21 Mile pics

Here are some pictures of Lisa and I from the "Joints in Motion" team we joined on Saturday to run 21 miles. Fitcorp and Dana Farber weren't doing the marathon course, so we jumped on a different bandwagon to run with thousands of other charity groups (including Team in Training, my old love!!)

Here are a few shots. A group pic where I'm in the middle, and then one of me and Lisa (she's in pink) but I'm mostly obscured by some big guy. Oh well.

For more details of the run itself, see the previous post.

Running With Angels

Today I ran the first 21 miles of the Boston Marathon ... and it was amazing!

I've been warned so many times about the downhill start and how that destroys your legs so that by the time you reach the hills at around mile 17, you're anhialated, destroyed and useless.

So, I took it slow, tried to be light on my feet, and by the time I got to those hills, they really weren't that bad at all. I mean, they were challenging, but they weren't insurmountable. Not at all.

Maybe that had something to do with the team of angels I had on my side.

Now, I'm not into mysticism or ghosts or even religion per se, but I am spiritual - and I had a spiritual experience today.

So to explain a little bit, "Heartbreak Hill" can also be described as a series of hills that culminates in one very large one at the end. I had been on them before, as those who've read this blog before know, but never at this precise time in a run. So I was extremely nervous about being able to make it up and over all of them without having to stop.

I thought it might be a good idea to call in support. When I run on April 20th, I'll have a bunch of names on my wrist with different mile markers, people I'll be running for during different points in the race. For this training run, I didn't do that, so I decided to make an impromptu list of people to run in honor of... and really, they were running "with" me.

When I approached the first hill, I called on the person who'd know the most what I was going through at that exact moment, my college boyfriend Evan. He ran Boston at least 3 times and his best time was 2:52 - a time I'll never even come close to. He'd been on that very spot many many times, and in fact, his ashes are scattered in Hopkinton, near the start of the Boston Marathon. I called on him to help me up that hill, to give me the strength and courage, and he did.

The next hill wasn't too bad, and I had my grandfather Emil in mind. He was a calm, thoughtful and quiet man and I looked to his quiet strength to help see me through.

For the next one, a little more challenging and a little longer, I knew I needed an ace. So I chose my Aunt Dale. She's my dad's little sister, and she died from Ovarian cancer 5 years ago. She was a no nonsense, firecracker of a woman and I had her piercing voice in my head "C'mon, Julia. What are you waiting for? Get up that hill!" I could almost feel her slap my butt to help me climb this challenging one.

The next one was also not too bad and I thought of my best friend Anna's dad Victor. He was a Russian immigrant and worked very hard to give his family a good life here, and like my grandfather, he too was a man of few words. At least in English to me. I thought of him and Anna and Anna's mom Zina and their combined strength as a family. Then, my friend Helen and the entire Hong family came into my head and I visualized them all standing behind me, pushing me up.

The parts that were actually as challenging as the hills were the long stretches of flat between the hills and during those long stretches, I called on my Great Aunt Jerry. My grandmother died when I was 7, and Aunt Jerry was like a surrogate grandmother to me. She was patient and kind, constant and steadfast, and I needed some of that kind of strength. Not flashy hills kind of strength, but the kind of strength that keeps you going even when things aren't at their most exciting. I also knew that if she was still here (and she'd be 90, which is hard to believe!) she would be right out there on the course to support me - even if she had to be there in a wheelchair.

The last hill, which is technically Heartbreak, I was saving for my mother. I could almost see her smiling ruefully at me, saying "Great. You saved the hardest one for me!" I didn't just want her to push me up the hill. I wanted her to hold my hand and run up the hill with me. I envisioned us both holding hands and gliding up to the top of that very, very long hill like we did back at MGH. I said to her "You'll need the practice today because you'll be running with me a LOT on April 20th." And it was so weird. I actually could see us doing it, holding hands, and it was as if she was helping me up the hill.

When I reached the top, after having had contact wtih all of those special people, my "heartbreak team", I felt invincible. I know I'm ready for Boston.

