Boilermaker 15K Recap

The fact that I am posting over a week late has everything to do with how awesome this race is! Ok....maybe that's not entirely true...but The Boilermaker Road Race is a one of a kind event that convinced me it is cool to "race" 9.3 miles and then drink endless beer at 9:30 in the morning.

Alright, rewind to the night before. I am sad to say that I left the camera behind as it was a whirlwind weekend and too tough to think about cooking, running, and visiting in all of 36 hours. This race sold out in a matter of four days and it is capped at 14,000 runners. This year was the fastest it ever sold out so I knew it would be a good time. Not to mention, my Dad's entire family lives in Central New York so of course I had to do a race in Utica! 

I had planned on running alone since I have gotten used to that by now - and one is certainly not alone among 14,000 others. But lucky for me my sister had an idea up her sleeve and connected me with some friends who were Boilermaker veterans. I got some advice the night before and then hitched a ride to the start first thing in the morning. My sister volunteered to cart my stuff around, my post-race essentials: camera, dress, flip flops, coconut water, chocolate soy milk, wallet. ESSENTIALS! 

Of course there was disorder and it was impossible to appropriately line up according to finish time, so we chose the first place we could find and stood...and waited....for what seemed like for. ev .er. This was my first 15K and I was a little concerned about the distance (9.3 mi), but more about how I would possibly find anybody at the finish.

The race started at 8:00 and we crossed the start at 8:04:29 ... woo, what a wait! This was the first time I had ever seen people just leave the course left & right to pee anywhere they could find. It was quite amusing and occurred for the entirety of mile 1. Mile 2 was the "International Mile" which I enjoyed, being a non-profit person and all. Mile 3 was my mental prep for THE HILL....and I obsessed about conserving energy for this monster. I think my photos found here were just after hitting that marker.

I had kept the elevation chart in mind so I knew that the peak of the hill was at the fourth mile marker. But with all of the people and beautiful scenery, I didn't notice how far along we were. So when we reached mile 4 I got a bit obnoxious yelling "THAT WAS THE HILL? WHAT? THAT'S IT?" Hahaha...tell me this elevation chart is not horrifying, I dare you! I did not actually read the numbers on the left-hand side...obviously.  

I happily breezed down the hill with the excitement of "conquering the beast" and got to use that coasting form I have been trying to perfect. Both of the guys stayed with me for mile 5 then one took off, and the other took off at mile 6. And then mile 7 hit.

Did I mention how there was music all along the course? I swear either a band or a DJ played at half-mile intervals and it was SO FUN. People were cheering continuously on either side of the streets, the zoo brought some animals out to play, it was awesome! And then you hit mile 7.....all is quiet...you're on an overpass that is made of grooved concrete....and you're on the tiniest bit of an incline. I was alone, the road was wide, and spirits were low. IT SUCKED. I got bored and slowed down to a 10 minute mile because I lost interest.

In retrospect, I am disappointed that I let the atmosphere bring me down, but I came right back to life as the crowd thickened through miles 8 and 9 - both mostly downhill. Once I hit the 9 mile marker I was ready to sprint but panicked....where was the finish line?! I was looking for a big overhead clock and scanned the horizon, finding nothing. I even asked out loud and nobody responded. Then, with about .15 miles left, I found it and zoned in.

When my Dad prepared to shoot this picture, he said that he had me in the lens in front of him. Do you see me? No? Yea - that's because I flew! I had reserved energy to sprint the last .3 and was so bummed that I missed out. So I made the most of the time I had left and weaved in and out of those stragglers nearing the finish. Alright......that's an exaggeration, but I am unhappy to report that there was no competition as I neared the finish. 

This race definitely lived up to its claim that it is basically a party through Utica. There were so many people and so many djs, water stations, and showers that you could run through. Food was decent, I pretty much shoved everything resembling food that was thrown at me (no meat in sight). Certainly grabbed my two beers then reunited with the group. When we went back over for seconds, the jets flew over and the National Anthem was sung once more.

Under no other circumstances will I willfully run a race in mid-summer heat then proceed to hang out with 40,000 people at an after-party drinking beer on a Sunday morning. But the Boilermaker? That's a different story. I am so siked to make this an annual race, and my family is pretty siked about that!

