11 Weeks Until the Boston Marathon

"There are no shortcuts!"  - Kerry Donohoe. Friend, running partner and fellow DFMC member.

Running, for the most part, is an outdoors activity. Anyone who participates in an outdoor activity has to factor in the weather. And as most of us New Englander's know, the weather in these parts does not always cooperate. Anyone who ran the Boston Marathon last year dealt with hot and humid temperatures. Very uncommon for April in Massachusetts and not "user friendly" either, might I add. This past week brought extremely cold weather to the area. Though not uncommon for January, again not "user friendly."

Jack  Fultz (pictured below) is our running coach and was the winner of the Boston Marathon in 1976.  This year will be the 117th running of the Boston Marathon and, up until 2005, the start time was noon. The year that Jack won, the race was dubbed the "Run for the Hoses" because the temperature was 100 degrees an hour before the start of the race. Spectators along the entire 26.2 mile course used garden hoses to spray water on the runners in an effort to cool them down. His finish time was 2 hours 20 minutes and 19 seconds!

Running in the cold is one thing and running in the cold with a wind chill is another story altogether. The runners also rely heavily on the help of the volunteers who stand outside for 2 to 3 hours handing out water/gatorade, etc.  If anyone knows anything about adverse running conditions, it's Jack. He made the decision on Friday to cancel our group training run because of the extreme cold temperatures this weekend.

There were three options available to the runners this weekend. 1) Run someplace else, preferably with someone else or a group, being cognizant that safety is the priority. 2) Run indoors. 3) Take the weekend off.  Well, I've done option #1 before. In fact, today is the Boston-Prep 16 Miler in Derry, NH. I've done it twice. It is always held the last Sunday in January and it is known for being a very hilly course and cold temperatures. Wishing Good Luck to my teammates running it today! The logo for the race is this !!!

Option #3, is never an option, well maybe if you are nursing an injury or recovering from a cold or the flu. That left option #2. The schedule for this weekends long run called for 14 to 16 miles. Kerry and I decided Friday that we would log our long run this weekend at her gym. The course......

I started today's blog with that quote from Kerry "there are no shortcuts" because she hit the nail on the head with that comment. Our group training runs are called such for that very specific reason. To get to the starting line and, more importantly,  reach the finish line, whether it's your first or tenth marathon, you have to do the work. It would have been very easy to justify not running yesterday because of ________________ (pick your favorite excuse.)  Neither of us are strangers to the "dreadmill" as it is so eloquently described. I have spent quality time on this bad boy in the 7 years that I've been running. In fact, I do most, if not all of my shorter runs during the week of 3 to 8 miles, on one of these, especially in the winter time.

So yesterday, at roughly 8:10 in the morning, with water, gatorade, gu (builds energy levels & provides electrolytes to keep hydration levels stable) salt tablets (to avoid muscle cramps), towels to wipe our faces with and the MUST, the ipod, Kerry and I started our long run, side by side, on these. Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes and, 14 miles later, we were done ! I am so incredibly grateful that we were able to tackle this together. I have done this distance and then some on the treadmill before, all alone, not a whole lot of fun. Knowing that the both of us were in it, together, like we are each weekend, made the daunting task not so daunting " No Shortcuts !!! "

 

 

Ironically, as is common with so many runners, I currently have an "issue." Mine is with my right knee. According to my sports medicine doctor/chiropractor I have a sub Grade 1 MCL Tear. MCL stands for Medial Collateral Ligament and is one of four ligaments that are critical to the stability of the knee joint. Luckily, for me, it's the best-case scenario because it's an incomplete tear of the MCL versus a complete tear with severe pain and swelling. It doesn't bother me at all to run. In fact, my knee is stable. It does, however, bother me to stretch, which is a must before and after every run. So, lots of ice and deep tissue massage and some stretching exercises, and I should be good in a few weeks. Plantar Fasciitus, another common ailment for runners, sidelined me for about 6 months a year ago. There's a very delicate line running these distances injury free!

 

 

Fundraising is progressing rather nicely too! As of today, I am at $1,805.00 towards my goal. I continue to reach out to just about everyone I know and many have agreed to support me again. I have quite a few first time supports also. So once again, I thank those of you who have already donated and look forward to the support of those who will donate in the future.

 

Brent Mccreesh & Susan Smith-Shannon

 

Back in 2010, I had the honor of running for a special little boy named Brent. Back in 2004, when he was just 3 years old, Brent was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. Most cases are diagnosed in children under age 5. About 50 percent of neuroblastomas occur in a fast-growing, aggressive form that spreads to lymph nodes and other organs before causing symptoms that lead to diagnosis. Though some types are easily cured with surgery, nationally only about one-third of the highest-risk patients survive long term.

