Walking on Water

Okay, so not really walking on water. More like water mixed with dirt (and other nasty things).

I set out to complete my last 20+ mile run before Burning River 100 on Sunday. I started out in North Park on the Rachel Carson Trail and got a few miles out when I got the message that there was going to be a training run on the Burning River course in a few hours. I aborted my current run, jumped in my Jeep, and drove to Ohio as fast as I could. I pulled into Station Road (the checkpoint where I began my course sweeping experience last year) right as the run was scheduled to begin.

I threw on my pack and joined Kevin, George, Randy, Johnathan, and Joshua as they headed out. The first portion was paved and pleasant. Then we turned onto the bridle paths and the Buckeye Trail and encountered the consequences of weeks of rain in the Cuyahoga River Valley.

Muddy legs post-run

For the next 15 miles we slipped and slid and cursed. At first I tried to pick my way around the puddles or find the shallowest path through them but after a few miles it didn't matter anymore. My feet were soaked and I was splattered from head to toe. After that I just splashed right through and didn't give it a second thought beyond hoping it will be drier on race day.

After a few miles we reached a Y in the trail. The directions seemed to point us one way but the locals thought it should go the other way. We ended up running a loop three or four times before we finally found the right direction and got back on track. Shortly after this one of the members of our band headed back to Station Rd. Can't say I blame him for thinking we were a lost cause (literally). One of the last things he said before he ran off was, "You'll never see the stables that way".

Posing with the stables sign

Thankfully, our pessimistic runner was mistaken and the directions took us right to the stables where we were able to use a real bathroom and get some cold water from the fountain. We couldn't help posing with the sign so we could poke fun later. After an all too short break we continued on towards the Boston Store. George had thankfully dropped a cooler of cold water at a road crossing a few miles later and we were able to refill one more time.

The last few miles were brutal. The mud and flies and ascents/descents were beginning to wear on me. I really hope it's less gross out there in two weeks or the middle 40-50 miles are going to be awful! We finally emerged onto a road and I could see the store just ahead across a bridge over the Cuyahoga. The water looked wonderful and inviting after 17.5 miles of slop!

Legs from the back

As soon as I reached the other side I dropped my pack and my Garmin onto the grass and waded right into the river, shoes and all. It felt so good to wash away the layers of grime and sweat and soak my tired legs in the cool water. I can only hope that the Cuyahoga will be as kind to me in two and a half weeks when I see her again! 

Glacier Ridge Trail 30k

My coach and I chose the GRT as my last long run before North Coast. I had pictures of a sunny day, a light breeze, and runnable trails in my head. My reality was somewhat different.

The weather was cool, drizzling on and off, and windy. I changed my outfit at the last minute (literally, I probably flashed half the field) to capris, a tee, and a jacket. I wished I had brought gloves but I hadn't thought I would need them after a week of 70+ degree weather.

I pulled into Moraine State Park right at 8am and collected my bag, shirt, bib, and chip. I threw the swag bag and shirt in my car and visited the restrooms. Then we lined up and off we went!

I was excited and happy at first. We were on the pavement for about 100 yards and then turned onto a crushed gravel path. It was easy running and I was holding back at just below 10 minutes per mile. People were blowing past me but I figured I would catch a good many of them later in the race. Then I hit the first mud pit and all my hopes for a good day flew right out the window.

Swag

 

For the next 9 miles I slipped and slid and walked and tried to gingerly pick my way around the above-the-ankle deep pits. Sometimes it was a quarter mile of mud, a small runnable section (like 100 feet), and then more mud. I gave up on picking my way around and just began sloshing through. My feet were freezing and felt weighted down. By the time I hit the turn-around at 10 miles I was wishing I had stayed in bed.

 

Elevation profile from the back of the shirt

 

After the turn-around the runners took a shortcut back to the trail we'd run out on. The short cut was in good shape and I began to hope that the return trip would be nicer than the out section, at least for awhile. My relief was short lived as the shortcut trail linked back to the main trail in less than a mile. It was back to mud and puddles.

 

I began to get really depressed and feel like this was never going to end. I ran Just A Short Run 30k in 3:07 just two weeks ago. Today I was only 13 miles in at that time. I was freezing, miserable, and probably surly. I just wanted to be DONE!

