NYC Marathon

Sunday, November 3rd....

6am
Get dressed, have protein shake, take pictures & head out the door

Drive to Whitehall Terminal
Get there at 7:15am
And a few minutes later, I found Cate!
Cate and I were both on the OxFam team
and we met via e-mail
when the team members were introduced to each other.
She also lives in Boston but we hadn't met yet.

We made our way to the Ferry,
got on and made it to Staten Island.
At this point, we had to walk to buses,
board buses, get off the buses,
go through security checks
and walk to the Athlete's Village.
It's a lot of moving and a little stressful,
all before 26.2 miles.
It took 2 hours from the time I left Tommy
at the Terminal to the time we got to our spots in Athlete's Village.

Athlete's Village was a little confusing,
so we just sorta picked a spot,
grabbed Gatorade and a bagel
and sat down to relax for a bit.
It was chilly but not freezing.
My random layers of clothes
which would later be donated,
kept me warm enough.

About 45 minutes later,
we made our way to check out
where we'd be starting. 
Here, there was a screen of
the men and female professionals running,
which got me excited.
We also got to see some of the other
waves start over the bridge. 

And then.. it was time for us to line up!
We got to our wave, stood there for a bit,
talked to some nearby runners
and got ready to take off
Hearing New York, New York
made me feel "home" 

Being on the bottom of the Verrazano bridge
does NOT meanthat you get peed on
as I read
over and over and over pre-race.
At the Athlete's Village
they said several times
that if you do,
you'll be pulled off the course
But....that does mean
you'll see many
many....many....
men running off course
to urinate in the grass
before we got to 4th Ave

The Verrazano bridge was
TERRIBLE
It was freezing and windy
The first 2 were just miserable.
Luckily, though,
I didn't feel the incline of the bridge.
When we finally got to the other side of the bridge
and into Brooklyn,
it was like the biggest street party in the world.
Everyone in Brooklyn was out on the streets
shouting and cheering
and wanting High Fives.
It was truly amazing.
Since I had my arms(temporarily) tattooed
with my name, along with my name
written on my shirt,
I heard CHELSEA about 200 times
throughout the next 2 hours while in Brooklyn.  
I decided to run on the side of the street
to high five the spectators
and enjoy the fun.

Cate has to stop for the restroom
around mile 5,
so at this point, I was alone
And then mile 6.75, in Brooklyn,

my twin sisters jumped in
and ran a little over a mile with me.
I kept smiling at them,
telling them how great I felt
and just loving every second
of those 12-13 minutes
I got to spend in the race with them.

Into Queens, over the bridge
(changed cell phone battery,
so family could continue to track me,
which led to a leg cramp, luckily only momentarily though!)
and run into the wall
(the good one, the screams of Manhattan!)
At this point, I had been having to use a restroom
for a whilebut I refused to stand and wait
for a porta potty.
As I turned the corner onto 1st Ave
there were empty porta potties
Score!
I stopped and was back on route within a minute
Knowing I'd be seeing family again
in just a mile or less, I was happy!
But then... boom
Legs started hurting
God - damnit
It's too soon for this!
I texted my co-worker
who was in the city,
to tell him I was approaching
but I had the street wrong
so I missed him
but another friend
who he was with (& from my Tri team)
Sprinted ahead
and got a few shots of me :)

Then... my family!!
As I approached
I saw more people
than just my parents, sisters and Tommy.
Two family friend couples surprised me
with a visit to the city to see my race
I was in tears!

Tommy was waiting outside the barricades
to join me in on the run
I was so thankful & happy
I hugged/high fived them all
and off we went
The next mile or two were great
Having Tommy there
Telling him about some of the experience
Hurting, but nothing terrible
And then...Reality hit
I was running a marathon
THE NYC MARATHON
I had another 8+ miles to go
And I was just in pain
Crowds were dwindling down
And I was getting annoyed at it all

I would be lying if I said I was having fun at this point. 

Tommy was great support to have by my side
Even though he saw me crying from pain
and frustration
He kept supporting me.

