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.

Fundraising Time!

Well, the marathon's over, and we are looking forward to our fundraising party at Jillian's pool hall this Friday. We've had some great donations for raffles and are looking forward to relaxing with friends and Teammates.

I have a month left to raise funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Once again, I'd like to plug my fundraising site, where each purchase enters you in a drawing for prizes and all proceeds go to benefit LLS. What better way to treat yourself to something nice?

Especially when the products are great! My short synopsis:

• Original Buff Headwear: What better way to look stylish during your active lifestyle? Keep your hair off your face and sweat out of your eyes wearing these functional microfiber headbands whether hiking, running, biking, fishing or just hanging out. I love them for the garden and make sure to look at the UV blocking ones for summer days! $100.00 worth of Buff products will go to the lucky winner on May 31st who purchases an Original Buff Headwear item from my site!
  
• Wrap-N-Mats: These great reusable, machine washable sandwich wraps were recently featured on a national talk show. Why? They are environmentally conscious, reusable alternatives to plastic sandwich bags, which double as a placemat when opened. Your chance for $32.00 worth of wrap-n-mats with any purchase! Start cutting back on plastic today!
  
• Yuko Adachi Fine Art Cards: Yuko is an amazing artist whose works have been shown across the country, most recently at Future Arts 2008, The BAAK Gallery in Cambridge, MA, and Venus Gallery, San Francisco. Her Fine Art Cards can be framed to make beautiful miniature artworks, and convey the spirit of her creativity. Your chance for $35.00 worth of Fine Art Cards with any purchase!
  
  
• Dean's Beans Coffee, hot cocoa mix and organic java drops: I can't say enough great things about this coffee. It's delicious, organic, fair trade, shade grown, sustainable coffee that is roasted in small batches at their MA beanery. If you can do one thing to make a difference in the environment, think about drinking organic coffee. Organic farming practices halt the deforestation that occurs with large scale industrial production, and lessens the use of harmful chemicals, which you don't want to be drinking inour morning cup! Each purchase of Dean's Beans coffee enters you in the May 31 drawing for $50.00 of Dean's Beans products.

Elliptical Limbo

Today was a 15 mile workout on the elliptical trainer. How does that feel, you ask? Well, here's what the bottom of my feet FELT like after 30 minutes:

Okay, slight exaggeration, but has anyone else experienced this? The bottoms of the feet start turning numb- I wished I could flip it out and numb up my brain instead so that I didn't have to watch the time go crawling slowly by like an inebriated slug. Which went on for hours, or at least more than 2 hours- seemed like 4! I did feel like I was going through a major mental challenge and that maybe I gained something (?) by figuring out how to cope.

Besides watching other people sweat, changing machines when someone who seemed like they had a raging flu ran facing me and coughing non-stop, entertainment choices indoors were slim. There's always music or TV if you prefer, which I don't, at least not while 'running'. :) But I did try to read the New Yorker, which was an interesting if not fruitful challenge.

I'm still waiting for the results of my foot MRI, hoping I don't have a stress fracture. The plan is to try running on real outdoors ground for a short trek tomorrow and if all goes well and the scan comes back clean, to attempt my 20 miler this weekend. Let's see what happens!

I've plugged most of my website items, but read this article from the New York Times talking about the decline of North American songbirds and its correlation with agricultural pesticide use. The article discusses ways for consumers to avoid foods that are bad for the environment and in many cases, bad for us and our families.

One of the top grocery list items mentioned is ORGANIC COFFEE. Most coffees we see in the grocery stores are grown in fields that are heavily treated with all types of chemicals, from herbicides to insectides and more. To buy organic coffee is to support traditional coffee farming grown under leaf canopy and in most cases, to support the sustainability of these farming methods and the communities who use them. Interested in putting a better coffee in your body and in your cupboard? Check out my Dean's Beans coffee fundraising page. Dean's Beans makes a mean cup of Joe, is organic, fair trade and shade grown, which is why I have about 10 lbs of Ring of Fire beans in my freezer at any given time. And did I mention- all profits go to support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and that each purchase enters you in a drawing for 50.00 worth of Dean's Beans coffee or organic cocoa? Happy Java drinking, everyone!

Planet Buff blogging!

Adventure Junkie posted an entry about the Original Buff Headwear promo I am doing to fundraise for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. To buy your Buff, go to my fundraising site and follow the instructions for your FREE SHIPPING and entry for an $100.00 SHOPPING SPREE!

For anyone interested in the outdoors,The Adventure Blog is a great place to check out the latest news and gear! Thanks, Adventure Junkie!

