One Month to Go!

I can't believe that we have only one month until the marathon!  Another hard week to go, and then I begin to taper.  This has been an unbelievable journey, and I am so glad that so many of you have been following it and experiencing it with me.  All of my hard work will culminate in one day, but the real experience is in the journey.  Thank you all for making it possible.

Question of the Week: Has running taken over your life?

In a word: YES!  Am I sorry?  NO!  I have always been a very goal oriented person, so I am not surprised at the amount of effort that I am putting in, but I am surprised at the amount of time that I have found to do my workouts.  Before I started training for the marathon, I would have never anticipated that I could find 2-4 hours a day to train, never mind have the amount of energy needed to train for that length of time.  But little by little, my workouts have become longer and longer and more intense, and the crazy part is that I LOOK FORWARD TO THEM!!  I usually plow through the rest of my day, excited for when I can throw on my running shoes and get in a good sweat.

Running the Boston Marathon was at the top of my bucket list, and I planned to make it "one and done," but now I'm already planning for my next marathon.  Will it be the Sugarloaf Marathon in May, or the Maine Marathon in September?  I already put my name in the lottery for the New York Marathon in November.  Will I be able to run next year's Boston Marathon as a qualified runner?  I guess we'll have to wait and see....

In this blog post, I'm going to cover a plethora of topics - there is just so much going on this close to the race!  First I would like to start with a little Boston Marathon History.


The History of Women in the Boston Marathon:

This will be the 116th Boston Marathon, and during those 116 years, there were many memorable moments.  Whenever reading about or hearing about these historical highlights, I had never really thought about the fact that none of them included women.

Katherine Switzer - 1968 Boston Marathon

In 1966, Roberta Gibb was the first women to run the Boston Marathon.  She hid in the bushes at the start, and ran it as a bandit, completing the race in 3:21:40.

The first woman to register for the race was Katherine Switzer, in 1968.  She registered as the ambiguous "K. Switzer."  It was not until half way through the race that an official saw her and attempted to take her number, but she was protected by her boyfriend who ran at her side, as well as other runners on the course.  She officially finished the race in 4:20:00.  Even after all of the controversy, women still were not officially allowed to enter the Boston Marathon until 1972.

Katherine Switzer went on to run 35 marathons, winning the 1974 New York Marathon, placing 2nd at the 1975 Boston Marathon, and inspiring women everywhere to run. (To learn more, click HERE.)

Joan Benoit - 1984 Olympic Marathon

So even though this is the 116th running of the Boston Marathon, it is only the 40th year women have been allowed to enter.  In addition, women were not allowed to run the marathon in the Olympics until 1984, just 28 years ago, (the winner was former Boston Marathon winner and Maine resident Joan Benoit)!  Up until that point, women were thought of as too fragile to run such a distance, and if attempted, then the would get big legs and grow mustaches!

As a child of the 80's, (I was born 1/28/1980,) I am thankful that I was raised in an environment in which I was blissfully unaware of these gender stereotypes.  I played on co-ed soccer and basketball teams, and often ran with the boys at track practice.  I opted not to apply to any all-female colleges after one school boasted that the best thing about their school was that I would not have to compete with boys (I heard it both from students AND admissions personnel!)  I did not realize to what extent gender stereotypes were alive and well in this country.  In recognition of the risk these women took to change the perception of women in sports, I would like to dedicate this blog post to the pioneers who made this experience possible for me.  Thank you Roberta Gibb, Katherine Switzer, and Joan Benoit.  Without you, I would not be running the Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber this year.


Fundraising Update:

T-Shirts:

All T-shirt orders are in!  We had a total of 66 t-shirts ordered, and are waiting for our total costs to see how much will be donated to Dana-Farber!  I was hoping for possibly 40 shirts, and we shattered that goal.  Also, I would like to extend a big thank you to the number of people who donated more money than the $15 per shirt!  Your donations helped us to reach a new goal:)  Here is a list of the people who will be honored both on the t-shirts, as well as on the back of my race-day singlet:

General Fundraising:

With all of your support, we are just shy of $6000 raised to support cancer care and research, and that is BEFORE we add the money from the t-shirt fundraiser!  Dana-Farber has set a team goal of $8000 per person.  Originally I thought that this goal was completely out of reach, but now I am setting it as a target.  Thank you for supporting my run for cancer  care and research.  With your support, we are making a difference.

Training:

This week was an odd week for training.  I started the week with a 5.2 mile recovery run on Sunday, and a 6 mile progressive run on the Newton hills on Monday.  Those combined with daylight savings left me a little weary on Tuesday, so I was thankful that our track workout was cancelled.  I took the day as a rest day, hoping to be re-energized for the rest of the week.  

