Run, Bike, Bia

Almost two years ago, I came across a Kickstarter project for a sports watch.  The watch would not only track your swimming, biking and running, it had an SOS feature that would call for help with the push of a button.  I loved that and had to know more.  Plus, at that time, I still did not own any type of GPS watch.

I had never heard of Kickstarter before and wasn't sure how it all worked. You can get more info about it here.

The original wait time was less than a year, but that was not to be.  I am not gonna lie, the wait was tough, but the Bia ladies kept us well informed on what was going on.  As e-mails started going out with tracking numbers, I got more and more excited. Finally, my e-mail came and two days later, I had a Bia on my wrist.

The watch was smaller than I pictured it and the Go Stick was bigger.  By the way, the Go stick contains the GPS chip, the GSM chip, ANT+Connectivity, and the storage for the unit.  This is the piece you have to charge and it is good for seventeen hours.  You cannot use the watch without this piece.

Once I had the box opened, I registered my unit which only took a couple minutes.  Then I needed to set up the SOS feature. Basically if you find yourself in trouble on your run, you hit the button for four seconds and it will send an alert to the people you have as your contact. It will give them a link to your exact location and will then send them a message every 60 seconds with your location even if you are moving.  Mr. RWM and I had to test it out.

I hit the button and within a couple seconds he got a text message saying I was in trouble and to send help. The link of my location was included and was dead on, my living room.  I just hit the button again to cancel it and got a cute message, "Phew, glad you are alright."

So now I had to run.  Gracie said she wanted to run with me, so I told her to go put on some running clothes and get her sneakers.  This is how she came downstairs:

My running Princess.

Me and my baby!

The very first activity on my Bia.

You have to shake the Go Stick to wake it up and then hit the button on your watch. You get a screen that says, Run, Bike, Swim and you pick one.  The next screen says, Just Run or Walk/Run.  Just run is what we went with.  

Gracie was so cute. We didn't get too far before she got rid of the crown and the seal.  We just ran around our neighborhood and talked and laughed.  At one point she said, "I need to walk now mommy. My legs are not used to running as much as the rest of me is."  

We ran a mile and I thought we were finished but she wanted to go a bit more.  She declared, "Princesses never give up!" So we ran another .40 miles.  From there she insisted we go for a bike ride.  Great, let me just switch my watch to bike.  Easy, peasy.

Gracie and I rode for 1.10 mies.  I still wanted to ride so once I got her home, I headed out for 7.20 miles.  I am still getting used to my road bike so I just stayed close to home but I sure did have a good time!

The watch felt comfortable on my wrist and the Go Stick just clipped onto my pants. I didn't even know it was there.

On Monday, I went for a much longer run with it. The girls and I ran 10.5 miles.  The run was tough but I had no trouble with the watch.  

On Tuesday, I biked 15 miles and then ran 3.  Again, the watch was great.  As far as the workout, that was great too.  I am really beginning to love the bike and feel like I can ride forever when I am on it.  Wish I felt that good when I was swimming.

Like I said above, the watch will also track your swim, but I have not used that feature yet.  I will keep you posted on that though and let you know how it works.

All in all, I am happy with the watch so far.  One of the things I really like is the message you get after each workout.  It also automatically uploads to Strava.  Feel free to follow me there.  Plus, any updates that come about are automatically updated to your watch without you doing anything. 

Tell me did you get a Bia? What are your thoughts so far?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Feels Like Christmas

It's no secret how much I like Skirt Sports and when they have a sale, I get really excited. Just a couple weeks ago a sale popped up and things that I really "needed" were on sale. I could not resist.

Ok, I have been looking at trisuits and really do need something like that if I actually plan to participate in these triathlons that I am registered for.

I decided on the 8" tri shorts and the tri tank. I like the idea of two pieces rather than one.  I also was able to score a Free Ride Jersey. My first bike shirt.  In addition to that, I saw capris that looked really nice. I have been eyeing their capris for some time now and I really liked the color that they had, Sunset Punch.  

