Juno throws us a wrench & 20+ inches!

Sidewalks around Somerville

Between the snow storm on Saturday and yesterday's blizzard, we've certainly had a bunch of snow.  With the DFMC run canceled, some teammates went out on Saturday in the snowstorm.  I made the decision to wait until Sunday.  While I avoided the snow and wind, there was no avoiding the sidewalks, and in some cases the lack of effort people put into shoveling the sidewalks.  I didn't make it quite as far as planned, but a well-earned egg sandwich capped off the 11-mile run.

While Juno was not a top 5 storm for Boston, 20+ inches of snow will certainly cause some headaches over the next few weeks as training for the marathon ramps up.  The storm prevented us from getting a run in, but shoveling for 2+ hours had to count for something, right?  At least we have a 5ft snow pile to watch melt in the upcoming weeks.

Our snow pile, and only ~1/3 of what we actually shoveled

Breaking $5,000!

What a great week toward our goal of $11,000.  In the last 7 days, we've raised $1,400 for DFMC and innovative cancer research!!!  Thanks to all donors this year and over the last 3+ years as we've raised a whopping $39,813 for DFMC and the Barr Program!  When I first joined the team in 2011-2012, I certainly never expected to run 4 consecutive years with DFMC nor help raise $39,813 to date. There's certainly more to do this year (and next) to reach goals, but what an impact we're having!

Silly Stitching...

After cutting my run short last week due to pain in my foot, I wasn't sure what to expect this week.  'Luckily' on Monday I noticed that the shoes I was wearing felt a bit different then my other pairs.  After further exploration, there's a bit of stitching difference right in the area where my foot was sore.  Switching shoes this week let me run 3 days this week for ~18 miles, not a huge amount but a great way to get back on track.

Yesterday's group run was back on the marathon course and it felt good, though a bit numbing.  We started the run in temps ~8F with a windchill a few degrees below 0F!!  It definitely took a few miles to get the blood warmed up and flowing.  Unfortunately, we had a headwind for a good chunk of the run making things a bit worse. As bad as it may have been for us, it had to be worse for our volunteers at the water stops.  They stood out there for 2hrs pouring gatorade slushies supporting us.  Thanks to them we survived the cold run, eventually thawed out and are now getting ready for this week's training.

Being Smart...

Saturday morning was our first DFMC run of the 2015! We had a good group at the Boston Sports Club in Waltham on a cold morning.

Happy teammates before starting the team run

I knew going into the run that my outing may be short.  My right foot has bothered me a bit since our 10 mile run on Dec 28th.  The smart thing would have been to not run at all, but I wanted to test it and see how it responded.  The first 2.5 miles were fine, some pain but no increase or shooting sensations.  After our first water stop, we had a short path that was not even and covered in snow.  After this, the pain level got worse and I decided to call it a day.  On the 3 mile return journey, the pain didn't get better, but it didn't get worse either.  In the end, I completed 6 total miles and reminded myself that the goal is in April.  Hopefully some ice, ibuprofen and rest this week will remedy the situation!

With 2015 starting, I'm also fully into writing donation requests for raffle prizes.  The fundraiser will be March 25 this year and as additional donations are made, I'll announce those details.  Thanks again to JP Licks and Coolidge Corner Theatre for their generous donations thus far!

The Cold Won't Stop Us...

I thought Amy and I might be the only runners crazy enough to be out tonight: 20F, 20-30mph winds making it feel like 5F!  Brr, it was cold and we nearly got blown over a few times, but we survived.  On top of that, 4 other runners were out around Somerville - others are just as crazy!  With temps dropping through the week, I guess winter is upon us and we'll have plenty more cold weekend and weekday runs as DFMC training continues.

After writing several e-mails this weekend for donations for our DFMC fundraiser, I received some great news from J.P. Licks and the Coolidge Corner Theatre, both are donating again this year!!  Both organizations have supported my fundraisers in the past and I can't thank them enough for their support and donations!  Hopefully other companies will follow and we'll raise even more money than last year's $1,500!

Beating Cancer, Little by Little

I was not aware that ESPN analyst Stuart Scott had battled recurring bouts of cancer since November 2007.  You can imagine my surprise today when I read of his passing and 'losing' his battle against cancer.  What struck me most was his message, one that I had not heard before:

"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live."

As DFMC 2015 training begins in earnest, I don't know if I'll ever battle a cancer diagnosis, but I know that I'm helping beat it.  While my efforts are small, they will contribute to reaching the goal of DFMC: a world without cancer.  This may be in the near or distant future, but every little bit that we do will help that day arrive.