It can not be possible that it's March already. Where the heck has the time gone? I say this sarcastically because I haven't had a day to myself since January 7th. This was the day, along with my dad's birthday, that I started a part time job delivering The Tribune, a daily paper, around the neighborhood I now live in. What started off as a quick, one hour per day jaunt delivering 87 papers, through neighborhoods close by, has morphed into almost 200 papers now. I originally started off with 3 routes, I now have 5. What has proven challenging has been, not the getting up at 4 a.m. most mornings, to have the papers done in plenty of time to either go to my second job or to get out and train for the marathon, but the weather conditions thus far this winter. I don't need to remind any of you how bad this winter has been. The side roads have been a mess, black ice everywhere and, with all the precipitation, you can't just toss papers any where you want. Well, you can, but it sure is a good way to annoy your customers. Needless to say, banding them with elastics and bagging them adds time to the process. My roommate Amy has been a gem helping me out on the weekends. She's been getting up at 4 a.m. with me and helping me with the route so that I'm able to meet up with my DFMC teammates to train. Well, when the weather cooperates and allows us to train together.
Like last training season, this season is having its share of weather related obstacles. A few training runs have been canceled due to the dangerous conditions. I didn't want to use this platform as a place to complain about the challenging training conditions. We are training for a marathon and no matter what the conditions, it's going to be tough. You'd think training for my 10th marathon, (most of them have been spring marathons, so training in the winter is nothing new), I'd be use to this. But the truth of the matter is that, apparently, I'm not. Or maybe I just forgot how challenging it can be. Whatever the case may be, I am so far behind this time around, it actually worries me a bit. It's one thing to prepare, as best you can, for a marathon and arrive at the starting line knowing you've done practically everything you can to prepare yourself. While it's true my body does remember, or is supposed to remember, so I've been told or read, that come April 21st, it should do what I'm going to ask it to do, it certainly would behoove me to do my part a little better.
I'm definitely motivated to train. Two weeks ago, on what would have been my mom's 72nd birthday, February 16th, I had to take my training run indoors to the treadmill at my gym, as our group training run was canceled due to the poor conditions outside. The goal....18 miles. I brought enough changes of clothes, fluids, salt tablets and such to get me through such a daunting task. Slow and steady, I got the job done. I kept the same pace all the way through. But don't misunderstand, there's no way I can run that distance without stopping. I break the run down into 3, 6 mile segments. After 6, I change into new running clothes, refuel and do whatever else needs to be done before starting again. True story next. So I left a towel and a water bottle on the treadmill I was using so that when I returned, I could use the same one. Upon my return, a woman using the treadmill next to me had a short conversation with me. It went like this:
Her: Sir: (ok, first of all, I HATE being called Sir.....makes me feel older than I am)....
Her: You do not want to use that treadmill.
Me: Why not?
Her: Because some bum just walked off of it after using it for a while and left stuff and didn't clean it up.
Me: I am that bum !!!
Her: Oh dear me, please forgive me. But you don't look like the same person that was on it.
Me: That's because I just changed into some drier clothes.
Her: So, your not done yet?
Me: Nope, I ran 6 miles....I have 12 more left to go!
Her: Wow ! You've really impressed and motivated me!
Me: A bum turned motivator !!! :-) We both had a good laugh.
So, I did complete 18 miles. My motivation that day was honoring my mom, in what would have been her 72nd birthday. You see, I'd be lying if I say it doesn't rub me the wrong way that she was stricken with cancer at age 35 and taken away from our family at the age of 37. Her cancer started in the urethra and eventually metastasized into her lymph nodes. Back in 1978, a cancer diagnosis such as this, was an opportunity for the doctors to experiment with treatments vs. a definitive plan of attack. And while the radiation and chemotherapy treatments did prolong her life somewhat, it wasn't enough to cure her of this horrible disease.
This is a picture of my mom and my brother Jeff, Brother Tom & Father Burns. My mom wasn't well enough to attend my brother's First Communion, so they were nice enough to perform the ceremony in our house so she could witness it.
