On Recovery and Eating...

We all have our weaknesses with running. I'm sure I have many...but one has been completely evident these last two weeks. I STINK at recovering from marathons. I have had a particularly hard time recovering from the  ING Hartford Marathon that I ran on October 12th. My legs seemed to recover fine initially, but I ended up with a case of metatarsalgia in my left foot that *still,* three weeks later, is not 100% better. The good news is, after a trip to the ER and Xrays, I know it is not broken and there are no stress fractures. Even better, is that I can now run on it again.

Between some outside stresses in life, a three week cold that would not go away and the metatarsalgia, this recovery period has been absolute misery. My body (and brain) was it's own worse enemy, and with all the stress I was under from all parts of life, I was just not healing. Until last night.

Rewind 14 months ago. 14 months ago, a comment from a (not really) running friend spurred me to clean up my nutritional act, eventually lose 18lbs, and attain the strength and speed I needed to qualify for Boston and set a personal record in the marathon in 3:32:32.

Last night, some friends let me know that this person was at it again, making shady comments. I was initially hurt by it, but when I told me husband, he laughed. He said "Wait a minute. Last time *he* said something to you, you whipped your ass into shape. You just BQ-ed and PR-ed (he didn't!). What are you going to do this time. Remember baby...KARMA!" Then he followed up by "Now, don't forget to thank him next time you see him, he just gave you a huge gift."

And with perfect timing too. This recovery period did serious damage to my motivation. I BQ-ed. That was the goal I was working on for 14 months. Now what?

All at once, I wasn't angry anymore. Truthfully. A shit eating grin came over me, and I laughed. DAMN STRAIGHT. Game. On. Plans made. Preparations done (thank you husband for your help with this). Time to execute.

1. New training plan made and new training tools purchased - and with lots of time to execute now that I've said buh-bye to facebook.

2. New kitchen tools needed for clean eating prep acquired, new recipes collected.

3. I FINALLY got by Bento box I've been dying for. I know it sounds materialistic, but I've been dying for one of these to help "organize" my clean eating snacking throughout the day.

4. Countdowns Made. 65 days until Providence training starts January 1st. 100 days until Mid-Winter Classic 10 miler - my first check in to see if I'm on track. And...183 days till Providence 26.2.

Although I'd love to write more about how much I stink at recovery...recovery is officially over. I'm off to execute day one of my Karma-riffic training plan.

Bento Box LOVE. IN the tin foil are two egg whites. Also, clementines, strawberries,
raspberries, almonds and carrots with hummus. This, with an apple and a yummy spinach salad
are my eats for the school day. 

The Best Weekend Ever

I suppose that it would only be appropriate that the best marathon weekend ever would follow the best training cycle ever.

We left for Hartford Friday morning and went straight to the expo (after we found it -oops) and then to Casa Attardo, our humble abode for the weekend.

Expo Selfie

We had our pre-marathon dinner at DeNovellis Restaurant. I started my carbo loading regiment on Wednesday, following a plan that Tony had sent me that was WAY more food than I had ever carb-loaded with, so I honestly had a hard time enjoying this meal. I settled on a tomato pizza (and took off all the cheese).

The Dinner Crew

After dinner we were all beat and went to bed at 9:00. I was still fending off this cold and the sore throat seemed to be in control...but I was not taking any risks. We woke up at 5 the next morning for more carbs (we have all vowed to never eat another bagel until next marathon UGH) and the traditional word writing ceremony. Toby helped....

We all had the same word(s) for this marathon. TRUST - as in, trust your training. And, of course F*CK IT, because, well, never mind...that's self-explanatory if you've ever run a marathon and not had it go your way.

We arrived at Bushnell Park bright and early at 6:30AM, an hour and a half before gun time to get settled in with the temps, to find our way around and to hit the port-a-johns once, or twice, or eight times. Naturally, we had some time to kill, so ridiculousness ensued...


Like...Deanne having us pose for a Jem and The Holograms photo....

Deanne getting a free commemorative race T-shirt...

 Paul Revere growing out of Jim's head...

 Alice and I being dates (well, that is not ridiculous, it happens)

 Showing off our Fiercely United Fellow Flowers somehow led to this...

And, probably best of all, Jim taking a banana peel off of a shirt in the trash can and wearing it to warm up...ya. That happened.

