Category Archives: Sports

52 Weeks, 52 Runs. No. 33: An amazing cause and an almost-triumph

Posted on August 3, 2012 | 8 comments

We’ve done our fair share of races over the past six months – some tiny, some huge, some with purpose and others that felt soulless and corporate. The ones that stand out for me are usually the small events that have a great charity attached (like the Brian K. Betts 5K). They are more about the cause and less about the running. Which is good, because I am generally pretty crap at the running.

This past weekend we did the 1st Annual “Be Like Brit” 5K in Rutland, MA. There’s a tragic story behind this race. In 2010, 19-year-old Lynn University student Britney Gengel traveled to Haiti to work at an orphanage there. The day after she arrived, Britney, three of her fellow students, and two professors were killed in the massive earthquake that struck the country.

In Britney’s memory, her family established Be Like Brit to build a “safe, nurturing and sustainable orphanage” in Haiti. We saw Britney’s mother at the run. It’s truly amazing what that family has been through and what they’re doing now. We were more than happy to jump in the car in the very early morning to participate in this small but fantastic event. Hopefully it’s the first of many.

Be Like Brit 5K

Cop car marks the start.

It was a lovely, cool, cloudy day (finally!). The rain threatened to show up but never did. The run was point-to-point, so there were some logistics to overcome (car at start or finish? We chose finish), but other than that it was perfect. Did I mention it was mostly downhill?

Be Like Brit 5K

Rural running.

I felt pretty strong from the start. Sneaking glances at my pace, I was excited to see I was consistently in the nines. Hmmmm, could this be the day I go under 30? I tried to pick things up when I saw the timing clock in the distance, and when I realized the first number was 29 I really started to motor (as much as I can motor). But alas, I was just over 30. No PR – I did that in Lake George in April, although I have my suspicions about the accuracy of that result – but I was thrilled to be heading in the right direction again (forward, that is). That heat really is a momentum killer.

Be Like Brit 5K

It’s gotten more purple since this photo was taken. Who needs nail polish …?

Oh, and did I mention the big toe? I have been running with an injured nail ever since the Mad Half Marathon walk a few weeks back. It oscillates between a mild throb and an excruciating stab (who knew something so small could be so painful). I’m in denial about it possibly falling off.

I do feel like it’s boosted my hard-core score by a number of points. If I can run close to 30 with this bum nail, surely I can kick 30’s butt if it ever goes back to normal? Sadly, I don’t think the going-back-to-normal part of that equation is going to happen before the half-marathon I am supposedly running in Vancouver in two weeks’ time. Eeeek.

A radio host from WXLO (one of the sponsors) did the post-run announcing for this event and he was fabulous. Race directors do amazing jobs, but sometimes the mic best belongs in the hands of a pro.

The event: Be Like Brit 5K
The location: Rutland, MA
The date: July 29, 2012
My time: 30.04 (pace: 9.40)
Hubby’s time: 19.43 (pace 6.20; 5th overall!)
The cause: Be Like Brit
The T-shirt: White cotton
The aftermath: Bananas, apples, DIY bagels with cream cheese and peanut butter

8 Comments

Posted in 52 Weeks, 52 Runs, Fitness, Running, Sports

Tagged , , ,

52 Weeks, 52 Runs. No. 32: Maine-ly excellent

Posted on July 30, 2012 | 23 comments

In our 2011/12 running tour of New England, we had somehow managed to overlook Maine. Nothing against that fine state, of course. Its tree-to-person ratio alone is enough to recommend it. And even though Crabapple Cove doesn’t really exist (that’s for the two M*A*S*H fans reading this), I don’t hold it against the Pine Tree State.

Anyway, we were excited to make the trek north for the Shipyard Old Port Half-Marathon and 5K in Portland, which, given its port-like qualities, promised a pretty backdrop to our respective runs (me, 5K; hubby, half).

Old Port Half Marathon & 5K

Starting scenery. The Casco Bay.

It was another hot weekend for a race (oh, for the day when I don’t have to write that). I was particularly excited when I was informed that this 5K would start on a steep uphill, and continue in that fashion for the first few minutes. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. The rest of the run was a downhill grade. Allegedly.

The half-marathoners started first (on higher ground, mind you), leaving the rest of us to hang around for a while and get nicely crisped in the sun. My favorite moment was the start sign being shifted for the 5K – down the very same hill we were about to run up. Couldn’t they have just left it at the top? I’m sure no one would have minded.

Old Port Half Marathon & 5K

Going down.

The beginning met all my expectations in its level of suckery. I couldn’t run to the top. That’s right, I walked in the first three minutes. Never done that before. (OK, apart from the time I walked an entire half-marathon, but that was different.)

Old Port Half Marathon & 5K

Slanty start.

Stairs and poop

Just after the first mile, we had to descend a hazardous flight of granite stairs that took us through the woods and down on to the promenade below. (Guess that’s what makes it downhill.) Fearing for my bones, I took these at what some runners behind me might have considered an unnecessarily slow clip. I wasn’t breaking an ankle for anyone.

