Fall Marathon Selected

Despite the fact that I have barely finished recovering from Boston, I've already selected and registered for my next marathon (September's Ironman excluded). I have selected the 27th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, known as "the most beautiful urban marathon in America," which will be held on Sunday, October 5. The field is capped at 11,000 participants and last year's race filled in just 20 days. This created a bit of pressure and necessitated an immediate decision. So now I'm in. And I'm excited. I love trying new races in new places.

Saving the Best for Last

As always, my favorite part of vacation (and life) is discovering and sampling new culinary delights. Probably the most exciting stop during my time in Boston was exploring the historic North end of town, which is dominated by authentic Italian restaurants and mouth-watering pastry shops. On Saturday night, a local Bostonian pointed us to L'Osteria for a delicious Italian meal. Karen and I shared the Caesar salad and homemade lasagna, which might have been my all-time favorite. Afterwards, we made our way around the block to the legendary Mike's Pastry Shop, which had a line of people waiting for tables that stretched all the way down the street. We opted for the much shorter "to go" line and I ordered chocolate chip cannoli, which definitely hit the spot after dinner and, I'd like to think, fueled me though my marathon.

Other favorites during the trip included Legal Seafoods "If it isn't fresh, it isn't legal," a Boston chain, where I enjoyed the hot lump crab dip with seafood chips as an appetizer and the double stuffed baked shrimp (jumbo shrimp with buttery crabmeat stuffing) as an entree.

I also liked Z-Square, located in the heart of Harvard Square, which specializes in creative American home cooking. Although slightly more expensive prices than I like to see for lunch, the offerings were unique and tasty. I enjoyed the Italian Classico sandwich, with spicy cappocola, provolone cheese, roasted red pepper and balsamic vinaigrette on ciabatta. Karen opted for the Grilled cheese, a unique blend of roasted vegetables with blue, mozzarella, and Gruyere cheese.

I loved Herrell's Ice Cream in Cambridge, which is known for their "smoosh-ins" (kind of like Cold Stone with a personality). Great ice cream, interesting college town vibe. And finally, the sandwiches at Deluca's market were awesome, especially the award-winning roast beef. Definitely a great deli sandwich for $5.99. I love food.

The Sites of Boston

Beautiful flower box overlooking Acorn Street

And the Boston Marathon flower boxes!

Acorn Street: the most photographed street in Boston

Our Bed and Breakfast in Cambridge

Entering Harvard

The Charles River

Newbury Street

Boston Commons

The Holocaust Memorial

Union Oyster House

Paul Revere's House

Paul Revere Mall (Old North Church in background)

Old North Church

Paul Revere's family pew

Duck Statues, Boston Public Garden

More Pre/Post Race Pics

Pre-Race Pasta Dinner at City Hall

The bus lines on the morning of the race

Transportation Issues!

And the very long (and unmoving) porta potty lines

Karen and Kristin pre-race

Karen and Kristin with John Harvard

Kristin and Karen at Legal Seafoods after the race

Women's Olympic Marathon Trials

Joan Benoit Samuelson at mile 17

Deena Kastor in 2nd Place at mile 17

The race begins at mile 22

Deena cruises to victory in 2:29:35

2nd place-Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (2:30:19)

3rd Place- Blake Russell (2:32:40)

Finish Strong, Joanie!

One of my favorite parts of vacation was watching the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials on Sunday, the day before the Boston Marathon. Over 150 elite female marathoners competed for one of three coveted spots to represent the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing this summer.

The race course started on Boylston Street and featured four loops before ending at the traditional Boston Marathon finish line in front of the Boston Public Library in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. I had the opportunity to catch the runners at miles 17, 22, and near the finish line. It was very exciting to watch the women I've always read about in Runner's World magazine (the best in the world!). It was also incredibly inspiring to watch 50-year old marathon legend Joan Benoit Samuelson run her last competitive race. Joan coasted past many women almost half her age with an astonishing 2:49:08 (90th place), setting an American record for 50+.