Anything can happen on 4.20. Heat, cold, rain, a sore muscle. But I'll have my team and so many others there with me, and it's going to be ok.

Love,
Julia

21 Miles Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow morning, they're busing us out to Hopkinton and leaving us there.

It's up to us to run back to BC where our cars (and sanity) will be waiting for us!

This is it. The "long run" and our chance to see what it's really like to run the Boston Marathon. Well, the first 21 miles of it anyway.

Lisa and I are running with a huge group helmed by the Arthritis Foundation that buses people to Hopkinton so they can experience the highs and lows of this challenging course. A practice run, if you will.

I ran a little too hard this week, starting with that super fast 12 miler on Saturday, then a killer track session with Somervile Road Runners on Tuesday, pilates Wednesday morning and pretty intense hill repeats Thursday morning with Beth.

My quads are a little achy and that's not the best way to start a 21 mile run, but I'm just going to take it easy. It's not a race. It's a practice run.

Now, off to bed.

One Month From Today....

Four weeks from today is the big day - the Boston Marathon. It's like a wedding day, prom night, first day at school. I've been practicing, fundraising, learning, reading and getting psyched - and it's all coming to fruition in a month.

I don't know what I'm going to do on April 21st. Oh, wait a minute, yes I do. I'll be on a plane to Dallas to the Lung Cancer Advocacy Summit! But then... after that... it will be weird not to be training for Boston since it's been such a huge part of my life for the past 5 months.

Well, I'll find another goal. I'll worry about that then.

For now, it's face forward, feet forward, looking ahead to April 20th!

Sonya Kicked my Butt!

Saturday, I ran 12 miles with my friend Sonya, who I met when my mom was in her final weeks at Mass General. By that time, she couldn't speak, couldn't eat and was pretty uncomfortable, to say the least. There was little that brought her comfort, but of course, people wanted to bring her something... do something to make her feel better.

Her co-workers asked if there was something she might like, so I suggested a manicure and pedicure, not really knowing how that would materialize. The hospital wouldn't let her leave her room and I couldn't find anyone who'd come to her room. Mom had always had gorgeous nails and I knew that she'd enjoy some pampering. Denise Hurley, one of my mom's co-workers, somehow found Sonya Pelletier, the most compassionate, sweet, nurturing aesthetician who just so happens to specialize in healing treatments, particularly for the very ill, who otherwise can't get out to the salon.

Mom definitely fit that category.

I can safely say that the afternoon that Sonya spent with us was one of the best she had in the last month of her life. She did mom's nails (and mine!) and was just so soothing and kind... she stayed for 4 hours, and even some of mom's other co-workers who'd stopped by at their lunch hour stayed for hours longer than they'd planned to because it was such a special time.

Well, that's how Sonya and I met and since then, we've become great friends! We discovered that we have a lot in common, including running! We've done some races together and a couple of long runs, and even though she's been too busy to train for Boston, she's contemplating jumping in as a bandit and decided to do the 12 miler with me.

Let me just say that Sonya's marathon PR is 4:10 and mine is 4:53, so she's a little bit faster than me. She has a definite "can do" attitude, so I wasn't going to slow down - or slow her down! I knew it was "only" 12 and not 18, so I decided to just go for it and run faster than I normally do.

Well, I ended up beating my best ever half marathon time on a MUCH hillier course than any half marathon I've ever done, and almost did as fast as my fastest 10K pace. She kicked my butt! I will say, that the final hill up Beacon Street by the State House.. well, my hill training worked and I barreled up that one before her. But without that hill, she would have murdered me - and that's with practically no training, compared with my dilligent months of training.

I'm psyched because it gave me some confidence that I can do that pace for that length of time. And, of course, it was fun to run with her. Gorgeous day, beautiful route that she'd never run. It was bliss.

We've been SO lucky, weather-wise. Even though it was a snowy winter, the Saturday runs have been mostly brilliantly sunny (if a little cold) and absolutely gorgeous! I can't wait for Marathon Monday!