Thinking about tri stuff, I really "needed" the race belt skirt to go over my tri shorts. That brought me to $2 away from free shipping. Ummm, you got to have free shipping!  So I added the Go Get Em Socks. 

Then I waited.  And waited some more.  Was I being impatient or was it taking a little longer than usual for everything to arrive?  Finally, I gave in and called after my tracking number stopped showing me where my stuff was.  

I was so excited to get Noelle on the phone. She is my Skirt Sports contact but we have only emailed when it comes to contests and reviews. It was nice to put a voice to a person.  In no time she found my order and let me know it would be here in a day or two.  

I waited and sure enough they arrived two days later. It felt like Christmas morning.  I opened everything right away to look at it all.  I didn't know what to try on first.  

Cycling Jersey and Capri

Race Belt Skirt and Tri Tank and Shorts

Everything fit perfect and I knew I would wear the Redemption Capris on my next run. That run was Thursday and we headed out for 6 miles.  The capris were perfect!  They moved nicely with me and the pocket in the back held my inhaler and key.  The girls love the color too.

I will keep you posted on the rest of the stuff as I wear them.

Two days after that, I finally, after almost two years, received my Bia Sport Watch.  Christmas times two!

I couldn't get the box opened fast enough, but first, a picture.

It was smaller than I pictured it but liked how it felt on my wrist.  I registered it right away, which took only a couple minutes.  So very easy!  It has a swim, bike, run option and soon it will have Tri option. It is going to be nice not to have to count laps in the pool.  The feature that really caught my attention though, the real reason I wanted to have this particular watch, was the SOS button.  You can link up to five people and if you hit the emergency button for 4 seconds, it lets them know you are in trouble.  It will also tell them where you are even if you are still moving.  This is a smart watch and I can't wait to give it a spin.  I will blog once I use it for the first time.

Were you a Bia Backer?  How do you like it so far?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

(FYI, I got nothing for this review. Just wanted to share all my new, fun stuff with all of you.)

Narrow River 5k Recap 2014

I have pretty much been training for long races since last year. I have thrown in a 5k here and there, but speed has not been a priority.

When I was training for my marathon last year, I did seem to get faster the stronger I got.  I also ran with some speedy people and that surely helped too.  In October, I ran a 5k with Michael who paced me and got me to my very first sub 30 5k. It was even good enough for a first place age group award. My official time was 29:56 and I was happy with that but knew I would eventually try and beat it.

Three weeks ago, when I ran with Andy, we came pretty close but smiling little kids came out to run with us and we couldn't let them down.  So this past Saturday, I had my mind set on the Narrow River 5k.  This would be the third year I was running it. It is a race that is just 6 miles from my home and the course is on roads I run daily.

It is a pretty small race, which is another reason I like it. Last year I placed fourth in my AG with a time of 31:32. There were just 93 people who ran the 5k last year.  There is also a 10k but I have not raced that one yet.

This race is so close to home and has a 10 am start, it was nice not to have to go to bed super early and set the alarm. In fact, I didn't even pre-register.

Elaine was running this year, so I picked her up and we headed to the beach.  We were getting blown away by the wind while we were registering and it was a bit cold.  It was nice to get back in the truck to put our numbers on.  I used my inhaler, had a drink of water and then we headed to the bus that would take us to the start of the 5k.

The further we got from the beach the warmer it got.  We only had to wait about 15 minutes before we had to line up.

We were pretty close to the front but that is easy to do in a small race.  I wished Elaine a good race and before you knew it, we were off.

Elaine went out fast and I wasn't too far behind her. I realize not too many people were passing me.  The pace I was running was fast and even though my chest felt heavy,  I held it for a bit and didn't look at my watch. I realized about a quarter mile or so in, that I could still see Elaine.  Not only that, there were only about 20 people ahead of me. I looked at my watch and saw 8:04!  There was no way I wasn't holding that pace for much longer and I wasn't really prepared to be running that fast anyway. I slowed down and found a nice 9:24 pace. I was happy here for awhile.

