Training Begins

Yesterday, Dec 8, was our first DFMC group run of the 2019 training season.  About 100 teammates met in Wellesley and ventured out in 20F weather for 6-10 miles.  I ran with a friend and we felt good with our 8 miles on the marathon course.  This was my first run in 2 weeks after fighting off a pretty severe cold but I was able to maintain a respectable pace (9-10 min/mi) and overall felt pretty good.  Some stiffness in my legs eventually melted away but reminds me that I need to find some time to stretch out throughout the week.

Though this is my 7th DFMC and I know a number of veterans, yesterday felt a bit different than years past.  The group that I've traditionally run with is largely cheering this year.  While this is something to look forward to come marathon Monday, it also means that I have to meet new people on training runs, which will be a nice way to pass the miles! 😀

As the training season gets going, fundraising is in mid-season form.  We've already raised $5,300 this year, more than 30% of the way to our $17,000 goal!  On top of that, family and friends of Chris gathered last night at Harpoon Brewery for a fundraiser, where we raised more than $1400!  We were lucky to have the support of a number of local businesses for raffle prize donations, which I'm sure the winners will enjoy.

As I've shared, this year I'm running in honor of Chris.  When we planned the Harpoon event, Chris was excited and looking forward to joining everyone. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend due to recent events related to his cancer.  We were lucky enough to FaceTime with him briefly and make sure that he was a part of the fundraiser, and that Chris knew we were thinking of him, wishing him the best, and raising a glass to his friendship.  It was also a good reminder that there is still more to be done to help reach the ultimate finish line, a world without cancer, and while I'm physically able, I'm glad that I can run with DFMC to help reach this goal.

Kicking Off DFMC 2019

As August progressed and turned to September, I was undecided about running DFMC again this year.  I believe in the cause and charity, I'm willing to put in the work and do the fundraising, but the inner drive was a bit less.  I knew I could churn through another year, but that wasn't enough.  On top of that, Amy and I were expecting our first child in the fall. I wasn't sure what training might be like with an infant or if Amy would be willing to pick up my slack in parenting while I was out training.

With these thoughts, concerns, and uncertainty, I knew I would run for DFMC again at some point, but I wanted to run for a reason. At around this time, my colleagues and I received an e-mail from Chris that he had made the hard decision to leave his position.  Given this new information, I talked with Amy about running and then asked Chris and his family if he would like me to run.

I ran my first 5 DFMCs for my patient partner RJ and he continues to do great and thrive after a leukemia diagnosis when he was a kid.  I ran #6 in 2018 for Heather Thomson. Unfortunately, Heather lost her battle to breast cancer during the training season thought she motivated me throughout the windy, rainy and cold 26.2 miles of the 2018 marathon.  Running for Chris this year is what motivated me to commit.  I don't know how long I may be able to run marathons, or what the future holds for my own health, so I seized this year and will run for Chris and his family.

With ~20 donors already, we've raised $1925 with a number of company matches outstanding!  This is a great way to kick off the season and these funds will directly impact innovative research at Dana-Farber so that folks like Chris, Heather, RJ, and others will continue to have therapeutic options in the future. Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far!

Hope...

As this last week has progressed, I've hoped for a better weather report.  That clearly is not going to happen.  With more than 1" of rain predicted and 20+ mph winds from the NNE, it won't be ideal weather for the Boston Marathon.  The rain and lower temps (40s) will keep us from overheating, which is good, but the wind will be a headwind.  Oh well, we can't control the weather, but we can determine how we approach the day.

Preparing for Monday, I hope that I run well and our 2018 DFMC efforts would make Heather & her family proud.  Though Heather can't be at the race, I know she'll be there in spirit, cheering us on and supporting all DFMC runners. 

I hope that the other individuals that I run in honor of and in memory of, including RJ, Don, family, and friends, are also proud of my efforts.

