What next? Rest, races and remembering

Well! It's been over a week since the marathon and life is chugging along. It is normal to feel a 'gap' once a big goal is accomplished- when that big event or performance is over and that focal point ceases to act as a daily beacon to organize events around. Lucky for me, I get to experience a seasonal shift as the weather improves- other volunteer projects such as work for the Fenway Garden Society, fundraising and project managing for several area parks projects, and deadlines for grants applications have all made days even busier than I would have thought (and sometimes want!) post-marathon. Right now, the challenges look to outweigh the successes, but like anything, this is a temporary phase as exploration of challenges lead to solutions going forward.

I will miss my great teammates, including Ben,who was a recipient of a rarely awarded Volunteer of the Year award with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and whose amazing and inspiring blog account you can read here. I'll miss being surrounded weekly by a bunch of people who believe in making a difference through their actions and committment, but as I told our coaches, I think the ripple effect on the way their runners will continue to be impacted by the experience will be limitless.

And... There will be more races! This weekend is the Grafton Gazebo 5 Mile Road Race, held on Saturday, May 3rd at 10:00 a.m. This is a hilly and exciting (especially when you don't know the course!) race, and we should have a nice Team in Training contingent there. And my good friend Chris and teammate Patti have propelled me to sign up for the ING NYC half marathon in November. HALF marathon? That's right! I plan to work on pacing on shorter distances and see where that takes my running. I have yet to resolve my right ankle tendinitis, but am planning on working that out asap. For advice on how to recover from Boston, check out this recovery plan.

I would be remiss in not pointing out some great sponsors, whose products you can STILL BUY through my fundraising website until May 31, 2008:

Planet Buff:
Thank you, Scott, for offering a generous donation for each unit sold through my Original Buff Headwear link. Scott not only has agreed to donate a portion of each sale made through my site with the appropriate fundraising code listed, but to throw in a shopping spree drawing (one lucky winner!) for products for anyone purchasing through this site. Planet Buff is a great company whose products I can't say enough good things about.

Wrap n Mat:
Bonnie at Wrap N Mat has been most generous from the outset, allowing me to sell these great plastic saving reusable sandwich wraps on my site, and resending a large order of products that somehow (!) got lost in the mail.

Yuko Adachi:
Yuko's Fine Art Cards are just a tiny window into her vast artistic world, which you can view on her website. Yuko generously donated her proceeds for these cards for fundraising, and has helped me for a number of years in supporting LLS despite a busy painting and exhibition schedule.

Deans Beans:
Charlsie at Dean's Beans has been the best. She has split orders into small amounts to provide direct shipping of small qtties for my web orders , and provided quick, efficient and cheerful support all the way. This is my second year working with Deans Beans and they have turned a group of coffee lovers into satisfied and loyal customers.

All of these vendors have provided generous fundraising rates that have allowed me to sell their products while raising important funds for blood cancer research. Please take a look at their products and let me know if you are interested in purchasing their products! I can tell you more about any of them, as I've been a customer for all these items myself.

Great Video Interview!

Check out this YouTube video about the Boston marathon. I was looking for something inspiring to post and love this one because:
1)It is filmed at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill, just before all the runners head up it.
2)It is filmed during winter training
3)It is especially inspiring seeing all the charity runners who run for a cause. I even saw my old teammate Jill who was running for Team in Training!

Check it out and get revved up, everybody!

Snowy, rainy long runs

Our Team practice once again was held during a snowy/rainy day! I was not sure I'd be running due to the ankle, but decided to prepare as if I'd run it and see how things went the first few miles.

My friend Kathleen and her aunt Nancy came to practice to dedicate our training run to Kathleen's mother, Judy, who passed away last year after a decade long battle with multiple myeloma. I am running in Judy's memory this year, and as Kathleen said, it would be fitting, as Judy loved the marathon and watched it every year from her favorite spot- Golden Temple restaurant on Beacon Street. I am going to run this marathon as best as I can and continue on with my fundraising for blood cancer research! Forward, ho!

