Time flies....how did it get to be June already?

Can't believe it's already been over a month since I ran Boston.  It has been a crazy 6 weeks or so.  Lots of stuff going on, dramatic changes at work stressing me out, worrying about the near and not so near future state of my job and how these changes will impact my career path in general. The stress of it all is weighing very heavy on me and sucking my motivation.  I took a little break after Boston and have been really struggling to get back into a routine of running.  I am so mentally exhausted that I don't WANT to run and that is a feeling I haven't felt in ages.  I continue to register for races hoping that it will help me stay motivated.  Something needs to change.

I signed up for the Dopey Challenge again the day after Boston.  Then a few weeks later I ran the Ragnar Cape Cod relay (originally the Reach the Beach relay, then merged with Ragnar).  It was a lot of fun, we ran from Hull to Provincetown and I have never been to P-town so that was cool.  Two weeks after that was my birthday and I ran 3 races in 3 places on the same day (10K in Newton, 5K in Norwell, and 4K in Walpole). That was really fun. The running wasn't tough, the logistics of getting from one race to the next was tricky.

Memorial day weekend I ran the Run to Remember half marathon, this past weekend I ran the Twin Lobster 1 mile + half marathon races, and next weekend I am running the Runner's world half festival hat trick (5K + 10K + half marathon).  Other than running I have a lot of other fun stuff planned for the summer too.  I am going cage diving with sharks in a few weeks, and then zip lining and rock climbing and I got another skydiving deal on groupon.  I am trying to cram a lot of crazy stuff in so I have things to look forward to and distract me from the stress at work.

Oh and I just realized there's only about 18 weeks until my next marathon! So, I guess I have to start training.  whoops.  I should probably make a plan and start running.

HUGE NEWS wrapping up Boston 2014 - I have raised over $16,000 for Dana Farber Cancer Institute running my 16th marathon.  It means so much to me I cannot thank all of the people that donated and supported me along the way enough.  You can still donate through the summer so if you just never got around to it, it's not too late....maybe I can hit $17,000 before my 17th marathon.  www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial

Taking back Boylston!

It was hot and super sunny, but it was still so amazing I don't really have the words to describe it.  My sunburn still hurts a week later but my smile hasn't faded yet.  It still doesn't seem real, more like a dream that happened and I woke up and went to work and life went on, but for one day, for five hours (plus six hours waiting to start), I was part of the greatest day ever.

The whole weekend was really fun.  Friday I sat at work counting the hours and minutes until I could leave and go to the Expo, finally I couldn't take it anymore and I left around 2:30.  It took me alomst 45 minutes to drive the mile and a half from Cambridge to parking in Boston for the Hynes Convention center.  I met my friend Collette at the Marriott Copley Place to check in with Dana Farber first.  Then we went to the Expo to get our bib numbers.  It was so crowded already.  We walked around and bought a few things, but then we left to go get food and drinks with a few other people at Forum across the street.  It was getting late and I was running the 5K in the morning so we wrapped it up and called it a day.

Saturday morning was a beautiful day to run.  It was cool and crisp, only about 40 degrees out, but partly sunny and no wind.  I lined up in the Boston Common with 10,000 other runners and completed the BAA 5K in a little over 30 minutes.  I just wanted to take it really easy and enjoy the run, no point pushing it since I had a more important race to think about in 2 days.  Afterwards I went to the expo again with my friend Patty this time.  I found a nice hooded sweatshirt I hadn't seen the day before and then drove Patty back to Dracut before going home to shower and get some lunch.  I met my friend Kim and her kids at my favorite local eatery, Life Alive and brought them some cheering supplies for Monday.

Sunday I relaxed all morning and then got ready for the Dana Farber Pasta Party.  Around 2:00 my friends Ann and Jack (aka my Massachusetts parents that now live in New Hampshire), picked me up and we drove to the Marriot for the pasta party.  As usual, it was an emotional and inspirational program with speakers and patient partners and in memory of partners and a few team mates and our coach Jack Fultz.  It was really nice and by 7:30 I was home and in bed with my alarm set for 2:35am.

