First Taste of Course

Yesterday was my first glimpse of the Boston Marathon course including the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill. All of the charity runners met at the Riverside MBTA T stop in Newton where we hopped on a bus to head out to mile 9 of the Boston Marathon Course on Rt. 135 to start our 17 mile training run. I had a great run averaging 9 min/mi which was faster than I wanted to go for a long run but I really felt great from the start and was able to maintain my pace fairly easily. The run was challenging because all of the roads were open to traffic so it was difficult to navigate at points as we got closer to downtown Boston. It was also challenging staying together as a group given that there were only a hundred runners or so all running at varying paces so towards the end where the pedestrian traffic picked up it was a challenge to find runners to follow to make sure I stayed on the actual course. The run was still a success given these challenges and I can't wait to see how this course is transformed on race day with spectators lining the street for the entire course and the streets of Boston belong entirely to the 25,000 runners who will be participating. It is hard to believe but the marathon is only 8 weeks away and my excitement is growing by the day!!! Next run is a 22 miler in late March on the course that starts at the actual start line in Hopkinton and finishes at mile 22 after Heartbreak Hill. More soon...

Fundraising Update....

My fundraising efforts reached a major milestone yesterday as I crossed the $5,000 mark!!! I stand currently at $5,210 and am in sight of my goal of $6,000 with over 2 months to go. On behalf of MDSC I want to thank everyone who has donated to this organization that helps so many people with Down Syndrome and their families. Thank You!!!

Boston Prep 16 Miler in Derry, NH...

They weren't kidding when they said this course was HILLY!!! I went into the run treating it as my weekly long run so I was targeting a pace around 9:25 rather than treating it like a race. I ended up averaging 9:21 for the 16 mile distance which I was very happy with. These 50-60 mile weeks are really paying off as I really did not struggle at any point at all during the run and felt great today. It is very difficult to enter an event like this and hold back to a target pace when you know you can run much faster but the risk of injury is just too great. As Bill Rodger's said of Boston at our event last week, "it isn't getting to the finish line that's hard, it's getting to the starting line..." I have found that to be one of the most difficult aspects of training for Boston. With the April race date, peak marathon training is late Jan through February and staying injury free and healthy is a monumental feat alone. Next race is a 10 miler in Cape Elizabeth that I am planning to race to get a sense of my current training level. Then on 2/13, I get my first glimpse of the Boston Marathon course on a 17 mile run that starts at mile 9 and ends at finish line. Lots of miles left to go but it will be here before I know it and I can't wait...

Night With a Legend...

I am so glad that I took this opportunity to meet a true legend and real class act, Bill Rodgers. I headed into Boston yesterday afternoon to meet a small group (~30) of runners from various charities running in the 2010 Boston Marathon for night with Bill. I arrived early to make sure that I did not miss the run scheduled to start at 6:30. While walking around Quincy Market in the outside courtyard I stumbled across some bronze monuments of Larry Bird, Red Auerbach, and of course, "Boston Billy" Rodgers, winner of 4 Boston Marathons and 4 NYC Marathon and a list of other major accomplishments too long to list. Standing there reading the words on the plaque, I could not believe that I would be running along side him through the streets of Boston. The few miles the group ran was great on a perfect night for late January in Boston. It was a nice casual pace navigating the busy streets of the city floating through the crowd meeting the other runners. After the run we headed back to Bill's store where we had pizza and drinks and got to know the other runners and Bill a little better. A great night and an unbelievable experience hosted by a true hero. Thanks so much to Susan for doing such an incredible job coordinating all of the teams this year. Next stop, Derry NH for what promises to be a very challenging 16 mile Boston Prep run through a very hilly course in rural New Hampshire - perfect preparation for the Newton Hills in Boston...

Updates to follow...

90 Days Out...

Only 90 days to go until the race and the 3rd and most demanding phase of the training starts next week. I have some races/runs coming up that I am getting very excited about. The first of which is this Thursday in Boston where I will part of a very small group of ~30 runners who will be going on a 4 mile run with Bill Rodgers from his store in Faneuil Hall in Boston to the waterfront. After that, he will be talking to the group about running and sharing some stories about his 4 wins in Boston and 4 more in the NYC marathon - should be AMAZING!!! The following Sunday I am running in the Derry, NH 16 miler which is widely viewed as the Boston prep race that you have to run. The course in Derry is VERY hilly which makes this a challenging run, perfect training for the hills that lie ahead in Boston. In Feb, I have a 10 miler here in ME that I will be running in with a friend of mine who lives nearby, Tony. Then later in Feb, is the first of 2 practice runs on the Boston Marathon course. This one starts at the 9 mile mark and proceeds 17 miles to the finish and the 2nd in March starts at the start line in Hopikinton and ends at mile 21 just after Heartbreak Hill. Stay tuned for more updates over the next couple months.

Let It Snow...

Well, the first week of my 18 week training program is in the books and I have dealt with some tough winter weather already and it isn't even January yet :(. This training program has 2 Quality/Speed days which are really a challenge in the wind/cold/ice, but it is so nice to mix up the longer runs with some different types of runs. Yesterday Maine was brushed by the large winter storm that paralyzed the Northeast but as all runners know, even a few inches of snow and ice makes things twice as difficult. It was the first time I got to try out my Icespikes that I bought a few months ago and man are they awesome!!! I know that Keith (the President of Icespike) has been making the rounds at tons of expos over the fall/winter and for good reason. I don't think I would have dared to take on the icy Maine roads during a winter storm without them and I encourage everyone who does any type of winter running/walking to try them - you won't be disappointed. Thanks to Keith and Icespike for supporting me during my training and also contributing to my fundraising efforts. 17 weeks to go!!!

Heading to Disney...

It has been about a month since I posted last so I wanted to give an update on how I am progressing before we leave for Disney on Tues. Thanks to an amazing response from so many people I have reached out to for support I have crossed the $3,300 mark in donations which is absolutely amazing and I would like to thank everyone again who supported me. Over the past month I have been building my mileage up to 45-50 while running 6 days/wk. I am doing back to back 12s on Sat and Sun in preparation for a little slowdown in when we go to Disney but I plan to do daily 5 mile runs early in the AM while we are there. We can't wait - everyone is getting so excited, only 4 more days!!!

When we get back I have a couple weeks left of base building before I start into the 18-wk training plan that I am going to be following for the marathon. It is broken up into 4 phases and the 3rd phase (the most demanding) is going to be during the heart of the Maine winter so I have quite a challenge ahead of me. I went out for a 8 mile run this AM in the cold rain and gusty ocean wind and got a taste of what it will be like training through the long cold winter but I will tough it out for such an awesome goal only a few months away. Thanks again to everyone for supporting me and following my journey...