The first water stop was at the top of the first hill. I slowed, grabbed water and kept running.  Soon after that, the 10k racers were heading towards me.  I struggled with hills here and my chest was still so heavy and my breathing was loud and unsteady. I pushed though but slowed to a 10:12 pace. I was still hoping for the sub 30.

It was getting warm and the air was soupy.  I was finally on  Route 1A and saw the five mile sign for the 10k runners. That meant only 1.10 for me.  I looked at my Garmin and it was not on the screen that showed how long I was running.  I tried to change it but it was stuck, again!  Come on Bia, I can't wait much longer!

I was wearing my headphones since I was running alone, but I heard my name being called. I looked across the road and Michelle was running with some friends. It was so nice to see a friendly face and that usually helps but I just did not feel good.  I got water at the next stop and decided to pull of the road and use my inhaler.

I am pretty sure I would go to jail for the use of curse words that I was thinking and maybe saying out loud if anyone heard me.  Actually, I am pretty sure at least one person heard me.

I walked to compose myself and then started running again. Soon I saw Elaine running towards me.  I know I asked her what the clock said but I am not sure what she said.  She told me to keep running and pick it up when I hit the white sign coming up. I did that but saw the clock and new I wasn't going to make it. I finished in 30:13 which was a pace of 9:45.   That got me 9th in my age group, 20th female and 46th overall out of 123 runners.  I missed a PR by 18 freaking seconds.

You know me. I am usually an, "Oh, it's ok" kind of girl, but not this time.  I was so angry with myself.  So mad that I went out too fast, mad that I had asthma, mad that I couldn't lose just 18 seconds, mad that I slowed down for the first water stop in a 5k, mad that my Garmin is not working correctly, etc.... You get the point.

I calmed down, got water and some food.  I asked Elaine how her race was and her answer totally cheered me up.  She placed first in her age group and was the second overall female.  She finished in 23 minutes!  We had to hang around for her award.  Congrats to you my friend.  You rocked that race!

So bottom line, is I need to get over it.  I have not been training for speedy 5k's.  And honestly, that is a pretty good time and pace for me.  It was also a course PR for me and that is pretty cool too.  I have to really focus on swimming and biking right now because apparently I can't use a kick board in the ocean or use a motor during the Rhode Warrior.

As always, thanks for reading.

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

A Half Marathon (part two) and a Butterfly

Ok, yes, I know, I am more than a week late on part two.  Very sorry.

I left off saying I had a horrible nights sleep. This is really unusual for me and I hate when it happens.  Once I was up and dressed I felt better. I ate a good breakfast, grabbed all my gear and headed out to meet Beth so we could drive up together.

Beth drove, of course.  No problem getting into Providence and parking was easy.  We headed towards the crowd, stopped at the PP and then thought we would try to find Sarah.  We headed to the starting line but did not see her. Beth suggested we walk down a bit and maybe we would catch her once the crowd spaced out a bit.

That worked!  We spotted Sarah and started yelling for her.  She saw us and waved. I got a pretty good pic of her and her friend. I was so happy to see her at the start of her marathon.

Go Sarah, Go!

The marathon went off a little late so Beth and I just got in the starting line and only had to wait about ten minutes. We sang the National Anthem and then they played Follow the Yellow Brick Road to send us off.

At the start.

We went out fast, of course.  I had no real goal in mind and Beth said she didn't either.  I have learned that you can't trust Beth.

Beth actually ran into a couple people she knew and hi's and hugs were had.  It is always so nice to see a friendly face during a race.

Conversation was good and I asked a few questions about her upcoming 50k.  Beth has trained well and was more than ready to conquer it.  She was running really well, and I had doubts early on that I would be able to keep up with her. Not only is she better trained than I am, this is a though time of year for me and my allergies/asthma.