Even though it felt like forever...
Next thing I knew
We were at mile 22
Where I'd see my Aunt and my Grandmother.
I couldn't wait!
My legs started moving faster
My grandmother bought 2 balloons
To help me spot them
And although my Aunt later told me
those balloons drove her nuts
seeing them from a block awaywas amazing!
I ran as fast as I couldto give them hugs and say hello
[And introduce them briefly to Tommy!]
(at which point he got this amazing picture of my Grandmother and I)

I then continued running
and my Aunt joined in for a half a block
(she refereed to herself as "this old army broad"
..it got a good chuckle out of me!)
Tears were flowing
but this time
because I was so excited

Then...I forgot about that moment 
And remembered what I was doing
A god damn marathon
Okay.. so less than 4 miles to go
I had to do a bit of walking
And kept telling Tommy
I just wanted to curl over and cry
and "it is hurts so much"
But he kept encouraging me to just keep moving
I had people cheering for me
who I just could not acknowledge
because I couldn't concentrate
on anything else
but putting one foot in front of another

We finally enter Central Park
and I'd get to see family again
Tommy was going to jump out at this point
And I'd have a mile left to go
All of a sudden
we see friend, Stephen, and
he runs 1/4 mile with me
until we hit the group
and my sisters and 2 girlfriends
jumped in with me
They ran about 1/4 mile until I told them to get off the course ;)
They then continued to run on the outside of the barricades
along side of me
Cheering and getting others to do the same
I felt like I was flying
Adrenaline had hit
and I felt like a super star
I knew I missed goal time
and no PR
but it was still magical
I was about to finish the NYC Marathon!!
They had to stop and I was off..
less than 1/4 mile to go
The smile returned to my face
And then I crossed the finish line
Threw my hands in the air and just stood there smiling


Got my medal..
My heat sheet...
My recovery bag...
And started the trek
out of the park
to meet up with family

Until I had to make a pit-stop in the med tent.
After 3 First Aid officials asked me
if I was Okay
I knew it was the right choice

I was dizzy & lightheaded
That, on top of the pain
Just wasn't going over well!

I realized...
that I hadn't taken my last pack of jellies
So I only had
Energy Bits just before the race
One pack of jellies during it
Some gatorade and water
Within 6 hours
(rookie move!!)

They tried to put me in a wheelchair
But I said I was fine
I was trying to remain as Bad Ass as I could handle!!
Got on the cot
Got some hot chocolate
Warmed up
They took my blood pressure
Had me chug water and eat pretzels
Then I was off
to meet family!!

I met up with them all
after making my way through
the finish chute, which was over a mile long!
But at least I sported the cute Orange Poncho they gave us!

Finished the evening off with some great food and family time.
I AM A TWO TIME MARATHONER! 


Me with friends who visited and Me with my Aunt, Grandma & Mom:

Falling in Love

(Part 1: written on August 30, 2013)

I know I am crazy
and I know this is insane

But 3 weeks after meeting in person
4 weeks after finding out he exists
I am in love
and I said those words last night

I
love
you

To Tommy,
my boyfriend,
the man I've fallen in love with

(Part 2: written on October 1, 2013)

It was a whirlwind of a month
and has been an amazing two months
since the day I met him

It's
Unexplainable
It's
amazing
It's
my future

I used to be one of those girls
That didn't understand
how people can meet
and immediately be in love
and immediately be talking about their future together
but now...
now, I know!

and well....
When you know, you know!!!


Today, at work,
I got a delivery
of Chocolates, a Teddy Bear and beautiful yellow Roses
As I read the note
It was a little confusing
Then I realized
it ended with
"Love, TommyTuesday86"
Which was his on-line dating profile
(how we met)
And then I realized that the note
was the first words
he ever typed to me
The message he wrote
the day we met on-line

Fundraising and dating

My boyfriend
Yep, boyfriend :)
his cousin
and about 20 friends
joined me for a fundraiser event
for the NYC Marathon
benefiting OxFam America
who I'm running for

We had a raffle
some drinks
a 50/50
and some complimentary apps
from the bar

It wasn't as successful as I wanted
but we had fun
money was raised
and I got to introduce my friends
to my boyfriend!

