Tag Archives: Fly to Pie Kingdom Half

Fly to Pie Half Marathon Race Recap…Halfway Mark Reached….Vermont Style

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Happy Sunday Everyone!!  Nothing like a three-day weekend, right?  If you are enjoying one, then good for you.  I’m back and rested from my fourth half marathon ~ Fly to Pie in Newport, Vermont.  This is a great milestone for me because I am now halfway there!  I only have 5651.43 miles left to go.  When I say I’m halfway there I laugh and think of the movie Dumb and Dumber.  Do you remember the scene where Jim Carrey is trying to win the affection of Mary.  She tells the character there’s a one and a million chance that they will be together and he replies “So you’re telling me there’s a chance”!

Ha!  Meaning there’s such a long way to go ~ but my determination and positivity is on point!

Fly to Pie Race Recap

~ The registration

This was positively the most frustrating and strange race I have competed.  As you remember from previous posts, this race was advertised on Active.com.  I have always wanted to see New England and I was excited to give Vermont a try.  From the beginning everything was difficult.  The website, the registration, trying to get information on packet pick up,  and where exactly was the race starting etc.  I was constantly calling and emailing the closer I got to the race date.  The person who was in charge was waaaayyyy too laid back for this girl.  Called a couple of times for him only to tell me he was busy with the swim event at the moment and would get back to me as soon as he could.  Well, that never happened and I found myself packing and setting out for Vermont with a mere start line address and nothing else.  But as you know, that’s how I roll.

~ The drive up   

I love dragging my friends with me to these events.  The way I look at it, hey I’m going to run this thing…then we can have fun!  I took my friend Rajni Anderson and it was truly a girls trip!  We got a late start on Friday night and ended up staying in Delaware the first night.  Sign in  (uh huh) was to take place on Saturday 9 – 5 at the Newport airport.  I knew I was not going to make the time.  Normally, I would have been really stressed about this, but for some strange reason I wasn’t.  I think everything was already crazy enough that I decided if I didn’t find the start line ~ I would make my own start line ~ somewhere somehow.  The drive up was great once we got past NYC.  The leaves slowly started to change into the brilliant Autumn colors.  When we finally got to the state of Vermont that’s when we really started to see the Fall foliage.  The countryside of Vermont is absolutely beautiful.  Rolling hills, streams, rocky edges and farms dotted the countryside.  I even saw a black bear!  It was on the side of the road (not dead) but just mulling around.  At first I didn’t know what I was seeing!  You get used to the usually stuff like deer etc., but a bear!  It was very, very cool.

We rolled into Newport around 5:30.  I decided to make reservations at a Bed and Breakfast suggested on the race site called the Little Gnesta.  Little Gnesta  It was a cute B&B run by a super lady named Ruth.  I really liked Ruth.  She was a transplant from Ohio and about 67 years old.  We had conversations about politics and every day things.  She knew the person who was in charge of the race and actually called him to let him know I was here and to expect me tomorrow morning.  Ruth ows two houses that are B&Bs.  When I asked her how she liked running them she said she liked it but she didn’t want to do it for this rest of her life.  She said she wanted to sell one and then go traveling.  She had a lot of stuff to still to do ~ I love it.  There is no better thing to hear a 67-year-old say, yeah this is great but there’s still more to do!  Newport is a small town.  It’s funny because I always thought of Vermont being populated by  wealthy people, ski lodges and cute second homes dotting the countryside.  Although there is some of that, the realism is Vermont only has about 650,000 people in the whole state and there is a lot of poverty and mostly dairy-farming.  It’s funny how we think certain places are by things we hear or what we may see on the Hallmark channel.

Here are some pics of Newport I took:

Our room in the Little Gnesta

 

Flowers at the dock.

Boats on the Lake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~  The Race

The race started at 9:00 am.  That alone should tell you all you need to know.  I will say, it was nice to have a race start at a decent time.  Here was my race kit:

Bought a whole new much-needed kit.

