Boston Marathon 2013

*This is a repost from my other blog. I will post more once I have a chance to digest it all and once everything unfolds. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers on Monday - I am safe and sound!

On Monday, someone tried to rob us of the joy that marks a lifetime achievement of qualifying for and running in the Boston Marathon. In a few seconds' time, a celebratory running event turned into one having nothing to do with sport or running -- it became about feeling secure on our own turf.

I crossed the finish line about 40 minutes before the two blasts occurred, and was a block parallel from the explosions. Three days later, I'm still not sure how to react and I'm struggling to gather my thoughts. It's impossible to describe the exact way I'm feeling. At first, I was really angry. And I can't stop replaying everything I saw in those moments in slow-motion in my head. I feel sad, and I'm haunted by the photos and videos I've seen in the media coverage. How easily could one of those runners or spectators hurt or killed have been me? It hurts to imagine the pain and not-knowing that families, friends, and the injured themselves are experiencing right now.

I am well and so thankful to come home to my family. I'm taking in every step, every chore, and every conversation like it's a privilege. The one thing I can do is keep running.

Friends, live each moment without regrets. Tell your family how much you love them. Enjoy all of the little things. Go out for a run today, and let's stand up for Boston. No matter where or who you are, let's show this someone that they failed... we're now stronger, prouder, and won't let anyone ever try to take away our joy.

Boston 2012 - the Runs!

The week's run in photos...

Milford, MA & Hopkinton, MA - ran on the Upper Charles Trail, a multi-purpose path that was once (next to) a railway. In Milford, it's called the Milford Upper Charles Trail and is split into two distinct halves - North of 495, and South of 495. The trail is planned to go much, much farther, but a large portion of it is still under construction.

As an outsider, the path seemed to be really safe and everyone EXTREMELY friendly. Not only did a couple tell me "Good morning" when I passed them the first time, but they told me, "Have a good day!" as I saw them the second time heading back to the Courtyard. Awww.

There are definitely parts that are more industrial (like a Benjamin Moore plant) or just butt up to the backs of buildings or parking lots, but never once did I feel unsafe or uneasy about my surroundings. I went in the morning as early as 6am, always in daylight. If you go, I recommend it!

Heading South (of 495)

Right outside my hotel: (you can see the hotel sign off in the distance beyond the sign) the Milford Upper Charles Trail. 

Lots  of boulders on the trail

This is what you'll be looking at if you hit this trail* - typical view.

Failed attempt at a photographing-while-running multitasking.

*Note: Don't waste your time running on the offshoot paths that aren't paved - they don't take you anywhere. I promise. I tried... I really did.

 There is a nice "trail head" and parking area near this lake. It was beautiful as the sun lit it up in the morning!

Random photo. I thought the gate was cool-ish.

More randomness... all the trees are in bloom!

Farther south, you run into Fino park (which was obviously empty at 6am) and head into the town of Milford. Again, road crossings are easy. People are so nice here! This is not the culture of the Northeast that I've always heard of...

It starts getting a little more townish when you hit this... as soon as you see this sign (although you'd come from the other direction), the path ends. On the map, this is the part that's still under construction to link to the other phases of the trail.

I took a little detour through the small town on Main Street, parallel to the trail, as I headed back toward the hotel. There are a number of pretty churches and historical-looking buildings like this one that are easy on the eyes (take the good with the bad - there are an equal number of houses along the route that need some TLC!)

Heading North (from 495)

First, from the Courtyard hotel I had to run across a couple of highway onramps/offramps. People are surprisingly very accommodating and are very willing to stop to let you cross.

Then, I ran under a series of 3 or 4 buzzing overhead electrical towers. Not as scary as it sounds.

Once on the trail (about 300 yards in), it was marked every 20 steps with this:

At first I thought it might be some math equation (don't judge - I get stupid when I run!)

In hindsight, I'm guessing every 20 steps = 20 yards. It made me feel like I was going fast! I get that it's marked by distance, but why?

Look at this and tell me it's NOT the Bloomington Rail Trail!

There were sections that you could hop off and run alongside the paved path on this softer surface, well within sight of the paved path.

More nice and cushy path! Flat, no roots, definitely not technical.

The trail is long and straight-ish as you go North.