I did get my track workout in on Wednesday at the NEW Newton North track.  It does look just like the picture, except the old NNHS in the background has been since knocked down, and there are gorgeous playing fields in its place.

As nice as the track was, I'm SO glad that I don't normally have to run them by myself!  The workout called for 20 x 400 at 5k pace, with 200 recovery between each (400 after #5, 10, 15, 20,) starting with one mile warm-up, and ending with a half mile cool down.  So 10 miles of track work total...alone.  My pace was to keep each 400 under 1:50 (so each 200 under 55.)  Here are my splits:

The first half was tough, but once I passed #11, I seemed to function on auto-pilot.  I was just glad to get it over with!

On Wednesday, to give my legs a rest from the hills, I decided to hit the treadmill.  I started my 8 miles at   8 minute pace, but soon decided to make it a progressive run.  Once I reached half-way, I realized how close I was to finishing in under and hour, and made that my new goal.  I was able to finish in 59:16, averaging a 7:23 mile.  Even though my legs were really tired the next day, it made me VERY hopeful that my pace would be impressive in the NB halfie.

New Bedford 1/2 Marathon:

Out of all of my training races this season, the NB 1/2 marathon has me the most nervous.  This was my 3rd time completing the course, and both of the previous times I ran it, I set my 1/2 marathon PRs (2004 and 2010).  It is also a race where I see a lot of friends and supporters from my childhood.  I wanted to run the best time I could run, but I was nervous that I would go out too fast and kill my chances.

Well, as I feared, I ended up going out too fast.  I missed the first mile marker, so when I finished mile #2, I realized that I was almost a full minute ahead of pace, and about to take on the biggest hill of the race!  From that point on, I vowed to listen to my body and run my own race.  I pushed up the hill and although the rest of the race was probably more painful than it should have been, I maintained my pace even pushing through the final hill in mile 13!  I still managed to finish in 1:45:04 - averaging 8:01 per mile.  I killed my previous NB best of 2:02, and half marathon PR of 1:52:42.  I also place 69th in my division, out of 409 (women between 30 and 40 years old!)  Top 16%:)

It was wonderful to catch up with family and friends.  My Uncle Kinder and Aunt Karen were also running, so I was able to talk with them both before and after the race.  My friends Kate and Ellie also ran, so I was able to talk with both of them after the race.  This race always feels like a homecoming, with familiar faces all along the sidelines, and old friends scattered along the course.  It was great to see everyone, and I can't wait for next year:)

Recovery, More Race Pics, Goals, and Inspiration

Official Black Cat Pictures:

Rather than group the pictures at the beginning, I will disperse them throughout, just to mix things up a little bit.  After viewing these pictures, there are three things that I noted:

#1) Just because a running outfit is comfortable, does not make it flattering.
#2) I need to get out in the sun more.
#3) When running races, I need to start looking for cameras, so I can make sure I'm not making a terrible face!

I'm sure there will be more lessons learned as the season progresses!


Recovery and Results:

I was incredibly happy with Sunday's finish in the Black Cat race.  I felt like I paced it well - I still had gas in the tank at the end, and I know that I could continue running.  (My 20 mile time was 2:48:07.)  If I continued to run another 6 miles and completed a full marathon, my finish time would have been about 3:39, and since my goal is 3:40-3:45, I was incredibly happy with that result.  Who knows what will happen after another month of training (automatic qualifying for the 2013 marathon is 3:35)?  I was also happy with my overall finish.  I finished 15th out of 132 women in my age group (ages 30-39...the most competitive age group at the race.)  I know that I was not "competing,"  but it still feels good to see the results, and know that I am on track to meet my goal time!

After the Black Cat 20 on Sunday, I was nervous about recovery.  I know that I ran it as a training run, but it WAS 20 miles!  I did a short slow run on Monday, with a LOT of stretching.  I felt pretty good going into Tuesday's track workout.  In fact, I have been on a pretty intense "runner's high" since Sunday's race.  My husband told me that he thinks that I should go for 20 mile runs more often:)

Tuesday's track workout called for 8x1000 with a 400 recovery jog between each.  Jamie and I ran them together again, and we took it a bit easier than normal, based on our coach's advice.  Based on my marathon goal time, I wanted to keep them under 4:35.  Here are our splits:

#1) 4:31 
#2) 4:27 
#3) 4:31 
#4) 4:35 
#5) interrupted by a fire alarm, so we stopped the watch (no joke - we had to go outside and everything) 
#6) 4:34 
#7) 4:32 
#8) 4:19


We were happy to get the last one out of the way!!




Wednesday I planned to take the day off, but it was beautiful out.  Scout, Will, and I threw on some trail shoes, and went for a short run in the woods.  It was amazing to feel the spring weather!  


