I'm kicking them off, when do you think they'll notice? Yeah, probably never. If you do get the blog alert - shhhhhhh, don't tell.
More later. I will try to be better in 2009.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
a note from a stranger
i wanted to share this a while ago, but i wasn't sure if i should (i'm not sure why). back in early april i got an email (and a donation) from someone who had found me through Hunter's caringbridge site.
april 5
hi Laurie, I 'know' of Hunter and her family through a close friend here in Franklin, from time to time I see Katie with the girls out around town. Quick story: During summers in Franklin, the school system holds little classes in fun subjects for the young children. I was rushing to 'Creative Chef's' on day one, my 5 yr old decides to tell me he has to pee - NOW. My 7 yr old yells at him, I yell at both of them - no parking spots of course. Drag everyone across the stupid parking lot to the stupid school for stupid summer class. Ugh. I am really needing Starbucks and a break. Then I spot Katie. She was walking in with one daughter and carrying a sleeping, bald Hunter. Calm and content, all of them. I felt one inch high. I look down at my fighting children and despite biting my tongue, the tears start. How could I be so selfish and foolish all at once. Lump in my throat, I kiss my girl goodbye, and off I go with the boy. I never held his hand so tight. I never wanted to get back for pickup so quick. I KNOW all the things about being grateful and thankful and not sweating small stuff. To get caught off guard by a moment like that -Took my breath away. I thank God for those moments, and I have carried that one around since. In the midst of her illness, Hunter teaches all of us who barely know her. In the midst of being her mother, Katie teaches those of us who look at her with awe and wonder and unending hope. So thank you for doing what you will do on that Monday. Please accept my donation and all the thoughts and energy that go along with it. I will be working at the marathon that morning while you are stepping off in Hopkinton, (I'm a police officer in a nearby town). I will think of you all and again, like every year, I will ponder ... 'hmm. maybe next year I will actually DO this thing!!!". So take good care of yourself, and rock it hard!!
amazing, right...
after the marathon i got this one.
april 23
Best of luck to you in your life, your job, your world! What you do is wonderful for those affected by that horrid disease. I know all that good karma you give will be coming back to you over the year!
i responded back for ALL of us and told her we would continue doing this until we can't, but what i should have said was that we will continue to do it until we don't have to. thank you CMR, please keep in touch!
april 20, 2009 isn't that far away friends.
hmmm, maybe i'll go for a run tomorrow.
april 5
hi Laurie, I 'know' of Hunter and her family through a close friend here in Franklin, from time to time I see Katie with the girls out around town. Quick story: During summers in Franklin, the school system holds little classes in fun subjects for the young children. I was rushing to 'Creative Chef's' on day one, my 5 yr old decides to tell me he has to pee - NOW. My 7 yr old yells at him, I yell at both of them - no parking spots of course. Drag everyone across the stupid parking lot to the stupid school for stupid summer class. Ugh. I am really needing Starbucks and a break. Then I spot Katie. She was walking in with one daughter and carrying a sleeping, bald Hunter. Calm and content, all of them. I felt one inch high. I look down at my fighting children and despite biting my tongue, the tears start. How could I be so selfish and foolish all at once. Lump in my throat, I kiss my girl goodbye, and off I go with the boy. I never held his hand so tight. I never wanted to get back for pickup so quick. I KNOW all the things about being grateful and thankful and not sweating small stuff. To get caught off guard by a moment like that -Took my breath away. I thank God for those moments, and I have carried that one around since. In the midst of her illness, Hunter teaches all of us who barely know her. In the midst of being her mother, Katie teaches those of us who look at her with awe and wonder and unending hope. So thank you for doing what you will do on that Monday. Please accept my donation and all the thoughts and energy that go along with it. I will be working at the marathon that morning while you are stepping off in Hopkinton, (I'm a police officer in a nearby town). I will think of you all and again, like every year, I will ponder ... 'hmm. maybe next year I will actually DO this thing!!!". So take good care of yourself, and rock it hard!!
amazing, right...
after the marathon i got this one.
april 23
Best of luck to you in your life, your job, your world! What you do is wonderful for those affected by that horrid disease. I know all that good karma you give will be coming back to you over the year!
i responded back for ALL of us and told her we would continue doing this until we can't, but what i should have said was that we will continue to do it until we don't have to. thank you CMR, please keep in touch!
april 20, 2009 isn't that far away friends.
hmmm, maybe i'll go for a run tomorrow.
Monday, April 28, 2008
me oh my oh...
so a week has gone by... gosh already... what now.... why does it seem like the afterglow is dimming by the second? first timers (and veterans alike) when you're going about your training you never stop to think about how you're going to feel when it's over. the difference between us vets and the rookies is that while you are clueless, we choose to avoid the thought of IT... that IT... post-marathon blues. it's real friends, and i would venture to guess that most of you are feeling it right about now. whether you PRed or not, your result last monday has nothing to do with it, there's a weird emptiness that just won't go away.
how many time have you looked yourself (your friends, neighbor, co-worker, and that guy you met at crossroads 4 thursdays ago) up on the baa.org website? cross reference the last name and bib number and check out all of the pictures on marathonfoto.com and smugmug.com. how many conversations did you have last week about "your" marathon? how often have you shared the good, the bad and the ugly parts of those 26.2 miles with anyone who asked? might you be smiling as you are reading this, perhaps reliving the glory day again in your own head? now let me ask, have people stopped asking you how it went,or how you did? have you made the attempt to run yet? do you even want to? what part sucks more, not wanting to run or the thought that no one cares anymore about your running? up until a week ago that's all people wanted to talk to you about, right? "how many miles did you get in today?" "did you really run 21 miles this weekend?" "tapering, what's tapering?" and my favorite (the week before the race), "are you ready?" now here we are, a week has passed, and no one seems to give a crap. giving a crap right about now is hard but that funk feeling is temporary. the desire to get back on the road will come as soon as you regain the excitement you had before the marathon and the exhilaration you felt when you crossed the finish line. even if you're not ready to start logging the miles again, call up your running friends, make a date, meet for coffee, grab a drink. keep talking about it, because we do still care. for us running geeks it never get old.
in november 1998, i ran my first marathon. when it was over, i was in the dumper, big time. i couldn't for the life of me figure it out, after all i had just run my first marathon. a few days later after reading something i knew i wouldn't be the same...
YOU ARE NOW A MARATHONER.
that is my congratulatory gift to you, live it, love it, celebrate it and above all, be proud of it.
cheers.
how many time have you looked yourself (your friends, neighbor, co-worker, and that guy you met at crossroads 4 thursdays ago) up on the baa.org website? cross reference the last name and bib number and check out all of the pictures on marathonfoto.com and smugmug.com. how many conversations did you have last week about "your" marathon? how often have you shared the good, the bad and the ugly parts of those 26.2 miles with anyone who asked? might you be smiling as you are reading this, perhaps reliving the glory day again in your own head? now let me ask, have people stopped asking you how it went,or how you did? have you made the attempt to run yet? do you even want to? what part sucks more, not wanting to run or the thought that no one cares anymore about your running? up until a week ago that's all people wanted to talk to you about, right? "how many miles did you get in today?" "did you really run 21 miles this weekend?" "tapering, what's tapering?" and my favorite (the week before the race), "are you ready?" now here we are, a week has passed, and no one seems to give a crap. giving a crap right about now is hard but that funk feeling is temporary. the desire to get back on the road will come as soon as you regain the excitement you had before the marathon and the exhilaration you felt when you crossed the finish line. even if you're not ready to start logging the miles again, call up your running friends, make a date, meet for coffee, grab a drink. keep talking about it, because we do still care. for us running geeks it never get old.
in november 1998, i ran my first marathon. when it was over, i was in the dumper, big time. i couldn't for the life of me figure it out, after all i had just run my first marathon. a few days later after reading something i knew i wouldn't be the same...
YOU ARE NOW A MARATHONER.
that is my congratulatory gift to you, live it, love it, celebrate it and above all, be proud of it.
cheers.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
24 hours
funny, it's sunday. our plan was to go to the charles and see the women run the olympic trials, get up early, get coffee, get inspired. thinking about the week before, the "right" decision was made, sleep in. yeah, that worked out awesome, my eyes sprung open at 645A. so here is am watching it on the computer and thinking about all of the things i have to do today, and of course tomorrow. i've done this enough so one might think it would be old hat, but it's not, i promise you that. it does not get easier, more manageable, or less nerve-wracking. in preparation for tomorrow, my bag is packed, so since i had time i decided to looked at my self-proclaimed "things to do" (and not to do).
pedicure - yesterday... risky i know, but i came out alright, with of course lincoln park after dark.
H2O - i've become obsessed with coconut water (vita coco, found in your grocers refrigerator) the "natural rehydrator" with 660 grams of potassium. the only weird thing is it has the asparagus effect, you know what i mean right?
carbing - sure. i can't say i'm pounding pasta, but i am eating like it is my job and with that getting much exercise with all of the trips to the bathroom.
boozing - 3 drinks at red bones, that's it.
massage - visited michaela on thursday, calves are feeling fine, head is feeling better.
s*cky people - yeah, i tried, i'll leave it at that.
good people - every year the most incredible people come out of the wood works with amazing pre-race words. between the emails, cards, phone calls & of course text messages, i'm blowing up (i think that's what the kids these days say).
journal - 1 day of blogging doesn't really count i guess.