Our run, after many weeks of hill runs, was AWAY from the hills, heading out from Wellesley through Natick and Framingham, then back. I definitely felt the ankle and decided that if it got 'worse' I would stop at any of the water stops along the way. My excellent coach Rick was at the first stop and asked me about it, telling me that I could be feeling some compensation. I kept on going, and the pain evened out, just like he had said! Rick mentioned that we would make a plan to ice it right after the run, and this thought of having a post-run plan helped me feel more comfortable with the choice I made to continue.

I was behind Tim for most of the run, and towards the end, felt that I was really slowing him down. The rain and snow made for a wet chilly run, and in the last 400 yards, my foot cramped up and I had to pull off my shoe and stretch it out. I've never had this happen before, but guess there's a first time for everything. Once again, I layered Wright socks under my smart wool socks and it helped dispel any blisters (I also coated my feet with Glide).

I was happy to see that we managed to run (not quite 18 miles according to Tim's GPS) within a 'supposed' time frame for me to be able to make a qualifying run, and managed to make negative splits as well. I am using the McMillan's pace calculator, and also this chart , punching in a fade time of 20 seconds a mile after mile 20. The time I'd have to get in my age group would be 3:50:59. It might not happen! Our main goal is to raise funds for LLS, then to try to run all the way through without having the cramping Tim's been experiencing around the 17-20 mile mark, then to try for a sub 4 marathon. Qualifying would be the icing on the cake, but I think we will focus on running assertively, following a practical plan, basing the run on the process rather than outcome and focusing on how we are running. I am putting this down here so that I can remember, too! Don't get bogged down by the outcome!!!!!

Happy training, everyone!

Training for Boston:

Okay, this catches me up a little to where things are in the current training season. I am now training for the Boston marathon, which is April 21st. This is my third Boston race and maybe my last! We are up to a long run of 14 miles, and heading through the towns of Newton, Wellesley, Natick and Framingham weekly with the Team. I'll post more about the training details, but wanted to write about why and who I am running for this year:

I will be running in honor of my friend Kathleen Drohan's mother, Judy. I met Kathleen through my friends Asako and Kevin. Kathleen moved here from New York, and works for the Boston Symphony doing their public relations, which is a very intense job! When she moved here, her mother was ill and she was telling me about the battle she was having with multiple myeloma. Kathleen was a big supporter of TNT whose friend ran with the Team after being a cancer survivor. I wanted to support Kathleen after the loss of her mother by running in honor of her this year. Kathleen wrote a short essay about her mother, which I placed on my fundraising page:

My mother, Judy Johanson, died on August 8, 2007, at age 70, after living with multiple myeloma for nearly a decade. She was a loving, giving woman who lived for her family.

My mother loved to travel, to be outdoors, and to go to movies or read a good book. She loved going to airports and watching people reunite with their loved ones (sometimes you had to drag her out of there, if she'd spied someone waiting, but hadn't witnessed the reunion). Besides spicy food and getting her hair wet, there actually wasn't much that she didn't like. She instilled in my sister and me a love of life and a neurosis about being late.

Unless something went terribly wrong, she never missed a family event. My cousins Janii and her husband Laurence, Steven and his wife Anna, and Jon and his wife Gail and their children, Hayden, Nelle, Forrest, Jesse, Peter, Noli, and Kristian, kept her busy with school plays and graduations, but she loved every second of it and each of them wholeheartedly.
My mother's sister Nancy and her dearest friend Sally kept her both grounded and entertained. She loved spending time with both of them (although much of the time, whatever they did together were tales she wouldn't share with her daughters).

She loved meeting and holding babies. Her own granddaughters Talia and Ava were her life's greatest joys.
We all miss her every day.

My sister, Karen Drohan, and I are so honored that Marie is choosing to honor my mother with her run this year. We hope you'll support her training.

