Revisiting Our 2010 Goals!

Well, another year has come and gone! Let's see how well we did with our goals from 2010...
Ryan's original goals for 2010:
1.) Work on my core. COMPLETED
2.) Run at least 4 marathons.COMPLETED Ran 6 marathons and 1 ultra.
3.) Start my master's degree. COMPLETED
4.) Eat more fruits and veggies. COMPLETED (Miss Bethany packs them in his lunch, can't go wrong on this one!)
5.) Set new PRs in the 5k, 10k and half marathon distances. NOPE. Got a PR in a 7 mile race and a new marathon PR.

Bethany's original goals for 2010:
1.) Run the StoneCat 50 Mile Trail Race in November. COMPLETED
2.) Have a new marathon PR (3:25?) NOPE 3:34:50 was my fastest marathon this year, no PR
3.) Break 5:20 in a Half-Ironman NOPE, didn't even get to do a HIM this year :'-(
4.) Floss More (not going so well) COMPLETED
5.) Read at least one book per month (so far on book #3) COMPLETED On book #13!
6.) Maybe lose a couple pounds this summer NOPE

We've enjoyed reading all your posts about your goals for 2011 and also all that you've accomplished in 2010! Congratulations to you all and good luck in 2011 on your new goals! Can you believe it's the start of a new decade!? 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! 

We are looking forward to meeting many of you at Disney, Boston, San Diego and Mount Desert Island marathons in 2011! 

We'll post our 2011 goals soon! 

Our Last Unmarried Christmas

Merry Christmas!!! Hope you all had a great day, and we hope Santa was as good to you as he was to us! We both went on a nice Christmas Eve trail run for 1.5 hrs with our friends, and then Miss Bethany also went on her annual Christmas morning run. There's a blustery blizzard going on outside, so we've hunkered down with a couple cups of candy cane green tea and we've been relaxing, waiting out the storm. We were hoping to get in a 2+ hr run this morning, but the blizzard made things a little interesting and messed up our plans. We ended up taking an early train back to Boston from our parents' homes, and then once we got back to Boston, we ran for a snowy/cold/windy hour. Oh well, it felt good to get out there for a bit anyways.

Well, in the meantime while we're snowed in, we'll share some of our Christmas pics with you:

Ryan in his Christmas sweater with Ginger the Reindeer-dog

Ryan ("Ryry") and Robby ("Bobby ")

 Bethany's Dad with Robby and Joshua

Miss Bethany's favorite Christmas ornament

In front of Ryan's parents' Christmas tree

The view from our front window

Do you know what tomorrow is? . . . . 5 months til our wedding!

You're All Invited . . .

You are cordially invited to celebrate

the wedding of

Bethany Bertrand

and

Ryan Couto

on Sunday morning

May the 29^th

at 8 o’clock

Pineland Farms Trail Running Festival

(50 mi, 50 km, or 25 km)

New Gloucester, ME

Planning your spring race schedule? Looking to run your first ultra? Consider running with us! Just two days after our wedding, it will be our first ultra as husband and wife! We already have a bunch of running friends going, and we'd love some more! We did this race last year, and it is AWESOME, which is why we're doing it again just two days after our wedding. 

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by Stacie to answer the following questions. Thanks, Stacie!!

1. What was your toughest race? I'm sure you all expect me to say my 50 miler, or some marathon, but my toughest race was actually a local 5 miler I ran on July 4th 2009. It was my 12th time running this race and it was in my hometown; I've run this course literally hundreds of times. I had just started "Clean Eating" earlier in the week and I wasn't eating enough because I was still learning what I could eat. My goal for the race was 34:59. At mile 3 I had nothing left. That was the first time I ever felt like that. I wanted to quit so badly or start walking. Mentally I wasn't into it, physically I was hurting, and having tons of people speed past me didn't help either. It was probably the most miserable I've ever felt while running. Good thing it was only 5 miles. I ended up with 37:30, still a great time, not sure how I pulled that off.

2. What are your goals for 2011? Well, as you all know, Ryan and I are getting married (finally) in May. Currently for 2011, Ryan and I are signed up for 5 marathons, Disney, Hyannis, Boston, RNR San Diego, and Desert Island Marathon. We are also planning on doing a 50 km in May and we both hope to run the Stone Cat 50 miler in November (same one i did this year). I really want to do another 70.3, but with the wedding and honeymoon, I don't see it happening. I would like to focus on riding my bike more. In July, i have plans on volunteering at Ironman Lake Placid and then hopfully being able to sign up for 2012 IM Lake Placid. I'd like to work on speed too, I'm overdue for some PRs.

