Congratulations to all of the runners in today’s 120th Boston Marathon. You’re going to feel amazing after you cross that finish line.
I had a little bit of a hard time not signing up again because it was such a fulfilling experience to run the marathon last year in support of Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. As the day has drawn closer, I’ve found myself feeling grateful that I overcame that initial temptation. Continue reading It’s Marathon Monday!
Hey, did you guys know I ran the Boston Marathon this year? Yeah, I know–I appreciate my friends’ and family’s patience with me as I talked and wrote incessantly about my journey to 26.2 miles with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. It was a big event in my life, given my fear of fundraising and my long-held belief that someone with my knee problems would never run a mile, never mind 26 of them in a row. Continue reading $5.4 Million Dollars Closer to a World Without Cancer
Since signing up to run the Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute last year, I’ve had some people express interest in doing the same. Now that it’s September, Dana-Farber and many of the other charities that have bibs available for marathon runners will be starting their application processes. So, now is the time to think about whether you want to run the 2016 Boston Marathon and raise funds for a cause close to your heart. (If you missed it, I do not plan to run–loved it, but once was enough.) Continue reading So You Want to Run the Boston Marathon for Charity?
I can’t believe after so many months of training, fundraising, and generally freaking out that the Boston Marathon is over.
It was one of the best days of my life.
People had told me that Boston was a special marathon, and while I believe them, I also remembered how fantastic LA was and thought they must be exaggerating. I hadn’t factored in what it would be like to run on roads where I had trained, in my hometown, with spectators five people deep lining the roads as we crested into Boston. It was amazing. Continue reading Boston Marathon: After the Finish
Six months after being accepted to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team and four months after starting my training (at the onset of what I did not realize would be the most brutal winter in recent memory), it’s finally here. Today is the Boston Marathon. Continue reading Boston Marathon Training Week 18: The Big Day is Here
I am now deep in the depths of taper time. Week 17 of my Boston Marathon training was all about taking it easy. I reduced the distance of my runs, told myself it was ok not to push, and generally tried to take care of myself as I began to feel symptoms of a cold (terrible timing, self!). Continue reading Boston Marathon Week 17: It’s Showtime!
Taper time is so sweet–at least physically. It’s really nice to be able to choose a less strenuous workout, and not only not feel guilty, but actually feel like it’s the better choice for my upcoming marathon performance. After three months of internal pressure to run more, faster, and farther, this is a nice change of pace (pun completely intended). Continue reading Boston Marathon Week 16: Sweet, Sweet Week 16
You guys, it’s finally here: The best part of the marathon training process. It’s TAPER TIME!
Taper time is that part of marathon training where you’ve built up the fitness and stamina to run 26.2 miles, but need to start resting to build up strength and keep your muscles fresh. During taper time, the distance of my long runs will drop dramatically–just 12-14 miles next week and 8 the weekend before the marathon. I’ll also begin to reduce the amount of other exercise I do. Continue reading Boston Marathon Week 15: Our Long National Nightmare is Over
The 2015 Boston Marathon is now less than a month away. When I was accepted to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team way back in September, race day felt very far away. The time has flown. Perhaps the thing that’s made the marathon feel most real in the last week or so was our coach’s statement that at this point in our training, we are physically capable of completing the marathon even if we don’t do any more long runs. Continue reading Boston Marathon Training Week 14: It’s Getting Real
It’s a good thing I’m not superstitious, because the 13th week of Boston Marathon training included a Friday the 13th. I also unthinkingly wore my shirt from the cancelled Black Cat 20 miler race on one of my midweek runs; cancelled race AND a black cat? Am I asking for bad luck? Continue reading Boston Marathon Training Week 13: Superstition