As a recent donor wrote to me, every family is touched by cancer in some way.  I hope that our efforts these 6 years make a small impact in some way.  Whether our impact is via the $81,000+ raised over the years and the innovative cancer research we've supported, or just the knowledge that we've made this collective effort to make a difference, I hope we've made some impact.

$13,100+ Raised!

For the 5th time, we've surpassed $13,100 for DFMC and Innovative Cancer Research!  More than 110 supporters have generously donated over $13,400 thus far and with past years, we've now raised $79,895 over 6 years!  When I began my first DFMC season in the fall of 2011, I wasn't sure how I'd raise the $4000 minimum but hoped to hit $8000.  We raised $9,307 that first year and haven't looked back.  THANK YOU for the tremendous support all these years!

1 Week to Go...

Yesterday morning was our final DFMC group run.  It was a shorter group run and I was glad for that.  After a season of training and a hard training run on Thursday, I was a bit tired and just looking to get it done.  In the end, I think that was a good thing.  I know that I can't overdo it this week and need to get some rest.  I still plan to run 3 times this week, but they will be a bit easier and a bit less intense.

Having run a number of other marathons, friends often ask what makes Boston difficult.  Well, Active.com published an article on this and it sums up the challenges pretty well.  First, we're still running 26.2 miles and that's always a challenge :) So what does Active.com think are the other challenges:

1. The Registration Process - lucky for me, DFMC is willing to take me back year after year! If I had to qualify, I would need to run a marathon faster than 3hrs 10min.  Since that's not happening, thank goodness for the charity program!
2. New England's Fickle Weather - I'll just say, 2012 = 89F temps and full sun, 2015 = low 40s, rain, and a 15-20mph northeast headwind.
3. The Late Start Time - So true.  My normal training run morning is up at 6.15am, bagel, drive to the group run and running by 8.30am.  Marathon day is more like, up at 5am, catch the T to get downtown, hop on the BAA bus to Hopkinton, arrive ~7.30am, sit around for 3.5hrs and start running at 11.15am.  Such a difference and so hard to prepare for.
4. The Early Miles - Yup! With 7000 people starting in each wave and a 2 lane road, the start is crowded, and steep.  130 foot drop in the first mile while avoiding other runners, ugh.
5. The Newtown Hills - People know Heartbreak Hill, but there are actually 4 hills from mile 16-21.  You go up about 200 ft over these 5 miles, which doesn't sound too bad, but that's after dropping 400 feet from the start.
6. Cemetery Mile - After the hills and chaos of drunk BC students, there's a really quiet section with a cemetery on the right side.  Not what we need at mile 22-23.

Like any marathon, Boston is unique and there are highs and lows.  I'm looking forward to next Monday and making the journey a 6th time.  Having run for RJ that first 5 years, he'll certainly be on my mind throughout the day as will family members, friends and all those I'm running in honor and in memory of.  Of course, running in memory of Heather will be a large part of this year's experience.  I'm sure that I'll think of her throughout the day and know that Heather, RJ and many others will be with all the DFMC runners as we run from Hopkinton to Boston.

2 Weeks To Go!

With April here, the Boston Marathon is just around the corner, 2 short weeks away.  I'm not quite at the point of getting excited but soon.  What is exciting from this past week is nearing $13,100 raised in 2018.  Thanks to some more generous donors and company matches last week, we've surpassed $12,400 and hopefully we reach $13,100 ($500 per mile) before this coming weekend.  I am continually amazed and greatly appreciative of the generous support by so many, including over 100 donors this year.  Thanks to all current and past donors, we have raised over $78,900 during my 6 DFMCs and have certainly benefited Innovative Cancer Research at Dana-Farber!  THANK YOU!

