Tag Archives: The Boilermaker

Back from the Boilermaker!

Posted on July 12, 2010 | 5 comments

Good morning – happy Monday! I’m trying to think positively here. How was everyone’s weekend?

I was a little mia for a bit at the end of last week and then we had a super busy weekend, so posting was not at the top of my list. Some of my weekend activities:

  • Finally going to see Eclipse with two of my girlfriends. I liked it soo much better than the first two movies and am looking forward to the next one already. I’m a sucker for cheesy movies.
  • Had a nice pasta dinner with Lauren before our Sunday race.
  • Dealt with some work stress over the weekend, but managed to get done what I needed to.
  • Ran my 6th Boilermaker 15k in Utica, N.Y. on Sunday morning!
  • Had a nice family BBQ at the in-law’s house after the race.

So those were the highlights of my weekend! What were the highlights of yours?

As far as the Boilermaker goes, I did not set a PR 😦 , but it wasn’t my worst time either. I ran it in 1:17:12. Last year I ran it in 1:17:03. I’m happy with that time considering I didn’t really train as well as I could have and hit a major running slump after the marathon in May.  

So how was the race overall? It was fun, but tough. Last year when I ran this race, I had started marathon training a few weeks before and I think I was in a little better shape. This year, we started in a faster corral (thank goodness) and didn’t have to weave in and out of people as much. Here are my stats from the race:

Mile 1 – 8:13
Mile 2 – 8:15
Mile 3 – 8:22
Mile 4 – 8:43
Mile 5 – 7:39
Mile 6 – 7:50
Mile 7 – 8:38
Mile 8 – 7:59
Mile 9 – 8:32
.40 – 2:59

Total mileage – 9.40 miles in 1:17:13. Average pace 8:12 minute mile

It was pretty cool to run this race with a Garmin for the first time. In the past, I really didn’t have much clue what my splits were. Mile 3 -4 is definitely tough for me – it’s at a golf course and there is a big, huge, long hill that we run up for most of that mile. Ugh. I’m glad that is over.

But overall, this is such a fun race. The whole town comes out to cheer you on, there is music, tons of water stations, and even a popsicle station. It’s a good time and I highly recommend this race. Plus, it’s the biggest 15k in the U.S.! This year was even the largest in the history of the race – over 13,000 people! Anyway – if you’re even slightly intrigued, you should check it out.

We were having so much fun that we didn’t end up leaving the in-law’s place upstate until about 7:15 p.m. and get home until after 11!! That meant that bedtime didn’t happen until about midnight. That is super late for me. So, I’m pretty tired today and have a dentist appointment – not a good Monday.

Hope you all have a great Monday though!! I do have a NYC restaurant review that I need to post – hopefully tomorrow!

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Posted in Races, Running, Travel, Uncategorized

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Back from Break & A Book Review

Posted on July 6, 2010 | 6 comments

Hi all – welcome back to the work week. It was so nice to have a little break, but Tuesday really felt like it came fast. At least we’ve got a short week right?

How was your 4th of July? What was the most exciting part of your weekend?

My 4th was filled with family, friends, fun…and lots of driving. Ugh! I am really getting sick of the car. I didn’t take many photos this weekend. I wanted to just spend some quality time with family and friends. So I don’t have any exciting pics to share.

I did eat a lot of good and bad food this weekend, and squeezed in a 6.5 mile run with my friend Lauren on Friday. I’m not sure if I’m completely ready for the Boilermaker this Sunday, but it’s too late to squeeze in much more training now. I have a feeling that most of my running during this week will be done in the gym on the treadmill anyway. The brutal heat is just not conducive to a good run for me. So I’ll be playing it safe inside.

But, I do have one thing to offer you all! Another book review. I know – just call me speed reader. 🙂 I can’t remember the last time I finished a book this long so quickly. It was really good. So, here it goes:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larsson

I picked this book up because I had literally seen about a dozen people reading it on the subway or elsewhere in NYC. I figured there had to be something to it. And there was. I started reading this book on a Tuesday and finished it the following Monday. This book is 500+ pages, so that is superfast for me. It was a total page-turning thriller.

So what’s it all about? A Swedish financial journalist, named Mikael Blomkvist, is convicted of libel because of a story he wrote about a successful (but shady) businessman. But that’s just the intro to the story. After his conviction, he is offered a freelance job by on old industry titan. The first part of the job is to write a family history, but the real objective is for him to research the mysterious disappearance of the titan’s niece over four decades ago, and try to figure out what happened to her. The “girl with the dragon tattoo” ends up being investigator Lisbeth Salander, who Blomkvist brings on as his assistant.

There were definitely some disturbing scenes and themes in this book, but in understanding it’s a thriller, you’ve got to accept that there will be some drama and disconcerting episodes. The plot of the book and investigation completely drew me in and kept me intrigued and curious. I could not wait to find out what happened next and who was behind it all.

Throughout the novel, there are a few storylines going on—which means just when one mystery is solved, you remember that there are others that are still floating around. Beyond that, the characters are unique and interesting in their own right. I ended up wanting to find out more about them and what would happen—especially to Lisbeth.     