The race favorite was definitely American record holder and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, Deena Kastor. But Magdalena Lewly Boulet set a daring pace and led the race until mile 23. Up until that point, Deena was almost 2 minutes back, and I was starting to worry that she wouldn't be able to make up the time. But when the two passed us again at mile 22, they were neck-and-neck, and Deena looked very strong and easily cruised to victory in 2:29:35. Second was Magdalena (2:30:19) and the the third spot went to Blake Russell (2:32:40). Interestingly, all three are California girls.

Funny story. When we were at the airport on Tuesday, we saw Deena and her husband in line at the ticket counter. As star-struck, mid-pack runners, we staked out a spot just outside the metal detector lines and watched her come through. Most entertaining was that she had her race trophy casually stuffed into a plastic bag. We then followed her into a gift shop, where we watched her buy two Dasani waters. Obviously, we were very inconspicuous as we stalked her throughout the airport. But just in case you wanted to know, Deena drinks Dasani water. Inquiring minds can thank my stealth reporting skills.

Back from Baaston

I’m back!! Although a little stiff and quite unsteady on stairs following Monday’s 26.2 mile-adventure, I feel refreshed and alive, as only vacation can make one feel.

Boston was amazing. I loved exploring the city. It’s an incredibly walker-friendly city, and the public transportation (the “T”) was superb. I’ll detail my adventures in subsequent posts, but highlights included sampling the Italian restaurants and pastry shops of the North End, watching the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials on Sunday morning, enjoying a post-race seafood feast, touring Paul Revere’s house and several stops along the Freedom Trail, taking in spring in Boston, and sticking a Badger flag in John Harvard’s hand.

The Boston Marathon was an experience of a lifetime. While the pre-race transportation and porta potty options were severely lacking, causing me to miss my Wave 1 start and lose my pouch of Cliff Blocks (energy gel blocks) in the woods, all went pretty smoothly once I actually started running. Even though I spent the first 30 minutes literally blocked by runners, I eventually broke out of the crowd and was able to start moving. While I'm definitely not a top runner in any race in which I partake, especially the Boston Marathon, I did find myself passing people the entire race because of my Wave 2 start. This, I’m sure, was a mental stimulus. And I was able to supplement my nutrition by picking up dropped (unopened) Gu gels along the way. Just gotta go with the flow sometimes :)

The course was beautiful--essentially one New England-ish small town after another, with only the last three miles actually taking place in Boston proper. The course was VERY hilly. The infamous heartbreak hill at mile-21 was certainly long, but didn’t actually stand out too much from the ten or so hills I hit beforehand. The crowd support on the course was incredible. People lined the streets the entire way. Definitely the best was the women of Wellesley College at mile 17. You could hear their screams a mile away. The students lined the streets with all sorts of posters, which included “Kiss me I’m graduating,” “Kiss me I’m a lacrosse player,” and “You’re sexy!” Of course, the male runners went crazy at this point, and definitely took many of them up on their offers.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so good during a marathon. I never really “hit the wall,” as runners like to say, which is a feeling that typically occurs anywhere from mile 15-21. I felt great until maybe the last two miles. My time wasn’t a personal record, but I’m still very proud of my finishing time–a 3:37:30, which is my second fastest marathon to date. I very much enjoyed the experience, and it was a great race and vacation. Pics and more stories to follow.

Spring in Madison

Spring is in the air in Madison. As of last week, the lakes are fully thawed, the Library mall fountain is spouting, the terrace tables and chairs are in place, and most excitingly, the Dane County Farmers' Market on the Square opens this Saturday, April 19! Although I won't be in town to enjoy the first, at least I know that I have many, many Saturdays of farmers' markets ahead. There's no better way to start the weekend than with a small coffee, a fresh pastry, a lovely stroll around the Capitol square, live music, local farmers, and incredible local produce. I love Madison. I love the farmers' market! Here are the details:

Dane County Farmers' Market on the Square

Saturday market starts April 19 (through early-November)
6am-2pm
Capitol Square
-the largest producer-only farmers' market in the country. Always open, rain or shine!

Wednesday market starts April 23

8:30am-2pm

200 block of MLK, Jr. Blvd.