The trail ends as it's under construction currently, but will eventually meander into Hopkinton. Meanwhile, I ran on the sidwalk-less road for about .5 mile until I hit sidewalks. Careful - the road is curvy and drivers can't always see you.

Hopkinton - the beginning of the Boston Marathon!

And home to cute and quaint New England homes like this one.

 All in all, highly recommend this trail if you're not going far - you can get some decent mileage out of it (8 to 10 on the whole circuit) and it's a good place to turn off the brain and get moving. Eventually, this thing will extend farther and turn into a really solid run!

Want to know exactly where to run (where I ran) in Milford, MA?
Here's my Garmin Data and map.

There's more trip to talk about!

Boston -- Part 1: I Drove A Truck  | Part 2: Fun and Food in Beantown | Part 3: the Runs

Boston 2012 - Part Deux

The week in pictures...

Got to Boston, hung out at Boston Common waiting for friends/co-workers to arrive. WAY less crowded than it was earlier in the morning.... (where you catch the bus to go to the Boston Marathon start line at 5am - it's pandemonium!)

Lots of people wearing their finisher medals around. Way more than last year - probably because it was such a big deal to have finished. Props. Tons of runners everywhere still in running gear... slightly jealous of them, but mostly not. It was a super-nice day, so I loitered around Boston Common on a park bench people-watching.

Marathoners - they're everywhere!

The view of Faneuil Hall, a shopping/restaurant area.

Met up with co-workers and realized none of them had been to Boston before. Walked them around Faneuil Hall for a minute and then headed to Legal near the aquarium. Horrible service... we were there for 2.5 hours and I think our server was drunk. In addition to that, while sitting outside, rats would scurry around our legs every few minutes as it got dark. Gross? yes.

You can't miss the cannoli from Mike's Pastry. The guys weren't really "dessert people," but after they ate this, they admitted it was life-changing. Bring cash.

I ate them way too fast and forgot to snap a picture.

During the week - Training at the Research Institute in Hopkinton, Mass. It involved driving trucks around.

Fenway Park - Red Sox vs. Rangers. They lost.
We took the T in from Newton Center.

My first time at Fenway - love the character of the ballpark.
Stairs:  a parade of insurance company employee awesomeness!

This is the SECOND time I've gotten free tickets while standing outside of a ballpark (first time - Rockies game). Totally free! A couple just gave them to us... beats the standing-room-only "seats" we were about to buy. (Me & Laura left the boys  high and dry in that breezy cold area). Four seats from the field - you could see the creases in the players' pants!

LOVE the old-school scoreboard. There's a guy changing out the numbers at right.

Heading out, had time to kill and hit up a Travel Channel favorite, a hole-in-the-wall seafood place EAST of the airport. Yes, east. 

Belle Isle Seafood - fresh and cooked seafood. Bring cash.

the chow-dah was amazing. I can die happy.

Crab salad on toast - SO fresh.

 This is the place - bars on doors/windows and all!

Next door to Belle Isle - a good place to dump a body. This is Boston! ;)

There's more trip to talk about!

Boston -- Part 1: I Drove A Truck  | Part 2: Fun and Food in Beantown | Part 3: the Runs

Boston: this is work? (Part 1)

It's weeks like this that I love my job. Last week, I went to Boston for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. My third Patriots Day in Boston looked nothing like this:

or this:

Actually, Boston was more like this:

My new work bud, Laura, trying to back up a tractor trailer. WAY harder than it looks.

 I drove one of these:

And this too:

And like this as well!

This is my job.

I learned what it was like to drive a tractor & trailer. Then, I learned how to back. Let's just say that if you see me behind the wheel of a truck this big, HIDE YOUR CHILDREN!!

Being a safety consultant, I needed to know what it was like to completely lose control of a truck... to jack knife and to skid, and the horrific panic that comes with it. (By the way, don't think that a tractor without a trailer is safer - it's not.)

This was better than Six Flags!!

This was one of the tamer skids... most people went the full 360º. Wanna see what it looks like from the inside?  (sidenote: my driver co-worker, Brian, is like a trail runner version of my friend Shane with a heavy Boston accent)

Because this was all done under controlled conditions, the trailer was tied down with steel cables. Take a close look at this video and you'll see how easy it is to jack knife. You can see the trailer start to pull away and come around the trailer as the wheels and brakes lock up. Completely scary in a real situation.