At the first water stop, two really cool things happened.  As I approached the table, I was behind a girl in a tutu with butterflies attached to it. I loved it and let her know how cool I thought it was.  I caught up to Beth and then I was tapped on the shoulder asking if I was Nicole from the Sub 30 FB group.

For those of you who don't know, it is a cool little group put together by Ted Spiker of Runner's World.  It offers great support and motivation and I am happy to be a part of it.

Back to the tap on the shoulder. The tap was from Jim who I spoke with only a couple times in the group.  He is also a RI'er and I was just so shocked that he recognized me. We hugged and then he was off.  Very cool!

As we were starting to run again, the girl with the tutu approached us and asked if we were running a 10:30 pace.  We said we were and invited her to run with us.

Introductions were made and her name was Nancy.  She had just moved here from Hawaii. Her husband is in the military.  She ran the Hawaii marathon and it was really cool to hear about that. Then, of course, the "do you have any kids?" came up.  Beth has three dogs, I said I had George and Gracie and she said she had a little girl who was 4 and a baby who was stillborn.

Yeah, you just don't see that coming.

Then she said, she was eight weeks pregnant.

I don't know about Beth, but my head was spinning a bit and I had a ton of questions, but how do you talk to a perfect stranger about something so personal?

Well, it starts with the tutu and the butterflies.  I had no idea, but apparently butterflies are the symbol they use in the hospital to let the staff know that they are walking into the room of a mom who delivered a stillborn baby.

Something else I did not know was that if your baby dies before it's delivered. You still have to go through labor and deliver your child.  Silly me for thinking that they would knock you out and do a C-section.  I had tears in my eyes as she was telling the story.  How could you not?

Her first baby was a c-section and I was confused as to how they let her do a VBAC.  If you know me,  then you know how heart broken I was that I had two c-sections. I so wanted to do a VBAC but after many months of talking with doctors and doing some research on my own, we decided the risks were too great. I still tear up thinking I am some sort of failure that I could not deliver my babies the "normal" way. The bottom line is I have two healthy and happy kids and that is all that really matters.

Apparently, when they don't have to worry about the baby, only about saving the mother, they induce labor and you experience all the pain and emotions that go along with that. I am having a hard time writing this just thinking about it.

The baby she delivered was a girl and her name was Penelope.

Nancy stayed with us from mile 3 to about mile 10. It was a pleasure to talk to her and I wish I got a picture with her.  But unfortunately, after mile 10 I was slowing down and she had a nice pace going and she just kept at it.  We looked for her at the finish but never found her.

Not only did she finish before me, she beat her husband. Seriously, is that not the best brag ever. "I am eight weeks pregnant and I just beat my husband running a half marathon!"  She is my hero!

Now Beth has been training for her first 50k for months and when I was hitting my wall, she was just getting started.  I really had a hard time at the end and then the last two miles were filled with some of the craziest wind ever! I wanted to just walk the rest of the way but Beth was not having it. I was so happy she was with me but at the last .10 I just said go Beth and she did.

Once she took off and I was watching her run, I had a change of heart and picked up my speed thinking, "No wait come back!" Such a silly runner girl.

I finished in 2:24:58 which is a 2:32 PR.  I was pretty happy and then Beth said she was hoping to get me to finish in 2:20.  That was quite a secret Beth, but now you got me set on that time for Newport in October. That is, if I survive all this swimming!

The happy finishers!

Once we got our water and some food, we decided to head to the finish and maybe see Sarah come in.    It was getting cold and we were both tired, we hung for a bit and got to see Monica cross but knowing what time Sarah wanted to finish in would have us waiting another thirty minutes and I was not going to make it so we headed home.  Sorry Sarah!!! ( you can read her race report at See Sarah Run)

So there you have it, the first race of the Rhode Island Triple Crown in complete. The next one is the Jamestown Half in July.  Honestly, I am not looking forward to a July half marathon. Plus, Beth will not be there.  I do know a couple people who will be running it, so I am hoping to have a little company.  But before that, my fist tri is coming up June 22.  Oh my goodness, I am so excited and equally nervous.  It is a sprint and I feel pretty good about it.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Cox Providence Half Marathon Part One

The Cox Providence Rhode Races host what is known as the Triple Crown.  They consist of three marathons/half marathons.  Providence marathon/half, Jamestown Half and Newport Marathon/half.