JFC - unfortunately i did not make it there this week, but i am looking SO forward to seeing Hunter and the rest of the kids tonight and tomorrow on the bridge!
shaved my legs this AM (TMI).
jock - na
chocolate - ate it.
shoes - stayed off the high ones, but i have to say walking around the house barefoot isn't less dangerous... stubbed my toe twice on the same darn thing this morning. OUCH!
phantom pains - knee twinges... oh jeez.
contrast bath - how about a hot shower, "the stick," and bio-freeze.
fundraising letter-went out on friday. my goal was to hit $10K my monday, it's looking good!
lube - if i started now that would just be weird and something i would not be talking about on this blogsite.
hugs-i have, and have, and have, and the day just started.
JACK-nothing major yet, but i'm coming for ya mister!
with all of that said, thank you for reading. the trials just finished deena castor had a come from behind effort to win. although it would have been nice to be there to cheer on our american ladies making a bid for the 2008 olympics in beijing, quite honestly i don't need them to inspire me. i get all of the inspiration i need from a 6 year old cancer patient.
on last tip or word of advice - the pasta party will give you far more than the carbs you will need to get through monday. stop-look-listen and take it all in. in 24 hours you will be running! don't be in a rush enjoy every second of it. you are about to experience something most people never will.
godspeed my running friends, see you at the finish line!
laurie
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
say it like it is
It is official, I am in pre-race mode. I just finished reading the posts on the DFMC website and I am so frustrated. I am familiar with the questions that pop up this time of year. But, I have my rituals and I don't want to deviate from them. What I am searching for are answers to the really important race day questions. Is there anyone out there that would be able to help me with these:
1. If the 2008 singlet makes me look fat, can I wear one from a previous year that is more slimming?
2. Is it acceptable to wear white running shoes even though it is not yet Memorial day?
3. What is the maximum amount of crap that I can wear on my body on race day and still look like I am actually a runner and not a tourist?
4. Since Aimee and Laurie are running this year, should I pack two watches or three?
Rest hard,
John
Since I am unable to work or focus on anything but the race, I will answer Papa John's questions, and add a few of my own.
1. You are the sexiest 49 year old man I know. You could not look fat in your singlet.
2. You are ok with white. As long as you are not wearing linen running shorts or argyle socks, you're fine.
3. It's tough to quantify crap...but I think if you go iPod, fuel belt, garmin, shades, and carry a cell phone with built in camera, you should be fine.
4. No answer for 4.
My questions:
1. If I cramp up (like I did in Phoenix last year) late in the race but I'm on track to qualify, should I stop and find a porto-potty or just poop in my pants?
2. Will shaving my head, legs and arms make me less wind resistant and thus faster? Will Laurie's waxing make me faster by reverse osmosis?
3. For my running tunes, should I go with loud "pump" music to keep me pushing or maybe change it up and relax with classical to calm my nerves and bring down the heart rate?
4. If I order a Bass Ale tonight for John and leave it on the bar to honor his absence, how long will it take for Jack to drink it?
Matt,
Thank you for helping me out. I will now try to do the same.
1. I would say port-o-potty. It is only cool to poop in your pants when you are on TV.
2. Shaving will definitely make you faster, but you forgot chest and back, two hairy areas where shaving provides the added bonus of helping you lose weight. As for the osmosis part, I need more information, are we talking Brazilian?
3. I might go with some smooth jazz to keep you mellow and on pace. John Coltrane. "Favorite Things."
4. My suggestion is to tell Jack that I called and I am stuck in traffic and I will be there shortly. Let's see how long that can hold him off.
Have a good day,
John
1. If the 2008 singlet makes me look fat, can I wear one from a previous year that is more slimming?
2. Is it acceptable to wear white running shoes even though it is not yet Memorial day?
3. What is the maximum amount of crap that I can wear on my body on race day and still look like I am actually a runner and not a tourist?
4. Since Aimee and Laurie are running this year, should I pack two watches or three?
Rest hard,
John
Since I am unable to work or focus on anything but the race, I will answer Papa John's questions, and add a few of my own.
1. You are the sexiest 49 year old man I know. You could not look fat in your singlet.
2. You are ok with white. As long as you are not wearing linen running shorts or argyle socks, you're fine.
3. It's tough to quantify crap...but I think if you go iPod, fuel belt, garmin, shades, and carry a cell phone with built in camera, you should be fine.
4. No answer for 4.
My questions:
1. If I cramp up (like I did in Phoenix last year) late in the race but I'm on track to qualify, should I stop and find a porto-potty or just poop in my pants?
2. Will shaving my head, legs and arms make me less wind resistant and thus faster? Will Laurie's waxing make me faster by reverse osmosis?
3. For my running tunes, should I go with loud "pump" music to keep me pushing or maybe change it up and relax with classical to calm my nerves and bring down the heart rate?
4. If I order a Bass Ale tonight for John and leave it on the bar to honor his absence, how long will it take for Jack to drink it?
Matt,
Thank you for helping me out. I will now try to do the same.
1. I would say port-o-potty. It is only cool to poop in your pants when you are on TV.
2. Shaving will definitely make you faster, but you forgot chest and back, two hairy areas where shaving provides the added bonus of helping you lose weight. As for the osmosis part, I need more information, are we talking Brazilian?
3. I might go with some smooth jazz to keep you mellow and on pace. John Coltrane. "Favorite Things."
4. My suggestion is to tell Jack that I called and I am stuck in traffic and I will be there shortly. Let's see how long that can hold him off.
Have a good day,
John
Monday, April 14, 2008
To Do's & To Don'ts....
here goes ladies and gents.... with 7 days to go i, as a 10 year vet of this crazy game of marathoning, want to impart some wisdom (stop snickering). with that said here goes nothin'....
ladies, if you haven't gotten a pedicure go NOW and go DARK, do not wait another day. Not only will you not want anyone touching those toes the week after, you don't want to see whats going on under that polish.
drink water - OBVI - but if you aren't use to drinking a lot, you'll shock your system if you start pounding it sunday afternoon.
don't over carb early in the week, cause you'll just feel like crap. with that said, don't do anything that different to your diet at this stage. however, you might want to stay away from the fried food, or barbeque, or anything else you can get at red bones.
cool the boozin' monday, wednesday, thursday, friday & saturday.
go for a good, hard 10 mile run on thursday - KIDDING.... just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
rub it down (i said DOWN)... get a massage - and may i suggest my girl michaela she ROCKS the muscles like no other and has probably made a pain-free arrival to the start line possible for this old gal. (i love love love you girl!) if you need references, all members of the twentysixpointoomanymiles staff have seen her at least once with the last 5 days.
rid your week (all 7 days of it) of people who s*ck.
surround yourself with people who will pump you up. let them tell you how great you are, because you are (well, most of you).
journal this last week so you can look back and laugh at how freakin' nervous you were.
if you can, take a trip to the JFC, there a a lot of kids there you won't see at mile 25. if you need any inspiration at all you will certainly get it there.
gals - don't wait until monday AM to shave (or wax), tight clothes, sweat, rubbing, you get what i'm saying, right?
guys - please pack your jock. shorts optional.
(i can't believe i'm going to write this one) jack says stay away from chocolate... well what he actually says is keep the sugar intake low.... sorry jack, chocolate is love.
stay close to the ground... meaning your shoes... stay off the stiletto's - no question they are hot especially for you dudes in skirts, but this will be the week you fall off of them.
don't freak if out of the blue you have a joint or muscle pain, they're called phantom pains, it's in your head, you are fine.
but if not, there is always the contrast bath, from heat to ice. heat, stretch & rub, then plop yourself into an ice bath.... just ask matt how small, i mean good it is.
for crying out loud, send out your fundraising letter (oops, i think/hope that just applies to me)
on monday lube lube lube EVERYWHERE! your nipples (boys) & sports bra (girls), belly button, crotchal region, armpits, toes, thighs, you name it, just vas the crap out of yourself, and for goodness sake, don't be modest. but if you are just yell out "no one look over here i'm lubing!" that'll definitely keep people from peeking.
hug as many people as you can, actually just hug fast people, it'll make you faster by osmosis.
and last but seriously not least, talk to jack if you are not feeling "right," body or head... i've called on him for 10 years now. not only will he talk you off the ledge, he will give you the necessary & magical information that will make monday, april 21st one of the best days of your life. i promise. we love ya jack!
7 days.... GULP....
taper on friends
ladies, if you haven't gotten a pedicure go NOW and go DARK, do not wait another day. Not only will you not want anyone touching those toes the week after, you don't want to see whats going on under that polish.
drink water - OBVI - but if you aren't use to drinking a lot, you'll shock your system if you start pounding it sunday afternoon.
don't over carb early in the week, cause you'll just feel like crap. with that said, don't do anything that different to your diet at this stage. however, you might want to stay away from the fried food, or barbeque, or anything else you can get at red bones.
cool the boozin' monday, wednesday, thursday, friday & saturday.
go for a good, hard 10 mile run on thursday - KIDDING.... just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
rub it down (i said DOWN)... get a massage - and may i suggest my girl michaela she ROCKS the muscles like no other and has probably made a pain-free arrival to the start line possible for this old gal. (i love love love you girl!) if you need references, all members of the twentysixpointoomanymiles staff have seen her at least once with the last 5 days.
rid your week (all 7 days of it) of people who s*ck.
surround yourself with people who will pump you up. let them tell you how great you are, because you are (well, most of you).
journal this last week so you can look back and laugh at how freakin' nervous you were.
if you can, take a trip to the JFC, there a a lot of kids there you won't see at mile 25. if you need any inspiration at all you will certainly get it there.
gals - don't wait until monday AM to shave (or wax), tight clothes, sweat, rubbing, you get what i'm saying, right?
guys - please pack your jock. shorts optional.