The Kindness of Bloggers

Brian, whose excellent fly-fishing blog you can read HERE, wrote a post on my Original Buff Headwear fundraiser today. Brian posted a review of new gear for 2008 and was kind enough to add an update on one of the items, which was the BUFF. You can purchase Original Buff Headwear by going to my site , and by entering the promo code listed there, qualify both for free shipping AND an entry to an $100.00 shopping spree for Original Buff products from Planet Buff.

Another item he reviewed which I've been getting great use out of as well is the Petzl E Lite. This teeny headlamp fits easily and lightly on your head and has several different lighting options, including flashing red and flashing white. I use this gear when running in the dark and can say it's alerted many a vehicle, as well as bicycle, that I am coming down the road. Reflective gear is great, but not always enough, and the light also helps find those dips and hills that disappear at night. Plus, you can pack it in your bag for your other outdoor activities, like hiking and fishing!

Thank you Brian!

Save Some Plastic!

This is another post about my fundraising store. You can read this post at the enviromom blog about this product.

Plastic bags consumed this year:


(Courtesy of Reusablebags.com)

Have you ever thought about how much plastic you throw away each day? This has been an increasingly irksome question to me as I get older and calculate my own trash production. This year, my husband switched from soda to water, not for health reasons, but out of the feeling he got looking at all his recylables every week. And not all plastics can be recycled!

I am selling reusable sandwich wraps on my fundraising site, http://www.coolstuffforthecure.com/ .

These wraps are reusable, washable, durable, and not only make a stay-fresh wrap for sandwiches, but an instant placemat for your lunch as well! I have 4 that I use to pack my husband's lunch in, rotating two each day and can verify that these wraps keep a sandwich just as fresh as a plastic bag. These wraps can be machine washed and air dried- I've simply handwashed them while doing dishes. Here are some photos of the wrap- excuse the funky looking homemade bread!:

Each colorful wrap purchase enters you in a drawing to win $32.00 worth of wrap-n-mats- drawing to be held May 31, 2008. If this doesn't interest you, here are some other ways to cut down on plastic and increase recycling:

• Say no to plastic at the store: Bring your own reusable shopping bags, and use mesh or cotton produce bags for your veggies and fruits
• Reuse plastic bags that you use for trash liners. Wash and reuse ziploc storage bags.
• Make sure your neighborhood has a recycling plan and that your building uses it! If you don't have one, contact your local representative to bring this issue up.
• Recycle your running shoes! Nike has a program where you can bring your old shoes to be ground up for sports surfaces around the world.

Happy recycling, everyone!

Original Buff Headwear part II

This is part II of my Original Buff Headwear post. Though I hate to post my photos, at my sister's encouragement, I am including photos showing different ways to wear the Buff. You can see the original Buff worn as my favorite style, which is a thick headband for running, a cap made by twisting and doubling back the fabric, a pirate cap, and a headband. I also included one photo of my favorite, which is a combined fleece and microfiber Buff, which I have been wearing almost exclusively on my long runs. Again, you can buy Original Buff Headwear from my fundraising store, with free shipping and the chance to win a one hundred dollar shopping spree from Planet Buff. Just remember to follow the instructions when ordering and input the promo code TNTCURE. Remember these sales are not for profit, and a portion of each sale will
go directly to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Original Buff Headwear

I am posting photos of Original Buff Headwear available through my fundraising store. The Buff Headwear is made out of a stretchy, seamless microfiber that is wicking, windblocking, and fast drying- providing a runner, cyclist, hiker, skier, gardener etc, a great looking, high functioning head covering.

Tim wears his when he runs at night. As you can tell, the stripe on the reflective Buff makes for great visibility! I like my assortment, which include ones with fleece sewn on for chilly days, ones that block UV rays, and the original band. You can wear this stretchy tube in about 15 different ways. I've used one on my head while wearing another as a neck gater in cold windy conditions. The great thing about this is that you can either wear it as a closed hat or open up the top to get rid of heat (unlike a hat), you can take it off and put it around your wrist during the run if you decide you don't need it, or tuck it into your waistband, unlike a bulky hat! They keep the sweat from running into your eyes and in general, are a GREAT addition for any active person, or anyone looking for a different hair accessory. Ordering these through the site gives you free shipping and a chance to win $100.00 of Original Buff Headwear in May, and gives me a donation to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Buy your Buff today!

Speed work for dummies and fundraising challenges

Well, this week was my first intro to speed work. I decided to try some Yasso's, and as our coach suggested, did not do too many to start! I warmed up for 2 miles, then attempted 3x800, followed by two track laps each to cool down between. I am sure I did not do them formally, as I decided to recover by lap rather than by time.