I brought my running clothes to school on Thursday, so I could get in a 10 mile run on the Newton hills.  I couldn't pass up over 60 degrees in March!  It was incredibly windy, so between the wind and the hills, it was a much more challenging run than I had planned on, but it was nice and warm!  Nothing like running in short sleeves, even as it gets dark!  The hills are getting easier, so I hope that bodes well for race day:)

Saturday's long run in Wayland was beautiful...and long (16.5 miles.)  We had a great DFMC turnout, and I got to catch up with a lot of great people.  It was the first long run that both Jamie and I were at together, so it DEFINITELY helped to have a running partner, especially one who is faster than me and will push me.  We killed our splits, running the second half faster than the first.  I was sore after, but glad that I got a good run in this week.  I'm going to TRY to take it easier next week in preparation for the NB 1/2 marathon, but I make no guarantees:)

Running Goals: 


I already talked a bit about my marathon goal earlier in this post.  With my injuries in January / February, I was afraid that I was going to have to re-adjust.  I seem to be slowly but surely getting back on track.  I had totally counted out the possibility of qualifying for the 2013 Boston Marathon.  Even though it is still faster than my goal pace, I seem to be inching closer to it.  With under 6 weeks to go until race day, we'll see where I'm at.

Sunday the 18th is the New Bedford 1/2 Marathon.  This year will be my 3rd time running this race, and the first time that I am really prepared.  After seeing some of the amazing times that many of my DFMC teammates posted two weeks ago at the Hyannis 1/2 Marathon, I am excited to run it and see what kind of time I can post.  My 13 mile split during the Black Cat 20 miler beat my 1/2 marathon PR from the Maine 1/2 Marathon by about 3 minutes!  We'll see how it goes!  I just hope that I don't go out too fast and blow it!!

Fundraising Goals:

Our big fundraiser right now is our t-shirt fundraiser.  T-shirt orders need to be in by March 15th!  They are only $15 apiece, and you can add the name of anyone you would like to honor on the back.  We already have over 40 orders placed, with 7 days to go!  Get your order in now!

Inspiration:


I have found this experience to be one of the most inspiring experiences of my life.  This is not only due to the training and the generous support of my friends and family, but also to the amazing people that I am continuing to meet through DFMC.  To give you a glimpse of what it is like, I am going to continue to post bios and links to my teammates' blogs.  The people I run with show everyday what it really means to live life, and I want to share their stories with you.

Greg (http://www.prayersforcharlotte.org/PrayersforCharlotte/Welcome.html): 

Greg started running the marathon last year to support his daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte was your average two-year-old when she was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma in June of 2009.  Despite extensive chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplants, Charlotte's little body couldn't handle it, and her cancer relapsed.  She lost her battle this past December at the age of 5.  


Greg, already an active participant on the DFMC team, did not stop running.  He is using his training to help him get through her passing, and is hoping that the money he raises will help to find a cure and prevent other families from suffering in the same way.  He also started a road race that is run in his hometown of Braintree.  Proceeds from the race go directly to Dana-Farber to fund neuroblastoma research and to support the families of children with this terrible disease.

Giles (http://www.gileschristenson.com/):

I met Giles on our very first group run.  Well...I didn't actually meet Giles.  I stared at his back the entire time, trying to make sure that he stayed within sight, so that I didn't get lost on our ten mile trail run.  When we got back and logged into DailyMile, we realized that we were running with each other the entire time, so we officially introduced ourselves at the second group run.

Giles is running for more than one reason.  He didn't become a runner until June of 2010.  He wanted to get in shape, cut back on his drinking, and cope with the loss of his mother.  He didn't know where to start, so a friend recommended the "Couch to 5k" plan.  He ran every day, and didn't miss a workout.  Running became a release.  In July of 2010, he quit drinking, set higher goals for himself as a runner, and has never looked back.

Running has become a central part of Giles' life.  He went beyond the 5k to complete a 10k, and then a 1/2 marathon.  When 2011 rolled around, he found out about the DFMC, and he knew that running for Dana-Farber made perfect sense.  He had started running to deal with his mother's death, so it only made sense to raise money in her name as he attempted his biggest race to date.  In under two years, he went from sitting on the couch to running the Boston Marathon (at an impressive pace!)  He shows that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.



Coming Up:

New Bedford 1/2 Marathon results, final t-shirt numbers, training updates, and more in my next posting! Thank you for all of your support!  We ARE making a difference!!

Inspiration, Training and Fundraising

Inspiration:

My inspiration for running was my own story and how cancer has affected my life, but throughout this process, I have been inspired by the many stories shared with me.  Sharing my story with others has opened others up to sharing their personal experiences, which is what has made this a really life changing experience.  Here is a little about some of my teammates and why they are running.

