One of my Dana-Farber teammates and his daughter. We have so many reasons. There’s more of Glen and Malia’s story on WBZ TV.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/04/02/local-dads-running-boston-marathon-for-daughters/
“Hanoch Shahar discovered a lifelong love of running as a child orphaned in World War II. On Friday, the 77-year-old Holocaust survivor ran along with some 15,000 other athletes in Jerusalem’s second annual marathon. The oldest of the runners, Shahar ran 6 miles in an hour and four minutes. He completed a full marathon two months ago and said at his age, he can run only one 26-mile race a year. “Running gives me a sense of freedom,” said Shahar, whose parents were killed by Nazis at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic. He said he ran there to escape his sorrow. After the war, in a Prague orphanage, he would pass his time running and listening to track events on the radio. For hours at a time, he said, he would chase the orphanage’s German Shepherd.” (via MSNBC photoblog)
Another email to my colleagues running the Boston Marathon
From: Kaye, Eric
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 10:39 AM
To: , Michael; , Emily T.; , Katherine; , Jacqueline; , Megan Eileen; , Sydney K.; , Katherine
Subject: Marathon Weekend Guide - Appendix A
I came in this morning to find the Marathon Weekend Guide right in front of my computer — on the day before the one month mark to the Marathon — and I’m not supposed to stress a little bit? It’s going to get crazy over the next 31 days so I hope a lot of this is also helpful for you.
Lesson A. Keep everything in one place.
Put those medical forms in your desk and leave them there. Do not move anything. Just keep everything in one place. Take care of your DFMC check-in on Friday April 13th. Go straight from work to the Marriott. That way you have all of the forms you need at your desk already.
Lesson B. Take a half day on that Friday.
The week leading up to the Marathon will be very distracting. Everyone in the office will keep asking you “Are you ready?” You may have some difficulty holding back from punching them when they ask that question. What do they expect you to say? Set up your week ahead of time so you’ll have a lot of work to get done Monday to Thursday. By 3:00 PM Thursday you will not have the head to focus on any work. Therefore, before you hit the wall in the office, do your best to stay distracted by work and not by checking the 10-day forecast. Try to leave the office by 1 or 2, and head over to the Marriott for DFMC check-in that Friday.
Lesson C. Ways to fit in over the weekend.
I’m not a superstitious runner, but, if you are, you need to know a couple things. 1. Do not wear your DFMC singlet during a run or race before the Marathon. And 2. Do not wear the Adidas long sleeve tech shirt on race day. That’s a common rule anyways — it’s “bad luck” to wear the race shirt on race day. Just making sure you all look the part, too.
Most runners look super intense at the expo so don’t get distracted by how un-cool most people are. At the expo, remember to: 1. Get the adidas poster. 2. Don’t buy any shirts with the words “wicked,” “pissah,” “hahhhtbreak,” or anything that just has the awful vernacular of the Boston accent. 3. Bring another bag because you will probably buy a lot of stuff and you don’t want the Marathon bag to rip before you even get to Hopkinton. 4. take lots of photos. 5. get your expo shopping done before Saturday afternoon. It gets really hectic in the expo after 2 PM on Saturday. You can’t move around in there.
Lesson D. Practice your sleep.
You are going to have so much nervous energy. Make sure that by Sunday night, the moment you hit your bed, you fall asleep immediately. Wake up early Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You’ll be sleepy by the Pasta Party.
Lesson E. Don’t be late
The bus ride to Hopkinton is going to take a LONG TIME. Even if you are at the line for the busses by 6 AM you still won’t get to Hopkinton until about 9:15 AM. Pay a friend to drive you to the bus in the morning. Get in line by 5:30 AM.
Lesson F. It’s fun.
When else in your life will thousands and thousands of people cheer your name? It’s a weekend long party and you need to approach it that way. Get ready for it to be fun.
Most painful part of training
March has been completely deflating so far. I have not had a good run since this month started. It is discouraging because I had such a good February and thought that I really was putting myself in position to get the most out of the rest of my training.
But then the wheels started to come off. I have been dealing with a nagging hip all week. I’m the worst at actually giving myself a rest from training. I have dealt with plenty of other issues during training, but nothing as painful as my hip right now.
One of the other problems is that I don’t have an accurate read on my tolerance of pain—or, if I really shouldn’t be pushing myself through a run. Maybe I can tolerate the pain for the next 5 weeks; however I would really like to start feeling better.
Last year when my IT band was hurting, I took most of December off of running. But that was December. This should be my peak of training. I think I can afford a week off and just go the gym.
I hope by next weekend I have more positive posts.
www.rundfmc.org/2012/erick
That’s my personal fundraising page: www.rundfmc.org/2012/erick
Help me make it a GOOD FRIDAY. I am so close to raising more than $50,000 for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge.
What’s the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge? I have been raising money for this cancer research program since 2008.
One of the projects that received funding in the earliest stages of research was published recently in the New York Times.
I am close to raising more than $10,000 for three consecutive years. Maybe AccidentalAnnie will reblog this?
I am running in memory of my Dad who passed away from lung cancer when I was 13 and in honor of my sister who is undergoing her last round of chemo for ovarian cancer today at Dana-Farber.
Have a great weekend everyone!
A year ago to today. 127 miles February 2012. 128 miles in February 2011. How will the next six weeks be different?
Finisher’s medal, bib numbers, or race shirt?
I have about 14 race medals hanging in my room, some old race bib numbers just lying around, and so many race shirts I can’t even keep them all at my apartment. So far, more than all those things that are given out at races, my favorite memorabilia item from any race is a NO STOPPING sign. It’s one of the classic ones. Collected this one just before the 2010 Boston Marathon. It will be framed some day.
NO TOPPING. Boston Marathon.