 

My shoes post-GRT

 

As I got closer to the beginning/finish and began to recognize landmarks I had passed on the way out I increased my pace but it didn't do much with having to walk every muddy hill. Finally I broke out onto the gravel path and then the blessed pavement and I was free! I crossed the line in 4:40 according to my Garmin. I collected my medal and quickly headed for my car to drive home shoe-less with the heat blasting!

 

medal

 

Official times and photos will probably take a few days since the 50k and 50 mile won't be finished until later so I will update when I have those! For now I'm just glad I survived!

Just a Short Run

Ever since Shamrock Marathon I've been trying to figure out what went wrong and find my mojo again. I think I've come to the conclusion that it was just a bad day on a course that didn't suit my strengths and there was really nothing I could have done to change it. Thankfully redemption was only two weeks away.

I wasn't planning on doing Just A Short Run but my friend, John, told me he wanted to run with me. Since we had such a blast at Spring Thaw I decided to go ahead. It helped that my coach assigned me 20-25 miles for this weekend and I didn't want to run it alone.

And since I don't have pics from JASR yet, I'll include the halfway decent ones from Shamrock that MarathonFoto FINALLY got uploaded....

Altra Floater

 

Just A Short Run is held every spring and has several distances: 5k, 8 mile, half marathon, and 30k. I chose to do the 30k since it would allow me to get the closest to my prescribed long run for the week. John and several of our other friends were also in it for the long haul so at least I wouldn't be lonely.

 

The race started at 8:30am and I *just* squeezed onto the last shuttle bus from the parking lot to the boathouse in the knick of time. I grabbed my bib, stuffed my swag bag into my drop bag, and headed over to the starting line. I left my drop bag in a planter and lined up with John, his wife, our friend Mike, and 400 or so other runners for the 30k.

 

While Shamrock was still fun

 

We started right on time and John and I ran together from the start. I quickly realized we were going faster than our planned 10 minutes/mile pace but it felt good and I just didn't care to slow down. The race starts with a mostly uphill 5k+ loop which we completed in 35:16 (this doesn't seem right to me but I think it's gun time, not chip time). After that we went out for three 5 mile loops around the lake.

 

John and I chatted and joked as usual. I felt pretty good and John said he felt surprisingly good considering he'd taken a pretty good tumble on his mountain bike last weekend. So we continued with our faster-than-planned pacing. First 5 mile loop in 49:45.

 

Done!

 

Our second 5 mile loop I could feel the residual fatigue from Shamrock and trying to amp my training back up. I decided to finish off this loop with John and then drop back. It worked out just fine with my second loop clocking in at 47:49.

 

The final loop I dropped down my pace and walked for about 5-6 minutes right off the bat. I took an extra GU, drank some extra water, picked up a Gatorade at the aid station, and got my iPod going. I lost a lot of time walking for so long but my legs felt practically normal again when I started running again. I walked most of the uphills on this loop but still made pretty good time. Final loop completed in 55:39 for a total time of 3:07:46.

 

I wore my new Altra tank for JASR

 

I crossed the finish line with plenty of gas left in the tank and felt ready to go out for my solo miles. I grabbed my medal and some Gatorade, caught up with John and our other friends, and then headed out to make it 20+ miles for the day.

 

JASR swag

 

I ran about 1/4 of the way around the lake from the boathouse to the traffic signal and then up the hill to the pool where my car was parked. From there I did two laps around the pool which were about 3/4 of a mile each. I didn't push the pace at all. I stayed comfortable (aside from the fact that I had a giant medal crammed in my sports bra). and ended up with 22 miles in 3:49. I could have continued on to 25 no problem. In the end I was just bored and I wanted to go home and spend time with the kids so I figured 22 was good enough.

 

 

Happy Easter from Team Brunazzi!

 

 

 

Shamrockin' and Beer Drinking

Due to our stalker issue I haven't posted in a bit. I didn't want to remind the crazy that Shane and I would be leaving our house mostly unattended for three days. Sorry about that!

Chesapeake Bay

Shane and I left Pennsylvania on Friday night after taking the kids to my mother's and then furiously packing our own belongings. Shane had booked us a room in Frederick, Maryland for the night and we made a fairly uneventful trip to that point. Saturday morning we were up bright and early to finish our journey to Virginia Beach for the Shamrock Marathon.

On our way into town we encountered a tunnel. Being from Pittsburgh this really isn't odd to me whatsoever. Shane, however, freaked out. Apparently a tunnel that runs under the Chesapeake Bay is much scarier than a tunnel through a million bajillion tons of rock. SMH!

