Tuesday, March 27, 2012
My New Orange Jacket
About a week ago, I got a coupon in the mail for 20% off of City Sports. A few nights later, I was walking home from dinner with friends when I walked past the Boylston location decked out in Orange and Black. I was on the phone at the time and started gushing to my friend about how amazing it all looked. Yes, the color is awful, but it is my year!
Fast forward to yesterday and I needed to get in a 4-5 miler. What a surprise, City Sports there and halfway back was exactly the distance I needed. I threw on my running shoes and made my way to the store where I proudly spent $80 on one of the ugliest jackets I have ever purchased. Yes, it is also pretty flimsy. Does it matter? Of course not, as this jacket means so much more than that. I carried that jacket home and hid it away as it is bad luck to have it out and about before then. It is hard to resist looking at it and I am tempted to ship it off to a friend until after the race. Readers, you now see how superstitious I am. In my life, I have never bought race memorabilia until after I have finished. Then again, I have never put so much energy and attention into training for a race before. Good thing the MCM merch is so much cheaper or I may go broke!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
23.54 and Dancing the Night Away
This past weekend ended up starting normal and ending up anything but normal. I came home Friday night and sat down to eat dinner and watch a movie. In bed by 10 pm, I was ready to go for the long run and activities that followed.
My alarm was set for 5:15 am Saturday morning, but I hit snooze a few times. For all that know me, it should come as no surprise! At 6:15 I was finally awake and ready to head out to meet the runners at BC. As I live pretty close to BC, I figured I would walk over to avoid having the hassle of parking in the garage. I also knew that it would probably be better to get some miles in before the run so that I didn't force people to wait for me at the end. 3.7 miles and I was running into the gym at BC to meet up with my team. I hit the bathroom, talked with people and heard the announcements. It was during that time that I realized we were really at the end. A bittersweet ending to an awesome season in which I loved almost all minutes of it.
Runners were off and we headed out west on Commonwealth Ave wishing each other good luck on the 22 miles about to happen. I was keeping a happy pace and stopped at the first water stop to say hi. The second water stop came by pretty fast. In between the 2nd and 3rd water stop, I noticed that there was a slower runner behind me. At the 3rd water stop, she caught up right as I was about to leave. I had two options at that point, keep running or see if she wanted to join up with me. Ruth kept saying that she didn't want to hold me back and I kept telling her that it was better that she did it than me go out to hard on the first half which is common. We were having fun gabbing away on through Wellesley on towards the college. As we were heading onto 135 the crowds started coming. I have run many races, but I have never in my life seen so many people on a day without a race occurring. Often times there would be 50-100 people on one block. So many people were nice and cheering each other on. It was nice to see so much support for each other as we all work towards the common goal of finishing Boston. Like any situation, there were some super rude people that got under my skin. A reminder to runners, we are all out there running for a good cause, so please be kind to each other. And yes, I am looking at the team that earns the rude card who were running in bunny ears and tails....I only wish I knew what team they were so I could write to their coach about the unsportsman behavior that occurred. After dealing with some of those "nice" runners, we were headed right on to Hope Street which signifies the start of the hills. I won't lie, the hills were tough, but it was nice not to go through them alone. We made it to the last water stop and knew we were in the home stretch. Pep talks were given to each other as needed, but we stuck together. 2 miles later and we were turning onto the BC campus.
I felt good as we were turning into the parking lot of the gym. In fact, I almost broke down crying as Ruth told me our final time for the 19.85 miles we had just done. It was a realty that I could make my goal time and finish well. Add the miles I did prior to the run with Ruth and I officially finished 23.59 miles. Way over my goal of 22, but that is what happens when you end up talking and not wanting to leave your running partner. We walked inside, stretched, debriefed and talked with the volunteers. I said goodbye and started the walk home.