Best First Date Ever

I decided to jump back into
the whole on-line dating thing

I joined back up on a few sites
and was creating my profiles

Of course
The random
20 something messages
Started flowing in

At least 50% were creeps and rude
And so then only about 25% were
sort of interesting
But after a message exchange or two
Nothing came about it

Until "TommyTuesday86"
messaged me

He mentioned my Yankee shirt from one pic
asked about my running
and mentioned how his parents also have a boat
(I mention how mine do in my profile)
He ended it with
" Btw, you are adorable :) "
Which I loved, because it was just NICE

We then got talking about running
& my triathlon, which was only 3 days later
Plus, how he lived right near my favorite parks
and it's where he loves to go to run and hang, also

It was a great first conversation
and I gave him my number
only 8 hours after first
"meeting him"

Ever since that night
August 1st
We have talked non-stop
and have been on 5 dates together

18 days of talking
10 days since meeting in person
I don't know what it is
but it feels different
and is something special


Date #1:
That place that we both loved
Is called Castle Island
He suggested we meet there
with Bailey
then see where things go
That day he tells me he researched places
for dinner
where a dog can sit on the patio
So we can go from the park to dinner
with Bailey!
I was so impressed with his thoughtfulness!
It was an amazing first date and
less than 24 hours later
we were planning our second date
for that night!

I can't stop smiling.  I don't ever want this feeling to go away.

I am a TRIATHLETE!

Less than a year
after I ran my first half marathon
AND my first marathon
I completed my first Triathlon!

16 days prior,
I was only flirting with the idea
of competing in a Triathlon...
NEXT year

Well... here I am.
A triathlon finisher!










I got to the race area at about 6:30
after battling closed roads near the start
the feeling of nausea due to nerves
therefore not being able to eat
and getting my stuff together and walking over

I immediately found Ally, yay!
We signed up together
and coincidentally
I met her exactly a year ago that day!

We got out packets,
got tattooed up with our numbers,
Numbered our helmets & bikes,
I got air in my tires,
and replaced the missing plug from my bike (doh!)
and made our way into transition area to set up



Yay!  Everything is set...
(until I learned my bike was the wrong way!
Rookie mistake #1)
Thanks Tyler!

I went for a little walk and ran into Dani
(Who I just met Wednesday morning
but had been following her blog for over a year.
It was also her first Tri!)

We heard that the transition area closed at 7:30
and were all totally confused
(Again...Rookies!)
since our wave didn't start until 8:50
The race started at 8am, with a pre-race meeting at 7:50

But once we realized that it meant
we'd be staying on the beach
watching all the waves
it turned into a great time period
of FREAKING out on my end

I choked down a banana and my Energy Bits

Then we met up again with Dani
& kept running into friends from Zoom

Everyone asked how I was feeling
or if I was ready
and I was NOT enthusiastic
at all

Meanwhile..Ally kept saying
over and over
I'm so excited, I'm so exicted

This picture definitely shows my nerves vs her excitement!

Everyone else took off and then finally,
at 8:50am
it was our time to go
(The Novice Women wave)
Standing in the chute to take off
I was getting wicked anxious
But worked my way thru it
and knew I wasn't going to drown
so told myself to just have fun
and get to the finish line

And.... we're off!

The first 1/4 mile or so
I was freaked out
by all the people kicking around me
But only got kicked twice
and then found a spot to the side.
I didn't feel totally comfortable
until I got around the first buoy
But then I felt good and kept telling myself
To JUST KEEP SWIMMING :)

Out of the water and into transition I go!

It wasn't as hard or crazy as I anticipated
..next thing you know, helmet is on and I'm on my bike!

The 9 miles weren't bad but my legs were getting sore
and I was scared I'd wear myself out for the run

Also...around mile 6
my bike started making a weird noise
So I got a little freaked out
and slowed down a bit.