The new outfit I bought was great, but it was a little chilly for me and I had to opt for a long sleeve shirt instead of the cute sleeveless one.

The race was to begin at the Newport International Airport.  For the life of me I can’t imagine what plane internationally would be landing there.  It was a normal community sized airport.  But hey, what do I know.  I showed up at about 8:15, signed in, got my number (407) and my t-shirt.  I was really hoping I would have the number 409 ~ get it?  So, you are probably wondering, what is Fly to Pie.  What that means is we were running to a restaurant called Parker Pie. At the end was beer and pizza.  The perfect ending for any race.

There were three races.  A half marathon at 13.5.  Yes, I know:/….but that’s what it was.  I’m ending a sentence in a preposition ~ I totally hate that:)  There was a 17 mile and a full marathon.  No more than 50 people participating and 20% proceeds going to Halo Foundation ~ Cancer help and research.  Hmmm, but if you think of it ~ whose saying yeah I’m going to Vermont to run a marathon.  Well there is a big one in Burlington ~ but unfortunately I missed that date.  Since this race was like literally on the down low ~  I wondered how well it was supported.  I soon got my answer.  From the race head ~ “Hey everybody, we had tables of water and snacks every two miles but some of the tables got stolen last night”.  Ooookaaay.  The I turned and there was this bright cheery youngster and I asked the most important question of all.  Are there portos on the route.  She looked at me and said “hmmm, I think there’s one at Irasburg at the halfway mark, but I’m not sure.  But don’t worry, there’s plenty of woods around – just go in the woods – that’s what we all do”.  Hey, thanks for that…really.  Then she proceeds to tell me that the course may not be marked properly and that I’m probably not running as fast as I think I am.

Hey this one has a peace sign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ And we’re off!

So we begin…just the 50 of us…running down a gravel path…off into well, somewhere in Vermont.  My iPod Nano broke just before my race.  I was bummed when I found out they didn’t make the Nano anymore and I would have to use my iPhone.  I have an older version so it’s not that big.  I can’t imagine running with an iPhone 10!  It’s like a brick.  I started off fine.  Two miles in was this:

Again, this pretty much tells you all you need to know about the course.  Gravel roads and lots of hills.  The person in the photo was Gwen.  Gwen was celebrating her 50th birthday, so you know I couldn’t let her beat me…and I didn’t.  Yeah, I know…I’m a bit competitive at times.  I’m telling you, if a bear would have come out of the woods and chewed my arms off…by cracky I was going to beat Gwen:

About at mile four is when I realized two things…I was alone and I was running past the biggest pile of cow manure I’ve ever seen.  I mean it was about three stories high with what seemed like tires on top to keep it from disintegrating.  And the smell.  I’ll share a little secret, I love the country smell, i.e. cow patties.  There is something wholesome about that smell.  But this, was a pungent acrid smell.  As I was running past Mount Shitmore, it didn’t help that trucks were speeding by, kicking up dust and well…cow poop and I was getting dusted with a nice sheen of stank!

Around mile 5 I had to go to the bathroom.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a tree that spoke to me so I kept on running.  Finally at mile marker six I made it to Irasburg, the halfway mark, and I saw the lone porto potty in the distance.  Yay, I don’t have to go in the woods!  As I arrived there were three race support ladies standing by the porto potty.  They ominously looked like the three Fates from Greek mythology:

One was telling me to use the bathroom, the other asking if I wanted a Nutrigrain™ bar and the other wishing me good luck.  Hmmm….thanks ladies but I’ll use the porto and be on my way.

