Races, Pictures, Goals, and More!

Derry Continued:

For starters, a few more photos were posted from the Derry race last month that I figured I would share, since they look less painful than the previous photos I posted!  The first photo was taken around mile 8, and the last one was taken as I was stopping my watch as I crossed the finish line:)

 

Old Fashioned Ten Miler: 

Since Derry, I have been working my way back from an achilles injury, and after running an entire week pain free, I participated in another race - The Old Fashioned Ten Miler in Foxborough, MA.  I entered this race months ago after encouragement from my colleague, Sue Levy.  Unfortunately, the race was bigger than I anticipated and I couldn't find her in the crowd, but I was able to run a better race than I anticipated.  

I started with a 7:58 mile...since I was aiming for 8:10-8:20 miles, I was nervous.  I became more nervous when I coasted by the second mile marker with a 7:32 mile!  I spent most of the race going up and down, finally finishing at 1:20:23 (averaging 8:02 per mile.)

My husband Will was there to cheer me on and take some pics that I'm including on my blog:)

 Upcoming Races:

DFMC cancelled a group run on March 4th - a planned 20 miler.  Knowing that I would like to run with a large group of people, I checked out some of the recommended races that are taking place that weekend and settled on the Black Cat 20 in Salem.  The run tracks up and down the coast of Salem and Marblehead, and boasts it's historic and scenic views.  I plan to run it as a workout and not as a race, but it will be interesting to see where I'm at!

For more info, check out their race site: http://www.blackcatroadrace.com/ 

On March 18th, I'll be returning to New Bedford to run the New Bedford 1/2 Marathon for the 3rd time. I love this course because I see so many people from different parts of my childhood both in the race and on the sidelines.  My goal is to not only shatter last year's time of 2:02, but to also get a personal record, and a good (objective) 1/2 marathon time before the marathon.  This will probably be my last race before the marathon, so I want to make sure it is a good one:)  For more info on the NB 1/2 Marathon, check out their website:  http://newbedfordhalfmarathon.com/


Fundraising Goals:

Today, I officially met my fundraising goal, raising $5404.68 so far for cancer care and research.  Thank you all so much for your continued support and helping me to surpass my goal, and believing in such a great cause.  I really believe that the money we have raised will go to helping to find a cure for cancer, a disease that unjustly robs so many families of their loved ones before they get to live their lives.  Being a part of the DFMC team has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I have really been able to see how many different lives this disease continues to affect.  I cannot fully express in words how grateful I am to all of you for your help.

Even though we have met our goal, we will continue to keep fundraising.  It is not to late to donate: http://www.runDFMC.org/2012/meganh and we still have fundraising events and opportunities planned both before and after the marathon.  Currently, t-shirts are still on sale until March 15th!  You can click HERE to download a t-shirt order form.  Show your support by wearing it on race day, or adding your name to the back!

Only Two Months to Go!! Training, Singlets, T-Shirts, and More!!!!

Two months from today I'll be lining up in Hopkinton...it is pretty hard to believe.  I'm a little nervous that my ankles are not 100% healed, but they are no longer holding me back from running, so I'm just going to push through.

Tuesday, I brought my running clothes to work, and did a hilly loop around Newton, including heartbreak hill.  All of my indoor work over the past month has maintained my level of fitness, but I have fallen behind in my hill work!  I am going to gradually push to get some more hill work in, and I want to start adding speed work once a week.  Hopefully that will bring me to where I want to be on race day!!

Last night marked a big night for me!  I received my race singlet!!  Unfortunately, they sent me the wrong size, so I need to exchange it, but I got to see what it looked like!  I can't wait to receive the one that I'll wear, so I can put my name on it:)  With each milestone, what I'm doing becomes more and more real.  I'm going to be running the Boston Marathon!! 

Also, t-shirts officially went on sale YESTERDAY, and I already have 12 orders!  I passed out order forms at my school, and I will be mailing them out to friends and family this weekend!  If you want to get a jump start on your order, you may download an order form HERE, or place your order online HERE.  A sketch-up of the t-shirts can be found below, and don't forget, you can add names to the back of the shirt!!