Besides that, I spent the rest of the week running in the morning and enjoying the town - Hopkinton, Milford, and Boston - in the evenings. I wished Ben was there so he could do all the cool stuff too!

But, it gave me a chance to stuff myself silly with all the things we don't normally eat on a regular basis - like super fresh seafood and Chipotle (Ben's one of the few people who would not give up his left arm for a Chipotle burrito. I don't get it.). 

There's more trip to talk about!

Boston -- Part 1: I Drove A Truck  | Part 2: Fun and Food in Beantown | Part 3: the Runs

Boston: Natural Running Form by New Balance

At the Boston Marathon Expo, we stopped by the New Balance area for a natural running analysis. Basically, they video you running on a treadmill, and then you get a short 3-minute coaching session with one of their tech specialists on what you can do to promote natural (barefoot) running.

It's awesome - they send you an email with the actual video and your pointers. When you leave the NB exhibit at the expo, they even print out a pointers sheet for you to take home! The tech rep that helped me and Ben with our analysis was Stephanie, our NB tech rep -- you know, the one who comes to the store with the Minimus and 890 demo shoes. [Sidenote: when we first ran into her, she was just beginning her analysis with some random guy. This random guy was awful! He was really defensive about every tip she gave him and even said something to the tune of, "Well, I don't know how much running you actually do, but..." -- what? He volunteered and chose to do the analysis! Crazy.]

I think this natural running "thing" can help prevent some of my injuries and take some of the stress off the IT band and hamstrings. It's hard to re-learn to run, though! A couple things I learned from NB from my analysis:

• Cadence - Take small, efficient strides. The target was 180 strides/min. Stephanie told me that my cadence was one of the highest she'd seen that day! Woohoo - go shorty short legs! :)
• Lean - Don't lean back. Natural running is like "falling gracefully," so even an ever-so-slight forward lean is ok. 
• Strike - Mid-foot strike. Let your feet fall under you, not in front.
• Posture - Keep arms at your sides, pumping in a front to back (and not side to side) motion. Arms should stay relaxed and low. This is something I was actually good at!
• Picking up your feet - something we discussed briefly, but the key to all of my injuries. I need to get stronger hips and use my glutes to run.

Want to see my video?  Go here.

Or see a GOOD example of natural running, here. Click "Good Form Example." (Of course it's a NB guy, haha!)

Check out my natural running video, photo, and pointers, below. The line and circle point out the center of my body and where my footstrike is. The closer your foot strikes to the center of your body, the better.

Of course, Shiva, Ted, Thom, and Ben did this same analysis. And then when I totally schooled them with my quick cadence (read: short legs), they tried it again a day later. They even tried it again doing all of the things that were on their pointers sheets... but not much had changed. Are you surprised at their persistence? Don't be. ;)

Boston with Team Buddy

Saturday in Boston was a good time, though rainy. We finally got to sleep in, and of course, we went straight back to the expo again for another 4-ish hour stint looking at running gear!

Outside of the Boston Public Library

I also took this opportunity on Saturday to sign the "1 MORE MILE" banner sponsored by JetBlue.

Note my poor choice of wording (and now you get to play Where's Waldo). The "Go Steph!!" at the bottom is just a coincidence I didn't notice until now!

BAA Marathon logo on the JetBlue banner I never noticed during the race. Can you find my scrawling?

Also at the expo, Ben made it his job to casually mention that he manages and owns a running store. Do you know what happens when you do this? People want to give you free stuff! Not Brooks, Asics, Mizuno, New Balance, or the big names, but the smaller companies who are on the verge of making it. Expos and shows are a great way to get the word out about new products, and since we've never gone to Outdoor Retailer (tradeshow), we have very limited opportunities to see stuff like this.

Case in point: Our pal Craig, the self-proclaimed shoe geek (a title appropriate for him and then some), got some sweet new shoes the other day. No one really knows how he got them, but he made sure to show 'em off to the world on Facebook. They certainly had a table at the expo, but to put it in perspective, it was probably a 8' x 8' square area set up for a table, chairs, and all the product they wanted to bring. Because of Craig, we gave them a spin. Ben's timing was perfect. Just as I was getting ready to take the shoes off, the guy who was helping me - who just so happens to be the company designer and owner (?) - asked if I "would please accept these shoes as a trial pair" to determine if I like them and offer my feedback. Heck yes I will!

