Race Recap: Old Wethersfield 10K

HMF Old Wethersfield 5K & 10K
Registration: $40 (10K) includes bib, t-shirt, drinks, light food
Race Location: State Street, Old Wethersfield, CT
Packet Pickup: Day before at Fleet Feet WH, or morning of starting at 7 AM
Parking: Free parking in DMV lot
# of Participants: 10K- 615 people

Runners gathering nice and early!

Overview: What better place to run my first 10K race than in my own town, Wethersfield?  I was coming off of a rough few weeks, which involved less running than I would have liked, so I wasn't going into this 10K with high expectations.  All I hoped for was to run the whole way, and finish in under an hour.  I did both, but it was hard.

The morning festivities were well under way when I arrived at 7:45 to pick up my packet, which included an awesome bright orange t-shirt.  There was a DJ playing loud, fantastic music getting everyone pumped up for the race.  The 5K and 10K both started at 8:30 am, with the 5K doing one loop around Old Wethersfield, and the 10K doing two loops.  I usually run through Old Wethersfield at least once per week, so I was familiar with the area, which helped ease my nerves. 

Pre race selfie!

The first 3 miles went very well, I was averaging a 9:00 minute mile, and felt good.  Around mile 4, I got a really, really bad stomach ache… as in I didn't know if I was going to throw up or something worse…  I thought through all of my options- should I stop? Should I just run to a bush and throw up? Should I flag down a police officer? As I contemplated my options I realized we had passed the 5 mile marker, and at that point I decided to just suck it up.  Also around that point, my high school marketing teacher was running next to me, so we chatted and I kind of forgot about my tummy.  The last mile I definitely slowed down, but I was still proud of myself that I wasn't walking.  I crossed the finish line at 59:49.  The second I crossed the finish line I booked it for the bathrooms, thinking I was going to get sick.  In all my years of physical activity and sports I have never thrown up from overexerting myself, so I think this may have been a combination of exhaustion, emotion, terrible eating a few days before, and lack of training.  I ended up placing 28/48 in my age group, 165/345 in the female division, and 399/615 overall.

Daniella! The best encourager and fellow iRun4 runner!

I had a bunch of friends running in this race, and it was really nice to see them throughout the run and give high fives and get encouragement.  This was a mentally challenging race for me, and I persevered through it and finished while completing my race-goals.  I'm proud of myself for not quitting even though I wanted to desperately numerous times throughout.

I will definitely be running this race next year.  The HMF does a great job organizing events and providing fun, energetic environments. 

Have you run the Old Wethersfield 5K/10K in previous years?

Do you prefer running on home-turf as opposed to races in other towns, or do you feel no difference?

When Life Happens...

Fair warning: this is long, includes lots of photos, and is emotional.

Wow.  First and foremost, I can't believe I didn't write a single blog post while in California.  I had every intention of doing so, but it fell by the wayside.  This trip ended up being one of the most amazing trips of my life, while also being one of the saddest.  

My grandmother was very ill and had just  gotten back from the hospital, which was the original reason I went out there- to a small town called Placerville, CA.  She ended up passing away the day I arrived back to CT, and the entire trip was filled with emotions and ups and downs.  My grandma was one of the most special people I've ever known, she gave everything she had to others, shared a dedicated marriage for 67 years to my grandpa (still living), and raised my mommy- one of the other most special people ever.  It was really hard to see her in such a different state of being than I ever had, but she is in a more peaceful place now.

In between visits to grandma, I managed to get to Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Los Angeles.  It was my first venture to Napa Valley, and it was fantastic.  I met my sister and her husband there, along with his parents (celebrating 40 years of marriage!); they're all Napa "regulars" so they showed me the ropes.  It was everything I thought it would be and more.  I'd definitely enjoy spending a few more days there in the future. 

We may or may not have pulled over to take touristy photos with this.

