Boston 2013: 3 Weeks Later

  

With Dad and Mom Approx 30 Minutes Before Explosion 

I decided to take some time away from my Boston blogging to reflect on what happened approximately and hour and a half after I crossed the finish line. My initial reaction as I sit in a bar with my parents and other finishers was disbelief, which quickly turned to anger. For the next 5 days I was glued to my TV and pretty much blocked out the world for that period of time. I was distracted and disinterested in anything other than Boston coverage. During that time I felt guilt for already being away from the finish line, and at the same time, I was thankful for my families safety. I ran a great race finishing almost 30 minutes better than 2009 (3:08:00 vs 3:36:00) and just missing re-qualifying by only 3 minutes. After running Boston for a second time I truly realized how special the course is and look forward to returning in 2014.

After the events of Marathon Monday I was interviewed by several local radio stations. This podcast below sums up my Boston experience if you have the time to listen. 

With Bart Yasso for Shakeout Run and Best SWAG Ever!

Boston Marathon 2013 Podcast 

Since Boston I have continued to focus on Kansas 70.3 which is now only 5 weeks away. The week after, Aimee and I ran in a local 10k to show support for Boston. I was the overall winner for the 2nd straight year and Aimee took 2nd female after being 7 months prego last year. Last weekend I completed my second ever tri (450 m, 15 miles, 5 miles) in 1:29:59 taking 22nd overall and finishing 12th in the run. I look forward to the new challenges that triathlons and the 1/2 Ironman will present. 

 Aimee and I before 10k; Dan and I exiting the Swim for Sprint Tri 

Boston 2013 Days 98-111: Race Weekend

Race weekend is finally here and minus a few minor injuries along the way I have safely made it to Boston. Unlike last time where I stayed out by the airport and commuted in everyday, this time I am in downtown in the heart of all the action and the feel of the marathon is just all around. There are banners, signs and jackets everywhere you turn. It is very exciting.

I picked up my packet on Saturday when I arrived and found the best race SWAG ever! A Sam Adams 26.2 bottle opener; so naturally I had to try some of the new 26.2 brew and it did not disappoint. Very good. The expo was packed with runners and running celebs. My roommate for Boston met Ryan Hall and many other elites have seminars or meet and greets throughout the expo. The colors for this years race are Blue and Yellow the same as when I was here in 2009 so that saved me some $, but I did see one of my favorite all time running shirts for Basil except she could not wear it for 2 more years so I just took a picture (below).

Today is Sunday and I went on a shakeout run with Runner's World Bart Yasso. It was really nice to meet him and he took time for everyone to take pictures and small talk; very nice guy who gets to do this every weekend (I'm sure his job is really tough). The group was about 25 large and we ran 2.5 miles along the Charles River for a really nice view of the city. I managed to snap a few pictures along the way and added an extra 1.5 after the group run just weaving through some of the south neighborhoods. These home were really cool to see al everything (road, sidewalk, homes) were all brick and build right next to each other. Very old, and very cool.

I plan non taking in a Red Sox game later this afternoon and then relaxing the rest of the day. Bus loads early in the morning then it's off to Hopkington for the start. Looking forward to tomorrow I am anxious to see how I do and ready to rub elbows with some of the best runners in the world.

Pictured below: Finish Line, SWAG, Favorite Shirt, Me and Bart Yasso, 25 mile mark Citgo Sign, Charles River

Boston 2013 Days 91-97: #RunChatHunt

This week I have been working to complete the #RunChatHunt; an online scavenger hunt via Twitter put on by who else, The Run Chat. Submissions were taken earlier in the month, then votes were taken for the top 10 and here they are in order. (In parenthesis are what my pictures are) All pictures are below the list.

Running sticker (26.2 from my car)
Bridge (covered bridge on small path by St. Francois Country Club)
Hill that will be run (Maple Valley Hill; it's a monster)
Christmas decorations still up (wreath with lights)
Historical sign (Missouri Mines at St. Joe park)
Letters to create #runchat (most from golf course)
Welcome to sign (Farmington welcome sign on North side of town)
Water (Tampa Bay from our run there 2 weeks ago)
Mile marker (local 5k marking on road)
Favorite place to run (St. Joe Park)

Boston 2013 Days 78-90: Tampa and More Snow

As the runners knee has slowly faded my mileage has picked back up and just in time too; Boston is only 3 weeks away. Last weekend Aimee and I took a long awaited trip to Tampa for the Kenny Chesney and Eric Church show at Raymond James Stadium. It's was a surprise trip for Aimee and knocked an item off her "bucket list" as I had purchased Sandbar tickets for the show (next to stage). It was amazing!