 

Getting Back on Track

Sunday I ran 17 miles on a treadmill.  This is not typically how I would choose to complete a long run, but I didn't want to risk an achilles flare up.  My goal was to run for as long as I could pain free and switch to the arc trainer.  I was anticipating 10-12 miles, still long for a treadmill run, but not unmanageable.  Since my achilles never bothered me, I completed the entire 17 miles on the treadmill, and now I'm ready to take on any run!

I took Monday as a day of rest, and today I plan to do a 10 miler from work, including the Newton hills.  I have to get back out there sometime, and after nearly a month of indoor training, I'm ready for a run in the fresh air.  I plan to take it slow and just enjoy the scenery.  We'll see how it goes!

Easing Back Into Running

It is not easy.  I have been confined to the gym for what seems like eons, so it is only natural that I want to jump back into running, especially since the weather is nice.  I know that would not be a wise decision, though, as my ankles are still tight, and my achilles still ache (a bit during) and certainly after a run.  I was restricted to the arc trainer for weeks because I pushed it too much, so I know that I have to ease back in.

So I decided not to go to the group run on Saturday.  I'm scheduled to get 16-18 miles in this weekend, and a 16 mile run with my awesome DFMC teammates and scheduled water stops sound like SO much fun, and a great way to see the miles fly by.  I know that with the condition I am in that I would be able to complete the 16 mile run, and I can't help but fly when I'm surrounded by people.  I also know that just like with the Derry race, the run would kill my achilles and I would be right back to square one.

Begrudgingly, I will continue to work indoors on Saturday.  I plan to run as far as I can without pain, and finish the workout on the arc trainer.  I hope to be good to go for the Old Fashioned Ten Miler next Sunday.  Since it is a flat course, and I've already completed 8 miles on the tread mill comfortably, I think that this is a perfectly reasonable goal.  Hopefully I can continue to see forward progress, and I'll be able to start adding some speed to meet some of my time goals for the marathon.  I am so worried that my teammates are going to pass me by, but I need to remember to be patient, and then and only then, I'll be back to 100% well before the marathon:)

2 Miles at Normal Pace!!

That's right!  This announcement would not normally be cause for celebration, but after 2 weeks in runner's jail (training on the Cybex Arc Trainer,) I am excited that I had no trouble completing 2 miles and normal pace on the tread mill.  My ankle is still a little stiff, so today I will return to the arc trainer for my workout, but tomorrow I plan to do my entire run on the tread mill.  I needed something to jumpstart my training, so my return to running came at the right time!

On a somewhat different note, I have been trying to pack more protein in my diet to rebuild my achilles tendon.  I switched yogurt brands to Chobani b/c they have 14g of protein in every cup.  This has proven to be a pretty good switch, as long as I stick to the "normal" flavors (pomegranate and honey are TERRIBLE!!)  I also switched my typical snack bars to Power "Protein" Bars.  They taste like feet, and make me a little sick to my stomach, but they have 24g of protein in each bar!  I have a stash that will last me through next week, and then I will be switching back to my traditional snack bars.

13 days until my next race: The Old Fashioned 10 Miler in Foxboro.  This is supposed to be a relatively flat course, and a lot of fun, so I hope that I am 100% by then!  

T-Shirts Are Ready!

Order a T-Shirt and Support my 2012 Boston Marathon Run for Dana-Farber.  Only $15!!  Proceeds from the shirts will be donated directly to Dana-Farber.  Any loved ones who you would like remembered on race day?  Include their names on the race form and we'll put their names on the shirt!

Be sure to wear your shirt on race day!!

Click HERE to go to my t-shirt website to get information on ordering!

Some Pics from Derry

Here are some more pictures from Derry.  Of course they waited to take them on the hills in the last 1/3 of the race:)

$260.32

$260.32.  That's all I need to meet my goal!  Thank you for all of your support!  It has been the biggest source of motivation in my training.  With your donations, we can really make a difference:)