Hello hello and happy Friday! As we gear up for another snowstorm (yup, happy freaking April to us), I wanted to think back to the warmer days and talk about my favorite racing memories. One of my favorite bloggers/podcasters, Ali on the Run, did an episode this week on her favorite races and it got me thinking about some of my own favorite races and racing memories.
I came up with this list without considering races of different distances, but oddly enough, it ended up including a 5 miler, a 10k, a half, a full, and a relay. I truly loved all of these races for very different reasons, so I’m going to list them from shortest to longest instead of ranking them, which I can’t bring myself to do 😉
Harpoon 5 Miler: This uber-popular race takes place every May, starting and ending at the Harpoon brewery. I had avoided it for years because I can’t drink beer and that seemed like the main reason most people ran (#celiacproblems). But I decided to give it a whirl last year and it was SO much fun!! The course is flat and wicked fast, you can run as part of a 6 pack team (you run individually, but your results count for team awards). I loved this race mostly because it was the first time I felt like I could really run fast, not just long. Also, I got to drink cider afterwards with J and a crew of our pals! Harpoon is the weekend of my marathon this year, so I won’t be running, but I can’t wait to be back.
Tufts Women’s 10k: I think this was one of the first race recaps I ever wrote! It’s also oddly the last 10k I did (back in 2014) so I need to fix that, stat. This is a fantastic, fast, all-women’s race that has been happening for the last 40 years (!) in Boston. I didn’t have a watch at the time, so I ran totally by feel and just enjoyed myself and ran for fun. Everyone was super encouraging and the 10k distance was the perfect challenge at the time. I really hope to get back out for this one soon!
Cambridge Half Marathon: I think this was the first time I’ve ever run an inaugural race, and it was so awesome! I was coming off of the frustration of just missing my goal time in Chicago and went into this local race with no goals other than to run hard and see what I can do. I was SHOCKED to run a 1:36! The course was perfectly varied and not too crowded, and it was so fun to run through a couple of my old neighborhoods. I am crossing my fingers and toes that this race happens again this year!!
NYC Marathon: I’m 1000000% biased on this one because NYC was my first full marathon, but oh my goodness is this one magical race experience! The crowds are wildly supportive and it’s so incredibly cool to run through every borough of NYC. I experienced pretty much every emotion in the book during this race and honestly don’t know if I would run it again (it’s expensive and kind of a logistical nightmare) but I think every runner should have this one on their bucket list. Once in a lifetime for sure.
Ragnar Cape Cod: First of all, a HUGE thank you to my amazing friend Megan for making this happen. She got a group of our coworkers and friends together for this insane, sweaty, exhausting 200 mile relay down the entire length of the Cape. I don’t know that I ever would have thought to do a Ragnar on my own but it was such a fun experience, mostly due to getting to run with an amazing group of ladies. You can read more in my recap, but suffice it to say that if you ever have a chance to do a Ragnar, say YES.
What are your favorite race memories? Got any tips on races I need to add to my bucket list?
Linking up with Lacey, Meranda, and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0.
Oh what a week–lots of ups and downs in training! I started things off really easy on Monday after my half–just a short yoga class and an extra rest day. Tuesday I got my legs back under me and felt a little bit sluggish but not too bad. Wednesday I didn’t have time to fit in my usual yoga class, since we were celebrating my parents’ anniversary at 
Hello hello! I’m lounging at home celebrating 
Backing up a bit, this week was a bit of a cutback week so I could do a mini-taper for the race. We had a fairly dramatic snow/ice storm on Tuesday, so it was perfect timing to be holding back a bit. I did a treadmill class Tuesday morning instead of running outside, and luckily by Thursday and Friday it was doable to get back out on the roads. Spring, I will say–I am so, SO ready for you. Feel free to come any time you want!!
Well, as you might have guessed from the title of this post–winter is back with a vengeance in Boston. I had a fantastic week of training and was super stoked to hit my first 40+ mile week, but mother nature sure didn’t make it easy. This was actually my second-highest weekly mileage ever–and it didn’t even feel that hard!! Hurrah for training and especially hurrah for wise coaching 🙂
I started things off with a nice long recovery run before hitting the track for probably the last time in a little while. I love Nike’s track workouts but they’re a little bit shorter and faster (ha) than the speedwork I should be doing for marathon training–my workouts should be geared more towards stuff like tempos and mile repeats. Wednesday I did my banded strength routine and then went to my favorite yoga class for a much-needed sweaty stretch session.
I kicked things off with my usual Charles River loop and caught an incredible sunset. I love that as the days get longer I get these amazing city views and sunsets on my after-work runs. And while I’m generally a morning runner, I love having the flexibility to run after work if it works better for my schedule that day.
Wednesday I nailed my goal from last week of committing to strength training with a tough 20 minute workout using resistance bands to add some intensity. These little suckers don’t look like much but the really up the ante in terms of basic strength moves like clamshells and leg raises! I also got a massage on Wednesday and definitely need to keep up with the at-home rolling to keep my back nice and loose.
Wow–what a week! I was feeling a little bit down after last week’s treadmill slogs, but this week perked me right back up with some beautiful (albeit really scarily warm) weather. I busted out the shorts multiple times and even got TAN LINES on Saturday. Yikes, people–how is this February??
After a tough hip-focused yoga class Wednesday and some recovery miles Thursday, I hit up 
Greetings from the end of the first “real” week of marathon training. This was a tough week to start–the weather was a mix of cold temps, slush, snow, and rain, which made the sidewalks pretty treacherous. I don’t know if it’s just me but solo treadmill miles are my least favorite thing. The paces feel SO much harder inside than outside, and I just don’t enjoy it anywhere near as much. I was incredibly happy to finally get back outside on Friday and Saturday. This coming week is going to be crazy warm (64 on Thursday???) so I might even get to break out the shorts!
Saturday I met up with Alexa for 14 miles, which we kept at a pretty easy pace and chatted the whole way. After a quick shower I hopped in the car and headed up to 
Shorter and Faster 