You can run all three on just one but if you do all three you get a special shirt and extra medal.  I ran Newport last year and loved it and knew that I would want to do all three this year.  I signed up early and so did Beth.

These three races were my "Big" goal for the year until I won the free entry into the Rhode Warrior 70.3.  That became my number one goal and I am working really hard to get to that starting line but running is where my heart truly lies and I really wanted to just enjoy the three races I set out to do this year.

Beth was kind enough to pick me up on Friday so that we could head to the Expo together.  It was very quiet as I am guessing most people work at 2 on a Friday afternoon.  No line to get our numbers or shirts.  It was a very small expo but Women Run had a booth there and I got a cute little dress for Gracie.

My adorable Gracie in her new dress!

Sarah, who I introduced you to in the last blog, was running the full.  We had planned to meet each other in person and originally thought we would meet for dinner Saturday in Providence with our families.

After thinking about it, I suggested that they just come to my house and I would make dinner. Providence was sure to be crazy with the race and it was the same weekend as Ringling Brothers Circus.  Plus, our kids could play and run around and not worry about being on their best behavior in a restaurant.  All around more fun for all.

I was putting my plan together and then decided that it would be great if Beth and her husband could join us.  I was pretty sure that everyone would get along and it would be a nice night.

Sarah and her family are vegetarian and pasta the night before a big race was an obvious choice, but I usually make my gravy with meatballs.  I was a little worried about this, so I made the gravy without the meat and then headed to one of my favorite italian restaurants and had them make the meatballs for me.

(Side note for those of you who did not grow up in my neck of the woods. Gravy is sauce.)

I separated the gravy in two pots and added the meatballs to one.  Success!

Beth and Dave arrived first and we sat on the deck with a few drinks and apps. It was a beautiful night.  Sarah and family were running a little behind but when they arrived, I was so happy to see her and give her a big hug! It was a pleasure to meet her husband and kids too.

Once everyone was here, I finished making dinner while everyone talked and had a few drinks.  It seemed like everyone was getting along well, including the kids. This just made me so happy.

My handsome George!

Gracie and Rose, Sarah's beautiful daughter. I am sorry I don't have a pic of her son.

We got the kids set up with food at the "kids table" and then we sat down to enjoy a very nice meal.  The conversation was continuous and entertaining.  Yes, there was a lot of running talk, but there were other topics talked about too.  We had such a great time and I was so happy that Mr. RWM and I were able to host everyone.  I would absolutely do it again.

Some of you know that my favorite color is purple.  I dressed causal in jeans and my purple, I Run This Body shirt.  When Beth and Sarah arrived, they were both wearing purple shirts! I could only smile at this, I thought it was so cool.

Beth, me and Sarah

 

I wish we took more pictures, especially when we were outside on the deck, but I do love the ones that we did get.

It was not a late night as we all had very early alarms going off in the morning.  Mr. RWM and I  walked everyone out to their cars and said our goodbyes. I knew I would see Beth in the morning since we were driving together. I wasn't sure if I would see Sarah or not, so I wished her a good marathon.

We got the kids to bed and finished cleaning up. Mr. RWM told me he had a great night, loved the dinner and enjoyed the company. This was so nice to hear, especially because he only met Beth and Dave once and never met Sarah and her gang.  I went to bed very happy but even still, I did not sleep well.  My alarm was going of at 5:30 and I started to get nervous.

Part two tomorrow...

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Newport 10 Miler

This was the second year that I ran the Newport 10 Miler.  It was also just the second year of the race.  I loved it so much last year and knew that I would run it again.

It's a fantastic course, with scenic views on Ocean Road and Bellevue Avenue where some of the Newport Mansions are.