It was hard! I have exercise induced asthma which is worse in the winter and when there is pollution or wind, and it is tough to balance speed work with my breathing even with the use of an inhaler. The last session I downgraded to 1 lap, followed by one lap recovery, doing this twice instead of the last Yasso.

My times were: 1st 800 at 3:41:39, 2nd at 3:40:96 and two minis at 1:45:95 and 1:44:37 each.

I need to think about how to keep challenging myself within the abilities of my asthma. I like having done workouts differently!

On another note, am facing some difficulties with my fundraising site www.coolstuffforthecure.com . Thanks to my brother, the site is wonderful and I have plenty of widget views, but practically no sales at all through the site- just about all of them have been through direct solicitation and through the support of my Team mates. If any of you have comments on why this isn't working or how you think it could be improved, do let me know!

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

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!

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

Portland, Runner's Paradise:
What a nice week! I am just back from a week in Portland, OR, where an increasing number of my family live. Every time I come back, my memory haunts me with recollections of great coffee, wine and food, POWELLS Books, the lovely lovely layout of the city, and of course, my fantastic nephews and siblings. Paul and Ben, aka Luke Skywalker and Ben-Obiwan Kenobi, kept me joyfully busy and my sister Julie was just the BEST host and training partner. Visiting with my sister Kimie, brother Ken, brother in law Luc, and other brother and sister in law Stephen and Debra sure made me feel at home. I had a blast, guys, and will get back there as soon as I can!

My long run was planned out together with Julie, and took us out on the lovely Willamette River, roughly 13.38 miles, according to Google Earth, as we left a park to run down from Tacoma all the way up to the Steel Bridge and back. I have NEVER had such a pleasant run, even as I was pep talked through the last hurtful mile or so. I think I ran with a smile slapped on my face the entire time, and I was really glad to be out there running in the 45 degree temps. My sister is an incomparable friend to me and I will not forget this part of my training!

And her friends at Belle Vocci were generous to order coffee. I brought 20 lbs with me, and my luggage smelled GREAT. Thanks to all of you and also to those of you who donated to the Society.

Well, I feel I am coming back to the reality of winter training here- finished a 7.5 miler with icicles on my hair! Truly, we have gotten off easy so far, and anyway, how many more weeks of cold weather can be ahead???? Next run is a 14 miler- fighting a bit of a cough, but sure it will be gone soon!

Thanks again to all of you who have supported me training so far. Onward, ho!
-M

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

Baking for the Cure: This is a post about my side fundraising for Boston. Since the start of training on November 12, I have been baking daily to sell breakfast pastries at Tim's workplace to raise funds for this race. It has been fun as a past pastry person in a restaurant to dig up some stuff that I hadn't done in awhile. I especially liked the refresher making up danishes. The benefits are that you can have your apartment smell like a dream for a few hours every day and the tricky part is arranging the time to bake. Today, I made Bienenstich, or "bee-sting" cake, a yeasted sweet bread which is drizzled with honey and almonds, baked and then split open and filled with pastry cream. Here is the recipe, sans pastry cream (from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts), and I bake it in two 4x16" pullman loaf pans lined with parchment. It is really worth the effort, and you can halve the recipe if you only want a single loaf! I find the rising time to be significantly longer than the recipe states- allow up to double the written amount of time. This is a fancy sweet bread that presents quite well with a burnished almond glaze:

makes two 9" square (or pullman loaves) cakes; each serves about 8
Dough:
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 C lukewarm water
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 C lukewarm milk
1/2 C sour cream or plain yogurt
4 1/2 C all purpose flour
2 T unsalted butter, melted

Bee-Sting glaze:
2/3 C packed light brown sugar
6 T unsalted butter
1/4 C plus 2 T heavy cream
1/4 C plus 2 T honey
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 1/3 C (about 5 oz) sliced blanched almonds

1. Dough: In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl with mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the salt, vanilla, milk, sour cream or yogurt and yeast mixture, beat about 2 minutes.

3.Gradually beat in 3 3/4 C of flour until a very soft dough forms. Continue to beat, adding additional flour until dough is smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. If your mixer is not strong, work on the counter with flour as needed instead- you may have to use more flour, but try to minimize adding too much. Place dough in oiled bowl, turn to coat, and let rise covered until double, about 45 minutes.

4. Butter or line 2 9" pans. Punch down dough and divide into pans, pressing evenly. Brush with the melted butter and let rise, covered until doubled, 40-50 minutes.