With 2 weeks to go, I'm in taper mode.  After 22miles 2 Saturdays ago, this past weekend I ran 13.1miles.  A bit less than I planned but I was feeling a bit tired from a busy week and solid week of training.  I'll aim for a speed workout and tempo run this week; that said, if I get 2 good runs in and don't overdo it, I'll be satisfied.  Time to rest up, make sure I get enough sleep, eat and drink right, and get ready for whatever Mother Nature gives us on April 16.  Whatever we are dealt, I'm looking forward to making the trip from Hopkinton to Boston for a 6th time.

22 Miles Done...Time to Taper

Only 3 weeks to go until Patriot's Day, the Boston Marathon and completing my 6th Boston Marathon with Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge!

Saturday's run was our longest run for the training season, 22 miles were planned.  This year I joined some friends, drove out to Hopkinton, MA and ran the first 22 miles of the course.  It felt odd not to start with the DFMC team, but we finished with team members and the DFMC support staff.  Looking back at it, I think it was a good choice to start in Hopkinton and remember what the start of the course will be like.

As for the run itself, I felt surprisingly good.  I wanted to run a bit slower, but only managed to do so for the 1st 8-10 miles.  As I started talking with a teammate, I lost track of the time and pace and we started speeding up.  In the end, this lead to negative splits and pushing a 8:50-9:10 minute per mile pace through the Newtown Hills.  I'm encouraged by this and to finally break 4 hrs in Boston, I'll need to average around 9 mins/mile over the 26.2 miles.  To be clear, this year, I want to enjoy the race and the day without injury, stomach issues or 90F temps, but if I can set a personal best for Boston as well, that would be the 'icing on the cake.'  We'll see what the day is like, but perhaps everything will align on April 16.

$2500+ in 3 Days!

WOW! The support and generosity of many people in the last 4 days is incredible as we've raised over $2,500 in 4 days!  Some of these donations can receive company matches so the total will be even a bit more.  Thank you to all the donors (80+) who have generously contributed to my 2018 efforts and support DFMC!

Though not a fundraising wow, I'm having some flashbacks to 2015 and winter nor'easters.  Really, a 4th nor'easter hitting Boston today & tonight?!  Luckily, I adjusted my running this week and moved my speed work to Monday.  I'm hoping to get out again tonight before the snow/rain starts, though the wind is already here and will be a nice little challenge.  Fingers crossed that the storm isn't too bad and we're able to run our 22 miles safely this weekend!

Pace$etter Reached!

DFMC has a goal of raising $5.5M this year for the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Cancer Research at Dana-Farber.  As part of the DFMC team, team members who raise at least $8,000 are considered pacesetters from a fundraising perspective.  Thanks to nearly 70 donors, we surpassed $8,000 today!  I've now reached pacesetter status each of the 6 years I've run and couldn't have done it without the generosity of so many amazing donors.

This weekend's run was a solo run of 18-miles.  For various reasons I just didn't make it out to the team run on Saturday, but managed to get my miles in, despite the cold (20s) and wind (20+ mph).  Running into a headwind for 1/2 the run wasn't fun, but it made me work a bit harder.  This run resembled the rest of the week in that things didn't go quite as expected.

After last week's 15 miles, I geared up for a speed workout on Tuesday.  As the nor'easter hit Boston on Tuesday and Arlington racked up 20+ inches of snow, I decided that 3+ hrs of shoveling was a sufficient workout for the day.  Thursday was a good tempo workout, 9 miles at ~8.10 min pace.  A bit faster than I plan for marathon day, but a good workout given the missed day on Tuesday.  This week will be more of the same - speed work, tempo work and our longest training run of the season next weekend - 22 miles.  Fingers crossed the week goes well with no more shoveling!

Medford Leprechaun 5k

After 15 miles yesterday, I ran my first 5k in 2 years today, well at least my first 5k race.  It was one of those races where I just took it easy and enjoyed the run with some friends.  Rushing around this morning I forgot my watch and at the finish I forgot to check the clock.  I felt ok after yesterday's 15 miles, though I realized I need to stretch a bit more. It was a nice day for a run and in the middle of marathon training, was a nice little break from long runs every run.
The upcoming week should include a speed workout on Tuesday, a tempo run on Thursday and ~18 miles on Saturday.  Unfortunately, there's a chance of another nor'easter early this week so we'll see what happens.  Time to rest up from the weekend and get some stretching in.

