Marathon – Page 3 – Kara Cooks and Eats

Boston Marathon training – Week 5

Three degrees!

Well I spoke too soon…that Christmas cold caught up with me this week. I skipped my Tuesday run and Wednesday cross-training per my training plan. And I didn’t quite make it to midnight on NYE, though I wished 2013 farewell before I crashed. But things are looking up as I’ve successfully weaned myself off NyQuil! Getting off the cough medicine is next.

Hercules (still not sure how I feel about naming snowstorms) arrived with a vengeance on Thursday and Friday. I am going to count shoveling snow as a workout – it exists as one on MyFitnessPal!

With the snow and the wicked cold temperatures on Saturday, the team run was cancelled. I decided to venture out anyway, but planned to attempt half outside and finish the other half at the gym – which felt more tolerable than two hours on a treadmill! It was three degrees when I headed out the door, which called for lots of layers. In the sun, it didn’t feel too cold and I managed to run the first two-thirds outside.

Lots of colorful layers

The worst part of the run was what happened to my poor sneakers. I do need to get a new pair, but these were fun because they were the same ones that Wendy Davis wore for her marathon filibuster. They’ve become much more popular since then. But for what it’s worth, I’ve been wearing Mizuno Wave Riders since I bought my first pair of “real” running shoes.

In other news, I am so honored to be almost 50% to my fundraising goal, thanks to all of you!

Total distance covered

19.5 miles (though it was supposed to be 22)

Hercules carnage on the Mizunos

Donors of the week

Mom and Dad Becker

Duanne and Christian Sonneville

MaryAnn and Anthony Conforti

Jerry and Jean Holwell

Alice Zimmer

Ray and Maureen Haag

Melissa Godet

Poonhar Poon

Sara Usilton

Valerie and Andy Cleverdon

Dylan Bui

HRH Eric Shipley

Goals for next week

Wean myself off cough medicine!

Boston Marathon training – Week 4

Home sweet NY!

This post is a day late because yesterday was my annual Christmas cookie baking marathon! I know, I know…Christmas is over. But my baking buddy moved to Pennsylvania this year so this was the only time we were able to get together. I guess you could call them post-Christmas cookies. This year we baked a total of five batches (M&M x2, sugar, molasses, and oatmeal chocolate chip with pecans)…quite an accomplishment with my small oven and a 9-month old who desperately wanted to “help”. We did have the help of the Ninja this year, which was a reasonable substitute for the KitchenAid.

Santa’s on a boat!

Anyway…week 4 brings me to the end of the first month of training. Only four more months to go!

I woke up on Christmas morning with a cold. Merry Christmas to me! It’s been annoying, but luckily not enough to sideline me from training. It was a successful week, with a couple of runs at home in NY and a long run on the river on Saturday. I was bummed that I conveniently ended my run at Starbucks, but I arrived with a dead phone and no money so I had to leave empty-handed. I don’t understand how my phone battery goes from 80% to dead within 90 minutes! I am an obsessive app closer so the only thing that was running was Endomondo and music.

Total distance covered
18 miles

Donors of the week

More boats on the Charles

Julie Roper
Kimberly Glassman
Kate Kunstel
Stephanie Williamson
Heidi & Darren Marani
Betty & Murlin Lough

Goals for next (this) week
Say hello to 2014!

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

Boston Marathon training – Week 3

Boston Common Christmas tree

This week marked the first days of winter and the first of many double digit training runs. The balmy 50-degree weather in New York meant I was out for my long run in shorts and a t-shirt (it was orange, of course).

Faneuil Hall Christmas tree
Photo credit: Mimi Sun

Earlier in the week I braved a record-breaking snowstorm (6.4″ = most amount of snow to fall on December 17th in Boston) to join a Christmas tree run. The weather seemed to be a deterrent for many people, since more than 100 people signed up but only about 20 people showed up. The roads were slippery, but I was pretty proud of not wiping out. We managed to hit up three different Christmas trees – Copley Square, Boston Common, and Faneuil Hall. And we even witnessed a couple get engaged at the Faneuil Hall tree.