As I had made it maybe .05 miles, Leslie asked me if I needed a ride. Leslie has been my team mom and biggest supporter this season and seeing her ask me for a ride was the perfect end to the support that she has provided the last few months. I hopped in her car and walked from the end of my street home. I ended up deciding I needed to loosen up a little more and walked an additional 1.42 miles to make sure I didn't cramp. Up the stairs and into an ice bath followed by a hot shower and I was jumping in the car to drive to the Berkshires.
A good friend was hosting her 50th birthday in true fashion and I couldn't miss it. The theme was medieval and it was necessary to be in full dress. Amazon was my savior in providing me with a nice medieval dress and I had packed my 2xu tights to sleep in. I put on my dress and was happy to see that it went down to the floor. An a-ha moment came into mind as I decided to slip the tights under my dress. Imagine:
My alarm was set for 5:15 am Saturday morning, but I hit snooze a few times. For all that know me, it should come as no surprise! At 6:15 I was finally awake and ready to head out to meet the runners at BC. As I live pretty close to BC, I figured I would walk over to avoid having the hassle of parking in the garage. I also knew that it would probably be better to get some miles in before the run so that I didn't force people to wait for me at the end. 3.7 miles and I was running into the gym at BC to meet up with my team. I hit the bathroom, talked with people and heard the announcements. It was during that time that I realized we were really at the end. A bittersweet ending to an awesome season in which I loved almost all minutes of it.
Runners were off and we headed out west on Commonwealth Ave wishing each other good luck on the 22 miles about to happen. I was keeping a happy pace and stopped at the first water stop to say hi. The second water stop came by pretty fast. In between the 2nd and 3rd water stop, I noticed that there was a slower runner behind me. At the 3rd water stop, she caught up right as I was about to leave. I had two options at that point, keep running or see if she wanted to join up with me. Ruth kept saying that she didn't want to hold me back and I kept telling her that it was better that she did it than me go out to hard on the first half which is common. We were having fun gabbing away on through Wellesley on towards the college. As we were heading onto 135 the crowds started coming. I have run many races, but I have never in my life seen so many people on a day without a race occurring. Often times there would be 50-100 people on one block. So many people were nice and cheering each other on. It was nice to see so much support for each other as we all work towards the common goal of finishing Boston. Like any situation, there were some super rude people that got under my skin. A reminder to runners, we are all out there running for a good cause, so please be kind to each other. And yes, I am looking at the team that earns the rude card who were running in bunny ears and tails....I only wish I knew what team they were so I could write to their coach about the unsportsman behavior that occurred. After dealing with some of those "nice" runners, we were headed right on to Hope Street which signifies the start of the hills. I won't lie, the hills were tough, but it was nice not to go through them alone. We made it to the last water stop and knew we were in the home stretch. Pep talks were given to each other as needed, but we stuck together. 2 miles later and we were turning onto the BC campus.
I felt good as we were turning into the parking lot of the gym. In fact, I almost broke down crying as Ruth told me our final time for the 19.85 miles we had just done. It was a realty that I could make my goal time and finish well. Add the miles I did prior to the run with Ruth and I officially finished 23.59 miles. Way over my goal of 22, but that is what happens when you end up talking and not wanting to leave your running partner. We walked inside, stretched, debriefed and talked with the volunteers. I said goodbye and started the walk home.
As I had made it maybe .05 miles, Leslie asked me if I needed a ride. Leslie has been my team mom and biggest supporter this season and seeing her ask me for a ride was the perfect end to the support that she has provided the last few months. I hopped in her car and walked from the end of my street home. I ended up deciding I needed to loosen up a little more and walked an additional 1.42 miles to make sure I didn't cramp. Up the stairs and into an ice bath followed by a hot shower and I was jumping in the car to drive to the Berkshires.
A good friend was hosting her 50th birthday in true fashion and I couldn't miss it. The theme was medieval and it was necessary to be in full dress. Amazon was my savior in providing me with a nice medieval dress and I had packed my 2xu tights to sleep in. I put on my dress and was happy to see that it went down to the floor. An a-ha moment came into mind as I decided to slip the tights under my dress. Imagine:
+
and you have what I looked like at the party. I kept loose all night as I practiced my dance moves on the dance floor. Shifter's party, bring it on! I am now officially ready to dance the night away after the marathon as long as I wear my tights under a long skirt or dress.