Another 15 miles done

With only 36 days to go, we're getting into the higher mileage weeks for training.  This week included a speed workout on Tuesday (3 x 2miles).  I had planned to run on Thursday as well, but after the nor'easter dropped 6" of heavy wet snow on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, I decided to take Thursday evening as a indoor training day.  With some 40F temps since then, this morning's training run went well, though it was a bit windy.  I got through my 15 miles though ran a bit faster than I probably should have, more of a race pace run rather than pacing for a long run.  Overall I felt pretty good.
What made the training run even better was coming home to find 2 new donations that put us over $7,500, more than half way to the $15,000 goal for 2018!  With 36 days to go, reaching $15,000 is certainly possible.  Thank you to everyone who has supported my 2018 DFMC efforts and with just 5 weeks to go, we'll finish strong!

Group Run & 2018 Singlet

This week's training included a speed workout on Tuesday (4x 1.5mi), an 8 mile tempo run on Thursday and this morning's group run, 17 miles.  Overall, they felt ok, though each run seemed to require a bit more effort that I would like.  The speed work went well and I got the speed segments in at about my 5-10k pace. Thursday's tempo run was good in that I finished with negative splits.  Glad to be able to push the pace on the 2nd 1/2 of the run.  Today was a day where I hoped to get 16-18 miles in after last week's 13 miles.  I knew the pace would be a bit slowed, but that's ok for a long training run.  In the end, the run probably could have been a bit slower, but oh well.  We had a good day to run and after the bomb cyclone on Friday, we still had some wind to deal with, but it wasn't too bad.  We had a great group today and some of the volunteers were able to grab a few pics during our water stops.

This week was also a good week as a few more donations rolled in and we're closing in on $7,400!  I also received my 2018 singlet.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but the main color is a navy blue and the fluorescent yellow really stands out.  I'd like if the colors had been reversed but that's just me assuming that marathon day will be warm and sunny.  Then again, Accuweather is predicting that April 16 will be mostly sunny at ~50F.  That would be a pretty nice day for the marathon, so we'll see how accurate the long long long range forecast is.  With only about 6 weeks to go, it's time to break up the 6 weeks into 2 sets of 3 - a plan for the 1st 3 weeks of  serious training culminating in our 22 mile training run on March 24 and another plan for the 3 weeks of tapering.  Regardless or how training goes the next few weeks, I know that I'm capable of running and completing Boston on April 16, running in honor of and in memory of too many people affected by cancer.  Running for RJ, for Heather, Don, Josh and loved ones of many donors will make my 6th DFMC and Boston as memorable as my first.

7 Weeks To Go

This past Saturday was a gorgeous day for a run.  It was SuperHero Saturday, so there were a lot of charity teams out for their training runs and a number of people running in costume.  Given the warmth, most of us were removing layers, and though I didn't get a picture, the guy running in a complete Jon Snow costume, including sword and cape (i.e. Ikea throw rug) was the most impressive.
I dropped my mileage to only 13.1 miles as planned.  At the 1/2 way point, I met up with a DFMC 1st-timer who was a bit faster.  We pushed the pace on the 2nd 1/2 (~1min/mi faster) so in the end, less mileage but a faster run.