As the ridiculousness settled down, we began talking about race plans and goals. Deanne brought us all to our senses, reminding us that we are all here because we can be and that being able to run a marathon, was indeed, a gift not available to all. It was beyond the perfect thing to say to our crowd, all of us having lost someone close within the last year, and I think I can speak for us all when I say it brought us back down to reality. We headed into the starting corrals and used the opportunity to snag a few more glamour shots.

Fellow Flowers - FIERCELY UNITED!

Maine Track Club! 

The "pre-race ceremony" and energy was probably the best I've experienced yet. They played a Boston tribute techno-y version of Sweet Caroline and everyone was singing and dancing. Then the gun went off and we were gone.

Last year, at MDI when I had my first huge marathon PR, by mile 4, I had found a groove. I knew it was my day, I was ready to rock and roll, and I felt great.

In Hartford, it never happened. I'll start the actual race recap by saying something that I'm sure you will all disagree with, based on the results. This, was NOT, my day. I had no business running a 3:32 marathon at Hartford, and a 10 minutes PR, given how I felt, the cold I was fighting off, and my heart rate. I am sure you are saying, now wait a minute - you put in the work, of course you could do it. Yes, that is true...but sometimes it comes down to the day. And believe it or not, I really still do not feel like this was "my day."

I had planned to run on heartrate. Based on my trial last week at the relay, a 162 HR was going to give me an even 7:45 pace, 15 seconds per mile faster than I planned on running even if my HR was fine. I hit mile 1 at 150, but by mile 2 was at 171. I slowed down, expecting that my HR would drop, as it had done last week, but it didn't....it went up. I ran another 2 miles, still expecting it to go down, as sometimes it spikes for the first few miles...but it didn't. It went up. To 184. By this point, I had found Audrey and we chatted for a few minutes. Her HR was screwy too, and I told her I was just going to wait it out, keep going, and see what would happened. In other words, I was giving myself permission to screw the race plan, knowing fully well it may mean disaster. I mean, really, our words were TRUST and F*CK IT. Totally appropriate. Every single mile that followed averaged 185-195 heartrate..WAY over lactate. Oops.

 But...the miles kept ticking by well under the 8:10 pace I would need to qualify..one after the other. At mile 10, my hips began to hurt on both sides and I thought I was screwed. But it passed. I had the weirdest feeling running this marathon. It's hard to describe. I felt stronger than I ever have...but also like I was working hard. I kept waiting for that feeling that I had at MDI last year where I just went. I had the same feeling at mile 9 of Eastern States 20 miler last year - suddenly, everything just jived and my body went. I hit the half marathon point in 1:45:50, on pace for a BQ. Miles 14-20 were an out and back. Out and backs are my FAVORITE, as I get easily distracted watching other runners. No surprises here that I picked up the overall pace in these 6 miles from 8:05m/mile to 8:00 m/mile. I spent the first 2 miles searching for Jim and when he ran by me and was going so freaking fast his high 5 stung my hand! Ouch! I knew I wasn't going to see the girls until I turned around, so I started to get a little agitated looking for the turnaround. I started to think about how I felt and again questioned when it was all going to click for me when I saw the mile 17 marker, which was also the turnaround.

That's when it hit me. Sudden doom. The voice in my head - "uhhhh Jamie...you are at mile 17...if you haven't felt good up until now..it certainly isn't going to come after mile 17. THIS...is the best you are going to feel for the next 9 miles. THIS is it..." My sudden dread was counteracted as I realized at the turnaround that I was actually closer to the 3:30 pacer, than the 3:35 pacer. The next 9 miles were an emotional roller coaster. If anyone had been able to hear the thoughts in my head, I'm pretty sure they would have admitted me to a psych ward thinking I was schizophrenic.

I saw all three Sole Sistah's AND Tony within the next 2 miles and grabbed some high 5 power from them. No surprise here that I clocked off a 7:43 and 7:50 mile there. After I saw them, I focused in on the 3:30 pacer. I could tell that I was gradually reeling him in, and just put my mind on doing that, while not going so fast that I blew it up. I caught up with him at mile 21 and asked him if he was on pace. He told me he was a minute ahead and asked me my goal. I said I wanted to BQ and needed a 3:35. He gave me a high 5 and said words that were just what I needed to hear - "Well - you have that in the bag! Congrats! Keep it up!" I knew a lot could still happen in those last few miles...but his words of confidence kept replaying in my head. I stayed with him for a bit, but then got a bit ahead.

