Reflecting on 2015

As 2015 draws to a close, some things went as planned while some others were quite unexpected.  DFMC #4 was another successful year, 150+ donors generously donating over $13,800 for the Claudia Adams Barr Program at Dana-Farber.  I won't soon forget the training season and the historic winter in Boston, nor finishing the marathon with a stress fracture.  Luckily I've recovered well and DFMC #5 is off to a good start with 28 donors helping raise $2,979 thus far.  To balance the record snow earlier this, I ran on Christmas Eve in weather that was too warm (65F)!  Overall, it was not the year that I imagined, but one that I won't forget.

Goals for 2016...
-Celebrate RJ's (my patient partner) graduation from high school
-Complete my 5th DFMC, with a goal of raising $13,100 for innovative cancer research
-Successfully train for and complete the Boston Marathon
-Successfully train for and complete my first 70.3 triathlon
-Train, stretch and strengthen to minimize risk of injury

Off to a great start!

With Giving Tuesday tomorrow, it's great to see that we've already raised $1,700 towards our goal of $13,100 this year!!  With several donations for our fundraiser received, DFMC2016 is shaping up to be another successful year.  Thank you to the Grafton Hospitality Group, Coolidge Corner Theatre and Cambridge, 1 for supporting DFMC and donating prizes for our opportunity drawing!  Coolidge Corner Theatre is a 4 time supporter and Grafton and Cambridge, 1 have supported us the last 3 years.  Great to have the support of such generous local businesses.

2016 Training Begins!

I've been pretty silent these last few months as I've focused on recovering from my injury.  In May, I was encouraged by the orthopedic saying that the Marine Corps Marathon (late October) was a possibility, though we'd see how physical therapy and recovery went.  It became obvious early on that while PT was going well, the muscles and soft tissue were lagging in their recovery.  My MCM goal became 10-13 miles and in October, I achieved this goal, running the last 11+ miles of the marathon with Amy.  Though not exactly what I wanted, I was happy to participate in 'The Peoples' Marathon' and meet that goal!


Since Marine Corps, I've taken a few steps back (by choice) and am getting back to running 3x per week as well as slowly increasing mileage to get ready for Boston training.  This is slowly picking up and yesterday I went out for a nice 5 mile run.  Nothing over the top, but a nice 8.30min/mile pace and a nice way to start the weekend.

More rewarding is that DFMC2016 fundraising is off to a good start with 15 donors so far donating $1,350 to support innovative cancer research!  With donations from the past 4 years and this $1350, our collective efforts have topped the $50,000 mark!  Thinking back to 2012, I never would have thought that this was possible and can't thank everyone enough for your support!  Let's top the $60k mark this year and help Dana-Farber reach the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer!

Injury Update

As I said in the last post, I finished the marathon and got a nice wheelchair ride to the DFMC hotel.  While I was hoping that the injury was tendonitis or a bad muscle strain, I was not so lucky.  After 2 weeks of using crutches, I was finally able to see an orthopedic.  After hearing my story, he immediately said 'stress fracture' and sent me for a MRI.  I had the MRI on a Saturday and unfortunately the stress fracture was confirmed.  It's in the femoral neck and though it sounds bad, it could have been much much worse (full fracture, disruption of blood supply and hip replacement!).

So what's on tap for me now...I've been on crutches since April 20th and get to keep practicing on them until June 1, my next appointment.  No weight-bearing on the right leg until June and only if I'm pain free at that point.  Swimming, nope. Biking, nope. Stretching or yoga, nope and nope.  No activity until at least June 1 and I'm pain free.  There's been plenty of improvement and I'm not feeling any pain right now but I am also heeding the doc's advice and not putting weight on it or testing it.  Hoping that June 1 is the last day of crutches and until then, I'll continue to, well, do nothing.

Marathon Complete!

DFMC #4 and Boston 2015 are complete!  What started off as a great weekend with BAA events, family coming into town for the marathon and a good run on a rainy, windy day, ended with a wheelchair ride and using crutches the rest of the week.  I'll get to that in a bit but some pictures from the weekend...

