LIVE MUSIC:AWOLNATION

"If you're feeling like I feel 

then run your life like it’s a dance floor

And if you need a little heat in your face, 

that’s what I’m here for."

~ AWOLNATION, 'Burn it Down'

It's been a hot minute since I've seen live music.  For various reasons including work, kids, training and whatnot.  Though, I guess if I'm being honest, the main one is that it is borderline impossible for me to stay up past 9:30 these days.  As I write this I am literally calling myself out on being a total dork but what can I say?  Sleep is life.  That said, AWOLNATION, which is the band I was going to see, is one of my all time favorites and I decided I could put on my big girl pants for one night and stay up late for the sake of good music.  The show was on Sunday night which for any concert goer, young or old, cool or not, is less than ideal.  Fortunately, I had two friends coming with me which kept the temptation to bail at bay.   Knowing there were two bands coming on before AWOL I decided to just go straight to the source and ask them what time they'd be starting so I could plan ahead both in regards to dinner as well as my caffeine intake which I would have to time wisely.  Thankfully, whoever is behind their Instagram account got right back to me and let me know they weren't starting until 9:30.  So, yea.  That's three coffees.  Minimum.  Whoever I chatted with was in the same boat which I could appreciate.

Wendy, Ali and I headed over to Hojoko for dinner on the early side.  All three of us are busy, working moms so dinner out is rare and we wanted to make it count.  Hojoko is written up as "a rock n roll tavern honoring the pulse of Japanese nightlife."  Yes please.  It was loud and hopping with all sorts of people including concert goers, college kids and parents with young kids (just....how?).  It was a really fun, high- energy vibe which is exactly what I needed, and the food, which was super creative, did not disappoint.  We enjoyed dinner while the opening bands played and then settled up and walked over to the House of Blues around 9:00.

Upon arrival we were promptly carded.  Because, you know, they gotta check ID even when they are 100% sure that they do not, in fact, have to check ID.  I mean, we weren't complaining about it.  But, still, it's funny.  I always like to play the "guess how old I am" game which is a risky move as it can reset the tone if they age up.  At the same time, I always feel kind of badass to be one of the more seasoned fans in the crowd at a show; still rocking out despite my age.  

As promised, lead singer Aaron Bruno walked onstage right at 9:30 and they jumped right in with their recently released single, 'Freaking Me Out'.  The crowd seemed to take some time to ease in.  I, on the other hand, went straight into 'jump up and down like a little school girl' mode.  Had to.  I was out late.  I was over-caffeinated.  And I was seeing a band that I love.  I didn't care what the people around me were thinking.  I was leaning in.  And I was having a freaking blast.  They played stuff from all four of their albums and I was that "kid" who was singing along to every, single, song.  Sorry.  Not sorry.  Bruno has such a magnetic personality onstage and his voice, which is an odd combo of both soft and very, very loud is totally mesmerizing.  It is so clear that he loves doing what he does and sharing it with the rest of us.  I don't know, something just comes over me when I hear them play and, not to sound cheesy, but it's pretty special.  It's a unique experience that only live music can provide and I was fully soaking it up.  At the end of the night they came back on for an encore and played their original hit single, SAIL, which is the song I heard in my car when I discovered them way back when.  "I wrote this song 12 or 13 years ago", Bruno told us, "and at the time I thought the only person who would hear it would be my brother."  Thankfully, for us, this was not the case.  

As I said, it takes a lot to get me out for live music these days.  But, once I'm there, hearing and feeling the music in person, I remember why it's worth it.  Go see live music.  There is truly nothing like it.

Listen to this:

Freaking Me Out - AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION · Freaking Me Out

RACE REVIEW:CHICAGO MARATHON

"I'm holding on

To something I don't want

To hold on to

I'm reaching out

For something I can't touch

Although I know I want to" 