Shane's Tunnel Face

 

Our first stop was the expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. It was pretty organized and we were able to quickly pick up our bibs, bags, and shirts. There weren't a whole lot of vendors and there wasn't a lot to see either. I was kind of disappointed but I told Shane it was better if we didn't destroy our legs walking all over.

 

Convention Center

 

After the expo we met up with our friends, Jenn and Dan, who were getting married the next day, AFTER running the Shamrock half marathon! If that's not a running match made in Heaven then I don't know what is! We hung out for a bit and caught up before Shane and I headed to our hotel.

 

Marathon morning dawned cold and grey. The prediction was low 40's, cloudy, and possible showers. I decided on my INKnBURN leaf shirt, a long sleeve tech tee as a throwaway, and my INB capris along with my Altra Zero Drop Superiors. I added some cheap gloves and my SPIbelt and I was ready to go.

 

 

I also wore an orange bracelet that says "Running for Jenny". Jenny is a very brave (and speedy) fellow runner who is battling cancer. Having her 'with' me throughout the tough points helped me to remember that my pain was minimal and limited in the bigger picture and allowed me to push through.

We parked at around 6:30am a few blocks from the start and finish. We were right next to a grocery store so we took advantage of the warm and dry bathrooms several times while we waited for our 8:30am start. If you ever run Shamrock, arrive early or be prepared to walk several blocks (or miles) to get to your corral and car. We wandered to our corrals around 8am and met up with a couple friends before we all went our separate ways. I was in corral 3 and Shane was in 2 so I wouldn't see hime again until the finish.

There were seagulls everywhere!

A few minutes late we were off. I latched onto the 4:15 pacer with that being my 'goal'. I really thought I could do even better, maybe a 4:10. I figured a 4:20 was the worst I could do. The first few miles I relaxed into the 9:45-ish pace and waited for my body to warm up and everything to begin to 'flow'. Well it never happened. I warmed up enough that I removed my long sleeve shirt but didn't throw it. The wind was finicky, changing directions and alternately freezing and soothing me.

Miles 1-5:
9:56, 9:50, 9:34, 9:38, 9:46

I continued to shadow the 4:15 pace group intermittantly chatting with fellow runners. I found out I was running with a fellow Pittsburgh runner plus a friend of mine from Twitter. That was pretty cool! We talked about our goals and I voiced my desire to run a 4:10. Maybe I jinxed myself.

Miles 6-10:
9:43, 9:34, 9:51, 9:43, 9:39

Around mile 10 we entered the boardwalk. I thought this would be my favorite part but I think it was actually the opposite. There were 15 MPH winds blowing sand and salty mist in my face and the ocean looked cold and grey instead of warm and inviting. Not exactly the way I'd envisioned beach running. I stayed on pace with the 4:15 group but I wondered to myself if fighting the wind was a good idea. I tucked in behind two taller runners and hoped it would save some much needed energy for later.

Miles 11-15:
9:40, 9:32, 9:44, 9:37, 9:34

I crossed the half in 2:08 and my legs were already dragging. I started drinking at mile 14. Yuengling, Guiness, whatever was being offered by spectators, I started tossing back. Thankfully I have a stomach of steel but no amount of carbs and alcohol could put the missing bounce in my legs or lift my flagging morale.

Around mile 15 I started thinking I should start taking some walk breaks. I took a minute at a water stop to walk, take a GU, and drink a little bit extra. I had a little trouble catching up to the pace group and I got the feeling they were beginning to speed up. The pace group leader confirmed my suspicions less than a mile later when he stated he was a little behind and wanted to make up some time. I quickly realized a 4:15 may not be in the cards for me on such a craptastic day. I figured a 4:1x was still doable so I didn't fret too much though.

Miles 16-20:
9:54, 9:34, 10:55, 11:45, 9:47

Around mile 18 I fell off the back of the pace group and I couldn't catch them. I was running a 9:20-ish pace and they were pulling away so I quickly gave up. I took a longer walk break to try to get my legs to wake up. It seemed to help a little as I was able to see a 9:4x pace again for mile 20 but that was the end of my energy.

Miles 21-26:
10:57, 12:45, 12:20, 11:48, 12:04, 11:04

Last .2 (.42 according to Garmin): 10:43 pace

The last 6 miles I was absolutely dying. My legs were like lead. I would force myself to run a half mile and then I would walk for a minute. An 11 minute mile felt like 9 minute mile effort. I had a weird ache in my chest and I started envisioning dropping dead just shy of the finish line. I told myself I would find some way to make it across before I let death take me.

