20 weeks until the Boston marathon!

Wow, that makes it sound so close.  Only 20 weeks.  Only 6 weeks until Dopey!  That's even closer.  AND I only have two more weeks of work until I'm on vacation for the rest of the year!!!! I really, really need a break. At this point I am excited to get Dopey over with so that I can focus on Boston.  My training is going well.  I've been doing short fast runs along the Charles during the week, then my back to back long runs on the weekends.  Plus Pole and Aerial Silks.  This past weekend I did 10 miles on Saturday and then on Sunday I was supposed to run 16 miles. 

I had signed up for a half marathon in Nashua for Sunday and figured I could get to the start early and do a little 'warm up' out and back to add some miles for the day.  Well, Mother Nature had other plans.  She made it pretty miserable.  It was 22 degrees with a wind chill making it feel like 3 degrees.  I figured running a half marathon in those conditions was torture enough and I didn't really need the extra miles.  I felt really great for the first few miles and then I slowed a little and definitely felt it.  My legs just felt heavy and the wind cut through me.  My water bottles were frozen.  Pretty sure my muscles were frozen too.

I just looked at my splits according to my Garmin and I was ridiculously even paced for the most part.
Mile 1 - 9:50
Mile 2 - 9:38
Mile 3 - 9:55
Mile 4 - 9:48
Mile 5 - 10:07
Mile 6 - 10:44
Mile 7 - 10:29
Mile 8 - 10:34
Mile 9 - 10:30
Mile 10 - 10:40
Mile 11 - 10:35
Mile 12 - 10:32
Mile 13 - 10:38

So despite being frozen and tired I still ran really strong.  My average pace was 10:16 for the whole race. Although it was mostly really close to 10:30s, those first few fast miles bring the average down.  I'll take it.

Last week I did another awesome activity to add to my jar and check off my 'to-do' list.  I went to the Paint N Sip wine tasting/painting class up the street from me.  I've walked past the place a million times and looked at the calendar and thought about signing up and wanted to do it for a long time.  I finally signed up.  I was supposed to go with a friend who ended up bailing at the last minute for personal reasons.  Still had an amazing time and met some new friends there. Here is a look at the progress through the course of the class starting with a picture of what we were trying to paint.

The blank canvas 

 The paints we used

Step 1: Paint the sky 

Step 2: Paint the grass  

Step 3: Add the shadowy area in the foreground 

Step 4: Add trees along the horizon and a little fence, and a house 

 Step 5: Fence in the front and then sign it!

Here I am with the two lovely ladies that were sitting with me.  Allison and Janis.  We had a wonderful time and I am sure I will see them again sometime.

I spoke with the owner afterwards and asked about hosting a fundraising event and she agreed.  We will be painting the Boston Skyline on February 4th with $15 of every registration going towards my fundraising for Dana Farber.  I will also do some door prizes and raffles at the event.  It should be a really fun event.  I'm really excited.  At the rate I am going I should definitely hit my goal to raise $10,000.  I may even hit $8K before the end of the year.  I will be mailing out my holiday cards soon and doing another opportunity drawing for a cheesecake.  I'm almost at $6K now if I count pending company matches.  THANK YOU SO MUCH everyone that has donated already!!! If you haven't, what are you waiting for????  It IS Thanks-GIVING afterall.......just saying.

www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial



Keeping busy, really really busy

Last week I went to see the big guy, Santa, yeah he's already at the mall taking requests for his list.  It's a little difficult to read in the photo (it came out better when printed), but the sign we are holding says:
"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A CURE FOR CANCER.  YOU CAN HELP.  DONATE TODAY! www.runDFMC.org/2014/ALICIAL 100% of the money raise supports innovative cancer research. Running Boston Strong in 2014" I'm planning to use it for my holiday card to send out to people.  I hope that I get my Christmas wish and all the other little kids in line get theirs too. 

