Mt. Nebo Race Recap - Marathon 46 and first race of 2020
Boston 2018
We’re a few days away from Boston 2019, and while I’m not running this year, I’m in multiple running groups with people who are and seeing ALL. THE. POSTS. about the upcoming race. Not only are there numerous posts about the marathon, but people are freaking out about the impending weather for race day. This is always a factor, always something marathoners worry about, but given Boston 2018 the freak out is legit. It was literally the worst weathered marathon I have ever been a part of out of (my now) 40 races and 18 years. Based on what I can see, however, it looks to be much warmer and not as much of a torrential downpour which should help.
Regardless of the weather, it’s the iconic Boston Marathon and something every runner feels special to just be a part of, that weather becomes secondary in most cases. Because of the upcoming race though, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane to last year’s marathon, The epic Boston 2018. What a race. What a memory. I was coming off of a hard training season for Boston in which I was training to set a PR and also break the 3:30 mark in the marathon. This was actually the first time in the history of my marathon training that I had followed a program which included speed, tempo and easy runs. I poured my heart and soul in to my training, but God had other plans (and given the weather conditions I can’t help but think it might have been because I wouldn’t have reached my goal regardless) and 3 weeks before the marathon I got injured! Unofficial diagnosis was hamstring tendinitis, and it actually knocked me down for a couple of months.
I am blessed, I know, but this was my first real injury in my running career since 2005 when I had achilles tendinitis. I run multiple marathons a year, train hard but not too hard, and could not believe that the first time I tried a “real” training program I got injured. I knew about the need for rest days and recovery runs, or I should say I had learned about it through my many years of running as well as through my RRCA coaching certification. I could prescribe it for other people and talk the talk, but when it came down to my own personal running I struggled to walk (or rather run) the walk. I had a hard time believing the science behind the programs and therefore paid for it once I started incorporating the speed portions in to my running. Hindsight is always 20/20, and I’m now quite thankful for my injury because through the process it made me a stronger athlete and a better coach.
At the time, however, I did not feel that way. I was discouraged, defeated and down. Add in the predicted weather forecasts that were bombarding my news feed and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was even worth it to go. Here I was, traveling out with three girlfriends while my husband graciously stayed home with our three littles, to one of the most iconic marathons in the world, and we weren’t even going to be able to enjoy our planned festivities. We were all looking forward to the time away, and to experience the environment that IS the Boston Marathon and it was happening with a cloud over my head. I was sadly beginning to channel an inner Eeyore.
We arrived the Saturday before the race, and the weather was actually beautiful that day, but that was the highlight. Sunday came, and we survived a windy expo, where I also got my knee taped in hopes it might help my injury on Monday. As the day continued it became even more windy, cold, wet and dreary. We had tickets for the Red Sox game early afternoon and we lasted 2 innings before heading indoors to warm up. After warming up we toured Boylston street and the finish line. I can honestly say that was the only thing I was looking forward to about marathon Monday. Knowing in 24 hours I would be crossing that line as a Boston Marathon finisher for the 3rd time in my life gave me the chills.
After dinner that evening as we were walking back to our house I veered off in a CVS to pick up a pair of throw away shoes for $10 to wear in the athlete’s village and starting line to try and salvage, even if just for a few minutes, the shoes that would become drenched instantaneously once on my feet. We also picked up $1 ponchos, wrongly believing they would help the next day. I went to bed more anxious than I had been in a long time for a marathon with a pit in my stomach.
The next morning I woke and put on all the layers, including a rain jacket from my friend Noelle. Apparently I also, wrongly believed this jacket along with my CVS $1 poncho would do the trick. I was ready. I had plastic shopping bags on my feet, tied tight, and then my throw away shoes over them. My running shoes were tucked safely inside the (only) clear bag we were allowed to take to the athletes village. I began reminiscing of the year before, when I had also changed up my planned attire and purchased a flip belt to hold all my nutrition and phone. I had planned to wear my VS capris with pockets and as the race temps continued to rise in 2017, I adjusted to as little clothing as possible. What a complete change in the race temps in just 1 year, and I had to keep myself in check to not feel sorry for myself about the weather I continued to encounter in Boston. (As I’m writing this, I looked up an article about the top 5 Worst Weather’s in Boston’s history - and 2 of the 3 I have run are on this top 5…not including the heat of 2017!).