Almost Time... and what about the weather???:

Okay, everyone! Thanks for all your help! We are just about ready for race day after picking up our registrations and have the following news for tracking on race day:

Race Day: We will be running the Boston Marathon on April 16th, 2007. We are in the 2nd wave of runners, officially starting at 10:30 a.m., although it takes some time to actually get to and cross the starting line! We will have timing devices on our shoes, and you will be able to see where we are by going to http://www.baa.org/. The face of this site will change on race day, and you will be able to look us up by number and name:

Timothy Horn: Bib number 20936
Marie Fukuda: Bib number 20922

During the race, our good friend Bert Antonio will have my cell phone and will be viewing 5k splits up until we are close to the finish. You can reach him for updates at (617)347-2037 (cell) or (617)859-3646- please do so if you are considering coming out, so that you are not waiting forever!

Our dear friends Bob Roppolo and Christine Lynn will be dropping us off in Hopkinton in the morning, and Jacques Chanier will be meeting us at mile 15 at the Wellesley Community Center.

If we are vertical that evening, we plan on a pizza celebration at Woody's. If anyone would like to join us, please send your phone number and we'll call you with the plan.

Goals: Well, we had hoped to have a sub-4 time this year, but it seems that we may have some additional challenges. The weather forecast includes the possibility of strong winds and heavy rain, which will make this a memorable race! If we run in good time, we will be happy, but if not, we will finish. My post about preparation will now be supplemented with garbage bags for feet, extra clothing for the start, umbrellas and rain poncho, extra shoes and socks for the start, a dropped change of shoes/socks for emergency halfway through, and a bag of dry clothes to drop off at the finish. :)

We had a great 6 months training with our Team, and have now raised over 13,000 dollars with the help of all of you- money that goes towards the Society's goals to cure blood cancers and to care for patients and their families. We are dedicating this run to two wonderful and brave people who are no longer with us, and in hopes that one day there will be a cure for these diseases.

We are so grateful for the support of everyone out there and look forward to celebrating another year with the Team. All the best, Marie

LAST TEAM TRAINING AND TAPER WEEK!: Hi Everyone! We are officially finished with our Team training and are in full taper mode this week as we prepare for the marathon. Here's pic of our race day shirts from our 20 miler. The back of mine will have ribbons with your names- as soon as I sew them on!


As many of you know, tapering is a traditional part of race preparation. Giving the body enough training, and then enough rest can maximize performance on race day by giving the body the training it needs and then time to recover and replenish. It sounds nice, but it can be difficult for runners who have gotten used to the training schedule. It can also be difficult mentally, as one starts to wonder if they will remember how to run or whether they will lose skill from a week of rest.

This is when the mental part of training has to overcome the body's messages. Instead of training on the road, you can use this time to start preparing mentally, getting organized for the race and in using focus to prepare the brain for what lies ahead. Good tips include visualization- taking some time every day to picture yourself on the course and how you will be handling different sections of the race, meditation and breathing, and preparing for the logistics of the race before race day arrives. Knowing that you have everything in order gives peace of mind, especially the couple of days before the race! It is also a good week to schedule some gentle massage. :) And maybe one after the race!

Here is a tip sheet for what to think of to bring to any race:

• Your running clothes and race numbers: Make sure to pin this to your singlet before race day and try it out by swinging the arms around! It will help avoid problems in having to repin once you are in the race! If you are not sure of the weather, bring a change of clothes, one for each possibility.


• If the weather is chilly, a garbage bag or throwaway sweatshirt/pants for prerace. The Boston Marathon is great in that charities collect this prerace gear as you come through the runners corrals. If you use the garbage bag, you can punch out holes for the arms after using the same bag as a seating tarp for pre-race waits.


• Money and essentials: It is good to know that you have that extra little bit in case you fall into an emergency and are in between aid stations! For extra essentials, dont forget: anti-chafing lubricants, bandaids, any medications you need, sunscreen,sunglasses (if needed), gels or carb supplements, liquids and pre-race food.

