Local Boston Fitness Events!

So the fall is coming and with that is coming my new favorite season RACE season hehehehe.

Now this is my second official fall being a runner, I know I know I am a newbie still but that will not stop me from getting excited and helping to spread the good news.

I like to stalk look at active and cool running to see what local races are going on near me.

Why race? It can be pricey, it can be a pain to drive somewhere, sit in traffic, wake up extra early, blah blah. Yes it can be. But it can also be nothing short of amazing. I have had so much fun at the smallest races and even larger ones too. It is amazing getting to run with a large group of runner all going for the same goal. To finish the race. To get the glory of crossing that finish line.

So what is going on in the local Boston area this fall? A LOT :)

First I will be at the Spartan Sprint in Ayer, MA on Saturday! If you like the idea of an obstacle course the Spartan races promise all that and more. Check out their website and sign up for their Workout of the day! It is a great way to stay in shape or prepare for one of their races.

The folks are LUNA are hosting a walk/fun run on Sept. 8th in Cambridge, MA. This event looks like a great way to prepare for a 5k this fall. They will have groups of people walking 1.5 miles or jogging/running 2.7 miles together based on their pace! Each group will be led by a leader and you will have a chance to get advice etc. This looks like a lot of fun.

Then there is a coaches versus cancer race that the American Cancer Society is hosting! I love working with this charity they really are a great group of people working towards finding a cure. That is taking place in Boston, MA on Sept. 10.

September 17 in Wrentham, MA I will be at my 1 year runniversary race! This is the 5K I did as my first race ever last year!!! I am super excited for this race. It will be the first 5K for one of my friends Nneka and maybe even T!This is the race that made me fall in love with racing and running. Of course I am going to be running this one every year. ;)

On September 18th I will be at the Rocking 5 Mile challenge in Lynn, MA! This is a 5 mile obstacle course race. I am on a team with 3 other ymca members! This looks like a fun challenge
There is a fall harvest run going on in Hingham, MA on October 15! This is the run that my group of new runners will be doing as their first 5K! I will be there with them running as well and cheering very obnoxiously loudly at the finish line :)

If you are looking for a half marathon/marathon there is the Smuttynose Rockfest on October 2nd!!! This will be Damian's first half marathon!!! I am super excited for it. I plan to also run the half marathon here. It is part of my new goal which is to run a race in every state! Ma is done obviously and RI now too. NH is getting crossed off the list :)

There is a marathon/half marathon right here in Massachusetts on October 16th in Lowell, MA the Bay State marathon. It looks like a nice local small reasonable marathon. Some marathons can be very expensive but for $65 this one is a deal!

On October 30th there is a Halloween Dash in Plymouth, MA that looks like a lot of fun! It is a 5 mile run or 2 mile walk, and of course you can dress up!

So do you see all the options you have? There is a race just about everywhere this fall, this tiny list is only a few of the hundreds out there!

Are you planning your fall race calendar? Which events are you excited for?

My Rant of the Week

I want to start ranting from time to time and use this as an open forum to rant as well. Sometimes it is just good to get it all out isn't it?


My rant this week, and more over lately in general is stop freaking telling me I am on a diet.

I know. I started out on a diet, many many months ago. But it has adapted and evolved. What began as a desire to simply be "skinny" and cute, has become a quest for health and athleticism. I much prefer the new me and lifestyle. I love being getting stronger and faster in running and cross fit style workouts. I love living a paleo lifestyle.

I do not love the questions I get when I pull out my lunch bag all the time. I do not love the eye rolls I get when I order meat and steamed veggies and insist upon sticking to my plans when being out and about. I just am tired of people saying you are small enough now when will you eat normal again?

I am normal, in my mind. I like eating this way. When I am paleo and on point I have a great week. I am more energized and my stomach is not a bloated balloon. Simply put, I like living paleo so can I just be left alone? haha

And working out. I like it. I do not plan to stop anytime soon. I do plan to run a marathon this year. I do plan to train this winter and prepare for who knows what next spring, maybe my dreams of Boston Marathon will come true? Who knows!

All I do know is I want to keep doing what I am doing because it works for me. So leave your judgments at the door and let me be.

That is all ;)

#nomorebs

What do you want to rant about this week?

Marathon Training Week 9

Week 9 is done! Say it ain't so ;) Yes it is!!!! Philly is coming closer and closer to becoming a reality!

This was a fairly easy week, dare I say that? I racked up 38 miles between running 28 and biking 10. I am already thinking about this week and that 20 miler I have scheduled on Sunday!