2017 vs 2018
I’ll admit I was in a negative head space which certainly didn’t help my race that day. I was literally dreading the run. It was pouring rain as I left the house, and it never let up. I was in denial that I was riding a bus 26.2 miles away from downtown Boston, knowing my only way back to where I was starting was by foot. According to the BAA website, here was 2018’s weather: Driving rain, winds gusting to 45 mph, temperatures in the low 40s. And that doesn’t include the real feel temps, which were in the high 20’s and low 30’s as it was a head wind the entirety of the run. Seriously what group of people would choose to be out in these conditions? Let me tell you. The runners don’t get credit here. We all chose to be here - and what an honor it was to be running the race. The real heroes of 2018 were the people of Hopkinton and Boston and everything in between, the spectators, the race director and the entire team of volunteers that showed up so that we could run. Simply freaking amazing.
I entered the athlete’s village and slid my way down the mud pit to try and use the bathrooms before looking for shelter in the tents while waiting for my wave to be called to walk to the start. It was a site to behold. People slipping and falling, shoes completely covered in mud (thank goodness for my throw aways!), and a community of runners that were all working to channel our inner strength. We are marathoners. We have sacrificed a lot to get this amazing experience and we owe it to ourselves and our support system near and far to suck it all up and run the best that we could.
As I was walking up to the start, I ran in to my friend Jill, and her demeanor was 100% the opposite of my mental state. She was excited, ready to go, and helped shift my mood every so slightly in a positive direction. This was her first Boston, and come hell or high water, she was going to run the race of her life. And race she did! Jill set a PR that day like a true boss. Seriously all the praise hands to her performance that day. We ended up running miles 13-15 together before Jill blew past me, and I knew she was going to crush the rest of the course. While I was struggling to keep up any kind of pace, and knew I had the toughest part of the course ahead of me, she was picking up energy from every spectator that cheered her on. (Meanwhile I ran in to my friends who were braving the terrible conditions and wanted to just stop and cry…)
I powered through though, poncho and all. The hills weren’t easy, the headwind was constantly blowing gusts up to 45mph, the pouring rain continued to drop buckets, and I did zero nutrition during the course because my hands were frozen and I couldn’t get my soaked gloves off nor reach my gus that were underneath about 10 pounds of drenched layers. My quads started screaming at me about mile 23 and I mentally willed myself to the finish line. As we made the turn on to Hereford street, the ground was littered with ponchos. I wasn’t the only one who had falsely hoped it would keep us dry during the run. As I tried to take the poncho off, I struggled getting it over my hat and ended up just throwing it behind my neck instead. As you can see, I ended up superwoman-ing it to the finish line, which honestly was quite metaphorical for the day. I feel that anyone out in those conditions for any facet of the race truly was a superhero that day. The finish was tough and I dealt with some sickness after. It took me awhile to get an uber back to the house, and I urged my friends to just meet me there to ensure I could get in and showered as quickly as possible.
Once I finally made it back, they helped peel off my soaked clothes and helped me get in a hot shower. Reality started to set in, and I realized I had made it through my hardest marathon to date, and hopefully ever. Marathon #35, Boston #3, and State #26 (again) in my 50 States Marathon Club journey completed in 3:46:28, and a 2 minute quicker time from the heat of 2017! The 2007 Boston still holds my Boston PR with a 3:37, and I’m hoping one of these times I’m able to make it back to improve that but time will tell.