(i can't believe i'm going to write this one) jack says stay away from chocolate... well what he actually says is keep the sugar intake low.... sorry jack, chocolate is love.
stay close to the ground... meaning your shoes... stay off the stiletto's - no question they are hot especially for you dudes in skirts, but this will be the week you fall off of them.
don't freak if out of the blue you have a joint or muscle pain, they're called phantom pains, it's in your head, you are fine.
but if not, there is always the contrast bath, from heat to ice. heat, stretch & rub, then plop yourself into an ice bath.... just ask matt how small, i mean good it is.
for crying out loud, send out your fundraising letter (oops, i think/hope that just applies to me)
on monday lube lube lube EVERYWHERE! your nipples (boys) & sports bra (girls), belly button, crotchal region, armpits, toes, thighs, you name it, just vas the crap out of yourself, and for goodness sake, don't be modest. but if you are just yell out "no one look over here i'm lubing!" that'll definitely keep people from peeking.
hug as many people as you can, actually just hug fast people, it'll make you faster by osmosis.
and last but seriously not least, talk to jack if you are not feeling "right," body or head... i've called on him for 10 years now. not only will he talk you off the ledge, he will give you the necessary & magical information that will make monday, april 21st one of the best days of your life. i promise. we love ya jack!
7 days.... GULP....
taper on friends
Sunday, April 6, 2008
A Shifty Fellow.....
Yesterday was a beautiful day. For those of you who ran a certain 3 mile race starting and finishing at a certain pub in Newton, I hope you enjoyed the experience half as much as I did. The race director was a certain member of the DFMC team who will remain nameless to protect his identity (note: he may be pictured behind the runner wearing the medal in the photo below) given the impropriety he committed, or played a part in committing. But before you rush to judgement....before you rightly or wrongly convict this modern day Robinhood and his band of merry thieves....who steal from the fast and give to the almost fast enough (but not quite), let me explain.
Yesterday, for the first and only time in my running life, I was accompanied to the race by my wife and two daughters, 3 and 5 years old (my oldest may be pictured behind the runner wearing the medal in the photo above). Whenever I come home from races of any distance, my 5 year old always dashes to the front door like Dino from the Flintstones, throwing herself at me with full force yelling, "Daddy!!! Did you win? Did you win?" As it turns out, I never do. I've never come close to placing in an organized race. Most of you know how hard it is to actually accomplish this feat. I always tell her that I tried my hardest but there were some pretty fast people out there. Time and time again, she tells me that she loves me anyway, which is great. Yesterday, I ran a pretty fast 3 miles. 18:30, which works out to 6:10 pace and good enough for 9th place overall. However, during the award ceremony, the announcement was made that a certain someone (this someone may be pictured...you get the drift....) won third place in his age category. I have to say, it felt pretty damn good to hear my name called, though surprising, as I was fairly certain that I hadn't placed. But hearing my name called was nothing compared to the look on my daughter's face, who screamed at the top of her lungs and just about jumped out of her shoes when my name was called. The first thing she said to me when she was done thanking the race director for my medal was "Daddy, I'm so proud of you..." Wow.
DIVISION MALES 20-39
Jamie Kreider 15:59.4 1 39 M 1 274 5.20 Newton
Tyler Hart 17:39.2 6 33 M 2 358 5.53 Arlington
Greg Obenshain 18:14.6 8 34 M 3 428 6.05 New York
Matthew Whitcomb 18:29.7 9 36 M 4 233 6.10 Cambridge
Daneil Green 18:33.8 10 30 M 5 339 6.11 Watertown
When I got home later that evening, I went into Cool Running to see the official results, and as it turns out, yours truly finished in fourth, not third place. At first, I was a little disappointed. I sat and thought of how this could be, and what the logical excuses were. Was this an innocent mistake? Doubtful.....Did Greg Obenshain get screwed because he was from New York? Well...maybe, but still not that likely. Did the race director, with a little help from some pretty solid citizens with hearts of gold and questionable ethics, perform a little post race magic to give an "almost fast enough" runner and his family a truly memorable day? You decide. I've made my decision. Thanks, guys...really. Oh, and Greg...better luck next year!
-Boner
Yesterday, for the first and only time in my running life, I was accompanied to the race by my wife and two daughters, 3 and 5 years old (my oldest may be pictured behind the runner wearing the medal in the photo above). Whenever I come home from races of any distance, my 5 year old always dashes to the front door like Dino from the Flintstones, throwing herself at me with full force yelling, "Daddy!!! Did you win? Did you win?" As it turns out, I never do. I've never come close to placing in an organized race. Most of you know how hard it is to actually accomplish this feat. I always tell her that I tried my hardest but there were some pretty fast people out there. Time and time again, she tells me that she loves me anyway, which is great. Yesterday, I ran a pretty fast 3 miles. 18:30, which works out to 6:10 pace and good enough for 9th place overall. However, during the award ceremony, the announcement was made that a certain someone (this someone may be pictured...you get the drift....) won third place in his age category. I have to say, it felt pretty damn good to hear my name called, though surprising, as I was fairly certain that I hadn't placed. But hearing my name called was nothing compared to the look on my daughter's face, who screamed at the top of her lungs and just about jumped out of her shoes when my name was called. The first thing she said to me when she was done thanking the race director for my medal was "Daddy, I'm so proud of you..." Wow.
DIVISION MALES 20-39
Jamie Kreider 15:59.4 1 39 M 1 274 5.20 Newton
Tyler Hart 17:39.2 6 33 M 2 358 5.53 Arlington
Greg Obenshain 18:14.6 8 34 M 3 428 6.05 New York
Matthew Whitcomb 18:29.7 9 36 M 4 233 6.10 Cambridge
Daneil Green 18:33.8 10 30 M 5 339 6.11 Watertown
When I got home later that evening, I went into Cool Running to see the official results, and as it turns out, yours truly finished in fourth, not third place. At first, I was a little disappointed. I sat and thought of how this could be, and what the logical excuses were. Was this an innocent mistake? Doubtful.....Did Greg Obenshain get screwed because he was from New York? Well...maybe, but still not that likely. Did the race director, with a little help from some pretty solid citizens with hearts of gold and questionable ethics, perform a little post race magic to give an "almost fast enough" runner and his family a truly memorable day? You decide. I've made my decision. Thanks, guys...really. Oh, and Greg...better luck next year!
-Boner
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
B is for Butt!
as always when i arrive to work in the AM i go through/clear out the stupid amount of emails i get during the few hours i am not here. it is crazy that Boston College's spam filter doesn't pick up the most blatant stuff. it's a good thing you can't actually increase your size or longevity just by opening an email, because i'd be frickin' HUGE (for hours....YIKES). in any event, among all of the viagra emails, there is one from katie with the most recent update to hunters CaringBridge site which she wrote after after yesterday visit to the Jimmy Find Clinic.
enjoy~
Journal
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 9:44 PM EDT
We had clinic today and we've now officially got just 12 weeks left of treatment! (OK it's not "we", it's "she" - you see how I make this all about me? Good right? You like that?)
Anyway, chemo was pretty much uneventful. We had some visitors which was fun. Suzanne, the liaison at Dana Farber for the Taco Bell fundraiser, came to visit and meet Hunter. She asked how old the girls were, and then asked when Taylor would be four. Hunter answered, "on her birthday." (Seriously, I think she thinks grownups are sometimes just so dumb...)
Suzanne also brought the girls pink Red Sox baseball hats, which they loved. On the way home, Hunter announced, "My hat has a B on it. B for Busy."
I said, "well yes, busy does begin with B, but that B is for Boston - it's a Red Sox hat."
She replied, "B for Busy. Busy kicking cancer's BUTT! B is for Butt too." (Hysterical giggles and more "B is for Butt" followed.)
I nearly drove off the road trying to stifle my laughing. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at a Red Sox hat again without thinking, "B is for Butt."
i quite sure mike, hunter's dad, will get a lot of mileage out of that one....
MAJOR yankee fan.....
www.caringbridge.org/ma/hunter
enjoy~
Journal
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 9:44 PM EDT
We had clinic today and we've now officially got just 12 weeks left of treatment! (OK it's not "we", it's "she" - you see how I make this all about me? Good right? You like that?)
Anyway, chemo was pretty much uneventful. We had some visitors which was fun. Suzanne, the liaison at Dana Farber for the Taco Bell fundraiser, came to visit and meet Hunter. She asked how old the girls were, and then asked when Taylor would be four. Hunter answered, "on her birthday." (Seriously, I think she thinks grownups are sometimes just so dumb...)
Suzanne also brought the girls pink Red Sox baseball hats, which they loved. On the way home, Hunter announced, "My hat has a B on it. B for Busy."
I said, "well yes, busy does begin with B, but that B is for Boston - it's a Red Sox hat."
She replied, "B for Busy. Busy kicking cancer's BUTT! B is for Butt too." (Hysterical giggles and more "B is for Butt" followed.)