People were passing me left and right. I was getting more and more upset every minute but when the 4:30 pacer passed me I totally lost it. I started sobbing right there on the course somewhere between miles 25 and 26. I managed to choke it back after a minute and chase him down. I got in front of him for maybe a quarter mile and then I fell apart all over again.

I finally came back onto the boardwalk and I bargained and pleaded with my body to just let me hold on to a little dignity and make it to the finish line without walking. Thankfully it cooperated even though I could feel every step was more of a lurch and I wasn't looking fast or smooth. The finish line never seemed to draw nearer until suddenly it was actually there and I managed to take the last few strides across it. And then I moved to the side, fell on the ground, and bawled my eyes out.

medal

A very nice volunteer named Ken picked me up and handed me a kleenex. I sensed he was about to drag me off to the medical tent so I quickly explained I was just upset with myself and that I had trained much harder than my time showed. He still wouldn't let go of me but he walked me through the medal line, Gatorade table, and bananas before I finally was able to reassure him enough that he let me go in peace. I appreciate his concern looking back but at the time I really just wanted to be left in the sand to fall apart and process the complete reversal of fortunes.

Swag

In the end I was happy enough. Marathon number 6 was over and I finished in 4:33:02 which is an official PR of 1:03. I know I can run a much better marathon and I just had a bad day on a tough course. Apparently pancake flat is tough for me. I am more sore then after Baltimore or Marshall University. I know that I will do better when the weather improves and I'm not fighting a sinus infection and I don't have two kids with the stomach flu at home asking for me. I know that fighting sea winds didn't help anything either. I also know that there's a big PR just waiting to happen and now it will be even bigger because I have more time to train. Running is good!

6 states plus D.C. checked off!

Spring Thaw

Today was my last long run before taper. It's hard to believe it's almost over! Of course, then the real fun will begin. ;)

I signed Shane and I up for the Spring Thaw 20 mile race. This race has 10, 15, or 20 mile options and attracts around 1,000 people. It's pretty large for a local race! It consists of 5 mile loops around North Park lake. This would be Shane's one and only 20 mile run and my final run of 20+ miles.

I haven't felt well the last couple days. A sore throat and some heavy fatigue left my workouts lacking. I somewhat gave in to the feelings of impending illness and cut back my scheduled mileage a bit. I figured it was better to have a good last long run than run every mile to plan and end up actually sick right in my taper.

I picked out an outfit to fit with the 40 degree temps and a breeze. My INKnBURN denim print pants and Sakura pullover with my Altra Superiors. For the exterior I had a light jacket, a hat, and gloves. I also put my Altra logo tattoos on the back of my neck since that was the only skin I planned to have exposed. And I was ready to go!

 

We picked up our friend, Chris, at 7:30 and headed to North Park for packet pick up. There was no parking at the boathouse where the race started and ended so we parked about a half mile away at the spillway and walked in. We got our bags, bibs, and shirts and I felt a little luckier when I got bib 111.

 

 

It was still pretty early so we chatted with a lot of our friends. One of our friends, Jason, agreed to run with Shane and help him get through his first 20 miler. I also ran into a few of our other friends, Allison, Louis, Mike and Michelle. Soon enough everyone started to wander out to line up. I lingered in the warmth until we were asked to line up. I lined up between the 9:30 and 10:00 pace signs.

Funny shirt

A few minutes later we took off. I started out conservatively and watched as people flew by on all sides. I had to keep reminding myself that I had to run my own race. Around 3 miles in I began to pick up the pace. Mike and his friend, John, also happened to catch me at this point. They were running around 9:20-9:30 per mile so I decided to stay with them for awhile. John was wearing a kilt and pretty soon the Scottish jokes and drinking songs were pouring out. It made the first loop very enjoyable. I crossed the 5 mile mark at 48:45.

I continued to run with Mike and John for the second loop. I don't remember much except that the pace kept falling and I was surprised I was keeping up. We crossed the 10 mile mark at 1:34:28 and Mike was done. John and I continued on our own to the third loop.

Elevation profile

The third loop things were starting to get harder. I knew that I was very close to a 2 hour half marathon and I asked John to not slow the pace until we passed the 13.1 mark. We pushed through and my watch beeped the half marathon at 2:01:2x. That's over an 8 minute PR! That accomplishment brought back some energy and I managed to keep the pace steady for the rest of the loop. We hit the mats for 15 miles at 2:21:41.

