle and some toward the back.

We're off! Some start off with a light jog, some sprint, some dart through and around others and it takes a little while for the crowd to thin out. It's so hard to get your pace with others around you. I have no idea how I'm doing, it's hot, people are passing me and I want to stop thinking about it. From about half way through, I have the same few people around me. Most seem to run a little faster than me but keep taking walk breaks. Lots of people along the course sit out front of their homes with the kids or dog and cheer you on; one guy had a hose for us to run through. Lots of water stops, too......the little kids really got into it.

Even with all those distractions, it still seemed to take forever, lol. I think it was the heat. Eventually the Finish line does come in to sight though and your friends are there telling you its just around the corner. Love the home stretch with the band playing and all the people. The screen reads 1 hour, 6 minutes, 11 seconds.

May 15th- Week 11

Well, I may have missed Team Training today but I challenged myself to a similar workout and DID IT!!! 9.26 miles

Pepperell center to Groton center on the rail trail. Sunny, 70 degrees, with a nice breeze - perfect except for the snake that scared the crap out of me and the black fly I ate. I bet those bikers wished they had a video camera.

Contemplating the 10k in Norwell next weekend - thinking I can!

Midweek and Midyear

Got the 5 miles in on Monday morning before my flight to D.C. Planned a 6 mile on MapMyRun.com to do while at the National Association of Realtors® Midyear Legislative Conference. It's was a 3 mile out and back from the Omni Shoreham hotel to the Lincoln Memorial via the Rock Creek Trail.

I met a new Realtor® friend, John. John runs Marathons. We talked about the run I had planned the next morning and he seemed interested, after all it is so less boring when you have a buddy. Well, I told John (it felt more like disclosure and a warning) I run REALLY slow and....more importantly, don't like to talk. We meet in front of the hotel and guess what?....... he had already done a few miles in the neighborhood. Ok, fine. We take off and since we really don't know one another, John has lots of questions. Oh, and he's incapable of slow running, lol. Finally, I say to John, "I thought you didn't talk a lot when you run". He laughs at me. A little farther, I tell him that he's sucking up all my energy and he laughs again.

We stopped for Gatorade at the Lincoln Memorial because John was thirsty; go figure. It's a beautiful day with awesome surroundings so change of plans. We continued by the Washington Monument and up Madison Dr. to Union Station and ride the Metro back. It was a hot day and I never got in my zone but I truly enjoyed it all the same.

Check out the route:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/dc/washington/965127334442790348

May 8th - Starting Week 10

Do you know what time Townsend folks have to wake up to be in Canton for 8 am? My alarm didn't like it either because it never went off. 6:22am, oh sugar;) No shower, no problem...it's kind of dumb to shower before you plan to run 7.5 miles anyways. Oh, crap...all my car windows were left open overnight. Nothing a few beach towels can't absorb.

Today's training is to give us a taste of part of the course we are doing on Race Day. The Blue Hills, which should be somewhere between mile 4 and 10? Oh, boy!

Yippee, not raining at Houghton's Pond in Milton. It's a little chilly so most of us decide a light jacket is in order even though we know it's going to be around our waists shortly. The coaches tell us the plan/route and warn/encourage us about the BIG hill and remind us to look at the view of Boston. Sure, I'll try to remember as I am panting my lungs in and out. We are doing Hillside St. to Chick a boomba something or other St.

It's single file, shoulder of the road this morning. Legs are fine, breathing is OK except for the BIG hill; had to walk the very tippy top part, just for a minute. We get to the water station and turn around. There's 4 of us, we feel pretty darn good, then its starts to drizzle which turned to rain. Its quite alright with us, we like it. I think actually run better in the rain; not sure why but I don't need to know.

We cruise right back in to that parking lot to join the people ahead of us and stretch and wait for the people behind us. Ooooh, someone made cookies! Great run with some great people! Next time I will put on some dry clothes before the trek home. I was soaked to the bone and when my body temp came down, I had goosebumps on my goosebumps.

Being in the middle of training the weekly runs are increasing in mileage as well. Now I'm contemplating how to get those runs in next week while in D.C. I promise, I will. Go Team Challenge!

P.S. I know there's a soggy pic somewhere. I'll be back when it's posted.

May Day - Week 9

Holy Guacamole, 8 miles!!!!!!!!! Drove the Vette to Lexington, really fast because I was late but we never really start til 8:20am. Took the ticket from the guy in the little building at the entrance to the lot, felt like I had a minute to spare so put up the top, ate a yogurt and ventured to the meeting spot.

Oh crap, they were just there! Me and another girl crossed the street got our names checked off and took off to catch up. What a way to start off. So much for an easy starting pace. Ok, so what, you're in the back, just go slow, pace yourself, who cares. Once that mindset stuck, the feet seemed to get their pace, the breathing was right on....... a mile in, very cool, no problem, I can run ALL day.

Oh, oh, I didn't get a chance to stretch. No biggie nothing hurts, stop thinking about it. Pass a couple people, can't help it, feet are on auto pilot. Cool, water stop, nice!

Must be close....yup, starting to wave to the return runners, woot, woot, they say 10 more minutes. I see the Bedford train, Ok, where is everyone? I don't want to stop, pad around the building. They were all pottying and drinking water from the fountain, lol. They are ready for the return now so we take off. Ok, I know it's a rail trail but it really is an incline ALL the way back. Where the heck is that water station, I need it bad. Gatorade not helping, I'm pooped and now the feet are getting slow and sloppy! The return us brutally long. I really need to pee and all I think about is my nasty friends jokes. I can definitely finish now.

Yeah, there's the end and not only that but there's a porta potty right there because of the event in town today. What luck!

After some stretching and some high fives, I take off for Wellsley. Time to deal with Marathon Sports and the new sneaks that have not gone back on my feet since the 5 miler. I am so hoping that they will exchange them for something that is a better fit. Park the Vette, bring in the box. Got my old sneaks on so I can show them what works. Yeah, like I just ran 8 sweaty miles, too, lol. The girl almost died when I took them off and handed one to her. They were very accomodating. I got some new Asics and they just happen to have some purple in them :)