My Pilates Past

As many of you know, I'm relatively new to running. I ran my first marathon in March 2005, and before that, I hadn't run seriously since high school field hockey. I did other things. I was an aerobics junkie in college and in I hiked a lot in LA. And, while everyone else was jumping on the yoga bandwagon, I was lengthening and strengthening with Sebastien Lagree, pilates instructor to the stars...

Sebastien Lagree - T.V. Guide Interview from Sebastien Lagree on Vimeo.

I haven't done pilates in a long time, and while one might think "she's training for a marathon - she must be in kick-ass shape" I'm only in one kind of shape. I do the same exercise over and over again. Sure, I add some hills on Thursday mornings and have gotten a little bit of speedwork with the track sessions I've attended, but otherwise, it's just running...

Today, I decided to change that. I went with Lisa to Charlestown Yoga studio where they also have a pilates class. It was awesome! New areas were definitely challenged - like my hips and core! There was a funny moment, though when I realized my running muscles are in pretty good shape. We did something that was all about the quads and the instructor was shocked that we weren't shaking and quaking. I could have held that position for hours, because I've got quads of steel with all of the pavement I've been pounding.

Anyway, I'm psyched to add another type of training to the mix. Maybe it will help shave off some of this weird hip fat I seem to have gained. Maybe not! Hopefully it will help give me a stronger core to make the marathon even easier and more fun!

As a special treat, here's a video clip of Sebastian the French Adonis who taught me to be lean and mean and how to have a (his words not mine) "tight ass." It was a fun class. They were glamorous days, with Jewel as a fellow classmate some days and random TV stars you knew but couldn't name on other days, all just doing their thing. LA and the glamour. How I miss it, sometimes.

Here's Sebastian again. Enjoy!

The State House - and 14.7 miles

Most of the runs I do with the Fitcorp Training Group involve The State House because that's the "finish line," so to speak. After whatever mileage we've logged, we always end by climbing the steep slope of Beacon Street next to the Common, right to the crest, where the State House sits. Bit of State House trivia: The main entrance beneath the dome is called The Bulfinch Entrance, and it's now closed (presumably to save wear and tear on historic floors, etc.) The entrance that's actually in use is called - and I kid you not - General Hooker Entrance. Guess the Regular Pimps use another door.

Back to the training blog: Today was 14.7 and it was pretty good... pretty easy and a beautiful day. Lisa had some trouble with her foot (poor girl!) but we both finished off and had a delicious Chai Latte at Starbucks as our reward.

I sent out a ton of fundraising emails late last night and so far have only had one donation in response (Thanks Susan Nelson!) I guess I need to be a little bit more patient, but I was hoping to make that $5000 goal. I'll keep trying. I know when I get fundraising emails and letters, I usually think "Oh yes, I want to donate something" and forget until I'm reminded - sometimes several times! I was going to skip actual fundraising letters this time around because people seem so email savvy, but the thing is that literally 50% of all of my previous fundraising dollars came from letters, so maybe people like donating that way. I might try that if the emails don't work.

That's about it for now. Hoping to drag Chuck out to see Dirty Dancing tonight. He agreed, against his better nature. So if they have tickets at the box office, we'll be having the time of our lives.
Love,
Julia

Morning Runs Along the Charles

First of all, that's not me in that picture. It might look like me a little bit, but it's actually my friend Aileen. I met Aileen as a result of randomly sitting next to her friend on a flight from LA to Boston. The friend realized that Aileen and I had something in common: we had both lost a parent to lung cancer. When I first moved to Boston, Aileen and I had drinks and talked about doing stuff together, lung cancer advocacy stuff. Maybe one day we will.

But, I haven't seen Aileen since then, about 9 months ago. This is the weird story of why I have her picture: A few minutes ago, I was looking online for a picture of the Charles River to illustrate this blog entry about my morning runs around the Charles. During my search, I found this one of Aileen! Apparently, she ran the Boston Marathon for Dana Farber back in 2006 and the Globe did a story about charity runners.. including her! This is the Globe's photo (hope they don't sue me.) Small world.