Photo curtiosy of Elaine.

I did sign up last minute as I was just making sure that Mr. RWM was going to be here to stay with George and Gracie.  Elaine was also signed up and we planned to drive together.

Packet pick up was very easy.  Loved the shirt this year!

I went to bed a little later than I wanted to and had a rough nights sleep.  When the alarm went off, it would of been very easy for me to turn it off and stay in bed.  But after a moment, I got out and got dressed.

It was a little chilly and damp when Elaine pulled into my driveway.  I was happy that I went with long sleeves and capris.  I wore my hat because rain was supposed to be on and off through out the morning.

Now, going back a couple days, Jessica of Keeping Mommy Sane sent out a tweet asking who would be at the race.  After a few messages back and forth, we had exchanged numbers and planned to meet each other, finally, in person.

Once inside Fort Adams, we picked up Elaine's number and then headed to the inside restrooms.  It was warm and no line just yet.

Soon we got a message from Jessica and we ran out to meet her. It was quick but always so nice to meet a fellow blogger in person. I realized too late, we didn't snap a picture.  Silly bloggers!  Elaine and I headed to the bag check and I finally took off my light jacket.  It didn't feel as cold as I thought it would.

One last potty stop, and then we headed to the start.

I didn't really have a goal for this race. Last year this course was a huge PR for me and I finished in 1:45.  I was pretty sure I could finish in 1:50 give or take a minute.  I was also running alone. Something I rarely do anymore. I took my iPod just in case.

The cannon went off, which is a super cool start.  I wished Elaine a good race and knew I wouldn't see her once the crowd spaced out.

I found a good pace right off the bat, but it took me a while to get right in my head.  I was questioning why I was running and why so long?  I can't say why that happened, maybe I was just tired. But it only lasted for the first mile.  This course is beautiful and you just can't help but be happy and thankful that you are able to run and is such an amazing place.

I grabbed some water at the first stop and was just watching and listening to all the people around me.  There were a few interesting conversations going on and that kept me entertained for quite some time.  In mile three, I was passed by a guy I knew from my run club that I really never run with.  At the second water stop, I saw him standing alone, I am guessing waiting for a friend to come out of the PP.  I stopped and said hello and we talked for a good two minutes.  I wasn't worried about my time or else I would of kept going.  It is always nice to catch up with a friend.

Pretty much after that, I kept a steady pace and was feeling pretty good.  And then I got to mile seven.

I remembered mile seven from last year. It is a hilly tough mile but I was ready for it this year.  Or at least just knew it was coming.  I pushed through and heard a group of girls coming up behind me. They were struggling but laughing and just cheering each other on.  I piggy backed on that and we got to the top of the hill together.  Seven is the toughest mile and the beginning of eight is no better, but I never stopped running. I also looked at my watch at this point and realized I could finish pretty close to last years time.

I could see the turn coming up into Fort Adams.  There was still more than a mile to go.  I thought about turning on my iPod here and starting up my power songs, but then I saw Elaine.  She snapped a few pics and then ran with me into Fort Adams.  I still had to swing around to the finish, and I was so happy crossing the line.  My official time 1:48:34. (Yes, I would stop and talk still if I could do it all over again.)

Elaine and I headed to the food tent, grabbed a few snacks and then got our bags.  As soon as I stopped, I was freezing and I couldn't wait to put my jacket on.

We headed to the beer garden but stopped to get a pic with the Fort Adams Army guy.   How fun!

The beer tasted so good and so cold.  It was a last minute thought, but I did throw my gloves in my bag before I left the house.  It made holding the beer so much easier.

Jessica caught up to us in the beer garden and we got that pic we forgot to take earlier. She had a great race and I hope I see her again.

BTW, Elaine killed it in 1:24!  Way to go my friend!

Again, Gray Matter put on a fantastic race and I will do it again next year. As you know, I love the ten mile distance and there are not too many of them.  This is a great one and if you can, you should check it out.