3.If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Here. I would never want to live anywhere else. All my family is here and I like the weather in MA. If i could though, I would love to spend the summers in Alaska. I love Alaska so much and I think about it at least once every 5 minutes. My heart aches when I look at pictures, I just want to go back so badly. But i wouldn't want to live there year round because I'm not that tough.

4. What is my guilty pleasure TV show? Hannah Montanna. Don't judge. I don't watch it very often though. The only TV show I watch is The Biggest Loser, I've been watching it since season 1.

5. How do you keep a sense of balance? hmm, not sure how but i always feel like I'm balanced. I'm very disciplined and efficient and I always get done what I need to get done. i wake up early and go non-stop until bedtime but that's what I like to do so it's doesn't stress me out or anything. I get a lot done in a day and I always find way to squeeze things in. I guess by not wasting anytime I get everything done. Obviously running makes me feel balanced. I started running in 1998 and don't want to imagine my life without it! I don't know my adult life without running (I was 12 when i started) so I'm not sure how I'd be without it, and i don't want to find out anytime soon.

Thanks for the fun, Stacie! I tag Ryan :-)

Christmas Parties, Marriage Prep, and Long Run

We had another busy weekend this weekend, and are just having some time now to go back and recap and blog. It was a fun weekend filled with good runs, the office Christmas party, and our required marriage prep class at a local Church. 

Friday night, we got home from work, went for a nice cold run along the Charles River, and there was NO other runners to be found. All the fair-weather runners have gone into hibernation for the winter :) It's such a drastic change from the summer, when you can't run two steps without seeing another runner. We finished our run at a local burrito place for a quick little dinner date, and then we did groceries. Of course, us being the Christmas-lovers that we are, we bought a bunch of Christmas goodies such as egg nog and candy cane tea :)

 Miss Bethany with a clean Christmas cupcake and our Christmas tree

Close-up of the Christmas cupcake (from Whole Foods)

Saturday we had a very busy day. Knowing it was going to be a long day without the chance to get a workout in, we went for a half-hour morning walk to the Church where our Wedding Prep class was being held. The class was full of about 30 or so couples, and we did all kinds of activities such as 'how well do you know your  future spouse,' things like that. It was pretty fun, although it was a long day, and lasted from 9-5. 

Right after the Wedding Prep class, we had to rush back to our apartment and get ready for my office Christmas party. It was at a fancy hotel on South Boston's waterfront, and we had a lot of fun with my colleagues. There was great food, good friends, and fun times on the dancefloor. The food was delicious, and was good fuel for our long run this morning :)

Bethany and I with Ryan (my co-worker and one of my groomsmen) and his girlfriend Sarah

Kissy-pic on the Viaduct Bridge near the hotel (Note: Co-worker Ryan and I worked on the structural repairs of this bridge, right next to the hotel where the party was at)

Co-worker/Groomsman Ryan and I

This morning, I slept in a little while Miss Bethany went out to start her long run (b/c she had to catch a train to go visit her friend in NH, we wouldn't be able to do our whole long run together). So she swung back by the apt after 8 miles and picked me up, and we ran another 7 miles together. After our 7 miles together, she came back to the apartment and showered and headed to the train, while I finished up my run for a total of 14.5 miles. I've been having a little IT band discomfort, so I've started using KT Tape, and I really think it has helped me. It was miserable weather, with lots of wind and rain, but we were able to get a solid run in, so we were both happy with that. 

Have a good week, everyone!

Downtown Providence Jingle 5k

Today my Mom and I ran the Downtown Providence Jingle 5k, and we had a blast! On the way to the race, we hit some plywood (w/ nails in it of course), and got a flat tire. Luckily my dad and I were able to fix it and get to the race with time to spare! We got to the race, I ran in and picked up our numbers and shirts (which were awesome!), and listened to some Christmas tunes, played on the sax by none other than Matty B, the local musician who will be playing at our wedding! :)

Everyone was out in their elf, reindeer, santa, or other festive costumes, and Santa fired the start gun. The race took us through the streets of Downtown Providence (where I used to call home. Oh, how I miss Brown!) My mom was running strong the first mile (10:06), but I was a little concerned that we were going out too hot. The second mile came in (10:04), and she was still going strong, so I kind of pushed her for a strong finish, and our last mile (9:59) was our fastest. We ended up doing 31:03, which is about a minute and a half faster than her previous best, which was 2 years ago. I was so proud of her, and she was so happy! It was a great day. We got a great picture in front a Christmas tree after the race. 