One of the many beautiful views

An awesome sign at a winery where you could fill in a blank if you so choose

View from where we stayed

Wine and lots of it

Sister selfies while sipping vino

Lake Tahoe is and always has been my favorite place on earth.  It is an hour away from Placerville, where I was staying, so my friend Nicole drove up from LA, picked me up, and we went to Tahoe.  We stayed in a fantastic little hotel, met the most incredible group of people, hiked, swam, ate, drank, laughed, star gazed, and enjoyed the scenery.  Every single time I leave Tahoe, I think, "why don't I live here?", and once again, that feeling has hit me.

Pulled on the side of the road for the first views of Emerald Bay

Nicole and I at Emerald Bay

At dinner one night… how can you not love this place...

After three days in Tahoe, Nicole and I set out on the road to LA.  It took us about 7 1/2 hours and lots and lots of Hanson Pandora to get there.  Once we arrived, we had a bite to eat with Nicole's boyfriend Jonathan- who happens to be one of my best friends from college.  He lives with another good friend of mine, Dan.  We were able to meet up with a few other friends the next night- it was really nice to see everyone, and made me miss the college days!  

I left from LAX to come home on Wednesday morning, only to have my flight delayed, then canceled.  Somehow I ended up spending the night in Charlotte, NC, and finally getting back to CT on Thursday evening.  I was registered for a race on Thursday evening, but I just could not muster up the energy to race.

Now----> onto my runs in California.  THEY WERE SO HARD.  I definitely did not get in 6 runs like I had planned, but I did my best.  Placerville is the most hilly place I have EVER been to, and it was literally uphill both ways, every time.  It was really challenging and awesome, and a nice change of pace to the flat CT routes I've been running.  The altitude is much higher, like 7,000 ft., where as CT is basically sea level.  I initially thought that this would make my runs easier, but afterwards, I felt as though it did nothing positive for me.  In Tahoe, we did some hiking/"trail running" that was also very hilly.

It doesn't look intimidating, but this hill went on for a solid half mile and was much steeper than it appears

My post running breakfast each morning

If I learned anything on this trip, it's that things don't always go according to plan, and you must accept that.  I planned to run at least six days out of the ten I was there, but life got in the way.  I'm known to panic and freak out of things don't go the way I expect them to, and this was a huge awakening that put everything into perspective.  I want to focus on the important in things in life, spend time with the ones I love, see the places that I feel best in, and experience everything this world has to offer- and if that means I have to miss a run or two, so be it.

What has been happening with you the past two weeks?

Have you ever had an awakening or epiphany like I did?  How do you normally handle life when it doesn't go according to plan?

Some Big News!

Hello! I've been MIA for the past week or so… and here is why:

I quit my job.  Nothing bad happened, I just was feeling unfulfilled in the position I was in.  I knew it isn't what I want to be doing, and I was feeling really conflicted about the whole thing for a while.  I had my last day last week, and now I am officially not working anymore!  It feels so weird, but also refreshing.  A lot of people have told me I am crazy for leaving one job without having another, but honestly, I'm okay with it.  I'm excited to have a lot of time to dedicate to running, and also to the long list of things I want to do in Hartford, around my house, and to be able to visit friends I haven't seen in a while.  I'll be going to California this coming weekend to visit my family, which is something I had been wanting to do for a while, so that's exciting!

I officially HATE seeing photos of me from races.  What am I doing with my arms?

Another piece of news:  I GOT MATCHED WITH A BUDDY!  I got the email from the iRun4 match directors and I squealed and jumped out of bed and ran a mile even though it was my rest day.  My buddy is Emmylou.  She is 1 year and 2 months old, and is from New York.  She is the most adorable, precious little girl, who has been dealt a tough hand of cards.  There is no definite diagnosis, but a myriad of genetic, physical issues, and suffering from seizures.  Her family seems amazing so far, she has two older brothers who take great care of her and parents who have dedicated so much time to doctors' appointments and every day care.  I am so excited to be able to dedicate all of my running to Emmylou and her family- their strength and will to get through every day truly has helped me during my runs to feel like I can do it!  You can read about Emmy here---> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmylous-Journey/623730094358206?sk=info

Current snack obsession: smoothie and apple w/ almond butter

That's all for now… stay tuned this week for an update on my training schedule and my running plan for while I'm in California!

What's been going on with you?  Any exciting news?