November 27 - December 3

Sun - 4 miles
Mon - 0
Tue - 6
Wed - 1.5 - my stomach was bothering me
Thur - 6
Fri - 6
Sat - 6
Total: 29.5

November 20 - 26

Sun - 10 miles
Mon - 0
Tue - 6 miles
Wed - 0, I felt like I was getting sick
Thur  - 0, still felt a little sick
Fri - 6 miles
Sat - 10.5
Total: 32.5

November 13 - 19

Sun - 0 miles
Mon - 6 miles a.m. The weather was beautiful and I felt great
Tue - 8 miles, felt great
Wed - 4 miles a.m.
Thur - 0 miles, I took a long walk instead
Fri - 6 miles a.m. I was underdressed for the cold weather
Sat - 0 miles...
Total: 24

Race Vermont Fall Half Marathon

Going into this race, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on November 6th, one thing working in our favor was that daylight savings time was set to begin at midnight the same day. Nonetheless, I woke up on Sunday morning at 5:45 a.m. feeling like it was... 5:45 a.m. I got up to eat some toast and drink a cup of coffee, then began to tackle the difficult question of what to wear. It was cold - about 35 degrees, but we knew the sun was going to come out and it was going to warm up as the morning progressed. I decided on my light mid-calf length tights and a short-sleeved shirt with a long-sleeve shirt over it, thinking I would take the long sleeve off  before the race began. I was so cold during my warm-up run, however, that I kept the long sleeve on. My mom, dad, and boyfriend were all doing the race as well, and I was planning to run with my boyfriend, Alex, despite his objections. He thinks I'm faster than he is, but I think he's faster than he thinks he is. We started together at the back of the pack (after waiting in line for the porta-potties for half an hour and then using the indoor restrooms that were supposed to be off limits. Race Vermont really needs to get its act together when it comes to certain aspects of race organization) and went out fast. At the 4 mile mark I looked at my watch and decided we needed to slow down a bit. I was also starting to get a side stitch. The course was beautiful. It wound through Shelburne Farms on dirt trails and took us down to the boat launch. There were views of the lake and the day was bright and clear. My right knee started to hurt about halfway through, but with Alex going strong beside me I wasn't about to slow down. He really pulled me along for the second half of the race and, although the final miles were difficult, I was able to pick up my pace for the final mile. It never ceases to amaze me what a difference it makes to be able to feed off of someone else's energy. I don't think I could have done nearly as well without Alex. We finished in 1:34:11, which surprised me. I hadn't realized we were going quite that fast. I'm super proud of Alex for finishing his first half marathon in such a great time. We celebrated with beer and great food at the Farmhouse after the race. You can't ask for much more than that.

November 6 - 12

Sun - 13.1 - Race Vermont 1/2 marathon in 1:34:11
Mon - 0 miles
Tue - 4.5 miles recovery run
Wed - 0 miles
Thur - 0 miles, since when do I let the rain stop me?
Fri - 0 miles, no excuse
Sat - 6 miles a.m. before leaving for CT
Total: 23.5

My Embarrassingly Long Absence, Semi-Explained

In an attempt to explain my absence from the blogosphere, I will just say that running and blogging were forced to take the back burner for a brief time while I focused on other things in my life. Vague enough for you? That being said, I certainly did not stop running, even though I wasn't blogging about it. I had one of my most epic running experiences to date at Reach the Beach, a 200 mile relay from Cannon Mt. to Hampton Beach, NH. I was given the longest and arguably most difficult legs, and of course I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Running 10 miles, mostly up-hill, at 4 a.m., not having gotten any sleep, was one of the most grounding running experiences I've ever had. My final leg, an "easy" six miler at 1 p.m., still not having gotten any sleep, was one of the most difficult. I was overtired and seriously ready for the race to be over. The sleepless weekend led to a week of sickness, but I'm glad I did it and would do it again.

Since RTB, I've been training for a half-marathon which is going down THIS weekend in my beloved home state of Vermont. My boyfriend and I have been doing long runs on the weekends, and I've been doing hills and consistent running throughout. I still don't feel quite as prepared as I wish I were. I'm going to try to run it for fun and to get back into racing mode. After this I'll be thinking about Boston 2012, for which I'm registered! I was out running last week, and it was so beautiful out that I couldn't help but throw some speed into my workout. Running fast again felt so good. I feel really ready to get back into track workouts and see what new levels I can bring my running to this winter.

Week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 5

Sun - 4 miles, pain in my hip
Mon - 0 miles
Tue - 4.5 miles, feeling better
Wed - 3 miles
Thur - 0 miles, pain, tapering
Fri - 0 miles, drove to Burlington
Sat - -0 miles, ate the most amazing pumpkin whoopie pie
Total: 11.5