Ahhh…nothing like being halfway through….Doh!  Mile 9, I have to p….use the bathroom.  Dang you 50s!  Luckily I was able to make it to Parker Pie with no wood adventures.  I arrived at the restaurant and didn’t see my friend there…no worries I’ll just call her on this handy cellphone.  Hmmm…for some reason it wouldn’t go through.  I go into the restaurant that had wifi and asked about the cellphone.  The waitress says – Oh we don’t have no cellphone connection up here”.  Drop.the.mic.babe.   There I was with no way to contact my friend, no pizza (because everyone ate it) and no money for beer.  Literally the trifecta of hell.    No cellphone, pizza or beer?  Oh heck no!  So, I resorted to what any red-blooded American would do ~ I got on Facebook and posted to Rajni’s page that – Momma was ready.  Apparently, there were awards afterwords, of which I didn’t stay for….I smoked the newly minted 50-year-old and that’s all the award I needed.  I found my friend and back to the B&B.

Finished! No bling:( Picture by my Subie…so Vermont.

~ After the Race

We went and had some lunch at a little cafe in town:

Yes, that’s a Vermont beer. Don’t judge!

I love the race part but exploring my surroundings is just as exciting.  I went back to the B&B to clean up and we were off to explore the area.  Newport is very close to Magog, Canada.  Magog, is a quaint town in Quebec with a lovely main street about 30 miles from Newport.  It was interesting to hear everyone speaking French.  We did some shopping and ate at the restaurant called La Table.

My bun was a little burnt, but it was sooooo good.

Beet salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we were off to Burlington.  Some sites along the way:

Covered bridge still in use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Burlington

Burlington is a great city to visit.  The University of Vermont is there and the city is vibrant with places to shop and eat.  A few pics:

Ruin stacking

The main street

Lake Champlain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poutine – Canadian dish of fries, gravy, and cheese curds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, a great experience.  I have completed 5663.57 miles in my journey.  I believe that every day we have on this earth is a gift, a chance to experience God’s greatness, peace, love, and joy.  It’s not always roses and butterflies, but we have the ability to make it fulfilling and good while we are here.  I am reminded of the reason I am compiling these miles, for my sweet mother Karen Ellen Dennis Mastromonico who died at age 31.  I can only hope that she is with me on this journey, experiencing these places she never had a chance to visit.  Maybe somehow through her spirit, she is with me in some capacity.  At least I hope.  I am halfway through.  I look forward to the next half.  I hope this post finds you with the excitement of living a new day as we approach a new season.   Life is short ~ be fearless ~ be strong ~ be present.  Happy Miles to You!!

I think this song sums up my Vermont run!  Only way to listen….Turn.It.Up.:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont Run Fun

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I’m busy packing for my road trip to Vermont tomorrow.  I sorta kinda waited until the last day, but it’s not like I’m going for a week so I don’t need that much to pack.  The most important items are my running gear!  Nothing says run fun like a brand new outfit too.  I think I could live at Dick’s and REI.  I went down to Dick’s and was only going in for a new running shirt.  Well, I’m happy to say I came out with a running shirt, a shirt and a new sports bra (much needed).  Oh and socks!  Don’t forget the socks. (again much needed)  The shirt and sports bra are from Under Armour™.  Loving both, but I just checked the forecast and it might be a little chilly ~ 54/39 at the start time on Sunday ~ so that shirt that is slit on the side and sleeveless might not happen.  I bought the leggings a few weeks earlier.

 

I warm up pretty quick when I’m running so we’ll just have to see what the final outfit will be on running day.  A full day of work tomorrow and an early morning wake up.  It’s going to be a long day.  I plan to blog while I’m on the road and you can always catch me on Instagram!  Making the second half the better half!  Happy Miles to You!!

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 17 – 23 September….I’m Only Happy When It Rains

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Hello everyone and Happy Sunday!

Can we all just say it?  It’s taper time baby!!!

T – A – P – E – R…such a lovely word.  It means that the hard training for an upcoming run is through and it’s time to slow down, listen to the body and reflect about the upcoming race.  Okay, maybe that’s just a bit too Zen..but it sure sounds good.

