salience
May 8, 2012
Ryan and I were only in the state of Massachusetts for a day and a half this past weekend, but we managed to cram a lot in. In addition to running the race near the NH border Saturday, we headed into Boston proper that evening after getting cleaned up. (I literally had to wash my hair three separate times once we got back to our hotel. I kid you not. There was just that much dirt, leaves, underbrush, you name it, crammed in there.)
We both watch Food Network a lot, and one of the fan favorites is a show by Guy Fieri called "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives." Ry decided we NEEDED to go to this Italian place that only seats 10 at a time in East Boston while we were there. Luckily, we were both feeling run down, so we called in a take out order an hour ahead of time. Thankfully, that turned out to be the smart call. When we got to this hole in the wall right by Logan airport, there were 34 parties waiting. Literally, the restaurant would have to completely turn over four times to meet all of the guests yet to be seated! I couldd't believe it. The food was amazing though. Rinos is no joke!
We then crossed the city so Ryan could (finally) see BC. In the five years we've been together, I have been down to UVA for various events 837 times, plus three international trips to the UK for Cambridge. Ry had only been to Boston once and had never even seen Chestnut Hill. There was an alumni recording session going on for bOp! (jazz ensemble) which I bowed out of. It wasn't even 7:30 and I was about to pass out, my body wasn't having it. But I took Ryan to the main entrance so he could walk the promenade, see the quad and look at our (tiny compared to UVA's) football stadium. I hadn't been back to campus in almost four years. A lot of construction is going on, but at the same time, barely anything has changed at all. And that's how it should be, right?
Some pictures I took while we walked. (Side note: can't believe I wasted cash on a Sony slim camera. I take virtually all of my photos on my phone now, unless it's a high action event, and I'll bring my Nikon. Amazing!)
Comm Ave entrance:
Main promenade:
Gasson from the Million Dollar Staircase, my favorite:
Quad:
B line T!
Bapst Library.
We both watch Food Network a lot, and one of the fan favorites is a show by Guy Fieri called "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives." Ry decided we NEEDED to go to this Italian place that only seats 10 at a time in East Boston while we were there. Luckily, we were both feeling run down, so we called in a take out order an hour ahead of time. Thankfully, that turned out to be the smart call. When we got to this hole in the wall right by Logan airport, there were 34 parties waiting. Literally, the restaurant would have to completely turn over four times to meet all of the guests yet to be seated! I couldd't believe it. The food was amazing though. Rinos is no joke!
We then crossed the city so Ryan could (finally) see BC. In the five years we've been together, I have been down to UVA for various events 837 times, plus three international trips to the UK for Cambridge. Ry had only been to Boston once and had never even seen Chestnut Hill. There was an alumni recording session going on for bOp! (jazz ensemble) which I bowed out of. It wasn't even 7:30 and I was about to pass out, my body wasn't having it. But I took Ryan to the main entrance so he could walk the promenade, see the quad and look at our (tiny compared to UVA's) football stadium. I hadn't been back to campus in almost four years. A lot of construction is going on, but at the same time, barely anything has changed at all. And that's how it should be, right?
Some pictures I took while we walked. (Side note: can't believe I wasted cash on a Sony slim camera. I take virtually all of my photos on my phone now, unless it's a high action event, and I'll bring my Nikon. Amazing!)
Comm Ave entrance:
Main promenade:
Gasson from the Million Dollar Staircase, my favorite:
Quad:
B line T!
Bapst Library.
A few (out of order) pictures from the zombie obstacle 5K this past weekend in Boston. We finished at the head of our heat (11AM), but unfortunately both Ry and I lost all of our flags and were considered both "bitten" and "dead". It was a lot of fun though. We were knee deep in mud for most of the course, and we were flat out sprinting through some of the obstacles. The water ones at the end hid evidence of our scrapes and scratches. Not for the faint of heart by any means!
Me before we checked our bag and headed to the start.
Welcome banner.
Shoe donation at the end.
Course medals.
Ry before we headed to the start.
