Why I Run

As I begin to prepare for Marathon training (revving up over the next week – YIKES) I wanted to take a minute to share with all of you (and remind myself) why this training cycle will be different than any of the ones before.  Unlike previous training cycles where I had a personal goal, this time I am running for a reason that is bigger than myself.  I am running as a part of Team in Training raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).  The money raised by myself and other members of our Team will continue to allow LLS to fund millions of dollars of research to help advance new treatments and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and provide critical education and support to cancer patients and their families.  To date, my Team has raised over $200 K!

Nearly 50% of all cancer drugs approved by the FDA during the past decade were for blood cancers. And they are helping other patients as well. Five of those drugs have been approved for patients with solid tumors and others are being tested for other indications. Survival rates for children with leukemia have improved from 3% 40 years ago to 90% today; Hodgkin lymphoma patient survival rates have more than doubled to 88% since the 1960s. And the survival rate for myeloma patients tripled in past decade. (source)

As I have mentioned in previous posts, running the Boston Marathon has been a dream of mine for years.  I have known for a while that for me to accomplish that dream I would likely be partnering with a charitable organization and fundraising. The Boston Marathon has an incredible charity program that raises millions of dollars each year for many local and national organizations, but LLS stuck out to me in my search for a team.  Not only does LLS provide an incredible team experience for the marathon, but it also does important research to help find a cure for a disease that is close to my family and friends.

​I will be running the Marathon this year in memory of a very special family friend, Erica who courageously battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for many years.  Though I never met Erica, I know through stories from my Dad and her Dad, Eric, that she fought with courage and strength. I hope that in completing the Marathon this coming year I can carry Erica’s strength with me for the 26.2 miles to raise awareness and funds for LLS and the important research they do.

Every day when I am training this winter I want to remind myself that I am running for something that is bigger than me or one race.  If the money I raise can help one person or family during their fight then it is worth it.  I am so excited to be a part of Team in Training and to continue to learn more about the work that LLS does to fight blood cancer.

Thoughtful Thursday – Thanksgiving Edition

So I know I’m about a week late on my Thanksgiving post but it has been a busy busy week!  Let’s start with Thursday (Thanksgiving), I woke up and had a relaxing morning with Jack before driving into the city to see the family.  Mom and I had originally planned on doing a local Turkey Trot 5 mile race but our plans changed and we couldn’t make it.  Instead we decided to go for a leisurely run long the Charles River. It was gorgeous out, a little chilly but PERFECT running weather.  My Garmin couldn’t find satellites so we decided to go off feel.  My guess is that we went about 2 miles at around 11 min/mile pace.  It was so great to enjoy a run with my mom!

When we got back home there was a true team effort to get dinner on the table.  It was a success 🙂

After Thanksgiving I went into full on Christmas decorating mode which included chopping down our very first Christmas tree.  As you can see in the picture below, I should never be handed a saw…

After a few minutes of struggling we successfully cut the tree down and packed it on top of my Prius (quite the site to see) and headed back home.  Milo was quite confused by the new addition to our living room, he spent quite some time exploring the tree on Saturday and Sunday while we decorated.  below are some pictures of our decorations and Milo.

 

Now onto the present day…

Heading into this week of work I felt refreshed and ready to go.  My first TNT meeting is on Saturday for a shoe and gear clinic, I couldn’t be more excited.  I decided to set some goals for the week in anticipation of my meeting and thought it might be fun to share them here, enjoy!

Weekly Goals 12/1:

1. Run Early – my schedule at work gets busy this time of year so if I am going to have a regular running schedule I need to start prioritizing morning workouts.
   • So far this week I have completed 1 early morning run, 2.5 miles on Tuesday at 8 minute pace.  I’m hoping to go again tomorrow — we will see how that goes!
2. Drink More Water – I find I always feel better when I’m running if I have been conscious about my hydration
   • This week I have been pretty good about this, especially in the mornings.  I have been trying to finish a full glass of water before my morning coffee each day.
3. Healthy Eating – this is an ongoing goal for myself but will become more and more important as I get into training.
   • This week I have done a decent job of packing food for breakfast and lunch at work and ending the day with healthy dinners.  I would like to do a better job of meal planning to make the week nights easier, but that can be a goal for another time.
4. Sleep – I want to try to get into a consistent sleep schedule to help with goal 1.
   • This has gone well this week! I have been in bed between 10-11 each night and am starting to feel more rested.

That is all for now, stay tuned for a weekend running update and a TNT meeting recap 🙂

 

 

Not Running and $1,000 by Thanksgiving!

First of all I want to thank everyone who has donated to my Team in Training effort so far.  I have raised $1,000 which gets me closer to my goal of halfway ($2,500) by Christmas.  I am very thankful for all of the donations I have received so far, each dollar brings us closer to a world without blood cancer!

As for running…I haven’t posted in a while because there hasn’t been much running.  I haven’t found a groove since the Chilly 1/2 and have been running 1-2 times per week due to a very busy work schedule and some other buys life things.  During these few runs I have been trying to reflect on my goals for the coming months and find a good rhythm before I officially start training for Boston in December.  Below are three thoughts on my recent running (or not):

• Time Does Not Always Matter: On a run over this past weekend  I decided to take a little “me time” on my run and go without my trusty Garmin.  I put on some of my favorite music and set out to enjoy the brisk fall day.  I have no idea how far I went or how fast I was going and it was such a great feeling.  I just enjoyed running for the sake of running rather than worrying about pace or distance.  I definitely need to remember to mix a few of these types of runs in especially as I get into my training cycle and busy season at work.  Sometimes it is just nice to get a run in 🙂

After my Garmin-less run

• Sometimes Wine > Morning Run:  Last week was particularly rough for me, between working 14 days straight and trying to keep up with all of the other fun things in my life my running definitely got away from me.  Saturday was going to be my first day off in two weeks, so naturally I planned on going for a kickass long run.  However, when I got home Friday night a cozy dinner at home with a movie and lots of wine sounded like a better idea.  I postponed my run until Saturday afternoon and reduced the planned distance to fit everything in.  Sometimes taking care of myself means adjusting my running and making more time to relax with my people 🙂

Friday Night Dinner

• Running Helps Bad Days Feel Better: Yesterday was a really long difficult day at work for a number of reasons.  We had just come off an exhausting stretch with intense deadlines and pressure and are now expected to go back to our previous goals/work to catch up in time for the holiday.  When I got home the last thing I wanted to do was run…then Jack reminded me how much better I always feel after a run.  I sucked it up and decided to go to the gym to do a quick run (no distance or pace goals).  I turned on my music and had an AMAZING run, 5 miles in 38 minutes (7:40 avg pace).  I hadn’t intended to do any speed work but was feeling my music so I decided to do mini intervals during the choruses of each song. It felt great to feel strong for such a tough workout, I’m looking forward to my speed workouts during marathon training after this one.

I am looking forward to keeping this going with a Turkey Trot on Thursday before spending the day with my Family 🙂  Happy almost Thanksgiving everyone!