BY THE WAY: I finished in 1 hr 26 min - that's an average pace of 9:13. Not too shabby for me, the girl who melts in the heat and humidity. 

Quaboag Plantation Triathlon Recap

As I have just arrived in upstate NY to run the Boilermaker, I should probably write a recap on my triathlon from last weekend, eh?

On Saturday my Mom and I participated in the Quaboag Plantation Sprint Triathlon in West Brookfield. Neither of us had ever been out there before and we were both pleasantly surprised. I found this race by accident and only signed up because it worked with my schedule and was low cost ($50) for a Tri.

If you care to remember, this race occurred during an awful heat wave that had me, the one who can’t get enough of the outdoors and sunshine, glued to the coach under a fan. Yes, it was that hot. Or maybe I just need to move further North?

Anyways, the water was approaching 80 degrees by 8 am and we knew we were in for a tough race. My thoughts at the start line were “who cares about racing, I want to finish without walking” and “as long as I get in for 1:21 I’m good.” Yep – just a little confusion.

Swim ¼ mile in 10:35: The swim start was from a narrow entry point and they split the women up into two waves, under/over 40 years old. I learned right off the bat that the participants in this race were mostly strong swimmers and I fell back pretty quickly. I did maintain pace with one woman throughout the whole swim and we ran up to transition together, so it was good to not feel alone out there. My least favorite part of a tri is when you can’t find the shore due to the sun’s glare….how do you sight without a landmark?! Definitely one of my weaker swims and I was a little disappointed by my time.

T1 1 min 35 sec : I think I actually started to get excited during this point because this is the first transition where I dropped things and had difficulty tying my shoes. I was so excited to get on my bike and catch up to the others in my group!

Bike 12 miles in 41:41: Oh, the scenery was so lovely out here! I wish I had a camera because this bike was just beautiful. I recall the course as rolling hills with lots of trees and sunlight streaming through, but I might be glossing over the tough parts. There was definitely one hill that I had to stand up for, I saw the traffic jam of racers before I knew what was coming on that one. I passed 4 or 5 women here and about 9 miles in the men over 40 started to catch up with me. I can proudly say that I was the only one doing the passing for women under 40 – new for me on the bike! My pace averaged out to 17 mph which I guess is pretty good? I’m gaining confidence and taking advantage of the downhills & the drop handlebars. Considering my not-so-fun past with cycling & injuries, this is a HUGE step for me. OH – and I used some new energy snacks that I had gotten for free at the co-op awhile ago, they were some jelly bean type deal. They were SO good and worked SO well – I was pleasantly surprised. Ate these around mile 10 of the bike, easy to pop in and chew.

T2 58 sec : Quick, easy transition…other than more difficulties with tying my shoes. Apparently I came into T2 at the same time as the first finisher crossed. That excitement didn’t even phase me as I was ready to RUN!

Run 3 miles in 24:45: Did I mention it was a hot day? I mean….I have never been so hot while swimming in my life. I came out of the water with a red hot face, that’s how hot it was. The first part of the run was uphill with full sun exposure – ah! Luckily I just had some sugar & caffeine so my energy was high despite my tired legs. I splashed some water on myself and prepared for the run. I felt that I had a good pace and was not as tired as at my last Tri, that’s a win in my book! The run is always funny because my position in the pack just shuffles. I always pass around 10 people and feel awesome, then a 65 year old woman will sprint past me followed by 9 more. Every. Time. It’s interesting and exciting, there’s always more camaraderie on the run in a tri than anywhere else. Since running is you know, what I do, I feel that my big smile contributes to that. I depleted my water and homemade energy drink stores on this run and felt strong and hydrated throughout. The finish was downhill and at the end of a dirt path so it was easy to end on a great, fast note. Rather than try to calculate what 84 minus 5 equals and what that meant in regard to my 1 hr 21 min goal I just ran as hard as possible. Math just slows me down.