~ The River, KT Tunstall

On Sunday I lined up in Chicago for my 29th marathon.  The weekend was a blast.  The race itself went pretty well.  I'll just come right out and say that I expected more from myself.  Aside from a bout of Covid back in July, my training cycle was super smooth.  When my coach asked me how I was feeling earlier in the week I told him that I'd never felt more prepared for a marathon.  Obviously there are a million things that can go wrong on race day and one can only control so much but I still felt confident that if the unknowns (weather, travel, etc.) were in my favor I could probably hit my goal which was somewhere in the 2:55-56 range.  Lofty, yes.  But I've managed to run personal bests in every distance this year from the 10K to the half marathon and hit pace during workouts steadily so I didn't feel like it was out of reach.  More importantly, my coach agreed that it was tangible and he's not one to sugar coat things.  So off I went on Friday, feeling excited, nervous and cautiously optimistic.  My flight was at 1:30 in the afternoon and I landed around 3:00 only to hop in a cab with Achmed, a very nice gentleman from Jordan, who informed me that even though it was 14 miles into the city the ride would take an hour and a half because of traffic.  I got the sense that Achmed wasn't too thrilled about driving into the belly of the beast during rush hour but he agreed nonetheless.  We fell into conversation pretty easily and ended up chatting the entire ride.  We were going about 2 miles per hour but time went by pretty fast all things considered.  In the end, I was grateful for his company and for the history lesson that he gave me about Russia.    

After settling into my room I immediately texted Carrie Birth, a friend of mine who I connected with through running about 8 years ago and who I was planning to race with on Sunday but who I'd never actually met in person.  It's crazy but it's not, you know?  We both used to run for Skechers Performance and have grown very close since we joined the team back in 2016; cheering each other on in racing and in life, and finally we were connecting face to face.  After a very long hug, we dove right in and started discussing our race plan, including pacing, fuel and anything else we could think of that we might be dealing with.  I've never lined up specifically with a buddy who shared my exact same goal and I was really fired up about it.  Obviously things might not work out and we might have to split up at some point.  And of course we both knew this.  But we decided to try and stick together for at least the first 10 miles and then make the call after that.  Stronger together, right?  She and her husband Justin eventually left for their hotel and I went back up to my room to settle in for the night.  Chicago is an hour behind and it was already 8:00 so....yea.  What can I say?  I'm nothing if not predictable. 

I was up very early the next morning and beelined it down to the Starbucks that was IN MY HOTEL.  I know.  Too good to be true.  I sat and drank a latte and then made my way out to the riverfront for the NUUN meet up.  I've been on the NUUN team for 12 years but despite this I did not know a single person at the meet up when I arrived.  It's always a little awkward to arrive at these things solo and even more so when you don't have any connections but I needed to run anyway and all of these very nice people were headed out so I figured I might as well tuck in with the group and get my miles in.  I guess my feeling is this: I'm 47.  I'm in Chicago by myself.  And life is too short to be shy at this point in my life.  Shortly after we got going I struck up a conversation with a really nice guy who ran on the local Under Armor team.  Turns out Under Armor was co-sponsoring the event together with NUUN.  We then started chatting with a lovely gal named Alia who was running her first marathon.  Alia and I ended up turning around sooner than everyone else and continued chatting back to the event site.  As I grabbed some NUUN to sip on I spotted Melia, our team manager.  I have never met her in person either but she emails us all the time and keeps our NUUN world in order so I was thrilled to put a face to the name.  She's an absolute gem and after hanging with her for a while we said our goodbyes and took some pics. Before I left I went back and gave Alia a quick hug and wished her good luck.  Because, as we all know, your first marathon is a big deal.  I also happened to win a water bottle and UA backpack in the event raffle which was an unexpected bonus and had me skipping with a stupid smile on my face back to the hotel.

Next up, the expo.  My plan was to grab my number and shirt and take a quick spin around to pick up any cool samples along with some merch for my kids and then to get back to the hotel so I could get off my feet.  Side note, I did Chicago back in 2019 and had too much fun with my family running around the city and doing all the things but then paid for it on race day so I wasn't going to make the same mistake this time.  At the expo, I got to meet up with my dear friend, Kara Goucher, right before I was leaving.  We've known each other for a while as well and caught each other up on life and what not before she started to get pulled away for photos with fans.  She also happens to very close with Carrie and I knew I'd see her out on the course the next day so I gave her another hug and took off for the Sheraton.

After about six episodes of The Office I got a text from my sweet friend, Kim Pearlman, who was in the city to pick up her daughter and wanted to know if I had time for a visit.  YES!!, I exclaimed.  Please come save me from myself and Michael Scott.  We hung out in the lobby for about an hour and talked family, friends, life, jobs and Kung-Fu among other things.  It was so nice to hang out with her as it had been a few years since I'd seen her.  I was super grateful for the distraction as well.  We said goodbye and I sent her off and then, once again, went back up to my room to curl up for the evening.  I laid out my gear, ate some cold pasta, did some foam rolling, watched a really bad movie and then shut it down around 9:00.  I know, late for me.