I woke up this morning with minimal soreness ready to concur the day and drive home from Lee. Who knew this would be possible? All in all, this weekend was one for the record books and I am happy to have had the experiences. Bring on the taper!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
14 inches
Years ago I heard about Locks of Love and was drawn to grow my hair out to donate to them. Time and time again my hair would get unruly and I would chop it off and send it in. I, like others, did not do my homework and while thinking that my donation went to cancer, it was really going to alopecia. I am all for providing wigs for kids with problems, but then also found out that the hair was getting sold when not used and that only a portion of the wigs made were actually given to patients free of charge. I stopped donating in 2010 and 2011 and instead kept my hair long.
The week before I got accepted to be on the teamWhen getting accepted into the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, I made a decision to grow my hair out for the length of my training to donate to make a wig for cancer. It was my way of adding to the meaning of the run besides all the other reasons I was running. I got accepted way back on September 23rd and my hair has been growing since.
My hair over the last 6 months has grown and grown to the point of unruly. It was getting a pain to wash and brush and was the longest I've had it in awhile. While it was getting long, I realized how much your hair is part of your personality. People would comment on the length of it and how thick it was. As much as it was driving me nuts, I realized how important these wigs are to someone who has just lost their hair.
This past Sunday
This weekend marks our last group run and with it marks the time to cut my hair. I was originally going to wait until after the run, but thought it would be cool to show up with the short hair as a sign of the culmination of the training (I am continuing to run until the day before the race, but the group activity is over). I made the appointment for this afternoon and showed up to a new salon that had great yelp reviews. There was a bit of a language barrier and I did not understand the question of how short I wanted it cut. All of a sudden she took the scissors to my head and 14 inches were gone.
I had a mini-panic attack when I saw how short my hair now was. I was freaking out the entire cut as it kept getting shorter and shorter with each layer. As she blew it dry, I finally calmed down. I actually ended up loving the new short do and can run my hands through it without issue. The one issue I will have is putting a ponytail in it, but don't think I will need to as it is short enough to not get in my eyes. Small issues compared to losing your hair in clumps as a result of chemo. My hair is now in a bag ready to be sent off to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths which makes wigs for the American Cancer Association. To date, over 18,000 wigs have been given free of cost to those in need at a variety of cancer hospitals around the country. I feel great for what I did and am happy to give someone the chance to feel a little more like their normal self.
Monday, March 19, 2012
I raised $7k and all I got was #23166
Weekend Activities
This past weekend was an active blast. Who knew that you could have so much fun being active and staying active? After Friday night's bike session, I came home, ate dinner and went to bed. When did my life become so exciting?
I was up early Saturday morning headed to BSC Wellesley. For those of you who don't remember, the last run at this location was where the wheels fell off. That run was the day of a meltdown of epic proportions. Saturday was like night and day from that run. I headed out with the group destined to do 12 miles as I had a run later in the day. My times for the first three miles were way too fast, but I was feeling awesome. As the miles progressed, I kept about an equal pace and made it to the 6 mile turnaround in a respectable time and super happy. The run back was equally as nice with the ability to maintain the same pace until Grossman's hill. That hill took the best of me and I slowed down to a 14 minute mile. I never really recovered back down to my awesome pace after that, but finished the 12 miles in a pace that I hope to maintain on Marathon Monday. All in all, it was a great run.
I hit up Whole Foods on the way home and headed on back to my hood for a one hour chill out before leaving for my next run. The afternoon run was with the NH3. I have not hashed in what seems like a decade (really only 5 years) and it was nice to be back to it. The trail ended up being more of a walking situation with barbed wire and embankments, but the group finished a respectable additional 4 miles for a total run of 16 miles on Saturday.