After the race, we got to chat with Matty B, and he is pumped to rock the reception for us, haha! He seems like a really nice guy, and he puts on a really good show. We're all looking forward to the big day.

Well anyway, here is the pic of us, hope you all had a great weekend!

Who wants to Run a Marathon on Cape Cod in the Dead of Winter?

I DO. And Miss Bethany is getting dragged along, as she is my personal pacer. We just signed up today to do the Hyannis Marathon on February 27th. 

The appeal for me is that:

(1.) There is a Clydesdale division, so I can go battle it out and race against the heavyweights. :) 

(2.) Also, I LOVE running in cold weather. If we're lucky, maybe it'll even snow. 

(3.) It's a double-loop course, and I love loop courses.

Miss Bethany did the marathon in 2006, and she says it was cold and boring. But she's in a far different place now, with 17 more marathons under her belt. And she'll be running with ME, so how could she not be excited?!

One of my good friends from work is coming down to do the 10k there, and we have a number of other running friends doing either the half or full marathon, so it'll be another running weekend filled with good friends and good times.

A MUST-Add to Your Holiday Wish List! (Possibly the Best Book I've Ever Read!)

I (Bethany) finished reading this book a few weeks ago and I LOVED it. It was a quick read because I was SO into it, I had to keep reading!! I laughed out load a lot and I cried a lot too, not always in a bad way though, but I did have to get up and blow my nose a few times. I don't think I have 1 bad thing to say about this book! It was awesome!! Quite possibly the best book I have ever read! (I think I would rank it higher than Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga on my list of favorite books! *gasp*)

The Long Run, by Matt Long



I know most of you have already heard of Matt Long through articles published in Runner's World. This book goes much more into detail about his life, accident and comeback. There is so much that Runner's World did not include, it's DEFINITELY worth buying the book!!! Incase you don't know about him, here is a quick recap...
Matt was a New York City firefighter who was hit and run over by a 40,000 pound bus while riding his bike in NYC (during the transit strike). When the bus ran him over, the seat post of his bike went through his body. He was given a less than 1% chacne of survival and in two days was given 69 units of blood. He nearly bled to death but doctors say he survived because of his marathon running and triathlons, basically, his body was tough enough to withstand and survive such trauma. The book goes into detail about his family/friends, qualifying for Boston, his receovery, competing in Lake Placid Ironman before and after his accident, September 11th when he was at the World Trade Center, nutrition etc.

I hope you like this book as much as I did!!

What's your favorite sports-related book??

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ryan's StoneCat 26.2 Report

Sorry this race report is a little late, I've just been a bit busy with work and school and all. StoneCat was certainly one of the most fun races I've done this year. As you guys already know, Miss Bethany ran her first 50 miler, which was awesome. She totally inspired me to do a 50 next year. A few of our other track club friends ran either the 26.2 or the 50 as well.

The race had a 6:15am start time, so we got there bright and early. We got our headlamps strapped on and headed into the woods. I don't wear my glasses when I'm trail running, for the simple reason that I don't want to break them when I undoubtedly fall numerous times. So with it being pitch black except for the light of our headlamps, I had a bit of trouble staying upright and on the right course for the first 45 minutes or so, until the sun came out. I was very tentative weaving in and out of the trees and rocks until the sun came out, and I felt I could open it up a bit and run a little harder. 

Here's the photo of the starting line before we headed into the woods. (Photo by Keith Magnus, http://www.broadreachphoto.com/)

Once the sun came out, I picked up the pace, and really felt good on the trails. I really liked these trails, as they weren't very technical, and pretty run-able for the most part. Some roots, some rocks, some water crossings, weaving in and out of trees, but overall a really good trail for a marathon. The course was a 1.2 mile loop, and then 2 times on a 12.5 mile loop. I felt pretty good the whole way, and finished in 4:50:56, about 10 minutes faster than I expected. The whole time I was just thinking about doing the 50 next year. As soon as you cross the finish line, you get a finisher's jacket, which was nice as it was something different than the usual medal or whatever. (However, Bethany's 50 mile finisher jacket was about 100 times nicer than the 26.2 finisher jacket. As it should be, though. Haha, more inspiration for doing the 50 next year.)

I think this is around mile 13.5. (Photo by Keith Magnus)

Bethany around mile 13.5, all smiles as usual. (Photo by Keith Magnus) It was nice, since it was a loop course, I got to catch up to and pass Bethany around mile 6 or so. She looked great and was happily chatting with our friends that she was running with.

Bethany with our track club friends, Mark Kruger and Kenny Rogers. (Photo by Keith Magnus) All 3 finished the 50 looking strong. They've definitely all inspired me to step up my game.

After I finished, I hung around with our track club friends who ran the 26.2, and we waited for our 50 miler buddies to come in. When Bethany came in after her 3rd loop (mile 37.5), I was waiting to help her out in any way I could. She felt hotspots developing, so I grabbed the Vaseline and lubed up her feet. (That's true love.) Then (after wiping my hands, of course) I grabbed a bag of her all-natural cookies, her cranberry juice, and her organic toaster pastry and ran back into the woods with her, making sure she got everything she needed into her pockets or into her mouth. Sure enough, she stayed well nourished, and even finished the race with cookie crumbs on her face, haha.

She looked great when she came back around to the finish line at the end of 50 miles, and I couldn't have been prouder of her. She's truly an inspiration. Hopefully next year we'll be crossing the 50 miler finish line together.

Our Halloween Pics (Races in Costumes!)

A little late, but we figured you guys would still wanna see our Halloween pics! As always, we had to have couple-themed costumes, and Miss Bethany got a little creative this year. 

On the Friday before Halloween, we ran a 1-mile race around Boston Common. It was a lot of fun, and a number of our Team Racemenu friends also ran, so we got to hang out with them. After the race, there was a Halloween party at one of the bars downtown (with good free beer!). We did the mile in about 8 minutes, which Miss Bethany was very pleased with, considering her costume. :)

On Halloween, Miss Bethany ran a 10k (in costume, of course), and Ryan volunteered out on the 5k course (in costume, of course). (There was both a 5k and 10k.) She was hoping for 8-8:15 pace, but somehow ended up running 7:35 min/mile pace. She started off slow not sure how the costume would hold up but then began picking people off. She got 2nd in her age group.

Here's some pics from our Halloween:

Monster Dash & Bash 1-miler. Miss Bethany made her costume from scratch the night before, cost less than $15.

Miss Bethany's "Trick or Treat" jack-o-lantern

Our nephew, Robby. (2 yrs and 5 mo.)

Popeye, Spinach, and a Dragon

 Popeye and his beloved dog, Ginger

Here comes the Organic Spinach bag! Remember: eat 5-6 servings a day!

It was really hard to run because of where the armholes were, not to mention the heat of running in a plastic bag!

Popeye on baby-duty. Our other nephew, Josh. (2 months)

Stay tuned for Ryan's race report from his trail marathon last Saturday. 

My First 50 Miler!! Race Report (and 100th post!)

I completed my first ever 50 miler this past Saturday, November 6th. It was fun, I would definitely do it again!! I'm going to do this race report a bit different than usual. First off, the race was the Stonecat Trail Race in Ipswich, MA. The 50 miles took much longer than I thought it would, I figured it would take about 10 hours but I did it in 10:53:00. I'm not a great trail runner so I definitely lost a lot of time due to poor trail technique!!

THE GOOD:
- The weather was great! I wore the same outfit all day long, just changed my socks once because they were soaked(had to run through water 8 times)
- I can't even tel you how fast the day went by. It was by far the fastest day of my life. The first 3 loops flew by and then all of a sudden I was on the 4th and final loop.
- I liked the course, it was a 12.5 mile loop 4 times.
- Mentally running 50 miles was EASY. That's right, I said easy. Mentally, not physically :-)
- Ryan was a great supporter, he ran the marathon so I got to see him a few times during his run and then I saw him at mile 37.5(end of 3rd loop) and then at the finish.
-At mile 37.5 Ryan put Vaseline on the bottom on my right foot, awww.
- I rant he whole way with my friend Ken, who was running his 7th 50 miler. I also ran part of the way with my friend Mark (from Biggest Loser season 5) he did amazingly well! (watch The Biggest Loser special the night before Thanksgiving to find out...)
- All 50 miler finishers got embroided fleece finisher jackets!! Very nice! And we got tech shirts too, and all the food we could possible eat! I only paid $65 to run! What a bargain!!
- I felt really strong running and I was able to pick up the pace from miler 45-50. I was really pleased with my endurance.
_ i did a good job with nutrition and hydrating. Actually, I probably drank too much bc i peed 5 times!
-I slept 8 hours the night before.
-The race organizers, volunteers and fellow runners were all AWESOME!!!