On the triathlon front, well, swimming sucks.  I am doing it but still struggling a bit. I am not giving up and have been in the pool every day.  I have two more lessons and I think it will all come together. I just hope sooner, rather than later.

I will be getting outside on the bike more now that the weather has finally taken a turn for the better.  Looking forward to that.  I will be also doing some of my training bike rides with Beth. She has some serious bike rides coming up because she is doing the Pan Mass Challenge.  For those of you who don't know, it is a two day bike ride for a total of, I think, 187 miles.  How cool is that!

Beth and I are also going to be running the Cox Providence half marathon this weekend.  It has been a long time since we ran together and I can't wait. I will also be meeting another runner/blogger friend who will be running the full.  I can't wait to meet you Sarah!  She is pretty new to blogging but not writing. You can check out her awesome blog here.

I will post about my sixth half marathon next week. I am sure it will be an excellent weekend.

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

My Run with Andy

Ok, so as I said in my last post, Andy asked me to run with him and his family at the UCP Life Without Limits 5k.  They do this race to raise money and awareness for Maddie.  She is Andy's cousin and due to complications at birth, she suffered brain damage. As a result she has cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and limited verbal communication skills.  She is now 16 years old.

UCP has been a huge resource for Maddie and her family as they have helped them time and time again.  I have donated to their team in the past but this year I actually got to run with them.  I was excited to meet everyone!

For those of you who may be new here, a little history about Andy and me.  I can't say for sure, but I think one of us commented on the other's blog and that was it.  We started talking after that and a friendship was formed.  We have supported each other for the last 2 +years and in fact, he is usually the first person I go to when something new or exciting is coming up with my running.  For instance, when I have something big to say, he usually knows before everyone else, except Mr. RWM of course. We finally got to meet in person last year and we ran together for the first time.  Such a great day.  I was hoping to be part of his Broad Street team this year, but timing did not work out.  I will, no matter what, be there next year!

Now, we had to leave for Rhode Island right after the race.  I had to plan for that. Clean, dry clothes, snacks, cleansing towelette so I didn't have to drive with a sweaty face for 5 hours. Yuck!

The plan was to meet Andy at 5, have some hang out time, race, and then hit the road.

The weather was supposed to be stormy and I decided to dress for strong winds and rain.  As we were leaving my parents to head to the city, the rain started.  By the time we were on the bridge, it had ended.

Parking was very easy and Andy arrived at the same exact time.  Andy's wife Jenn was the first person to see me and she gave me the biggest hug hello. It was the first time I was meeting her.  Hugs and introductions all around. I knew from an earlier post that it was the third birthday of Tessa, Andy and Jenn's daughter. So a big Happy Birthday to her as well.

Andy and crew had a lot of stuff to unload and I was not registered, so I headed to the tent while they got their things together.  I met Maddie's mom and Andy's mom at the registration tent. From there, Gracie started to run the Rocky steps.

Meanwhile on the weather front, sunny and warm, no rain.  However, the radar said it was coming.  I had on capri's and a long sleeve tech shirt.  Over that was my Miles for Maddie team shirt.  I went back and forth with just wearing the team shirt and in the end, decided to keep both.

Andy and Jenn had a huge tray of Chik-fil-A nuggets and fruit for everyone. That was so nice of them and my kids went to town. I am pretty sure they ate the most!  Since it was Tessa's birthday, they also had cupcakes for everyone.  Again, my kids were in heaven. It was so nice to sing and be part of the celebration.  I did skip the cupcake though. I was pretty sure it wouldn't sit well right before running.

Right after that, I asked Andy if he had a goal in mind?  He said he would do whatever I wanted but sub 30 would be cool. I have not hit a sub 30 since October and was not sure I could do it.  This was also a PR course for Andy. I think he said 24:xx last year or close to that.

Team Miles for Maddie

Me and Mr. RWM

George and I

Just people

Coming down the steps for the 100th time.