I nearly drove off the road trying to stifle my laughing. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at a Red Sox hat again without thinking, "B is for Butt."
i quite sure mike, hunter's dad, will get a lot of mileage out of that one....
MAJOR yankee fan.....
www.caringbridge.org/ma/hunter
Monday, March 31, 2008
are you going up?
For you non-runners out there, one of the ways to estimate how far into the training season your spouse, significant other, friend is into his/her training for the Boston Marathon is to gauge their response to inane things that other people do that affect them. Case in point. Today, not once but twice I was riding in the elevator going up to my office. Both times the elevator stopped on a floor that was not mine and people were standing in front of the doors as they opened. Neither time did a single person get on the elevator. In fact, the second time someone actual got on, looked at the arrow pointing up and said, "Oh, you're going up?" Now, I was not in the hall to see if both the up and down buttons had been pushed, but I can guarantee you that these people thought that the elevator would come more quickly if they pushed both buttons. My experience was made more frustrating by the fact that the elevators in question do not have a close door button. I was forced to stand in the elevator, making my ride longer, shooting poison arrows with my eyes at these people until the doors closed. To make matters worse, the second time that it happened, Mr. "Are you going up?" was on the SECOND FLOOR. Use the stairs for crying out loud, down is the easier direction you know! So, all you non-runners try this experiment on your loved ones and measure their reaction. It will tell you a lot about how close to April 21 you are.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
"if you dare (or care)"
So, how does one raise money for the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge if you can't actually run the marathon? Hmm, that's a tough one. 2006 was my first DFMC Boston Marathon. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I was very happy with my time, fundraising, and first Boston experience. I participated with the patient partner program, running on behalf of Jonathan, a twelve year old boy with Leukeumia. Well, here we are in 2008 and I can't run this one. Just can't physically do it. Oh, I'm on the team. I've done a bunch of long training runs. But my neurologist, orthopedist, and neurosurgeon all think it's not a good idea. Why? Two blown disks. L3-L4 and L2-L3.
Ever wonder what all that pounding on the pavement can do to you?
Take a look:
Ever wonder what all that pounding on the pavement can do to you?
Take a look:
That grey blog in the middle of the spine (where it looks curiously out of place), that's a ruptured disk pushing against the left nerve root. Right now, my problem is muscle weakness in the left leg. But it didn't start that way.
When you have a really bad disk problem the pain is, well, pretty severe. Health providers like to ask you to put pain on a 10 point scale. For the first couple of days I called it a 9, when I rate a 10 as muscle being ripped off your bone by a scalpel with no anesthetic. Ouch.
These are the pain medications (just pain, mind you) that I went through in the first 4 weeks:
They just brought it from a 9 to a 7 or so.
If it doesn't get better by itself, then the next step is surgery. But before surgery, we tried a neural block. That's when they put a syringe into your back, right up next to your nerve, and put in some nice steroids to reduce inflamation. This is what it looks like to get one:
See that straight thing coming out of the vertebrae on the left side? That's the needle. Pretty cool. Oh yeah, if you want to, you can look up at the screen and watch the whole thing happening in real time. Very cool. (Thank God I'm done with kids.. imagine how much radiation that is blowing through you to get that movie).
So, what's the worst part about the injury? The pain? Nah, I just couldn't walk for 3 weeks. The loss of muscle strength? Definitely not cool. But, no, the toughest part is not being able to get out with the rest of the team for track and the long runs. Not having that anticipation leading up to Boston. That's what sucks.
But then again, it ain't cancer.Everything in perspective, man.
Maybe I should send out some pictures for my next fundraiser?
--Martin
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
my day at the office
tuesday was by far the best day i've had in a while. why you ask? because yesterday i spent a good part of the day with my patient partner Hunter Donigan. before i get into Hunter, her journey and our day, a brief introduction of to the DFMC Patient Partner Program. the DFMC PPP matches runners with patients at the Institutes Jimmy Fund Clinic. this is my second year as a running partner to Hunter and her family. Hunter is 6 years old. she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) when she was 18 months old. her first treatment lasted 2 years and 1 month. she spent 2 months off treatment, then relapsed. my friends, one wish and prayer i have for you is that you never see an email in your mailbox that says "we got bad news today." on march 20, 2006, i got that email and it sucked, it sucked so bad. countless times i've asked how they do it? how this family has the strength to go through this not once but TWICE? i can't answer the question, but they have, through their strength, will, determination and love, here we are just over 2 years later and the kid (and family) are kicking ass and taking names! kcuf recnac (martin that's for you, thanks!).
i have known Hunter and her family for 5 years now but she's only been my partner for this year and last. you see my friend Katie, her mom, ran on the team in 2006 but with the new treatment schedule and a 4th "bun in the oven", she had to take the last 2 years off. next year when she is back on the team i am hoping we can share the duties ;-). i as a runner have grown to need this little persons strength. i can honestly credit much of my running success to Hunter. when you meet her and her family all you get from them is determination, love, unconditional support, and unmatched strength. selfishly i grab and hold onto as much as i can, when i know they are with me there is nothing i can't do. for us DFMCers, if i may speak for my peeps, our real success comes from truly embracing why we do this, that ultimate finish line. kcuf recnac.
on to my day, for the first time in about 5 years i called in sick. now was i really sick... no. i didn't feel great but on a normal day would i have called out? obviously not since it's been 5 years (and the last time i'm quite sure i was hungover). so i got up nice and late and went over to the Jimmy Fund Clinic where Hunter was getting treatment. if you haven't been over there GO, it's an amazing place. as soon as i get there we get right to work, creating her poster for the Pasta Party. seriously, the thing is LEGIT! we've got sparkles, stickers, mazes, pompom hair (i don't know what you call that pom pom stuff) and we've got "bling" like you read about! while i'm there, there was so much going on, nurses in and out, bells ringing, tears, laughter, wandering patients just stopping in to say "hi." no matter what it was, Hunter wasn't even phased, amazing, the kid is a rock star. finally the poster making comes to an end, (seriously we have so much "stuff" on this thing, all i can think is "abby is going to kill me, there is no way in hell they are going to be able to laminate this!" sorry abs!) and Hunter wanted a drink, so Katie leaves for a couple of minutes. Hunter and i are kicking back watching TV, "kimpossible" i think when all of a sudden something starts beeping (not alarming, just kind of annoying). obviously i have no idea what's going on but i do know it is coming from the apparatus by her bed. so i look at IT (give it the stare down as if that will make it stop), i look at Hunter (intently watching kim-what's-her-face save the world), look at the TV (to see if she is in fact saving the world because she certainly isn't turning the beeping off), then look back at the darn machine. without even looking away from kim-whose-a-ma-dinghy, Hunter presses the big red button on the gigantic remote thing... still dinging.... still dinging..... where the heck is this nurse..... still dinging... then like an angel a voice sounds "can i help you?" (p.s. not angelic) um... um... i look at Hunter, ah, kid are you gonna say something..... nope. so i say in the meekest voice (none of you have ever heard) "um, yeah hi, the, ah thing... um machine... it's 'dinging'." the voice "okay be right there." PHEW, saved! then from nowhere, a voice from the bed. without taking her eyes off of kim-dingle-nuts, "it's ringing, not dinging." i start cracking up laughing, and say to this 6 year old, "well, how am i suppose to know what's going one, you were suppose to do the talking, not me." Hunter just starts cracking up. it was hilarious, the kid totally called me out! the two of us got laughing pretty good thankfully, temporarily drowning out that dinging, i mean ringing!
so that was my tuesday at the office. after work i joined the group for beers and pizza in waltham, oh yeah and a hill workout. good times. as i said the first time i blogged, it's all about the celebration. for you, what you've done, for someone else, for their life. blow off work and celebrate my friends!
kcuf recnac!
RUN ON.
27 days
huntersrunningpartnerlaurie
http://www.caringbridge.org/ma/hunter/
i have known Hunter and her family for 5 years now but she's only been my partner for this year and last. you see my friend Katie, her mom, ran on the team in 2006 but with the new treatment schedule and a 4th "bun in the oven", she had to take the last 2 years off. next year when she is back on the team i am hoping we can share the duties ;-). i as a runner have grown to need this little persons strength. i can honestly credit much of my running success to Hunter. when you meet her and her family all you get from them is determination, love, unconditional support, and unmatched strength. selfishly i grab and hold onto as much as i can, when i know they are with me there is nothing i can't do. for us DFMCers, if i may speak for my peeps, our real success comes from truly embracing why we do this, that ultimate finish line. kcuf recnac.