So far I am doing really great as far as fundraising goes.  HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that has donated already.  I am already halfway to my goal to raise $10,000!  That puts me in Wellesley, just past the 'scream tunnel' of girls at the college and leaving the downtown area heading down Rt. 16 towards Newton about to cross over I-95.  This part of the course usually goes by fast for me because I know my friends and family are waiting just past mile 17 at the Fire Station and the base of the Newton Hills.  I hope that it goes by fast on my fundraising map too and everyone reading this helps me get to Newton and over the hills.  Every little bit helps, just like the marathon, one step at a time or one dollar at a time, together we are all a little closer to the ultimate finish line - a world without cancer.

Training for Dopey continues too.  Last week was a recovery week.  I dropped my mileage after a few weeks of building back up to longer distances.  I'm actually really glad it was a recovery week too because I went back to pole fitness after almost 2 months away from it AND added aerial silks into the mix for fun.  Holy crap it was like the first time all over again and I was ridiculously sore after.  And aerial silks is friggin hard!!!!!  Those Cirque du Soliel people are badass!  I thought pole was really difficult until I tried silks.  It's like pole only the pole moves and it's stretchy.

I skipped my mid-week runs to rest because everything hurt after back to back classes Monday and Tuesday.  When the weekend arrived I was still sore, but ready to run.  Saturday I did 8 miles in Ayer with my friend Kim.  I really miss our 5@5 runs in Lowell sometimes.  I think it's been a really long time since the whole gang of Lowell Ladies ran together.  Maybe as long as 2yrs.  I like getting a chance to catch up and chat over a few miles with friends, just wish we could do it more frequently like we used to, but everyone is busy and some moved out of Lowell.  It's definitely getting colder out too.  I had to go buy more long tights last week and layered up for Saturday morning's run.  By the time we finished it was warming up but when we started it was in the low 40s and felt like 30s.

After the run I went to Trader Joes and bought a ton of food I didn't really need.  Shopping 'RUNgry' is bad.  I had plans later in the day to go to late lunch with Milady and then we went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.  It was so funny.  I hadn't seen Milady since Berlin so it was really great to catch up with her too.  And I was able to return her medal to her.  When they ran out of medals and she saw how upset I was she gave it to me.  I got my medal in the mail a few weeks later from one of the volunteers at the finish.  I sent a Boston Strong t-shirt back to her with a thnak you card. 

Sunday I had to do 14 miles.  I really procrastinated.  I slept in until 7:00 which is really late for me.  Then I sat around sipping tea for most of the morning.  There was a Law and Order marathon on TNT, it sucked me in.  I finally got dressed and motivated around 10am and when I went to put my Garmin on it was dead.  I put it back on the charger for half an hour til it got about 70% charged then headed out.  It was warmer and pretty decent out.  Kind of perfect actually.  I felt really good.  Averaged 10:30s and negative split it.  My last two miles were the fastest.  I spent the rest of the weekend doing laundry and makign some veggie soup and continued the Law and Order marathon.

Back to pole and aerial silks again this week. Monday night I did Pole and it was easier than last week but still intense.  I climbed to the top of the 14 foot pole 3 times!  I was so excited.  I made the instructor take a picture.  I was dripping sweat by the end of class.  My friend Lisa had come with me this time and she was spent too.  It's really hard, I told her.  We grabbed a glass of wine and some small apps after.  Silks last night was ridiculous!  Holy crap.  We did more of the basic stuff we did the week before and then some really crazy stuff.  It was so fun!!!  I did a side climb, then with the silks behind me, arms over my head and legs straddled below, I let go and did a front flip out of the silks.  It's called a drop and it was terrifying but so awesome!  I can't wait to go back. 

   

Seriously Dopey...