Imagine my surprise when I finished in 1:19:35! Only 35 seconds sooner and I would have been 4^th in my age group, but I got 5/10 for F 20-29 and 63/121 overall. Most importantly – I crushed my goal time once again! I based my goal on my pacing for the last tri so I was proud to see improvement in only a month. The course was beautiful and I will gladly do this race again next summer (if I’m in MA!). If only I could do a triathlon every weekend……

PS Did I mention the awesome hats? QPT in the front and Swim Bike Run / West Brookfield, MA on the back. Sweet!

Summertime Blues

Now that my summer class has finished, I have time to write again! In the food world, my CSA has begun and the heat has demolished my appetite. I have a nice twist on a staple recipe but I've pretty much been eating whatever I can stomach. Lots of soft, bland food. In the exercise world, I am on Week 4 of marathon training and I have a triathlon tomorrow. The tri I have not been able to train much for due to my insane schedule, but I did manage to fit in two double workouts this week, so I should be  ok. Worst comes to worst, I know I can do the distances without a problem and I won't race it.

ANYWAYS - I came on here to write about heat. I am a little frustrated because I am usually good at compromising with my training and moving workouts around to fit my schedule. Enter summertime and I am just a wreck. My question is this: What do you do when your only two training days for a long run are under heat advisory? I think the common sense answer would be to wake up at an insane hour and leave before the sun comes up. But I am not a morning distance runner as of yet.

I just attempted 10 miles but something about my fuel belt and my outfit is not working - the belt was bouncing around ridiculously, even at the tightest fit. It's a good thing I decided to turn around and change because once I got most of the way home dizziness set in. Now I am sitting in front of a fan guzzling energy drink & water wondering where all my strength went.

Is it really ok to split up my long runs two weeks in a row? Last weekend I did 3 separate 3 mile loops spaced throughout the day. Today it looks like I'm doing a 2 miler plus a nighttime 8 miler.

Obviously I am going to get those 8 in just to finish off my training week successfully. I'm just not a big fan of this summertime training. This running thing is always a learning experience....

Making (Vegan) Banana (Quinoa) Pancakes.....

Since I have been writing about my exercise activities so much lately, I figured it was high time that I bring in another recipe. That, and I keep having to re-do the math every time I want to make these pancakes because I haven’t written the recipe down!

I came across this recipe when looking for a banana quinoa pancake. Out of the entirety of the internet, I could not find such a recipe. And that is how these wonderful, healthy, delicious pancakes came to be.

These pancakes are vegan and oh so filling. I usually top them with peanut butter and syrup and eat with fresh fruit and nuts before a long run. A breakfast such as this leaves me feeling full and satisfied for hours on end. It is especially great to have before a long workout, I never feel weak after a plate of these!

Banana Quinoa Pancakes (vegan)

adapted from Martha Stewart

1.5 T chia seeds

4.5 T water

1 c cooked quinoa

¾ c whole wheat flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

¼ c + 2 T soymilk

3 T mashed banana

Optional mix-ins: fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.

1)      Start by combining the chia seeds and water in a small dish. Whisk together and allow to sit until the mixture has a gooey consistency (5-10 minutes). At this point you will also mash the banana in a small bowl – the riper, the better.

2)      In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together chia, banana, and milk until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk to combine. If you are using any mix-ins inside of the pancakes, fold them in now.

3)      Prepare a skillet on the stovetop, medium heat, and put down some coconut oil. Once the oil is spread throughout the skillet drop 3 T of batter (or more for larger pancakes) down. Allow to cook until firm, then flip to brown the other side.

Makes about 10 medium pancakes.

Enjoy!

Westfield Wave Sprint Triathlon Recap

The distances are as follows: .3 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 3 mile run AKA 16.3

This is my third year participating in the Triathlon event, but my first attempt at the Sprint distance. The first two years I completed the Super-Sprint, which takes about 45 minutes, and I won first in my age group both times. The Sprint distance, well, it’s not just for beginners – and the competition was a little intimidating!

I feel like this pictures aptly displays my emotions before the race….I did not arrive super early so it was tough finding space to rack my bike, people around me were upset with one another over layouts, and a good deal of the Sprint athletes were either on their bikes or in the water before the race! All I could think was, what did I get myself into, and there is no way I am getting first place today.

Once leaving the transition area my anxiety subsided as we gathered on the beach in anticipation of the start. I had Tim take one last picture, griped about all the wetsuits one last time, and then lined up with the other pink caps and waited for the men to jump in.