on to my day, for the first time in about 5 years i called in sick. now was i really sick... no. i didn't feel great but on a normal day would i have called out? obviously not since it's been 5 years (and the last time i'm quite sure i was hungover). so i got up nice and late and went over to the Jimmy Fund Clinic where Hunter was getting treatment. if you haven't been over there GO, it's an amazing place. as soon as i get there we get right to work, creating her poster for the Pasta Party. seriously, the thing is LEGIT! we've got sparkles, stickers, mazes, pompom hair (i don't know what you call that pom pom stuff) and we've got "bling" like you read about! while i'm there, there was so much going on, nurses in and out, bells ringing, tears, laughter, wandering patients just stopping in to say "hi." no matter what it was, Hunter wasn't even phased, amazing, the kid is a rock star. finally the poster making comes to an end, (seriously we have so much "stuff" on this thing, all i can think is "abby is going to kill me, there is no way in hell they are going to be able to laminate this!" sorry abs!) and Hunter wanted a drink, so Katie leaves for a couple of minutes. Hunter and i are kicking back watching TV, "kimpossible" i think when all of a sudden something starts beeping (not alarming, just kind of annoying). obviously i have no idea what's going on but i do know it is coming from the apparatus by her bed. so i look at IT (give it the stare down as if that will make it stop), i look at Hunter (intently watching kim-what's-her-face save the world), look at the TV (to see if she is in fact saving the world because she certainly isn't turning the beeping off), then look back at the darn machine. without even looking away from kim-whose-a-ma-dinghy, Hunter presses the big red button on the gigantic remote thing... still dinging.... still dinging..... where the heck is this nurse..... still dinging... then like an angel a voice sounds "can i help you?" (p.s. not angelic) um... um... i look at Hunter, ah, kid are you gonna say something..... nope. so i say in the meekest voice (none of you have ever heard) "um, yeah hi, the, ah thing... um machine... it's 'dinging'." the voice "okay be right there." PHEW, saved! then from nowhere, a voice from the bed. without taking her eyes off of kim-dingle-nuts, "it's ringing, not dinging." i start cracking up laughing, and say to this 6 year old, "well, how am i suppose to know what's going one, you were suppose to do the talking, not me." Hunter just starts cracking up. it was hilarious, the kid totally called me out! the two of us got laughing pretty good thankfully, temporarily drowning out that dinging, i mean ringing!
so that was my tuesday at the office. after work i joined the group for beers and pizza in waltham, oh yeah and a hill workout. good times. as i said the first time i blogged, it's all about the celebration. for you, what you've done, for someone else, for their life. blow off work and celebrate my friends!
kcuf recnac!
RUN ON.
27 days
huntersrunningpartnerlaurie
http://www.caringbridge.org/ma/hunter/
Monday, March 24, 2008
FUNDRAISING PHASE II
i'm not sure if anyone knows this but i'm selling training shirts as a fundraiser. i am happy to say that the project has been ridiculously successful, and i owe it all to you! thank you, thank you, thank you!
now onto phase II; FAN T-SHIRTS for your sideline crew on April 21st or maybe donor thank you gifts. the design will be the same, except it will be a cotton t-shirt.
since everyone has been really receptive to the "slogan poll" on your right, i have added another one, color.
black (see training shirt)
or
red (seen here)
come on friends, polls are fun!?
i assume the reason no one has participated in the first one is because you need an explanation... so here it is. my hope is to screen the back with a slogan, something short & sweet (possibly creative). to entice you into clicking off your fav, the first 5 people to give me their thoughts on color and slogan will get one from me as a "thank you for playing" gift! so participate in BOTH polls, and if you are one of the first 5, add a comment to this post so i and everyone will know you won.
thanks again everyone!
laurie
PS - 28 days from right now we will be celebrating.... keep running friends... we're almost there!
now onto phase II; FAN T-SHIRTS for your sideline crew on April 21st or maybe donor thank you gifts. the design will be the same, except it will be a cotton t-shirt.
since everyone has been really receptive to the "slogan poll" on your right, i have added another one, color.
black (see training shirt)
or
red (seen here)
come on friends, polls are fun!?
i assume the reason no one has participated in the first one is because you need an explanation... so here it is. my hope is to screen the back with a slogan, something short & sweet (possibly creative). to entice you into clicking off your fav, the first 5 people to give me their thoughts on color and slogan will get one from me as a "thank you for playing" gift! so participate in BOTH polls, and if you are one of the first 5, add a comment to this post so i and everyone will know you won.
thanks again everyone!
laurie
PS - 28 days from right now we will be celebrating.... keep running friends... we're almost there!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
myTunes...urTunes
There was an interesting conversation over a couple of beers and a heaping helping of pulled pork the other night that centered around music. In particular, the conversation was focused on the importance of music in our daily excercise routines, whether we're out for a routine training run, or tasked with the chore of customizing entertaining and motivating playlists for a group of overprivelaged, exercised obsessed college juniors for their 7:15AM spin class. Music is an important part of our training routine, especially on longer runs. The secret is to find an eclectic enough sampling of music to adapt and conform to various terrain, times of day, mood, energy level, level of hangover, etc. Fifteen straight alternative tunes will give you a headache. An hour of straight hip-hop will leave you desiring some funk or maybe some freedom rock. Time and time again runners neglect their sensory needs by overloading on the same top-40 rhetoric for hours on end. People: do we do long runs every day? Do we run hills 4 days in a row? We must vary our music the same way we vary our workouts to be truly balanced, fullfilled, and most of all, to free our glutens. The following suggestions should be liberally sprinkled into your own playlists. They should not be abused, overplayed, or overly relied upon, but used as support for your existing musical selections. What follows is a categorical offering of various songs that, if used correctly, are guaranteed to improve your running satisfaction, and maybe your overall lives.
Old School Rap: The recommendation here is various tracks from A Tribe Called Quest, particularly from their 1991 album, "Low End Theory." Try the following tracks: Scenario, Jazz, Vibes and Stuff, and Verses from the Abstract. These tunes are methodically rythmical and the rap is smooth and easy on the ears. They'll leave you with a light, easy step, sure to free your glutens. If this works for you, check out "My Writes" by De La Soul, off their Art Official Intelligence album.
Latin: That's right, Latin. Por que me cuestionas asi? Soy el maestro y no mereces la atencion que les regalo. Check out the band Orishas, which is a cuban rap group that should not be missed. You will not understand a word (unless you are bilingual) but it won't matter. This will rock your world. Try the tracks "Represent" and "A lo Cubano" off their album A Lo Cubano. This is also great music to play during any bake sale.
Rock: If you've never been to New Orleans, you've probably never heard of Cowboy Mouth. Shame on you. They might just be the most entertaining band on earth. Front man Fred LeBlanc belts out the vocals while serving as the bands drummer. Check out "Jenny Says" off of their album Word of Mouth, as well as "Why ya wanna do me like you do?" off of Mercy Land. You will dig it.
Alternative: True story....while at a hole in the wall bar in Sedona, Arizona, many margaritas were thrown back with a musician who played a few tunes on the jukebox by a band called Kings of Leon. The band members are brothers who are sons of a Pentecostal minister and grew up traveling around the deep south singing in churches. Best way to describe them is Lynyrd Skynyrd meets the Black Crowes on acid. These guys rock. Check out the songs, "The Bucket", "Wasted Time", and "Four Kicks."
Blues/Funk: Ian Moore, this guy is one bad dude. Best way to describe his music is Stevie Ray Vaugh meets Stevie Wonder. This is definitely different, but you need different... Shake it up a little for God's sake! Download "Deliver Me" from his cleverly titled album, Ian Moore and it will keep your feet moving in a totally different way. By the time you're done, you will think you have the metabolism of a 12 year old. While you're there, check out the song "Satisfied." It is not a good running song, but beautiful and poetic and will make you think of someone special.
Foo Fighters: You heard right. Foo Fighters deserve their own genre of music because their so darn good. Seriously, Dave Grohl was the drummer for Nirvana before starting this band. The drummer! Can you name any drummers for any bands? Exactly. This guy is a genious. So, for great running, try the tunes "All My Life" and "Times Like These" off of their album One by One. Two other great, great tunes that are not so good for running, but absolutely need to be mentioned; the accoustic version of "Everlong "(find it on You Tube from the Howard Stern Show), and "Home" on their new album, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. It is not a good running song. It might even make you cry, which is generally not good for running....but we all need to cry once in a while and this song might just help you.
You were just served up 15 tunes across 5 genres of music that will make you a better runner, and a better person. You have iTunes, the $15 to make it happen....and you clearly have the time at work to download these tunes and follow the treasure map put before you. If you've read this far, here's a proposition for you. The first 5 people to leave comments get this playlist on a CD, saving you the aforementioned $15 (no we're not just going to give you the 15 bucks, you'll get the music and like it!). Our job is done. Rock out friends!
Old School Rap: The recommendation here is various tracks from A Tribe Called Quest, particularly from their 1991 album, "Low End Theory." Try the following tracks: Scenario, Jazz, Vibes and Stuff, and Verses from the Abstract. These tunes are methodically rythmical and the rap is smooth and easy on the ears. They'll leave you with a light, easy step, sure to free your glutens. If this works for you, check out "My Writes" by De La Soul, off their Art Official Intelligence album.
Latin: That's right, Latin. Por que me cuestionas asi? Soy el maestro y no mereces la atencion que les regalo. Check out the band Orishas, which is a cuban rap group that should not be missed. You will not understand a word (unless you are bilingual) but it won't matter. This will rock your world. Try the tracks "Represent" and "A lo Cubano" off their album A Lo Cubano. This is also great music to play during any bake sale.
Rock: If you've never been to New Orleans, you've probably never heard of Cowboy Mouth. Shame on you. They might just be the most entertaining band on earth. Front man Fred LeBlanc belts out the vocals while serving as the bands drummer. Check out "Jenny Says" off of their album Word of Mouth, as well as "Why ya wanna do me like you do?" off of Mercy Land. You will dig it.