So, this weekend things got real.  I did my first back to back to back training runs in preparation for the Dopey Challenge.  It was also my first really long run since Berlin.  I've done a half marathon and a few 10s and 14s, but this weekend was my first 16 miler since August.  I sort of feel like the 16-20 milers are the real meat of marathon training and anything under that is just a base or foundation.  Crazy, even a little Dopey, when I think about that.  I still can't beleive I run that much for FUN.  Anyway, this weekend I did 5 miles Friday, 10 miles Saturday, and 16 Sunday.  I should also mention I did a 2 hour hike Saturday immediately after the 10 mile run, thinking it would be a nice active recovery, but in hindsight it probably made my 16 miler a little more painful than it needed to be.

Overall, for 3 days and 31 miles, it felt really good and I ran strong.  Friday was really really windy along the Charles River.  I think Accuweather said something like 35mph gusts.  I ran just over 5 miles averaging 10:00minute miles.  Saturday morning I did 10.5 miles averaging 10:40s.  Sunday I did 16 miles averaging 11:00s.  Both the 10 and 16 mile loop are pretty hilly.  The 10 less so than the 16.  The climbs really killed me.  I need to start training for the stair climb and doing more hills or something because I feel amazing and super fast on flats and downhills but still get totally spent on inclines.  That will really suck in February when I want to go up 41 floors as fast as I can - TWICE (or more).

With training ramping up and going great I am happy to report that my fundraising is right in step with me.

Thank you so much to everyone that has already donated.  It means SO much to me.  As of right now, I have raised $2650 ($2045 online + $605 offline).  That puts me just passing the 10K mark on the course and entering Framingham.  It's kind of a long flat and boring section of the course so I'd like to get to Natick and then on to the scream tunnel of Wellesley as soon as possible so if you haven't donated yet, help me get there and go to my fundraising page today to donate.  www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial

You can also mail checks made out to "DFMC" to me directly at 406 East Merrimack St. Lowell, MA 01852    

Lots of fun things planned and going on over the next few weeks including taking an aerial silks class tonight and doing a paint n' sip wine tasting/painting class next week.  I think I can stir up some more trouble and cross off a few other items on my list before the year is over....maybe even sliding down a pole in a fire station....Stay tuned!

Seeing things differently

This past weekend I was supposed to do the Freedom Trail Run with my friend Denise Saturday morning in Boston.  We were both really looking forward to it and excited to see some of the historic sites in the city that are all too easy to take for granted since we live here.  Then the Red Sox had to go and win the World Series in typical Red Sox fashion, going from worst to first and winning at home bringing the most amazing positive energy and joy to the Fenway Faithful and the entire city of Boston in a year when we needed it most.  And of course they had to have Duck boat parade and it had to be on the day when we had planned to go into Boston for a little sight seeing.  At first we didn't let this ruin our plans because the parade wasn't going to start until 10am and our run would be done by then.  Then we saw the road closures and parking bans and started to worry. 

Saturday morning I got up and got dressed and watched the news.  The forecast was perfect for running and for a parade.  No one cared about our silly run though.  It was Duck boat parade day in Boston.  The reporters in Copley Square were already surrounded by Red Sox fans at 5am!  They showed the commuter trains packed full and I started to wonder how crazy the crowds would be.  I got an email and then a text from Denise.  We were both feeling really anxious about attempting to fight the crowds to do a run that we could do any other weekend.  Was it really worth it?  Plus, the thought did cross both of our minds, when they predicted millions of people flooding the streets of the city and special significance and respect to be paid at the finish line of the marathon - that's a lot of people and another potential target for an attack.  While it is an incredible thing and the energy and emotion of the entire city coming together to celebrate is awesome, it is also anxiety inducing and even a little unsettling to think about approaching that street in a large crowd.

I know we will both need to do it in April 2014, but we were not ready yet and decided to save the run for another day.  I did my shorter long training run (8 miles) for the weekend and finished before the parade even left Fenway.  I watched some of the coverage on TV as I ate breakfast and got dressed.  It was a great day for Boston.  The interviews and the boats stopping on Boylston to pay tribute to the victims of the bombings and then the crowd spontaneously singing "God Bless America" together was overwhelming to see on TV I can only imagine how it must have been in person.  Just seeing the images of the Marathon Sports staff getting choked up as the players put the trophy and a special '617 BOSTON STRONG' jersey on the finish line gave me chills.

