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My last blog entry was posted just prior to the start of two wonderful, but time-intensive, major life events - a Master's degree program and a new job. Throw in a move (more on that later) and there's been little time for blogging since. With a week off over the holidays, however, I took a few minutes to draft a note to bring my blog up to date.

School
Fourteen years after graduating from Mount Holyoke, I finally enrolled in graduate school with the online Integrated Marketing Communications program at West Virginia University. The thought of being a student after all those years was daunting, but I felt I needed more education to get caught up in the marketing field. I have now finished my second course and am really enjoying the material. It is an intense program, however, and I'm grateful for the two week break before class number three, Creative Strategy, begins.

Work
I'm pleased to report that this blog played a role in landing my job as communications manager at Cummings Properties! Who would have thought? I absolutely love my job and am excited for what the future holds in this part of my life.

House
After about five months in a temporary apartment in Cambridge, we found an amazing house in Reading, about 10 miles north of Boston. We're still unpacking boxes and need to figure out a doggie door/fence system, but it's home and we love it.

Paul
My wonderful husband is working for Northern Power System (on wind turbines) and splits his time between Cambridge and Barre, Vermont. He has also begun his base training for Ironman Lake Placid next July.

2010 has been a truly amazing year: we quit our jobs, had a once-in-a-lifetime west coast road trip, drove across the country with our dogs, had a fantastic summer in the city, landed new jobs, went back to school, found a new house. It's hard to believe we fit all this in!

2011 promises to be much more settled, but I have high hopes that it will be full of adventure, fun, and happiness. I wish the same to you as well!
]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100822-194230 Run Gloucester 7-miler on my calendar months ago (while still living in Tucson, in fact), but was starting to have racer’s remorse as it drew near. Our weekends have been jam-packed with house hunting; it’s a 45-minute drive away; and the seacoast-hugging course is chock full of hills. I just wasn’t feeling it. But, having roped my brother-in-law, Jon, into signing up, there was no backing out.

It turns out that this race was exactly what I needed. The morning couldn’t have been more glorious. I had one of those happy-to-be-alive, nothing-hurts, a-chorus-of-angels-singing in the background kind of runs.

I toed the starting line (or rather my spot in between the 9 and 10 minute/mile pace starting corrals) with no expectations, no goals and no real plan except to run comfortably. After chasing down PR’s at the past few races, it was a relief to just run. Run and enjoy the iconic New England coastal scenery. Run and joke with my fellow middle-of-the-packers about our mediocrity. Run and high-five the kids and thank the volunteers.

I enjoyed every minute of it. Or, to be exact, every 68 minutes and 54 seconds of it.

I congratulate DMSE on a well-organized event. The course was one of the most scenic I’ve run and, as a bonus, was closed to traffic. Aid stations were numerous and well-staffed. Post-race food was plentiful and varied with bananas, yogurt & granola, protein drinks and clam chowder. I’ve had post-race breakfast burritos in Tucson, so why not clam chowder in America’s oldest seaport?

Before heading home, we celebrated the morning’s accomplishment with another Massachusetts mainstay, Dunkin Donuts coffee.


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Salem, Massachusetts greeted us with surprisingly chilly temperatures for an August morning. Wishing I had brought a jacket, I was glad that I was not the one who would soon be plunging into the Atlantic. No, that would be my 7-year old niece, Hannah. Although it wasn’t so much plunging as wading until forced to actually swim around a buoy. But, she did it! And even emerged with a smile on her face.

At the Haunted City Junior Triathlon, Hannah learned how to set up her transition area and I learned that bike racks aren’t needed when everyone has a kick stand.



Hannah bravely joined the other shivering children in the ocean and then laughed and chatted through most of the 100-meter swim/walk portion of the race.







She had a whole crew of family members sprinting up the beach to meet her at transition with cheers and encouragement, and then racing off again to catch photos on the 1.5-mile bike course.





Paul and I walked with Hannah a bit on the run course and she made it clear, with words and the look on her face, that this was hard.



But, like most athletes, she managed to find another gear when the finish line came into sight. She blazed down the straightaway, grinning from ear to ear, and claimed her finisher’s medal.





Although she didn’t get one of those trophies she wanted so badly, she definitely earned bragging rights.




]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100804-164833 Wildcat Sprint Triathlon Top 5 List



5. Live Music
The sound of music is never so sweet as when it signals your proximity to the finish line. While many races feature a DJ, FIRM Racing went one step further with a live band to keep the spectators entertained and the athletes pumped. A very nice touch.



