Category Archives: running friends

Providence Marathon Weekend

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img_5158We came back last night from a quick less than 24 hour trip to Providence, Rhode Island and it was a blast! Josh and I went on a road trip with running friends, Julio, Tania, and their baby to see Coach Brian run his 50th state marathon (and 75th marathon).

We drove up to Providence on Saturday afternoon and went straight to the expo at the Providence Place Mall to pick up our race packets. Julio was running the half marathon and Josh and I the 5K. The packet pickup was at the entrance to an abandoned department store and it was quick to pick up the bib, shirts, and materials. The expo is small – a couple of racks of merchandise and energy supplements.

img_5157Afterwards we checked into our hotel at the Hilton Providence, which is less than 0.5 miles from the start and finish of the race at Exchange Terrace. We then met Brian and his friends at their AirBnB for an incredible pasta dinner – fresh pasta, grilled chicken, salad, and desserts. It was a great night meeting new friends and hearing Brian’s memories and recaps of his journey to the 50th state.

img_5160The next morning, Josh and I grabbed an early breakfast at 6:30AM before the 5K start. I had an english muffin with berries which was perfect and Josh ate waffles, eggs, and berries. We got back to the hotel room, finished getting ready and walked over to the start. The weather was breezy and overcast, but perfect running weather. The start area was easy, casual, and there were a ton of porta potties which are extremely important to me at 7 months pregnant! By 8:25AM, we were off. Though I’m convinced Josh could have run the race faster than me, we ended up running it together. My bladder was not enjoying the baby and the movement so we made a pit stop around 1.25 miles in (I have a feeling this is the beginning of my running bladder challenges for the next couple of months). The course was scenic, relatively flat, but quite confusing about turnaround points since the full, half, and 5K all shared the same first and last 1.5 miles. I was really hoping that we would finish last but didn’t look like I was able to achieve my goal. Our finish time was a little over 42 minutes.

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img_5172We grabbed water and went back to the hotel to put on some dry and warmer clothes before heading back out to meet Tania and see Julio finish the half. There’s something to be said about small town races — we were able to cheer about 150 meters from the finish and could have run part of the race and even the finish with the runners if we wanted to. When Julio finished, we met back up to prepare for Brian’s big appearance. The race tracking is not as robust as some of the larger city races but we were able to estimate using the Find My Friends app that he was running faster than anticipated and knew when he was approaching. He looked very strong and on pace for a BQ (Boston Qualifying time).

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img_5184After Brian passed, we immediately walked over to the finish area and caught up with him and his friends celebrating. Brian completed his 50th state and all of them were under sub-4 hours. What an incredible achievement! We spent a bit of time enjoying the post-race festivities — pizza and beer (don’t worry I ate my share of pizza instead of drinking the beer) and then went back to the hotel to get ready for our respective trips back to CT and NY.

While a quick trip, it was so much fun to be in person to help him celebrate such a big accomplishment. It was such a milestone weekend and we had a blast participating in the Providence race festivities and celebrating with Coach Brian!

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Pointers for successful races during pregnancy

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Last weekend, I ran my 4th timed race of the pregnancy – the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K. While I ran this race two other times before, this year’s experience was much different from previous years.

As each week progresses in the pregnancy, my speed decreases. I am very careful and always monitoring my heart rate and feel and as soon as I feel like anything is too strenuous I pull back. While I ran three other races prior to this one, all of those experiences are very different as they were earlier in the pregnancy.

While I am not a doctor (and be sure to consult with your doctor before engaging in any activity during pregnancy), I compiled some helpful pointers to make any race experience during pregnancy more successful:

img_4618—Do not focus on time. This is not the time to set a new PR but rather a time to enjoy the run.

—Eat a fairly sized breakfast about 2 hours before the run regardless of distance. I used to eat a much smaller breakfast before races but now I am very careful to make sure I eat something more substantial.

—Carry fuel with you even if it is a short race. For this 5K, I carried a Honey Stinger Chocolate Waffle with me just in case I got hungry before, during, or after the race.

—Don’t be afraid to grab water at the water stations even if it is within the first mile of a 5K. Staying hydrated is much more important!

—Do not start the race in your normal or assigned corral (based on previous times). I took my time getting to the start line of this race. It was very crowded and I was not afraid to start in one of the very last corrals. I did not want to feel the pressure of others going faster than me and I also didn’t want to be a bottleneck for those who were running faster than I was.

img_4617—Dress more warmly than usual. Depending on the weather on race day, dress more warmly than you would used to pre-pregnancy. While your body temperature is more elevated during pregnancy, you will be running slower and as a result out on the course longer. It’s important to be prepared for the elements and worst case is you can shed layers.

—Do not be afraid to walk or stop. There is no shame in walking or stopping EVER, before, during, or after pregnancy! It’s an accomplishment to be out there.

—Meet up with friends. If you have other friends running the race, meet up with them before and/or after the race. It’s a great way to make the race feel more social but they’re also amazing cheerleaders!

—Make sure emergency contact information is on you at all times. Whether you write emergency contact information on the back of your bib, wear a Road ID, or carry ID and phone with you, it is important to have at least one or two of these handy in case something were to happen. I have a Road ID on my shoe and always my phone and ID on me during all races.

—Enjoy the experience. This course was hilly and in the past, I cursed every hill and did not appreciate the scenery. This year, I slowly trucked up the hills and enjoyed the hillier parts by The Cloisters and Fort Tyron Park.

There will always be good days and bad ones but I am very thankful for the days that I am able to get out there and exercise. Be proud of your accomplishments and even if the distance and time is much shorter and slower than you expect, your body, mind, and baby will thank you for just getting out there!