Race Recap - Rindge Le Tour De Common 10K

I've got a Love/Hate relationship with the course for the Rindge Le Tour de Common. They named it after the mountainous Le Tour de France for a reason!  We're not talking a flat course here.  To make matters worse, it starts at the top of a hill (just to get you going too fast from the gun!), takes a turn then some how manages to go uphill more than the downhill (ok, maybe not, but it sure feels that way).  Heck, most of the race is run on Todd Hill Road!  Ok, I apparently hate the course, but the race is easy to enjoy.  It's small (less than 100 runners), extremely well organized, and well marked.   Plus we got tech shirts including kids sizes for the boys (super awesome!) and a nice post run spread (there was this orange colored bread that was super tasty).

Two very different races...

I ran the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge last night and the Special Olympics Summer 5K at lunch today.  I throughly enjoyed both races, but they couldn't have been more different!

Corporate Challenge
I honestly have a love/hate relationship with this race.  It's 12,000 runners and walkers (Oh my, there are walkers!!!).  12,000 people.  It starts at Boston Common, goes down Comm Ave to Kenmore Square, then you turn around and head back to the Common for a flat 3.5 mile round trip.  For comparison's sake, the BAA 10K has roughly the same course from the start and to the finish (with an extra 2.7 miles in between) and they cap the race at 6500.  About half of the mass of bodies during the Corporate Challenge.  A walking coworker took this picture under the Mass Ave Bridge

The Mass Ave Underpass. Runners on the return route, walkers heading out to Kenmore. To give you an idea, the woman in bib 2126 finished in 45:32, so it's not as crowded as it was when the 35 min finishers were heading out to Kenmore. Also, check out the snazzy Biogen Idec shirt!

3.10686 miles!

There's got to be few more annoying people at fun runs than the "data junkies". Like me.

This year, my family (me, hubby and my boys: 8 and 6) ran our second Color Fun Run.  We ran a Color Me Rad last year, and the inaugural Splash of Color this year.  If you check out my review from last year, you'll see it was, well... not a precision machine.  I thought it was just that "brand" of race, but it seems to be all of these untimed fun runs.

A few things that got to me this year:

More than I planned - 2013 Race Schedule

Yeah, I know the year's half over already, but, it's New England! The "running year" goes from April to October.  So I'm only a few months late ;)

I didn't realize how many races I had already (or plan to) signed up for until I "applied" to be a Runbassador for #RunChat (ok, it's not an application, it's a form to get free #RunChat tattoos and stickers!) and they ask you to list all your races.  And I forgot about the Corporate Challenge!  Here's my 2013 Schedule, even with finishing times! And I'll come back and update them as I finish them.

Pebble and RunKeeper Review

Check out the end for an update from my 2nd Pebble/RunKeeper Run...

I think part of the reason why I was able to get into running was because I was able to download a C25K program on my iPhone.  Almost every single run I've been on, I've had my trusty iPhone with me.  Yes, part of it is for personal safety, part of it is for having music and part of it is so I can collect as much data from my run as possible.  When I ordered the Pebble on Kickstarter, I was thrilled since they were already talking about RunKeeper working with the Pebble.  Last December, I switched to using RunKeeper, and found it's a slick app for tracking your runs, shoes (love this function!) and makes it easier to review all of your stats (the engineer in me loves that!).  The app and the website are both very stable (which I can't say for some other free running apps I've used in the past...)


Since I wanted the red Pebble, I had to wait until this month to get my watch.  The red was totally worth the wait!  The color has a depth due to the clear coat over the whole watch face, which really makes it looks a bit slicker than the black Pebble my husband has.  The black Pebble has that serious air to it, while red is a bit more fun and flashy.  We both got the right color! :)

I will say, I was little worried about the size of the Pebble's face.  I knew it was going to be on the large size, to accommodate the required screen real estate.  But I have "girly wrists", so I was worried it was going to look or feel cumbersome.  I have to say, they got the screen size perfect, it's big enough for long winded texts, but small enough that it doesn't stick out past my wrist.

It is surprisingly awkward to take a photo of your own wrist!

Zombie Gallbladder

Strictly speaking, this isn't a running related post.  But since I use my body to run (imagine that!), it's related.

I started running after a "gallbladder-less gallbladder attack" (for that whole story, check out this post).  In response, I ate better, ran and stayed healthy.  Until...

There always seems to be an "until..." doesn't there?

Leading up my vacation in Peru last November, I started eating a little less healthy.  I gain a few (like 5) pounds, which in the scheme of things isn't too bad.  I ate well on vacation, then the holidays hit.  I was feeling great, so I wasn't watching my fat intake.  But, oddly enough, I was feeling fine.  Occasionally, I'd have a twinge when I was dehydrated, but a glass of water and I was fine.

Then came Tuesday.  Mid-sentence, it hit.  That ice pick through the lower corner of my right shoulder blade.  Another gallbladder attack from my "Zombie Gallbladder".  Ok, it's a wake up call, I need to eat better, right?  Wednesday through Friday, I mostly did, until the ice cream Friday night (the proceeds went to the PTO).  Saturday morning, I'm in pain again, and throwing up, while trying to get two boys out the door for 2 baseball games and swim lessons.  Not the best morning.

I'm angry at myself for letting it get this far.  I'm upset that it means my diet will never be "normal" again (well, American normal, and I need to remind myself that no one's diet really should be "American normal").  I'm frustrated that I've got that dull ache under my shoulder, and I'm tired and my whole GI system is wonky.  I'm annoyed that it means that at least for the rest of the month, I'm back on making "meal variations" since Hubby must have meat at every meal.

I'm also a little peeved that the minor surgery 2 years ago to widen the exit of the common bile duct didn't work.  Or maybe it did, and the bile stones are that big already?

Hills, times and perceptions

I ran two 5K's just two weeks apart and my times were 32:46 and 33:44.  I figured it made sense, they're both at the faster end of what I've been running lately, and the second race was hillier (Boston vs the "Worcester Foothills".  So, I did what any good engineer would do and pop on over to RunKeeper to see what the difference in Feet Climbed was.  I was a bit surprised.

First race: BAA 5K.  It runs along Comm Ave, and the "biggest" hill is going under Mass Ave. for an almost 30 ft hill.  And yet, the feet climbed totaled 280 ft.  Here's my RunKeeper File.

Then, two weeks later, I ran the AMSA Inaugural 5K. I swear to you, this race felt like it was uphill, both ways.  In actuality, there was a short up hill, a long downhill, then rolling hills then reverse of the first two hills.  That was a 120 ft climb in about 1/3 of a mile, including one stretch that I need to put my Prius into "super break" mode to not roll backwards down the hill.  But, the overall climb was only 228 ft! That would be LESS hilly than the BAA 5K. Here, check out RunKeeper.

A minutes slower, but 60 feet less of hills? Different day, so it's within my normal error of pace?  Technical glitch? (I've seen most running app's get confused about elevation near water. Every time I cross the Charles, my elevation goes to 0 ft, even though I'm not walking on water!).