We got to see Team Hoyt in the BAA 5K

We hit the BAA Expo to pick up our bibs and peruse the gear

We couldn't pass up a tasting of Sam Adams 26.2 Brew.  It was afternoon somewhere!

We walked by the sites of the bombings 2 years ago and ran for those affected by the bombings

Some nice weather and grabbing a quick photo near the John Hancock VIP seating area

The Team Fundraising chart - $4.5 Million raised so far!

Cards in Honor of RJ and in Memory of my Grandmother and Aunt

Premarathon Pic in Hopkinton

Last words of advice from Jack Fultz, our team coach and 1976 Boston Marathon winner

Starting corral in the rain and wind.  The first 13 miles were wet and chilly; the last 13 were windy and chilly

High-five line at Mile 25!

Stopping to see family just before the finish line.  You can't see it, but I was in a lot of pain at this point

The finish line on a nicer day and a sight that I was soooo happy to see!

One last photo after completing the marathon!

Thanks to more than 140 donors, we have raised more than $13,000 this year for DFMC and innovative cancer research at Dana-Farber.  These donations and this support was what helped me complete this year's marathon.  I knew that I might have some hip pain during the marathon, but looking back I'm not exactly sure how I completed the race.  With about 4 miles to go, I had to start alternating running with walking/limping.  Running through Mile 25 and exchanging ~50 high-fives with DFMC supporters I knew I would make it the final 1.2 miles.  I thought of RJ, my grandmother and all those that I ran in honor of and in memory of during these last few miles.  With these thoughts and the mile 25 energy motivating me, I ran all of Boylston St and crossed the finish line.  It wasn't pretty but I made it!

After finishing the race, the BAA medical staff gave me a nice wheelchair ride toward the DFMC hotel.  Training through a historic winter, running the marathon in the rain and wind and finishing with my 2nd fastest time in Boston (no idea how this happened!), 2015 is a year I won't forget.  Luckily my muscles are relaxing a bit and I can start to put some weight on my right leg now.  I hope to be off crutches soon, but don't think I'll be running for a few weeks/months.

More than $1,000 in a week!

It is really amazing that we've raised another $1,000+ for DFMC in the last week!  This is based on new donations and with some company matches, we have a great chance of passing $13,100 this year!  Thank you again for all the support and making DFMC #4 a successful year.

Monday is shaping up to be a good day and hopefully the rain in the afternoon holds off until we finish.  Starting around 11.20am, I'm likely to cross the finish line some time around 3.15-30pm, hopefully.

Boston is getting the blue and yellow out and painting the start and finish lines.  After 1 Boston Day yesterday and the 2 year anniversary of the 2013 marathon, it will be great to be out there on Monday, running for DFMC, running in honor of and in memory of those battling cancer and running in appreciation of everyone's support you've provided again this year.  Thank you again and hope to see many people out on the course!

History of DFMC

Being the 26th year of DFMC, I only recently heard how DFMC and the Barr Program began.  Here's a link to an article of the history and the first few paragraphs are pasted below.  Please see the running.competitor.com article for the full history...

Boston Marathon champion-turned-coach Jack Fultz didn’t entirely comprehend what he was getting involved with back in 1989.

Fultz, who studied Business Finance at Georgetown University, was also a successful collegiate track athlete for the Hoyas. Turning to the marathon once he completed his NCAA eligibility, Fultz ran a blistering 2:11:17 (4^th at Boston in 1978), two years after winning the 1976 Boston Marathon in arduous 100-degree conditions, affectionately nicknamed the “Run for the Hoses.” His marathoning career began during his four-year Coast Guard stint prior to Georgetown.

Years later, as Fultz’s running career began to wane, he started coaching. While he enjoyed mentoring both high school and adult marathon runners, it wasn’t until Fultz agreed to coach his friend, Mike Silverstein, a freshman at Harvard University, for the 1989 Boston Marathon, that he had a notion of where this may all lead. He had no idea just how successful this marathon fundraising enterprise would become.

Silverstein’s close friend, Seth Feldman, then a freshman at Dartmouth College, had recently succumbed to the brain cancer that he battled at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic.