I was satisfied with how Larsson tied it all together and wrapped up the different stories and mysteries. I was not entirely thrilled with how Lisbeth’s story ended, but then realized that she appears in his second book, which made her conclusion understandable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers or mysteries – or to anyone who is simply looking for an entertaining read. Just remember that it’s not all flowers and butterflies. It contains explicit material which might make some people cringe. I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy as well: The Girl Who Play with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest.

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Posted in Books, Holidays, Reviews, Travel, Uncategorized

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Bookworm & A Break in the Heat

Posted on June 30, 2010 | 2 comments

Hello all – happy hump day! Except today really isn’t my hump day because I have Friday off! Yay! So today is really like my Thursday.

How was everyone’s Tuesday? Mine was pretty decent. It wasn’t as hot as I expected it to be – thank goodness. I started off my day with some oatmeal – no pic.

Lunch turned out to be kind of a mish-mash of things. Triscuits with Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese with a side of carrots.

It’s a little random, but it worked. Sometimes I crave a bunch of little things for lunch, rather than a sandwich or other typical lunch items.

What is your strangest or most interesting lunch choice?

In the afternoon I snacked on a Chobani, an apple and a few of these bad boys.

After work, although it wasn’t sweltering, I decided I still preferred to hit the gym for an “easier” run. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill in 33:55. After my run, I did some ab work and arm work and then headed home.

I had some remaining few grape tomatoes in the fridge that were about to reach their peak, so I used them up in our dinner. Use them or lose them – right?!

Chicken with brown rice, grape tomatoes and corn. For flavoring, I used some chicken stock, lemon and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. It was a very enjoyable meal. 🙂

After dinner I literally buried my nose in my new book: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I am not a fast reader at all. I think I take longer than most people, but I seem to be flying through this one. The book is almost 600 pages and I’m about 150 pages in at this point. I have a feeling that I’m going to be really happy that there are follow-ups to this book.

So when I left this house this morning, it was a brisk  and beautiful 68 degrees outside. Woohoo! It was lovely. I’m going to try to do a 6+ mile run tonight to take advantage of the weather and feel a bit more prepared for the 15k next weekend. Eeks – I can’t believe how fast it snuck up on me!

Have a great Wednesday all!

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Posted in Books, Recipes, Running, Uncategorized

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Feels Like Summer

Posted on June 2, 2010 | 5 comments

Good morning all – it’s hot and sticky in NYC today! We seriously did not have a spring – we went from winter to summer. The hot weather is making my breakfast decisions a little tougher. I’m really not in the mood for oatmeal these days. I might have to give overnight oats another try.

Yesterday for breakfast I resorted to an English muffin with peanut butter and banana on one half and apricot jelly on the other.

What are your favorite summer/hot weather breakfasts? I need some new ideas!

Last week I had just a grapefruit one morning and it did not keep me full. I loved the cool freshness of it as a breakfast, but I have to worry about it keeping me sustained as well – which is did not.

For lunch yesterday I grabbed a salad and I snacked on a granola bar and Chobani yogurt during the day. Boring – so no pics.

Dinner had to be quick and easy because Hubby and I were heading to the Yankees game. I made a sandwich on an Arnold Thin with roasted chicken breast, mustard and american cheese. And of course, a side of pickles. Yum!

After our quick dinner, Hubby and I headed to the game – well I hobbled to the game really. My co-worker, who happens to be accident prone on a regular basis and broke her toe before (along with many other bones), swears that she thinks my toe is broken. I disagree – I think it’s just a bad sprain. But it’s already feeling soo much better today. I was actually shocked this morning by how great it felt.

Once we got to the game, I was tempted by the greasy sights and smells and convinced Hubby to share some french fries with me. Here we are at the game:

The game

We thoroughly enjoyed our $8 container of fries – it’s soo ridiculously expensive there. I also bought at diet pepsi and it was $5!! I really didn’t want to give in to the temptation, but fries are a weakness.

I also had an idea yesterday. I’m considering running The Sun Half Marathon that is run in conjunction with the Bay State Marathon on October 17. My friend and running buddy Lauren is running the marathon with hopes of qualifying for Boston (yay send her best wishes!) and I was thinking it might be fun to run the Half Marathon and then cheer her on.

Has anyone out there run that marathon or half marathon? Thoughts, feedback on it?

I’m not planning to run a marathon in the fall because we’re going to Ireland from the end of Aug – early September and it would be smack in the middle of training, but I’m thinking I should keep running as many short-middle races as I can. I’m in such a marathon-train mode at this point that I think it will be strange to not be training for one during the summer.

What races are on your calendar? Any really fun ones we should all know about?

I’ll say it again – if you haven’t run The Boilermaker yet – you should!! It’s so much fun. The whole town comes out, bands, animals from the zoo and then a huge party at the end with free beer. Great time!

Alright all – have a great Wednesday! I’m so happy it’s already mid-week! 🙂

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