Red blobs are never a good sign.

Ran 14.7 miles this morning and these have been moving through the area all day long. I have never been so wet on a run. I was running on trails which became rivers. All you could do was laugh and keep moving.

SO. MUCH. FUN!

Boston 2!

Boston!

It's been real, real busy since getting back from the east coast but I had to post my favorite photo. Sam Adams and K looking out over the city at Faneuil Hall.

How was Boston?

Fantastic! A fun, fun city to explore on foot and by subway. We walked the entire Freedom Trail and hiked the 275 steps to the top of the Bunker Hill Memorial. I can't think of a better way to recover from a relay race. That AP US History class I took way back as a junior in high school all came back in much more vivid detail than I could ever have imagined.

We had perfect weather and really enjoyed walking all over such a walkable city. I think we would've done about two or three other things but we just ran out of time and energy. Next time!

an anniversary..

About a year ago, I was finally and formally diagnosed with a stress fracture.

It's hard to believe it's been only a year as I honestly thought it had been longer. It's been quite a summer. Relays, trail runs and races, a return to the track recently and some fun running related travel coming up soon.

What have I learned?

Trust myself. I knew something was wrong with my shoes, orthotics and feet for a while.

Keep strong. I've been very consistent with weight training and core work and I feel very good about that. It makes me feel so much younger.

Yoga and massage. I do almost daily easy yoga of just a few minutes each day. It helps in so many ways. I really notice when I skip it because I'm too busy. Just a few minutes is all it takes. And a little easy self massage does wonders although I'll never say no to a painful and ever so useful massage with Surfer Dude Massage Therapist (now with adorable baby I can play with before a massage!).

Less is more. This applies to shoes (lighter and no stability for me now!) and to mileage. When in doubt, cut a run short and there is nothing wrong with a bike ride instead.

More boston pics are coming! We've been really busy trying to finish exterior window trim painting before the weather changes...

Boston!

Sunny afternoon on Harvard Bridge

After a very successful Reach the Beach, K and I headed to Boston. We'd both wanted to go for many years. It started off well enough when we easily found our guest house on Beacon Street in Back Bay.

We unloaded luggage and checked in and were ready to return the rental car to Logan Airport. We asked the front desk clerk how to get to the airport and were told turn ____ at the second set of lights and follow ____, it'll get you there. Neither one of us could remember which way we were supposed to turn and heard completely different street names because of that Baaaaahston accent. After much circling, a gas stop right by Fenway, a quick trip back towards New Hampshire we eventually found the airport.

Note: Do NOT rent from Thrifty and return a car to Logan Airport. In reality, the rental car return is not at Logan but they do a poor job (ok no hint) of telling you this. We were rather tired after all these shenanigans but I was happy to make it to the subway station for a ride on the "T" back to our guest house.

Seriously, I love subways. So much fun riding on them and Boston's T is no exception. You can see the neglect at work and the obvious challenge with keeping up with maintenance but it is a great system and we used it every day to get around the city easily.

We were back to our guest house in time to get out for a walk around the neighborhood, along the Charles River and Newbury Street. it was so much fun to be in a city where everyone is walking around their neighborhood.