 

In September of 2005, Brent was declared cancer free. To learn more about his particular battle and all the amazing fundraising events and the huge support system he and his family have, please visit www.teambrent.com

 

 

 



 

I was introduced to Brent's story from a a friend of mine Susan Smith-Shannon. Susan and Brent's mother Dana went to college together. I was thankful to Susan for introducing me to Dana and her family. After running for Zachary in 2008, I was looking forward to running for another child.

 

In 2011, Susan went to the ER complaining of abdominal pain. As it turns out, she had ovarian cancer and a separate tumor that had grown so large it had overtaken and shut down her adrenal gland.  A gallstones attack saved her life. There are no symptoms of ovarian cancer in its early stages - you basically find it because you are looking for something else, in this case gallstones. And luckily for her, her particular cancer is resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, so finding it early was extremely important. She had the first surgery in October, 2011 - full hysterectomy, and appendix. Second surgery in April, 2012 - removed adrenal gland and gallbladder.  She is now waiting the details of her third surgery.  I met Susan back in 2000 at a new job and one thing I learned about Susan immediately was her sense of humor. She has the gift of finding humor in just about everything, and I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that her sense of humor and positive attitude, played a big role in her recovery.

 



 

This is a picture of Susan in 2009, the day of her wedding. She has a smile that goes on for days! She is also one of the most photogenic people I know.

 

As we all know, cancer is not prejudiced. It can hit any one of us at any time. Young or old, black or white, male or female. A World With Cancer is our reality now. A World Without Cancer is the ultimate goal. Will you help me be a difference maker and make a donation? 100% of your donation goes directly to The Barr Program.

 

www.runDFMC.org/2013/stevep.

 

Until next week....I thank each of  you again for taking the time to read this weeks blog and for your support!

 

With gratitude and many inspired miles........Steve



12 Weeks Until the Boston Marathon

It's hard to believe that we are already three weeks into 2013. It's also just as hard to believe that the Boston Marathon is just 12 weeks away!  It really does seem like yesterday that I made the commitment to join the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team for 2013, though in fact, the decision was made back in October.

I am reminded each weekend that the marathon is fast approaching when I, along with other runner's who have also committed to raising money for innovative cancer research for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, get in our long training run for the week. Yesterday's run, which was graciously hosted by the Longfellow Health Club in Wayland, is one of my favorite courses to run on. We run, for the most part, on country roads starting in Wayland, then quickly find ourselves running on residential roads in Lincoln, Sudbury and into Concord. The landscape, recently snow-coated and very New England might I add, is complete with rolling hills, protected wetlands, beautiful landscapes and twists and turns throughout the course. I do remember running this course during another training season when it had just started to flurry out, By the time I returned, roughly 2 and a half hours later, there was probably 4 to 5 inches of snow on the ground. It was definitely a challenge to stay the course and see that training run to completion.

Before we set out on a run, we gather together as a group for the usual pre-run routines of fueling, stretching, and dressing appropriately. This can certainly be a challenge when you factor in the temps at the start of the training run, versus the temps by the time you think you'll be done. It is also during this time that each week someone on the team reads what is called an Impact Statement. As a reminder to my repeat donors and to those who have given for the first time or plan to this year, the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is widely recognized as one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind. Based on a rigorous and highly selective process, the Barr Program funds the brightest, most creative scientists making basic research discoveries that are transforming cancer treatment. Barr Investigators have made numerous major breakthroughs resulting in improved survival rates and quality of life for thousands of patients everywhere. Yesterday's impact statement was as follows:

Prostate and Other Cancers: Discovering Vaccines - Enabling the development of new vaccines for multiple types of cancer including Provenge which increased survival by 22% for prostate cancer, and Ipilimumab which improved survival by 56% for melanoma.

An important area of cancer research asks why humans don’t reject tumors in their own bodies. Funded by the Barr Program in 1998, Glenn Dranoff, MD, discovered complex regulatory pathways in the human immune system that cancers exploit in order to escape destruction. Reversal of these effects can lead to the development of vaccines against cancer, like Provenge for prostate cancer. This Barr research has also enabled the development of multiple other vaccines and immune modulators for melanoma, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer that are now in advanced clinical trials across the world. If these trials are successful, an exciting and entirely new option for treating certain types of cancer will become available. A recent example is Ipilimumab which showed striking effects in melanoma in a trial led by Dana-Farber scientists and is now approved by the FDA.