Monday: Went to y-fit. It was a fitness test night so we did some 1/4 mile sprinting and then strength tests. Did wall sit, push ups, and plank hold. I held plank for an all time high for me of 23 minutes and 11 seconds. Yep I was sore all week haha

Tuesday: A 2 a day today! I went out at 5:30 am and got 4.2 miles ran in 40 minutes. Then after work at night I got in another 2.3 miles in 25 minutes with Peanut in her jogger. That jogger makes me work a little harder and I have come to look forward to our evening jogs as does she.

Wednesday: Y fit again! This was an intense night!! Did a pretty heavy loaded circuit with ground ups, KB swings, jump pulls etc. It was a Sandy Special as I have come to refer to. The pictures I posted of a workout last week were one of those. She pushes us extra hard and I do not mind! Then she had me run a mile on the treadmill after. I was dead after that!

Thursday: My joints have been in pain a lot more with all the extra mileage so instead of pounding pavement I opted for the gym today. I got 5.5 miles ran on the treadmill in 49 minutes. I was going at a nice pace and it felt good. Then I decided to hit the bike right after that. The upright bike and I have never gotten along, I do not know why I just do not go on it much. Well I cranked out 10 miles in 36 minutes keeping the resistance at 20 and 10 for intervals. It was not as bad as I thought it would be and I may start biking more. We will see!

Friday: I got pulled out of Y fit 5 minutes into class because peanut refused to stay at the day care gym. She was all water works.. So we headed home and I did a run with her in the jogger for 2 miles in 22 minutes. Then I headed inside and did my own crossfit workout. I did pushups, kb swings, jump pulls and ground ups. It felt good to be able to overcome the obstacle and still get a good workout in! No excuses ;)

Saturday: I went to cheer for Damian in his first 10K! It was great. I also got to walk/jog with a new runner Nicole and ran with Damian for his final mile. This is the closest to a rest day I had this week but it was a great day.

Sunday: My longest set of speed intervals yet! I had to do 6 one mile repeats and get ready for my marathon pace! It was 85% humidity this morning but I headed outside and went to this perfect 1 mile stretch of road. I Warmed up for a mile and then did 6 miles each with 2 minutes of rest in between: 8:02, 7:35, 7:45, 8:17, 7:35, 7:45. Then I jogged and walked another mile and half to cool down. I am so freaking proud of my speed. I work so hard every single day and I feel like it is coming along well.

I am glad that I survived another week! I am looking forward to this week and my first obstacle course race on Saturday when I complete my first Spartan Sprint!!!

Damian's First 10K

There is nothing greater than spreading the enthusiasm I have for living healthy and running. When I started my journey I had no idea it would bring me where I am at today. I also did not anticipate how much my passion and enthusiasm for running would transfer out to others around me and become contagious. But I LOVE IT!!!!

This is my first official race recap being a spectator, and it was just as fun watching someone work their ass off and complete a race as it was to run and finish! The race was chosen by me for Damian a few months ago. He told me he wanted to attempt a 10K and I of course found one asap and got him to sign up. I find this works best haha don't give them time to back out ;)

It was the Larry Olsen Summer Classic 10K. It was half in trails and up a lot of hills! But the landscape for the race was simply beautiful!

I went with Nicole, another newbie to the healthy living and running scene! We all work together so it is nice to branch out and have fun. We saw Damian off and then did some walking and she even jogged a bit. I am so proud of her she will be jogging her first ever 5K in October along with a few other people I have jumping on our train :) It is getting so exciting!!! I envision great things and I hope this is the beginning of a running club for us. We will see only time will tell :)

I began to notice many runners finishing up around an hour in and I knew Damian's pace would be right around the 14.5 to 15 minute range so we headed over to mile 5. Now mile 5 is emerging from the woods so it was the last of the trails. He looked pretty wiped out but he was in good spirits and I even got a wave out of him!

I jumped in right there and decided I would run the final 1.2 miles in with him. He was the last person to finish the race but that did not stop him! I was so proud of him at that point.

As we entered into the finish line everyone was cheering, I started yelling go Damian go, and let everyone know it was his first 10k ;) I can be a bit loud and excited at races!

It was a nice small town race. You know what everyone was so nice! They were all cheering and as he crossed the finish line it was wonderful to see.

It was inspiring to watch this journey unfold right before me and I felt so proud as Damian ended the race. He has been training and working hard and today was one of the rewards for all that hard work!

They waited to do the awards until he came in and I thought that was nice. They even presented him with the perseverance medal! And as you can see he is proud to be rocking it!

Damian finished his first 10K in 1 hour and 33 minutes!! An amazing time for trails and hills!

When we spoke at the end he said he was cursing me a bit around mile 2 because I did pick a tough one but he was happy to finish and accomplish this amazing race. He did say next time he will pick his own race ;)

Good job Damian! And thank you for letting me share in your journey and be a part of it! I cannot wait until we run his first half marathon together on October 2nd! The Smuttynose Hampton Rockfest looks like a lot of fun!