Event status update:

I finally heard back, but to be honest all I have to go on is, yes you’re registered and more information will be coming.  Hmmmm…. I mean the organizer has been nice an all, but could this be any more laid back?  Maybe this is how they do things in the “Kingdom” as they say.  I was told that I could sign in and pick up a T-Shirt on Saturday…uh okay.  Where?  No address.  I mean ~ throw me a bone man.  Grid coordinate?  Smoke signal?  Anything.  Map?  The last words were, “if you need anything give me a holler”.  I know where the race is starting and the time and that’s about it for now.  Don’t you just love surprises?  I mean, truly this will be one for the books I’m sure!

The temps at the beginning of the week were fairly hot and dry.  Towards the end of the week I could feel Fall just trying to take hold.  I don’t know about you, but I love the changing of the seasons.  There is something to celebrate about each one.

I did a 3 and 5 mile run during the week and decided to complete my long run on Sunday.  Of course during the week it was nice and dry and today, well….it was raining.  The temperature was 60 when I got to the trail, but the rain!  It wasn’t a sprinkle either, it was squishy shoe running weather.  Do I have any rainy day runners out there?  I love running in the rain.  I could have taken it inside, but the bottom line is the weather for the half might be rainy as well and what better way to train, then real time.   Sometimes you just got to do it.

I didn’t get out to the trail until 10 am this morning and much to my delight there weren’t any runners.  I had the trail to myself, at least for a while.  A few cyclists and a couple of runners.  The big disappointment was the iPod wasn’t working!  I know there are people who never run with music.  They say it will mess with your cadence.  I know this is true!  Sometimes when a fast song comes on I speed up!  I have tried to run without music, but I find it’s just more enjoyable for me to run with music.  I was ready to go and the darn thing seems to have crapped out!  Yikes!  I was really disappointed.  Not only was I going to run the whole 10 miles in the rain, but without music too!  Crikey!  The first five miles were decent feeling miles.  No pain and a good even flow.  There is this wooden plank bridge around mile 2.5 that crosses a marshy area.  It was spooky with the rain and being alone.  I won’t lie, I was looking around making sure there weren’t any “creatures” hiding in the swamp!  Maybe alligators.  I just looked it up…they say some people have seen them here in Virginia, could be climate change.  You’re Googling right now aren’t you?  Hey, you never know.  My last five miles weren’t too bad.  A little bit of touch and go but over all decent.   My pace for this run was 11:43.  Not bad and I will do better.  Just think The Little Engine that Could!  I think I can, I think I can.  I did pick up new water belt (Nathan™) that was much lighter then my old one.  I’m not into carrying my water bottle in my hand.

Some photos:

New water belt

 

Muddy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garmin results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m ready for my next run on 30 September.  I am almost at my halfway point with 19.17 miles left.  I have finished 5638.33 miles in my quest with 5676.67 graciously awaiting.  I like the word quest.  It’s so, Knights of the Round Table sounding.  I hope this post finds you with Fall in your heart ~ brilliant colors of red, brown and orange dancing around and filling up your senses.  Happy Miles to You!!

Although a little dark, this song sums up today’s run nicely!  “I’m Only Happy When It Rains”…

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 10 – 16 Sept…Almost Halfway There….

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Happy Sunday Everyone!  Can you believe that September is almost halfway done?  Do you think that time goes by faster as we age?  I’m not sure about that one.  You’ll have to chime in and tell me what you think.

First, let me say how lucky we are in Alexandria that we didn’t get any residual fall out from hurricane Florence.  My thoughts and prayers go out to those that were directly affected in the Carolinas.  My home is Aiken, SC so the outcome of the storm is near and dear to my heart.  My sister and her family live in Charleston, SC and they had to come inland to stay with my parents.  I am grateful they are safe.  If you had anyone impacted by hurricane Florence, I hope they are well.