At the run, we learned that the team had raised more than $2.5 million thus far! With 7 weeks to go, we've also seen the singlet for this year.  I'll save that picture for a future post :)

Recovery Week

This coming Saturday is a group run with mileage that we haven't seen in a month..only 12-14 miles!  Woohoo! 😊  I may have started the recovery weekend a bit early though...
Last Saturday's group run was a good one.  We covered 18 miles and our volunteer's cheered us on while celebrating National Margarita Day.  It was a gorgeous day for a run and we enjoyed it.  I pushed the effort on Tuesday as well during a speed workout. With some snow falling this afternoon and things getting a little slippery, I decided to rest up a bit, choosing to hop on my bike for a recovery workout.  With 52 days until the marathon, I'm feeling good overall and looking forward to a nice group run this weekend.

 I haven't talked about fundraising recently, but we're making good progress. With the generosity of ~50 donors we've raised over $7300 thus far, nearing 50% of our $15,000 goal! This $7300 is part of the more than $2M raised by the DFMC team thus far. Unlike past years, I'm not planning a large fundraiser event.  I'm hoping that my last email in March and support from previous donors will help push us to the $15,000 mark and Dana-Farber closer toward the ultimate goal: a world without cancer.

Another Group Run & Speed Work

After 16+ miles on Feb 3, I had hoped to translate that into getting back in to weekday runs.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  I played it safe on the 5th and did a bike workout to give my ribs & back some more time to heal.  A day later I came down with a cold and rested the rest of the week.  Luckily I was feeling a bit better on Saturday morning and although it was a slow run, I got 16.5 miles done.  I planned to drop down to 14 miles but running with friends and teammates can make you forget about those extra 2+ miles.  I was drained after the run, but that's to be expected after 16 miles and recovering from a cold.

After Saturday's group run, I finally felt 95+% on Tuesday.  I decided 3 weeks on the bike had been enough and ventured out for a speed workout last night.  First success was not tripping during my warm up!  Small victories :)  It felt good to power through the speed work and get back into training.  I'm feeling a bit tired from the hard workout last night but otherwise good.  I'll enjoy the warmer weather tomorrow with another weekday run, though likely take it a bit easier.  Finger crossed that the small victories keep accumulating and this weekend's group run (14-18mi) goes well!

Patient Partners & Banners of Encouragement

As most know, I ran my first 5 years in honor of RJ, my patient partner.  Numerous people have asked about the program and though I've written about it before, I wanted to mention it again.  The Patient Partner program, and it's sister program - the In Memory Of program, are a part of the DFMC experience that only a limited number of runners experience firsthand.  Runners are encouraged to apply to the programs, but there are a limited number of families that participate.  The Patient Partners are kids going through or who have gone through cancer treatment at Dana-Farber and they choose to participate in the program.  The In Memory Of program is similar, but participating families have lost a child to cancer.  Both programs are incredibly moving and though RJ and I have "graduated" from the program, we have a lot of memories from our experience.

I mention these programs as a precursor to our DFMC banners.  Every week at our group runs, we sign several banners for individuals battling cancer.  These banners carry words of encouragement to runner's family members, friends, or even the family dog.  I've requested several banners for friends in the past and they are greatly appreciated.  Pictured here are the banners for just some of this year's Patient Partners.  We signed ~18 after a group run and hopefully our words of encouragement help these kids in their weeks and months ahead.  These banners and the stories that accompany them will continue to motivate me and all of this year's runners as we continue our training and fundraising.

Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far, helping raise more than $6,500 for innovative cancer research.  Hopefully we'll pass the 1/2 way mark soon and $15,000 will soon follow!

A Better Run

Yesterday was another group run and this time, I hit my goals!  After last week's shortened run, I stayed inside during the week and cross-trained on the bike.  I started to feel slightly better, but my back and ribs were still sore and achy.  Luckily, the sports med chiropractor that has helped me multiple times before came through again on Thursday.  After 15 minutes of work, my back felt slightly better and this improved throughout the day.  Things were looking up for the long run.