4. Shady , Low-Traffic Bike Course
In Arizona, cycling in the summer means baking in the sun. The well-shaded roads of Massachusetts have been an unexpected perk of our recent move. The website describes the bike route as “a single loop, fairly flat eleven mile course on beautiful roads that make you feel you are in a rural setting.” I’ll give them everything but the “fairly flat,” as this holds true only for the first 6 miles.



3. A 400-Meter Swim
The swim takes place in the Merrimack River, a body of water which, unlike a pool, is known to have a current. Visions of swimming in place (much like in an endless pool) almost kept me from signing up. But, then, I saw that the swim was just 400 meters – half the distance of a typical sprint swim. Some might feel that it’s not even worth getting wet for a swim THAT short. I am not one of those people.

2. Racing with a Tri Girl
In my few years of racing, I have never competed in a triathlon without a fellow Tri Girl. Despite taking place in Massachusetts, this race was no different. Spending a few weeks in the area for work, Keli was actually the one who found this race. We didn’t have a whole TTG rack or hordes of purple-clad cheerleaders. But we had each other!



1. My Own Personal Cheering Section
I admit it – guilt tactics were employed. Nonetheless, it was fantastic to have most of my immediate family present and accounted for…and waving homemade signs.



Despite some rather sporadic training due to the recent acquisition of a job, Paul still managed to take first place in his age group. He didn’t walk away with any hardware, however, as a computer glitch prevented the results from being posted until 2 days later. But we hear it’s in the mail. Well done, Paul!]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100729-155412 Luna Chix Boston Running Team was hosting a yoga clinic at Danehy Park and, if there’s anything better than a good yoga class, it’s a good yoga class outdoors.

The bike ride was short, just 2 miles away, but somewhat awkward with a yoga mat sticking out of my drawstring backpack and poking me in the head. I’m sure savvier yogini’s have found better ways to transport their mats, but I'm not there yet.

I met the eight or so other women, unrolled my mat on a flat spot on the grass, and suddenly became very conscious of all of the activity surrounding us – a group of men playing soccer, a man talking loudly on his cell phone, families flying kites, teenage boys gawking at us. But, before long, I got past all that and enjoyed the breezy evening and the much-needed stretching.

For a $10 donation to the Breast Cancer Fund, we received a great class geared toward runners (lots of IT band stretching!) and the mother of all goodie bags.



On top of that, I won a raffle prize of a box of Luna bars. While I generally prefer food in its natural state over the bar form, these little packages do come in handy when traveling or on long bike rides. This loot will tide me over for months to come! Had I known about all of the schwag, I certainly would have brought a bigger backpack.
]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100727-100038
It all started with a Facebook post from my 15-year old cousin – “going for a jog.” I pounced with an offer to join me in the Allan D. Morrison 5K this October and, much to my delight, he accepted. With the official OK from dad, cousin Andrew is now registered for the race. Score!

Next up was my 7-year old niece, Hannah, who, a few weeks ago, agreed to participate in an upcoming youth triathlon. However, like many triathletes of all ages, there was some trepidation about the swimming. Her technique is limited to the dog-paddle. And a brief one at that. And then there’s the matter of sharks. “They like to eat little kids,” she told me.



Fortunately (and wisely), the triathlon organizers offer a swim clinic specifically geared toward kids participating in this race. Hannah was able to, literally, test the waters.



She joined about 15 other triathletes-in-the-making at Dead Horse Beach in Salem for a little swimming, a lot of dog-paddling and, when all else failed, some walking through the water. Most importantly, she made some new friends that she can look forward to seeing on race day.



She seems to have forgotten about the sharks. Now, her nerves come from wanting to win!


]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100719-224108
Wanting to get in a long workout that day, I ran the dogs and then ran to the meeting spot, putting 5 miles in the bank before the 10:30 a.m. start time. The group offers distances of 3, 5 and 6 miles with a corresponding bridge for each distance. The Mass Ave Bridge was calling my name, but I pushed on to the Longfellow to make it an even 10 miles for the day – a choice I came to regret.



