Gorgeous weather. Running with friends. Marylou’s Almond Joy iced coffee. Beer tasting. Hawaiian pizza. I’m not sure today could get any better.
My morning started with my usual pre-long run (and race day) breakfast: peanut butter and banana on a whole wheat Sandwich Thin with a glass of iced coffee with soy milk. This breakfast never lets me down.
After breakfast, Mal and I drove to Southie to meet our running group for a 9-mile run:
āĀ¦ from the store – up D street – past the Common – cross
over to the Charles – turn left – follow the Charles to Mass Ave – turn right – go over
the Mass Ave bridge – turn right – run towards the Museum of Science –
turn right – follow the Charles – back to the common – follow the same route
back to the store.Ā
Confused? Here’s the full mapĀ of today’s running route.
Typically, I’m a solo runner. I enjoyĀ running alone, but, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to run with other people– mostly because all of my running buddies live far away. But, this morning, I ran with Nick and Ashley, who pushed me to keep a faster-than-usual pace for the entire 9-mile route.
I’m surprised how much I enjoyed running with other people. I can already tell that running with these two will make me a better runner. Running with them encourages me to keep trucking along when I want to slow my pace or stop to rest. I know I can keep up with them, so I push myself to do so and run faster as a result.
Around mile 5, we stopped to refuel. I ate some Gu Chomps. We also stopped for water around mile 7.
I finished 9.25 miles in 1:22:40, which is an average pace of 8:56. I’m getting faster!
- Mile 1: 9:34
- Mile 2: 8:38
- Mile 3: 8:56
- Mile 4: 9:04
- Mile 5: 8:46
- Mile 6: 8:47
- Mile 7: 9:17
- Mile 8: 8:46
- Mile 9: 8:38
After our run, we stretched and chatted for awhile about running and upcoming races. Then, Mal and I decided to reward ourselves with No Stopping Monday shirts! We’ve both wanted one for weeks now, so we finally splurged. Maybe someday we’ll both run the Boston Marathon. Never say never!
Mal and I said goodbye to our running group and then headed straight to Marylou’s for iced coffee. It was recently āVolunteer Appreciation WeekāĀ at Back on My Feet, so they gave me a gift card to Marylou’s. Sweet!
I ordered an Almond Joy iced coffee at Marylou’s and enjoyed it while icing my bum knee on the couch and watching the Real Housewives of New York City.
I also ate a piece of leftover buffalo chicken quesadilla from last night’s dinner.
Once I iced, ate, and showered, Mal and I headed to the Annual Spring Grand Beer Tasting at Curtis Liquors. The complimentary event featured a ton of fabulous brews, including Troegs, Cisco, Innis & Gunn, Dogfish Head, Crooked Line, Victory, Haverhill, Sam Adams, Ayinger, Shipyard, Duvel, Blue Hills, Longtrail, Southern Tier, Clipper City, Sierra Nevada, Weihenstephaner, Wachusett, Mayflower, Brewery Van Steenberge, Chang, Samuel Smith, and many more.
It was awesomeāā and totally packed!!!
My favorites from the tasting:
My favorite beer of the day was the Trogenator, which I bought as a six-pack to enjoy at home.
Now, Mal and I are eating Hawaiian pizza with Dave and watching the Bruins game. Well, the guys are watching the game, and I’m blogging.
Hope you are having a wonderful Saturday!
80 Comments
Looks like a fun weekend! Glad you are finally having some sunny days in Boston!
DH and I live near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – where Troeg’s brewery is. š
Hubs recently went on their brewery tour and taste, and came home with a CASE of Troegenator! LOL
He had a few too many his first time out of the corral – it has like 9.5% acohol in it! – and hasn’t been back for more yet. Poor guy. š
I know exactly the route that you described and I love it! Can’t beat the Charles on a sunny day. I would always start from BU Beach, run down to river street, cross and follow the Charles down the Museum of Science and loop around to BU again.
That’s a beautiful skyline photo up top!
I’m hitting up a beer festival next weekend and can’t wait. I’m going to have to look for some Troeg around here! I haven’t seen it.
That does sound like the perfect Saturday!
Running with others is a great change after running solo all the time! My husband came with me on my 17-miler today. (He rode his bike.) It was so nice to have the company!
That really is the best day ever!! GREAT RUN!!! It is amazing how much it helps to run with other people….I am too prideful to slow down ha. You look GORGEOUS and I need some of that pizza!
Sounds like such a fun run! And the views look reaaallly puurty. I agree, running with other people helps you push your pace beyond and above – love it! I want some pizzzaaa š
Sounds like an incredible Saturday! I’ve been craving pizza lately. Now I really want it. Have a great evening Tina.
Awesome job on the run! I’ve only run with others a few times, but it always pushes me to go faster too!
Enjoy your night. š
Wow it looks like a beautiful day! It’s really nice here in Michigan too actually.
Your day sounds so fun, and the buffalo quesadilla you were eating looks delicious! I can’t wait to hear the recipe š
That does sound like a really good day! I have never run with a running club. There is one that meets really close to me, but I’m hesitant because I love running alone. I guess having people to challenge you helps though.
I have that water bottle!
pizza and beer! A perfect saturday!
I rarely run with other people, but really enjoy it when I do!
Yummm….pizza sounds so delicious right about now! I ran 20 miles this morning, so I can totally eat whatever my little heart desires, right?!
Looks like a perfect Saturday!
That first picture is amazing!! Sounds like my kind of day, too!
Congrats on the long run!!!!! Sounds like an awesome day! Beautiful pictures too š
I’m glad to see you enjoy watching a little bit of trash T.V. on the weekends after working so hard all week. Me too, me too!
