Boston Aspirations

So, in October this year I finished my first World Marathon Major - the Chicago Marathon.  All the hype about this race being one of the big six really got me excited to run ALL the races!  And so I devised a plan... run one event each year for the next five years, and then the year I turn 40 - run Boston.  I can't think of a more amazing way to celebrate - and look forward to 40 - than qualifying for and running the world's most elite marathon.

As I started doing my research, I realized most of the events are in the spring, with Chicago and New York being the only fall events.  Which means, New York is my only 2014 option... and the lottery opens TODAY!  Now, I could wait until March to apply, but if I go ahead and put my name in today, I could win a guaranteed entry!  I'd still have to pay the WHOPPING $216 (wait, actually $255 since I'm not a NYRR member!)- but I'd know tomorrow that I had a spot.  Hmmm... the dilemma.

I also spent part of my drive down to Florida for Space Coast on Friday discussing my plans with my dad.  And considering what I would need to do to get down to the ~3:40 qualifying time.  My current marathon PR is 5:22:11, so I need to drop 1:42:11.  I did manage to drop 1:30:15 between my first and second official races, but that's because the first was Disney.  Not thinking I'll be able to just drop that much again without some serious training - and not just running.  However, I've got some time if my plan is to do Boston at 40.

What I did realize is that I have a plan to participate in Space Coast for each of the Big Bang Series years, and it's supposed to be a great BQ course.  Which means, I could sign up to do the full in 2017 - the last year of the series - which would be perfect timing to qualify me for Boston in 2019 - the year I turn 40!!  When we got to Florida, I headed out for my #rwrunstreak mile of the day and did an 8:30 pace.  According to pacing charts, a 3:40 marathon is an 8:24mm pace.  So I just need to keep up the pace I ran for that mile (roughly) for 25.2 more miles!  Piece of cake... right?!  At least I know what I'm aiming for.

So, here's hoping 2014 means running NYC Marathon, and then 2015 - Berlin? Tokyo? London? Guess it's time to renew my passport, eh?

Where Oh Where Have I Been??

I have been absent, I know, but for good reason.  You see, as I was sitting in the airport, working on my computer and hydrating after an amazing first fall marathon, a tragedy occurred.  I had my water bottle open while my Nuun fizzed, and I must have bumped the table because the next thing I knew, half the contents of my water bottle were all over the table - AND MY LAPTOP!  I immediately grabbed the computer and put it safely out of the way so I could clean up my mess.  A few hectic moments later, I picked up the computer and the screen was off.  I figure it had just gone to sleep since I hadn't been using it for almost 10 minutes... so I wiggled the mouse (well, I mean, wiggled my finger on the trackpad) and nothing happened.  Still not panicking, I thought maybe the battery died since I wasn't really paying attention to the battery life.  So I went and plugged it in... to no avail.  It appeared that my computer had gotten some Nuun-water inside... but I wasn't really sure.  I mean, I was at the airport!

So, I did what any person would do - I went immediately to the Apple Store (I had a MacBook).  Well, immediately in the sense that I got on my plane from Chicago to Little Rock and once my friend picked me up I broke the news that I had a minor emergency and needed to go have my computer inspected.  Once we got there, it was about an hour wait to see a "genius" so we tooled around the shopping center waiting for the appointed time.  Much to my disappointment, the genius diagnosed my trouble as water damage.  He took the hard drive and RAM out to dry and suggested I let it air out for a few days and see what happened... in the meantime I needed some sort of device to prepare my presentations on for the conference I was attending in Little Rock so I picked up an iPad.

Low and behold, the computer never revived and the blogger app does not get along well with photos.  So, that is why I have been mysteriously absent from blog world.  I have so much to recap.  I finally finished up the Climate Ride recaps, but I haven't recapped any of my running events from my #90daysofinsanity, so I know I owe those to you.  I promise to work on them soon... but at the top of my priority list for using this laptop I have for my contract work is to turn in my paper for the class I was in Chicago for in the first place!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I know I did :)

Climate Ride Recap - Day 5

We finally made it to the final day! I was super excited about the ride into DC, but I was sad it was all coming to an end. We had a great breakfast before hitting the road, and I was out the door earlier than any other day - I had a mission to accomplish that included knocking out some serious miles in time for our 3:30 departure from the Thompson Boat House and up to The Capitol.

It was still ridiculously cold outside, so I wore arm warmers and my jacket to start the day. And boy was I glad I did! Cruising down some of those hills, I lost all the warmth I'd gained charging up them. Since it was so early, the sun hadn't crept into some of the shadier, more residential areas we were riding through, so it was downright chilly!

Our first pitstop of the day was at a hardware store so we wouldn't be tempted to hang out for too long. It was pretty cool that they had a welcome sign for us, so I at least had to stop and get that pic!

