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.