Long May You Run

What was supposed to be an 18 mile run, ended at 14.99 miles, which were filled with excruciating pain and disappointment.  I ran in Barrington, RI early this morning along the East Bay Bike Path.  I know for awhile my legs were slowly breaking down and today, it was close to crippling.  My muscles and my heart could have continued on to reach 18 and my spirit wanted to overcome this physical obstacle. However, I know when to be realistic and to distinguish between the two different types of pain.  One type is the pain that is weakness leaving the body, in that building mental toughness to tolerate regular muscle fatigue.  That type heals.  The other is when there is an ailment that has not healed for quite some time. That ailment makes my other muscles or body parts to overcompensate for it, causing a rapid deterioration of physical fitness and limiting my physical capabilities.   What is most disheartening is having an injury when you should be at your peak physical fitness.

Despite the injury, I did my best to stay present and enjoyed the salty air from East Bay, the wind, the balmy 40 degree morning, complete solitude, hearing my feet hit the pavement, birds migrating back to New England, calm waters, seeing a bunny!, still accomplishing 15 miles and in pain, I felt so alive.  What is great running long distances is that I get to take my mind and spirit to a place that I rarely go to test its toughness, courage, and tenacity. 

Tonight is the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics 2010.  Neil Young sang Long May You Run, which I will end this post with the song lyrics as my quote of the day:

We've been through some things together

With trunks of memories still to come

We found things to do in stormy weather, 

Long may you run

Long may you run, long may you run, 

Although these changes have come

With your chrome heart shining in the sun

Long may you run...

Bottom's Up for the Bottom Line!

**RECESSION BUSTER EVENT**

Event Date: 3/23/2010

Location: Pour House, located at 907 Boylston Street, Boston MA.

Admission: $10.00- guarantees 2 raffle tickets to any item up for raffle

Accessible by the T: Hynes Convention Center or Copley Plaza

After work, kick back with friends with some brew and free food while supporting a great cause, The Bottom Line!  6-7pm Free Appetizers  There will be raffle prizes! 

Raffle Items:

1.  2 Tickets to Boston Bruins Game on April 1, 2010!

Details: Four rows back from the ice rink-aisle seats!

2. Samuel Adams “Bucket of Cheer”.  The bucket includes a galvanized Samuel Adams beer bucket, 2 shirts, 2 hats, 2 key chains, and 2 perfect pint glasses with  6-assorted beers!  Cheers to that!

3. Don't give up on your New Year's Resolution on fitting into that swimsuit!! Summer will be here faster than you can eat a Dunkin Donut.  If you need extra motivation to get in great shape, WIN Healthworks Fitness 1 free month of membership to any of their Healthworks Fitness locations! ! !  There is no time like the present to get in shape!!

4. Just come back from vacation or traveling for work and you don't feel like doing laundry or just don't have the time? Give yourself a break and have someone else do it for you!  Life Without Laundry is giving a gift card toward their services!! 20 lbs. Wash. Dry. Fold. Pick up and Delivery for free!

5. Tired of Boston? Explore the beautiful rustic and charming town of Lincoln, MA, to DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park!  Win guest passes to this contemporary art museum! DeCordova Museum surrounds 35 acres of beautiful woodlands and vast lawns, it is the largest park of its kind in New England.  Make it a day exploring artworks and picnic on the greens.  

6. Free movie. 3D. IMAX.  Take it all in at the IMAX Theater in Natick, MA!!!  There are some fantastic movies coming up in 3D; enhance your viewing experience at the IMAX theater!  Win guest passes to IMAX movies!

7. Break up your nightly monotony and come hang out at Jillian's of Boston They are donating a Pool Party! Valued at $250.00, this allows 25 of your friends to play pool for 2 hours free with free appetizers!!  Play pool, bowl and capture a Red Sox game at the bar.

 

8. Imbibe on $2.50 drinks while sharing laughs with friends at Boston's hottest comedy club,  Mottley's Comedy Club at Trinity, they are offering tickets, come out for a great time!  If you got laid off, bring your letter and you can get in for free-score!!

9. Score some tickets from the Boston Garden Sports Museum (TD Bank North) and take your Boston sports fanatic on a date! You can get stuffed in Larry Bird's or Ted William's Locker, try on Adam Vinatieri's shoes,  and see the memorabilia from the original Patriots-Boston Redskins!
 
10. Take home some movie tickets that can be used at any of these fine theaters: Cinema de Lux, Showcase Cinemas,  The Bridge, and Multiplex!

11.  Boston Local Company, BOLOCO, which prepares fresh, healthy burritos and wraps, are offering a gift card valued at $25-30!!

12.  Come to Boston's most interactive experience at TOMB, Participants get to play the role of hero in their own adventure, as they are confronted with puzzles, challenges, twists, and traps to test their bodies and minds. 4 complimentary guest passes! $80.00 value!