Start. Check out that uphill right off the bat. It was brutal. We went in the "entree" line and were right at the front.
Hilarious signs were everywhere.
At the start. Reserve marines were the course officials.
Line to get in. We each had to sign a two page waiver. I'm sure the electrical fence crawl through after the water obstacles is probably what did it. Luckily I was only shocked twice.
Our finisher picture. We are completely soaked and covered in mud. Loved it! (I never realized how big my running jacket is on me. Guess there is something to be said for this marathon training after all.)
Close up of the "corrals" at the start.
Close up of a flag on Ry's belt. We each had three, or three bites before we were full zombies.
They weren't kidding.
All in all a great experience, although I'm not sure we would do it again. Ry isn't much of a distance runner, so he had a hard time keeping his pace up. He also hadn't really broken in his tennis shoes, so that didn't help his ankles much at all. But we'll see. It was fun to do an event with him. Usually I am running races all on my own, so it was nice to have a running buddy. Especially when that buddy just happens to be my best friend. :)
Me before we checked our bag and headed to the start.
Welcome banner.
Shoe donation at the end.
Course medals.
Ry before we headed to the start.
Start. Check out that uphill right off the bat. It was brutal. We went in the "entree" line and were right at the front.
Hilarious signs were everywhere.
At the start. Reserve marines were the course officials.
Line to get in. We each had to sign a two page waiver. I'm sure the electrical fence crawl through after the water obstacles is probably what did it. Luckily I was only shocked twice.
Our finisher picture. We are completely soaked and covered in mud. Loved it! (I never realized how big my running jacket is on me. Guess there is something to be said for this marathon training after all.)
Close up of the "corrals" at the start.
Close up of a flag on Ry's belt. We each had three, or three bites before we were full zombies.
They weren't kidding.
All in all a great experience, although I'm not sure we would do it again. Ry isn't much of a distance runner, so he had a hard time keeping his pace up. He also hadn't really broken in his tennis shoes, so that didn't help his ankles much at all. But we'll see. It was fun to do an event with him. Usually I am running races all on my own, so it was nice to have a running buddy. Especially when that buddy just happens to be my best friend. :)
May 3, 2012
What a busy spring, hard to believe it's May already!
Nothing too new to report. Training for the marathon is still in full swing. I've run 7 races with NYRR, only 2 more to go to qualify for the ING Marathon 2013, which I should clear this month. First up is a four mile race in a couple of weeks and then the Brooklyn Half Marathon shortly thereafter. Work continues in the same vein, and we're gearing up for my last season with Columbia Summer Winds. I officially resigned from the board at the last meeting and will officially be done after our August 18th concert (our final one of the season).
Last weekend we went down to Virginia for Foxfield Races. We hadn't been in three years, since 2009! Ryan was abroad at Cambridge in 2010 and last year he and I were getting married. Crazy how time flies. Ry's good friend from high school/college hosted all of us in his tent on a four plot series. It was pretty cold and rainy, but we had a great time nevertheless. All of us, the UVA crew, hadn't been in the same place since the wedding, so that was a nice change of pace. Looking around, it was hard to believe how comfortable I feel with these people now. It's been 5 years and so many events. So many memories.
Later that night, on our way back to Manassas from Charlottesville, we stopped at Ryan's cousin's Andy's place in Catlett. Andy and Ryan are second cousins, but grew up together. He and his wife Katie, and their two daughters, are great people. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. I wish we could see more of them. It was fun to get the tour of their house, including their backyard. To raise additional cash, they have chickens for eggs, pitbulls they rescued from a breeder who went out of business, and they've recently started breeding miniature pigs. Words cannot describe how awesome their menagerie is in person. I loved every minute of it. Hopefully we can get them up to nyc for a visit soon. Just sitting in their living room and watching the general chaos of neighbors and neighbors' kids passing through really took me back to growing up in the Suarez house. Everyone vying for attention, screaming over each other, wanting to be heard.