Our group run started in Wellesley and ran on the marathon route in to Newton and Brookline.  We had a cold start (~10F) and a stiff breeze at our backs but set out on our 12-18 miles.  As I started, I wasn't sure how I'd feel or what to expect, but I felt pretty good.  Chatting with some friends helped pass the first few miles at a good but slow pace.  After 2 miles though, I started chatting with a 1st-timer and before I knew it, we had picked the pace up.  We continued the quicker pace throughout the run and the 16-miles "flew" by.  I wasn't sure what mileage I wanted to hit but am glad to have tackled 16 this past Saturday.

These runs are enjoyable in large part due to the volunteers who stand in the cold, pour water and gatorade, and cheers us on.  The Dubucs are a staple at the runs and love to support us, even on the coldest days.  Matty battled cancer, eventually losing his battle, but his family & friends are out there every week supporting all the DFMC runners.  They have been regulars throughout my 6 DFMC years and we can't thank them, and all the volunteers, enough for spending their Saturday mornings pouring water and gatorade!

A Tough Day

Similar to last week's run, I hoped to get through this morning's group run and not feel bad.  I completed the run, but not the mileage that I was hoping to hit.  The first few miles went well and though I noticed that my left side and ribs were not 100%, they were not bothering me much.  After we started to hit the downhills of the run, our pace picked up and a few miles later, my side was aching.  I hoped to complete ~16 miles today, but cut it short and turned back at the 5 mile mark.  On my way back to our starting point, I started to feel better and decided to add another 2 miles in.  12 miles on a Sunday morning wasn't bad and after slowing down on the back 1/2, my ribs felt better.  I'll have to back the pace down in the upcoming days, but at least I can run.

The week ahead should include a speed workout on Tuesday and a tempo workout on Thursday, before 14 miles (hopefully!) on Saturday.  I'm not sure whether these will go as planned, but hopefully I can get some miles in this week.

Fundraising is going strong and we're nearing the 1/2 way point to $15,000!  We've raised over $6,500 to date and as a team, DFMC2018 has raised more than $1.5M thus far.  All of this will benefit innovative cancer research at Dana-Farber!  Thanks for the support and let's keep it going!

14 Miles Down

This weekend's run was one of those where the goal was to just get through it.  Backing up a little, while I was jogging on Tuesday evening to warm up before some speed work, I clipped a foot on an uneven section of sidewalk.  After a quick stumble, I went down on my left side and left elbow.  I was able to get up and continue the run, though I've felt sore on my left side since.  As a result, I chose to run from home on Saturday morning.  I was able to run the 14 miles that I aimed for, though I didn't feel great during it.  Hopefully the lingering effects of Tuesday's stumble disappear soon.  This coming week I'll continue the speed work on Tuesday, add some mileage on Thursday and the DFMC weekend run will be ~16 miles. As January wanes down, our training is definitely picking up.

Hills are Hard!

This past Saturday was the first DFMC group run of 2018 as the previous weekend's run was canceled due to the 15" of snow dumped on us on Jan 4.  It was great to see numerous teammates that I've run with over the years and great to feel the camaraderie that exists between team members.  We're all motivated by similar circumstances, running in honor of or in memory of family and friends and hoping to help DFMC make a difference.

This first run as an interesting one.  Having run the Boston Marathon with DFMC from 2012-2016, I have run the hills of Newton many many times.  Taking 2017 off though, apparently I forgot exactly what to expect on the hills.  Luckily I had good company along the 12 miles and the company and conversation helped me forget about those pesky hills. Weather-wise, the day was also an odd one.  We started the run with temps in the upper 50Fs and a warm SW wind.  As we turned around at the 1/2 way point, we noticed the weather changes - a temp drop to ~40F and a now bitter wind from the NW, brrrrr.  Overall though, I was happy with the run and felt good throughout.  It was my first double-digit run of the season, though as a friend pointed out, 10 miles would have been sufficient to be double digits :)  I was a bit tired the rest of the day, but it just made it easier to stay home, have a beer & watch the Pats game.

This week will begin speed workouts and I'll aim for ~14 miles this coming weekend.