The next day we were able to take on some sites of the city with Mother Nature laughing, giving us a beautiful day to explore. We picked up Mike and Patty’s for breakfast, took on the Freedom Trail tour, then hung out in Beacon Hill and saw iconic Acorn Street. We stumbled across the men’s (and women’s later on that day) marathon winners, and I caught up with a friend from high school while watching the Celtics clinch game 2 of the playoffs before taking an early flight up to reunite with my sweet family.
I’m very thankful, despite the crazy weather, that I was able to experience Boston again. It is truly an environment like none other in the marathoning world. It is the world's oldest annual marathon, is one of the most well-known road racing events, and is one of the 6 Abbot World Major Marathons. There’s a level of respect that comes from being a Boston Marathon Finisher, being able to participate is never taken for granted, and I feel beyond honored for the memories I have. I am hopeful I’ll be able to return in 2020 and give the course another chance, vowing to go in with a better mental state than I gave it in 2018. While I’m not there for this year’s 123rd running of the race, my eyes will be glued to the TV watching as the drama unfolds, and cheering on all the athletes I know who are running.
Boston, you never disappoint for a memorable experience. While I wasn’t thankful at the time, 1 year later I am grateful for the memories that are 2018. And to anyone reading this while on their way to chasing their unicorn, don’t give up and give it all you got. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. If it’s your desire to run Boston, do it. You won’t regret it!
Running 101: Basic Types of Running
Here I am, closing out the second month of the year in which I have hit my “highest mileage ever” in my 19 year long running career at 218 miles. As I began reflecting back on my running journey, and thinking about my current training cycle, I decided I wanted to briefly document some of my progression, as well as touch base on what I’d like to call Running 101: Basic Types of Running.
It wasn’t until I became a running coach a little over a year ago that I really started to dive deeper in to the training world of marathoning. I had been a runner for over 18 years, and had basically adopted the training plan I discovered to be known as “vanilla” in the running community without even realizing it. Running had become such a huge part of my life, and marathoning was at the crux of it. Once I knew I was done having biological children, I put an emphasis on my goal to become a 50 state marathoner, heightening my desire to run as many marathons in a year that would make sense for me and my family. In 2016 I ran 6 marathons, in 2017 I ran 8 marathons, in 2018 I ran 6 marathons and I have 7 on the books for 2019. (Side note, my husband has been incredibly supportive of my marathoning ambitions for which I am beyond thankful! There is no way I could do what I do with our 3 kids and his job if I didn’t have his support.) Obviously marathoning is in my blood, so to speak, so it might sound surprising to hear that until 2018 I had been more of a vanilla zone runner. I had done pretty well for myself, but realized through getting my RRCA Level I Coaching Certification I had the potential to do better. More in another post about my personal running career growth, moving on here to the basic types of running.
Vanilla Zone Runner - running every run exactly how you feel. No focus on specific pacing, strength, or speed
Recovery Run - a nice and easy run after a hard workout (such as a tempo or speed); the purpose is to add miles to a runners training, done in a conversational pace, to help loosen up the soreness caused by muscle inflammation; the slower the better
Base Run - short to moderate distance running, done in a conversational pace (which is typically a runner’s natural pace; will make up the majority of a runner’s weekly mileage
Long Run - anything above about 90 minutes, done in a conversational pace, typically scheduled for one time a week with a max of 3 in a month; purpose is to increase running economy as well as increase endurance and the confidence for the runner’s success in each future long run
Strength Runs
Tempo - three different kinds (threshold, marathon pace and progression) and the “glue” for athletes to pull all the training together; a swift and sustained pace at lactate threshold intensity that you can run for 20 minutes - 1 hour
Hills - can be done as hill repeats, on a hilly course, or focused on a downhill; builds strength and confidence in runner with lower risk for injury due to less strain on ligaments and tendons
Fartlek - fast bouts of running followed by a bout of rest; can be based on distance or time; good intro to effort sessions for more novice runners
Speed Runs - specific amounts of mileage at a specific pace (fast) with a specific recovery (slow); has an increased chance of injury due to strain on muscles, ligaments and tendons; usually the last component added to a training program
Long Intervals - anything from 800 meters - 2000 meters, or about 2:30-10 minutes; good for marathoners, long multi-sport events and early training season for road racers
Short Intervals - anything under 800 meters or 2:30 and below; good for shorter road racers and track season and for improving leg speed
If you’re looking for a running coach, you’ve come to the right page. I’m ready and excited to work with you to help you achieve YOUR goals! Let’s do it!