At mile 22, my first wave of nausea and dizziness hit.  I knew the next 4 miles were going to be a fight. Enter schizo brain...

Mile 22-23: "Keep positive" "You didn't run 22 miles at this pace to lose it know" "butttt you are probably going to pass out" "PUKE STAY DOWN" "NO stay positive" "remember what Deanne said, you can do this, because you GET to do this" "It's certain, I'm going to barf" "Am I even running straight?" "Be prepared Jamie, this mile is going to read 10 minutes on your watch." "NO STAY POSITIVE DAMNIT"

You think I'm exaggerating..I am not. This really happened. Happened for so long, that mile 23 clicked (at 8:15 mind you, NOT 10 minutes) and the 3:30 pacer went by me. Well..a sub 3:30 would have been sweet...but I can still qualify...just keep going.

I convinced myself to keep moving forward with the promise that I could take a quick walk break at the 24 mile marker. Right before it, I came upon a runner wearing a crow shirt and talked with her (I have no idea how I managed the words, or if they were even comprehensible) about being a crow and told her I was also a crow. As this happened, mile 24 passed, and I didn't stop to walk. 8:30. Still ok...not a complete blow up..I banked enough time to still BQ...keep going. Again, I promised myself if I kept going I could take a quick walk break at mile 25. Mile 25 came and my watch clicked 8:30 again and I quickly calculated that I could take about 20 seconds of walk and still BQ, but I would have to move. There happened to be a water stop right at mile 25, so I walked through it, then continued to the last mile.

Bob has always coached us to believe that the last mile was your "victory lap." At MDI, it was. As I started running this last mile, I tried to convince myself that this was my victory lap, even though I still wanted to puke and pass out. I have never had to dig so deep in my life. I rounded the second to last corner and there were people everyone yelling SO loud. I tried to enjoy it, but the loudness actually made me more dizzy. More motivation to get done. I rounded the last corner and saw the finish arch 100 ft. away and line I looked down - 3:32. YES! I crossed the line in 3:32:32 (official time) in complete tears and immediately saw Jim and ran (uh no, hobbled) over for a hug. I think I cried for the next 10 minutes as I made my way through the finish area to claim my medal and race bag. There was no better feeling than having people ask if I was ok, and being able to respond that I had just BQ-ed for the first time. So. Sweet.

ING HARTFORD MARATHON - BQ OR BUST - MISSION...ACCOMPLISHED!

We all united under a tree (and by united, I mean passed out). Jim ran an amazing PR - 3:02, and qualified for Boston by over 7 minutes. Audrey ran a PR in 3:36, and also qualified for Boston. Alice and Deanne...ALSO PR's in 3:53 and 3:55 respectively, nailing their sub 4 hour goal. Tony, also claimed a huge PR in 4:09.

Audrey

ME!

Jim

Alice!

We could not stop talking about this race. The course was amazing. It was a nice mix of city, residential neighborhoods and bike trails. There were some little tiny rolling hills, nothing too big, but enough to keep the legs moving. My favorite part (besides the out and back) was going over the Founder's Bridge. There was a walking path on a raised part of the bridge, and it was just lined with people looking down and cheering loudly. It was such a pick me up at mile 6, and in the last mile. 
The course support was even more amazing. There was a water stop at nearly every mile. I took a sip and dumped the rest on my head at every stop except for 2, and made sure to take a sip of G2 at every mile marker. They had a TON of bike supporters handing out GU and checking in on runners. When I was getting anxious on the out and back I had stopped one and asked where the turnaround was, and he went out to check for me and came back. He kept checking on me for the next few miles. They had a "Psych team" on the course as well, helping to get runner's through their doubts and road blocks. There was one on a bike talking to a struggling runner right before mile 25. It was really neat. And, to the 3:30 pacer. Your words got me through those last 3 miles of nausea and fatigue. You said I was going to BQ, and there was no way after you said it, that I was going to not. I was so glad I got to find him at the end and thank him with a big hug! Next time, I'll be running in with you, at 3:29.

Karen, Tony, me and the Momma Sherpa!

Sole Sister <3

Karen, me, Aud, Jim, Deanne and Alice <3

Best. Weekend. Ever.

Nope. Sorry - my mistake.

Best. Weekend. YET! Love you all! XOXOXOXO

If you have ever ran a marathon...