Jennie (http://www.begoodbestrong.blogspot.com/):

Jennie is one of the first people I connected with at Dana-Farber, and we connected through the DailyMile - a website where we track our runs and support one another online.  Jennie and I tend to run at a fairly similar pace and this will be her 4th Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber, so I was excited when I was able to meet up with her at the DFMC long runs.

Jennie's life has been deeply impacted by cancer.  Jennie grew up as the 4th of 5 children in a close knit family in Marblehead, MA.  In 2008, her older sister Molly lost her life to brain cancer at the age of 36.  A year later, her younger brother John lost his life to the same disease at the age of 32.  Then just last year, her sister Mary lost her life the Melanoma after a 5 year battle at the age of 35.  Of the 5 children from their close knit family, only two remain, and if alive today, all five would still be in their 30's.  Jennie has shown me the resilience of the human spirit in her attitude and drive.  She runs to make a difference.

Patrick (http://dfmc2012.wordpress.com/):

Patrick and I also originally met on DailyMile, but then we actually met in person when I started doing the Tuesday track workouts at Tufts.  Patrick joined the Dana-Farber team last year as a member of the partner's program.  If you elect to be part of the partner's program, you are paired up with a child who is currently being treated at Dana-Farber, and your fund raising money is targeted toward his/her cancer care and research.



Brendan (a charming, now 11-year-old boy,) was partnered with Patrick because in December of 2009, Brendan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  Brendan loves Boston, the Red Sox, and Patrick.  Over the years, Patrick has built a relationship with Brendan both in person and through his blog, "Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, Two People Teaching Each Other About Living Life."  Both Patrick and Brendan post letters to one another on the blog discussing training, cancer, and life.  Through their blog, they teach all of their readers what it means to live life.

I am going to continue to add inspirational biographies for the rest of the season, to share some of my experience with you, and I hope that through them you may get a glimpse of the experience I have been so lucky to have with DFMC.



Training:

Tuesday Night Track Workouts:

Now that my achilles seem to be hanging in there, I felt it was time to add some speed into my repertoire.   The distance runs will get me to finish the marathon, but the speed work is what will get me to run it faster.  Unfortunately, speed workouts are not until 7:30 at night at Tufts University in Medford (over an hour from my house), but they are worth the long drive.

My first workout was on the 21st.  12x600 with 200 recovery jog between each.  I had not calculated my pace ahead of time, so my plan was to see how I felt and wing it.  I went out chasing Patrick and Jamie, and soon learned they were faster than me (oopsies,) so I had a very speedy workout, and ended up finishing the last 4 or so alone.  Oh well...I was kind of mad at myself for messing up the pacing, but at least I had gotten my first track workout under my belt, and met some great people to push me.

When I went to my second track workout on the 28th, I had my splits prepared ahead of time.  I was ready to stay on pace for the whole workout.  After my warm-up, I found my way over to the line, and Jamie hopped up beside me.  She said, "You ran with me last week.  We should run together again - you lead."  So I did, and although I was way ahead of pace for the workout -  2x(400, 800, 1200, 1600) with 1/2 the recovery in the middle, I was able to finish it out with Jamie, and was happy to be pushed.

Black Cat 20 Miler (Salem and Marblehead, MA):

The Black Cat 20 Miler was my first run over 17 miles EVER, so I was a bit nervous, and determined to run it like a training run.  That philosophy usually goes right out the door once my feet cross the starting line, but this time I was able to keep my pace under control.  I started out with a comfortable 8:30 pace, and after mile 10, began to pick it up.  Around mile 8 I had a terrible calf spasm that I was worried would end the race for me, but after hopping off the course and really rubbing it for about a minute, I was able to continue.  My achilles felt fine the whole time, but there were some temporary pains that aggravated my final 5 miles (some foot and shin pain,) but nothing I couldn't work through.  Final time was 2:48:08, and I was still coasting at a comfortable pace through the finish line.  I hope this means good things for Marathon Monday!!  Here are some more pics, (thanks to my husband who gave up his morning to stand by the water on a cold damp day for nearly 3 hours, only to see me run by twice.)

Crossing the 10 Mile Mark

Juggling Gatorade and Goo-Bites at a Water Stop

Rounding the Final Corner.

Crossing the Finish Line

YAY!  I'm Done!!

The next big race is the New Bedford 1/2 Marathon in 2 weeks!  Getting geared up to run at home!!


Fundraising:

A Bigger and Better Goal of $6500 for Cancer Care and Research:

Thank you to everyone for helping me to reach my fundraising goal of $5390!  Because it is such an amazing cause, I am not ready to stop there.  Now that I have upped my goal to $6500, we have gotten a flood of recent donations, bringing us to $5855!  We are really making a difference!  Thanks for your support!!

T-Shirts:

T-shirts are available for order until March 15th!  Order your's now.  Click HERE to download your order form, and remember, with your order, you can add names to the back!

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!