Luckily, we are having fun thinking about race day, what the run will mean for us and for the people we are running for, and about the people who have been so supportive to us so far. We are excited to be joined again by Jacques Chanier at the 15 mile mark, and will look forward to seeing friends on the course. I will make one more post about race day and tracking. Thanks to everyone for all you've done- buying coffee, donating, attending our party, writing your encouragement and cheering for us through this training season. Thanks for helping us to continue raising money to further cancer research and to care for people who are going through these diseases. Best, Marie

Fundraising Party!: Well, I am now officially getting behind in my blogging, so will do a few posts this week. We had a very nice fundraising party, thanks to everyone who pitched in and attended on March 29th!

We raised around $2,400 dollars between the two of us, and have now officially met our fundraising goals to raise $6,000 dollars each. The actual goal of our Team is 1 million dollars, and we are probably about 200,000 short, but hope that additional fundraising efforts will help to bridge the gap!:)

Bob Roppolo was very generous to attend our next to last training session and share a memory of John and to make a dedication in front of our Team. We are very inspired to run this race in John's memory and will do our best next Monday!

Thanks again to everyone who contributed and attended our fundraiser. I would especially like to thank a few people:

• the artists who donated works for our silent auction, Yuko Adachi, Bert Antonio, and Peter Arvidson.
• Jon Fukuda and Luc Kress for their help with the technical stuff and to Luc for the door prize!
• Steve Short of Central Reservations of New England- The hotel stays were a big draw and thanks so much for helping us to acquire them!

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

Revisiting the Hills- 13 towards Newton:

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the gradual increase of daylight! We had another go at the hills this week, this time from Wellesley up past Heartbreak and over. One thing is for sure- I am getting to know this part of the course very well!

The dedications at practice were wrenching. Emily, our campaign manager, showed up for practice although her grandmother had just passed away. Another member went through her story of how 4 out of 8 family members had been diagnosed with cancer, some of them fatally. Another member told of how a family member was so ill that the doctors did not know what to do next.

We worked well to develop a strategy for this run. 13 miles is a good distance to test your realistic goals for the marathon- it is almost a half marathon distance, and gauging your speed can make you see whether you are in the game to make your goal time for race day. There is an interesting running calculator listed on Greg McMillan's website- check it out with your own times to see where you get- it is supposed to give you a predictor for your race distance. We decided to take the first two miles very slow and then gradually increase to our pace.

Unfortunately, we did not meet our goals when we punched the numbers in McMillan's. Technically speaking, we were ahead for even pacing on a sub-4 marathon (according to our race-pace bracelet), but the tricky thing with marathoning is that you can't count on a negative split or a rock steady pace the second half of the race. On the other hand, we had winds of 20 mph in our face on the way back, AND ran over the hills of Newton, including Heartbreak twice, so we have to take this with a grain of salt. My hat was frozen on my head on the way back- that was a WIND!

Lesson of the day: Keep testing yourself to see how you are doing against your goals. Give yourself flexibility for an off day, but reassess your goals and see whether the training should change or your goals should modify.

I have never felt so tired after a run- including last year's marathon. I found I could not move and spent the rest of the day asleep. Well, time to regroup after catching up w/home chores Sunday, work on the weekday runs and get ready for next Saturday's 15. What are my goals for the week? Try to push in a few speed segments into the weekday run, and don't forget to think about pacing!
And yes, I still am enjoying this and know I am LUCKY to be out here. -M

Seventeen in the City:

Well, Boston is just getting over a messy storm that blew into town a week ago. The minimal snow in itself was not a problem, but the icy sleet followed by low temps and high winds did a great job of encasing the streets and sidewalks in a slippery glaze. Our team practice was cancelled for the week due to conditions in Wellesley towards Natick (our planned route AWAY from the hills!), and we were advised instead to train on our own when weather allowed.

Saturday morning had Tim and I planning possible routes via Google Earth, and we headed out to scout out which roads were actually passable. We ended up selecting a variation of a reverse Boston Marathon route. We headed out onto Commonwealth Avenue, running towards the Public Gardens.