SWIM: I have been regularly swimming 1,000 yds once a week, so this was just over half that distance. Of course my swim takes place in a pool, alone in my lane, so this is a tad bit different. I started off too early and there were way too many people, so I turned to the breast stroke to ward off the adrenaline surge and get out of the way of the serious swimmers. Once my heart rate went down I transitioned into freestyle and found that I could NOT put my face in pond water….oy. I maintained some silly head out of water freestyle approach to swimming, sighted well, and had to sprint to pass others (that’s a new skill I picked up) before arriving on land. My swim + the run up the beach to T1 was 11:27 …. Not too shabby.

T1 + BIKE: A new item I brought with me to this race was my padded spandex bike shorts. Do you know how hard these things are to get on when wet? Alas, I CANNOT ride this bike without them, so I did a little dance before preparing everything else then went off. Yoga served me well in regards to balance & flexibility in these tight quarters and I left T1 after 1:29.

Once on the bike I realized that this may be my new favorite sport. I managed 16 mph throughout the course, which is awesome for me, but man…I will never understand how people maintain 20+ mph. Spinning did help me when I needed to sprint, which felt like too often, but I’m glad to have that capability. I choked down half a Kind bar but couldn’t stomach much with all that movement. There was a woman who I kept my eye on, I noticed she was 31, and I told myself I better keep up with her. I get distracted while biking and knew I needed someone to keep me in line to maintain my speed. It worked! The race was two laps of nice country-ish roads and I completed the 13 miles in 47:46.

T2 + RUN: Another step I added was to change my shoes in this transition. I wear my indoor soccer shoes when biking because they lack cushioning, which equals efficiency on the bike. I started my brick workouts wearing the same shoes for running but got a wicked callous on my heel and my tired legs were missing the cushion. The change of shoes was easy and my T2 time was only :59 so I think that’s pretty good!

And then the run…..oh boy. I felt like I was draggin’ and there was no pick me up on its way. I just started laughing at myself because I felt so slow and helpless about it! By the time the first mile marker showed up I was feeling a little better, but I really felt a difference at the turn around (1.5 mi). It was about this time I was wondering what that bike woman was up to and sure enough, she appeared beside me! We maintained a good pace side by side for the rest of the race and man was I thankful for that. The final kick is on the beach (killer) and I found some energy to sprint it in for a 1:27:38 finish, with my friendly competitor just a second behind. I guess I should mention that run was at an 8:40 pace AKA my last 5K. WHAT? Adrenaline leads to some remarkable feats.

OVERALL: I won 3^rd place in my age group (F 20-24) and was ecstatic to see that! There were more younger competitive triathletes this year, more than there have been in years past. It’s awesome to see more young people coming up but also intimidating. To put it in perspective – if I completed in this race last year, I would have gotten first place for all women under 30 by a whole two minutes. That is a crazy improvement in the field of competitors!

My goal was anywhere from 1:30 to 1:45 – with 1:40 being my “safe” zone. So I cannot express how happy I was to cross the finish under 1:30. I rarely exceed my own expectations in the physical world and it was such a treat to do so! Most importantly: I had a BLAST at this race and cannot wait for next year! The feeling of doing all three sports in one day, pushing the mental crap out of the way, and persevering to do something you didn’t think is possible…WOW. I recommend everybody try it.

Up next: Quaboag Plantation Triathlon on July 6^th

The Perfect Picnic Recipe

After much ado, I have decided to post this recipe on the blog. I really do not think of it as a recipe, but this salad has been a HUGE hit at events lately so I wanted to share it with you all!

I love all things “greek” – pizza, wraps, salads, kabobs, etc. There’s just something about the combination of flavors that catches my eye (stomach?) every time. To turn this craving into a food that is picnic worthy I decided to make a cold salad.

Introducing: Greek Wheat Berry Salad with Extra Veggies

Sorry for the poor photo quality, this was the last of the bowl…it goes so fast I can’t even capture it!

I suggest throwing this salad together the night before you eat, to allow the flavors to really soak in. 

