2019 began with the winter from hell!! By this time in 2019, snow had covered the ground for almost 3 months already. I never saw the ground on my property again until April. I'm not one to be depressed, but I'll admit that the winter of 2019 did me in. Not only did I spend over 26 hours total shoveling snow off my driveway, but my running sucked. Needless to say, 2019 started off on a low point. However, it didn't stay that way. I ended up having a pretty awesome year! It ended on a sour note, but after getting from the bottom to winning my goal race of the year, I have to call 2019 a success.
High, Low and Other Stats
Needless to say the highlight of my year would obviously be the Escarpment Trail Race. This was my goal race for the year. I worked really hard from May until race day in July to get in shape for this particular race. I towed the line in the women's elite start thinking I didn't belong there. I had a goal time of finishing under 4 hours and that was it, but I was still so nervous. By mile 5, I found myself in the women's lead and held onto that for dear life. Not only did I crush my goal of a sub-4, I went sub-3:30 in 3:29:01! It was the first time a woman had broken 3:30 since 2003, and I was also one of only four women who have done it. And I was the 3rd fastest woman ever in the race's history (not time, however since the CR record holder still holds the 4 fastest times. I have the 6th fastest time)! Yes, I'm bragging a little. Haha! I finished first female and 17th overall! I was insanely happy. This one race was all needed this year!
With every high, there is also a low. Even though my year didn't start out great, I definitely have to say that this year had very few lows in racing, and most of those were early in the year as I struggled to get back in shape after time off in November/December 2018 and attempting to train for Boston at the same time. Just the winter alone had depressed me, but add in the bad races and horrible long runs and I was not a happy camper. So no surprise that my biggest low was early in the year. Eastern States 20 Mile. The first 4 miles started off great...and then my high hamstring tendon pain slowly destroyed me from there. By mile 8, I was in a lot of pain. By mile 12, I was in pure agony. Excruciating pain. I still don't know how I finished that race. It would end up being about 19 minutes slower than the last time I had run it in 2015. And that was actually one of the best races of my life. Although my low point for the year, it was also one of the most meaningful moments of my running career. This race was the turning point in my mindset that I'm never going to be as fast as I once was on the roads, and I was ok with it. It was a moment of acceptance that defined the rest of my year with a change in attitude on my approach to running and racing. And while I still had some bad races in there, I didn't let them beat me down. So I guess you could say that this low point probably led me to my high one.
 |
| Mile 10 of ES20 |
The following is according to Strava. I don't keep records otherwise. It's probably 99% accurate even it's almost all done by GPS so who knows the true exact number? But I'm not that nitpicky so I'm going with this. The only thing it doesn't show is my average weekly mileage of 40.5 miles. While this seems to be very little, my time on feet, especially in the summer is my main focus, as well as elevation gain. I obviously lost a good month with zero mileage to skew this number.
Total Races: 51 started. 49 finished. DNF at the Boston Marathon and the Friday Night Vertical Finale
Road Races: 18
Trail/Mountain: 28
Indoor/Outdoor Track: 4
Snowshoe: 1
Total Races Won: 14. 6 of these were at the Whitaker Woods Summer Series weekly races. 2 were from the Friday Night Vertical weekly races.
Prize Money Won: $875. Gone are the days of making $2000-3000, but I'm ecstatic with $875. Any prize money is great.
Injuries: High Hamstring Tendinopathy. March 2017 to Present.
Plantar Fasciitis. March 2017 to Present.
Trochanteric Bursitis. November 2019 to Present.
Sorry, I couldn't help but add this category. Haha.
January 2019
Fortunately, I was able to find things that still brought me joy through January. I tried my first uphill ski race at the Racing to the Moon Series put on by the Ski the Whites. After just starting back running in late December, I found a new sport that was really awesome and helped me get back in shape for uphill quickly. The downhill scared me from beginning to end, but I have found a new love with uphill skiing. It also gave me a chance to be social again on a weekly basis while my running racing was sporadic. I would end up making every event of the Series.
 |
| The start of my first uphill ski race (in blue/black). I ditched the backpack after this first night. Totally unnecessary. |
Foulmouthed New Year's Mile. John joined me for this one. The day was gorgeous, and we had a great time. I finished 4th woman.