We flipped back at the gardens and then ran up past Kenmore Square and onto Beacon Street, basically up the marathon course backwards. For anyone who is interested, there is a great fast motion film of the actual marathon course as it starts in Hopkinton, running for 26.2 miles to its finish on Boylston Street here. And it's only one song long...

The best part about the run was bumping into Team members who were doing long runs on their own. We also were fortunate at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill to see a water volunteer from Joints in Motion, who generously offered us Gatorade and candy. It was hard running unsupported, and we lost some time stopping into various stores for drinks, but we did make it, running out over the hills, and then turning and coming back over them. We ran a great portion of this run in the road with cars, and many were none too happy to be sharing the streets with us.

The good part? We will be back to training with the team this coming week AND with a shorter run of only 13 miles. Yeah!

Tips:

Challenges while running, whether fatigue, cramps, or just an 'off' day, can happen to anyone. The trick in training is to work on your brain's ability to manage those challenges. Thomas S. Miller's Programmed to Run has an excellent section on mind and body control. His theory is that the brain has two sides- the right brain/programmer and the left brain/critic. When you start recognizing a problem running, the left brain sometimes works in a way that is harmful, flooding the brain with negative feedback, and as such incapacitates the programming side of the brain from effectively carrying out function. The trick that Miller offers is that the voice of the critic can be managed by giving it another 'task'- according to him the left brain can only perform one verbal task at a time. By offering another verbal command to your left brain, you can remove the negative critic and effectively manage both sides of the brain to your benefit.

Giving energy/getting energy:

Never underestimate the importance of giving positive energy, whether it is waving at that runner coming towards you or gesturing a thank-you to a car that is letting you by. Maybe not everyone will smile back, but you will remember those who do. This is one thing that you will not run out of if you give it away. Try it and see!

Fifteen Miler

Hi Everyone! I had a bit of a delay as I needed to update this blog to the new version of blogger. Hopefully everyone who wants to comment will be able to access and please email to fresherfish@aol.com if you have any problems.

Last Saturday, I woke up with a familiar feeling- fear. For some reason, at a certain point in training, this feeling will creep up on me and give me some challenges. I focused on preparing my gear, doing some light massage and stretches, and visualizing a good run. And telling myself that it would only be a few minutes longer than last weeks' run!

We headed out from Wellesley at about the 15 mile mark, first away from the hills towards Wellesley College for 2.5 miles, then turning around and back up through the Newton Hills before flipping back towards our starting point. As you can tell by this elevation chart
that second half of the run is quite hilly! The great thing about running that day was the help that our coach Rick provided the previous week. A little less than a mile from the end, there is a pretty steep hill to deal with. Rick's words and running form stayed in my mind, and between the counting, 'thinking positive', breathing, shaking out the arms, and relaxing the legs, managed to make it through! And thinking about Dave Tierney's dad (below).

We had a very encouraging talk at our Team training. A researcher from Dana Farber Cancer Institute gave a talk about the impact that funds raised by LLS have on their research. It was interesting to learn that the Society's funds go not only to existing trials, but to fund early stage research. It was really good to hear that some of this research has implications beyond blood cancer as researchers develop their understanding of cancer cells. It was also very touching to hear the challenges that researchers face as they witness the courage of the patients they work with and the emotional difficulty of treating people with cancer. This talk was a good reminder that what we are attempting to do through our involvement with LLS has a very real impact.

We had a great dedication from Dave Tierney, a wonderful person who has been volunteering his time to coordinate our team's water for many years. Dave is also an athlete and runner who last year joined Hike For Discovery , hiking the Grand Canyon to raise funds for LLS. Dave has lost three members of his family to cancer and dedicated the team run to his sister, mother and father. I remember running last year on the day of Dave's dad's wake, and wearing a ribbon with his dad's name. Dave, I still have my ribbon and will wear it this April on race day!