5 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Running Coach
photo cred: Kate Lopaze
Here we are, 2nd week in to January, and you’re already thinking about those New Years Resolutions you set last week . How are you doing? Still going strong? Or are some of you starting to slide just a little?
Considering over half of the population makes a health related resolution, here’s where Coach Kelly, with StretchRun Coaching comes in to play :). I became a certified running coach for many reasons, one of which was that I hoped to help others develop the love of running as I have over the years. Another is because I know what it’s like to set a goal and work hard towards it and I want to support other’s dreams and desires to accomplish a running goal. Yet another includes helping others set a goal, stay committed to it, and see it through to completion. And therein lies why I’m writing this post now, 8 days post New Year’s Resolutions being dreamed up and written down. If you had a dream to accomplish a certain running related goal this year and are starting to question if you really meant it or not, let’s chat! We can sit down in personal or virtually, figure out the right goal for you, as well as the right path to help you succeed!
TOP 5+1
Reasons as to why I think you should hire a Running Coach:
Keep you accountable. Short and sweet, but possibly the most effective. When you invest in yourself by hiring a running coach, you’re investing in someone else checking in with you, making sure you’re sticking to what was decided, and not allowing you to make excuses.
Set a specific and attainable goal. Let’s be honest, sometimes we just struggle with setting the right goal for our fitness level. And then when we aren’t able to achieve what we had once desired, we feel like a failure and get gun shy about future goals. Hire me as your running coach, and together we will sit down and determine the appropriate goal for your current fitness level. That could include short term goals as well as goals for the future. Whatever we decide, we will do it together to help set you up for success along the way.
Individualized and customized plans. After we determine the right goal for you, I’ll go to work creating an individual plan customized for you and your current stage of life. In our initial consult we will talk about recommended number of running days, as well as cross + strength training days, and how that fits in to you life outside of training. It’s going to take time. You have to be ready to commit to the plan. But by hiring a running coach, you have someone taking in to account your work + home life to set you up for success to help you achieve the goal set.
Modifications as needed to the plan. When you sign up for my monthly coaching, you’ll get as many emails/texts/checkins as you need. Some athletes might just need the plan and a couple of texts here and there, while others might want a daily check in per workout. That’s the great thing about a personalized running coach - you can get whatever service you desire as an athlete! And when vacations come up, or something unexpected in your job or family happens, I’m here to make modifications to your plan to keep you moving forward. Leaving town for 2 weekends (when your long runs might be scheduled)? No problem! We will adjust! Running faster and stronger than we anticipated? Great! I’ll adjust your pace goals for your future workouts. You can’t get this from your cookie cutter plans found for free or a small fee online. You’re paying for a personal coach to be there for you, and a personal coach you will get!
Workouts are prescribed for you, you just have to execute. Depending on your season of life, this may or may not be helpful, but sometimes I just need someone to tell me what to do so I don’t have to think about it. Hire me as your running coach, and I’ll be creating your workouts for every week, sending them to you virtually, and you just have to go out and execute. I will tell you what kind of workout to do, when you should be doing it, and what pace you should be running. It’s up to you to do the work, but at least you don’t have to sit down and figure out if x, y, and z is what you need for this training cycle.
And just because I think there are so many reasons why a running coach might be just what you need for this season of your life, I decided to add in a bonus 6th reason why!
Find the love of running and appreciate the journey as much as the destination. While I know this may not be an absolute if you hire me as your coach, my desire would be to help develop the actual love of running during your training. By providing a variety of workouts to help keep your training fresh and novel based on your strengths and weaknesses, I’m hoping you not only tolerate but actually enjoy the journey you are about to embark on!