As another reminder, DFMC took its first steps in 1990 as one of the inaugural organizations in the Boston Marathon^® Official Charity program. In 2013, the team aims to celebrate its 24th year by raising $4.6 million. To date, DFMC has raised more than $56 million, 100 percent of which is directed to the Barr Program.

It was announced yesterday that we are approaching 1 million dollars towards the team goal of 4.6 million. With respect to my fundraising and your generosity, I am roughly $1,200 towards my personal goal of $7,000. So I again want to say thank you to those of you that have already donated. I, and the team, have a long way yet to go, but I am confident that with your help, come April 15th, we will not only achieve, but surpass our goals!

Before we set out, the runners are given an opportunity to share upcoming fundraising events that they are hosting. It is also a time for us to share, with the group, individuals we know personally that may be dealing with a health issue. A few weeks ago, I took that opportunity to ask the team to sign a banner for me that I could bring to my Nana who was in ICU fighting pneumonia.  Here is a picture of that banner:

 

I delivered the banner to my Nana that same night and what a difference it made in her recovery. She has since been transferred out of ICU and into rehab. She has had a few set backs since, but as of this writing, she keeps right on smiling through it all and progressing in the right direction. We are hopeful that we will be helping her celebrate her 89th birthday in a week !!!

Yesterday, my good friend and running partner Kerry took the opportunity to ask each of us to sign a banner in honor of a her good friend Nina who is a breast cancer survivor but is now battling inoperable brain cancer. Kerry told us that she always supports Kerry and asks how the fundraising and training is going, even though she herself is facing the toughest battle of her life. Kerry said Nina is a clear example of selflessness, positivity, and why what we are doing is so important. Nina is just one of the far too many examples. These are some of the people we keep in mind as roughly 75 of us headed on out to train.

Yesterday's main challenge or opportunity to get stronger, as I have been reminded on numerous occasions by my fellow runners, was the strong head winds for most of the run. We runner's come in all shapes, sizes, experiences and abilities. The mileage for yesterday's run was anywhere from 10 to 18 miles, again, depending on the individual. The beauty about these group training runs is that sense of team and camaraderie. Each of us that runs for Dana-Farber has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Either a parent, spouse, child, sibling, relative, best friend, co-worker, etc has been touched by cancer. We even have cancer survivors that are on the team.

One person that comes to mind is Hilary. Diagnosed with pediatric AML or Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the age of 12, Hilary's story is one of inspiration, courage, gratitude, giving back and, being a difference maker.

"On January 6, 1996, I was diagnosed with pediatric AML and my life changed forever. After two aggressive courses of chemotherapy, my family and I learned that a bone marrow transplant was the only real chance for long-term survival. Fortunately, my only brother was a stem cell match and shortly thereafter, I received chemo, radiation, and my brother's stem cells. Despite the challenges that would come with this process and there were many, it is responsible for the last 16 cancer-free years of my life during which I have graduated from Penn State, married my amazing husband and gave birth to three babies no one thought I could conceive."

 

Please visit www.runningbecausecancerstinks.com to learn more about Hilary's story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of you may recall that back in 2008, I ran in honor of Zachary who battled pediatric ALL, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was 6 when he was diagnosed. Now he is a freshman in high school, made the honor roll his first semester, and is eager to make the lacrosse team in the spring. Here are a few pictures of Zachary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running in the snow, or in the bitter cold, or with strong head winds does not even come close to comparing what a cancer patient and their families have to contend with on a daily basis. My 16 mile run yesterday lasted a mere 2 hours and 40 minutes. Whatever challenges or discomfort we face, be they fatigue, cramping, blisters, sore muscles or adverse weather conditions, typically subside soon thereafter. It's the stories like Hilary's or Zachary's or Matty's or my mother's that I reflect upon during these training runs. More importantly, it really puts things into perspective. There will come a day when I no longer will be able to run, but thankfully, that day has yet to arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It truly is a collective effort, on all of our parts; researchers & scientists, doctors & nurses, caregivers, friends & family, runners, volunteers and donors. It takes each and everyone of us to do our individual part to address cancer, head on. For me and everyone you see in the above picture, running is our way, smiles and all, to raise money to fund the Barr Program. We share, literally, the roads we are running on with the residents of these towns like Wayland, Lincoln, Sudbury and Concord. We also share, collectively, the responsibility of irradicating cancer.

 

To make a donation, please go to the top right of this post and click on the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge 2013 link. It will take you directly to my personal web page.

 

With gratitude and many, many inspired miles......

 

Steve