Next week is challenging- we are upping our long run to 17 miles. Our coach is great to plan this run away from the hills. Let's see what we can do!

News: We have a date for our fundraising party! We will hold a pool party at Jillian's on March 29th. I am busy soliciting raffles and hope to have a good collection together. Our friends have also been generous: artists Peter Arvidson
and Bert Antonio are donating original paintings for a silent auction, and Andy G has offered some of his original shirts. Thanks, guys!
-M

11 down, 13 to go:

Today was a cold, cold day!! Morning temps were listed at 26 degrees, and with winds at 22 mph, made for a wind chill at 14. The wind advisory listed increasing winds towards the afternoon, which brought out the extra layers for our Team run.

We had a great session with the Team- free socks from Thorlo, two dedications- one for a Hike for Discovery member who is undergoing his third bone marrow transplant and another for a runner who was inspired by his mother to do something positive for others.

We headed out again to the hills and at first, the weather seemed mild, with the wind towards our backs. Snow started lightly falling by the time we had made it halfway, but on the way back, was replaced by wind in the face and no snow at all. It was definitely a tough workout, but very good for us to do!

Tips for the day:
GU energy gels: These are great to have on hand for longer runs. They come
in caffeinated and non-caffeinated flavors and supply sugar and carbs when your body is begging for that extra kick- taking some with fluid at the beginning and then halfway through a run of this length helps the last bits go by with more ease. Another option I like are Clif Shot Bloks- square gummy shaped supplements. You can cut these up and roll them in salt and sugar for marathon length distances!

Running without legs: Chi Running has been a very interesting read. One of the concepts in the book talks about using your core to run while bringing your legs along for the ride. This can be helpful whenever your legs (quads, calves, you name it!) start getting tight and crampy- remembering to run starting from the body, then loosening and relaxing your legs, can help work out a tight spot that is headed for trouble.

Next week I am very excited to plan a 13 mile run with my sister in Oregon. I will miss the Team but will look forward to seeing her more. :)
-M

Double Digit Time! Saturday 10 miler
Well, it's mid- January, and our team runs are getting into double digits. This past Saturday was probably the largest team training that we've had so far. We had a great stretching session by a woman who runs a yoga studio and two very moving dedications from runners who are running for and in memory of loved ones.

Saturday's run was out to the Newton Hills from Wellesley. Starting out slow is a good thing to start practicing- taking the first mile or two very conservatively is a good way to save up time and precious energy in the end. Sometimes it's easy to forget to hold back, but this time we did well and ended up making good time, given the hilly nature of the course. Also, given the late night nature of the previous evening. Okay, time to cut back on the vino! Although... that run did go well.... hmm.

Running tip: I am finding recently that running up hills is easier if you pump your arms in front of your body rather than swing behind. It helps your torso not to slump forward and I believe helps direct your energy up the hill more efficiently.

Running tip 2: For long runs, a product called 'Body Glide' is my training ally. Rubbed onto any part that might chafe or blister, including toes before putting on socks, this stick will help keep your skin from tearing up and causing you to jump through your ceiling when taking a post-run shower.

The Strength behind the Sneakers- A post about donors:

Today's post is about donors- everyone who has donated to my fundraising so far and has supported my commitment to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

This past week, two of my wonderful sisters sent out e-mails to their address book, telling people about my running with Team in Training and inviting people to donate. I was touched, inspired and grateful for the support of my sisters and for the people who responded to their mails.

Since joining Team in Training, I have met many people whose lives have been touched by blood related cancer. I have met one strong woman who has since passed away, and others who are grieving for the loss of people they loved. You would have thought that I met these people through training, but instead, they were from my non-running life.

In reading comments by donors, I continue to learn about the numbers of people who have fought these same battles. Thank you for telling me and thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise funds for a cure. You all are the strength behind my sneakers and I think about this whenever I go out for a training run.

And thank you to all my dear friends and family who have donated to my training so far, both this year and last. You all know you have some heavy markers with me and I hope I will get the chance to show you how much it means to me.