Marathon Monday finally arrived and the morning was filled with excitement and energy.  I got dressed and drove into Boston to meet my team and take buses to Hopkinton.  Once in Hopkinton we waited and waited and waited.  We took some photos and waited some more.  Around 10:30 we made our way to the start corrals.  Slowly but surely we moved closer and closer to realizing the dream of running the 118th Boston Marathon. 

The first few miles are usually a blur, but this time was different.  There were a lot more specators than the 2 times I have run before.  If there was a space on the side of the road it was filled with people cheering.  And not just families on their front lawns like before, huge crowds of people crammed in shoulder to shoulder.  I even mentioned to a girl I was running with that I had never seen crowds like this and it was not normal that early on the course.

I kept a good even pace for the first half, right on where I wanted to be to finish in around 4:30-4:45.  Then it got hot.  And I had forgotten my salt pills at home thinking it was not going to be so warm out that I would need them.  I had them on the counter and ready to pack, then only realized I didn't have them when I was half way to Boston and it was too late to turn back.  I didn't think it was a big deal until Wellesley.  That's when I started to feel like running was harder and my legs were heavier.  I wanted to go fast but my body said NO.

I started dumping water on myself at every water stop, but it only made me soaking wet, not cooled off.  I made it to Newton and stopped at the mile 17 cheer station to hug Ann and Jack and then turned onto Comm Ave for the hills.  My race plan was to go out slow and steady then attack the hills.  I was able to power up the first hill and recover on the falt, but I could feel the effect on my heart and lungs.  It was too much, it was too hot.  My heartrate wouldn't recover and I was overheating so I decided to try and take it easy on the hills hoping to get a second wind on Beacon Street.

That didn't happen.  Beacon Street was as usual, long and grueling.  I walked a little and then shuffled and tried to run and got exhausted and walked some more.  Then I saw Collette and we were nearing the 24 miles marker.  I said come on, we can do this lets go.  I picked up the pace a little (not much, I mean from a 14 minute mile to maybe and 11 minute mile).  I decided it was only 2 miles, I could do it.  Collette hung in for a little bit and then I lost track of her.  I heard someone screaming my last name and I looked over and it was my friend Charles.  I went over to give him a hug and he said, how are you feeling you look great.  I said, "Oh my god, it's so hot, I feel like I'm dying".  He cheered me on and ran behind the spectators along the sidewalk for as long as he could yelling you got this, you can do it, go Alicia.  It was exactly what I needed.

Mile 25, I stopped again for hugs and high fives, then kept on moving.  My friend Patty was planning to be where I was last year so as I got closer to Mass Ave, I scanned the crowd and didn't see her.  It was so much more packed than last year.  I couldn't even see the sidewalk.  It was all people.  I ran under the overpass and out the other side and then I heard someone yelling my name.  It was Patty, she was on the other side.  I smiled and teared up a little knowing what came next.....right on Hereford, left on Boylston.

My mom was with a bunch of my friends on Boylston somewhere.  They told me they would try to be near Forum restaurant, but because that was the site of the second bomb blast last year I wasn't sure they would find a spot.  I knew they would at least be on that side of the street so I started looking.  Then as I approached Forum I found them.  A whole row of blue and yellow "Boston Strong" shirts.  I stopped and hugged them all.  I was so happy to see them and so overwhelmed.  I pointed to my arm, where I had Collette draw a heart and write "MOM" and said "Ok I gotta go finish this".

Boylston was alive and well.  It was electric and joyous and exactly as it should be on such a great day in the city of Boston.  I thought I would be emotional and I thought I would cry as I crossed the finish line but I didn't.  I think I was partly delirious and a little cranky from dehydration.  I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.  I didn't care about getting the food or gatorade or even water.  I kind of wanted a wheelchair, but I knew there were and might be people later that needed them more than me.  I eventually found a DFMC volunteer to guide me back to the hotel and to the recovery zone. 