Apparently at the time I got these shoes, Altra shoes had only been available to purchase for 3.5 weeks. In other words, this company is brand new and Craig was one of the very very very first people to own 'em. I never realized how much of a trendsetter he is until this point!  And we just couldn't resist re-posting a similar photo to Craig's on the Book.

If you're wondering why they look so "ducky," (wide in the forefoot), Altra shoes are zero drop, natural running footwear. It's like wearing the Five Fingers without the blisters! Hallelujah!

As if the day wasn't already awesome from getting a free pair of shoes (Sorry Ben, there was too much demand on the men's side for you to nab a free pair), we then stopped by Zensah. They make all sorts of cool stuff, like calf sleeves, compression socks, tanks, and sports bras. Ben scored some calf sleeves for himself and a sportsbra for me-- which we've both been meaning and wanting to try out anyway. Despite the obvious Photoshop color replacement on the photo, it looks something like:

I might be in the slim minority, but I like the "rubber band" sportsbras. They're so unpopular that they're somewhat hard to come by (good ones, at least)! This one has major potential because you can get it in about 12 different - fun - colors. The sizing's weird, since you can only select 2 sizes: Small-medium and large-XL. The band on the small-medium she gave me is inches larger than my current ones. Once they figure out their sizing, I'll be a fan. Right now, I'm confining mine for yoga, lifting, and cycling. I'll have to stick to the boring grey NB ones for now... See? If it wasn't for this experience at the expo, Ben might've placed an order for 500 yellow sports bras that were too loose!

Fast forward a little bit and lots of walking and train-riding, and we met up with Thom, his girlfriend Alicia, and Shiva and Jenny at a Cambodian restaurant in Cambridge called Elephant Walk. Dinner was great -- My appetizer was some kind of bread that you dip in meat sauce the resembles beef stew. I now am only just starting to understand what it's like now to be a vegetarian... Ben and I were the only meat eaters in the group! Everything there was really good, highly recommend.

Earlier, Ben noticed an ad link at the bottom of the screen on Google Maps when we went to figure out how to catch a train there. It ended being an add for  restaurant.com, a deal site where you can purchase gift certificates/vouchers for half off. Example: We bought a $50 voucher for $25 paid upfront to the website. I've seen and heard of people using it before, and it was pretty cool that the place where we ate was a part of the program. What's better, I know that they discount the voucher cost even further, so with a coupon code we Googled, we got a $50 for TEN BUCKS. The catch: there's a minimum purchase requirement, usually double the voucher amount. In this case, the min purchase was $100. No problem with 6 people. Actually, by the time all was said and done, our meals together cost $70. So... $70 - $50 cert = $20 + $15 tip = $35. and we walked out the door paying $35. Thanks to the rest of the gang for helping us get the bill to a hundo!! I'm pretty sure we got an $85 dinner for 45 bucks - win! Yeah, sometimes saving money makes me giddy. ;)

After we got back to Cambridge, we decided to hit up the Cambridge Brewing Company (very much like Upland) for some drinks while we waited for Ted to get in. It was a good find! And we would end up there again anyway... Ted never showed, so when it got late enough, the six of us headed back to the hotel.

We hustled from the restaurant to the T, from the T to our hotel. It rained hard and it rained cold, and none of us were smart enough to bring an umbrella. Ted didn't get into Boston until REALLY late, because of all the nasty weather in and around Newark. When he rolled in around midnight, he shared some of his airplane stories with us... the kind that make you really freaked out about flying. Enough on that. 

Now, with Ted, Shiva, Ben, and Thom all in one place, Team Buddy was finally back together!

ps- Andrea pointed out that I didn't tell you which shirt I chose at the expo! I got the purple one with the names of the towns on it. Like??

ps part deux - The Boston Marathon is an Adidas branded event, but New Balance is based in Boston. A NB employee we know says that the company does so much for the city that they get a free pass each year to advertise nearly everywhere (like in the train stations, ON the trains, billboards, the outsides of trains, bus stops, ON the buses, you name it), for any 6 days out of the year. Which days do they choose? The days before, of, and after Boston! If you didn't know any better, you'd have thought NB had a hand in the marathon itself too--- Genius. Pssh, they walk around like they own this place. 

The view while waiting for the New Balance -wrapped train

to pull up and take us to the expo