DFMC Training Kicks Off

Saturday was the first group training run with this year's DFMC team.  After being sick and not running at all during the week, it was good to get out with both veterans and newcomers to the team. We had a great turnout of about 100 teammates and had great weather to start the training season, a clear and crisp 28F day.  I took it easy running only 8 miles for the morning, but still not feeling 100%, I wanted to make sure that I didn't get worse before the big guy in a red suit visits later in the week :)

It has also been a great start to this year's DFMC fundraising!  As of this morning, we've raised $1870 towards our goal of $11,000 for 2015!  This is fantastic considering we have 119 days to go until the marathon!  We also learned that the team has surpassed the $700,000 mark and we're well on our way to hitting our $5.3M goal for 2015.  What a great way to transition from 2014 into 2015!

As 2014 wraps up, thank you to everyone who has supported me and DFMC over the past 3 years.  When I first joined the team in 2011, I really didn't expect to run Boston so many years. The impact that I've seen from the fundraising and importantly, the great support from family, friends and in some cases people I've never met has been a huge motivator to continue the efforts.  Of course, running in honor of RJ and having developed such a great relationship with him and his family is a motivating factor that can't be put into words.  Thank you to everyone for past, current and future support!

Philly Marathon is a Success

This past weekend was the Philadelphia marathon, #6 of my 'marathon career'.  I would not have thought that when I began training for the NYC marathon in 2011, that I would continue to run this distance.  Each race has been unique and memorable for it's own reasons and I'm certain that 2015 Boston will continue this trend.

The marathon this past weekend was a great day.  After a good training season, I set a personal best by ~2 minutes, finishing just over 4hrs.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn't crack the 4-hour mark, but setting a PR was still a great accomplishment for the day.  We got lucky with the weather as Saturday was cooler and much windier whereas Monday was way too warm (60s) for a marathon.  Overall, it was a great day!

Heading in to Thanksgiving, I'm recovering from Philly and prepared to cheer on those running the Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.  In only a few short weeks, Boston 2015 training will begin and thanks to a number of generous donors, we've already raised $1,250 for DFMC and innovative cancer research!  We're off to a great start! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

2014 Begins...

While we haven't quite finished with our prep for the Philly Marathon in a few weeks, I'm already looking forward to more training for DFMC 2014!  After a somewhat 'blah' run last week of 19 miles, yesterday's 12 mile run was a bit nicer.  While not specifically training for Boston, all this running will certainly pay dividends come January-March when Boston training really picks up.

More importantly is the large amount of support that a number of people have already provided.  After my first fundraising e-mail last week, we've already raised $850 and are well on our way to hitting our $11,000 goal!!  Your generosity continues to amaze me each and every year.  Thanks to those that have supported DFMC and our goal of a world without cancer!

A Great Marathon & Weekend

Reflecting on the 2014 Boston Marathon around mile 15 of the race, I already knew that while I was not having the race that I wanted, the marathon itself and the whole weekend had been amazing.  I won't dwell on the race much...it was a warm day and for that reason (& perhaps others) I struggled from mile 14 onward.  I was physically tired, my stomach was upset and I couldn't properly eat/drink to recover from it; mentally, I struggled after missing my family and friends at locations I expected.  I often thought of those individuals that I was running in honor and in memory of, those battling cancer, RJ and friends and family who have supported me the last 3 years of running for DFMC.  Of course, the events of the 2013 marathon were also not far from my mind.  In the end, I saw many friends from mile 17.5 onward, Boylston St was unreal, the fan support was amazing and I finished another Boston Marathon!  Importantly, thanks to >100 donors, we raised $11,600+ for DFMC (as of this post)!!  While DFMC had a goal of $5.3M, we have helped raise more than $6M for the Barr Program, an incredible year for us and DFMC!

I stated the weekend with my sister and dad arriving in Boston.  We proceeded down to Copley Sq and the BAA expo.  After getting my bib number we walked through the expo a bit and tasted some Sam Adams 26.2 Brew.

Official bib picked up

We also walked through the Boston public library and through the 'Dear Boston' exhibit.  Following the bombings in 2013, a makeshift memorial sprung up in Copley Sq.  After a few weeks, items that were left were catalogued and stored.  The 'Dear Boston' exhibit displays some of the memorial items.

Shoes left by runners from 2013

We also stopped by Old South Church, which is near the marathon finish and was close to the 1st bombing in 2013.  The church was generously giving out blue & yellow scarves to marathon runners this year.  This was part of the Marathon Scarf Project. In short, the Old South Knitters Club came up with the idea and people from all 50 states and 8 countries knitted more than 7,000 scarves for runners, wrapping them with love and courage.  Mine was made by someone in Salisbury, NC.

Runners getting scarves from Old South Church

After a full day on Friday, our Saturday was just as busy.  Ashley, Amy and I ran the BAA 5K on Sat AM with 10,000 other runners. We ran a nice & easy 30min race on a gorgeous April morning. 

Finishing the BAA 5K!

5K complete with our 'official' photographer

After a quick recovery and breakfast, we headed out to Fenway for the RedSox v Baltimore game.  While the Sox haven't been playing great, we got to see a win!

Heading into Fenway Park

Though we didn't sit next to RJ, he was also at the game and we were able to meet up before and after for a bit to chat.

Meeting RJ before the Sox game

After a nice Easter morning mass at which we met Father Joe and received a special blessing (Mayor Walsh was also in attendance), we headed out to Copley Square and the Expo for Amy to pick up her bib.

Signs of support were all over Bosoton

At the fnish line VIP seating area

Boston finish line catwalk

We also walked by the sites of last year's bombings and paid our respect to the victims.

Crosses for those killed in events related to the 2013 marathon

After our photo session at the finish line and the expo, we headed over to the DFMC pasta party.  Before dinner we met up with RJ and stopped by his poster that we prepared back in March.

Walking into dinner are the posters of all the patient partners, which serve as an incredible reminder of why we fundraise, train and run the marathon.  Our efforts are minor compared their struggles and journey.

Patient Partner Posters

As this is the 25th year of DFMC, we heard from a number of people involved in the program, including grandsons of Sidney Farber, regarded as the Father of modern Chemotherapy.  A former DFMCer also spoke.  Darby was hoping to run with the team this year but early on found it more challenging than it should be.  After a checkup, Darby learned that the breast cancer she thought she had beat had returned and metastasized to her lung, bone and elsewhere.  One can imagine what this means for Darby and highlighted the need for continuing innovative research efforts.  Darby's story was one that all runners took to the start line and thought of throughout the race.

DFMC 25 Year Highlights

Following the emotional DFMC pasta party dinner, we headed home with lots of inspiration for the marathon.  We woke up early on Monday (4.45am) to catch the bus out to Hopkinton.  Though our bus took a wrong turn (really!?!) we arrived at the DFMC refuge and prepared with teammates, volunters and our coach, Jack Fultz.

Ready to start after words from Jack

Inspiration for the 26.2 mile journey to Boston

Starting corral with 700 teammates

As I said, it wasn't the race that I wanted and after missing family at mile 16, I made sure to see family and friends whenever possible along the remainder of the course.  Most importantly, we saw RJ, his family and my family at mile 25!

Seeing RJ at mile 25

A quick picture at mile 25

As we ran down Boylston St, I cannot remember any thoughts I had but I remember the atmosphere.  The crowds were loud and sidewalks were many people deep, it was a great return to Boylston

Approaching the finish line!

Boston Marathon 2014 Complete!

We celebrated the end of the weekend with a nice family photo before heading out for well earned drinks and food!

Remembering 2013

This week has brought back a number of memories of last year's marathon, both good and less so. Tuesday was the 1 year anniversary of the marathon bombings and after an early morning appointment I walked around Copley for a short time.   All the news trucks were out and security was already present.  I'm not really sure what to say about the day except that the memorial and tribute ceremony were well done.  Hearing from several of the survivors, including Patrick Downes who spoke to the DFMC team previously, was impactful and helped me prepare for this coming Monday.

News trucks on Boylston Street

The marathon finish line is on the left and a small wreath at the site of the first bombing.

Finish line on Boylston St.

On my way to work I wanted to take a minute and stop by Sean's memorial outside of MIT as Friday is the 1 year anniversary of his death.

I'm not sure what to expect on Monday over the marathon course, but know that it will be a special day here in Boston.  Having family and friends along the course, including RJ and all the DFMC patient partners at mile 25, will propel me from Hopkinton and down through Kenmore Square.  As in past years, running in support of those who are battling or have battled cancer will be incredibly motivating.   The hardest part will certainly be turning onto Boylston St and running the last 1/4 mile, passing the 2 locations of the bombings. Running in remembrance of those injured or killed last year is incredibly meaningful. Hopefully those individuals know that all 36,000 runners are running with them in our hearts and, in some small way, this provides a little comfort on what's sure to be a difficult day for many.

8 Days to Go!

What a great way to head into the final week before the marathon...as of today we have raised $10,470 and surpassed the $10,000 goal for the 2nd year in a row!!!!  Thank you to the numerous donors who donated a little or a lot, requested company matches and/or supported DFMC through the various fundraisers that we put together!  Running with DFMC for 3 years, we have raised over $31,000 for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Cancer Research!  You have motivated me throughout training and will be a huge part of my 2014 Boston Marathon experience!

$8K Pacesetter Gloves, hope we don't need these on Marathon Monday

This past Thursday was the last Arc run of the season for me.  Runners get together at the Arc in Brookline, and run together, returning to the Arc for socializing and rehydration.  After a 5.5 mile run with 5 other team members, we finished by heading up Beacon St over I-90 and passing the 25 mile mark.  This will be our view with 1.2 miles to go in just 8 days.  Of course, there will be 1000s of fans cheering us on, including those in the patient partner program!  Mile 25 energizes all of us DFMC runners with lots of cheering, high fives and more as we head to the finish!

Mile 25, DFMC Patient Partners  and the Citgo sign, we're almost there!

We also had our last DFMC group run this Saturday.  We had a smaller group than normal due to the SI cover shoot at the finish line but still a good turn out and great volunteers at our 3 water stops to finish the training season.

Starting our run with the Barr Impact statement.

Amy, Matt and I, having run most of the training runs together finished this one together as well. We figure that we've run the Newton Hills around 20-24 times during the training season.  Come April 21, we'll know those hills as well as any other part of the course!  We also wondered when was the last time that our long run for the week as 'only' 12 miles? Regardless, we enjoyed running in shorts and t-shirts!

Amy, Matt and I having finished another 12mi training run.

As we were near the 13.1 mile mark and Amy wanted to see the start line, we headed out to Hopkinton.  Having only been to Hopkinton twice before, it was nice to see the area when I was not about to run 26.2 miles to Boston.  A few pictures from the trip out to Hopkinton...

Self-explanatory

The start line needs a fresh coat before Marathon Monday!

Hopkinton is ready for the 36,000 runners

Wiki page for Dick and Rick Hoyt

The Hoyt's have been a staple in the marathon for decades

Throughout the course we'll see these signs as we move from town to town.  Ashland has also painted their fire hydrants BAA colors blue and yellow!

1 mile into the race, we'll reach Weston Nursery and see the 'tree of shoes'.  It is a nice landmark for unfortunate circumstances.  Meg Menzies was hit and killed by an alleged drunk driver while training for the Boston Marathon.  The story is better presented here

Tree of shoes to remember Meg Menzies

Driving the course was a great way to get excited for the marathon (not that that was necessary).  For those that can't see the whole course, here's a mile-by-mile guide of what we'll see as we run from Hopkinton to Boston.  Again, thank you to the numerous donors and everyone who has supported my 2014 DFMC efforts!

Unfinished Business

A nice article on ESPN Boston about runners who did not finish that marathon in 2013 returning to run the 2014 marathon.  Great to see DFMC runners featured in the article!
ESPN Boston Article

The End is in Sight...

A busy week lays ahead as DFMC events occupy Monday-Thursday, but at this time of year, these are perfect and help motivate us as the marathon draws near.

First, a huge thank you to the 20+ donors from the last 3 weeks who have helped boost our total amount raised to $7,777!  This is fantastic and puts the $10,000 goal within reach before the marathon.  As a team, DFMC has raised over $4,000,000 to date!!  This is an incredible amount and will help researchers continue innovative cancer research in the years ahead.  Examples of the benefits of these funds are highlighted in the Barr Program Impact statements as well as via DFCI releases such as this one on how genomic testing links patient response to treatment.

After traveling for work this week, today was our 2nd to last major group run and our longest run of training - 22 miles.  We started with ~170 DFMC teammates at Boston College, ran through the Newton Hills and out to Natick.

170 DFMCers preparing to head out for 20-22 miles!

Turning at mile 11 to head back to BC, we joined 100s of other charity runners running the course and took advantage of the lane closures the town set up for us.

Runners and cars get 1 lane each. Who is the happiest? :)

We had 'fans' and little kids giving us high fives along the way.  This was immensely helpful as after turning at mile 11, we realized that we had had a tail wind the entire way out, uh oh.  We preserved, picked it up and finished with negative splits (better 2nd 1/2 than first 1/2).  Overall it was a good training run and a nice springboard to feel positive for the marathon in 3 weeks!  If you'd like to see more about it, here's a NECN link from the training run. 

22 miles completed!

Proof that we did it, and could have finished the marathon in a bit over 4 hours.

A Great Fundraising Week! THANK YOU!

What a great week for DFMC and reaching our $10,000 goal!  13 generous donors donated over $800 to bring our total to $6,862!! On top of that, Amy and I threw our St. Patty's Day brunch and had a great turnout.  We have some great friends who ate all the food we prepared, nearly drank us out of the beer, whiskey, Bailey's, coffee and mimosas, and helped raise over $750 for our DFMC efforts!  Wow, what an incredibly busy and crazy day, but so worth it to benefit DFMC and innovative cancer research!

After last weekend's run, I was ready for a 2nd consecutive good run this weekend. That was not to be.  Waking up on Sat AM for the group run, I was already not looking forward to it.  Luckily it was a drop down week and we were only planning for 16 miles.  By mile 5 I was already starting to feel tired and started lagging behing our group by mile 7.  Returning to the start and completing the 16 miles was just exhausting and not fun.  I felt as I had after running the marathon in 2012 in 88F temps, but I had finished it.
I didn't have long to recover as it was the Patient Partner Poster Party.  After grabbing some food and a coffee I started to feel a bit more energized, but still not like myself.  Luckily, seeing RJ and helping to put his poster together made up for a blah morning run.  It was great to catch up and seeing the other patients and runners.  Hoping that the positive aspects of the patient partner party and the St. Patty's brunch translate to a solid week of training and fundraising.

Lots of patients (& partners) working on their poster

Working together on RJs poster

 

Nearly finished product

 

Thanks to Lakota Bakery for the delicious sugar cookies and frosting!  My decorating job isn't 1/2 bad

 

 

Nearing $6,000 & Passing 18 Miles

This weekend was a nice change of pace from the previous ones.  First, thanks to another 4 donors this week, we are nearing the $6,000 mark!  As of tonight, 62 donors have helped raised $5,982 for DFMC!!  With these donations and the many others from teammates, DFMC has raised more than $3M for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research!  We are making great progress toward our goals of $10,000 (personal) and $5.4M (DFMC) at this stage.

As for training, this was one of the first weeks I've felt pretty good through all my runs.  The speed workout on Tuesday went well, though a bit tiring at the end.  Thursday night's 7miler went well, even in another blast of cold air. Saturday's group run was a nice 18mile run along the marathon course and one of the first group runs in a while that I felt strong throughout.  It was a gorgeous day and we stopped along the way to take a picture at the Johnny Kelley statue at Heartbreak Hill.  A 30F day with bright sunny skies and little wind resulted in 100s of other charity runners joining us along the course, making it a festive day and a great training run.

Polar Vortex Returns

After a long run last weekend, I got lazy and didn't post to the blog, though I meant to (that counts, right?).  This week I made sure to skip my nap and get this done, and then hopefully I'll nap :)

First, we received good news this week from Harpoon Brewery, who is donating a gift back for some lucky guest to win at one of the upcoming fundraisers that Amy and I are putting together. Additionally, the Charles River Canoe and Kayak group has generously donated a certificate valid for up to one full day of boat rental of one standard canoe, single or double kayak, or stand-up paddleboard at any of our rental locations. For those of us looking forward to the summer, this will be a great way to enjoy the warmth in Boston!  Thank you very much to both donors!

Fundraising for DFMC has also gone very strong this year, both for me and for the program.  At our group run today we learned that DMFC has raised more than $2.7 million for the Claudia Adams Barr Program thus far, more than 50% of their goal for this year!  I'm also more than 50% of the way toward my goal.  Nearly 60 individuals have helped raised $5,652 thus far!  With less that $4,500 to go to reach the $10,000 goal, we should reach this as the marathon approaches.

We also heard from Don, a 2014 DFMC teammate, who is training and running while battling prostate cancer.  He has undergone hormone treatment so far and enters the next phase of his treatment in the coming weeks.  Additionally, we heard how others treated at Dana-Farber on experimental protocols are responding well and have lived beyond earliest expectations. The Barr Program Impact Statements remind us of this every week.

As for running, last Saturday was a gorgeous day to run here in Boston and we hit the marathon course. As many people have not shoveled sidewalks well, we were forced into the street at times, but mostly, drivers tolerated us well.  After starting at 7am in 30F temps, the day quickly warmed up and we finished an 18 mile run with temps near 50F! It was a great day for a run, especially being National margarita day.  Unfortunately, the weekend weather didn't last and the cold has returned in force.  Thursday we ran with team members on a chilly and windy night and today was another group run with temps in the teens to start.  Luckily we dropped in mileage, only running 14-15 miles, making it a bit shorter in the cold.  We will recover from the weeks training and prepare for the week ahead.  A few pics are below from the past runs.

Celebrating National Margarita Day during our run

Running in the melting snow/ice and salt leaves some nasty salt stains on our shoes

Run completed in more spring-like conditions

An Inspiration for Us All

In addition to another storm earlier this week (no surprise!) and a speed workout on the Tufts track, we had a team meeting last night.  This was unlike any other team meeting I've experienced the last 2+ years, all due to the bombings last April. At this meeting 2 team members, both trauma counselors, talked about resilience, coping with trauma and how different people respond to such events. They then introduced Patrick, Jess & Rescue (their service dog); Patrick proceeded to tell us their story.

Forewarning, while not exactly graphic, some of the following may not be comfortable for everyone.

Patrick, a Cambridge native and Boston College graduate, talked about growing up in the area with the Boston Marathon.  He talked about watching the marathon during his years at BC and deciding to run it his senior year, struggling with the other 'humans' (i.e. not elites), but finishing with the support of his friends.  Patrick continued his story of meeting Jess in DC and living in Boston.  They were married in late summer 2012 and in early 2013 learned that they would be moving to San Francisco for Patrick's residency in the summer.  As the marathon approached, knowing it could be their last one in Boston, they headed to the finish line to cheer us 'humans' on.  As you can imagine, their story is inspiring because they were injured in the bombings. On 4.15.13, they each lost their left legs below the knee.

Patrick proceeded to talk about how he was knocked out & remembers little from that day, how Jess attempted to tie a tourniquet onto his leg while others put out the fire that was on her legs and how they have continued to overcome their physical injuries with ongoing PT, 15 surgeries each and relearning how to walk.  Mentally, Jess, a registered nurse, and Patrick, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, have a unique perspective on their recovery. As Patrick spoke, he did so with humor, humility and awe of those he has interacted with over the last year. While I could go into more details, perhaps more appropriate is the general feeling of awe, sympathy and inspiration that Patrick generated in us runners.

There are many inspirational stories: from last year's bombings, from runners on the team who are cancer survivors or have run for 20+ year and from our own lives.  As we run throughout training and on April 21, all of these will help us cross the finish line. Thank you for helping us achieve that goal.

Some additional links related to Patrick and Jess:
Article on Rescue, their service dog
Jess's Flashmob for Patrick
Boston Globe article on Patrick and Jess

A Run Before Another Storm

After the last year's training season, I was hopeful that this year would be a bit easier and conducive to team runs.  Thus far, it has not been the case.  In 2013, DFMC cancelled 4 group runs, the most ever for the team.  Including this weekend, DFMC has already cancelled 3 group runs unfortunately.

With the storm on Thursday, Boston received more snow followed by rain, not a great combination for runners.  As a weekend storm approached on Saturday afternoon, we hit the roads on Saturday AM in cold conditions, but no wind.  After the Thursday storm, the sidewalks were in ok shape, but still plenty of areas that were not cleared and thus forced running in the street.  After making our way to the Charles River and finding relatively clear conditions, we joined a host of other runners along the Charles and enjoyed the scenery.  The downside of running along the Charles is the lack of hills, but it was a nice change of pace from the last few weeks.

After running the Charles path, we headed to downtown Boston and then the Seaport.  One of the nice things about running early on a Sat AM is the relatively few people on the sidewalks and streets.  Making our way back to South Boston, Amy and I rounded Castle Island and Fort Independence.  As we had not run any hills, we finished by running up Dorchester Heights - running up is hard enough, I can't imagine getting a cannon to the top of hill!  Having run nearly 17 miles, we finished the run at Dunkin Donuts before starting to refuel with a well deserved breakfast and coffee.

This week will include another speed workout at Tufts track and hopefully a group run next weekend of ~18miles.  With 9 weeks to go to the marathon, I'm looking forward to receiving my DFMC singlet this week. Below is taken from FoxBoston as they unveiled the DFMC singlets:

"This year is the first year after the Boston Marathon bombings, so the singlet pays tribute to the 2013 Boston Marathon with its color scheme, and also puts the Boston city skyline along the sides, designed to "give each teammate a symbolic 'hug' as they return to the storied race," a statement from the cancer center read.

2014 also marks Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's 25th year participating in the marathon.  Runners for the team raise money for the Claudia Adams Barr Program, which funds cancer research."