And from here, DFMC and the Barr Program were started!

http://running.competitor.com/2015/04/boston-marathon/dana-farber-and-jack-fultz-forerunners-of-marathon-charity_126233

DFMC and the Schilling's

Shonda Schilling Running Boston Marathon To Thank Dana Farber Cancer Institute « CBS Boston



First few paragraphs are below:

BOSTON (CBS) — Shonda and Curt Schilling are both cancer survivors, and this year, Shonda is running the Boston Marathon to say thank you to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for helping her husband battle throat cancer last year.

“He stayed in the hospital for six weeks, and just one after another the people were so kind and so gentle and so understanding of what we were going through,” said Shonda. “The only thing I feel like I can do to honor them is celebrating what Dana Farber is.”

Last June, Curt celebrated his last treatment at Dana Farber.

7 Days to Go

The 2015 marathon is just 7 short days away! Though this is year 4 of DFMC, I'm still amazed at the immense support from so many people.  We've hit and surpassed the original goal of $11,000 for DFMC thanks to the generosity of more than 130 people.  It really is incredible to me and between all of your support and that of the volunteers along the training routes, I'm lucky to be able to run with DFMC the last 4 years!  I'm not sure if we'll hit the $13,100 mark, but here's hoping!

This last Saturday we had our last group run, covering 10 miles along the course.  I entered the run unsure how my legs would feel.  My calf/achilles had bothered me after our 22 mile run but had been improving.  More recently my right hip had acted up.  Luckily things worked out well on Saturday and I felt good.

Team preparing to head out for the last run

On top of that, it was a gorgeous day and we were able to wear shortsleeves and shorts!  Though the marathon is still a week away, the weather looks encouraging for now: 62F and partly sunny.  For those that would like to track me during the race, the BAA offers several options including the BAA mobile app and Athlete tracking.  My bib # is 26012 and the DFMC team will be starting at ~11.20AM in wave 4.
BAA mobile app:Mobile App Link
Athlete tracking: Athlete Alert Link

Around mile 20 and the Johnny Kelley Statue

Summary of Winter Training for DFMC 2015

Some talented teammates put this together.  What a difference a month and some 50F days make!

Link for the video in case it is not working: https://youtu.be/GzyBkIEfM8I

Disappointing Week of Training

After our 22 mile run last Saturday, I felt really good!  Saturday was a good day and there was no indication that I was going to deal with calf/achilles pain on Sunday.  After waking up Sunday and feeling good, my lower calf (soleus muscle perhaps?) decided to seize up and be in pain the rest of the day.  As much as I tried to stretch and relax it, my leg would not give.

After more stretching and a massage on Monday, there was a little improvement, but nothing noteworthy.  I must have gained some wisdom in my years of running as on Tuesday, I was prepared to not run at all until the marathon.  None of these runs during the next 2 weeks will make a huge difference and my goal is to run the Boston marathon on April 20, not a Thursday run on April 2.

Luckily, I was able to get in and get some treatment on Wed.  I took the rest of the week off and was able to go out for a run today.  I kept it short (7 miles) but felt good overall; a little calf pain on the various hills, but pretty good.  I certainly didn't want to overdo it and we'll see how things feel tomorrow.

Amy and I heading out for our Saturday run

What's been so motivating this week is that after my latest fundraising e-mail, 10 additional donors have contributed to my DFMC efforts and collectively we've raised $9,832 thus far!  It really is incredible that ~120 people have supported my efforts and we're nearing the $10,000 mark this year!!  I can't thank everyone enough for their generosity and support of all my efforts!

Fundraiser & 22 Miles!

The last 2 weeks have been quite busy so I missed updating the blog, but it's been a productive 2 weeks!  Thanks to many generous people, we've raised over $8,400 as of this week!  Part of this was the result of our successful fundraiser.  We had a good turnout at Meadhall and thanks to donations from local businesses and everyone who attended, we raised even more money for DFMC through the opportunity drawing!  Thanks everyone!

Prize buckets for the opportunity drawing.