Sunday in Boston is like the Mardi Gras of the north, our St Paddy's Day parade. Everyone and their mother claims to be Irish and runs around like it is amateur hour. I have spent many a years being one of these people and took the last two years off to hit NYC's parade. A little tamer, but still an awesome time. Our friend had us all over to his place to watch the parade and have fun. As the weather was about 70 degrees, the world decided to descend on the streets of South Boston meaning that you had no chance of getting anywhere close to it. I ended up walking about 2 miles to get to the party and an additional 1-2 getting back. I felt every inch of those miles as I hoofed it around the city. An unexpected 4 mile walk is not a bad way to go especially when you are eating and drinking like it is 1995.
I ended the weekend having dinner with a friend discussing my marathon and running. We were laughing about how this is the new norm. As he left, I realized that every aspect of my weekend had something active involved and how it is just life now. I am happy to have found tris and an active lifestyle 5 years ago and continue to live it daily.
I was up early Saturday morning headed to BSC Wellesley. For those of you who don't remember, the last run at this location was where the wheels fell off. That run was the day of a meltdown of epic proportions. Saturday was like night and day from that run. I headed out with the group destined to do 12 miles as I had a run later in the day. My times for the first three miles were way too fast, but I was feeling awesome. As the miles progressed, I kept about an equal pace and made it to the 6 mile turnaround in a respectable time and super happy. The run back was equally as nice with the ability to maintain the same pace until Grossman's hill. That hill took the best of me and I slowed down to a 14 minute mile. I never really recovered back down to my awesome pace after that, but finished the 12 miles in a pace that I hope to maintain on Marathon Monday. All in all, it was a great run.
I hit up Whole Foods on the way home and headed on back to my hood for a one hour chill out before leaving for my next run. The afternoon run was with the NH3. I have not hashed in what seems like a decade (really only 5 years) and it was nice to be back to it. The trail ended up being more of a walking situation with barbed wire and embankments, but the group finished a respectable additional 4 miles for a total run of 16 miles on Saturday.
Sunday in Boston is like the Mardi Gras of the north, our St Paddy's Day parade. Everyone and their mother claims to be Irish and runs around like it is amateur hour. I have spent many a years being one of these people and took the last two years off to hit NYC's parade. A little tamer, but still an awesome time. Our friend had us all over to his place to watch the parade and have fun. As the weather was about 70 degrees, the world decided to descend on the streets of South Boston meaning that you had no chance of getting anywhere close to it. I ended up walking about 2 miles to get to the party and an additional 1-2 getting back. I felt every inch of those miles as I hoofed it around the city. An unexpected 4 mile walk is not a bad way to go especially when you are eating and drinking like it is 1995.
I ended the weekend having dinner with a friend discussing my marathon and running. We were laughing about how this is the new norm. As he left, I realized that every aspect of my weekend had something active involved and how it is just life now. I am happy to have found tris and an active lifestyle 5 years ago and continue to live it daily.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Random Ramblings
-In the locker room at the gym on Wednesday a girl was talking about socks. I mentioned that I hate running in that particular brand as the seams are awkwardly placed. Her rebuttal was that fat girls don't run. My first statement was that I am fat and I run. Her response was that I was not fat. Thanks to my coworker for that ego boost at a time when I needed it.
-About a month ago I had RSVPed for a dinner with a social group I am part of. I also booked a computrainer class at the same time. The old me would have blown off the exercise for the dinner. The new me felt that I needed a good sweat after last night's crack fries with friends. It was worth it!
-I've started to get back in tri training for the season. I'm a little worried how far behind I am, but am giving it my all to get those muscles back and work like no other.
-We have muscle conditioning class three days a week at work. I now crave those workouts and am loving the lifting I'm doing.
-I'm inspired and moved by those that have donated to my run. Random strangers and people I have met one or two times have given so much. Couple that with amazing coworkers, awesome friends, my parent's generous friends and my rockin friends and I am floored with how much has been raised for a cause so close to my heart. If you haven't donated, there is still plenty of time. And expect donations in lieu of gifts in the future. Helping to find a cure for cancer is so much cooler than another toaster or bottle of wine.
-Today marks one month to the marathon. The butterflies are getting bigger and bigger.