This weeks training continues on as I prepare for the Kingdom Half Marathon in Newport, VT.  It has been a bit frustrating trying to get information from the promoters.  One thing is for certain, this isn’t like any race I’ve done before.  After many calls and emails I finally heard something back from the organizer.  At least I know it’s still a go, but not a whole lot more.  It’s very laid back which can have it’s good points but then it’s frustrations too.  I feel like I’m an episode of Wayne’s World….Dude…where’s the race???

Fabulous!!!

Hey, I plan to be at the start line 0900 hours.  I shouldn’t be so surprised by this…I’m the type of person that would put a map on the wall and throw a dart.  Wherever it lands, hey that’s the next adventure.

The unexpected semi~injury of the week took place not on the road or trail but coming out of the DC metro on my way to work.  I get off at the National Archives stop (because I work at the National Archives!) and often the escalators are not working.  I tend to gravitate to the escalator that’s not working for two reasons; 1) you get a mini workout climbing the stairs and 2) it’s less crowded ~ no one wants to take the broken escalator.  There I was climbing the stairs and I was killing it …then about 3/4 of the way up I fell.  I mean I really fell.  I’m glad I was able to break my fall with my hands.  It hurt too ~ I landed on my shin bones.  One leg was bleeding.  It hurt.  There was a guy behind me and his eyes were just so wide!  Lol!  He just stared and asked if I was okay.  Truth be told, I was more worried about my hands touching the escalator stairs then the bruises and bleeding I incurred.  I picked myself back up and just kept going.  Yeah…you’re going to have those days, but I’m okay.

I continue to be on a vegetarian diet.  I make it sound like it’s a quest…I guess it is to some extent.  It’s only been a little over two weeks.  I wanted to see how I would perform physically.  So far, I do feel lighter.  I’m not craving anything ~ although I was thinking of turkey legs on my long run.

This weeks miles came to a total of 10.93 with my long run of 6 miles on Saturday.  It was a decent run with the last three miles being touch and go, meaning the last three contained a bit of walking.  My pace was 11:48.  Not pleased, but I continue to strive to be better.   I have completed 5619.67 with 5695.33 miles gratefully remaining.  I am 37.83 shy of my halfway mark.  I hope this post finds you with much joy in your heart.

Meet me halfway:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 3 – 9 September…Kingdom Run Half Marathon Training

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Happy Sunday everyone!  I took a little break from blogging and a rest week before I started training for my half marathon in Vermont at the end of September.  I feel good and am ready to move forward.  I used to not rest too much after I completed an event, but now I do try to take at least a week.  Maybe because I’m getting older!  Lol ~ who knows.

The Quantico 12K was a good race to get me ready for another half.  This will be my fourth half marathon.  It would seem like I should have a few more under my belt, but I complete a lot of miles that aren’t really attributed to events.  It’s all about the journey.  Races are fun no doubt, but it’s not just about the races.

The body is feeling pretty good.  I have a few pains and aches, but nothing like I was experiencing before.  It seems sticking with the right style of shoe was the key and the after care of my legs by foam rolling and icing.  There is always overuse issues, but the right gear is imperative.  I look forward to staying with that trend.

I’m excited for this next challenge in Vermont.  I have never been to the area and have always wanted to explore.  I have a few frustrations with the administrative handling of it though.  I found the race through active.com and from there signed up through the race website.  I signed up and paid, but never received a notice for registration.  I had to email the race promoter to confirm my registration.  I was told that as soon as they were done with the triathlon they were running emails would be sent out.  I was confirmed with the registration, but I still haven’t received any packet pick up information.  The race is on 30 September soooo…you know I would like to have everything tied up!  I’ll give them one more week.

The weather here has been a little erratic with extreme heat than storms.  I wanted to do some cycling, but had to take that indoors because of the rain.  I did get some decent mileage in with a combination of running outside and on the treadmill and some indoor cycling.  I will probably see more indoor running as tropical storm Florence makes its way to the coast.  The total of that mileage came to 19.93 for the week.  I am 48.76 to my halfway point.  It’s bittersweet to say the least.  A lot of sweat, effort and tears.  I have 5706.26 miles gratefully remaining in my journey.  Happy Miles to You!!