Then you could not help but tear up viewing these pictures...

30 Amazing Finish Line Moments from the Twin Cities Marathon 2013

It is 8:00am on Wednesday morning. The marathon gun at Hartford goes off in exactly 72 hours. My throat is sore, my hip is out of place. I have a steady flow of cough drops and Zicam in my bloodstream...and I'm sitting at my desk at school with my roll recovery. Ready or not, this marathon is coming...

Our First Relay/TAPER TIME!

Today, Rebecca, Audrey, Alice and I ran our first ever relay race at the Maine Marathon. The Maine Half Marathon was my first half in 2009, and I was seriously having a hard time knowing that I could not run it 5 days before running the Hartford Marathon this year, so we improvised, and made a relay team!

I really did not know what to expect from this other than there might be a lot of waiting around, marathoners would be annoyed with us, and I feel seriously dirty for getting a wicked sweet medal for only running 6.1 miles. Well - I was right on 2 accounts - it is SO dirty to get a medal for so little work and I had a few encounters with some angry marathoners and was reminded immediately of this eCard...

However, I would like to mention that the lady who was the most annoyed by us relayers today was at about mile 11.5...not really sure what her excuse was. hehe. As for the waiting around part - not so much! Our AMAZING driver (thanks Shaun!) got us to our checkpoints and between warming up and cheering on Rock Star Deb, there was little waiting around. 

Our team rocked it. Audrey, the jedi knight of weaving, started and ran a speedy 5.7 miles with Deb to start off with. Rebecca CRUSHED 8.7 miles at an 8:25 pace on some pretty serious hills. I ran after Rebecca and jumped in with her in the middle of my warmup for a mile...and my nice comfy 8:35 warm up pace was suddenly about 7:40 for a mile! Cruising! I ran the 3rd leg on goal marathon heartrate (162) for a pace of 7:44 (which I will NOT be running next week). And Alice smoked the ending 5.7 to bring our team in for a 3:28:53 ending with a 3rd place female relay team win! Woohoo!

Meanwhile, Sole Sista' Deb rocked the full marathon at 3:27:54 WITH a bathroom stop and stretch break! And Julia kicked her 3rd marathon in the booty, even though the marathon course tried to stop her at MILE ONE! Julia ran the next 25.2 miles with double skinned knees...not stopping at medical until she was done! Now that is dedication! 

This was a lot of fun and I can't wait for our second relay (um, yea, about that...that is 2 weeks away...oops!). 

But for now...FIVE days till marathon day!! It's serious taper time! And...go figure...my hip is out of place again..first time since 3 days before GCI (hmm, I'm sensing this has something to do with tapering and tighter muscles when not running...grrr). Let's pray it works itself out before then! 

Deb rocking it at 5.7!

Team Sole Sisters!

How Running is like Teaching...and Teaching is like Running. PART TWO

Every since I was a little child, I had a fascination with the process of writing.  Going into kindergarten, I could absolutely not wait to start writing (and reading). It was like magic to me. I loved just putting pen to paper. It was therapeutic. However, like many young children eager to read and write, school eventually turned me off to writing. The mechanics and grammar of it all were certainly not for me. To be honest, neither was the creativity of it all.

Eventually, I realized that even though I hated writing in school, I still loved to put pen on paper. So, I settled on list making. Obsessive, somewhat compulsive (alright, really compulsive) list making. I mean, really...what type of writing could be better for a type A, control oriented personality like mine. So I would make lists for everything. Places I wanted to see, things I wanted, lists of favorites, lists about lists to make (ok, not really, but you get the point). I also loved making lists of goals. Now, I'm talking here 2nd and 3rd grade. As summer drew to a close, and the new school supplies would be bought, I would spend my days making lists of goals for the new school year (this would also be repeated as December 31st came into view each year). Goals for extra curricular activities, goals for grades (as a teacher I now shudder at this), and goals for things to do. This became a ritual before every school year.

Many years ago while cleaning out my room prior to moving to Maine, I stumbled upon a very old notebook with some of my "goals lists" in it. I had to laugh at myself. It was so ridiculous...so compulsive...and SO nerdy! But it is also something I've come to terms with.

I am an extremely goal-oriented person. To fault at times. This is also why running, and teaching, have been so good for me. They are both about goal setting. Plan, Do, Check, Adjust. Repeat. For the rest of my life (kidding...kind of...).