Alternative: True story....while at a hole in the wall bar in Sedona, Arizona, many margaritas were thrown back with a musician who played a few tunes on the jukebox by a band called Kings of Leon. The band members are brothers who are sons of a Pentecostal minister and grew up traveling around the deep south singing in churches. Best way to describe them is Lynyrd Skynyrd meets the Black Crowes on acid. These guys rock. Check out the songs, "The Bucket", "Wasted Time", and "Four Kicks."
Blues/Funk: Ian Moore, this guy is one bad dude. Best way to describe his music is Stevie Ray Vaugh meets Stevie Wonder. This is definitely different, but you need different... Shake it up a little for God's sake! Download "Deliver Me" from his cleverly titled album, Ian Moore and it will keep your feet moving in a totally different way. By the time you're done, you will think you have the metabolism of a 12 year old. While you're there, check out the song "Satisfied." It is not a good running song, but beautiful and poetic and will make you think of someone special.
Foo Fighters: You heard right. Foo Fighters deserve their own genre of music because their so darn good. Seriously, Dave Grohl was the drummer for Nirvana before starting this band. The drummer! Can you name any drummers for any bands? Exactly. This guy is a genious. So, for great running, try the tunes "All My Life" and "Times Like These" off of their album One by One. Two other great, great tunes that are not so good for running, but absolutely need to be mentioned; the accoustic version of "Everlong "(find it on You Tube from the Howard Stern Show), and "Home" on their new album, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. It is not a good running song. It might even make you cry, which is generally not good for running....but we all need to cry once in a while and this song might just help you.
You were just served up 15 tunes across 5 genres of music that will make you a better runner, and a better person. You have iTunes, the $15 to make it happen....and you clearly have the time at work to download these tunes and follow the treasure map put before you. If you've read this far, here's a proposition for you. The first 5 people to leave comments get this playlist on a CD, saving you the aforementioned $15 (no we're not just going to give you the 15 bucks, you'll get the music and like it!). Our job is done. Rock out friends!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
DFMCers in the house...
perhaps i am making a bold assumption, but i think we may have some new spectators to the blog as a direct result of the mass DFMC team-only training shirt email that i sent out last night. as aimee said this morning, "do you realize that you have exposed our blog to the entire team!?!" GULP!
for all of you "twentysixpointtoomanymiles" blogspot first-timers, our "regulars" (all 6 of them!) can attest, we are really bad bloggers. i mean, really bad. or maybe we are just really lazy. regardless, hopefully knowing that we could potentially have hundreds of new viewers on a daily basis will keep us actively writing, wouldn't that be great?!? running friends from us to you, if you want to make it to april 21st... don't hold your breath between entries!
a brief background, because as some of you may find, you have to look out of curiosity (kind of like a car wreck). if you stay and read, please know that for the most part, the purpose of this blog is NOT to tell you how many miles we are running, or how we did in a race we participated in, nor is it a place where we will get super sentimental (however, we may, but if we make you cry we will follow it up with a reason to laugh. promise). we have welcomed/encouraged ALL of our viewers to be guest bloggers; a couple of people have already taken us up on this nice offer(we've posted 1 out of 3. please read about red bones' privates below).
what else can i say, it's only tuesday and we've already posted... log that in the record book. oh yes, one more thing.... in less than 24 hours the response to the training shirts is unbelievable already. i have ordered some, so my plan to get them out within 3 weeks looks feasible. finally, MUCH NEEDED THANK YOU'S to dave sho (yes i know i should have pre-ordered 2 weeks ago), leah & primetime (thank you for your patience when dave had none), abby (i can't promise the questions & confusions will stop) ben! ben! ben! (you saved me 2 weeks of entering all 543 email addresses... with that said if you feel like you've been "spammed" blame ben... ;-) !).
so with that said, read on, have fun, keep running april 21st is only a few weeks away!
for all of you "twentysixpointtoomanymiles" blogspot first-timers, our "regulars" (all 6 of them!) can attest, we are really bad bloggers. i mean, really bad. or maybe we are just really lazy. regardless, hopefully knowing that we could potentially have hundreds of new viewers on a daily basis will keep us actively writing, wouldn't that be great?!? running friends from us to you, if you want to make it to april 21st... don't hold your breath between entries!
a brief background, because as some of you may find, you have to look out of curiosity (kind of like a car wreck). if you stay and read, please know that for the most part, the purpose of this blog is NOT to tell you how many miles we are running, or how we did in a race we participated in, nor is it a place where we will get super sentimental (however, we may, but if we make you cry we will follow it up with a reason to laugh. promise). we have welcomed/encouraged ALL of our viewers to be guest bloggers; a couple of people have already taken us up on this nice offer(we've posted 1 out of 3. please read about red bones' privates below).
what else can i say, it's only tuesday and we've already posted... log that in the record book. oh yes, one more thing.... in less than 24 hours the response to the training shirts is unbelievable already. i have ordered some, so my plan to get them out within 3 weeks looks feasible. finally, MUCH NEEDED THANK YOU'S to dave sho (yes i know i should have pre-ordered 2 weeks ago), leah & primetime (thank you for your patience when dave had none), abby (i can't promise the questions & confusions will stop) ben! ben! ben! (you saved me 2 weeks of entering all 543 email addresses... with that said if you feel like you've been "spammed" blame ben... ;-) !).
so with that said, read on, have fun, keep running april 21st is only a few weeks away!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
a short retort
after red bones submitted the male side of the “support” spectrum, the plan was to write a witty comeback about women and the beloved sports bra. pages and pages could have been published on the binding, and the chafing and above all else, the formation of the NEVER-sexy UNIBOOB. clearly that “plan” never panned out, so no excuses will be made for the lack of post, just an apology to any women out there that needed us to be your platform for comfort, support & sex appeal and the impossibilities of such a thing when talking about or actually wearing a sports bra. (please do read the comments posted by kerry to red bones "lack of support" blog, in a way, she kind of did our job for us).
if you’re asking yourself, “why now? why, after over a week, do you feel it necessary to chime in?” well readers, the answer is this, we heard the whole story. last tuesday night after a track workout at tufts, a group of us ventured to red bones in davis square. at red bones, by red bones, the unedited, unabridged, TWISTED story was revealed. after what was unveiled, the conclusion came that any comment made (spoken or blogged), comparing men and women relative to the jock strap and the sports bra as they relate to injury of the goods would not be right.
men v. women – on the subject of support apparatus’
1-0
in any case, Red Bones one word my friend: O U C H ! and with that, one request: next time you want to indulge us in a story like that with such great detail, can it start after more than a single michelob ultra and 3 bites of pulled pork have been ingested. that was at least a 5 beers ( & maybe a shot) kinda story. and under no circumstances should there be pulled anything on the table.
YIKES!
as an aside, i think most women will agree that the construction of the sports bra is fine. there are so many out there, in all shapes, colors and styles so for that we have a leg up on the fellas. however, i would beg that these bra building companies do something about that sexy-factor…. it would be to the benefit of all, women and men. in a bizarre way (i would say twisted, but that would be wrong) some of us find jock straps cute. from a woman’s (or man’s) perspective there is nothing “cute” about the single pancaked aforementioned uniboob.
if you’re asking yourself, “why now? why, after over a week, do you feel it necessary to chime in?” well readers, the answer is this, we heard the whole story. last tuesday night after a track workout at tufts, a group of us ventured to red bones in davis square. at red bones, by red bones, the unedited, unabridged, TWISTED story was revealed. after what was unveiled, the conclusion came that any comment made (spoken or blogged), comparing men and women relative to the jock strap and the sports bra as they relate to injury of the goods would not be right.
men v. women – on the subject of support apparatus’
1-0
in any case, Red Bones one word my friend: O U C H ! and with that, one request: next time you want to indulge us in a story like that with such great detail, can it start after more than a single michelob ultra and 3 bites of pulled pork have been ingested. that was at least a 5 beers ( & maybe a shot) kinda story. and under no circumstances should there be pulled anything on the table.
YIKES!
as an aside, i think most women will agree that the construction of the sports bra is fine. there are so many out there, in all shapes, colors and styles so for that we have a leg up on the fellas. however, i would beg that these bra building companies do something about that sexy-factor…. it would be to the benefit of all, women and men. in a bizarre way (i would say twisted, but that would be wrong) some of us find jock straps cute. from a woman’s (or man’s) perspective there is nothing “cute” about the single pancaked aforementioned uniboob.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
a little support...
It's not often talked about, because guys are supposed to be tough. And guy marathoners--marathoners in general being a tough lot, impervious to the elements and with unusual threshholds for pain--are supposed to be tougher still. But someone has to come out and talk about it. Staying silent any longer will only perpetuate the hurting, and God knows we've suffered long enough. The last 5 years have brought about some wonderful innovations in running...the Garmin GPS watch, the iPod chip for your Nike's, Bodyglide, Gu, etc, etc. Yet, despite man's (and woman's) adeptness to innovate and make, by many accounts, a torturous activity less painful, we have failed to make any improvements in the most essential piece of running equipment of all--the jockstrap. In 1874, Charles Bennett of the Chicago sporting goods company, Sharp & Smith, invented the jockstrap. I'm sorry to say that the basic design has not changed much since then. A typical jockstrap consists of an elastic waistband with a support pouch for the genitalia and two elastic straps affixed to the base of the pouch and to the left and right sides of the waistband at the hip. This is all well and good if you're looking for a little extra support to check the mail, or say, do some light gardening. But, people...please! We're talking about sustained, vigorous physical activity for several hours with 130 year old technology protecting the most precious asset known to man (literally). For starters, for those of you (like me...and maybe Martin) that genuinely need the support, a jock strap must be tight fitting. You don't just want the thing casually covering the groceries. I'm talking about real support. Have you ever heard of testicular tortion? I didn't think so. Try explaining that one to the emergency room nurse. My point is, to get any type of real support, you're talking about a waist band (referenced above) and straps affixed to the pouch (also referenced above) that are likely lacerating the skin in some fairly sensitive areas....with 42,000 or so strides in a marathon, think of the number of times those straps are ruthlessly rubbing in and around the "no fly zone." And while the adrenaline is often times enough to get you through the run itself, there is always the shower afterwards...and soap and water have a way of penetrating the "no fly zone" (OUCH!!!!) and reminding you after every long run history has improved a lot of things, but has abandoned the male distance runner on a painful island, begging to be rescued. So please, guys...join with me in my protest...and girls, support (no pun intended) the guy you love. It's the 21st century. Call your local sporting goods company, write Champion, or Under Armour. Fix the damn jockstrap!