I’m glad to see you enjoy watching a little bit of trash T.V. on the weekends after working so hard all week. Me too, me too! I’ve really enjoyed reading your new book this weekend!
Almond joy iced coffee? WHOA it just sounds amazinggg! It looks like you had quite the day š
I like your No Stopping Monday shirt. That pizza looks delish: so crispy and doughy. Where is it from? (I live in Boston.)
My husband LOVES Troegs! The brewery is 45 minutes from our house. We went on a tour a few years ago and it was awesome!
Looks like a great day to me! I love that you MIGHT run Boston one day — does Mal not hate running anymore?
How’d you get stuck with the guys. Were’s Marie?
Wow, sounds like a fun day! I would be all over that beer tasting, it’s such a great way to find new beers.
The bf and I had that at Sippin’ by the River in Philly! I was a fan. š
i love your blog, been reading it for awhile, not sure if i have commented before or not. But reading about you guys watching the Bruins,i had to. I am from Philly and a huge Philly (all sports) fan, so obviously i am not happy about tonights outcome! Hopefully the series ends like it did last year…….biggest comeback in sports history!
Gorgeous day!! And everything else makes it a perfect summer day- relaxing and full of pizza. š
That is a perfect day! I had quite the perfect Saturday too!
That does sound like a great day! I too never thought I’d like Runnin with people but I actually love it now! It definitely is a way to improve!
i love a great saturday. i had one too!
Glad you had a great day!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend š
what a stellar day!!
Almond Joy iced coffee –oh boy that sounds delish!
Take care of that knee. And nothing better than some RHW’s (I love my Bravo tv on my DVR) to just chill out with!
Looks like a great day indeed…mine involved lots of food and girl time….finished by some delicious fro yo!
How completely wonderful. Here’s to many, many more glorious days! (The nice weather helps, doesn’t it!!)
WOW-does sound like a great day! I too had a fab DAY-celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary š
What a fun day! I love going to brewfests and/or beer tastings. The last one I went to had too many IPA’s though which I am not a fan of.
Days like this make me miss Boston! A lot more so than, say, a gray, icy day in February, lol!
We had gorgeous weather here. I taught my pilates class in the morning, stopped for an iced coffee, then went home and fell asleep for 2 hours.
Guess I’m not fully over the cold I’ve had all week.
I did get out to walk the dog, then the kids and I watched “Doctor Who.” Not a bad day, all in all. (Especially as Hubby vacuumed the house!
nothin’ better to end the night than beer and pizza…sounds like a fabulous dinner!
I always thought I preferred running solo but after a run with a friend a few weeks ago, I realised I was wrong. Especially when the runners wall kicks in, having someone next to you helps you push through it until the adrenaline kicks in again! Nice job on the time!
Great running route! When I was training for my very first marathon–the Chicago Marathon–I used to do all of my long runs in Southie where my boyfriend lived. I’d run this loop x3 for about 18 miles: start at Castle Island and run all the way down and around UMass Boston, past the JFK Museum and back up (approximately 6 miles). I ran the Boston Marathon last year and if you ever do run it, I highly recommend finding some major hills to train on, the pancake flat Southie loop or the Boston Common–> Mass Ave–>Memorial Drive one wouldn’t help that much. Now that I live in Charlottesville, VA I wish I could find a flat route!! š
Congrats with your nice run! It’s fun to know if you’re getting faster!
Aha I saw some belgian trapiste on your picture! š It’sa great beer but a lil heavy š
Sounds like a fun day! I’m usually a solo runner too, but when I do get a chance to run with others (especially those who are faster) I definitely end up pushing myself more than if I was alone!
tina,
i am actually just getting passed some runner’s knee myself, training for a marathon. i was really nervous it was going to keep getting worse and that i would have to miss too much training but what i’ve been doing seems to help. I take IB prof almost everyday for it. maybe not the best idea but it honestly helped the pain so much. I iced after each run, and then a couple times throughout the day, even on days off. I foam rolled a few times which really seemed to help, because runner’s knee can often be associated with really tight/ irritated quads or IT bands. And I’ve been trying to keep my leg straightened as much as possible. Not sure about you, but mine hurt the most after sitting for a while, but I found if I propped it up it hurt a lot less. Also I took a few days off of running when it was really bad, and added the elliptical for one of my days of running a week now. So after all that, 2-3 weeks it feels a ton better! Hope that helps!
-kate
Hey!
I was just visiting OhSheGlows and noticed the A-mazing cookies that she posted based on a recipe from your new book. The cookies look fantastic & I can’t wait to try them! YUM! Congratulations on the book! What a huge accomplishment!
Happy May Day! Have a WONDERFUL day!!!
Liz
Nice job on the faster pace. Love me some Real Housewives…beer tasting, umm, no. Hawaiian pizza…yum!
I am in the market for a running watch. Are you happy with your 305 or should I get the 405? I just want something that’s pretty simple, I hate messing with electronics…I’m not one for reading directions. š
runningtobeskinny.com
Beer Tasting! YUM!! There is nothing more I love than some down time with any of the Housewives!! Looks like you guys had a wonderful day š
I’m so intrigued/curious by the Almond Joy coffee – is it Almond flavored? Or does it taste like the Almond Joy candy bar (Coconut/Chocolate)?
If you like coconut flavor in your coffee, World Market has a Coconut/Marshmellow flavor in stores right now that is deeeelish!
@betty@runbetty.com: It tastes like an Almond Joy candy bar! š
That seems like the perfect Saturday. (Running, Coffee, Beer Tasting, Pizza)