The Fattman Cup Chilly Half Marathon

Whoa. 13.1 miles is f-a-r-r-r. ...and I enjoyed (nearly) all of them.

I ran my first half marathon today! The race was in Newton and the start time was 7:30a so I was out the door at 5:45a. When I arrived at the start area, the temp was a brisk 32 degrees. This Fall has been very mild so I shouldn't complain about the temp but this meant that I was likely to start with more layers than I'd finish. No one likes to carry more than they must, so I opted to start light and dress for the warmer part of the race.

The cold just compounded my nerves. For the past 4 days, I've been sweating the Newton Hills because my training routes are almost entirely flat. Actually, I should clarify; if it weren't for the structural benefits that an arch lends to bridges, my training routes are completely flat. The Newton Hills are famous for one Boston Marathon hill in particular: Heartbreak Hill. As it turns out, Heartbreak Hill isn't much of a hill at all. It's the fourth hill in a set that spans 2.5 miles and climbs nearly 150'. Fortunately for me, it's placement in this half marathon is much more friendly (miles 5.75 - 8.25) than in The Boston (miles 21 - 23ish).

My goal for the race was admittedly modest: finish with an average pace of 9-10 minutes per mile. I'm happy to report that I accomplished my goal. My final time was 2:04:38. Excluding a pee break, I didn't once walk or stop running. Moral victory! Granted, this isn't the kind of time that gets one to the front of the pack BUT I still got a medal!

The first 10 miles weren't difficult; however, my body ran out of fuel around mile 11. The last two miles were all will power. Here's what I've learned:

• don't make fun of those runners with the little energy gel packs
• hill training makes a big difference
• the longer the race, the better the shirt
• my knees and hips aren't as awesome as I thought

I was tempted to sign up for a full marathon in the Spring and have since wised-up. I think I'll stick to halves for the next 6-9 months.

Mills in Mass – Part Deux

Back in September, Matthew and I decided to get together for a couple of days in Boston.  Despite the thoughts that still weigh heavy on our hearts and minds, we didn’t want to change our plan.  Being separated from the family for most of the year is tough for me – I’m especially happy that Matthew didn’t want to cancel our mancation either.

Living in the city offers loads of entertainment.  Matthew was on the ground for no more than a couple of hours before we were on the T headed for the original Samuel Adams Brewery.  It’s not really in the best part of town, so we only stopped long enough to snap this pic on our way to the Brewery.

It wasn’t long before our pace slowed and the tour began.  By Brewery’s standards, this one is small.  Only about 1% of the total Sam Adams production comes from this brewery.  At 1% of production, they don’t produce enough beer to supply Boston!  The only way to be sure that you’re getting the freshest Sam Adams (the way it was intended) is to come to these hallowed halls.  We paused for another pic on our way into the tasting room.  Checkout the goofball behind us.

We sampled three beers: Sam Adams Boston Lager, Octoberfest, and Harvest Pumpkin Ale.  It was hard for me to believe that this was the first time that Matthew EVER tasted the Boston Lager.  If you click into the photo album, you can see the exact moment where the Lager meets taste buds.  On the way out, we also bought three beers from the Barrel Room Collection.  Matthew’s ranking was Thirteenth Hour, American Kriek, then New World Tripel.  Mine, on the other hand, were the exact opposite!  My opinion?  …chocolate and coffee have no place in a beer.

When we got home, Ali was well on her way to finishing Dad’s pulled pork recipe for dinner.  Ain’t she special?

We had an even busier day on Saturday (which included A LOT of walking exercise).  The Fenway tour started on the other side of Yawkey Way at the Red Sox store.  I tried, but I couldn’t convince Matthew to buy a Red Sox hat.  I suppose we’re both stuck in our ways; he didn’t convince me that the MLB should have an equivalent salary cap for all teams either.  The tour took us from the Press Box at Fenway Park, to the Green Monster, and finally to the super-cozy Grandstand section.  Here’s the view from the Press Box.  Even the Press Box doesn’t compare to the view from the Green Monster.

When we got to the Monstah, Matthew and I found front row seats!  But there was something wrong.  Birds had congregated on the lights (above).  We evacuated the premises immediately.  A bunch of fools snatched up the seats after we left.  …like shooting fish in a barrel.  After Fenway, we headed to the piers for Lobster Rolls.  My preference is for a hot lobster roll but James Hook only serves them one way: cold with a deceptive amount of lobster meat.  The sandwich looks like it’s mostly filling and mayo.  No, no, my friend.  That’s mostly tail meat with some claw mixed in.

We also went to Cheers and spent some time playing FIFA 2011.  Can you guess which one we did more?