Anyway, I finished out the weekend of training with a 14 mile run on Sunday.  The weather was not nearly as nice as Saturday.  It was sort of snow/sleeting for most of the run.  Now quite cold enough for the white fluffy stuff, but not quite warm enough for rain.  Just right to be annoying and uncomfortable.  I ran a really solid and consistant pace for the whole run.  I even negative split it.  Which is pretty impressive considering the second half of the run is mostly uphill.  Here's the elevation profile:

Those hills between mile 7 and 11 are Tewksbury's version of the Newton Hills and they will get me ready for Boston over the next 6 months.  I repeat these hills in the last miles of all my long runs.  It pretty perfectly mimics the last few miles of the Boston Marathon.  I actually think the last mile of the climb in Tewksbury is a lot worse than Heartbreak hill.  It's longer and steeper and it just never ends.  I get a nice downhill for a mile before I have to climb again for the last 2 miles.  It's gradual and levels out at some points but it is still climbing all the way back to my house.

So, that's one aspect of my training.  Another part that I think will become increasingly important with THIS race in particular and this year more than ever is the mental training.  I usually practice visualizing the course and especially a strong finish and the feeling of glory as I make those last two turns onto Hereford and then Boylston.  The crowds and the other runners fade away and it's just me and the finish line and the amazing high that comes with crossing the most prestigious finish line in the World.  That vision has changed forever now and it is blurred by horror and unknown and smoke and fear.  I wasn't there, but I heard it and I saw the look on people's faces as they came from there.  I know next year it will be the safest street in the entire world, but I still struggle to see myself running down it.

I have been re-reading the book "26 Miles to Boston" to prepare.  It is a great book written from multiple perspectives and it paints the perfect picture of the marathon mile by mile.  From history, runners, spectators, and the race organizers in each of the 8 towns the course passes through.  Last week, when I ran the Ashland Half marathon I was just getting to the chapters in Ashland.  Last night before I fell asleep I progressed to Natick and closed the book at Wellesley.  There was a section of the book that really struck me and has a completely different meaning to me now.  The author quotes a poem talking about how spiritual running can be.  The poem, 'Forgive me when I whine' is nice and I probably skimmed over it in previous readings of the book, but this time it brought me to tears:

Today upon a bus I saw a lovely maiden with golden hair;
I envied her, she seemed so happy and , Oh, I wished I was so fair
When, suddenly, she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed a smile.

Oh, Go forgive me when I whine;
I have two feet, the world is mine...

With feet to take me where I'd go,
With eyes to see the sunset's glow,
With ears to hear what I should know,
I'm blessed indeed, the world is mine
Oh, God forgive me when I whine!

The next few months will be challenging.  Training for the marathon through the harsh New England winter, fundraising during a really tough economy in a newish job for a smaller company that does not have a matching gift program, and mentally preparing to run across the finish line a year after bombs exploded and stopped time in the city of Boston.  I accept the challenge and look forward to conquering it, but it will be tough.  Tonight is my first DFMC team meeting.  I can't wait to meet some of the other team members and reconnect with former teammates.  My fundraising is off to a great start - $1625 only about two weeks into it.  Help me keep going and visit my personal fundraising page to make a donation: www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial

  

Progress Update: Ashland

So, along the marathon course of fundraising I have reached Ashland.  With about $1500 raised I am 15% of the way to my goal to raise $10,000 or almost 4 miles into the marathon.  Go to my personal fundraising page to help me keeping moving: www.runDFMC.org/2014/alicial  Perfect timing because I ran a half marathon in Ashland this weekend that start on the original starting line of the marathon and covers some of the actual marathon course.  I saw the BAA unicorns painted on the street and thought to myself, "I'll see you in April".  The marathon course is super fast downhill like the first drop of a roller coaster in those first few miles, the HALF marathon in Ashland was not even close to that.  It was more like the middle of the roller coaster ride with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns.

