A Snowy Group Run

As 2014 enters full swing, training and fundraising do the same.  This week 4 local businesses made very generous donations to help with the fundraising efforts.  The Elephant Walk Restaurant generously donated a gift card!  A dinner out is great and perhaps the winner of the Elephant Walk gift card will also win the movie tickets donated by The Coolidge Corner Theater, a great local theater with lots of character that I really like going to.  For those that prefer to experience Boston like they've won the World Series, The Boston Duck Tours generously donated several tickets!  Lastly, a local brewery, Night Shift Brewing, made a generous donation.  Of course we had to sample a few beers while there and enjoyed the unique and different combinations they were serving.

Amy enjoying a taste at Night Shift

Tasting glass.  Must have been good if it's empty

This was a great way to end the day after a nice training run in Wayland and Sudbury MA.  What started as a nice run in the upper 30s, turned into a bit of a sloppy finish, including squeezing water out of my socks.  We ran 14 miles, the last 1/2 in the snow and accumulating slush.  It is always a scenic run from the Longfellow Club but the snow added to it this time.  Some of the biggest snow flakes I've ever seen which really did add to the experience.  The 14 miles went by pretty quickly given our great teammates and the conversations along the way.  Another good week and now only 13 weeks to marathon weekend!

Lots of bright fluorescent colors about to hit the streets

Prerun shot - notice there's no snow

Snow is starting to fall.  Great run with Matt, Amy and Gina

6.5mi water stop.  Thanks to all the volunteers for standing in the cold and snow!

Just a little snow to keep us on our toes

14 Weeks to Go

A lot to activity this week, most of it in the last 48 hours!  Thursday turned out to be a really good day.  Of course, getting out to Arc and running with teammates on Thursday night was fun.  Socializing with folks afterward was a great way to end the day, or so I thought.  Upon arriving home, I had received 3 donations for the fundraiser in April!


A huge shout out to RedBones and JP Licks for providing gift cards and The New England Aquarium for providing admission tickets!  It is so helpful to have the support of local businesses and obviously I'm extremely grateful.  Some folks will be quite lucky on April 2 at the fundraiser as winners of these great prizes!

After my excitement receiving these donations died down, I checked my e-mail and saw that my race entry was confirmed by the BAA: "This is to notify you that your entry into the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday April 21 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate."!!  Always an exciting day!

Today capped off a good 48 hrs as the team run was a fun one, though tiring.  We hit the marathon course again and hit the Newton hills as I've done so often in the past.  A good run with great teammates and volunteers on a pretty nice day in January!  With 14 weeks to go, I definitely have some work to do but am pleased where I'm at, for both training and fundraising.  A great start to 2014, but definitely more to do!

A Great Start to Training

Unfortunately the excitement of joining DFMC teammates this weekend for a group run was squashed early due to the storm from Friday.  The team run was canceled on Friday but I still saw many teammates along the course today.  After taking the T out to Woodland  (ca. mile 16.5 on the course), Amy and I ran back to South Boston covering the Newton Hills and other parts of the marathon course. Quite a bit of snow still but luckily the carriage road, where so much of training takes place, was plowed and easily runnable!

The Carriage Road along Comm Ave in Newton, heading up the 'first' of the hills

It was a little wet and slushy at times, but those are temporary annoyances.  The 30+ donors thus far, the gift card donations for the fundraiser and of course, all those battling cancer are really motivating during these types of runs.  The unexpected surprise of seeing 10 teammates along the run and an unofficial 'water stop' was also great.  Thanks to Tim and Patty for the Gatorade and support!  Heartbreak Hill was also clear and we took it on like old pros, or at least like runners who had no other way of getting home.

Amy's first trip up Heartbreak Hill.  Luckily we both survived this round!

After completing the last 9 miles of the course, we ran back to South Boston to a rewarding Dunkin visit.  With the team run being canceled today, we missed out on one of the best places to run from.  The Mount Auburn Club in Watertown has been a great host and provides a great spread at the end of our runs; today a coffee and sandwich tasted pretty good as well.

A successful first training run for 2014!  15 weeks to go!

A New DFMC Season, A New Year

As training season begins for 2014, I look back on a very memorable 2013.  The year started with 2 1/2 marathons, Surf City in Huntington Beach and Hyannis.  In April I started the BAA distance medley with the BAA 5k on April 14 and completed the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, more thoughts below.  After recovering from the marathon, I ran Boston's Run to Remember on Memorial Day weekend, the BAA 10k and 1/2 marathon (to complete the distance medley) and ended the year with my 4th marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon in November.  Other highlights include three 200mile relays, my first sprint triathlon and 3 personal records - 10K (49.50), 1/2 marathon (1.45.46) and marathon (4.02.30)!  A very successful and rewarding year, of which these events are just a part.

Of course, the events of April 15, 2013 are a defining experience from 2013.  With the year ending and all the "year in review" stories, there's no way to avoid seeing pictures from that day and remembering the events related to that week.  I'm incredibly thankful to have been able to run the marathon that day with DFMC and run in honor of so many incredible people.  In late May, I was honored to meet Sean Collier's father and run the last mile of the marathon route with ~2000 runners, supporting those that didn't finish the race.  Reflecting on the marathon and the bombings, I'm reminded that I have been incredibly fortunate in 2013 (including running the marathon and finishing safely!) and can continue to do more to help others, which is why I decided to train for and run the 2014 Boston Marathon again.  As 2014 starts, new goals and challenges await and hopefully a year from now I'll look back and be satisfied knowing that I have continued to help others throughout the year.