Last week in Kindergarten Land, I was tasked with the job of making individual goal setting and team work tangible to 4 and 5 year olds. We had spent the last few weeks coming up with our classroom code of cooperation (rules) and unpacking the nitty gritty of what each "rule" meant. Now, students would be choosing one "rule" to work on each week as their individual goal, with support from the team. The answer to this task was pretty obvious. Relate it to running.

So, I brought it some of my race medals, and a few pictures of my trackies/sole sisters at races. I told my kids about my running, passed around my medals that I earned from setting my individual goals, and then told them that I could NEVER have met my goals without the support of my team. I showed them the pictures of my trackies and introduced them to Miss. Alice and Miss. Audrey...and even to Miss. Jim, Miss. Scott, and Miss. Todd (just kidding Jim, Scott and Todd...I said Mr...although it was tempting to say Miss...). They were in awe. I told them we had a team name - "trackies" and that for our next race, we are even going to have team colors - our orange flowers from Fellow Flowers and our white/green track club singlets. We spent the rest of the week voting on our classroom team name (yea, we are "The Cool Kids Club") and our team colors (blue and green baby!). It was an AMAZING week. They were SO supportive of each others goals. On Thursday, I let a little tear of happiness fall as one of my little rough and rowdy scrappers noticed a friend following our code and started yelling "HEY - YOUR FOLLOWING THE CODE - GREAT JOB."

Trackie Love has invaded kindergarten!

Our Code/"Cool Kids Club" board, decorated with "Code
Catchers" Certificates and some of my race medals! 

So, our classroom is now decorated in "The Cool Kids Club" signs, blue and green team pendants, my race medals, and pictures of my trackie loves. This week, we will be making team pattern bracelets out of our team colors. My kiddos will set new behavior goals, and we will begin the long endeavor of setting and monitoring academic goals. They get it.

And then I thought...WHOA. Um...it's two weeks till marathon day. What the hell is MY goal? If you had asked my 2 months ago, I would have said in a second, "Boston Qualifier." But not anymore. Partially because of all those people who qualified and still didn't get in. But also because this has been the most AMAZING training cycle ever. Which is funny, because I said that about the last cycle. How lucky am I that it just keeps getting better.

This cycle has been amazing because of the company. Alice, Audrey, Jim, Todd, Scott, Steve and Deb - you have made this cycle an unreal amount of fun for me. Running is not a chore, or something I HAVE to do. It is something I GET to do. Our runs are therapeutic. They are hysterical. And, they are very inappropriate.

This cycle has been amazing because of how I've felt. After my hip went out of whack a few days before GCI, I knew I had to do something. I started a hip/core regiment 3 days a week and the stability/strength I've gained from it has been unreal. I can feel it propelling me up hills and keeping me strong on 20 mile runs. And, I am down to monthly chiropractor visits, with no pain in between.

This cycle has been amazing, because, for the most part, it hasn't been about goals. It's been about feeling good and having fun, just like we've been doing in my classroom. Making goals FUN and rewarding...not WORK. And if that has been the goal, then man oh man, I've arrived.

So, what is the goal for Hartford? To feel awesome. To finish strong (I really want that "one mile victory lap" that Bob has been coaching us to have at mile 26). To have an unbelievable amount of fun with my loves. To make memories. To not get swept up in a time goal. To run on HEART RATE...because I know that if I run on heart rate, I will run a comfortable, enjoyable race. And, to enjoy the 26.2 mile reward that will mark the end of this training cycle...and, inevitably, the beginning of the next....

So, here's to you sole sisters! (And "Jem!"). Let's rock this 26.2! We are ready!

Sole Sisters helping me celebrate birthday #29!
Wearing our UNITE Fellow Flowers!

Deanne, Alice, Aud and I will be sporting this flower at Hartford in 2 weeks! 

The Long Run

Today was our last 20 miler of this training cycle. Marathon day is in four weeks, and all we have left are a 16 miler, 12 miler and the Maine Marathon Relay (6-8ish miles, not to be raced). This has certainly been one of my favorite training cycles yet. We have had many long run Saturdays where we have had 7-8 people running and it has been an absolute blast. We all start and finish together, but the miles in the middle are our own game, because we all train on heart rate.