This is YOUR time. Invest in yourself, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Berlin, I'm coming for ya!
I've had a few people ask about the significance of Berlin, so I wanted to take a few moments to explain why Berlin is on my bucket list, especially since I am spending so much time focusing on completing the 50 states and this is a detour from that goal.
In addition to being a 50 state marathoner (I'm 28 states through that goal!), I also want to be an Abbott World Marathon Major 6 star finisher. The AWMM series is composed of 6 of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world. The purpose of the series is to bring more global awareness to the sport of marathoning, raising support for the sport’s elite athletes and bring more excitement to the races. The series began in 2006 with 5 of the world’s top marathons and a 6th was added in 2013. For the elites, the series awards prize money to the highest point getters over the course of the time. For example, you get a certain number of points for 1st - 5th place and at the conclusion of the series a certain amount of money is awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers for mens, womens and wheelchair divisions. In the creation of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, there has been more awareness of the elite athletes competing, more of a draw to these marathons, and a growing desire among the general public to be one of the special 6 star finishers.
This was after my last Chicago race. There was a team from Abbott handing out these medals to those who were completing their 6 star that day. I took a picture of it, providing a hands on experience to a running bucket list that I will accomplish one day, keeping me excited and motivated.
Elevation Course Map for each Major. Oh Boston and New York…hills, hills and more hills…
The marathons included in the series are Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. I have been fortunate to run Boston 3 times, Chicago 7 times and New York 1 time. I have loved all of my experiences that has come from my World Major races. I am a big city racer - I love the excitement, the prestige, the energy and the support that those races give. Yes, there is a draw to the small, no frills races as well. Being a 50 state marathoner, I have come across quite a few of those. I appreciate the hard work it takes to organize a race and some of my small races bring me back to the task at hand - running 26.2 miles all at one time! But if you asked me to pick, hands down, the big city races win out for me. I really thrive in the largeness that is a world major (though my actual marathon times might say differently). To see a large city come together and support the thousands that come to run their streets, it’s pretty phenomenal. Below you’ll find just a sampling of each of the US majors from my runs there in 2017. Boston was extremely hot that year, as you can tell from my picture with my mouth wide open signifying to my husband I was desperate for some fluids! Chicago brought along my three sweet kiddos, which I couldn’t have been more happy to see. New York provided such incredible joy as I had tried for 3 years unsuccessfully to get in to the race before finally getting an entry via the lottery, and is to date, my favorite race of the 38(!) marathons I have run.
Now this is where Berlin comes in and why it is a significant race for me. It will bring me my 4th star and one step closer to getting my 6 star medal. I applied for London this year and was unsuccessful (which was 1000% expected). I fully believe London will be my charity race, and I have a desire for it to be my final world major with my entire family there with me to celebrate it’s completion. While I’m not sure when London or Tokyo will happen, as this journey of mine is not a cheap endeavor in either time or cost, I’m confident it’ll happen. Hopefully not too far from now either. I have an amazingly supportive husband and 3 small kiddos that these two goals impact, and it’s sometimes a tough balance figuring it all out. (I’m also anticipating the addition of 1-3 majors in the next few years, so I’m feeling a bit of pressure to be one of the few 6 star finishers before that happens!).
At least I know, though, that Berlin will happen in September of 2019. It seems so far away from now, but I’m sure it’ll be here before I know it. If training goes well, that’ll be a goal race for me, too. Berlin is one of the flattest and the fastest major. It currently holds the world marathon, set just this year, by Eliud Kipchoge in 2:01:39. Let that sink in for a minute. That’s a pace of 4:38/mile. For 26.2 miles. Wow. Just wow. Berlin also holds 8 out of the last 10 records that were broken… so ya, it’s a fast course. And I can’t wait! Like I said, Berlin, I’m coming for ya!