13. Win a gift card to the Award Winning Gourmet thin crust pizza company, Upper Crust Pizza! $50.00 value!  Take a foodie trip or your date to the original Upper Crust pizza parlor in historic Beacon Hill for some mouthwatering, savory pizza!  Gift card can be used at any of their fine locations. 

Additional tickets are $5.00 each.

THANK YOU To all the Boston businesses in donating these fantastic gifts!

Come out and win some fabulous prizes!  

All proceeds go directly to helping the students of the Bottom Line!

Thank you anonymous donor!!!!

Wahoo! Another awesome anonymous donor, thank you for donating to my cause.  My 46 contributor brought my total to $3063.00!!!!!!  Getting closer to $3250.00-hoping to reach that by the end of February!  Gymed it up in Philadelphia, PA.  

9 Weeks to Go!!!

Two months from now, my feet will cross the Boston Marathon finish line...in relative comfort.   I still have many more miles to go in my training.  I need to gain as much muscle as possible to handle the stress of the endurance run. Want to build more speed so I can clock in under 5 hours. In terms of diet, I must keep eating the right foods in check, measure the adequate amount of whey protein every morning and night, and portion control with supermodel prowess.   Must buy new running shoes as my current ones are moving into retirement.  Must fundraise as much as possible to reach my goal of $8,000.00.  So much to do with so little time.   

Quote of the Day: Illegitimi non carborundum

17 Miles ended with a milkshake

 

I know, I'm insane with the photo taking, but someone has to document this journey, it might as well be me!  the first couple of photos were of the Bottom Line marathon team anxiously waiting to aboard the buses from Riverside T to take us into Natick/Wellesley, MA to start our ambitious 16-17 mile run! It was sponsored by the Boston Children's Hospital. I got to meet so many other amazing people running for different causes.  The runners that dressed up in the spirit of Valentine's Day were the "Liver Lovers" from the Liver Foundation.  

I ran through Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brighton, Brookline, Boston and ended at the finish line! The buses dropped us off at mile 9, so when I got to Heart Break Hill, we already did several miles of hills, but I didn't stop to walk. Although my run was turning into more of a shuffle, I didn't quit!!  I "hit the wall" when I got to mile 16, my muscles were cramping up and getting really tight. I had to stop to stretch the legs a few times, which helped me be more limber.  I am definitely a hell of a lot stronger than I was back in October! Afterward, a few of us Bottom Line folks rewarded ourselves with burgers and I got a chocolate milkshake at my favorite joint, Pour House!

This was one of my best runs, in that when I finished I as beaming with pride that I successfully ran 17 miles.  I didn't give up and no negative thoughts clouded my mind. I ran about 10:40/mile.  

Stuff White People Like: Marathons

"In life, there are certain milestones of physical activity that can define you.  A sub 5 second 40 yard dash, a 40 inch vertical leap and so forth.  To a white person, the absolute pinnacle of fitness is to run a marathon.  Not to win, just to run.
White people will train for months, telling everyone who will listen about how they get up early in the morning, they run when it rains, how it makes them feels so great and gives them energy..."
 
I thought this was hilarious and wanted to share it. Read more at Stuff White People Like: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/26/27-marathons/

Walsh! Walsh! Walsh!

My friend, W.Walsh, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support and contribution towards a great cause.   You not only made me surpass another fundraising milestone, every dollar goes directly to helping students pay for their application fees, travel fees, books, and other costs incurred from college.  


Tally: $3011.00!!!!!!!


Closing in on my February goal: $3250.00!  




Quote of the Day: It takes a person with a mission to succeed.
Clarence Thomas 

Thank You Alane C.!!

Alane, your donation means so much to me and to the students from the Bottom Line!  Right now, I am dollars away from reaching $3000.00 thanks to you! ! !






Bottom Line update: Students sent out their college essays at the end of last year and in January.  The waiting game begins for Boston and Worcester high school seniors to receive their letters of acceptance. 


Quote of the Day:  "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." -Edward M. Kennedy 1932-2009

Extra Mile

Thank You Tawny E. for donating all the way from Iowa!

 You are catapulting me closer to the $3,000.00 mark!! 




Last night, despite nagging injuries and a nor'easter that never was, I ran 7.5 miles and felt...great! Bring on 16 miles!






Quote of the day: It's never crowded along the "extra mile".  -My fortune cookie told me this. 

Thank You John and Julie P!!!

John, Thank you for your help on my journey, I am ever so close to reaching my February goal!  Every dollar goes to helping the students get into college, graduate and go far in life!  With the help of all of my donors, we are going to do something amazing for these students :-)  


Tally:  $2907.00!!!


Goal: $3250.00!  SO CLOSE!








Quote of the Day from one of my favorite men: 
"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get.   But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.  I'm telling you.  Amazing things will happen.  I'm telling you.  It's just true."  -Conan O'Brien on his last taping of The Tonight Show

Made it to Mile 15...actually 16!