Ingredients:

1 c dry wheat berries

1 lg cucumber

5 radishes

½ red onion

½ bunch asparagus

1 can black olives

4 oz feta (regular or tofu)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Oregano

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Start a couple days ahead of time by soaking your berries. I sprouted the berries for the first couple of salads because it was a fun experiment. Soaking allows them to soften up, makes them easier to digest, and cuts down on cooking time. If you’re in a rush, a 6-8 hour soak works just fine.

None of this process is all that regimented, to start the process, I throw the wheat berries in a pot with fresh water, boil, then simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Not too scientific – when they are squishy & pop in your mouth, they are done.

While the grain is cooking, chop up all of the vegetables except asparagus and throw into a large bowl.  I eyeball at this point to check how much color there is, if I’m lacking in one department, and may even check to see if there are other vegetables in the fridge I could toss in. Broccoli and tomatoes would be tasty as they come into season!

I love blanched asparagus, which is what I did with this recipe. It does not take up much time as all you need is a pot of boiling water, a pot of ice cold water, and about 10 seconds total. Once I'm finished chopping the veggies I quickly throw the asparagus in, chill it, then chop and toss into the bowl.

The wheat berries should be cooked at this time, and you can drain and rinse them with cold water to cool them down. Then pour the grain into the veggies and shake it up. Now you can add feta, olive oil, balsamic, and oregano on top. I truly just got by looks at this point – and it depends on my mood and how flavorful I want it to be. If you want a vegan salad, skip the feta or make tofu feta. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top, shake up, and refrigerate overnight.

The end result is a salad so refreshing and satisfying, it will be gone before you know it!

Run to Remember 5K Race Recap

At the half marathon in April my boyfriend became so inspired to run a race, we had to stop at the mall to get him running gear on the way home. Since then, he has been training for his first 5K which was this past Saturday....

So on a cold and rainy morning in late May, we set out along with his younger brother and my running buddy to participate in the Run to Remember. This was the boys’ first race, my friend Kimmy’s first race since her marathon last year, and my first 5K in a year. What a bummer that it had to be a cold and wet day!

After packet pick-up we camped out in the car until the start time neared, shed our layers, then reluctantly walked up to the start. This was a small race in its first year and it had attracted less than 100 people. The start was congested and confusing, and we ran as couples for the first ¼ mile or so. It really did not feel like a race at first, as the boys stayed with us, and it just felt like a silly jaunt in the rain.

However, as soon as there was space, the boys took off and maintained a steady ¼ to ½ mile ahead for the rest of the time. Kimmy and I quickly passed quite a few people before setting into a comfortable pace around 8:15. It was fun to be running together again, and the rain spurred us on toward the finish as quickly as possible.

As this was an amateur race, there was no signage other than mile markers, so we were clueless on our timing. About halfway through, Kimmy had to take a break to work through some cramps and urged me to go on. Because I fare best in the cold & wet, I picked up the pace in an attempt to make up for “lost time” as I saw it.

As I turned the corner and faced a gradual hill, it hit me how silly it was for me to be running alone…especially at this point in time. This was our first race running together in awhile, I had no clue about my speed, and I wanted to finish with my friend. I spotted her just a little ways back so started running in slow-mo to entertain myself until she caught up.

Once together again, we settled into our earlier pace and headed toward the finish. At this point I had finally lost sight of the boys and knew there was no hope to catch up (darn!). The course was a little confusing and as we turned the corner a little short of .1 miles left, the clock read 25:50. I yelled to Kimmy “26:00!!” and we started sprinting.

I LOVE running races with my running partner, we always have the energy to sprint the finish and race the clock. The funny thing is…..it makes for a good show for the spectators because they always think we are racing each other.

We came in at 26:02, not bad for the first 5K of the year. My goal was to beat our Hot Chocolate Run time from December 2011 (the last 5K we ran together) which was 26:28. My secret goal is to get a 25:00 5K, which stands mine & Kimmy's PR….from May 2010! Yikes!

The boys had a good time as well and Tim is ridiculously excited to run again. He left his brother behind after the uphill and finished around 23:00. The both of them are around 6 feet tall, so it’s a given that they will finish faster than us, despite their lack of training. Stupid men.

Next event: Westfield Wave Triathlon – my first Sprint!