This weekend we are headed up to Boston for the Run For Your Lives zombie race. This is a 5K obstacle course we got into for free after being turned away from the MD race. The MD race was the first ever event I heard about through running friends here in the city. Runners are given flag football belts to symbolize health. Volunteers in full zombie make up and costume chase after you, trying to get your flags as you pass through 3 miles of obstacles. Once all your flags are gone, you are considered a zombie, unless you have flags intact, and you are then a survivor. The turnout for the MD race was quadruple what was expected. Our car got stuck in the mud when we tried to park, leading to us asking for help from other runners to move it, which led to us missing our shuttle to make our heat in time. Add to that the fact that there was a water obstacle with a steep mud bank after, so 8,000 runners in, it was a very slippery, dangerous area. As we were headed to the race, we were told the course was closed due to a few of the runners sustaining serious injuries. Right at that moment, ambulances came barreling down the street to head to the race site. Hopefully the Boston race will be better organized, as this the third of the series. The second race was held in Atlanta last month. I'm looking forward to it. The only event where Ryan will voluntarily run with me is one where he will be chased by zombies. He is a horror fanatic, so this is a dream come true for him. :)
Nothing too new to report. Training for the marathon is still in full swing. I've run 7 races with NYRR, only 2 more to go to qualify for the ING Marathon 2013, which I should clear this month. First up is a four mile race in a couple of weeks and then the Brooklyn Half Marathon shortly thereafter. Work continues in the same vein, and we're gearing up for my last season with Columbia Summer Winds. I officially resigned from the board at the last meeting and will officially be done after our August 18th concert (our final one of the season).
Last weekend we went down to Virginia for Foxfield Races. We hadn't been in three years, since 2009! Ryan was abroad at Cambridge in 2010 and last year he and I were getting married. Crazy how time flies. Ry's good friend from high school/college hosted all of us in his tent on a four plot series. It was pretty cold and rainy, but we had a great time nevertheless. All of us, the UVA crew, hadn't been in the same place since the wedding, so that was a nice change of pace. Looking around, it was hard to believe how comfortable I feel with these people now. It's been 5 years and so many events. So many memories.
Later that night, on our way back to Manassas from Charlottesville, we stopped at Ryan's cousin's Andy's place in Catlett. Andy and Ryan are second cousins, but grew up together. He and his wife Katie, and their two daughters, are great people. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. I wish we could see more of them. It was fun to get the tour of their house, including their backyard. To raise additional cash, they have chickens for eggs, pitbulls they rescued from a breeder who went out of business, and they've recently started breeding miniature pigs. Words cannot describe how awesome their menagerie is in person. I loved every minute of it. Hopefully we can get them up to nyc for a visit soon. Just sitting in their living room and watching the general chaos of neighbors and neighbors' kids passing through really took me back to growing up in the Suarez house. Everyone vying for attention, screaming over each other, wanting to be heard.
This weekend we are headed up to Boston for the Run For Your Lives zombie race. This is a 5K obstacle course we got into for free after being turned away from the MD race. The MD race was the first ever event I heard about through running friends here in the city. Runners are given flag football belts to symbolize health. Volunteers in full zombie make up and costume chase after you, trying to get your flags as you pass through 3 miles of obstacles. Once all your flags are gone, you are considered a zombie, unless you have flags intact, and you are then a survivor. The turnout for the MD race was quadruple what was expected. Our car got stuck in the mud when we tried to park, leading to us asking for help from other runners to move it, which led to us missing our shuttle to make our heat in time. Add to that the fact that there was a water obstacle with a steep mud bank after, so 8,000 runners in, it was a very slippery, dangerous area. As we were headed to the race, we were told the course was closed due to a few of the runners sustaining serious injuries. Right at that moment, ambulances came barreling down the street to head to the race site. Hopefully the Boston race will be better organized, as this the third of the series. The second race was held in Atlanta last month. I'm looking forward to it. The only event where Ryan will voluntarily run with me is one where he will be chased by zombies. He is a horror fanatic, so this is a dream come true for him. :)