I had felt strong during my pre-TMIRCE miles, but that was before the heat and humidity completely wrecked me. My pace gradually slowed, I was liberal with my use of walk breaks during the last few miles, and I was nauseous for hours. But, determined to make the most of the experience, I stuck it out at the post-run potluck for about 30 minutes before deciding that I might actually vomit or pass out if I didn’t cool off. I suffered through the 2-mile walk home, took a long, cold shower and then spent an hour in the prone position. Eventually, I felt back to myself and able to take in (and keep in) some food.

The people were welcoming and the course is beautiful, but the coolest part of this group is the potluck held in Andy’s house. He leads TMIRCE and, every week, allows a large group of sweaty strangers to hang out in his living room, cook up some eggs on his stove, and stuff their faces while, undoubtedly, dropping lots of crumbs. With an arrangement like this, any strangers quickly become friends. Andy wasn’t actually there last weekend, but this kind of openness makes me like him immensely already.

Despite the less-than-optimal ending to my run, I look forward to giving it another shot. Maybe I’ll be a little less ambitious with the mileage next time.]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100715-093254


Unfortunately, unusually bad traffic (even for Boston) kept me and visiting Tri Girl, Keli, from actually racing. After a ridiculous 2.5-hour drive from Billerica, Keli arrived just as the first finishers were crossing the line. Knowing that you don’t need a starting gun and an official time to make a run worthwhile, we headed backwards on the course and spent the next hour enjoying the ocean views and catching up on each other’s lives.

Here is what struck me about the event:

The Expo – Food and drink samples, shoe companies, charities, training companies and more. All there for just a 5-miler. On a weekday evening. Awesome.



The Volunteers – Like a yellow-tank-top-wearing army, members of South Boston’s L Street Running Club were everywhere you turned, ready to direct you, answer your questions and ensure a great race experience. They clearly took a great deal of pride in this event.

The Organization – Inadequate signage often makes it difficult to find and navigate registration. Not at this race. A huge “REGISTRATION” banner beckoned you into the Boston College High School gym where hoards of volunteers ushered you through the packet pick-up process.

My only recommendation is to station a few volunteers at the JFK/UMASS T station. I got off the train and joined a slowly growing mass of perplexed runner-types until someone who had previously done this race took charge and led us down the street.

The Course – This year’s brand new course featured South Boston’s scenic waterfront. I have no idea what the old course offered, but can’t imagine that it was more refreshing than this beachside run.

For $20 ($25 on race day), you really can’t go wrong with the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5-Miler.]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100712-132321 Team Hoyt! If you’re not familiar with this inspirational duo, I encourage you to check out their website. Their story is guaranteed to motivate.







I should clarify that my role in this weekend’s race was as cheerleader, photographer and lugger of gear. Paul, on the other hand, actually swam, biked and ran in the Mill City International Triathlon in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Accustomed to the well-oiled machine that is TriTucson, I found this event from Double C Racing to be lacking in the organization department. First, they registered Paul for the sprint race instead of the international, and then made it a big hassle to switch the entry. When he was finally given race number 99, we walked over to transition only to find that the numbered racks jumped from the 80’s right to the 100’s. While this glitch was an annoyance, at least Paul was rewarded for his patience with half a rack all to himself.



Pre-race chatter was abundant, with questions regarding the course, the ins-and-outs of transition and the legality of wetsuits. Signage was non-existent, as was literature describing the race details, and so everyone was in the dark. This widespread lack of knowledge led to a 15 minute delay in the race start, as the “brief remarks” from the race director and USAT official turned into a full-blown Q & A session.





On the positive side, I discovered that a river swim makes for great spectating. It was impossible to pick out Paul in the mass of green-caps and splashing water, but I was able to follow the pack by walking along the Merrimack River.



I snapped photos of Paul exiting the water and then ran after him, across Pawtucket Boulevard, to transition. While it’s not ideal to have a major road running right down the middle of your race course, I think they did the best they could with the space they had. The swim and finish line were on one side of Pawtucket Boulevard and transition was on the other. Police were present to direct traffic, but they had their hands full with cars, spectators and racers coming from all four directions.



I cheered Paul onto the bike course and reminded him that this is where his race begins. With swimming as his weak sport, he typically spends the entire bike leg passing people.



While waiting for him to pass by for his second lap, I pitched in a bit at the water stop which was rather ill-staffed with two volunteers who appeared completely lost. They actually complained that racers were throwing their used water cups on the ground.