Miles for Maddie was a team of about 60 people.  Some were walking and some were running.  Same with all the teams. They were all big and consisted of walkers and runners.  We lined up pretty close to the front as did some walkers.  This was pretty low key and no one seemed to mind.

Here we go!

I decided to try for the Sub 30 and if I couldn't do it, no big deal. I did make sure Andy knew that I did not want to hold him back from a new PR. He said I came all the way from Rhode Island to run with him and he was sticking with me. Ok, let's go!

The gun went off and we were running.  Had to go around a few people at first and then we hit a downhill pretty much in the first tenth of a mile.  "Yes", Andy said, "We have to come back up this hill at the very end."

Pretty much right away, I knew I should of taken off a layer. The sun was still out and it was much warmer than the weather man had told me.

I was running, feeling hot and my chest was a little tight and Andy said something like, "How are you doing?'  I said I was struggling a little and he told me were doing an 8:40 pace!  I am pretty sure I laughed and then we slowed down a bit.  I started to feel better.

It was so nice to catch up with Andy. We talk a lot on line but being so far away, it is hard to actually meet up in person.  And to be able to chat and run together, well, I was just in runner heaven.

Now we were cruising pretty good and boy was it hot!  We were approaching a mile and a half and there was a water stop there. This was also the turn around to head back.  I slowed and had water.  On the way back we started to see other Miles for Maddie's team members.  It was so nice to cheer each other on.

About 2.5 miles, I wasn't sure if we would get our Sub 30 and I gave Andy one last out to take off and go for it. Again, he was not leaving me.  At 2.65 miles, we saw Jenn, the kids and few other team members.  At this point, the kids came running out to meet us. I started to run with Braden who made it clear that he was a fast runner and would most likely beat me.  He was adorable!  He told me his age which was four. The excitement on this little boys face just warmed my heart.  All I could do was smile.  Then, I looked back and saw Andy running with his daughter and his niece Jamie.  Again, such an awesome sight. You just can't say no to the kids, especially on their third birthday.  And if you know Andy and I, the kids are part of why we run in the first place.  This race was as much for them as it was us.

See, what did I tell you! How could you not run with these two cuties!

Can you see me up ahead. I am turned talking and running with my buddy Braden.

I can't say for sure how long we ran with the kids. Probably just a minute or so.  Once they tired, Andy was next to me again and we got back to the pace we were running and up the hill we had first came down and then through the finish line.

The finish

We hugged and congratulated each other, then I saw Mr. RWM and the kids and hugged some more. We had to go and Andy wanted to run back to his family and walk them into the finish line.  Sadly, we said our goodbyes and thanked each other for such a fun night.

A couple shots of the kids and Rocky and then to our car.  I changed into dry clothes and got the kids in their PJ's for the long drive home.  I handed Philadelphia pretzels back to the kids and Mr. RWM and we pulled out of the lot.  The skies opened up and and the rain finally came.  How lucky were we!

My little champions!

I texted Andy to make sure they made it to the car in time and they had. He then texted me that our official time was 30:25.  Wow, that is great for me and I know we could of hit that sub 30 but I am not  sorry, running with he little ones was so worth it!

Our drive home was fine and it did not rain the whole way. I was so happy to be in dry clothes and the cleansing towelette really did a good job. We made it home at one in the morning and it was so nice to get into my own bed after sleeping on a blow up mattress for four nights.

This truly was a nice vacation and I am sorry to see it end.  We promised George that we would take him to a PawSox game, so we did that on Thursday. It was our first family baseball game. From there we shopped a little and then went to a Japanese Steak House. So very yummy and the kids really thought it was cool.

Sunday is the Newport 10 Miler so I will blog about that a day or two after.  Anyone else racing this weekend?

I have said this before but I have met some really wonderful people through this blog and my running.  Every time I get to meet one of you in person, just thrills me and when we get to actually run together, well, it just doesn't get better than that!  Thank you again for all the support that you have given me the last two and a half years.  I never dreamed that I would still be blogging but I am happy to still be here.  You all rock!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole