WOW!

$15,114 raised thus far for DFMC this year!  We're sooo close to breaking $65k for the 5 year total and hopefully we make it.

I'll post more about the marathon and this weekend after I shake this head cold. Ugh, not a fun day-after the marathon, but so glad to have run yesterday!

Fundraising Goal Surpassed!

Wow, earlier this week we hit our $13,100 fundraising goal and then kept on going!  We have raised $13, 434 as of this posting and $62,837 the last five years, 100% of which goes to fund innovative cancer research at Dana-Farber!  There's still time to donate and push this number even higher and I can't thank everyone enough for all the support these last 5 years!

Why I Have Run 5 DFMCs

As many of you know, in April 2012, I ran my first Boston Marathon with DFMC.  It was nearly 90F and quite the challenge, but nothing like the challenges for those battling cancer.  This fact motivates me during the winter training runs and the marathon itself.  So how did I come to run on DFMC?
I ran the NYC marathon in Nov 2011 and decided before the race that if I finished and felt good, I would apply to a charity team for Boston 2012.  I ran NYC on Sunday, on Monday on the train back to Boston decided to apply to DFMC and completed the application on Tuesday evening.  I applied to DFMC as I had done my graduate work next door to Dana-Farber and knew several investigators at Dana-Farber.  I wanted to run for my grandmother, who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and my great aunt. I wanted to run for an organization that I knew would make the most of my fundraising efforts.

Patient Partner Poster Party, 2012

After applying to DFMC, I was accepted within a week; I then applied to the Patient Partner Program, was paired with RJ and we begun a partnership that neither of us knew would continue for 5 years.

When I first met RJ in 2012, RJ had recently completed his cancer treatment and you would not have known that he had just beaten cancer.  RJ was looking, acting and behaving as you'd expect of any 14-year old.  This was not what I had expected when I applied to the program but as I got to know RJ, his passion for the Red Sox and great outlook on life, I couldn't have been happier to be paired with RJ.  As I spent more time with RJ and his family, I learned more about RJ's illness, his treatments and his Make-A-Wish trip.  I've heard about the great work at Camp Sunshine and the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, both camps for kids coping with cancer and their families.

Undergoing treatment

The biggest disappointment of my 2012 marathon was at mile 25, where RJ was waiting for me.  With the 90F temps, I was a bit out of it and didn't see RJ as I ran up the bridge.  RJ's sister ran up next to me and my immediate thoughts were 'Great, she's running me to where RJ is'.  It didn't dawn on me until we were off the bridge that we had passed all the DFMC fans and I had not seen RJ.  It was the lowest point of the marathon and is still something that I'm disappointed by.  Though disappointed, I had decided before the marathon that I wanted RJ to have the finisher's medal from the marathon.  After beating cancer, he had overcome more than I could imagine and was happy to share the marathon with him in this way.

2016 Poster Party

After the 2014 marathon, our 3rd together, I realized that RJ would be graduating in 2016 and it would be my 5th DFMC.  I knew then that if RJ was in for 2 more years, I would run in honor of him and that's how I've come to run 5 DFMCs and together we've raised more than $61,000 for innovative cancer research!  With these funds and all those raised by DFMC, we can reach the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer!

A few final thoughts to wrap up: I'm so glad to be running for RJ again this year.  His perseverance and positive outlook are something that we can all aspire to.  As an example, this past fall RJ worked with Boston's Mayor Walsh and the City Council to proclaim September to be Childhood Cancer Awareness month.  I got to watch RJ stand by Mayor Walsh's side at the press conference and see the proclamation that RJ received.  As I prepare to run the Boston Marathon in 1 week, I am honored to run for RJ and what he's accomplished.  RJ has motivated me through each of my Boston Marathons and will certainly motivate me again in 1 week.

At City Hall with RJ 

Final DFMC Training Run

With April 18 fast approaching, the final group run of my 5th DFMC is in sight.  This past Saturday was our final group training run and it was a great day to get out and run 8 miles with the team.  We started just before the 15-mile mark on the course and headed down to the Newton Hills.  A teammate wasn't feeling 100% so Amy and I turned back after 3 miles and ran with our friend back to our starting point.  While we didn't run the full set of the Newton Hills, we've had enough practice on them that we'll be ready to go in a week.

After getting back to the starting point, Amy and I continued on for another 2 miles to complete our 8 miles.  It's a good thing we did this as we now know that the town of Wellesley is prepping for the marathon and ensuring us runners don't have to worry about all the pot-holes from this winter! We've also seen the daffodils blooming and hopefully some warm weather this week brings spring into full effect here in Boston.

With our training nearing the end, my fundraising is still going strong and continues past the actual marathon.  This past week though was a great week and we have now raised $11,969!!  An amazing number and just over $1,100 short of the $13,100 goal.  This brings our 5-year total to $61,372!!  Looking back at this experience I'll remember the marathons for certain but I'll also remember the support from so many people that helped raise $61,372 for DFMC and innovative cancer research.  I look forward to seeing what new treatments and hopefully cures come to from Dana-Farber researchers in the future.  Thank you again for all your support!

Tapering in Full Effect

13 days to the marathon and today's run was great!  It was a welcome change to go out, run ~4 miles and be done in less than 40 minutes.  I can't remember the last time I ran this short and thus today's run was quite nice!  Perhaps it was a little too short, but better to not overdo it at this point.

This past Saturday, our long run was also a bit shorter than usual.  We went out to complete 14, but after the first 10 miles, I was happy to reach 12 miles and call it a day.  Though the temp was in the 50s, it was raining the whole time and a bit windy at points, reminiscent of last year's actual marathon.  Running with Amy and Nancy made the run much more enjoyable and the 12 miles was plenty given the day and conditions.