Training is still going well and yesterday was our longest run.  Similar to past years, it was great to run with so many other charity runners, though the weather was less than optimal.  While many charities started in Hopkinton and ran in to Boston, we started at BC, ran out to Wellesley and headed back to BC.  For the 2nd run in a row, I thought that snow and wind were blowing in our faces as we headed out.  Of course, once we turned around the wind and snow would be at our backs, right?!  Both times I was wrong and the snow hit us in the face both ways!  Last week's run in Wayland was a bit worse, but (and I'm not hoping for this) I wouldn't be surprised if we had snow around April 20 and the marathon!  Fingers crossed this doesn't happen.

Yesterday's run was better than expected and we finished strong, running faster in the 2nd 1/2 than the 1st 1/2 and even finishing the last 6 miles around or under a 9min/mile pace!  Here are some pics from our long run this weekend...

Heading out around mile 1 or 2 with lots of runners on the road

Newton giving runners a lane of the road

Amy starting off with a smile

Before the snow and wind soaked through shoes and pants

Saucony provided support along the route

Before we started the run, the DFMC team supported some of our biggest supporters, Team Matty.  They have volunteered at every DFMC group run this year and shared Matty's story with us all these weeks.  Hearing of Matty's battle with cancer and running in his memory has surely motivated everyone on the team.  Thanks again to Team Matty for all their support this year!

Team Matty water stop!

DFMC team before the big reveal...

DFMC team all in 'Team Matty' shirts!

DFMC Training, Poster Making and Fundraising

The last week was a flurry of activity and will continue through March 28!  Thanks to so many great donors and friends, we've raised over $7,400 thus far!  A great effort and well on our way to reaching our $11,000 goal for this year.

To help reach $11,000, 3 of us DFMC runners are having a fundraiser on March 25 in Cambridge at Meadhall.  Similar to past years, we've made lots of donation inquiries and many generous companies have donated gift cards, tickets and more to the fundraiser!  The latest contributor, Cinquecento Boston, donated a gift card covering dinner for 2!  Thanks to Cinquecento Boston and many other wonderful donors for all the great prizes!

This weekend was also busy with our training run and the Patient Partner Poster Party!  For several reasons, I didn't run with the team this weekend but luckily, as a drop down week, I only had to forego DFMC team support for 13 miles.  Afterward, I was able to spend the afternoon with RJ making his poster.  The posters are displayed in the hall outside of the DFMC Pasta dinner the night before the marathon, reminding all us runners why we run and fundraise for DFMC.  RJ's poster turned out great and is just waiting for DFMC to add his picture.  It was a great afternoon seeing all the patients and their families, providing that extra motivation as we head into our final 2 long runs, including a 22 miler on March 28th.

Superheroes or Super Heroes?

Unfortunately, we missed the theme for Saturday's run, but plenty of other runners didn't, nor did out volunteers.  After starting our run in temperatures above 0F (a first in the last 3 weeks!) and with bright sun, we saw plenty of 'Incredible' people along the course, as well as Wolverine, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Buzz Lightyear and many other superheroes along the course.  It was a fun and festive run with lots of runners along the course. Given the many charities people were running for, there were certainly a lot of super heroes along the course, whether they were dressed up or not.

DFMC Runners and Volunteers

Team Matty were our superheroes this weekend with plenty of gatorade, pretzels and PB cookies, along with pictures of Matty as an 'Incredible'.

Our week was started by seeing this year's singlet for DFMC!  With lots of positive feedback from last year, DFMC chose to keep a similar design, with the city of Boston 'hugging' the runners.  The colors are different but I'm glad we'll have a similar singlet to last year's for 2015!  If you're in Boston on April 20 and see this jersey going by, make sure to give a shout out to the superhero wearing it!

National Margarita Day!

Saturday AM was deja vu...up at 6.30am, getting ready for our team run with DFMC, heading to Boston College to run the Newton Hills and the national weather service reporting that it was really cold.  We managed ok but unlike the previous weekend, there was a decent breeze making it bit less fun at times.