I woke up before my alarm at about 4:45.  I made some crappy coffee in the room's little single serve machine because nothing was open yet and I needed it asap.  I had done a test run the day before and knew it was going to be bad so I wasn't terribly disappointed by the taste of this first cup.  Let's just say I've had worse.  

I got myself all packed up, pinned on my bib and then headed out to walk the mile or so over to Grant Park where we would be starting.  I'd been accepted into the American Development program for this race with a qualifying time from my last marathon.  Basically, this meant I got to take advantage of the special tent that was set up right near the start line for a small group of athletes that was both heated and stocked up with snacks and drinks and that we would get to start before the masses.  This is a really nice comfort to enjoy on race morning when you're likely stressed out due to race nerves.  Well, it would have been.  But, you see, every single person I asked as I walked around the area had no idea where the American Development tent was despite the fact that it was marked on the map.  Literally.  No one.  I probably asked about fifteen volunteers and walked an extra mile around the start area looking for it.  And to be honest, I would have given up and just sat my ass down and waited but I needed to find it because I was meeting up with Carrie and it would be the only way we could start together.  By the time I found it I was wicked flustered and had very little time to enjoy the amenities.   Carried hugged me and told me to try to relax, bless her.  I basically was able to stash my gear and re-tie my shoes before we were told we needed to move out.  

It was now about 7:20am and the temp was in the low 40s.  We could not ask for better race weather.  But it was still pretty chilly standing there in a crop top so Carrie and I linked arms and stayed close in an attempt to keep each other warm.  Finally, at 7:30am, we were off.  

THE RACE:

As I mentioned, Carrie and I had decided that we would work to stay together for the first 10 miles and see how we felt.  If we could get into a good groove and we were still hitting goal pace after 10, then we'd buckle down and work to push each other along for as long as we could.  These first 10 miles were amazing.  Carrie is an insanely good pacer and was able to lock right into 6:45.  My first mile, according to my Garmin, was 7:16, which just wasn't right.  Carrie assured me that she had 6:44 and that I shouldn't panic.  Unfortunately, GPS signal is weak or not accurate in the city due to the height of the buildings and I knew this from the last time I'd done it but it's still somewhat unsettling.  I was doing my best to watch my individual splits, trust Carrie and just use the force.

We were able to communicate at almost every water stop.  We'd check in and if we both decided we wanted it we'd grab either water or Gatorade and just share the cup so we didn't have to slow down or split up.  I'm not gonna lie, we were really good at this.  I was super proud of our team effort here.  We were still right on pace through about mile 16 and then we started to slow.  Not a ton.  But enough that if we didn't pay attention it was going to cost us our sub-3 which we both wanted.  And, bottom line, I just didn't pay attention enough.  Miles 16-20 were right around 6:55-7:00. I wasn't looking at my watch and I wasn't looking at the clock.  I was just in cruise control.  Still feeling really good and having a grand old time.

Right around mile 21 I realized my mistake.  I had to get my ass in gear if I was going to run anywhere close to my goal and I only had 5 miles to do it.  I kept watching the clock as the miles ticked by and trying to do the math in my head since my GPS wasn't working.  Turns out, math during a marathon is really hard.  Like, I couldn't do it.  I was able to pick it back up for this last section but it was too late and as I got closer to the finish I knew it.  Regardless, I did everything I could to find a faster gear for my last couple miles and finally crossed the line in a respectable 3:01:08.  Initially I was pleased.  I'd run really steady and my body had held up better than usual.  That said, I'd needed to buckle down and focus a little sooner and I was disappointed that I hadn't done this.  If I'm being honest, I kind of felt too good at the finish.  This never happens.  And it's nice not to feel destroyed.  But I would have rather bit down and finished in pain with a better time and I won't make this mistake again.  Marathon #29.  47 years old.  And still, I'm learning.  Which is a good thing.  Because, as you can guess, it makes me want to try again.  Which I most certainly will.  

I found Carrie in the finish chute.  She'd come in right behind me and had similar feelings about her performance.  She was a bit dehydrated and slightly out of it and she kept asking me questions like the ones below as we walked gingerly back to our tent.

1. Can we sit down?

2. Can we sit down now?

3. Where is our tent?

4. Now can we sit?

5. Are we sunburned?

6. Why are there curbs on the street?

7. In how many minutes can we sit?

For the record, even at the finish no one had a clue where the American Devlopment tent was.  We were dying laughing as we asked every single volunteer we passed and they looked us like we were crazy or apologized and said they had no idea.  I swear you guys, there was a tent.  I think.  Right, Carrie?