5. Glaze: In a small, heavy saucepan, stir together brown sugar, butter, cream and honey over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar; boil for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and almonds. Let cool slightly, 8-10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

6.Drizzle warm glaze over fully risen cakes. Bake until the nuts are golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool to luke-warm or room temp. If desired split in half and fill with pastry cream. Cakes can be wrapped and frozen (unfilled) for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

A BIG THANKS TO ALL: I would like to post thanks to all the people who have supported me in my training for LLS and my efforts to run in support and honor of Jacques. Listed below are all the people who have donated their money and efforts to my Team in Training, in alphabetical order. Thanks, guys!:

Bert Antonio
Ferdie Antonio
Fidela Antonio
Michael Arthur
Peter Arvidson
Rich Ash
David Bermon
Kelly Brilliant
Stephen Brown
Ed Burke
Katelyn Campbell
Jared Carr
Pauline Chin-Mori
Nolan Cook
Ellen Cosgrove
Nicole Dailey
Emily Dahmen
Chris and Kosta Demos
Lauren Dever
Jenn Doyle
David Eppstein
Jon Fukuda
Ken Fukuda
Kimie Fukuda
Norie Fukuda/Hiro Matsushima
R.Paul Fukuda
Cynthia Fraser
Sophie Glikson-Cahen
Yuko and Andy Gmur
Peter E. Gordon
Sara Gordon/Scott Janzen
Neil and Janet Heestand
Sara Hirshon
Kathy Holgersen
Timothy Horn
Walter and Valerie Hunt
Joichi Ito
Jacqueline Jacquiot
Michael Jasko
Pete and Sue Jerabek
Lois Johnston
Pat Keck
Penelope and Phillip Kleespies
James and Carina Kopp
Rita Kraner
Julie and Luc Kress
Christina Lanzl
Chi Leung
Limina LLC
Ron Lopes
Chris Lynn
Liette Marcil
Neil Martelle
Tim Mathews
John Matthews
Erica Mattison
Sean and Sandi McKinley
Kay Meckes
Lisa Moro
Steven Murdoch
Yoko Nakatani
Renato Orara
David Osler
Kevin Owen
Juan Perdiguero
Julie Picher
Chef Bill Poirer
Bethany Pratt
Martha Reckdahl
Bill Richardson
Riemer & Braunstein
Rubin Robinson
Ruth Rothstein
Mark Samson
Liz Saunders
Jon Seward
Asako Shibata
Ari Shimo
Steve Short
David and Camelia Sullivan
Ichi Takata
Chris Taylor
Machiko Urasaki
Frederika Veikley
Meg Walker
Kenneth Wheeler
Judith Winters
Woody's Grill & Tap
Andy and Ros Zimmerman
Robin Zucker

In Addition (phew!), I have the following extra people and businesses to thank:

• Artists: Bert Antonio, Peter Arvidson, Pat Keck and Chris Taylor- thanks for donating your original works for our fundraising party!
• Andy Gmur: Your T-shirts were WONDERFUL. Thanks for helping us out with your time and generous use of your talents.
• Joe Porcari at The Artful Hand Gallery: Thanks for your gift certificate- more than any neighbor could expect!
• Game On! and Chef Art Welch: Thanks for making our fundraiser happen for us.
• Bauer Wine & Spirits: Always a pleasure visiting your store and thanks for your gift certificate.
• Whole Foods: You beat Trader Joe's, who turned down our request. Thanks for your gift certificate!
• Woody's Grill & Tap: A generous donation AND a gift certificate? We will carbo load at your place for life!
• Dean's Beans: The best organic fair trade coffee that we buy by the bulk- thanks for throwing a gift our way.
• Copoli Salon/Javier and 10 Newbury Salon: Alas, I will never know the life of a well-coiffed woman, but thanks for your donations for our party!
• Boston Red Sox: Thanks for the autographed ball- I promise not to complain as much during ball season this year!
• The following organizations who donated tickets: The Boston Philharmonic, The Boston Ballet, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Berklee College of Music, The Museum of Fine Arts and Boston Lyric Opera,
• Mr. Steve Short and Central Reservation Services of New England: Your hard work gave us prizes that we would have never been able to source- those great hotel packages. And your M.C. talents... well! They will not be soon forgotten!

On support staff for running and injuries:

• Rick and Lori Muhr: What great coaches- you guys have been dead on with every tip you have given me so far. To have your advice and your care has been just an amazing experience. I have gotten spoiled!
• Mika and Dr. Thomas Michaud: Your skills in working me through early ankle issues resulted in my being able to manage and minimize my issues and get to April in good shape to run.
• Michael Leonard: Your PNF stretching and acupuncture have kept me in fine form, despite increasing mileage. You are the best!
• Dr. Lyle Micheli and Dr. Thomas Vorderer: My great Children's Sports guys- you are there through the years as I bang around!

And last but not least, Mr. Jacques Chanier- your inspiration got us up and running and without you we'd still be sitting around on the couch.:)

As an example of how you have inspired and drawn together those around you- a recent donor wrote that her donation was "in honor of the gift of music Jacques has given and continues to give to the world". Jacques, you have given us your music, your friendship, and your example of courage and strength. We love you and are so proud to run this race in your honor.

Just a few more weeks- GO, BOSTON!

Wellesley 18 miler: Today was a difficult long run in Wellesley. I have to say that things were feeling very emotional for me, which is really a pretty new experience! The last time I can remember getting upset was getting towards the finish of the Bay State Marathon about 7 years ago. A good friend of mine who had always been on my cheering team had passed away, and I became emotional thinking that she would be proud of me for finishing the race!

At any rate, after a brief cry this morning, I realized that as all runs, the only way to attack them is with a positive attitude and a mile at a time. Luckily, in training with TNT, water stops are set up so regularly that all you have to do is think of getting from one until the next!

My positive attitude held up to 13 miles or so, where I had another brief cry (!) and then continued on to finish up. In retrospect, it was a tough workout physically, but we managed to finish within our time goals, regardless of my little meltdown. I realized that getting upset during the run is pretty counterproductive, as it sets off the asthma, so I will do some real work on getting my mental edge under control. Today I worked at touching my thumb to my pinky and thinking 'wow, that pinky is not one bit tired!' as a way to distract myself. :)

I think the fact that I am actually running for a cause and a friend and with the support of so many people around me makes this a pretty intense experience. In a GOOD way, though!

As a last comment- The fundraiser was a big success, thanks to the support of so many of our friends! The artists that contributed and the friends who helped with prizes really made for an event that got us to and ABOVE our goals. One of the biggest surprises was my girlfriend from D.C. flying in for my event. How lucky am I? -M

Fundraising Party! I am happy that the day is almost here for our fundraising party for Team in Training. We are having an event at Game On!, one of the restaurants owned by Lyons Group, for whom I work part-time doing pastry. We have culled together a great group of prizes, thanks to the generous artists, friends and organizations around us, and I am happy to think that the guests not only have the opportunity to contribute to a good cause, but a good chance to win some excellent prizes. Here is a list of the items we managed to get: 5 for $5.00 raffles: The Artful Hand Gallery: $100.00 gift certificate
Bauer Wine & Spirits: 6 bottles of wine
Woody's Grill & Tap: $50.00 gift certificate
Sam LaGrassa's: $50.00 gift certificate
Boston Lyric Opera: 2 Tickets to final dress rehearsal 'La Traviata' 3/29/06
Boston Ballet: 2 Tickets to 'Grand Slam' 3/16/06
Boston Philharmonic: 2 Tickets to 4/29/06 concert Jordan Hall
Berklee Singer's Showcase: 4 tickets to 4/27/06 performance
The Salon at 10 Newbury: Haircut
Copoli Salon, Lexington: Haircut with Javier
The Museum of Fine Arts: 2 Tickets to 'David Hockney Portraits'
Whole Foods: $50.00 gift certificate
The Institute of Contemporary Art: 4 passes
The Boston Red Sox: Tim Wakefield autographed baseball
Deans beans coffee: Coffee Gift set
Chris Taylor: Hand designed key chains and jewelry
Jacques Chanier: 'Quilt' CD
Andy Gmurr: 'Running for the French Guy' t-shirt
The Copley Square Hotel: 2 nights stay with breakfast (room up to 4 people)
The Boston Park Plaza: I night's stay with breakfast
The Lenox Hotel: 2 nights stay for 2 with b/fast and parking
The Back Bay Hilton: Dinner at Boodle's for 4 (175.00 value) In addition, Pat Keck, Peter Arvidson, and Bert Antonio have all donated original artworks, and Andy Gmurr has made a custom T-shirt for Jacques. We hope people will have fun and look forward to wrapping up our fundraising for this event!!!!!

Sorry everyone- I had written a nice invite to tell everyone who had pitched in thanks for my fundraising minimum, which all of you helped me reach yesterday (!) but messed up in the sending. I think you all got a blank invitation to join the blog. Whether you join or not, thank you all for your help. -M