Best, Marie

December training: Here it is- December and ready for a winter full of running! We had a great training session in Wellesley this past Saturday. The miles are still light and 26.2 miles feels a long way off. We are working on little things like proper running form, conserving energy and motion, core body strength, and it is nice to have the refresher.

My mileage is a little higher than our training schedule. I've been working in longish weekly runs of 10-13 miles with the shorter ones, but spoke to our coach and will drop it back to one long run every couple of weeks. Yes, it's time to join a gym for cross training! We will be doing 9+ mile weekly runs starting January, so why not drop back a bit?

It is great to be back with the Boston team. I remember a year ago going to the first training sessions and feeling really shy. There just seemed to be so many runners, and ones that had already done Boston, not once, but some people more than 10 times! How would I ever train with this group? But, like anything else, you get your behind out the door, and it's your own trip, and one that your whole team supports, whether running in front, beside or behind you. Your job is to figure out your own goals and potential and to train sensibly within them. And it doesn't hurt to give some encouragement while you go along! I am happy to see familiar faces and to talk with people who took up this challenge.

Of course, I am making it seem like a cake walk, but there are always the nagging choruses of injury fears, self doubt, self-criticism, etc. I am not listing them here or elaborating. Why? I think that challenging goals are often achieved in accompaniment with a back-up chorus of doubt, but if taking a listen to them makes you assess them as minor, why detail their voicing? In that sense, marathon training is kind of like mountain climbing- you are looking up that steep trail thinking- "what made me think this was fun???", but if you can manage your negativity and realize that one step at a time gets you closer to the peak, you will share the amazement of all those who have gotten up to the top and found the memory of those difficult steps have changed to a positive recollection of your hiking experience. Soooo- no whining .......for now.

Reports: Thanks to family and some key supporters, I have reached the first thousand of my 3,000 minimum, which must be met by the end of January. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far!

It's training again....

Well, it's fall in New England again, and once again, will be training for the Boston Marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. Before I get bogged down with training details, I wanted to write about my coach, Rick Muhr. Rick and Lori Muhr have been coaches with Team in Training for many years and were responsible for getting me through Boston last year.

On October 28th, during a severe storm, Rick ran 61 miles around the Grafton High School track to honor the memory of a former TNT runner and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his employer, Saltus Press. Rick's goal that day was 100 miles within 24 hours. The driving rains and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour put a damper on the mileage Rick made, but not his spirit. While thousands in New England lost their power, Rick powered through his run, always stopping to thank supporters and talk with those who made the laps around the track with him. I was lucky to be there that day both during the first 26 miles and during the last several hours, and I will never forget the grace and courage he displayed as an athlete and as a human being.

So before all the complaining about training and fundraising begins, here's to you, Rick! Thanks for being such a positive inspiration for me and for everyone who gets to be coached by you and Lori.

Best,
-M

Marathon! Last post.... for now!:

Well, it's been awhile since the race, and time to make my last post. I was waiting until I had some photos to add, but still have not gotten the great photos of Jacques running with us. I will post them as a textless post once they are in.:

The race day started well- we woke up and got our things together and had some breakfast. Our next door neighbor who was also running offered us a ride, which we gladly accepted, and we left the house around 9:15.

The drop-off was a good ways from the athlete's village, with a bus shuttle set up. We made our way CLOSE (I mean, it was still a good 10-15 minute walk) to our village, then started the hike in. There were ALOT of people!

And all these people were drinking fluids. By the time we got to the 2nd wave village, the line at the bathrooms was deep, I mean, deep! I dropped my things and got in line right away. Our coaches had cautioned 'Get in line right away, and when you are done, get in line again.'. I made the decision to wear shorts instead of leggings and brought my excess clothing back to find Tim. Tim however, was in a line of his own, and I didn't see him until the announcers had cautioned us several times to start moving to our starting corral. Our teammates had picked up and headed for the start. If I do this again I would a)get there a little earlier and b)make sure I had my two turns before our trek out.