Come to find out,
at the end of the race,
it was just the plastic guard
on the back of the bike
that popped out of place
which I hadn't removed
Rookie!!!

Got off the bike and started the run
I look down at my watch 1/4 mile in
and I'm going an 8:30 pace
WOAH, who am I?
Oh wait, I do NOT feel my legs!
1/8 mile later.. OH HEY
There ya are.....Yikes.
I went from not feeling my legs
to feeling like complete jello
and just trying to maintain
a 10:30 pace

I kept telling myself
YOU are a runner....
MOVE!
I am not fast
But it was a little frustrating
to be fighting so hard
for a 10:30 pace

But then...there was the finish!

I crossed and felt amazing.
I did it!!
1:45 was my goal
and later I found out,
that's exactly what I finished in!!

Followed the race with free beer in the beer tent
Thanks Boston Tri!



















and then Brunch with some teammates/friends

I went home and crashed!
A shower
An attempt at removing my number tattoos
Another Rookie FAIL
Some more food and a nap

Woke up feeling refreshed and amazing!

Thanks to everyone who helped with the Tri learning, buying and training process over the last 3 weeks!  Proud to be a part of the club! 

4.5 months

4.5 months of dating.....

Someone who I really liked

Someone who I really enjoyed spending time with

But someone that I knew

Not only deep down

But because he voiced it

Didn’t have the same intentions

Or feelings as I did

19 weeks after meeting

He ended it

I didn’t have the strength

Or honestly

Even the desire

To walk away from something

From someone

Who wasn't BAD to me

With a history of abusiveness

And a history of depression

And a lot in between

To me,

It was better

To just be happy with someone

Even if it wasn't long term happiness

I spent hours and sometimes even days

wondering what he was doing

How his day was

Why he wasn't answering my texts

Why he didn't care to check in with me

It was always that he was "busy with work"

We'd try to plan times to hang out 1-2 times a week

but besides that, there was nothing there

Do I now think there was someone else

No?

But does it hurt that someone could 

pay such little attention to you? 

Yes...

Do I regret not walking away?

No

Am I happy he spoke up

And did walk away?

Yes, YES I am

It's nice to walk away from something, from someone

and NOT hate them

Because they manned up

and ended it as that, a MAN

Of course I  was upset

but KNEW I'll move on

and be OKAY

When a friend asked me how I was

I responded with

"OK, just trying to move on"

His response was simply

"You will..you know the routine"

When my response was,

"Yes, unfortunately all too well"

He realized that might not have been the best thing to say

but it was OK

cuz it reminded me

that I've been thru a lot

and I am a stronger person today

because of it

And I WILL find my prince charming some day ;)

Bike Buying Experience

This whole triathlon thing
is such a quick and sudden thing
I immediately had to go out
and search for a bike

I started a Fast Splits in Newton
where I got a lot of information
but didn't actually test any out
The next day I went to
Ace Wheel Works in Somerville
and they were pretty awesome
I got a ton of information
and got on several different bikes

I learned about some of the components
and found out that I did not like the cheapest bikes gears
So UP went the budget

But thank goodness
I (finally) finished my degree
and as a graduation parents
my parents gave me some
money towards a bike!

I found a bike that I really liked
It was a Trek Lexa S
but the guy wanted me to try
the Specialized bike that was similar
which, they didn't have built in my size
so I was scheduled to come back the next day to try it

I went back for a 3rd day of bike shopping
and immediately did not like the Specialized bike he had me on
I tried one other Trek
but kept going back to the Trek Lexa S

I didn't want to impulse buy
and I had the day off from work on Friday
so I told him I'd come back on Friday
..at which point he told me it'd be going on sale that day
Score!