-About a month ago I had RSVPed for a dinner with a social group I am part of. I also booked a computrainer class at the same time. The old me would have blown off the exercise for the dinner. The new me felt that I needed a good sweat after last night's crack fries with friends. It was worth it!
-I've started to get back in tri training for the season. I'm a little worried how far behind I am, but am giving it my all to get those muscles back and work like no other.
-We have muscle conditioning class three days a week at work. I now crave those workouts and am loving the lifting I'm doing.
-I'm inspired and moved by those that have donated to my run. Random strangers and people I have met one or two times have given so much. Couple that with amazing coworkers, awesome friends, my parent's generous friends and my rockin friends and I am floored with how much has been raised for a cause so close to my heart. If you haven't donated, there is still plenty of time. And expect donations in lieu of gifts in the future. Helping to find a cure for cancer is so much cooler than another toaster or bottle of wine.
-Today marks one month to the marathon. The butterflies are getting bigger and bigger.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Who I Run For: Mary Bryant, Ed Kukstis, and Bill Cowell
I honored Rylie Cruz on Monday on her birthday and was tempted to just leave it at that. She in her own right is special enough to warrant the whole week as my who I run for. I then got to thinking of how many other people have come forward with their stories and decided to honor three additional in memory people.
The first person on my list is Bill Cowell. When I originally got the donation, I wrote a somewhat generic thank you as I was running in memory of him, but did not know his back story like I know most other people's. After the Hyannis Half, I joined some of my tri teammates for lunch in which I was able to learn more about this man. Bill is the father of my teammate and friend Melissa. When Melissa first joined our team, I was a bit intimidated by her competitive attitude and desire to push herself. We ended up bonding at the Patriot Tri two years ago and I look to her as a mentor. She taught me to push myself, expect success and work hard at what you want. She also taught me some amazing gluten free brands which I buy to this day. Her father fought a 10 year battle with cancer eventually losing the fight. I can't imagine going through treatment for that long of a time with the hopes of overcoming it only to lose in the end. What a strong man her was. Hearing Melissa talk about him at lunch showed me where she got some of her passion for life and strength. I am proud to consider Melissa a friend and will channel some of her energy and his strength on the run.
Ed Kukstis is another person I am running in memory of. Ed passed away in December right around Mr. Snyder's death. I really knew nothing of Ed prior to his decline, but felt I learned quite a bit in that time. Ed is a friend of my friend Mare. Mare and I met last year during a survival weekend in which we got paired up with someone that should not have been there. She and I bonded over that experience which grew into a friendship. This past July she joined the crew on our Harbor Island camping trip and was instantly part of the group. Mare is a genius as she brought bacon for all to win everyone over! Around November I started to see posts pop up on her Facebook about the health status of Ed. As the weeks progressed, the prognosis seemed worse and worse. Finally, on a sad day, the post went up that Ed had passed away. I never met him, but the outpouring from all of his friends was astonishing. The memories shared, the pictures swapped and the love felt gave me hope in humanity. The loss in this tight knit community was apparent and so sad. With love and respect for Mare, his friends and his family, I proudly add him to the list I run for.
The final person to highlight this Wednesday is Mary Bryant. Rewind the tape of Jess' life to Freshman year of college where I met Cathryn. Cathy was living in the basement of our dorm while I was on the third floor. A mutual friend was in her orientation group and introduced us as we had a lot in common. With a group of friends, we volunteered at the local elementary school in an after school program. Cathy's mom was the head of the program and I ended up spending a lot of time with Donna. We lost touch through Sophomore and Junior year, but luck would have it ended up getting reacquainted our Senior year. That bond continued to grow as the years have gone on including some pretty hilarious vacations, book clubs, dinners, long talks, and so much more. As my family lives in California and is Jewish, Cathy's family took me in as their adopted kid for the Christian holidays. For once I was experiencing the thrill of Christmas and all that comes with it. Mary, Cath's grandma, was one of those to always make me feel welcome. We shared laughs and always had such a good time. I was there when her husband died and saw her come out of shell as she learned to be single after so many years. It was this past year that Cathy told me that they took Mary in for complaints of hip pain when they discovered stage 4 cancer. The treatment option was tried, but it was deemed unsuccessful and hospice was planned. The last few months were hard for the family as they watched her decline in a painful way. Mary passed away earlier this year and in a fitting fashion her funeral was on the day of the one big storm this year. This year marks some big lifecycles in their family and it will be so sad to not have Mary there dancing up a storm, telling funny stories and being the social butterfly that she is. I am glad I got the chance to know her over the years and am saddened to be running in memory of her instead of in honor. We will all miss Mary!