Sunday morning is a day of rest for many, but not for me.  I had to get my long run in regardless of shin splints.  I was thankful for free parking on Sundays at Eliot T station, Newton, which was my start and my finish.  I thought everyone did their long runs on Saturday, but I was happy to see so many runners and cyclists exercising.   

I just mapped my run and found out I did 16 miles because I missed a turn on my run and just retraced my steps.  No wonder I was exhausted when I had to finish that last mile! 

Original run: 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3457083

My Run: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/ma/newton/965126573304751634

It was physically challenging because 1. Distance and 2. you run along the 4 miles of hills that end with Heartbreak Hill near Boston College. Then you can take it easy around the reservoir, and then it's all down hill. However, when I ran around the reservoir, I had a strong headwind.  That pretty much sucked all heat and energy out of my body.  I knew then that my muscles were going to ache in pain because I used up all of my glycogen stores.  I needed sugar and carbs stat! I wondered if I passed out from hyponetrimia, low blood sugar or exhaustion, would someone would steal my wallet?  Luckily, I stopped at a bakery along the carriage trails a couples miles away from Boston College.  

I contemplated whether I should take the T to shorten my run because I didn't know if I was going to be in trouble physically.  It was pretty bad to get to the point where I wanted to shorten the route.  I ran out of water and was forming a headache.  If I decided to take the T, then I would be giving up on the training and all of the effort that got me this far.   The negative thoughts were crowding my head and I just had to get out of the meandering carriage trails and reach the Newton-Wellesley Hospital to get water.     

Lessons learned:

1.  Diet is so, so important and I felt the effects of improper fueling.  I didn't eat enough in the morning and didn't bring any snacks for the 15+ mile run.  

2. Continue to drink plenty of fluids after running or else result in runner's migraine.  2 cups of water for every pound lost on the run.  :-/  

3. Rice, Rice, Baby: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation for my shin splints will aid in a speedy recovery. 

All of these lessons, I already know, yet, I still forget to follow through, which makes me suffer when I do the run.  

Thank You Matt Hofmann for donating to my cause!! It has lifted my spirits in these cold, dreary winter months! Thank you for your support friend!!  Bringing my total to: $2783.00!!!!

14 miles of trials and tribulations

Saturday, Jan. 30, I woke up at 6:55am to find out it was 6 degrees and I was going to run 14 miles.  Any other time in my life, I would have turned off the alarm and go back to sleep.  Without doubting and questioning whether I should conquer the run, I got up and searched for my sneakers.  My shin splint injuries were hiding in the shadows and I wondered when they would show up on my run.  I got up to run, but not for myself, but for the students that are counting on me.  I am running for them. 



That morning we had a guest speaker, Dr. Grayson Kimball, a sport psychologist and experienced marathoner.  What I gained from his talk were about the power of positive thinking.  Dr. Kimball mentioned that 80% of the 60,000 habitual thoughts occur in a day will be negative.  That is a significant amount of negativity.  That negativity contributes to stimulating areas of the brain that involved depression and anxiety. Why is this important to running? For many reasons, but I'll just mention what I got out of it.  Negative thinking clouds my confidence and can psych myself out, which can be true to running and life.  Instead of complaining in my head, "My feet hurt, I'm hungry, it's rainy, etc." All negative, yet passing thoughts, I will just say, "choose joy".  Done.  

Coach Rick asked the group, "Have you heard the quote, the older you get the faster time goes by?"  That never rang so true until I ran 12 miles a couple weeks ago. Pain radiated up and down my legs, each step was excruciating-I thought my bones would split in half.  All I could think about was looking forward to finishing the run, couldn't wait to get this over with, and wishing I was somewhere else.  The coach caught up to me and said to stay in the present, be in the moment, don't let this moment pass you by.  What a great metaphor for life.  Doesn't everyone just wish for the weekends? When times are tough at work or home, or that you face the same drudgery, don't you wish you could move on to something else?   I don't want to just flash forward through life. It was a significant lesson for me. 



I hit the "wall" at mile 10 and couldn't believe I had 4 more miles to go. I was exhausted and my legs were stinging from exposure to the cold.  Fatigue was setting in because I was hungry.  My camelback pack was steadily dripping and freezing immediately to my coat and spandex, thus leaving me right side wet.  A large, tan poodle jumped on me while I ran leaving dirty paws all over my spandex.  Instead of complaining in my head, I pushed it out of my mind and focused on my breathing or repeating song lyrics in my head.  I did my best to reinforce positive thinking or clearing my mind to go into a meditative state.  I did it all without music.  I am thankful to the BottomLine water ladies and to run the last bit with Tricia!  



I am happy to accomplish the run and look forward to 15 miles! 






Pics from the run:

I had my camelback pack and it leaked all over my jacket and froze immediately. Note to self, do not use camelback when it is below 32 degrees outside. 

I got sunburned that day!

Quote of the Day:  "Between Saying and Doing, many pairs of shoes are worn out." -Italian Proverb