Total distance covered

19 miles

Donors of the week (so many generous donors this week)!

Treat Rinear

Muriel Gunthorpe

Lynn and Bob Mason

Kate and Pete Eliot

Amy Fitzgibbons and Dennis Kane

Jean and Rob Andreassen

Amber Hargett

Chris and Bob Cafarelli

The Wallace Family

Mr. Bill and Terri Harris

Erin and Jon Monson

Goals for next week

Enjoy the Christmas holiday with my family

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

Boston Marathon training – Week 2

Mid-week run in Ipswich

Another week in the books. We had our first snow of the season, though I got out of running in it times two.

Staying inside the Equinox for as long as possible

Saturday’s long run was my first with the team. I woke up to a 9-degree morning (brrrr!) so it was nice to have some camaraderie and motivation to get out there. It warmed up a *bit*, but the wind chill kept it below 10. It’s been awhile since I have been out in that kind of weather and had a hard time figuring out what to wear…settled on double layers, my warmest running shirt and my fleece-lined running jacket, which just happens to be orange (my team color). I debuted a new Run for Research hat (swag from the American Liver Foundation) and a new running belt I picked up at REI last weekend. I had gotten used to running with my phone, and am excited to be hands-free!

After the run, I got to enjoy some leftovers from earlier in the week: sweet potato chana masala. It was a warm, hearty, and yummy recovery meal. I got to be a bump on a log for a little bit (caught up on The Voice and Top Chef, wrapped some Christmas presents), then headed out to watch UNC beat Kentucky. Congrats to my Tar Heels!

I also discovered the Pocket yoga app ($2.99) which I have really enjoyed using on cross-training days.

Total distance covered

18 miles

Donors of the week!

Gina Colombo

Steve Paoletti

Regina Watkins

Goals for next week

Have fun on the Christmas tree run

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!

Boston Marathon training – Week 1

Perhaps I should rename this blog, Kara cooks and eats…and runs! I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to run the Boston marathon again on April 21, 2014. I’ve joined the Run for Research team and will be running to support life saving research on liver disease. I will rack up more than 500 miles during the 20 weeks of training, and every step I take and every dollar I raise will make a difference in the lives of more than 30 million Americans living with liver disease.

From the Mass Ave bridge

Did you know:

Liver cancer is one of the few primary cancers on the rise in the United States.
Approximately 5.4 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis B or hepatitis C. About 65% and 75%, respectively, are unaware that they are infected.
It is estimated that up to 25% of the U.S. population could have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, a condition that can lead to life-threatening damage.

Storrow Drive, by the Hatch Shell

View of the BU bridge

My training started on Monday, and my schedule this week included a few fartleks, a bit of cross-training, and a long run of 8 miles. I opted to skip the team training run on Saturday for a few reasons. I wanted to save one last week of not having to set my alarm on Saturday morning (and I may have had a couple of margaritas on Friday night before going to see the Nutcracker). I wanted to figure out what my comfortable long run pace is, since it can be tempting to run too fast in a group setting – and speed is not the goal of the long run. It was also a shiny day and I wanted to get out on the river (though when I crossed the river and headed westbound, the wind reminded me that it definitely is December). I know I will super appreciate the group runs as the days get colder and the miles get longer – I am looking forward to them!

I’ll be out there for the next 19 weeks, working on getting myself to the start line ready…both mentally and physically. There will be good days and bad days. There will be unpleasant ice baths. Sometimes I’ll have to miss a run or shorten the distance. Sometimes I’ll feel great and have to force myself to stick to the training plan. Sometimes I will stop to take photos.

And I know all of that is ok.

Total distance covered

16 miles

Donors of the week!

Kelly Blake

Susie and Robby Snode

Bob Sullivan

Goals for next week

More stretching!

Visit my web site for more information or if you’d like to make a donation!