I DID IT!  I ran the Boston Marathon again.  It wasn't pretty and it wasn't as fast as I wanted to finish in, but it was amazing.  I still can't believe it.  It really does feel like a dream.  I mean I have the medal and the photos to prove that it really happened and I really did run it, but it goes by so fast and then it's over and everyone moves on.  I kind of think that is what is needed as part of the healing process.  It was a big build up and a lot of emotion and a lot of expectations and excitement and now it's done.  Life goes on.  And the city can keep moving forward and runners can keep running and the survivors can stop being hounded for interviews and appearances and everyone can hopefully go back to living life to the fullest, the way it should be.  Bad things happen, but good people triumph and come out of tragedy STRONGER.

For example, so far I have raised ~$16,000 for innovative cancer research and as of the Sunday before the marathon, the Dana Farber Team as a whole had raised over $6 million!!!!  The marathon is over but the race to find a cure is not, I can still accept donations for several months.  Please send me a congrats "gift" and donate today: www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial 

 

Pep talk for me and friends running next week

Focus on positive things, avoid the media coverage. Think of Boston and Boylston before 2013 and how awesome it is and how amazing it is going to be. Triumph over the tragedy. That is going to be my mantra. Try not to let the fear and anger take over. Stay in a positive place. Get excited like you would have before any other race. Do not give even a moments thought to the events of last year, focus on THIS YEAR and focus on having a great race. Visualize it going exactly to plan. Hold back in the early miles feeling great, weather is good, wind at our backs, legs loosening up and settling in, get to Newton and attack the hills, make heartbreak your bitch, break it, then pull back a little and let the quads take a breather until Beacon st. Keep your head down, give a few high fives to drunken college kids, keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time, get to Kenmore, one mile to go, you got this, listen to the crowds cheering for you, listen to the city of Boston rallying around you, turn onto Hereford, get up that last hill, turn onto Boylston and look straight ahead, there it is and you will OWN IT, nothing will stop you, just a quarter of a mile to the greatest glory and the highest high you have ever felt, cross the line and then feel free to lose your shit and crumble to your knees in a sobbing mess, but not before you get the most amazing and AWESOME finish line photo EVER!!!!!!!!!

You can do this!

12 days to go....

To say I am getting excited would be a little bit of an understatement.  But I am also getting nervous.  Last week I came down with a nasty head cold.  Still plenty of time to get better and I'm tapering so I'm supposed to rest.  But the congestion in my head is lingering and making me worry.  Just the normal taper madness stuff I'm used to dealing with.  I was sick a lot closer to Berlin and that worked out well....hahaha not really, but for a lot of other reasons.  I am confident that I can kick this and be completely ready to run on April 21st.

I am officially over $15,000 in my fundraising and not stopping.  I'm going to try to hit $20,000.  I think it's possible if some people give me a congrats gift or a good luck gift closer to the marathon.  I mean it is getting pretty close, if you haven't donated yet.....just saying.....whatcha waiting for?  Here's the link again: www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial and a friendly reminder that 100% of the money raised is used to fund important cancer research that saves lives. 

I kind of want to plan one last event after the marathon to celebrate, but I need to find a venue and figure out exactly what I want to do.  It's my 16th marathon and my birthday is shortly after so a friend suggested a sweet sixteen party.  That would be really fun and I'd love to do it at a public venue so that all of my donors could came if they want to.  I could do more raffle items and maybe a 50/50 drawing.  Not really sure.  My main focus right now is just on resting and getting healthy for the race and mentally preparing.