I ran the same half marathon last year and vaguely remembered it being a little hilly.  It is amazing how quickly you forget the really challenging courses.  This one definitely meets that criteria.  It is not as bad as Applefest in Hollis, NH, but it was a lot of hills one right after another.  I went to the race with my friend Steve, he had never run the race before, but was trying to run a half marathon almost every weekend in October and this was his 3rd in a row.  I told him I thought it was 'a little hilly'. 

I felt really good for the first few miles, then the hills started.  Still I was averaging a decent pace and making up time on the downhills.  I hydrated and fueled properly and nothing was hurting and aside from slowing a little on the climbs I was running strong.  I kind of wanted to try for under 2:10 which would mean running just under 10:00 minute miles.  I was doing 9:30s on the flats and downhills so it was within reach.  Then I got to mile 10 and remembered the last few miles of the course were a beast.  There is one really steep hill on Green St. that they actually call the Green Street Monster.  It's not very long, but it takes a lot out of you.  I maintained a solid pace and picked it up a little in the last mile when it was finally downhill, but missed my goal by a little and finished in 2:12:38 (averaged pace 10:08).  Still my fastest half marathon all year so I'll take it.

After the race, they had some free beer and food and a Boston Marathon legend - Bill Rodgers - was signing books.  I ate my lunch and drank my celebratory beer and got in the line to have my bib# signed.  The line had thinned out by the time I stepped up so I could chat a little with him.  He had a new book that I bought because it sounded great and I love reading marathon books.  He asked about my running and I mentioned that I only really started running a few years ago and 6 years ago that weekend I had reached the milestone of losing 100lbs.  He stopped me mid-sentence to shake my hand and congratulate ME!  A guy who won the Boston Marathon several times back when there was no zero drop shoes or tech wicking fabric and who knows if they even had water stops, thought MY accomplishment was impressive.

By next April I hope that I can be back at my ideal race weight and ready to run my favorite marathon course and get a hat trick PR (the previous two times I have run Boston I have run my personal record -PR- times).  I need to bring strength training back into my routine and more closely monitor my caloric intake and lose about 15lbs.  It won't be easy, but then nothing worth getting ever is.  It is still crazy to think that this all started with a halloween party in 2006 and a photo that showed me an unhealthy version of myself that I needed to change.  My life has changed so much since then that I don't even remember that version of myself anymore.    

Hitting the ground running

It's official!  I am running the Boston Marathon in 2014 with the Dana Farber team again.  I am so excited and a little nervous.  I got the confirmation email a few weeks ago and called in yesterday at my designated time to confirm my spot and set up my fundraising page.  I made a kick off donation in memory of my grandparents - Howard and Alice Burdwood.  I know they will be watching over me and are very proud.  I wish they could be here so I could hug them one last time as I cross that finish line.  It is going to be an emotional race for so many reasons.  Boylston is sacred ground to me and many runners that have the privilege to make it there and even more so now after the events of this past April.   

I have a million ideas bouncing around in my head for creative fundraising potential.  I already ordered my custom business cards and a few other items to help spread the word.  I will once again be doing opportunity drawings for my famous cheesecakes - Pumpkin for Thanksgiving, Double Chocolate for the Holidays, and Winner's Choice in the spring.  And I have a whole month by month plan for events and other incentives.

I will be posting my progress here along with updates on my training.  So far, it has been less than 24hrs and I am already at $1305!  On the course map, that puts me almost in Ashland and couldn't be better timing because this weekend I will be running a half marathon in Ashland that starts at the original start line of the Boston Marathon.