This was the first year of the 'two wave' start, one at 12 and another at 12:30, and I must say that it was less than organized. The method was to have two lines, first wave to the right and second to the left, and we both saw and heard of second wavers and bandits (non-numbered/registered runnners) getting into the first wave start. We held back, and as a result, found ourselves in a 50:50 mix of 2nd wavers and bandits.

By the time we crossed the start line, it was roughly 16 minutes past the 12:30 gun. What a lot of feet! This is the part of the race where falling is easy, so your pace ends up being more of a careful shuffle. We had been cautioned to start off slowly, and lucky for us, the general bottleneck kept us to it. It was a tough adjustment as usual getting used to the drink station set-up- we had decided upon an 'every three mile' stop, but it took awhile for us to get organized.

The first few miles were lined with hydrated runners (mostly men) peeing in the trees. I was jealously wanting to join them. I had thought that porta-johns would be at every mile stop, but it was not until mile three that I saw a single one with a line 4 deep of women. I begged a stop, and unfortunately, lost a good 5 or more minutes. Oh well- when you gotta go, you gotta go!
I exchanged my frustration at the lack of facilities, which all the ladies in line with me shared.

On to Natick! The course made its way down the hills and up a few rolling ones and flattened out in Natick. The best memories were of people playing music and cheering outside a biker bar and in general, of the sheer numbers of people lined up to cheer the runners. It was a far cry from our desolate training runs, dodging the oncoming traffic!

Our strategy to keep relaxed and steady worked well, and we knew that Jacques would be joining us at about mile 15 in Wellesley. We had the Wellesley College experience to go through. Our coach had warned us about the reaction we might have to all the cheering, and his reminder to keep 'running within ourselves' ran through my head. I was not prepared for the wall of sound that hit us at the college. College women lined the street in layers, many with signs offering kisses to runners. The man to my right was so excited he was hyperventilating, and I saw many men step off to get their free kiss. It was exciting, all right! But the vision of all the hills ahead kept us to our pace.

Through a few rolling hills and in to the community center. We spied Jacques right away, who jumped into the fray and ran with us for the next three miles. These were the tough miles- the transition between the first part of the 'relaxed' running section and heading into what is called 'Hell's Alley'- a series of hills leading to Heartbreak Hill at mile 20. To have his company and encouragement through this section, especially on the hill leading up to the Newton Fire Station at Comm Ave, was incredible. We had a good time talking about the atmosphere and working off of his fresh-legged vibe, and though we said goodbye at Comm Ave and the Newton Fire Station, his trip with us made the race. Thank you, Jacques!

The transition from the Fire Station marked the section called 'Hell's Alley'. Appropriate, as Tim started feeling cramps in his legs. We dug out the last electrolyte pill, but it was a little late, as cramps set in to his calves, hamstrings, feet and quads. At this point, we decided to downgrade to a walk/run strategy. Honestly, I don't know how Tim managed to make it another 6.2 miles, but he was brave and persistent. Plus- the crowds simply would not LET us stop. Crowds chanting 'TIM, TIM TIM' would surround us at points like Heartbreak Hill and Boston College, until we had no choice but to pick up our feet.

At the top of Boston College, I knew the rest of the course was mostly downhill. We had to mete it out but we made it back. We finished after seeing Bert's face and camera round the corner on Boylston St and Yuko and Andy soon after.

It was GREAT. Running over the finish line, having our time chips turned in in exchange for a finisher's medal- what an incomparable feeling! Our time reflected the problems at 4:15:43, but I felt great throughout. I think the training on the course was the best possible way to prepare for Boston, and if I did this again, I would say that a sub-4 marathon was very possible!

Let's see what happens- next year I will be in the 40+ age bracket and my qualifying time at 3:50. Possible? Who knows?

Thanks everybody. You have been the best. Remember that if I can do it, so can you, or so can you do the other goals you have set out!
-M