Dani Dishes: Post-Boston Marathon Thoughts (2015)

On this episode of Dani Dishes, I attempt to put into words the thousands of thoughts running through my head post marathon!

Watch the video from post 2014 Boston Marathon: Here!

Three Awesome Local Somerville Road Races - Check 'Em Out!

It's no secret that I love racing. I have the pleasure of traveling all over the country to take part in some of the coolest races in the country. But sometimes the best races are the local ones put on in your own backyard.

Well let me rephrase - some of the best races are in MY backyard!

Let's see what Somerville is offering this summer... shall we?

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M.O.M.s Run 5k - May 10 (9:45 - walkers; 10:00 - runners)

2014

The wife and I have done this race each year since we moved back to Somerville, which means 2015 will be our 4th year. Yes I am doing the Ragnar Relay Cape Cod that weekend, but traveling back in time for the race because I cannot miss it!

In the past 13 years, M.O.M.’s Run has raised over $106,000 benefiting the Claudia Adams Barr Program. A full 100% of the funds raised by M.O.M.'s Run benefits the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, widely recognized as one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind.

2013

This morning is a family affair as they offer a Kids 0.1 Mile Run at 9:30 (nine years and under, $5), a 5k walk at 9:45 ($25, 30 after May 1) and a 5k run at 10:00 ($25, 30 after May 1).

Now in addition to an awesome race and atmosphere - complete with carnations given out to moms at the Finish Line - there is the post-race party!

2012

The entire Davis Square restaurant scene gets involved in addition to Harpoon Brewery. Hello free food and beer. Count me in.

This is a must-do race on Mother's Day (5/10). Register here to join the wife and I for a good time.

^^Tank top to first 300 registrants!

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Mystic River Herring Run (5k) and Paddle - May 17 (9:00 am)

This race is legit AT THE END OF MY STREET on May 17th in Somerville, MA. I am less than 1/4 of a mile away. Thank YOU race gods! Thank YOU! The 19th Annual Mystic River Herring Run and Paddle is happening Sunday, May 18 at 9am.

The annual Herring Run and Paddle includes a 5K run/walk race, three paddling races (3, 9, and 12 miles), educational booths, children’s activities, and more. All events are held at the DCR Blessing of the Bay Boathouse in Somerville. The 5K course continues along the Mystic River bike path and through DCR Torbert MacDonald Park. There are no street crossings on this flat course.   

You read that right. In addition to the 5k run, there are 3 paddle races (kayak or canoe) a person can take part in. You can run the 5k on its own, do any of the 3 paddle races on their own OR do the 5k and one of the paddle races as a combo. If you don’t have a canoe or kayak, you can rent on. I will only be running the 5k that morning ($25 registration fee).

As you can see all proceeds benefit the Mystic River Watershed Association.

If you want to join me for this 5k (you can register here) then join me for the Slumbrew Fun Run 5k at American Fresh that same morning at 11am!

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Race To The Row 5k - August 23 (9:30 am)

Amazing Race is coming back to Somerville.

Wait wait! That sounds misleading.

THE Amazing Race the show is not coming back to Somerville, but AN Amazing Race is.

The Somerville Road Runners are putting on the 3rd Annual Race To The Row 5k on August 23rd at 9:30am!

2013

The race is a run or walk and is open to runners and families of all ages and abilities.

Additionally, there will be a Children’s Fun Run (age 9 and under) before the race with all kids getting a medal! Can I pretend to be an 8-year old? I love a medal.

I will say the Fun Run was adorable to watch pre-race last year.

But more about the 5k:

The Race to the Row will run through the Assembly Square District and along the Mystic River! All proceeds will benefit the East Somerville Main Streets program (funding East Somerville business visibility and bolstering the community at large) as well as Somerville TrackPAC (provides college scholarships for Somerville High School students).

2014

After coming through the finish, runners will be guided back to the post-race party. Your post-race meal will be provided by Ernesto's Pizza. Quench your thirst with beer from Harpoon Brewery (21+ only). Other beverages will be provided as well. And dessert comes from another local favorite and one of our big sponsors, JP Licks, who is providing six different flavors of ice cream to choose from. Meanwhile enjoy the live music from The IT Band.

The first 300 registrants are guaranteed to receive a race t-shirt, and all paid registrants will get free food, drinks and dessert afterward! But all racers, volunteers and members of the cheering crowds can participate in the post-race festivities.

Want in on the fun? Register here ($25).