That is definitely going to be tough.  I mean I knew it would be the toughest part of THIS marathon above any other, but I still don't really know what to expect.  There are a lot of events happening to remember the anniversary of the bombings and the manhunt after.  There is a ton of media coverage.  Last night there was a special on one of the local channels and not even a minute into the program they played the clip of the bombs going off and I got chills again and started crying.  I am trying to focus on the race and running strong, but everything everywhere is a constant reminder of last year.  I want to move forward but keep getting pulled back.

Tapering for Boston...AGAIN :)

19 days to go, and time is FLYING by. Normally the taper is long and boring but I have been super busy.  Last week I went to the Sam Adams brewery for the release of their 26.2 brew fundraising event for the marathon bombing victims.  It was also the day Boston had a 9 alarm fire that killed two firefighters so as soon as they heard, a portion of the proceeds was donated to the fire department.  I got a growler of beer, a beautifully designed bottle opener with little details probably only a boston runner would recognize, and a pint glass.  Then when I got home from the event my welcome packet and runner passport was in the mail.  Pretty awesome day.OHHH!!!!! and while I was standing there drinking my beer sample I got this email:

Over the weekend I had the longest training run with the team and my mom came down from Maine to help volunteer at one of the water stops.  Friday night I baked a million cookies for everyone to enjoy after the run.  Not sure exactly how many cookies there were but I made 4 batches - oatmeal awesomeness, chocolate and toffee, chocolate with peanut butter chips, and regular chocolate chip.  I'm glad I made so many too because after running 20-22 miles the team devoured them. 

The run was really great.  We started at BC and ran to Natick and back.  The course was electrified with excitement and energy from all the runners out training.  There were tents and cheering stations set up a lot like marathon Monday and the weather was near perfect. 45-50 degrees, partly cloudy, BUT there was a brutal headwinds both ways.  On the way out and on the way back.  No fair Mother Nature, but I'll take it if it means race day will be nice.  At the water stop my mom was volunteering at it was sort of a special day in memory of a very special boy that passed away from cancer.  The entire family was there and they had a poster sized photo of him.  I got a whole group of the runners that run for him together with his mom and brothers and we took a selfie.  I posted it to Ellen's facebook page and it already has nearly 100 likes.

Monday night was the last team meeting before the race and they talked about race day logistics.  It's definitely going to be a LONG day and a very different race.  Security is going to be tight and the whole course will have barricades where they have never been before.  I'm nervous about it and a little bummed that it might take away from the atmosphere of the crowds and the closeness of the communities that support the marathon.  Either way I plan to do my best and run my heart out.

So far I have raised about $15,000 for Dana Farber and I'm not stopping.  I raised my goal to $20,000.  You can help.....go to my page and make a difference.... let's reach the ultimate finish line -  a world without cancer - together!  www.rundfmc.org/2014/alicial

Seriously?!?! Ugh. Moving on....less than a month to go...

After a mentally exhausting, life sucking, working 14-16 hour days, canceling my pole fitness classes, missing my friend's birthday party, missing a painting and wine tasting night out with a friend, not running because I was working late two weeks - I was sucker punched in the gut with an extremely disappointing and demotivating rushed performance review/push the button meeting.  Followed by email after email of all the other people that got promoted and each one felt like a kick while I was down.  I went home Friday night, after not eating all day because I had no appetite and felt physically ill by the slap in the face "you're awesome, but you got an average rating", and had a beer and another and another.  It didn't make me feel any better.

On the brightside, I offered to personally match donations made to my fundraising all last week and by the end of the day Friday I had ~$400 in donations posted to my page.  With my match and my company's match for my donation my total will be very very close to $15,000!!!!  I will be increasing my goal again if I get to 15K.  I also baked cookies for the Dana Farber team run the next morning.  I made 3 different kinds of cookies - oatmeal awesomeness, chocolate toffee, and chocolate peanut butter chip.  I worry that the back of the pack runners might miss out so I keep baking more and more each week.  This week was perfect.  We had more than enough to go around.  Knowing how much everyone really looks forward to them and enjoys them makes me feel good baking them. 