To motivate us before the run, one of our volunteers and a former DFMC runner, shared a picture of Matty, who passed away several years ago.  Team Matty are big supporters of us DFMC runners and have been out there just as much as we have during training season.  The constant debate is who has the harder job...the training is a lot but certainly much better with water stops and volunteer support, whereas they are constantly thanking the runners for running and making a difference.  In this cold, at least we're moving around whereas the volunteers are standing in 1 place so I think they have the harder job!

This week Team Matty put together a water stop in celebration of National Margarita Day!  They had sombreros, margarita glasses of pretzels and snacks as well as many other themed items.  Thanks to all our volunteers this week and every week who help us train and prepare for the marathon!

Margarita water stop from this weekend's volunteers!

Group making our first stop after 4 miles

Even the local CBS news station was out there this week taping us runners and interviewing a number of folks.  While I wasn't interviewed (probably a good thing), others sum up the experience quite well.  I did get taped crossing the road and you can see my back ~46" into the video.  Not too exciting, but again, the video conveys the training experience this winter!

Runners Brave The Elements Training For 2015 Boston Marathon « CBS Boston

Running in Hoth...

I don't think any us runners would have thought we'd be running around 7+ foot piles of snow when the first snow storm hit in late January.  After 85" of snow, we're still getting out there and this week we're dealing with an artic blast!  To give you a sense of running conditions, here's a shot of the sidewalks.

We've had to move our last 3 group runs to start/end at Boston College because we simply cannot run in other places around Boston.  This past weekend we ran Saturday morning before the latest blizzard and got a solid 12 miles in along the marathon course.  The run was like deja vu as it was the exact same run as the previous week.  While the run was not new, it was the first time that I've resorted to wearing a neck warmer for face protection during a run.  Luckily, though cold, there was not a substantial wind.  We still ran more miles than degrees outside, but got the run in.  This week I'm looking forward to our first track workout on Tuesday night.  I certainly won't be going all out but will be extremely happy to be running inside!

A Lot of Updates

After a busy few weeks, I realize that there's a lot to update on the blog...

First, thanks to everyone who has donated so far!! We've raised $5,521, more than 50% of our goal for the year!!  Thanks so much for your support and donation.  With a fundraiser or 2 to come, we are well on our way to reaching our goal!

Speaking of fundraisers, thanks to Flour Bakery, Fuji Kendall, Duck Tours Boston, Core Power Yoga, the New England Aquarium and Mohegan Sun for recent donations of gift cards, tickets or dinner!  More details to follow but if you're in Boston/Cambridge on March 25th, hopefully you keep the hours after work free!

Juno dropped a bunch of snow, but that didn't stop us from running.  Luckily last weekend we visited family in California and were able to run in nice warm weather, perhaps too warm!  Like past years, we ran the Huntington Beach Surf City Half Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday.  It was ~65F, sunny and an adjustment coming from snowy and cold MA.  We had a great visit and after hearing about the cold in MA for the DFMC team run, I was glad to be running in CA.  We even got to run ~20 feet with the future runner in the family.


Our travel back to MA was delayed due to last week's snow storm, which also disrupted our training this week. We ran outdoors on Thurs PM on poorly shoveled sidewalks, in the road a bit and luckily on a number of 1 way streets that didn't have lots of traffic.  This weather is certainly making normal life difficult and running even more so.

Yesterday, our DFMC team run was changed due to the huge snow piles and lack of sidewalks.  We, along with what seemed like 100s of other runners, ran back and forth on the Newton hills section of the course (miles 17-21).  Though it gets quite boring after your 2nd trip, it is relatively safe and easy as the carriage road is low traffic and provides better footing than sidewalks.  Luckily, our volunteers continue to support us and cheers us on during these runs.  One stop always has a theme and yesterday's "Beach Day" theme was a nice throw back to our trip to CA.  Team Matty are some of our biggest fans and seeing them and pictures of Matty are great reminders of why we run for those fighting cancer and in memory of those, like Matty, who have lost their fight.  Thanks Team Matty and all our supporters for all you do!

With another 14-20"+ snow coming in the next 2 days, I don't think we'll be at the beach anytime soon.  Hopefully we get some warmer weather though soon and can start to enjoy our outdoor runs a bit more!