Whitaker Woods Snowshoe Scramble. I vowed never to do another snowshoe race, but after volunteering at registration, I decided to jump in the race and just run fairly easy. Finished 2nd woman.
 |
| Start of Whitaker Woods. I'm in the Six03 top. |
 |
| 3000m |
 |
| Start of the 800m |
February 2019
February continued with mediocrity at the Cape Elizabeth Mid-Winter Classic 10 Mile Race. I was excited about doing this race again after 5 years off. Unfortunately, it would go terribly. I ended up in pain in the tendons and absolutely out of shape on all the hills....even the mini ones. I just had nothing. Felt awful by mile 5. My worst 10-mile race since 2010, I think.
One thing I learned after this race and ES20 was that my Topo Athletic shoes might have been the issue with the increased pain. And it's not anything specific to the Topo brand itself. It's the drop of 3mm. I've learned that anything under a 5mm drop causes more strain on my high hamstring tendons. I still use these shoes for biking, but very rarely for running. I realized that I wore these for both Hartford and Baystate in 2018 where I also had increased pain than what I had been having since July. Not a 100% the low drop is the cause, but I'm not taking anymore chances with a low drop shoe. On a positive note, my plantar fasciitis barely hurts in these shoes. Haha.
The mid-winter classic was my only road race in February, but I continued to do the weekly uphill ski races.
John took his first trip to Washington, D.C. this month. The only photo up close of him was one of him sleeping at the bus station on his way home. Haha.
The last week of February was crazy with John breaking his collarbone while skiing at Cranmore. We had to cancel our trip to Texas so he could have surgery the day before his 13th birthday. All went well, and he hardly had a bit of pain by day 2. I took him to the Red Parka for his birthday dinner.
 |
| In the ED after the accident |
 |
| Prepped for surgery |
 |
| Sign at the Red Parka that I "doctored" a little. Haha. |
I ran 3 races this month. Two 5Ks in Maine and ES20, which technically starts in Maine. I was lucky enough to come in 3rd at the Irish Road Rover 5k, winning $75, and I was 1st female at the Thirsty Lephrechaun 5k and won $100. We already know how ES20 panned out. The only of those 3 I plan to go back to in 2020 is the Irish Road Rover.
 |
| Irish Road Rover 5K |
 |
| Last Racing to the Moon Race of the season. |
April 2019
While it was supposedly Spring by this point, I still had about 2-3ft of snow at my house through almost all of April. Fortunately, the temps rose enough that we came home from our trip to Hilton Head, SC to completely bare ground. Over 6 months since I had seen dirt, and it finally happened.
The best thing to happen in all of April was our trip to Hilton Head, SC. We deserved this trip so much, and without my family it wouldn't have happened. This was our first real vacation ever, and I loved every minute of it. John and I rode bikes, ate out and swam in the ocean.
Mediocrity continued for the most part in the race department. Although I didn't know it at the time, I ran what would be the last Doyle's Emerald Necklace 5-mile race and once again ran basically the same exact time as both prior years. So sad to see this one go.
 |
| My last trip through the tunnel at Doyle's. |
 |
| Never ending beers was the best part of the post-race party. Here I am with Fred Ross. |
 |
| Pre race excitement in Hopkinton |
 |
| Ashley and I finishing off our last half mile together before dropping |
Ran in the pouring rain and mud at the Sleepy Hollow Mountain Race before we left for our Hilton Head trip. My legs were only slightly fatigued from the 17 miles at Boston, but I was clearly out of shape for mountain racing. I put in a solid effort that I was very happy with. 5.5 minutes slower than my fastest time on the course, but I was ok with it. John was awesome and stood out in the pouring rain working the water stop. He was drenched but never batted an eye. Sadly there were ZERO photos from this race. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Race photos are VERY important! You don't need a professional; just have someone out there documenting it for people. They love that!
Finished off the month with Running Rascals 5K that also didn't go well. I was leading the entire race, but went the wrong way (totally my fault) by a 1/4 mile before another racer told me. By the time I turned around, I was in 3rd. Busted my ass to get back and just missed it by only a few seconds. Great effort, but still disappointed. Started to think 2019 was never going to get better.
 |
| 1st, 3rd and 2nd |
 |
| Walk with John after the race was over |
 |
| Ice cream season was finally here...kind of! |
 |
| Tuckerman Ravine hike with Phoenix. Sadly a skier died in an avalanche only about 2 hours after this photo was taken. |
May 2019
Spring was truly in the air!
May was when life started looking up finally. Although not in shape for a 50K, I proceeded to torture myself at the Big A 50K in York, Maine. Finished 1st female.
