Newburyport Daily News

Today, I met a photographer for the Newburyport Daily News at a nearby state park to take a few photos for the upcoming article about me & the marathon. After taking a few pics, I decided to stick around and do my run in the park. I ran an old course that I ran about a million times during cross country in high school. I wasn’t sure I’d remember it but I did. It’s funny how 10 years can go by and I still remembered the whole thing. Here’s a pic from the trails.

A little over a week until my 1/2 marathon! 6 months until the I’m back on Boylston Street!!

CLICK HERE IF YOU’D LIKE TO DONTO MY FUNDRAISING PAGE:

http://go.liverfoundation.org/site/TR/RunforResearch/RunforResearch?px=1859553&pg=personal&fr_id=3940

All donations are greatly appreciated. 100% of my proceeds will go directly to research and treatment of children and adults living with various illnesses impacting the liver.

New Shoes!

I finally got new shoes after at least a month of saying that I had to go get some. I opted for the Brooks Ghost 6 (above). I’ve gone on 2 runs in them since I got them on Thursday. So far, everything is good. The biggest thing for me is finding a shoe that doesn’t have a gigantic built-in arch and this is the one I found. The transition was smooth…no complaints of blisters. Not that it matters in the actual running scheme of things but I like the design too. Brooks appears to be stepping it up in that area.

Now I’m really in need of some new winter running gear…it’s getting colder!

Don’t forget to donate!! See link below!

http://go.liverfoundation.org/site/TR/RunforResearch/RunforResearch?px=1859553&pg=personal&fr_id=3940

New ideas

My training and fundraising are underway. I am in the process of planning a private party for friend and family at a local pub that I used to work at. I’m busy printing tickets, making raffle baskets, and organizing. I was also just interviewed by a reporter at the Newburyport Daily News. They are going to be running a story about my experience at the marathon last year and my journey back to the finish line. I am super excited about that. I’m also organizing a fundraising event called “Penny Wars” at the high school that I graduated from in ’04. I’m really excited about that one. In a few weeks, my fundraising letter will be going out to local businesses. My fundraising site looks pretty weak right now, but I have a lot in the works.

In other news, my 1/2 marathon is coming up at the end of October. In the last few weeks, I’ve done a 10 miler, a 9 Miler, and an 8 miler. I’m scheduled for another 10 miles on Friday with my friend Laurie. If I can get an 11 or 12 in (plus all my shorter runs), I’ll feel pretty confident going into the 1/2.

No injuries to report, except for a nagging pain in my left quad. In desperate need of new shoes. Tomorrow, I swear.

A Good Thing to Remember

Fundraising page :-)

My fundraising page is up and ready to go! Take a look, support a great cause, and help me get Back to Boylston Street!!!

http://go.liverfoundation.org/site/TR/RunforResearch/RunforResearch?px=1859553&pg=personal&fr_id=3940

Trespassing

Today was the perfect day for a long run. I’m John’s house for the weekend so this morning I set out with no distinct route in mind. I knew I wanted to get to at least 9 miles. At around mile 4 or 5, I started getting bored and decided to head down a street I’ve never been on before. I ended up running straight into the Reebok World Headquarters…who knew? I was very intrigued and there was no security guard at the front gate so, naturally, I decided to explore. It was like a mecca of ultra green grass and high-tech buildings. I was running around thinking, “How did I not know this was here” and “This is pretty cool, I’ve never worn Reebok but maybe I should check this out.” I headed up to the main building to snap a photo of the side of the building that read, “3…2…1…GO!” I was feeling really inspired and super positive about my Saturday run.

Just when I had satisfied my curiosity and decided to turn back, a guy in a black SUV pulled up beside me, rolled down his window, looked at me like I was a Nike spy, and said, “I take it that you’re not a Reebok employee.” What the hell is that supposed to mean guy? Do I not look sleek enough to work for Reebok? Am I not wearing a coordinated enough neon outfit? Sorry I’m not 43 and running in a skirt (by the way, when did that become a trend?). I just looked at him and said, “Nope I’m not, I’m just running” and I went on my way. Maybe they should have had a sign or someone actually at the open gate to tell me I wasn’t allowed on the exclusive premises.

Thanks for nothing Reebok. At least you gave me something to think about between miles 6 and 9. Maybe I’ll be back next weekend 😉

It’s official!

I have been really worried about getting a bib number for the marathon. I obviously wasn’t going to qualify (you can find me with the 10 minute mile “pack”), so my plan was to go the charity route. I think there is something so rewarding about running not only for myself, but for other people who need something too. In all honesty, I knew being selected for a team would be a long shot. After gettting an email from one charity I applied to stating that I wasn’t selected for their 10 person team bc there were over 670 applicants, I really started to doubt that I’d make the cut. Then, today, I got a call! After I pay the registration fee and register online, I will officially be a charity runner for the 2014 Boston Marathon.

This is proof positive that if you really set your mind on something, you can make it happen.

Recap

So in my bloggin abscence, I completed my 1st 8 mile solo run, finished 2nd place (in my age group) in a local 5K, and completed my first 10 mile trail run! I’ve been busy at work, busy at play, and busy at running. Four and a half more weeks until my 1/2 marathon. I’m in need of a few new routes- getting tired of the usual.

More to come soon.

A day of memories

So today was the roughest day I had in a while. Obviously today marks the 12th year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. With that comes the overwhelming patriotism and signs of solidarity all over the place. While all of that is comforting, this day brought up some unexpected emotions as well.

I was a sophomore in high school when 9/11 happened. Like most, I will never forget where I was when I heard the news. I remember sitting in front of the TV for hours, looking at the footage, seeing the faces of terrified people running down the street. Year after year, America remembers how that felt on that day.

In years past, like most people, I have been sympathetic towards the people who were directly impacted by 9/11. While I felt overwhelming grief for them, I could not begin to imagine what it was like, what they saw, or how they felt. This year was different. This year, I have empathy for all of those people.

While 9/11 was MUCH larger than the Boston bombings, I now know what it is like to stand in the middle of a terrorist attack without knowing what happened or where to go. When I saw footage of 9/11 on TV today, I saw myself in those people, I saw my face in all of those faces. I now know exactly how they must have been feeling bc, in some way, I’ve felt it too.

Today may have been tough but tomorrow’s another day.

I’m not there yet, but I will be

Every now and then, when I’m struggling through even a short run, I find myself thinking, “If I am having this much trouble trudging through 2 miles how am I ever going to finish 26.2?” I try to remind myself that I still have a lot of time and every shitty run I get through now will help me when April rolls around. I know I’ve set my sights high but there’s something inside me that know I can do it.

In other news, I’ve started applying to charity teams. Most applications will become available tomorrow but I did get a few early ones. I’m really hoping to be accepted onto a team. I should find out sometime in October.