Saturday morning I did an 18 mile training run with the DFMC team on the marathon course.  We started in Newton Center and ran down the hills into Wellesley and back.  It wasn't pretty but I got it done.  I think the lack of food from the day before plus the beers dehydrated me and caused a serious case of lead legs.  I got really gased on the last 3 miles and just had nothing left in the tank, but I pushed through it and finished.  That mental toughness and determination will help me on Marathon Monday and I learned my lesson, beers and no food the day before is a bad idea and doesn't count as "carb loading".

I am hitting the reset button this week and hoping to get back into a routine of mid-week runs.  This weekend will be the last really long run before the taper begins and I want it to be a good one.  I know I can physically do the marathon, I should be pretty close to my goal time based on how most of my training runs have gone.  I need to now focus on stocking the barn with positive mental training bails of hay.  Over the next 4 weeks, I need to do whatever it takes to stay positive and avoid a lot of the media coverage and avoid re-living last year.  It's a new year and not only will I be Boston Strong, but I really want to run Boston STRONGER than ever.      

Bib # 26311 - Wave 3 - Corral 9

About one month to go until the Boston Marathon!!!!  It is a very exciting and interesting time. We are getting more and more information from the B.A.A. about changes to the marathon security procedures this year and training runs are increasing in mileage to the longest of the long runs, 18-22 miles depending on training plans. Lots of fun emails from Adidas tempting us to buy all of the official marathon gear before the race weekend. Mother Nature is not letting go of this never-ending winter and spring seems like it will never arrive, but we have been lucky to get a few nice days in here and there for running.


I have been trying to do at least one mid-week run that takes me past the spot on Commonwealth Ave where I was watching last year when time stopped and all of the runners were robbed of the finish line glory and helpless in front of me. I run up Hereford and turn left onto Boylston. It brings a rush of emotions and I struggle to just breathe. My eyes well up with tears, but I focus and keep moving forward. I AM OK. I WILL BE OK. I CAN DO THIS! The street looks like any other busy area of downtown Boston lately, people passing by and going about their business. I make my way down Boylston one intersection at a time trying to imagine the feeling and the energy of race day. Looking around and listening, but also tuning it all out and running in my own little world. I complete the run and wrap back around to Commonwealth Ave and return to Cambridge across the Mass Ave Bridge over the “179” painted on the ground for Sean Collier by MIT students. It’s a good run and it takes me one step closer to being mentally prepared for Marathon Monday.

My fundraising is still going great, many thanks to all of my friends and family for the continued support. I recently passed the $13.1K milestone which calculates out to $500 per mile of the marathon. It puts me well past my original goal to raise $10,000 and I could just stop now, but cancer doesn’t quit and I don’t plan to either. I will continue to ask anyone that will listen to me for a donation. I will ask random strangers. I will continue to bug all of my friends unless you tell me and be clear that you are not interested or you cannot give for one reason or another, I will not stop asking. I will not give up. HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed so far! Mile dedications are going fast! 20 out of the 26 miles of the marathon are taken. There’s still time to get a mile for someone you love. Donations of $100 or more earn this honor.

As a reminder, a full 100% of funds raised by DFMC go to benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, widely recognized as one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind. At a recent group training run it was announced that the team has already raised over $3 million dollars together so far.

Bib numbers and wave/corral placement were posted to the BAA website, I am wicked psyched I got wave 3 so I start at 11:00 and not 11:25.  The earlier the better.  It's already tough getting to Hopkinton so early then waiting to run.  I am getting excited and nervous.  I know I will be ready and I know there are a lot of people cheering for me.  Only two more weeks til taper.  Then race day will be here before I know it.  I've been doing my long runs on the marathon course for the past 3-4 weeks with the DFMC team and I think that is helping me mentally prepare and remember how amazing this race is.  I NEED to remember it that way.  I know I can't forget last year and I can't remove those memories from my brain, but I can focus on the memories I had before last year and the energy and excitement of the greatest marathon in the world.