27 days
Did you look at your calendar today? April 18th is 27 days away. I know this. My friends know this. And my co-workers know this.
Water cooler convo today…
Co-worker: How’s training going?
Me: Fine. But I’m not happy about this weather.
Co-worker: Have you run a marathon before?
Me: Yes. This is my 5th.
Co-worker: This is easy for you. Run a few miles backwards.
Me: I don’t need to make it any harder.
Gchat with another Marathon runner today…
T: hahaha no kidding, i wouldnt mind if the actual marathon was this weekend. i just want to do it
T: im getting nervous haha
T: I cant believe its only 4 weeks away
Yes, I’m just that enchanting and fun to talk to on Gchat.
E-mail I received from a first-timer today…
Subject: I’m exhausted
Text: Is that normal?
These next 27 days can’t go by fast enough. Wishing everyone an easy taper at the end of this week!
I’m more impressed that you are not running the marathon
I’ve always said that it has to be the hardest thing to not run the Boston Marathon if you have done it in any previous year. Maybe it was the best decision for you, your body, and your doctor—but if you have otherwise run any marathon, especially Boston, it has to be draining to see other people running.
For those who don’t bury their head in the sand, or close the shades every morning, I am genuinely impressed that you are volunteering for—and drinking with—us runners. Keep doing what you do. I’ve been impressed but I’ve certainly learned a lot as well. It takes something special to fill cups of gatorade for 4 hours when it is below freezing.
DFMC volunteers, do you realize how easy you make it for us? I have a feeling that if you stand outside for a few hours, during the Boston winter, that there must be pain that anyone who runs 16 miles would not know. To me, that seems tougher on the knees then running the Newton hills.
And to my favorite runners not running Boston this year, but supporting my fundraising efforts, you are really the best.
I’ll be updating the blog more often now that there are 30 days to the Marathon. For a while I just had nothing to talk about it.
The…
- Sights: B train crashed into a car just leaving the Boston College stop. I blame the driver—or both.
- Sounds: “Ughhh, ughhh, ughhh, pssttt, ughhh…” - Runner breathing heavily and awkwardly, I guess, behind me.
- Smells: BMW SUV muffler blew and horrible smelling fumes, plus a cloud of smoke was billowing from the back. The type of stuff that makes breathing difficult.
- Tastes: The post run breakfast at the Mt. Auburn Club. 1.5 bagels, 3 cookies, and cup of fruit. Motivating factor.
- Feelings (physical): Quad muscles will definitely be sore tomorrow. My left hand was getting numb on the last mile. A little pain in my left foot.
- Feelings (emotional): The first 14 of the 16 miles were good—good pace and comfort. The last two were not as smooth. Still feel good about the weekend—one day of skiing and my longest run since Feb. 14, 2009.
- Sixth sense: I did not see anything abnormal today. Too bad.
…of my DFMC training run today. Feelings would be close to, touch.
In that generation, the people with extraordinarily long careers were true outliers: They were physical freaks. Roger Craig has run a half-dozen or so marathons since retiring from the San Francisco 49ers. Can you believe that? I’ve been a long-distance runner my whole life. I weigh 100 pounds less than Craig, and I did not spend my formative years getting beaten up on a football field — and I would never race at that distance. It’s too punishing. But I’m not Roger Craig — who somehow emerged from 10 years of getting pounded on every play in the NFL feeling so spry that he decided to take up marathoning. What’s happening now is that medicine is allowing the rest of us to catch up with the outliers. The impact of scientific progress on human performance is greatest not at the top but in the middle: It helps the guy who would have played five years play 10 years. It doesn’t help the Nolan Ryans or Roger Craigs all that much. They don’t need any help.
—Malcolm Gladwell - Gladwell-Simmons III
Top 10 list - NYC Marathon…only a month late
Just submitted my application for the 2010 NYC Marathon. But, first focus is the 2010 Boston Marathon.
24 hours later
Here’s what followed my Tuesday night run…
I spent a few minutes this morning thinking that I may have actually brought this “24 hour bug” upon myself. And I call this cold only a “24 hour bug” because I’m fully convinced that I can kick it before I wake up, Thursday morning. I trust my immune system to recover quickly.
If I could sum up my run last night in two words, I’d go with “Mental Toughness.” I have a semi-routine 6.9 mile loop I run from my apartment to Newton—and all along the marathon course. It’s a good hill workout as well, and I have set the bar at 59:14—anything slower is not a good run. So to actually call my run last night a disappointment, because I was 10 seconds slower, would not be accurate.
Not only was I unenthusiatic for the run, when I left my apartment, I was also cold. I knew it was not time just yet to bring out pants, but I could have used better gloves. When I got to my turn back point, just before Walnut St., I was at least 10 - 15 seconds off my 59:14 pace. And to make everything worse, only minutes later did the side-stiches start slowing me down. With no exit strategy, no C or B line train to jump onto within 1.5 miles, I just had to keep running.
All the way up heartbreak hill I was dealing with the side-stiches and was fully aware that I was going to have a tough run. Getting over the hill and getting through the pain took mental toughness (that’s where I was dropping it in). 6.9 miles later, I made up great time with a very strong 1.7 miles to home. Yes, 10 seconds slower, but there were moments I knew I could just stop and walk. My negative splits are typically insane, but this was monumental.
That run was all great and everything until I overslept my alarm this morning, felt like crap, and had to trek through a wintry mix to get to the Beaconsfield stop. Right now I know I should go to sleep soon and get as much rest as possible. I’ve loaded up on dayquil, had green tea, and 9 hours of sleep will complete the 24 hour recovery.
24 hours after this I want to be running my way to Crossroads bar for pizza and beer. But, will see how I feel tomorrow.