Listen to this:

The River - KT Tunstall

KT Tunstall · The River

LONE GULL 10K: A PHOTO STORY

How you've grown

Look back now

And move on

Don't worry

About a thing

Just grab those car keys

And drive into the rain 

~ Car Keys, Jaguar Sun

Keeping it simple for this one.  Because, let's be honest, I don't change it up much when it comes to race day.  Coffee, dogs, drive, race, coffee.  That pretty much sums it up most of the time.  This was my last hard effort before the Chicago marathon which is on October 9th.  It was a great race and a really fun morning in general.  The goal was to push hard and that's what I did.  Back in 2018, I ran the Tufts 10k.  I was 33 years old and it was my first time lining up since having my daughters.  I could not wait to get back into it.  Today I'm 47 and while I'm still after it, I see running and racing in a whole new light.  At this point in my life I'm just grateful to do what I love and curious to see what's possible.  

Lone Gull 10K

Sunday, October 25th

6:00am

Saturday was nuts.  And I'm wicked tired.  But it's a beautiful morning. So, zero complaints.

6:35am

Coffee on the front porch with Clover & Enzo.  Enzo is hiding behind me because he's scared of the camera.  And pretty much everything.

7:15am

41 minutes to get to Gloucester, MA.  Love that for me.

8:45am

Calm before the storm.

8:50am

Walking to the start of the race.  Hoping we don't have to run on this sand. 

8:53am

Almost there.  Still hoping.

9:38am

FINISHED!

9:44am

Post-race with Chloe Pangonis, a super cool chick and now friend that I'm often racing with.

11:02am

It was a good day.  Now coffee

Listen to this:

Car Keys - Jaguar Sun

Born Losers Records · Jaguar Sun - Car Keys

RACE REVIEW:FALMOUTH ROAD RACE

It's been a minute since my last post back in late June.  I had to wade through Covid in early July and then did a bunch of house hopping between my in-laws' place, a rental house and our own home depending on my kids' schedules and who was doing what.  In the midst of all that I was trying to stay on track with Chicago training.  So, yea.  The blog kind of fell by the wayside.  But, last weekend was the Falmouth Road Race and it was, as always, an epic event, so it's the perfect excuse for me to post again.  Let's begin, shall we?  On Saturday morning I made my way down to the Cape, very slowly because traffic was a beast.  But I made it.  My buddy, Steve's parents, were welcoming me back to their family place for the evening along with a bunch of other friends of ours who would be racing so our plan was to meet up at the expo so we could all grab our bibs and some lunch before gathering back at the house.  Our friend, Frankie, bought strawberries from this cool little farmer's market called Jack and the Beanstalk and they were, hands down, the best we'd ever eaten.  That was definitely a highlight of the afternoon.  That and the dip that we took in the ocean before dinner which was incredibly refreshing after a long day of travel.

As usual, I laid out my things to make sure I had it all together and wouldn't have to scramble in the morning.  Given that the house was packed, I was sharing my room with a lovely gal named Kerry who I'd never met before this weekend but instantly liked.  We unpacked and got ourselves organized before heading down to eat a pasta dinner from Steve's (the restaurant, not McKenna) which Steve's parents generously treated us to.  It's legit red carpet treatment when you stay with them.  We had a leisurely meal, telling stories and catching up on everyone's lives and right around 9:00pm I started yawning which is the universal symbol for Rebecca needs to put herself to bed now.  

I planned to get up around 6:00 so I could drink some coffee before we took off for the race around 7:00.  Steve's parents don't drink coffee.  But, as she did last year, Mrs. McKenna got up at the crack of dawn and made a special trip to Dunkin so we all had coffee when we got up.  Okay fine, so I had coffee.  Out of the eight of us who were there, I was the only one who wanted/needed a hot latte.  For the record, I tried to talk her out of it.  She wasn't having it.  It was Falmouth weekend.  And her guests would get what they wanted.  She's the queen.

Right around 7:00 we gathered for our traditional pre-race team photo.  I'm not gonna lie, it was already feeling uncomfortably hot and sticky outside.  Not ideal.  But that's summer in New England.  So I kept my mouth shut and smiled for the camera.

As he'd done last year, Steve's cousin took us over to the race start by boat.  It's such a cool way to get over there.  For a few minutes I just relaxed and enjoyed the ride. It was the perfect mindset to be in right before a big effort.  When the boat docked I had a brief moment when I didn't really want to get off but I snapped out of that and got my act together.  Ready or not.  It was go time.  Again, so nice of Steve's cousin to wake up early and taxi us over.  They really make this a total family affair and they all lean in as far as favors go.

We got over to the bus drop off and walked to the elite tent where Kerry was already warming up.  Because she's wicked fast and had an elite bib.  So freaking badass.  Frankie, Kerry and I took off for some easy warmup miles.  Mmm. Well, they weren't that "easy" per se.  Frankie, who is also lightening fast and Kerry chit chatted at 7:45 pace as I ran behind them breathing like a wild animal but trying to hide that I was kind of dying.  Lesson learned.  I love them both but I won't be warming up with them again next year.  Mike and Steve warmed up separately at 10min pace.  That's my jam and it was noted for next year.

THE RACE:

Miles 1-3 (6:08, 6:19, 6:18)

Mike, Frankie and I had done quite a bit of training together this past July because we were all on the Cape and prepping for a fall marathon.  That was awesome.  Mike had agreed to work with me for Falmouth as my goal pace was around 6:15 and he was psyched to shoot for that as well.  Go team.  So we all lined up together and my race plan was just to sit right behind Mike for as long as I could.  Pretty simple, really.  We cruised through mile one without any issues, a little faster than planned but it happens.  The first two miles are rolling hills and combined with the heat by mile two I was feeling it.  We were still doing okay for most of mile 2 but by mile 3 my body was not having it and I had to let Mike go.  That or drop out because I was next-level hurting and my brain was like....um, can we be done now?  Mike turned back a few times but could tell I was consciously switching gears, so I just re-settled myself into a more manageable pace and held on for dear life.

MILES 3-6 (6:29, 6:30, 6:35)

I was now deep in the pain cave and had a feeling that I would not be seeing the light until I was done.  Which is pretty freaking daunting when you're only at mile 3 of a 7 mile race.  I stopped looking at my watch because, honestly, what was the point?  It was just bite down and give it what I could and while I didn't drop off too much it felt like I was crawling through these next few miles.  It didn't help that while the course through this section is flat it is totally exposed to the sun and it feels like you are literally in a frying pan as you work through it.  Last year I didn't wear a hat or sunglasses and was bummed that I hadn't so this year I started with glasses.  But by three miles in they were so fogged over I had to take them off and carry them until mile 5 at which point I threw them at the McKenna's and hoped they'd find them.

So, yea, this part was kind of a death march.  I did some serious questioning of my running hobby during this 25 minute stretch.  Note the expression above.  Pretty much says it all.  Seeing the McKennas and their whole family at mile 5 was really helpful.  I also saw two of my campers, Grace and Lexie, who'd been in my cabin at Camp Foss the week before and that was huge; a big mental boost.  Two miles to go after that.  I could hold on.  It wasn't going to be pretty.  But I could finish.

MILE 7: 6:29

Finally I got to mile 7 which is straight uphill for pretty much the entire mile.  I picked my head up and saw the photographers so I made a point to smile; partly to trick myself into believing I was having a good time and partly because I thought it would be funny to have a photo of me smiling despite the absolutely brutal situation I was in.  Getting to the top of this hill is a feat in and of itself.  And, it wasn't pretty.  But once you're up and over you just have the down and you're done.  Sort of.  I mean, you can't really see the finish from the top but you know it's there and that's just enough.  And that, my friends, was a wrap.  I finished in 45:06 and I ran it the hard way.  The wheels didn't completely fall off but they sure as hell wobbled for a bit in the middle.  It’s funny, we (meaning, runners) know it's hard to race at goal pace when the weather is working against us and yet, more often than not, we (or, I)  try anyway.  I guess it works for some.  It didn't really pan out for me.  But I was still really proud of the effort.  I managed to win my age group (45-49) and place 3rd in the Masters category (40+) but I was most excited about the fact that I'd been the 35th woman across the line out of 4,911 total.  On a day like this one, it's not all about skill.  It's also about playing it smart and adjusting as needed and I'd done that pretty well.  So for that I was pleased.

It's my second year running Falmouth.  Everything about the weekend is so much fun.  The race itself kind of sucks but you just love to hate it.  It's part of the package.  You don't get the ocean swim and time with friends or the Hoodsies ice cream cups without working for it.  It's all or nothing.  And when it rolls around next year I will undoubtedly be all in.  Now back to my regularly scheduled program of Chicago marathon training.  Bring it on fall.  I'm ready for you.

Listen to this:

Burning - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs · Burning