Though I've been known to run double digit mileage on the treadmill before, never have I done 18 miles. Lots of 10's, 12's 13.1's and a few 14's and 16's just for sport. When asked how I was able to do that much mileage on a treadmill, the only answer I can come up with is that any training is better than no training and that I'm stubborn too! As long as I have my ipod, fluids and the other necessities close by, I can just focus on my pace and bang out mile after mile. Besides, running your long run on the treadmill is a great way to test your patience and resolve, both of which you need, among other things, to see you through the 26.2 miles. I also did a lot of visualizations as well. I can't tell you how many times I visualized myself running over heartbreak hill, running by Mile 25, the section where the patient partners & in memory families will be to cheer the runners along. This is also a very special place because it's here that I get a great big hug from Sandy, Johnny, Chris & Zach, Matty's family! Knowing they are going to be there for me at mile 25 is enough motivation to push me along.
T
This photo was taken back in May just prior to the beginning of the One Run, when non-finishers of the 2013 Boston Marathon, were given the opportunity to run the last mile from Kenmore Square to the finish line. As you can see, the 2013 DFMC team was well represented.
"I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart."
There isn't a single marathon runner, beginner, intermediate or veteran, that doesn't understand this or will understand this on both the long training runs and the marathon.
Last weekends run, though not canceled, was improvised because of the poor road conditions again. The team met on Saturday, however, my running partner Kerry & I, along with a fellow teammate Hillary, opted to do the same thing the team did on Saturday, on Sunday; hill repeats in Newton, miles 17 through 22 of the marathon course. This would be the section of the course known as Heartbreak Hill. Kerry and Hillary logged 18 difficult miles, it was back and forth, up and down the hills, 4.5 miles one way, turn around, and repeat the other way back to where we started, then do the same distance a second time. At about mile 7, I became very nauseous and got sick a few times. This was a first for me. I finished off the 9 miles and called it a day as I just didn't feel strong enough to continue. How's this for a photo op after logging 18 miles?
This week I started coming down with a cold mid-week and felt the brunt of it Friday and Saturday. Needless to say, I was not able to run. So last weekends 18 miler was cut in half and this week I wasn't able to log in any miles. My running partner Kerry has been battling the flu, so she too wasn't able to do a long run this weekend. Next weekend we plan to be back full throttle.
Although, I'm ashamed to say that this is my first blog entry this time around, and although most of you have not heard much from me, other than from my initial email fundraising blast and the Thank You's I send to those of you who have already donated, things are headed in the right direct on both fronts, albeit at a much slower pace than in years past, which is why I wanted to reach out to everyone to let you all know that marathon day is just 7 weeks from tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do yet to get ready for the marathon. There are just 4 group training runs left and I'm really going to have to make the most of the these last 4 or 5 weeks.
On the fundraising front, I am so happy to announce that we are at about 25% of my fundraising goal of $10,000. Along with online donations and the checks I have here at home, our total is $2,689.00.
I promise to add blog entries each week to keep all of you informed of where we are in terms of donations. I do hope that my training is routine going forward, now that I pretty much have this cold out of my system.
Finally, below are two paragraphs that I think you'll find informational:
The Barr Program Is Founded The Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research was established in 1987 by Dana-Farber Trustees Delores Barr Weaver and her husband, Wayne, in memory of Delores' mother. The Barr Program exemplifies the power of philanthropy in propelling completely new lines of research. It plays a pivotal role in the development of early-career scientists who work on a broad range of research investigations in order to yield new clues about cancer. It is also critical for conducting basic research, which is not eligible for federal fundraising until well along in proof of principle.
The program enables leading-edge, highly-innovative research up to the point that it may be possible to attract government or private support, allowing Barr Investigators to bring promising studies forward and make major scientific breakthroughs.
The 25th RunningNow in its 25th season, DFMC’s annual roster has blossomed to include hundreds of dedicated athletes who share the Weavers’ vision of a world without cancer. Setting their sights equally high, DFMC runners embark on their own Boston Marathon journey to raise millions of dollars as a team in honor and in memory of their loved ones.
One hundred percent of the funds raised by DFMC team members support Barr Program research. To date, DFMC has raised more than $61 million, and nearly 200 innovative scientific investigations have received critical funding. In 2014, the team aims to celebrate its 25th year by raising $5.3 million.
That's correct....each dollar donated goes straight to research!
If you haven't done so yet, please consider making a donation soon and help us all get another step closer to a world without cancer.
Oh, and finally.....there are many employers out there that have a Matching Program for charitable donations. If your company participates, your donation is doubled so please check into it.
You can donate online by clicking the DFMC logo on the upper right of this blog, or you can click here:
http://www.rundfmc.org/2014/stevep.
With gratitude and many, many inspired miles!
Steve
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