Our long run plan is 10 beats below lactate, with the middle miles at 5 beats below lactate, or marathon pace. This summer, this has typically been between 8:25 - 8:40ish pace for me, depending on the heat and humidity (one of the heat wave days my heart rate pace had me at about 9min/miles for the long run..phew!).

This morning, Alice and I set out alone on our last 20 (we missed all of our long run buddies today!). It was perfect running weather, despite the high humidity at the start. I had an issue with my breakfast this morning, and wound up gagging and burping it up over the friggin' toilet 20 minutes before our run. Please note - I did NOT buy any bananas for breakfast this week...even the thought of one right now is still making me nauseous. Luckily, I pulled through and went to meet Alice. The nausea continued for nearly the first 8 miles of the run, along with 3 miles of an unusually high heart rate. Usually, my HR spike for about 1-1.3 miles when I start running, and then drops. 3 miles of this was very unusual (I blame it on the nausea). After 3 miles, it finally dropped down to 10 below lactate. Mile 6 was a pleasant recovery mile, my HR dropping to 148 - 20 beats below. This may have been one of my only training runs where my heart rate consistently dropped as the miles ticked by, while my pace got faster. The last 4 miles, my legs felt great..and my HR cooperated. My last mile was near marathon pace, at 7 beats below lactate! WOOHOO!

The Last 20 Before Hartford!

As Alice said, this run was definitely a big confidence booster for both of us. The pace was very comfortable, even on some pretty beat up legs. My lactate runs are done for this cycle, and I should only have two track workouts left (two large ladders). The rest of my runs the next two weeks are easy level 2 runs (10-15 beats below lactate for the entirety). I feel like most of the hard work is behind us, and from here on out it is just maintenance and remaining healthy!

Lake Auburn Half Marathon

So, before I can even get into any type of race report here, let's just discuss how AWESOME it is that this race directly benefits my students. The Lake Auburn Half Marathon raised money for our "Backpack Program" that provides kiddos with food over the weekends and vacations when school meals are not available. Last year, I had four kiddos participate in this program, and I anticipate just as many participating this year. So, THANK YOU LAKE AUBURN HALF MARATHON!

Now, onto the race report. The course is a fairly challenging course - hilly, a mix of road and dirt trail and a super crowned road from miles 5-7. It is the perfect race for testing your fitness right before an October marathon. The weather this year was perfect - low 60s with a refreshing rain from miles 2-6ish. Ya know what else was perfect - the trackie love.

The race plan was to run miles 1-7 at lactate (168) then miles 7-11 three-four beats above lactate (being careful on the steady climb from miles 9-10.5ish), then giving it my all from 11 to the end. That didn't happen. But at least it didn't happen for a good reason! My heart has **finally** beat out my legs (in good running weather conditions where I am not dying of dehydration). My legs couldn't move my body fast enough to get above lactate and stay there. In races prior, all it took was one mile above lactate, or one hill that pushed me above lactate, and that was it - I never dropped below. Fingers are crossed that I am beyond that. I hope my legs have enjoyed the last few months of training, because after Hartford, they are not going to now what hit them. I can't avoid strength training anymore, it is my obvious next step.

Split	Elevation Gain	Elevation Loss	Avg Pace	Avg HR
1	56	53	7:23	169
2	77	42	7:24	169
3	20	60	7:21	168
4	29	19	7:31	167
5	25	40	7:21	165
6	33	31	7:17	172
7	33	59	7:23	166
8	6	0	7:20	170
9	22	23	7:20	164
10	101	30	7:50	169
11	26	15	7:36	169
12	0	95	7:22	161
13	84	57	7:23	174
14	0	0	7:03	181
Summary	512	525	7:25	168

My overall finish time was 1:38:12, good enough for 7th female overall and 1st in my age group. I was really pleased with not only my time, but also how I felt during this race. I felt strong at the end and was able to kick it in the last quarter of a mile (my garmin said 13.25 miles overall). I tried out a new nutrition/hydration plan during this race and I think it also may have made a difference. Typically, I only use 2 gus on a half (one before and one half way)...this time I used 4 (one before, mile 4, mile  8 and mile 10.5). I also made sure to drink at every mile marker, as this is the plan I hope to use for hydration at Hartford (in 33 days!).

Finishing it up.. 

First place in my age group.
A bag of yummy apples and a new chocolate milk mug.

Race Bling...need to learn how to make apple pie or apple crisp now!