After talking to a few friends the next day
I decided I was going to check out one last bike at a place in Natick
I got there and immediately noticed it was the gears I didn't like
(guess I forgot to ask/mention that)
But I asked if he had anything similar price wise and with better gears
He put me on a Fuji and it did feel good
But the customer service was terrible
The guy just didn't seem to care
and as a newbie to biking and triathlons
that really scared me so I kinda just left and said I'd call back
I went on a few errands
...bought myself a tri suit

and looked the bike up / talked to some friends

After reading it was a good bike
and worth more than I'd be paying
I decided to go back and test it out again
After riding it for a good 5 minutes
I decided I wanted to talk numbers and that it seemed like a perfect fit for me

The price was right
The bike felt good
and it just seemed like it was MINE

About 20 minutes later
I was driving home with the bike in my car!

I can not wait to test it out on a good ride tomorrow!

First pool experience

Over the weekend
I went to City Sports
to pick up a bathing suit
..don't think a bikini is good
for a gym pool ;)

I checked out some goggles and caps
but got confused
and was lucky that
a friend was going to give me extra that he had

I know I can swim
I grew up in lakes and oceans
My parents have a boat
My summers are spent
at Lake George and Long Beach Island
but this...this swimming...
this is just....
different
and scary
and the unknown

I attempted to go to the gym
no swim cap and no goggles
just a swim suit
and my anxious self
for a quick swim
Well... I got to the parking lot
Stepped out of my car
and turned right back around
and into the car back home

There was no way I was going into the gym that night.

So... next day
I AM DOING THIS

I got a swim cap and goggles
I AM getting in the pool

I kept watching this video
from The Notebook
Get in the water! 
and a friend sent me this:

and I was getting pumped to finally do it.

Well... I got there and my first anxiety problem was solved
A lane, all to myself!

I started with a there and back

WHEW... I need to slow down

I realized I was trying to move too fast
and could barely breathe

I might be training for a sprint tri
but no reason to actually be sprinting

(in reality, I was probably still slower than elite swimmers, for only 40 meters!)

I successfully did 20 minutes in the pool
and felt so much more comfortable about it
and about the race!

Next up:  BUY A BIKE!

I signed up for a....

TRIATHLON!

Here I go again

Jumping in head first!

Over the past month or two

I’ve been dabbling with the idea

Of getting a road bike

And learning to properly swim

and participating in a Triathlon

NEXT year......

Well

I should have known

Not to say that

Around my

Triathlon friends

Went out for drinks

For Cat’s birthday

Last Thursday

and somehow

now..

I’m signed up for

The Boston Tri

In 12 days!!!

I will update with

My first swimming experience

And my bike buying experience

As they happen!

Energy Bits Review

I heard about these a while back

between Twitter, Facebook & Bloggers

On Twitter, I responded to someone

asking if there was a way to give them a try

And Jonathan, from EnergyBits

responded to send him my mailing address

and he'll send me a sample

I had a race coming up

and didn't want to try anything new

so close to the race

So I had to wait 2 weeks

until the race happened

to give them a try

I was excited to try something new

especially while I'm in the beginning weeks

of NYC Marathon Training

So my first run after that race,

I took some before my run

And..

Well... I have fallen in LOVE!

Yes...they were weird smelling at first

NO..I did not chew them, 

I opted to wash them down with water

Sometimes during my morning runs

I feel like I burp up my food or 

feel it in my stomach

and this did not happen at all this time

so I was thrilled

I felt more awake and alive for my run.

They are great!

A little bit about Energy Bits, 

now that I'm done rambling about my love for them:

They are small, pill-shaped food made from 100% spirulina algae.  They are natural and only 1 calorie per bit.  A typical serving size is about 30 bits.  They give you energy, more mental vitality and are a healthy high protein snack for on the go.  They have the highest concentration of protein in the world (64%) .

Check out:  bitsofhealth.com for more information on Energy Bits and their other products!

*This review is my opinion based on a sample that I received 

Finish at the 50 - 10k at Gillette Stadium

I was pretty excited for this race!

A bunch of my Reach The Beach crew
were signed up for this.
It was my first night race
It was not only at Gillette Stadium
but ending at the 50 yard line
AND it was the night before a week long vacation for me
So I was ready to rock!