I ran my first USATF-NE Grand Prix race at the Westfield 5K. Definitely not a legit course with it being mostly downhill, but I suffered just as much as any 5K, if not more. Finished in 18:51.
The day after Westfield 5K I put on what would be the last Dirty Girl Trail Race at Tin Mountain. I wasn't 100% then that it wouldn't continue, but no response from Tin Mountain after asking if a 2020 race was a possibility sealed the deal. I'm handing over the reigns to Six03 to put on the race at a different venue closer to the Seacoast. I said two forever goodbyes that day. One to my race and the other to Beth since I never saw her again.
 |
| Sending my racers off one last time |
 |
| John handing out water at the water stop |
 |
| Goodbye, Beth. |
The last day of May would be the start of what would lead to my awesome summer of racing. The first Friday Night Vertical Race at Black Mt. These weekly races got me back in awesome mountain/trail shape quickly. I'm already excited for them to start again.
In our free time, John and I were able to finally enjoy spring this month.
June 2019
John finished up his first complete year of full-time school. I'm so thankful he's been able to be apart of The Community School. He has grown and matured so much since he started going there. Luckily, with my supposed new raise, I'll be able to afford to pay for the school on my own just by working a few overtime shifts. Hopefully Bryan will continue to pay for it, but at least I know I can do it on my own if I have to.
In addition to the Friday Night Vertical races, the weekly Whitaker Woods Summers Series started up. I now had my speed work for the week all set. Another step to getting back into better shape. From here things were really looking up.
The Cranmore Mountain Race started off June. Although I had kind of screwed myself by doing the Warner Trail 3 days before the race, I still had a really good race, finishing 3rd female. Post race at Tuckerman Brewing was really fun.
The Mount Washington Road Race ended up going well with my new method of racing it. It was a method I didn't train for so this year's race was mainly just a test-go. I finally decided to do the walk-run method and I ended up finishing in one of my fastest times of the 8 races I've done. Now, I know how to train specifically for it. Yay!
The BHZ 5K race has become a yearly favorite as part of the New England Runner Pub Series. Today was another really fun post-race. I also ran ok finishing 3rd female.
The last race of the month was our local Cranmore Hill Climb where I finished 2nd behind Kara Haas. Although a short race, it was quite the lung burner. John and his friend, Dylan, did the race, too, and had a great sprint to the finish.
John joined me for one of the Friday Night Vertical races. I would end up doing all but one this month since I skipped the night before Mt Washington.
Also in June, I ran my fastest time up Mt Carrigain and completed my most difficult mountain run of the year, the Mt Pleasant Quad run in Maine. I have yet to not be completely destroyed from this run. This year almost all of it was in the pouring rain.
 |
| Mt Carrigain |
 |
| My 4th pass over the top of Mt Pleasant |
And in case you missed it, I went on a date in June. You can read all about it HERE
 |
| Trip to the Squam Lake Science Center |
The month of the Escarpment Trail Race! When my year peaked! July was full of beach days, kayaking, walks/hikes and of course more Friday Night Vertical Races and Whitaker Woods. I've never loved a summer so much as the summer of 2019. After the winter we went through, I was enjoying all the things more than ever!
Besides Escarpment, I ran my 9th Loon Mountain Race. While not a bad race, it wasn't good either. Kind of meh and around the same time as last year. Finished 2nd master female and 13th overall female.
Wanting to keep up the speed, I jumped into the Tunnel to Towers "5K" put on here in North Conway. The course turned out to be short and the race untimed, neither of which were advertised beforehand. While I like the premise of the run and came in 1st female, it's not an event I would give my money to again. Instead, I'll just donate to the Stephen Siller Foundation directly this year. I'm not putting money in the pocket of a race director who wouldn't disclose the above information prior to the race. Plus, how hard is it to record the times and put up results?
The following week, I joined in to do Bucks for Bernie 12HR race at Whitaker Woods. With Escarpment the following week and it getting up to almost 100 degrees, I ran this super easy with a plan to stop at the 50K or 6 hours, whichever came sooner. I took my time. Ran a few laps, drank a beer in my lawn chair, changed clothes, repeat. Just really took it easy. Fun event, but the relay would be more fun so we'll see what I decided in 2020. Made it to 31.8 miles in 5:51:52. It was the perfect time to stop as the heat was getting really bad by then. I left there, picked up my dogs for a walk by the river, skinny dipped, went to Saco River Brewing then finally home. They were all still running at Whitaker and I was glad to not be. Haha.