Then it was time to get on the road again and head off to Silver Spring, where we would be stopping for lunch. On the way, I was stopped at a traffic light with some other riders.  A few cars pulled up, and as the light turned, I pushed off the curb, but apparently too much because I ended up going over the other side of my bike! Luckily I did not hit the car, and they didn't hit me as they drove away.  The other cyclists nearby checked to make sure I was ok and one even stayed with me while I cleaned up the scrapes and put on a few bandaids. Then we were back on the road again.  The scrapes stung a little, so I was glad I had my first aid kit with me to keep them from the elements.

Anyway, back to the real story. It was an on your own lunch stop, and considering I was WAY over chicken by this point, I headed for Chipotle and got myself a BEEF burrito bowl. It was delicious, and while some other riders thought I was crazy for having such a "heavy" lunch, it suited me just fine. 

Soon enough, I was back on the road and heading into familiar territory.  Remember when Meredith and I went on that long bike ride back in July? Well, I figured out where we got lost getting to Silver Spring and within a couple miles, I was on the familiar trail back into DC. The great part about this for me was 1) it was familiar and a designated bike trail, so I could go a little faster and 2) it meant I was about to ride triumphantly into DC, my favorite place!!  I cruised the trail, mainly by myself, although I came upon a few Climate Riders and some other bike riders and runners, enjoying the peaceful scenery and knowing it was almost over. Don't get me wrong, I loved the ride, but it was nice that it s wrapping up. 

We gathered in Georgetown - near where I'd had that nasty fall on the long ride with Mere - at the Thompson Boathouse. A lot of the riders were enjoying drinks at the nearby restaurant, but I wasn't in the mood for a beer.  I was enjoying the views and the scenery and soon enough it was time to rally up for our Green Peloton to The Capitol.  I wish I had a picture of the awesome surprise when all the support team members came riding in to our rally point on DC Bikeshare bikes. It was epic - not to mention Blake shedding his sweatshirt to let us see his Climate Ride jersey underneath and let us know he was riding with us too!

I made my way to the front of the pack, and we were blessed to have a police escort up from Rock Creek Park on Constitution, right onto the lawn of The Capitol!  I was so excited, and tried to take a picture of our group arriving, but my stupid phone died just as I was about to snap the pic. Luckily I was able to borrow a friend's charger and snap these cool shots on the lawn. 

 I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to do this for the iconic bike-overhead shot. But it did it!!

        

I promise I'm actually just being silly, not seriously about to fall over or drop my wonderful bike that got me all the way from NYC to DC!

Our fearless and awesome support staff!!

We made it - although I should have taken a shot like this with my own bike..

After a great word from Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists, and CCAN director Mike Tidwell, we had a bit of a wait until the superstar senator from Rhode Island - Senator Whitehouse - came out to speak to us.  It was worth the wait, cause this man is a champion for our cause. If you're a RI citizen, I envy you and your awesome representation in the Senate. 

After the speakers wrapped up, it was time to bring the ride to an official end. Picking up our stuff!! In sad of joining the pack and heading over to The Yards Park directly, I sped off to Alexandria to pick up my car. Otherwise, there was no way I was going to get me, my bike, and my giant bag home!  Luckily it was an easy enough ride to Meredith's where my car was parked.  Well, it should have been easy.  I stopped in traffic, in front of this pedicab and had trouble unclipping, so of course I went down.  The funniest part of it was the pedicab driver going, "oh, oh... Oooohhhh!" as I was falling.  Luckily it wasn't bad and I was back up before traffic started moving again!  

I made it to my car and as I got in I seriously thought, "wait, how do you drive a car?" I always feel a little off when I travel and don't drive for a while, but I seriously had to think about things car vs bike as I made my way back into the city for my stuff.  My GPS did a horrible job getting me there, and unfortunately I missed a bunch of people leaving because of it. Including my new friend Sarah, who I was going to take to my favorite place for an awesome post-ride dinner. Well, sorry Sarah, but that wasn't going to stop me from my plans: the Barack Obama burger AND the Michelle Obama turkey burger from Good Eats, WITH a chocolate shake! I called in my order, swung by and picked it up, and made my way back to Sarah and John's for the night. I had to make my way up to their fourth floor apartment, which sucked, but once I got there, I devoured (most of) my dinner and took a hot shower!

The next day, we did some lobbying on The Hill, which was cool.  But overall, this experience was about the ride, learning what I could do, pushing myself, and doing it all for a great cause! I really hope to be able to do it again next year. There is also a Climate Hike next year (already working on a wait list because of the extreme interest but need to keep the group small) and a few other ideas in the works for the near future.  So, check out www.climateride.org for more info, and let me know if you plan on joining the fun next time!