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So who will be signing up for this sweet Somerville hat trick of races? ;)

Three Things Thursday: 1st She Runs Boston, Autistic Twin Brother Runners & Race Weekend Nerves

Motivation, Inspiration and Determination can be found everywhere you turn. So where did I find it this past week?

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1) 1st She Runs Boston Group Run

We had our first She Runs Boston run of the season on Tuesday - out of Athleta on Newbury Street - and it was an awesome turnout! We had 40 amazing women join us for a 3 or 4 mile loop along the Charles River.

It was a beautiful night in Boston and it was a pleasure chatting with new friends. Some ladies had never run along the Charles before or with a group, while others were getting back into a groove after a harsh winter.

I had the pleasure of making sure both the 3-mile and 4-mile folks all made it back to Athleta. It was my honor to act as overall sweep for both runs. No lady left behind is our motto!!

I absolutely loved meeting new friends - especially some blog readers - and look forward to continued motivation from each weekly run!

Will I see you there next Tuesday? April 21 at 6:30pm at Athleta. Be there or be somewhere not as cool. ;)

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2) Autistic Twin Brother Runners

Have you heard of the Schneider Twins? Alex and Jamie Schneider are twin brothers who are both profoundly autistic.

Check out the trailer below for their book: Silent Running:Our Journey to the Finish Line with Autism

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If you are in Boston this weekend, keep an eye out for these amazing guys at the Boston Marathon Expo or race itself. I really hope to run into them and meet these inspirations!

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3) Race Weekend Nerves

"So are you ready for Monday?" - the question I have been asked countless times over this past week

My response: "I sure hope so. Not much more I can do now." <<nervous laugh>>

I nervously laugh, but it is true. Any race prep that really matters has been done. If there was anything more I could've done, now is not the time to dwell on it.

The race nerves have invaded my body and will stay until well... probably until I cross the Finish Line! <<knocks on wood>> NO I am determined to cross that Finish Line baby!

Thankfully starting tomorrow (Friday) the weekend fun will begin and prove to be a necessary distraction from the race nerves. I cannot wait to hit up the Expo (Friday and Saturday), enjoy the BAA 5k with friends (Saturday), devour some pasta at the Tedy's Team pasta dinner (Saturday) and take part in a couple of free shakeout runs (Friday - ASICS, Sunday - Runner's World/Land's End).

But first it's time to work on some last minute outfit decisions... ;)

If you are still interested in tracking me Monday: text 26786 to 234567 for updates!

ALSO if you are running the BAA 5k - meet at 7:15am behind the t-shirt distribution tent for a fun low-key meet-up!!

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Where did you find motivation, inspiration or determination this week?

Dani Dishes: 6 Days Until The Boston Marathon!

On this episode of Dani Dishes, it's less than a week until marathon #7 & Boston Marathon #3 & time to share thoughts & plans for the weekend!!

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A big big big thank you to all who have donated to my Tedy's Team fundraising to help me #FightStroke! As of now (4/14 at 4:07pm) my 3-year total is $23,266.17! I cannot even begin to say how much this means to me. I am part of Tedy's Team and the American Stroke Association in honor of my Stroke Heroes - both of my grandparents and my father-in-law! So thank you all for your love and support!

Donate Here if you are still interested! :)

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RACE GOALS:

1) Get to Start Line.

2) Do not visit ANY med tents along the course.

3) Cross Finish Line!

If above goals are met there are some others as well...

4) Boston PR - under 4:04

5) Sub-4

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On race day I will be thinking of these special donors who each sponsored a marathon mile:

1- Melissa K 2- Ryan F 3- Kathianne L 4- Mary R & Dusty H 5- Jim & Lynne K 6- Elizabeth D 7- Gregg B 8- Jamie M 9- Thea R 10- Dan F & Family 11- Carrie B 12- Chris S 13- Samantha A 14- Kelly K-C 15- Mary Ellen V 16- Frank F & Family 17- Megan A & Family 18- Sarah M 19- Neil F & Family 20- Dan F 21- John & Diane F 22- Barry G 23- Laura L 24- Dacia R 25- Angela G 26- Mom & Dad 26.2 For My Stroke Heroes :)

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Events I will be hitting up during marathon weekend:

Thursday

^Run Free Movie Premiere: 6:30pm-10pm (Revere Hotel, Boston)

saucoby

Friday

^ Expo: it opens at 2pm and I hope to be there shortly after it opens!