Continue reading →

23 Comments

Posted in 52 Weeks, 52 Runs, Fitness, Running, Sports

Tagged , ,

A woman walks into a barre… Adventures in adult ballet

Posted on June 24, 2012 | 4 comments

Like many girls, I took dancing from a very early age. I experienced the gamut of beginners ballet, from dressing up in a bunny outfit and hopping around the stage to donning a tutu (handmade by my amazing mum) and taking graded exams. I didn’t suck.

Ballet

Mum-made tutu!

When I was about nine, my teacher handed me a book and told me to learn it. Inside was a collection of terms like battement tendu and port de bras. I took one look at it and decided to hang up my ballet shoes. I wanted to dance, not learn bloody French. (Thinking back, it may have not been the wisest decision. But I was nine, what the heck did I know?)

Many, many, many years later, I started to wonder what it would be like to take lessons again. I figured it would be an amazing strength workout. And I’d kill to have the poise – and legs – of a dancer.

You call this beginners?

My first foray back into ballet was a disaster. Arriving at an alleged “beginners” class, I found a bevy of skinny young things limbering up in pink ballet skirts and cardigans, their hair expertly bunned, their feet perfectly turned out. Beginners in what universe? It was humiliating – and I couldn’t walk properly for a week.

Eighteen months later, having finally gotten over the trauma, and because I am a masochist, I decided to give ballet another shot. I recently started a 10-week adult course in Harvard Square. I thought it would nicely complement my run training.

There are few endeavors in life in which staring at yourself for two hours in a giant mirror is not only perfectly acceptable but encouraged. And there’s nothing like staring at yourself in a giant mirror for two hours to make you realize you now totally and utterly suck.

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Humor, Running, Sports

Tagged , , ,

52 Weeks, 52 Runs. No. 25: Too hot by half

Posted on June 18, 2012 | 24 comments

One very overdue post. Better late than never, eh?

Endurance, you are dead to me. You abandon me right when I need you, like when it’s 82 degrees and I’m running up a hill and it feels as though my head is about to pop off.

This pretty much sums up the run I did the weekend before last (before I had to unexpectedly return to Australia), the Halfway 5K, in Canton, MA – No. 25 in my 52 Weeks, 52 Runs challenge. (And yes, I’m disappointed that we didn’t time this one to fall at No. 26, halfway into the challenge. That would have been clever, no?)

It was a splendid day for a 5K. Maybe a little too splendid. (When someone says “it’s a perfect day for a run,” I die a little inside. These perfect days usually mean cloud-less skies, piercing sun, and soaring temperatures. Which for me means one thing: sweaty beet-face.)

Halfway 5K

A gorgeous day for it.

Notwithstanding my ridiculous intolerance to heat, I was thrilled that the organizers of the Halfway had won the weather lottery, as it no doubt helped them attract about 1,200 runners to their cause: Cops for Kids With Cancer, which is a wonderful organization that sports a truly awesome logo.

The turnout was all the more impressive given that this was an inaugural run. We turned up expecting your typical smallish neighborhood event – with a Vita Coco stand, perhaps (there is always a Vita Coco stand) – but this was nothing of the sort. There were freshly grilled turkey tips! And offerings of Sam Adams beer! And cups of free coffee! And frozen yogurt popsicles! And can you tell I love this kind of stuff?!

Continue reading →

24 Comments

Posted in 52 Weeks, 52 Runs, Humor, Running, Sports

Tagged , , ,

I see wheezing in my future: Training update #1

Posted on June 16, 2012 | 10 comments

My apologies for the blog-silence this week. I had to jump on a plane back to Australia for family reasons, which has thrown everything off. I’d like to think I’m going to do some half-marathon training while I am here, but seeing as I am in the early throes of jet-lag hell, I don’t know how that’s going to go.

But I did manage to do a decent amount of activity the week before last, so I’ll just pretend for the moment that I’m (kind of, sort of, who am I kidding) on track for the Lululemon SeaWheeze Half. I’ll post about last weekend’s 5K tomorrow. I promise.

Tackle box training update (June 4-11):

Monday: Power yoga Two-hour ballet class.
Tuesday: Tempo Run: 1 mile warm up/ 2 miles tempo/ 1 mile cool down
Nothing. Oh wait, I guess the technical term is “rest.”
Wednesday: Rest or flow yoga Nothing. So tired from yesterday’s rest that I needed more.
Thursday: Easy run 2.5 miles Strength and stride class at the YMCA. Nothing easy about it.
Friday: Rest.
Saturday: Long run 5 miles Rest.
Sunday: Yin yoga or optional run Halfway 5K in Canton, MA (great fun), plus 6 x 60-second hill intervals (torture).
Monday: Tempo Run: 1 mile warm up/ 2 miles tempo/ 1 mile cool down 2.5-mile run plus 2-mile jog/walk.

As you can see, the schedule has already been tossed out the window. But my goal is to focus on the cumulative effort. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

10 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Humor, Running, Sports

Tagged , ,