The last loop was the hardest 5 miles of my life. My brain said it was okay to slow down, my legs told me to take a walk break, but my pride said it wasn't worth it if I threw away my great first 15 for a crappy finish. I kept pushing and I could hear John struggling beside me. The cheery banter of the early miles was long gone by this point. It was all we could do to move forward.

At mile 19 we came upon Louis walking slowly. I had expected him to finish long before me. I told him to help John and I get to the finish and that seemed to perk him up. He began to jog and then to run. Soon he was well ahead of me and I was pulling away from John. All I wanted was to finish so I could stop running. Louis finished 48 seconds ahead of me and John 23 seconds behind me.

Splits

My official time was 3:10:50 although that is apparently gun time and not chip time. I am absolutely thrilled with that anyway! I was 110/152 overall and 6/8 in my age group though so I guess I still have a lot of improvement to make ahead!

Zombies, Ghosts and Dirt Monsters

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy our Trick or Treat was delayed until yesterday. We're procrastinators so we spent Friday painting, carving, and decorating for Saturday. We had planned to eat at the spaghetti dinner hosted by the local church but they cancelled at the last minute so we were left to our own devices. Shane made a run to the grocery store and saved the day with some fixings for our own spaghetti! Then we bathed the girls and got ready to head out for some candy collecting!

Gem was a goth prom queen

Princess Ash wouldn't sit still or wear her tiara

 

Scoops was a .... good question

 

Lily the weiner, of course!

 

There's one house in our neighborhood that the girls call the scary house. They have a great love of Halloween apparently and go all out. Ash and Gem both insisted that we had to Trick or Treat there. I was prepared for tears and going home early and traumatized children but they both handled it well and Ash even wanted to go up twice!

 

Scary House

 

Mercifully it was too cold for staying out long and the girls were happy with their hauls after only an hour. Shane and I were able to get them cleaned up and in bed by their normal time and then we turned our clocks back and jumped into bed ourselves to rest up for the Dirt Monster 5 Mile trail race. After running this two years ago I felt confident I would get a course PR and I was looking forward to the last race with huge hills for the month! This race is funny in that it beneifts the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Foundation of Pittsburgh, hence the name Dirt Monster. It also lends itself to the logo on the shirt.

 

Elevation profile

 

We left the girls with my mom and headed down to the park around 8:30. We were pre-registered so arrival was easy. We parked at the pavilion and got our shirts and bibs. Then we huddled in the car, avoiding the 40-ish degree temps, and debated wearing our jackets or not until the race started at 9:30. I decided to run with my jacket, hat and gloves. For my base layer I had INK n BURN denim print capris and a long sleeved shirt.

 

Race shirt - scary dirty shoes!

 

 

The race started right on time and we headed uphill, made a left turn followed by some rolling hills and then continued making our way up, Up, UP! I knew how long this hill was and how much it would cost me later if I pushed so I jogged until the effort felt too hard and then I hiked as fast as I could. A lot of people blew by me and I think they figured it would be up and then back down and they could recover. As you can see by the elevation profile there's only one good down in the first 4 miles. The rest is all in the last mile and that's what I was saving for.

 

Looking towards the hill we run up

 

I tried to keep my pace even and sustainable for the first three miles. Walking the steep hills meant my splits don't reflect it but the effort felt even. 12:40, 10:06, 12:38 for miles 1, 2, and 3. After mile three I started to pick it up. I was sick of being passed and I could see people starting to blow up in front of me. I passed a lot of people, notably a couple guys in kilts and a girl wearing road shoes. I was impressed that the girl in Kinvaras had managed to stay ahead of me for 3 miles on a thick blanket of wet leaves, through mud, and over a ton of rocks and fallen branches. When I passed her I noticed her breathing was way too labored for only a little over halfway though and realized she was putting out way too much effort trying to move forward and stay upright. My husband said he saw three people wipe out but my Altra Zero Drop Superiors served me well and I remained upright the entire time.

