Twenty Miler!!!!!! And Fundraising Party:

It is so nice to be writing after the 20 miler. What can you say about twenty miles? It was a training run I was looking forward to as much as fearing. :)
For charity runners, a moderate training program usually peaks with a run of this length, scheduled a few weeks before the marathon, followed by a taper.

We woke up to near perfect weather at 5 a.m., just a slight headwind of 5-7 miles with temps in the mid 30's and rising. Our team kicked off with a meeting at Wellesley and two moving dedications. Our great team organizers had buses drive us to the start line.

This was a day that most charities and many individuals scheduled their long runs, and the result, even though the roads weren't closed, was a marathon-like festive atmosphere. Support groups from each charity were manning water stops at at least 3 mile intervals, sometimes more, and did a great job of keeping runners hydrated and cheering them onwards. We knew that our Team would be at the 15 mile mark.

This was also the first day that we saw and wore our running singlets. It was a great feeling to put these on and be able to run as a dedication to the people on the backs of our singlets.

How does running 20 miles feel? Well, I have done this distance about 10 times now, and it is still hard to describe. I think it is kind of an adventure, mostly good. I don't think I've had a run where there hasn't been difficult patches, but I do think that the older I get, the more resourceful I am in dealing with problems. If I can think back to Saturday, I would say the progression was: nervous and excited, relaxed and excited, meditative and methodical, meditative and resolute. At about 15 miles, I definitely felt tired, and seeing our water stop across from the community center was a great source of strength. Wonderful Dave Tierney offered to take my jacket and hat, and I heard our coach Rick telling runners that the next section was basically downhill. This combination and knowing that we had people we knew at the finish line gave me the pep to carry through, and the last part went by quickly if not easily. Overall, I felt a bit more fatigued that I have in past long runs, but because my excellent running partner helped work me through the last miles and because I stayed focused, we ended up with a pretty good time, just 2 minutes over our goal. :)

The best part? Our friends Chris Lynn and Robert Roppolo were at the finish line! Both Chris and Bob had volunteered to drive tired runners from the finish back to the community center. Chris had decorated trees and signs and Bob gave Tim and I a ride back with two other girls from our team.

Well, the rest of the day was pretty much a wash. Stretching, sleeping, drinking and eating, with sleeping in between most of those activities. And Celebrating the fact that the taper was upon us. From now until race day, we will be cutting back mileage to rest up for the marathon!

Our fundraising party is tomorrow. Looks like things are in good shape and hope we have a great turnout! Will post following the event. Best,-M

Snow storms and sun:

Well! A week of beautifully warm temps was followed by a sudden storm that left Boston with about 9" of snow and a canceled team practice on Saturday morning. Temps are climbing back up and if we can just avoid rain next week, we should be in good shape!

Our 15 mile run was fine, although we missed having the water stops and the support of our team. It was chilly and icy in spots, and we stopped several times to buy Gatorade but we did it, and hope that we may make good time on our 20 miler. All the same, and as our coach reminded us- it is possible to have a hard time on the long run and do well in the marathon, and vice versa. I am feeling positive!

During the run, we bumped into a father and son near Heartbreak Hill. They were obviously working on some physical therapy, as the son was having difficulty walking, though they took the time to say hi to us. It was a moving scene for me and a good reminder that putting aside a training season to run for the society and fund raise is nothing- NOTHING compared to dealing with a serious physical challenge or the fight against cancer that patients go through. I realize how lucky I am to be out there doing something for a charity, and how great it is to be supported by the people who have donated to my fundraising efforts.

We have just over a week until ourFundraising Party! I will check in w/the event manager shortly to review numbers of guests and logistics. I am lucky to have support of many people who helped with prize donations, and will look at how I can recognize them during and after the event.

18 Away:
Hello, everyone! We just finished our 18 miler on Saturday- AWAY from the hills- yippee!
I think this was the first week that I saw the course past Natick and it was a welcome change.

Adding to this- lovely weather! After a chilly week, the temperatures warmed up and made this run one of the most comfortable that we have had so far.

Difficulty- yes, this was hard. After a long run of 17 miles and a couple dropped down weeks, the brain will try to convince you that the body is not able to do that last mile. But this is where you can talk yourself through it- Tim and I managed to do a great job- we were pleased with our time and we are hoping that our goals on the big day are reachable. But...

• We were running away from the hills
• Our return gave us wind behind us, which was opposite to our usual experience
• 18 miles is still 8.2 miles away from a marathon distance

Well! We will have to see what happens, and in the meantime, have 2 more weeks before the taper- a 15 mile run, and the 20 miler.

It was great to see our team members, and we had sections where we ran with some of our team and thoroughly enjoyed that! Dave Tierney did an awesome job of heading up the coaching session. We had a moving dedication from a co-worker/friend of one of our Team members, who had success with a bone marrow transplant after her diagnosis with ALL. She and her mother were very nice to thank us for running for the Society.

We are still working towards our fundraising party and hope it will be a success- I will try to wrap up the donations this coming week.

Tips for the day:

• Recovery drinks: Did you know one of the most talked-about recovery drinks this past year is not Gatorade, but chocolate milk? It turns out the carb/protein balance after a strenuous workout is more effective in aiding recovery than that sports/electrolyte drink most of us reach for. If you don't like milk, you can still use this lesson and take some protein with your after workout carbs and liquids.
• Recovery time: The first few hours after a long distance run can be hard- the body is recovering, and immunity is not as high as at other times. If you know you have a social event following a run, try to get a few hours down-time in between, preferably somewhere quiet and relatively secluded. Try to stay away from anyone who seems like they have something you don't want!
• Recovery list: After a long workout, make sure you do a few things: Change into comfortable, dry clothes (if you can't shower first), Stretch, Eat and drink within 30 minutes of your workout, AND- later on,try to walk around. Your legs will thank you the next day.

Best,-M

Counting down the weeks:
Here we are, just a few weeks away from our 20 miler long run. How fast it's gone!

Briefly- our long run was 15 miles. We did this the day after our Team practice, giving Tim's knee some extra time to rest. Things are going well, and we feel confident that our 18 miler this coming weekend will go smoothly. We were happy to attend practice to see our coach for the last time for a few weeks, and to hear a teammates' moving dedication to her husband, who passed away from cancer.

I have a few items that I am very excited about!

• That our good friend Jacques Chanier had a live recording last week! Jacques continues his remission from CNS lymphoma, though he is still undergoing chemotherapy at Mass General. The recording was truly awesome- he is playing with a great trombonist and about 50 of us were lucky enough to be at this event. Bring on the CD release party! Jacques continues to inspire me as a talented musician and a wonderful human being.
• That we have put together details for our fundraising party! We will be having a pool party at Jillian's Billiard Club on March 29th, and have some wonderful prizes, thanks to our donors. We will also have some silent art auctions. The evite can be viewed here and bids for artworks can be taken by contacting me.
• That Tim and I will be running in memory of two very special people- John Alan Cates and Gerry Lynn. These are very dear friends' special family members who have passed away from blood cancers and we are very moved that we will be allowed to run in their honor this year. I hope to put up a post about this before the race.

Well, I think that's about it. It is a little scary to see that next week is 3 miles longer that our run this past session, but this is the 'have faith' part of the game and will concentrate on thinking positively and constructively- towards the marathon, and for what we are doing in running with the Team. Best, -M