^ ASICS Shakeout Run (2 miles) with Deena Kastor & Bart Yasso: 5:00pm (328 Newbury St, Boston)

Bring your friends for an evening shake-out run hosted by Olympic medalistDeena Kastor and Runner’s World Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso. Evening will include:

· Fun run offered to runners of all levels · Post –run refreshments · Race day tips from Bart + Deena · Chance to check out the latest Asics apparel and running shoes · Secure bag check during run

FREE ASICS Gift Bag for the first 50 runners who attend.

^ New Balance Fun

new balance

Saturday

^ BAA 5k with friends including pre-race group photo at 7:15am behind the t-shirt distribution tent!!

^ Post-5k adult beverage along Boylston St: Time TBD & Place TBD

^ More Expo Fun

^ Tedy's Team Pasta Dinner: 6pm-9pm

^ Runner's World Fun

Sunday

^ Lands' End + Runner's World Boston Shakeout Run (2 miles): 8:00am (Sheraton Boston Hotel, 39 Dalton St, Boston, Massachusetts 02199)

Come run with the Editors of Runner's World, including Bart Yasso and Elizabeth Comeau, and check out the new activewear line from Lands' End!

Light refreshments will be served after the run.

Monday

^ THE BIG SHOW

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Wow I cannot even HANDLE the awesomeness that will be kicking off come Thursday! This will be one amazing weekend with friends. If you will be at any of the events above please let me know - I would love to meet up!

Dani Dishes: Marathon Taper & Self-Sabotage

On this episode of #DaniDishes, we are talking about taper madness & some potential self-sabotage over recent weight loss success!

Tedy's Team Group Run: 12-Miler & "THAT" sign (4/4/15)

On Friday I started the weekend off with the best weigh-in I've had as an adult. I am happy to be down 66 pounds with Weight Watchers and over 80 from the highest recorded weight I have.

I needed this perspective as I went into the final long run of the training cycle for the marathon. I had such a horrendous race at Boston last year - from a running perspective. If you never heard what happened, feel free to catch up here.

This year has been different and I hope it results in a different outcome on race day... which is a mere two weeks away!

On Saturday I woke up with plenty of time to enjoy breakfast, change my entire planned outfit and head in town.

The forecast called for rain all morning so I tried out my new jacket from New Balance. BUT the forecast also said low 40s which meant I could test out the potential bottom part of my marathon outfit. Well the skirt and shorts at least. I've never worn shorts in a marathon so it will take some getting used to as I do not run with a fuel belt and generally shove my fuel in my shorts while I run. Classy, right? So this would be the test as I was bringing 2 KIND bars to use as fuel and my phone.

It was drizzling and overcast as I made my way in town to stretch and prep for the run. It would be my last team group run before the big day as next week I have my cousin's bridal shower on Saturday. Woo hoo!

While I was one of the first out the door thanks to my Garmin crapping the bed I was one of the last to leave. Womp womp! It took my Garmin forever to locate satellites which left me grumpy for the start of my run. I have a Garmin 310xt which is just over a year old.

After praying to the satellite gods, the Garmin finally picked up satellite and I was off.

The legs felt heavy as I made my way down Beacon St to Comm Ave where I would catch Heartbreak Hill. I was told to take the 12-miler "easy" and was hoping my legs would do the work for me. My brain wasn't in the mood to keep an eye on pace. I would be in a group run, but running alone. So I knew my mind would be occupied with 10,000 other thoughts I can ignore during the week when busy but come flooding out during a quiet run.

Mile 1: 9:31 Mile 2: 9:23 Mile 3: 9:24

Good work body! The legs were feeling really heavy at the start of the run and I second guessed my decision to hold off on the Zensah compression sleeves.

As I made my way up Heartbreak (the opposite way you run it during the marathon), I had a pick-me-up in my mood as I saw a ton of runners coming at me. It is always fun to see other folks out on the course preparing for the big day. Especially since most of the ones I see are parts of charity teams so they have team gear on so I can see who and why they are taking on this awesome feat.

I even had the chance to say HI to some friends.

Heartbreak Hill is a series of hills covering a 3-mile stretch, but even running it backwards I could tell when the biggest of the hills was ahead of me. Let me tell you it is a lot easier to run down that bad boy than up it. ;)

Hello there downhill. :P

Mile 4: 9:28 Mile 5: 8:50 Mile 6: 8:51

The Tedy's Team coach was waiting at the halfway mark with some much-needed water and Gatorade. It was good to catch up with John as he could tell I was having a tough week mentally. It was the time of the month the week before and I was feeling light-headed and woozy during some of my workouts. He let me know that it is okay and that yes it could be a result of my period. Which is what I was hoping to hear as I felt fine once it went away.