Of course no trip would be complete without exploring the local running scene and with a little help from Twitter @marybaum20 and @krissymmurphy we found one of the most popular trails in Tampa that winds along the Bay and through Downtown. Aimee and I ran together for the first time in a long time before splitting so I could finish with 16 and her with 13. Aimee has the STL GO! 1/2 in two weeks and she is going strong and ready to return to racing.

We also found some time to make it over to Clearwater Beach which was great considering we returned home to 37 degrees and 4 inches of cold rain. This week has been no different as Spring continues to remain hidden and temperatures rarely make near 40. With April one week away, today we received a fresh batch of snow, and my "down with Winter" protest reached a new low as I actually ran on a treadmill! That's right, first time all Winter, and it technically came 5 days into Spring. Here's to warmer weather in the days to come.

Boston 2013 Days 57-77: Ironman Kansas 70.3

I've been busy; and not just with running. My work load has really started to increase in the swim and bike department and for good reason. This past week I signed up for what will be my first Ironman. 70.3 Kansas will be June 9, 2013 in Lawrence, KS. Besides the fact that I have to visit the home of the hated Jayhawks, I am really looking forward to this event and it has helped re-energize my training not only for triathlons but for Boston as well.

After Boston, but before Kansas, I plan to compete in two local sprints to help prep me for the 1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, and 13.1 run. The bike will by far be the toughest part with plenty of rolling hills, but the run is super flat and rumor has it the swim is too!

Here is a recap of the past several weeks: 

• My runner's knee is better, but not fixed 
• Now my other knee is an issue. IT Band? (fingers crossed) 
• I hate being injured. 
• It snowed. Not a lot, but for several days a little at a time. 
• We missed 3 days of school due to said snow. 
• I still ran. 
• I still hated being injured. 
• Basil is now on the move. 
• Run: 37, 43, 45 Miles  

Boston Marathon 2013 Days 50-56: Galloway Trail

This weekend my wife and I returned to Springfield for the first time since November's Bass Pro Marathon. With the Basil babysitting help from Grandma, Grandpa, and our friend Teresa, we were both able to get out and enjoy some runs on the Galloway Trail through Sequiota Park. This is the first time we have ran the trail since it was reopened to the full length (highway construction). When we lived in town we both really enjoyed running on the Greenways so it was nice to run there this past weekend. On Saturday I did a solo 10 miler, my first double digit run in 3 weeks due to my nagging runner's knee.

 

On Sunday Aimee and I ran an 8 miler together. This was the first time we had ran that far together in a long time and it was just like old times. We even took Justin and Teresa's dog Nala along with us since Marlie did not make the trip. Oddly we never ran up to the nature center in all the years we lived there so Aimee and I took the short trail towards the Nature Center and even got to see some deer. On our return trip Nala and I took a quick bathroom break which put Aimee a little ahead of us. As we caught back up to her she was almost "attacked" by a wild raging squirrel. At least she claims. I saw the whole scene unfold in front of me as a squirrel ran across the path roughly the same time as Aimee which made her jump and scream. It was awesome! Weekly Totals: Run 32 Miles, Swim 1.7 Miles, Bike 11 Miles

Boston 2013 Days 43-49: Back At It

Runners Knee Sucks. I feel like I'm doing the right thing by taking some time off, but I could only manage a week. However, in the meantime I have found some new friends in the form of a foam roller and ice pack. We meet up every morning and evening. It'g great! I have also noticed an improvement in my swimming. This has really helped my confidence for a possible 1/2 Ironman this summer.

So back to the running, after a full week off I eased back in with a one mile treadmill run on Friday and thought I might die. Not from knee pain, but from boredom! How do people run on those things? And there was a TV in front of me. Saturday I busted out my new shoes and ran 7 miles with a break in the middle for weights. It was nice to be back on the road and I only noticed slight discomfort in my knee, but nothing throughout the rest of the day.

Sunday Aimee, Basil, Marlie and I did an evening run at St. Joe Park. Running at night was something we do not do very often as you can tell from the picture below. We made the turn on our out-and-back and found ourselves 3 miles from the car, pushing a stroller, in the woods, and it was dark. Guess we need to check those sunset times a little closer. Overall though it was awesome weather and kinda neat to watch the fog roll in over the trail. Thankfully I did not have to defend my family against any wild deer!

Weekly totals: Run 16 miles; Swim 3.5 miles, Bike 21 miles.