The first person on my list is Bill Cowell. When I originally got the donation, I wrote a somewhat generic thank you as I was running in memory of him, but did not know his back story like I know most other people's. After the Hyannis Half, I joined some of my tri teammates for lunch in which I was able to learn more about this man. Bill is the father of my teammate and friend Melissa. When Melissa first joined our team, I was a bit intimidated by her competitive attitude and desire to push herself. We ended up bonding at the Patriot Tri two years ago and I look to her as a mentor. She taught me to push myself, expect success and work hard at what you want. She also taught me some amazing gluten free brands which I buy to this day. Her father fought a 10 year battle with cancer eventually losing the fight. I can't imagine going through treatment for that long of a time with the hopes of overcoming it only to lose in the end. What a strong man her was. Hearing Melissa talk about him at lunch showed me where she got some of her passion for life and strength. I am proud to consider Melissa a friend and will channel some of her energy and his strength on the run.
Ed Kukstis is another person I am running in memory of. Ed passed away in December right around Mr. Snyder's death. I really knew nothing of Ed prior to his decline, but felt I learned quite a bit in that time. Ed is a friend of my friend Mare. Mare and I met last year during a survival weekend in which we got paired up with someone that should not have been there. She and I bonded over that experience which grew into a friendship. This past July she joined the crew on our Harbor Island camping trip and was instantly part of the group. Mare is a genius as she brought bacon for all to win everyone over! Around November I started to see posts pop up on her Facebook about the health status of Ed. As the weeks progressed, the prognosis seemed worse and worse. Finally, on a sad day, the post went up that Ed had passed away. I never met him, but the outpouring from all of his friends was astonishing. The memories shared, the pictures swapped and the love felt gave me hope in humanity. The loss in this tight knit community was apparent and so sad. With love and respect for Mare, his friends and his family, I proudly add him to the list I run for. The final person to highlight this Wednesday is Mary Bryant. Rewind the tape of Jess' life to Freshman year of college where I met Cathryn. Cathy was living in the basement of our dorm while I was on the third floor. A mutual friend was in her orientation group and introduced us as we had a lot in common. With a group of friends, we volunteered at the local elementary school in an after school program. Cathy's mom was the head of the program and I ended up spending a lot of time with Donna. We lost touch through Sophomore and Junior year, but luck would have it ended up getting reacquainted our Senior year. That bond continued to grow as the years have gone on including some pretty hilarious vacations, book clubs, dinners, long talks, and so much more. As my family lives in California and is Jewish, Cathy's family took me in as their adopted kid for the Christian holidays. For once I was experiencing the thrill of Christmas and all that comes with it. Mary, Cath's grandma, was one of those to always make me feel welcome. We shared laughs and always had such a good time. I was there when her husband died and saw her come out of shell as she learned to be single after so many years. It was this past year that Cathy told me that they took Mary in for complaints of hip pain when they discovered stage 4 cancer. The treatment option was tried, but it was deemed unsuccessful and hospice was planned. The last few months were hard for the family as they watched her decline in a painful way. Mary passed away earlier this year and in a fitting fashion her funeral was on the day of the one big storm this year. This year marks some big lifecycles in their family and it will be so sad to not have Mary there dancing up a storm, telling funny stories and being the social butterfly that she is. I am glad I got the chance to know her over the years and am saddened to be running in memory of her instead of in honor. We will all miss Mary!
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