August 2019
As per most years, August is when all the series races end and I start to pick back up on more road races. I did 3 of them this August starting off with Run 4 Kerri. Always in the heat and humidity but followed by a swim at my favorite beach in Matunuck, RI. I was really happy with this race since I smoked the previous year's time and with totally trashed legs from Escarpment. Just missed the prize money for the second year in a row.
 |
| Dinner in Westerly the night before Run 4 Kerri |
The following week, we drove out to Western Mass for another USATF-NE Grand Prix Race. The Bridge of Flowers 8k. I had another surprisingly good race finishing in the top 25 women and 3rd master. All of my uphill running/racing paid off with this race since I passed a lot of people on the steep climb. Post-race was also pretty awesome and where I made new running friends, Sybil Shapiro and Will Sanders. They're great, and I already miss hanging out with them.
 |
| I run near this guy on the Ben Running Club at nearly every GP race and at every distance. He usually beats me, but we always spend a good portion of every race running near each other. Kind of interesting. |
 |
| Sybil and me, 2nd and 3rd masters |
 |
| Bridge of Flowers made me happy. |
August still brought a lot of beach days, kayaking, hiking, mountain runs and the WMM Prediction Run at Silver Lake. This year I ran with a group of women just for fun. This was followed by the usual post-run swim and potluck. Gorgeous evening as always.
 |
| Mt Mooselauke Run |
 |
| John working a dinner at his school |
 |
| Cranmore hike |
 |
| Chill |
 |
| Mt Sabbitus hike |
 |
| Middle Sister run |
 |
| Albany Town Forest |
 |
| Conway Lake Beach |
 |
| Mt Kearsarge North run |
 |
| Me driving Bryan's van after he was arrested. |
 |
| John at work with me after Bryan got arrested. |
September was a busy racing month, and to be honest, I probably did too much since after the last race of the month, my high hamstring tendons were VERY achy. It probably didn't help that I started doing a few track workouts in prep for the Millen 4 x 400 Relay. That ended up a total disaster since it was supposed to be set up with fairly equal teams that would finish withing 10-15 seconds of each other. Instead, they were rigged. My team was already going to finish close to last, but a last minute change put us at dead last before we ever started. The team that one had 3 fast 400m runners. We had one. I didn't care about this that much until I was actually in it, running anchor in last place all by myself. No one to race. And my team was dead last. Over 30 seconds behind the first team. It was not a good experience especially considering the team that won was made up of the same people who put together the teams. It honestly shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did. It wasn't the last place thing, but just the shadiness that went on behind it. This used to be a fun event while also competitive, but I don't know if I'll participate in it in 2020 or not. The whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Two days after the Millen Relay, I drove to western NH to finally take on the Pisgah Mountain 50K, a race I had wanted to do since 2011. Although I would end up finishing first female at this race, I once again struggled with my fueling and felt absolutely horrible after mile 20. I just couldn't eat anything and that caught up with me. It was a total stumbling sufferfest. While winning should have made me happy, I was pretty disappointed in how this race went since the fueling mistakes I made should have been corrected by now. I did come into this race with no goal time, but I still thought I would easily finish about 30 minutes faster than I did. Just another one of those live-and-learn races. I absolutely loved the course, though. Awesome trails. And a lot more challenging than I expected. No regrets.
 |
| Jonny Hammett and I early on |
 |
| Fred Ross put this sign out for me when he marked the course. It truly helped. |
 |
| Lauren Tilton and me in the first mile |
 |
| Post race with Christin Doneski and photobomber, John Gorman |
Other September highlights were Jen's Friends Hill Climb Against Cancer with John, a visit from my parents and some great mountain runs with Phoenix.
 |
| Mt Chocorua |
 |
| Waterville Valley |
 |
| Walking to his "bus" stop |
September was definitely the month of doing too much. For whatever reason, my tendons were extra achy after Waterville Valley and honestly never let up until I was forced to take the time off for hip bursitis around Thanksgiving. But hahahaha! Like that stopped me. Unfortunately I had already committed to doing the Cape Cod Marathon so I decided a definite two week break from racing was in order. That didn't stop me from running, though. Knowing winter was approaching fast, I made sure to get as much trail and mountain running in as possible. This October would be far more awesome than 2018. The best fall foliage in years and also my favorite run of the year. The Whiteface/Passaconaway long loop. Beautiful day filled with fall colors. I also got John out on a few hikes, as well.
