The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of change and chaos in the GrandElam household. On January 17th, I started a new job with Zagster, a bike sharing company based out of Cambridge. It's been absolutely amazing, and I'm so glad I took the leap and changed careers. My whole first two weeks were... Continue Reading →
Colleen’s 2016 Year in Review
I know I'm a little late to the game here since it's already 2017, but hey, better late than never, right? 2016 was a whirlwind of a year for me both athletically and professionally. I ended my career as a nanny and decided to branch out into a new field I had no experience in,... Continue Reading →
Probably Jinxing Myself
I know I've been off the blogosphere recently, and it's taken me a while to figure out why. Honestly, the past 2 months or so of running have been going... really, really well. Like so well that I've been nervous to write about it in fear that I'll jinx it. But enough is enough - it's been too long since... Continue Reading →
Soaked and Stubborn – Grindstone 100 Race Report (10/07/2016)
It was tough. It was way tougher than the Vermont 100, which I already thought was pretty hard. It was tougher than any race I've done, regardless of cramping, nutrition issues, or overheating. 27 sleep deprived hours in the rain over 101 miles with 23,200 feet of elevation change forced me to dig incredibly deep... Continue Reading →
Colorado 2016
The past few weeks have just been me getting back into it after some toenail issues. After my last blog post in August, I realized my toenail was bothering me again. Instead of waiting until it got really bad, I went right back to the podiatrist and asked her to just permanently remove that portion... Continue Reading →
The Hill(s) that Never End – Vermont 100 Mile Race Report (7/16/2016)
My first 100 mile is finished. After what feels like endless preparation, race day has come and gone, and it still does not feel real. Even though I ran for over 21 hours, the race feels like a blur. I was probably more stressed about writing this race report than I ever was about running... Continue Reading →
Counting Kilometers – Pineland Farms 50 Mile Race Report (May 29th, 2016)
PR-ing at Pineland Farms by 2 hours was pretty unexpected. Given the course, I definitely expected to set a personal record. I started the day out thinking I was going to crack 9 hours, but I wasn't tracking splits or stressing about nutrition. I was truly out there to just have a long, long run... Continue Reading →
Vermont 100 Training Update
Unfortunately I have been pretty quiet here over the last couple of weeks. After Bear Mountain and Seven Sisters I was pretty toast, and a busy work and travel schedule have kept me pretty tired. Thankfully I have not had to stop training, and now I finally have a bit of time to give a... Continue Reading →
Finding My Stride – Bear Mountain 50 Mile Race Report (April 30th, 2016)
Bear Mountain turned out to be a pretty humbling race. Not because I am disappointed in my performance or running, but rather because of the mental battles that I dealt with throughout the day. Over and over, I struggled with self-doubt and disappointment as I watched pre-race goals slip away. If anything, this grueling race... Continue Reading →
Bear Mountain 50 Miler – Week Fourteen Training Recap
Taper time! Considering the amount of lingering aches and pains I have been having, tapering could not come soon enough. As Colleen mentioned in her post, I have mostly been dealing with some ankle and Achilles pain that sidelined me from two runs last week but is now subsiding. I think I am starting to... Continue Reading →