 

My new Altra's got their first taste of mud

 

I continued to gain momentum with each person I passed and felt that I could really improve on my time from 2010 (1:09:34). I thought I might even break an hour if I got moving. I was projecting 57 or 58 minutes and really excited about it. Mile 4 done in 10:37. There was one moment of annoyance when I came up behind a kid that was walking. He had blown by me on the first steep uphill and now it looked like he had blown up. I said excuse me and nothing. I realized he had headphones in so I yelled excuse me. Apparently his music was up too loud because again there was no reaction. I finally just ran up on the birm of the narrow singletrack trail and pushed by him. Lesson: Turn down the volume when you run!

 

I passed a few more people as I navigated the first part of the downhill to the finish chute. Then I caught a glimpse of orange cones through the trees and floored it. I was thrilled to see the finish clock was still under 55 minutes. Last mile in 8:28. My official time was posted as 54:36! That's 2 seconds shy of a 15 minute course PR!

 

Pavilion

 

Back at the pavilion Shane handed me my sweatshirt and we were treated to chicken noodle soup, soda, beer and Halloween candy while we waited for results. There were far more people this year than the last time I ran so I doubted I had a shot but enjoyed seeing my old running partner and some other running friends for a bit. When awards were announced SURPRISE! I got 3rd in my age group which happened to be 18-29 for this race so I was even more shocked. Shane was apparently in the most competitive age group because he placed 7th despite finishing in 46:11.

 

Trying not to freeze while posing

 

All in all it was a good day and really helped me see how far my fitness has come since Ash was born. Now to keep the momentum going through the winter and see what I can do next spring!

 

 

I Can Die Happy Now

If this weekend is anything like today then I've reached the pinnacle of my running career. Just take me now so I can die happy lord! The Runner's World 5k, 10k, and half marathon are here and I am just unbelievably excited!

I drove 5 hours to Bethlehem, PA today and arrived at my hotel around 3PM. I checked in and was immediately presented with a STELLAR schwag bag. It has it all plus some vouchers for freebies at the expo and backstage passes for a few of the tents and demos. Runner's World and FitFluential really hooked us up!

At 5PM an AMAZING (am I using enough superlatives yet?!) luxury bus pulled up and whisked us off to Runner's World headquarters. I thoroughly enjoyed the leather seats and bar stocked with bottled water (what else for a group of fitness freaks). I got to chat with many of the bloggers I've admired and worked with but never met face to face before. I've never enjoyed a 30 minute drive so much in my life!

Snakes on a Plane Bloggers on a Bus

 

Runner's World HQ

 

We arrived at RW HQ just in time to greet the editors and then sit down for a fully catered meal of amazing local and organic foods. There were veggie burgers, real burgers, hot dogs, salad, pasta salad, potato salad, and plenty of desserts. I gorged myself while I gossiped with the other bloggers and the RW staff members. I got the low down on the courses for the 5k, 10k, and half this weekend. I ate a lot, learned a lot, and laughed a lot. This was exactly how race weekend should kick off!

 



It didn't take long to demolish the buffet

 

Hanging out with a blurry Amby Burfoot

 

Running legend, Bart Yasso

 

Editor at Large, Mark Remy

 

Once we had all eaten our fill it was time for our clinic with Altra Zero Drop shoes. These shoes are already in my arsenal as I use the Intuition 1.0 as my every day, casual shoe. But I never turn down a chance to try something new. I tried on the new Intuition and was thrilled that they're now PINK! However, I was wowed by the Superior. It's a light weight, neutral trail shoe with a removable rock plate. I chose to go with the Superior instead of the updated Intuition 1.5. Tomorrow the Altra guys promised to let me try out a pair of the Lone Peaks as well. Either way I'm going home with kickass new trail running shoes from Altra!

 

L to R: Provisioness (stability), Intuition (neutral), Intuition, Superior (trail), Intuition

 

After everyone was fitted we headed off for a tour of the Runner's World Headquarters. I got to see where all the magic happens, from photographers to editing to Bart Yasso's office. I even got to eat some of a giant Brooks chocolate egg!

 

Bart Yasso's office door

Picture in Bart's office (There's no "I" in team, but there's an ass in Yasso)

Giant Brooks Egg

Eating the egg

Men's Health covers from different countries

Apparently Men's Health Brazil is a little more risque than the US version

Rave Run pics

Runner's World covers

After the tour ended we gathered in the RW lawn for some s'mores over a small fire. RW's Laura Beachy tells us that tomorrow's going to be even more amazing but right now I just can't imagine how! It's going to be super hard to go back to real life after this weekend!

 

Apparently bloggers become possessed when toasting marshmallows late at night