Until.. we knew how hot and humid
it was going to be for this race

Then... I had no desire for this run

I also started thinking
about how I had a long drive in the morning
(for vaca!!)
and at that point

I knew I wasn't going to give it my all
I was going to have fun with it,
not push myself,
& just have a good run

Lisa is usually around my pace
Then I realized that another friend
who is more of a Tri guy
was about my pace also
(the back of the pack!)
So off Chris, Lisa and I go..
First two miles..
Chris entertained us
with his laughter and jokes
at the random costumes
and interesting people all around us

Then...the heat hit
And my asthma decided to act up

(The neighbors along the road
who sprayed us with their hose
were awesome though!)

My hope for a fun race
turned into a....
I just want to be DONE
(and have a beer)
kind of a race

The discussion of trying to finish in 65 minutes came up
but then half way in
I looked at my Garmin
and knew there was no way that was happening

We had the up and down ramps inside the stadium ahead of us
and I just started to realize that was going to be pretty brutal

Mile 4 came and I knew we were getting close to the stadium
And at least,
even if brutal,
it would be neat
to be running a race
inside Gillette Stadium.

And then........
(it seemed like forever;
didn't know we were running
all the way around
before we actually got inside!)
We were inside!

And UP the ramps we went
Holy........
It was tough!

As we rounded the top of the stadium,
headed towards the down ramps,
Chris suggested that we sprint the 50 yards to the finish
I tend to sprint at the end of races
so why not!?

We made it to the down ramps
Chris got sick..into his water bottle
Our Garmin's weren't working
My shins were killing me
Holy shit.  I'm SO over this run!

Finally.. at the bottom
and around we go again
outside..
then...
we see the entrance to the field

I say let's go, THERE
We start sprinting earlier than discussed
off he went..
My shins were killing
Thought I'd collapse
but didn't want to stop..
Don't remember anything else, all a blur
But finally finished.
[Results are below]

Definitely no PR
Definitely a brutal run.. but
Definitely a fun run and night with friends

Results: 1:10:41  11:23 Chelsea Pells 

Racing while on Vacation

Friday afternoon....

See ya Boston!

Just for a few days :)

I made the trip to home

for my sisters graduation party

She is a nationally certified surgical tech!

I am very proud and it was a fun night.

The next morning, made the trek up to Lake George

Of course, I managed to get lost

(too much singing in the car!)

and turned a 2:15 trip into 3 hours

But then I made it and out on the lake we went

Off to bed early on the first night of vacation

due to a 10 mile race in the morning

Yep, a race while on vacation!

Lake George Village to Bolton Landing

The cabin where we stay is at mile 7.5

This wasn't just any ten mile course

it is extremely hilly

Even for someone who trains on heartbreak hill

These hills were scary

My goal overall was 1:50, for an 11 minute pace.  

I finished at 1:45:20, for a 10:30 pace

so I was thrilled

The first 3 miles were rough!

142 foot gain for the first 2 miles

then immediately downhill

and rolling hills

for the rest of the way

My sister

who is training for her first half

was doing a 6 mile run

and so her and her friend met me at mile 6 

to finish it off

Right when she met up with me

my hip was starting to bother me

it hasn't hurt me in months

so I was getting really annoyed

I slowed down a bit 

and then it felt better 

but I was unable to get my pace back to the 10/10:30

that I was maintaining and hoping to stay at

but was still under an 11 minute pace

and with a 586 elevation gain run

that isn't too bad

1 - 10:09

2 - 10:11

3 - 10:15

4 - 9:59

5 - 10:41

6 - 10:20

7 - 10:33

8 - 10:55

9 - 10:54

10 - 11:01

The last mile was in the rain

which felt amazing

after a humid start to the race

Left the race in style

By boat!

And got back to the cabins

with a beer in hand

Yep, before 10am

Hey..I just ran 10 miles

and it's vacation! :)

The rest of the day and 2 other days

were spent out on the water

on the boat

having a ton of fun

with family and friends