 |
| White Ledge Trail |
 |
| Mt Passaconaway |
 |
| Mountain Division Trail run |
 |
| Mountain Pond Hike |
 |
| Mimi, Fred and me |
Luckily, I made a realistic goal for the Cape Cod Marathon of a sub 3:10. I hadn't specifically trained for it, and my tendons were still aching so I didn't want to walk away disappointed. The weather turned out to be atrocious, the worst wind I've ever road raced in with rain and sea water blowing into our faces the last few miles. I was actually shocked to run as well as I did in that since the wind totally destroyed me. Finished in 3:08, right at my goal. I was totally happy with this and glad I did it. Finished 2nd master female and earned some much-needed prize money.
October also brought our first visit to the Fryeburg Fair and trying fried dough! John also learned how to use a pogo stick.
November 2019
The best part of November was John having the opportunity to visit Copenhagen, Denmark with his school. I can't even express the joy I felt for John getting to go on this trip. And didn't disappoint. He LOVED it.
 |
| This race marked the last time I would race as a member of the Central Mass Striders Women's Racing Team |
Still in denial, I chose to attempt the 10K at the CRC Thanksgiving Day Race in Fort Worth while visiting my family for Thanksgiving. I had been running with the bursitis for a week by this point, and it was after this race I had to call it quits. That 10K was the most painful race I had done since ES20 earlier in the year. I learned bursitis is one of those injuries you cannot run through. You just can't. So sadly, my 2019 racing and running ended on a very sour note. I was SO angry, but as with all of my injuries, they're probably all due to me doing stupid things.
Thanksgiving was great for seeing my family, and we got to bring Phoenix with us on the plane. While pretty boring, it was still a good visit. But it was also a turning point for me when I saw just how badly I'd let my body go. I already talked about this in a previous post, but I finally made a commitment to a diet change and to cut back on the alcohol, especially since I wouldn't be running. As soon as we got back from Texas, I stuck to my plan, and I've been really happy with the results. I feel healthier overall.
Some November photos.
 |
| First snow of the season |
 |
| My broken car |
 |
| John at school for his Copenhagen presentation |
 |
| One of my last runs |
 |
| Run with Chill |
 |
| Dinosaur Valley in TX |
 |
| Siblings |
 |
| All the family |
 |
| John and Phoenix on the plane |
Although I was out from running, this ended up being a really awesome break for me especially from racing. I think I needed this break anyway so I enjoyed my spin bike workouts almost daily. I discovered the Peloton app for its awesome cycling classes. I got back to my upper body and abs routine. I felt so much better with my new diet, eating low carb, but still allowing myself to eat junk and drink beer 1-2 days a week. I don't need more than that. I'm not waking up feeling crappy and tired. I lost about 5lbs over December (although it has varied). That disgusting fat layer disappeared. And to top it all off, my intestinal issues disappeared! Eating this way is nearly 100% sugar-free and very close to gluten-free. Maybe these were the culprits! I've continued with dairy and have had zero issues with eating it. I took a few breaks to hit a few breweries and enjoy Christmas sweets and a party, but it seemed to be a perfect balance. Going forward, I don't know how it will be since I have yet to run higher mileage with so few carbs, but what I do know is that even adding in some carbs, I will not go back to the excessive sugar and beer. And I'm loving cooking again!
So all-in-all, December was actually a very positive one. I stayed fit. I was able to run a little but kept having setbacks. Baby steps. I just have to be careful with it. I've improved my glute/hip routine and have kept up the core and upper body. In so many ways, the year is still ending on a high note. New company to work for with an incoming substantial raise. I got hired by Conway Fire and Rescue. By the end of December life was really looking up. And how could I complain, I had a great year!! I really did. There will always be a bad race here and there, but even then, I'm still happy with how everything went.
2020 Goals
Goals are difficult right now with constant setbacks of this hip bursitis, but I'm trying to be optimistic. On my plate right now:
USATF-NE Grand Prix Series, which includes the Vermont City Marathon. I need redemption after my 2018 DNF
Vermont 50 where I also need redemption after my 2015 DNF due to my first real running injury
Escarpment Trail Race, only because I probably get Bib #1. Haha.
National Mountain Running Championship in Oregon (if I get the raise I'm expecting). I love this part of Oregon and would love for John to see it.