So, stay tuned for more information and updates and in the meantime, go to my personal fundraising page and make a donation if you haven't already!

www.runDFMC.org/2014/alicial

Another jam packed weekend full of fun

I really packed every minute of this weekend full of amazing and awesome stuff.  I started the weekend off right with an acupuncture/facial rejuvenation session with my friend Peri (http://periozkeracupuncture.com/) It was amazing.  She is a miracle worker.  My skin has never felt so smooth and she worked on a few areas on my feet/ankles where I had a little swelling and pain.  On my way home, I tried to contact my friend Lisa to see if Pepperell Skydive was doing night jumps during the full moon.  Turns out I had the wrong number for her, but I was able to reach our mutual friend Antonio and meet them for drinks in Downtown Lowell instead.  We viewed the moon from the middle of the street and enjoyed dinner and drinks at Fuse Bistro.

Saturday morning I got up early and put on my reflective gear and blinking lights for a little run.  I did my 6 mile out and back along 133 up the big hill in Tewksbury.  Lucky for my, the road runs east-west so I was able to run towards the sunrise and then see the moon setting on my way back.  Nothing crazy pace wise, just nice and easy, although I DID find a dime on the ground.  I need to turn in all my loose change at the bank, I think I have probably saved up at least $20 from the coins I find running. 

After the run, I showered and headed out the door to drive to Princeton, MA and go horseback riding with my friend Kristen (aka- pocketsize).  It was a perfect fall day, sunny and crisp.  The leaves were at peak and all the colors of fall - red, orange, yellow, and some browns.  I have never riden a horse, but I have always wanted to.  I can remember almost getting the chance when I was a little girl.  One of the Portland Police mounted officers asked me if I wanted to ride his horse and I was too scared and intimidated by the enormous animal that I chickened out.  Not this time, I had a groupon in hand for a 2 hour trail ride and I wasn't going to back out.  Can't be any harder than jumping out of a plane right? 

This is me on my horse, Hercules.  He was the perfect match for me- big, strong, work horse and described as a chow hound. Kristen got the other 'chow hound' on the ranch, Dusty.  We were warned to make sure they didn't try to wander to the sides of the trails because they would start snacking.  The guide, Sue, was really funny and knowledgable.  She did a great job of leading the horses along the trail from her horse, Goldie.  The ride went by really fast.  Afterwards Kristen and I went out for lunch to chat and catch up since we probably haven't hung out in months, maybe even as long as a year.  I had soaps for her that I bought at Downtown Disney in January.  Oh and I brought her a bottle of sparkling wine because she just got engaged!!!! Congrats Kristen and Evan!

From lunch I drove straight to Boston to watch some of the Head of the Charles and meet Denise and her boyfriend Ian for drinks.  They were going to an Alumni event for Northeastern Rowers, I crashed the party and went as their 'guest'.  I expected to just get a few drinks, maybe some food, then head home.  Instead we hung out for a while, then after much discussion eventually decided on a dinner place nearby.  There was 12 of us all together with all Ian's former crewmates.  I'm not exactly short, but in this crowd I felt tiny.  It was so much fun.  I was seated towards the end of the table a few seats down from Denise so we didn't really get to chat much, but Ian's friends kept me pretty well entertained.  I didn't get home until about 11:30pm!  That's a super late night for me AND I had a race the next morning.

Sunday was one of my favorite races all year long - The Boston Fire Fighters Local 718 10K.  It is a great event that raises money for various charities and supplies unlimited free beer, live music, and raffles after the beautiful course along the south shore of Boston.  Plus, did I mention there are fire fighters?  I was sort of slow on my 6 mile run the day before so I had low expectations for my pace going into the race plus I got home really late Saturday and didn't sleep much, but I felt pretty good in the first mile.  I maintained a solid ~9:30 pace for the whole race and finished in 58:34.  After the race, I enjoyed some free beer and made sure I stood right up front for the raffles and it paid off, I won a $100 gift card to the Back Bay Social Club,  which I promptly tried to donate back to the Boston Fire Dept, but they wouldn't let me.  We took some fun photos with the antique fire engine and called it a day. 

I'd say it was a very good weekend.  Just wish I had one more day to recover from it.  I didn't get grocery shopping, dishes, or laundry done yesterday so I will have to take advantage of my 'rest day' today to be productive and catch up on chores that didn't get done over the weekend.