THE NOT SO GOOD:
-I'm NOT a good trail runner!! Although most trail runners would say this course was easy, I definitely struggled through all the loose rocks, roots and wet leaves.
- The trail was covered with leaves so we could not see what was under the leaves.
- We had to run through (freezing cold) water (about 7" deep) 4 times and then there was another wet spot later on in the loop but it wasn't nearly as bad.
- My feet were soggy, I could feel my wet socks pulling on my toenails, lifting them up.
- As usual, I rolled/twisted my ankles at least 2 times per mile. My ankles are VERY flexible so when I twist/roll them, I'm still able to keep on going, it doesn't usually hurt til the next day.
-The back of my left knee bothered my after about mile 32. That has never happened before but it quickly went away once I stopped.
-We started in the dark and had to wear headlamps, mine was obviously too tight because my forehead is still sore to the touch!
-My time wasn't bad, and it was my first 50 so I'm definitely NOT complaining, but it is a little frustrating because I know I lost at least 1 hour due to bad trail technique.
- My feet and ankles HURT
- My muscles weren't too sore after wards, it was more joint/tendon discomfort from 10 hours and 53 minutes of rolling and twisting. Everyone always says how painful running on the roads is. Running on the roads is NOT painful AT ALL to me, running on trails is painful to me!! I'm like polar opposite of everyone else but I'd much rather run 50 miles on roads! It would have hurt a lot less!!

I really did enjoy the 50 miles! I will definitely run 50 again! Ryan wants to do the 50 next year so we will most likely run it together.  Here are some pictures from the day:

 About 20 minutes before the race.

 Mile 37.5, end of the 3rd loop. Apparently I don't like whatever I'm drinking.

My soggy feet at mile 37.5. I was getting a blister so Ryan put some Vaseline on the spot while I changed my socks.

Coming into the finish. That is my friend Kenny, he always does this thing where he pretends to block the person he is running with. I ended up beating him tho, by like 1 second.

More pictures to come once they are posted by the race people. Ryan will write his race report soon. Thanks for all your support.

woohoo, 100th post!

Trail Running in Our Neck of the Woods (PHOTOS)

This Saturday, we went for a nice run with some friends on our trails. We are so lucky to have trails like this is our area, they go on for miles and miles, and are especially beautiful this time of year with all the foliage. We decided to bring a camera because it's so nice out there! Check out the photos below:

Last week, we had a group of about 17 runners on the trails.

Stay tuned for our Halloween pics later in the week!

I Solved My "Burning Feet" Issue! (I Think)

If you read my race report from either The Boston Marathon 2010, or the Baystate Marathon (on 10/17), then you will remember I had BURNING feet for both races. Aside from these 2 times, my feet have NEVER burned before, figures, it has to happen during a marathon, right?

Anyway, I was thinking about a barefoot 5k that I had run back in May and that's when I solved the burning feet issue, I think. In May, I ran a barefoot 5k through the woods of Maine, over sticks, rocks, grass, twigs pine needles etc., It was only my 3rd time running barefoot, EVER. The race began and I was surprised by how much it did NOT hurt, when the race was over, everyone was talking about how painful it was, how rough the ground in the woods had been etc. I didn't think it was painful AT ALL, there were men who had been running barefoot for years who thought it hurt...

 Me and my friend, Kenny, "synchronized running."

Have you ever touched the bottom of a dog's paw?? If so, you know what the balls of my feet feel like!! I have callus buildup on the bottom of both my feet . No wonder I could sprint barefoot through the woods with ease, my feet are hard as an animals! OOPS! Aside from those 2 races, my feet have NEVER bothered me before.

Now I have a callus stone (in pink, of course)!  It's fun! And tickles a little

I tried to take a picture of my feet but there is nothing to see really, my feet feel hard if I poke them, but they look smooth and soft. Hmm, weird. Okay, now back to scrubbing ;-)

Race Report: Baystate Marathon

As you guys already know, we ran the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA on last Sunday, October 17th. We've finally found the time to sit down and blog it out. We'll do our usual his/hers race reports, as we ran this marathon solo. :)

Ryan:

This was only my second solo-marathon (without Miss Bethany pacing me), so I didn't really know what to expect. In my last solo-marathon, I struggled to a 4:07, so I was certainly hoping to beat that at Baystate. My A++++++ goal was and always has been to go sub-3:50, my A goal was 3:55, and my B goal was 4:00, and my C goal was 4:07. I wasn't fully sure how the race would go, so I started out at a conservative 9:15 pace for the first 3 miles, kinda just going with the flow until the crowd thinned out and the half-marathoners (who started with us marathoners) branched off. Around mile 3-4, I started dropping the pace down until I hit my average pace of about 8:45 min/mile. Once I hit this average pace, I hung here for a while, feeling really comfortable. I figured it felt good and it still kept me within striking distance of that 3:50 if I decided I felt really good in the second half. I hung at 8:45 min/mile for a while as we finished the first of the two-loop course, and I still felt strong holding this pace around mile 17 or so. From miles 17-22, I started to slow up a bit, and saw my average pace slow to about overall average 8:50 pace. I knew the 3:50 would be a bit out of reach, but I knew I was certainly going to come in under 4 hours. Despite a slowly increasing average pace, I still felt pretty solid finishing the second loop of the course as I headed for the basebdall stadium finish. I made my way into the stadium and crossed the finish line in a time of 3:58:34, Garmin read 26.32 miles, overall average pace 9:03. So I had slowed a bit in the last 10k or so, but it was nothing like the real slow-downs that I had in past marathons. I feel like the ultra-running and the few marathons and trail races that I did this summer have helped with the endurance a bit. I feel like I'm building up that base to the point where I can comfortably run 26.2 without much trouble. Now if I could only get a bit of Miss Bethany's speed.

I felt pretty good after I finished, with minimal soreness, and just a blood blister on the inside of my foot. I was very satisfied with my time, considering that my previous best solo-marathon was 4:07. One thing that this race showed me was how much having Miss Bethany pace me really helps. It seemed so much easier in Disney 2010 with her keeping me on pace, and keeping me going. It wasn't as easy trying to keep myself on pace and going strong.

So up next is the StoneCat Trail Marathon on Nov 6th. That's probably one of the races I'm looking forward to the most. Miss Bethany's first 50 miler!

Miss Bethany:

My goal going into this race was to PR, so I was looking for about a 3:28. As soon as the race started my breathing felt a little labored and, of course, my feet were frozen. Thankfully toes thawed by about mile 3 as I was getting into my rhythm. I definitely wanted to be conservative for the first 13 miles so i stayed right on 8:08 pace until mile 10. After mile 10 I started picking it just a bit and was on 7:57 average pace by mile 15. Around mile 13 the bottoms of my feet started burning, just like they did in Boston this year. The burning was uncomfortable but not unbearable. I felt really strong and powerful the entire race but around mile 21 my feet became unbearable. It felt like someone was peeling the skin off the rough part of my feet, it really hurt! I thought for sure that I was going to have huge blisters on the balls of my feet, which worried me since my 50 miler was 3 weeks away. At mile 21, I decided to take a 30 second walk break. From this point on I walked for 30-45 seconds every half mile. I obviously lost time walking, but when I started running again I was able to get right back on pace. My legs felt really strong and I didn't even feel tired. It was frustrating that I kept walking but I knew it was for the best. I finished in 3:34:54 and according to my Garmin I ran 26.31 miles. I was really pleased with the .31 as I was trying not to weave. My feet were on FIRE when I finished and I was afraid to take my shoes off because I knew I was going to see nasty blisters...but there was NOTHING, not even a hot spot, no red, nothing. hmm, weird. The bottom of my right foot still hurts.

I was really pleased with my race and my time. It wasn't the PR I was hoping for but I don't care, I'm very happy. (But seriously, how did I run 6 minutes FASTER on this course last year??) Looking back on the race, I realized that all I ate was a couple shot blocks and a few honey stingers, no GUs and no Gatorade, just water. My legs felt great after, a little soreness the next day but nothing major, all soreness is long gone now and I'm ready for the 50 (I think?)!

 Pre-race, waiting inside the arena

 Ryan at the finish!

Post race

****After the finish, Ryan said a woman recognized him from the blog, but he forgot to ask who she was!...If it was you, please let us know!!!!****

We Picked and Signed Up For Our 2011 Fall Road Marathon!

And it is . . . . . . . 

Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor, Maine! 

Continually ranked as one of (if not THE) most scenic marathon courses in North America, it runs all along Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park. 

You may have read about it in a recent Runner's World where it was chosen Most Scenic and 2nd Best Overall Marathon:

We are SO excited! We love picking out our races in advance, because we always have something to look forward to!