-Red Bones
-Red Bones
Monday, February 4, 2008
yet another idea...
guest bloggers....
since we are seemingly doing a below average job of keeping up, why don't you the viewers punch in. we have one person on board, ready and willing (perhaps a bit too willing which could prove to be a bit dicey) so how about being the next and then the next after that. you do not have to be a DFMCer, and you don't have to talk about running but you certainly can. our mission here is to do our part in the fight against cancer. any stories, thoughts, memories, light or heavy hearted please share. if you are interested in posting something through "twentysixpointtoomanymiles," and we truly hope you are (not because you are getting us off the hook) please email us at twentysixpointtoomanymiles@gmail.com and we will get your thoughts out there (and keep you anonymous if you want).
i like it.... i like it a lot.
red bones you're up.
since we are seemingly doing a below average job of keeping up, why don't you the viewers punch in. we have one person on board, ready and willing (perhaps a bit too willing which could prove to be a bit dicey) so how about being the next and then the next after that. you do not have to be a DFMCer, and you don't have to talk about running but you certainly can. our mission here is to do our part in the fight against cancer. any stories, thoughts, memories, light or heavy hearted please share. if you are interested in posting something through "twentysixpointtoomanymiles," and we truly hope you are (not because you are getting us off the hook) please email us at twentysixpointtoomanymiles@gmail.com and we will get your thoughts out there (and keep you anonymous if you want).
i like it.... i like it a lot.
red bones you're up.
Friday, February 1, 2008
an idea...
so far i think the best part of this blogging thing is reading the comments... i urge (and beg) you to leave one... instead of emailing us individually, crapping on our feeble attempt at this blogging thing, write one for all to laugh at, agree with or come to our defense (yeah right, we know our audience)....
for example...
"While I appreciate your effort to appease your blog readers by telling us that there will be more entries. That entry does not actually count as an entry and there have been no subsequent entries since the apology."
seriously - laughed out loud..... i will keep you anonymous, but that stuff has to be published.
good weekend to all...
need i even say GO PATS? of course i do
GO PATS!
for example...
"While I appreciate your effort to appease your blog readers by telling us that there will be more entries. That entry does not actually count as an entry and there have been no subsequent entries since the apology."
seriously - laughed out loud..... i will keep you anonymous, but that stuff has to be published.
good weekend to all...
need i even say GO PATS? of course i do
GO PATS!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
what the heck happened?
we were off and running, and then "BAM!"... nothing.... our apologies. for everyone out there (and believe it or not, there have actually been a few people that have been checking this blog -- either out of obligation, boredom, what have you..) who have been asking what the heck happened to us, we promise to be better. the abridged version of what has happened since the last post: laurie has been to and from southern california and to and from visiting the relatives in syracuse the last two weekends; while aimee has been to and from the couch, due to a nagging head cold. the running has continued to go well, as has the fundraising (only because aimee has begun reaching into people's pockets as only she can).
so, we are back to keeping the "twentysixpointtoomanymiles" fans happy and entertained, and from this day forward, we vow to take it more serious. so here it goes, getting serious.
game faces are officially on!
so, we are back to keeping the "twentysixpointtoomanymiles" fans happy and entertained, and from this day forward, we vow to take it more serious. so here it goes, getting serious.
game faces are officially on!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
how on earth do i follow aimee's post? right now i could bust into a blogging hugfest (would that be a "blugfest"?), but i won't as aimee's talents and accomplishments will come out as we run forward. however aimee, i thank you for the kind words (nazi - kind word, hmmm... ;-)) and if i can say, i can't wait for the day when i walk into the locker room ready for that run and without batting an eye (or having that LONG internal conversation) you will say "firehouse!?!" and i will say, "yeah, sure but let's add a rez." oh yeah, it's coming my friend.
the run today - from my point of view, was great.... how could it not have been, i fueled up with 4 cups of coffee, hadn't eaten since 830A and it was a balmy 32 degrees out. i'm not kidding about that, but it was in fact a good run. we banged out a "firehouse" on a chilly but beautiful light-wind-sun-shining day. the miles flew by since we chatted the whole time, clearly a conversation of the "good" variety as next thing we know, we're done. yesssssss! i don't care what any running "yahoo" says, the best part of running is being done. not only because of the miles logged for training, or time/pace improvement from a previous run but because you can eat and drink anything you want for the remainder of the day. my good people, that is the "post-run celebration," whether you ran (or walked) 1 mile, 10 or 26.2, you've earned the right to celebrate yourself. makes you wanna lace up the old trainers doesn't it?
i need to sign-off because it's super late, but before i do i must prepare you for a few days without me. i'm heading west for the long weekend (happy b-day MLK). i tell you this not because i think you will miss me but because i'm trying to make you jealous. picture this, i'm running along the pacific coast highway, it's 70 degrees out, i'm in shorts and a t-shirt, iPod cranking, all while taking in sights of west coast. call me a running geek if you want but i am SO looking forward to saturdays jaunt. (and i'm pretty sure the aforementioned celebration on the santa monica pier won't be so bad either! no, not bad at all). if i can find a computer, i promise i will tell you how fabulous it was, the run that is (you can hear about the rest of my trip on my other blogspot...kidding... seriously, i'm kidding!).
the run today - from my point of view, was great.... how could it not have been, i fueled up with 4 cups of coffee, hadn't eaten since 830A and it was a balmy 32 degrees out. i'm not kidding about that, but it was in fact a good run. we banged out a "firehouse" on a chilly but beautiful light-wind-sun-shining day. the miles flew by since we chatted the whole time, clearly a conversation of the "good" variety as next thing we know, we're done. yesssssss! i don't care what any running "yahoo" says, the best part of running is being done. not only because of the miles logged for training, or time/pace improvement from a previous run but because you can eat and drink anything you want for the remainder of the day. my good people, that is the "post-run celebration," whether you ran (or walked) 1 mile, 10 or 26.2, you've earned the right to celebrate yourself. makes you wanna lace up the old trainers doesn't it?
i need to sign-off because it's super late, but before i do i must prepare you for a few days without me. i'm heading west for the long weekend (happy b-day MLK). i tell you this not because i think you will miss me but because i'm trying to make you jealous. picture this, i'm running along the pacific coast highway, it's 70 degrees out, i'm in shorts and a t-shirt, iPod cranking, all while taking in sights of west coast. call me a running geek if you want but i am SO looking forward to saturdays jaunt. (and i'm pretty sure the aforementioned celebration on the santa monica pier won't be so bad either! no, not bad at all). if i can find a computer, i promise i will tell you how fabulous it was, the run that is (you can hear about the rest of my trip on my other blogspot...kidding... seriously, i'm kidding!).
2 finishing thoughts...
FIRST, the weekend forecast for boston:
friday - rain (high 40/low 24)
saturday - partly cloudy (high 36/low 18)
patriots sunday - partly cloudy & windy (high 23/low 7) GO PATS!
AND words from Martin Luther King, Jr (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968)
The Hardest Step...
"The hardest step for a runner to take is the first one out the door." - Ron Clarke, world record holder in the marathon in the 1960's
Ain't that the truth! Especially when you live in Boston, and you are training during the beautiful winters we have up here in New England --- cold, windy, icy, dark --- and to make matters worse, you don't actually consider yourself a "runner," yet you have to run a marathon in 3 months! Darn it. Why do I get myself involved with these things?
For those of you who know me, you know that I have always been anything but a "runner." Basketball? Bring it. Soccer? Love it. Spinning? Sure. Golf? I'll try it. Running? HELL NO! I still have nightmares about the 1.5 mile running test in the Plex during BC basketball preseason workouts, and the never-ending suicides that me and Kim Beezer had to run during freshman year.....(sorry Kim, definitely my fault). Well, I guess I've changed my tune over the last couple of years, thanks in large part to my friend Laurie. For those of you who don't know Laurie, this year's marathon will mark her 10th Boston Marathon and her 15th overall marathon. Not too shabby for a Stonehill soccer player, eh? Her discipline and success in this sport are contagious, and the rest of us mere mortals can only admire how she goes about her training in a quiet yet highly intense manner -- and, oh by the way, she actually ENJOYS this crap! CRAZY! So, here I am -- a few years later, after watching and admiring her from the sidelines on Marathon Monday, beer(s) always in hand (sometimes both hands), with my BC faithful --- attempting to run my second marathon. And run it well. Oh yeah, and I'm trying to actually keep up with her on training runs... no small task.
