Breaking into the Double Digits and Other Updates

I've been very bad at blogging lately.  Now that the year-end at work is coming to a close hopefully I'll have more time to post regularly.  I figured I'd give a brief update of where I stand on the training and fundraising front.

Luckily, on the training front I can update you pretty easily because all our training has had a general theme...snow (with some sub-freezing temps thrown in there just for fun).  I kept up with my long runs over break and our first training run back on January 8th was supposed to be not only our first double digit run but also our first run out towards Newton and the infamous Newton Hills.  Due to the snow that was coming down on us that day, we were treated to a shorter 6 mile run towards Hopkinton and an intense cross-training session to make up for the shorter mileage.  I'll get into cross-training in another post but let's just say I went to the grocery store the next day and had to strategize how to get a can of beans off the bottom shelf without embarrassing myself next to an elderly woman.

The following Saturday we finally attacked an 11 miler and the Newton Hills.  I felt great through the hills.  I took my coach Sarad's advice and hunched over slightly up the hills, not straightening up until I was through the crest of the hill, and only looked a few feet ahead of me and not at the huge incline I still had to defeat.  I didn't tighten up until around mile 8 after the third water stop.  The killer though was a hill some of the girls in years past had nicknamed "Mildred" which, like Heart Break Hill, comes right near the end of the run, is long and steep, and on this particular morning was covered in snow and slush.  I managed to jog the entire way up but I honestly probably could have walked it faster.  By the end of the run my legs hurt like they never had before and it took me a full 30 minutes to stretch them out before I felt like I could drive home.

Finally this past Saturday we went towards Hopkinton again for a 12 mile run.  It was bitterly cold at around 15 degrees and with the wind it felt even colder.  Our other coach, Kelly, sent around an email before practice reminding us to dress appropriately.

"10 to 20 degrees: 2 tops, 2 bottoms. A jacket over your base layer and wind pants over the tights."

I had on three tops, two bottoms, and a scarf.  With all the layers I had on I felt like I had suddenly gained 10 pounds and by the end of the run I really just wanted to pull off and ditch my extra pair of pants and scarf (but didn't because I'm cheap and I paid good money for them).  My body temperature must run hot because I clearly didn't need to bundle up so much.  As it's been continuously  snowing in New England, the sidewalks were not well plowed so we also had to battle cars on Rt 135 pretty much the entire run as we made our way into Natick for the first time.  My teammate Manny said that a PeterPan bus driver actually looked him straight in the eye and tried to run him off the road.  In my year and a half driving in Massachusetts with Mass drivers, I don't doubt it.  Aside from the temperature and traffic issues the run went very well and I finished in about the same time I finished the 11 miler and not nearly as sore and tired.  I estimate my pace was about 10:30 min/mile which is great for a long run and right where I want to be.

So what's on the agenda for this week?  Recommitment is on January 31st so we've all been working to get in the last of our donations to reach our fundraising minimum.  As of tonight I have $2,405 in donations!  (This includes $300 from my bowling tournament that hasn't hit the account yet) which is 74% of the way to my goal!  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far! If you'd still like to donate it's not too late!  Here's the website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston11/klauro 

This week I've also been preparing for my main fundraiser!  I'm having a bar night at the Lansdowne Pub on Saturday just in time for recommitment.  I've been spending the week gathering donations for the raffle.  Thanks to the generosity of some local businesses I've got some great prizes and it finally looks like I'm all set!  Stay tuned for all the pictures from the event on Sunday!

Ok I think I've bored you enough with this "brief" update that became not so brief.  I promise to update you all on my training more frequently in the future!