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
― Kahlil Gibran

Not sure if you’ve ever heard of Yebba Smith.  She’s not well-known, but I really like her sound.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 13 – 19 August…Ready for the Quantico 12K

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Hello everyone and Happy Sunday to you!!

My training for the Quantico 12K on 25 August is going fairly well.  The pain I have been experiencing is mellowing a bit and I continue to keep moving forward to this next mileage goal.  This week’s training wasn’t bad at all.  I started out with 3.5 on the treadmill and then went to the Mt. Vernon trail twice this week – once for some speed work and then my long run.  Wednesday was a long work day.  I taught yoga for the first time during lunch and I had a function in the evening which threw my training days off a bit, so this week’s long run took place on Sunday instead of my Saturday. The temperatures cooled off a bit, but it was still humid.  The kind of humidity that you’re good for the first couple of miles then it becomes a sweat fest.  At least for me.

This upcoming Saturday is the Quantico 12K.  I received an email during the week informing me about packet pick up.  Unfortunately, they say to pick up your packet on Friday ~ with closing time being around 7 pm.  Quantico is about 23 miles from where I live in Alexandria.  It seems fairly harmless until you add in DC traffic on a Friday.  The website had a caveat that packets should be picked up that Friday as they can’t ensure you will get yours the morning of…great.  I don’t know.  I’m seriously hedging my bets to pick it up that morning.  The race doesn’t start until 7:25, so we’ll see…..  I’d hate to have to drive all the way out there after work then drive back.  It just seems like a pain in the you know where!

Yoga class at the National Archives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the site about the 12k course:

Course

Runners will begin the 7.45 mile journey at 7:25 a.m., on Elrod Road parallel to the Parade Deck near the bleachers. The Quantico 12K will head south before making a right turn on Engineer Road and entering the OCS trails. Terrain will switch from paved streets to gravely paths. The 12K begins a 140 foot climb to its maximum elevation of 219 feet starting at the half mile mark and leveling off 1.5 miles into the run. Making a left onto Iwo Jima Trail runners will reach the first of three water points on the course just before mile 2. A slight downhill from Mile 3 to 4.5 features a 70 foot elevation drop before another short climb. The second water point is located near mile 4 at scenic Buffalo Pond, the furthest point in the course. From this location, runners will follow Engineer Road and begin to overlap with the run portion of the Quantico Tri and include the final water point as part of a two mile downhill. The course makes a left as runners pass the OCS Obstacle Course, before making two quick right turns on the way to the finish line located on the grassy PT field.

 

So, there you have it…that’s what I will be doing next Saturday morning.  I’m excited because this is the first event I am participating since moving to Virginia.

This week’s long run was uneventful and okay.  If I must be honest, my heart wasn’t 100% in it today.  I was a bit tired and just seemed to lose gas after three miles.  There were a lot of stops and starts, but I still made my goal.  Mentally, I just didn’t will myself to get it done like I wanted to.  But, I still pulled 5.10 this morning.  My pace was an average of 11:45.

As I approach my halfway point in my journey I have signed up for another event in September to celebrate.  I have always wanted to go to Vermont, so on 30 September I will run the “Fly to Pie ~ Kingdom half”.  The tag line says “doin’ the dirt”.  Anytime there is “dirt” in the title….it’s bound to be fun (sic).

A few fun photos from today’s run:

I love the entrance to the trail.

Hmmm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I remain grateful in my journey.  It’s easy to get frustrated and lose focus on the end result ~ but still I continue on.  I have 84.54 miles left until the halfway mark and 5742.04 remaining in my journey.  I hope this post finds you well, continuing on and loving every minute.

Listened to this today on my run…just throwing it out to the universe…