After a brief glimpse of Paul as he flew by, I realized that I was starving. It was only 9:45am, but, having last eaten at 4:30am, I figured this was a good time for lunch. Transition is conveniently located in the parking lot of Heritage Farm Ice Cream, which, I discovered, makes a mean grilled chicken sandwich.



After eating, I walked toward the bike dismount area where I was not too surprised to find that there was no signage – not even a chalk line on the street. There were just a handful of volunteers shouting directions and then getting frustrated when racers did not heed them.

Note to the volunteers and race director: Maybe it’s adrenaline. Maybe it’s dehydration. Maybe it’s intense concentration on the task at hand. Whatever the reason, athletes don’t always think very clearly while racing. In fact, yelling often sounds like the adults in Charlie Brown specials. Big signs with simple words will make your life easier, the course safer and the racers more compliant.



Paul looked great – hot, but great – as he headed out for the run. I knew I had about 45 minutes to kill and so I settled in at the finish line to cheer on the sprint race finishers, including Dick and Rick Hoyt.



I’ve learned from experience that Paul tends to be on par with the first female finisher. Sure enough, when I glimpsed the first tankini cruising down the street, Paul was right on her heels looking strong!



At the end of the finisher’s chute, Paul and another racer compared bloody ankles (maybe socks are worth a few extra seconds in transtition?) before plunging into the Merrimack River to cool off.





Then, we celebrated Paul’s impressive finish of 15th overall and 4th in his age group at Heritage Farm Ice Cream. Giving up their parking lot for the morning was a smart move for this business. How many people can hang out next to an ice cream stand for half a day and not indulge?
]]> http://jblog.paul-v.com/index.php?entry=entry100704-155929 Bill Rodgers at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots? Maybe “run with” isn’t the proper phrase as there about 3,000 other people there too. And he was never actually in my sight during the race. But I did see him twice while warming up.



As part of Project Whip the Family into Shape (which is bound to make some relatives wish we’d move back to Arizona), my brother-in-law, Jon, joined us for this inaugural event. We met up briefly before the race and then I wished luck to him and Paul before squeezing into the starting corral at the 9:00/mile sign.

Since changing my running gait to a forefoot landing a few months ago, I have been injury-free, feeling great and running well, as evidenced by a 5K PR in my last race. I went into today’s race thinking it would be nice to set another PR…but I haven’t done any speed work and I don’t like a lot of pressure…so I’ll just see how it goes.

The course was crowded and never really thinned out as much as I had expected, but this density kept me from going out too hard. My first few miles were just over a 9-minute pace and then I slowed a bit in the second half as the heat and some mild hills wore on me.

It started getting hard around mile 4 and this was right around the time the battery in my Garmin died. Luckily, it gave a warning beep and I was able to start my stopwatch to keep track of my time, but now I was not entirely sure of where I was in terms of distance. However, when I saw my time at mile marker 5, I knew a PR was in the bag – it was just a matter of by how much.

As I tired, I found that my stride kept reverting to a heavy, heel-strike landing and so my mantra became “quick, light and easy.” (If you’ve read Born to Run, then you know I Have Caballo Blanco to thank for this.) I repeated it over and over as I switched back to short, quick steps with a forefoot landing.



The highlight of this race is undoubtedly the finish. I definitely felt the excitement as I ran into the stadium, through the giant inflatable football helmet and onto the field. I threw my arms up, let out a “woo hoo” and gazed up at the crowds in the stands. (In all the hoopla, I somehow missed the gigantic jumbotron screen with a live feed of the stadium entrance, but I’m sure it was very cool for those who did see it.) Then, I realized that I had slowed to a jog, yet still had 50 yards before the finish line! I kicked it into the highest gear I had left and sprinted across the line with a time of 58:04, a 2-minute PR.




The Pros
* One-of-a-kind finish line.
* Plenty of aid stations.
* Impressive post-race food spread.
* Boston Billy!

The Cons
* While there was a 10K walker’s division, a more beginner-friendly 5K option would have helped with Project Whip the Family into Shape.
* The aid stations could have been better staffed. Those poor volunteers were hustling!
* As advertised, parking was easy. However, getting into the parking lot was not. It took us 15 minutes to drive the final ¼-mile to the stadium.
* Finishers were funneled from the playing field into the food area and then out of the stadium. This made it difficult to meet up post-race with friends who were also racing and this is why there are no finishing photos of me and Jon. They relaxed the barriers later on and we were able to get back on the field for some photos while the walkers were finishing.




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