A day in the life of trying to keep up with the Running Nazi.... Picture this: four hours ago, today. We meet each other in the BC locker room to change and get a run in.
aimee: "so, laurie, what are you thinking in terms of mileage today?"
laurie: "firehouse."
(this is code for a 9 mile run, up/down/up/down/up/down the hills of Newton --- and back again in the opposite direction)
aimee: "oh. really."
(long pause)
(damn, is she serious? my legs are still hurting me from Sunday's long run)
(she's a friggin mad woman. tell me again why I agreed to run with her today?)
aimee: "actually, Laurie, the training schedule only calls for a 4 to 6-miler today....so, I was thinking of going shorter.....ya know....shorter than 9."
(another long pause and a major glare from her in my direction)
(glare, glare, glare)
aimee: "um... so.... I guess you wanted to do more than 4 to 6 today? um..... ok. yeah. I guess we can do 9 miles today. I mean, my legs are hurting a bit, but I guess we can do 9."
(UGH!!! I hate her! hate her! did I mention that I hate her??!!!!!)
(if looks could kill! stop looking at me like that!)
aimee: "ok, let's do 9."
(we did 9. and did it well.)
The reason I tell you this story? Whatever Laurie says when it comes to running, goes. And whatever she tells me about running is Bible to me. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but I'm thinking that it's a good thing. I hope. Fingers crossed.
One last example. I'm looking back at my 2006 marathon training log/journal. Here is my entry from the week of February 6th, 7th and 8th of that year. ".....lots of negativity...need to push through....terrible week....took two days off from working out because I am overtired and need a mental break from this crap...." And then --- there it is --- the very next day, I went on a 9 mile run with Laurie, and here is my next entry in all CAPS: "A CRITICAL RUN TODAY. WAS VERY NEGATIVE THIS WEEK. AS LAURIE PUT IT TO ME SQUARE BETWEEN THE EYES "GET OVER IT, OR ELSE YOU WON'T GET BETTER. GET OVER IT QUICK."
We all have our good days and bad days -- hopefully many more good days than bad. Right? Right. That's what life's all about. Make today better than yesterday. So, as of today, I'm fortunate to be feeling pretty good. Just 3 months shy of Marathon Monday. Scary yet exciting.
Moral of the Story: Those Hard Steps are always hard, but they get easier when you have the Running Nazi glaring in your direction, holding you accountable.
Smile Laurie, that's a compliment. Thanks for pushing me today!
Ain't that the truth! Especially when you live in Boston, and you are training during the beautiful winters we have up here in New England --- cold, windy, icy, dark --- and to make matters worse, you don't actually consider yourself a "runner," yet you have to run a marathon in 3 months! Darn it. Why do I get myself involved with these things?
For those of you who know me, you know that I have always been anything but a "runner." Basketball? Bring it. Soccer? Love it. Spinning? Sure. Golf? I'll try it. Running? HELL NO! I still have nightmares about the 1.5 mile running test in the Plex during BC basketball preseason workouts, and the never-ending suicides that me and Kim Beezer had to run during freshman year.....(sorry Kim, definitely my fault). Well, I guess I've changed my tune over the last couple of years, thanks in large part to my friend Laurie. For those of you who don't know Laurie, this year's marathon will mark her 10th Boston Marathon and her 15th overall marathon. Not too shabby for a Stonehill soccer player, eh? Her discipline and success in this sport are contagious, and the rest of us mere mortals can only admire how she goes about her training in a quiet yet highly intense manner -- and, oh by the way, she actually ENJOYS this crap! CRAZY! So, here I am -- a few years later, after watching and admiring her from the sidelines on Marathon Monday, beer(s) always in hand (sometimes both hands), with my BC faithful --- attempting to run my second marathon. And run it well. Oh yeah, and I'm trying to actually keep up with her on training runs... no small task.
A day in the life of trying to keep up with the Running Nazi.... Picture this: four hours ago, today. We meet each other in the BC locker room to change and get a run in.
aimee: "so, laurie, what are you thinking in terms of mileage today?"
laurie: "firehouse."
(this is code for a 9 mile run, up/down/up/down/up/down the hills of Newton --- and back again in the opposite direction)
aimee: "oh. really."
(long pause)
(damn, is she serious? my legs are still hurting me from Sunday's long run)
(she's a friggin mad woman. tell me again why I agreed to run with her today?)
aimee: "actually, Laurie, the training schedule only calls for a 4 to 6-miler today....so, I was thinking of going shorter.....ya know....shorter than 9."
(another long pause and a major glare from her in my direction)
(glare, glare, glare)
aimee: "um... so.... I guess you wanted to do more than 4 to 6 today? um..... ok. yeah. I guess we can do 9 miles today. I mean, my legs are hurting a bit, but I guess we can do 9."
(UGH!!! I hate her! hate her! did I mention that I hate her??!!!!!)
(if looks could kill! stop looking at me like that!)
aimee: "ok, let's do 9."
(we did 9. and did it well.)
The reason I tell you this story? Whatever Laurie says when it comes to running, goes. And whatever she tells me about running is Bible to me. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but I'm thinking that it's a good thing. I hope. Fingers crossed.
One last example. I'm looking back at my 2006 marathon training log/journal. Here is my entry from the week of February 6th, 7th and 8th of that year. ".....lots of negativity...need to push through....terrible week....took two days off from working out because I am overtired and need a mental break from this crap...." And then --- there it is --- the very next day, I went on a 9 mile run with Laurie, and here is my next entry in all CAPS: "A CRITICAL RUN TODAY. WAS VERY NEGATIVE THIS WEEK. AS LAURIE PUT IT TO ME SQUARE BETWEEN THE EYES "GET OVER IT, OR ELSE YOU WON'T GET BETTER. GET OVER IT QUICK."
We all have our good days and bad days -- hopefully many more good days than bad. Right? Right. That's what life's all about. Make today better than yesterday. So, as of today, I'm fortunate to be feeling pretty good. Just 3 months shy of Marathon Monday. Scary yet exciting.
Moral of the Story: Those Hard Steps are always hard, but they get easier when you have the Running Nazi glaring in your direction, holding you accountable.
Smile Laurie, that's a compliment. Thanks for pushing me today!
Monday, January 14, 2008
phew she's gone....
running 26.2 miles is less exhausting than trying to type with aimee breathing down my neck.... i'm only writing this because i know she went immediately back to her office to post something. welcome to our "blog" world, it'll be a long strange trip for sure....
i have nothing else to say, just wanted to beat her to the punch! for all here in the northeast, bend at the knee's when shoveling that snow. (mom & dad thanks for sending the plow guy over! miss you.)
i have nothing else to say, just wanted to beat her to the punch! for all here in the northeast, bend at the knee's when shoveling that snow. (mom & dad thanks for sending the plow guy over! miss you.)
and that's how it started.....
sarah nixon (http://www.bluestockingrunner.blogspot.com/) this first post is for you, for... well... i'm not going to say "guilting" us into creating this blog site, but definitely taking advantage of our exhausted state of being (throwing it out there as we were charging up johnny kelley's hill trying to keep up with you) . for some reason when we got to heartbreak hill, looking at the back of your head, we thought, yeah , that blogging thing might be kind of cool.... we'll just see about that ;-).
so here goes our blogging and of course running journey.
for any on lookers out there, this will be a 2 person effort. those 2 people being aimee mcguire wainwright and laurie nahigian. we are dana-farber marathon challenge runners, aimee for 2 years and laurie for 10. we will both be contributing to this, together and separately. as time goes on you will know who is writing when, even if we don't identify ourselves - aimee will most likely use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation and laurie will... well... not. either way or both together we hope you will tackle these mile with us, laughing or crying.
about DFMC, the short version (see http://www.rundfmc.org/ for more info), we run to raise money for critical cancer research done at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "The DFMC directs 100% of funds raised to the Barr Program, which enables scientists at the leading edge of discovery to achieve better cure rates and to enhance patients’ quality of life." this year our teams' goal is to raise $4.5 million dollars in an effort to ultimately find a cure for cancer.
so here goes our blogging and of course running journey.
for any on lookers out there, this will be a 2 person effort. those 2 people being aimee mcguire wainwright and laurie nahigian. we are dana-farber marathon challenge runners, aimee for 2 years and laurie for 10. we will both be contributing to this, together and separately. as time goes on you will know who is writing when, even if we don't identify ourselves - aimee will most likely use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation and laurie will... well... not. either way or both together we hope you will tackle these mile with us, laughing or crying.
about DFMC, the short version (see http://www.rundfmc.org/ for more info), we run to raise money for critical cancer research done at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "The DFMC directs 100% of funds raised to the Barr Program, which enables scientists at the leading edge of discovery to achieve better cure rates and to enhance patients’ quality of life." this year our teams' goal is to raise $4.5 million dollars in an effort to ultimately find a cure for cancer.
so back to our personal journeys, with 3 months and 6 days to go, you will have the honor and privilege to take it with us - - no, seriously, we'll owe you for reading this (our dads will have the checks in the mail soon). we will try to keep it as entertaining as possible, light and funny (if laurie is doing the writing), long and over spoken (yet perfectly punctuated if aimee is posting).
with that said, enjoy the read, we will be back soon. but until then..
run on good friends!
(oh wait, that's our job)
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