Also who knew when I started running or this blog that I would share so much about my period or attempting to pee while riding the bike during the Half Ironman. I mean things I never thought I would share is now normal. Or maybe you guys don't need this info, but I feel comfortable enough to share it. Either way - you are welcome!

Anywho he calmed me down and reassured me to trust in the training and that all would be okay. We made a plan to keep this week's mileage around 30 then down to 20-25 the week of the marathon. I never hit more than 50 miles in a week so I don't need a huge taper time like some of the other marathon folks.

After a quick KIND bar break - which by the way were holding up great in my shorts (I hide them in the front on my quads) and were proving to be a great choice for me fuel-wise.

I bid John adieu and started the trek back home. I was going to Maine after the run to see my BFF and her family so I was a little excited and I think it showed in the pace.

PLUS the big shiny orb in the sky - I think you call it a sun - made an appearance during the run and I was soaking it all in. Wicked happy I opted to wear my Sparkle Athletic visor!

Mile 7: 8:59 Mile 8: 8:32

I stopped at the spot outside of BC, where Heartbreak Hill officially ends, to film another quick video. Just a little different weather wise than the one Page and I had filmed the week prior during the 20-miler.

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It was nice to stop and take a moment to reflect back on the journey AND have some final words with Heartbreak before the big day. Yes I talked out loud to a road. That weird? ;)

Mile 9: 8:29

As I made my way back down Beacon to Kenmore. I tried to check in with my body. I know the pain in my hamstring that has been there since May won't be going away by race day. So I am just watching it to make sure it doesn't get any worse. I have been doing a lot of exercises nightly to try and strengthen the area around the hamstring as well as work on my core.

Now my core work was said to be a "joke" by a blog reader, but I can only do the best I can. My journey is different than everyone else's so I focus on that. My time or reps might be less than others and I may have to do modified push-ups, but I am doing it and making myself stronger. One day at a time.

But I digress... I have found that work helpful for me and I am feeling strong.

While having a mental debate with myself it was nice to pull up to see Margaret at the final water stop of the day.

Our weekly selfie taken care of it, it was nice to chat before finishing out the run.

Mile 10: 8:29

Now I obviously couldn't tell if you could see my singlet through the back of my New Balance jacket so I totally had Margaret take a pic of me running away so I could tell.

Verdict? Oh yeah!

With the niece on the brain, I headed back to Kenmore. Running the route week after week can seem tedious, but it really helps with the mental side of the marathon. You can feel the crowd every time I run down Beacon or Comm Ave. I immediately can go back to how I was feeling at that spot in 2013 or 2014.

And for now it is making sure I don't recreate what happened last year this year.

Mile 11: 8:25

But as I came towards Kenmore, I moved myself to the right side of the street to capture "that" sign as you head into the home stretch of the race. Kenmore marks just 1 more mile of the marathon.

Gorgeous enough for a selfie...

;)

Now I am hoping to feel as good as I did in that moment in that same spot on race day!

I finished up the run by snapping a few more pics of the kick ass New Balance marathon campaign. Seriously loving it...

... before ending my long run where I always do - Dunks! :)

Mile 12: 8:21

Soooo I definitely ended faster than I wanted to, but I was feeling good the whole way. The legs started waking up a few miles in (as you can also tell with the pace) and overall the body and fueling were strong. There was some lingering left hamstring pain, but I think it was from extra hill work earlier in the week.

I made sure to continue to foam roll 2-3 times a day to keep the body loose and I have been living in compression shorts, pants, socks or sleeves! I find is so helpful for blood circulation and recovery time.

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Since that was my final group run on the course, I would like to thank the Tedy's Team water stop crew as well as those of other charities and stores.

So many were out there week in and week out in the horrendous weather. I always say it is worse for volunteers since at least the runners are moving to stay warm.

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There will be just one final "long run" - 8-10 on Sunday - before the Big Show. I will set out to enjoy the day, the experience, the reason why I run Boston and let the time/pace go as it will. I have done the work now I just need to see what weather Boston wants to bring! :P

Thank you all again for following along on this journey. Somehow this is marathon #7 - Boston #3 with Tedy's Team - and I just keep signing up for more! ;)