So, this is sort of what it looks like when I run in the mornings. Except I run in the opposite direction, from Cambridge to Boston and back. Now, this winter, I wasn't able to run around the river as often as I wanted to because of the weather and had to run on the treadmill (ugh), but on decent days (like this morning!) I do either a 4 or 6 mile run around the river, depending on whether I run across the Longfellow Bridge (aka, the Salt and Pepper Bridge) or the Mass Ave Bridge. (Aileen is on the Mass. Ave Bridge, btw.)

I had wanted to show you a picture that included the Ellison Building at Mass General, because that was one of the reasons I wanted to talk about these morning runs. When I do the 4 mile loop (Salt and Pepper Bridge loop), I have a clear view of Ellison as I run across the bridge. Once across, I run by Mass General, the "Jail" hotel, aka the Liberty Hotel, and the Cox Radiation Center, where my mother had both full brain radiation and radiation to the tumor on her lung. I literally run right past the same entrance that we used, and that she and her friends (and my friends) entered as they took her for her visits.

At first, it was sort of weird to know that I will always have a clear view of that building, actually a clear view of her room, the one from which we could see those incredible views in the previous post. But now, it's actually comforting. I'll admit, it was not comforting to have to pass the cemetery where she's buried every time I left her house in Lawrence to get on the highway. I couldn't have done that for the rest of my life. But the hospital offers hope, and also by the time I get there, I'm on a total endorphin high and everything is great in the world!

When I left LA, one of the things I knew I'd miss most, along with my friends, was the Silver Lake Reservoir. I'd so gotten used to great runs around the man-made lake in the middle of the city... a 4.2 loop that included a perfect warm up and cool down walk with those skyscraper hills on Marathon Street.

Now, I have the Charles River. Like hundreds of other Boston runners every day (maybe thousands?), I run around the river, using the bridges as markers of how far I'm willing to go (or how much time I have)

Today I only had time for the Salt and Pepper Bridge, a little over 4 miles, which is fine because tomorrow we do 14.7. I'm definitely on a "pink cloud" with my training right now. Loving it and only wishing I could wake up earlier so I could do a little bit more.

Maybe next week.
Til next time -
Love,
Julia

Phillips 21

Last night I went back to "Phillips 21" for the first time since December 8, 2007. That was the night my mother died. And Phillips 21 is the floor on which my mom spent the majority of her time at Mass General. It's where I slept on the couch next to her for almost two months while the cancer took over her body.

It's where she had incredibly compassionate, top-level care from some of the best nurses in the world and where she received countless visitors, endless floral tributes, piles of beautiful get-well cards. It's where she spent her last months, the worst time of her life, but the staff and the place made the best of the very worst situation.

I was there because I'm on the Patient and Family Advisory Council for the Cancer Center at Mass General (PFAC). We often meet with different staff members, and this time it was to meet with the nursing staff on Phillips 21 because the floor has recently been established as a dedicated oncology floor. That means that the majority of the patients who stay there will be cancer patients. Some of them will be very very sick like my mother, and need the kind of care that she did. Others will be there because the chemotherapy regimen they're on requires an overnight stay, or perhaps a week's stay. The nurses have been trained to treat cancer patients specifically and deliver chemotherapy, etc.

I didn't know if any of "our" nurses would still be there. I'd been told many have left because they didn't want to be oncology-specific. Some retired, others just moved on. I was hoping to see a few, and I did.

The first was Michelle, a young African-American nurse who went to Brookline High, which is where my grandmother went. She was always so patient and never condescending towards my mom, incredibly skilled and professional, and with a sense of humor that always hit the mark. She and my mother laughed together and Mom was always so much more relaxed when Michelle was her nurse for the day. I would venture to guess that Michelle was my mother's favorite. I saw Michelle first, while she was working, but she later joined us all in the lounge for coffee and cookies. We hugged. I could tell she remembered everything. My mother's extensive, intense stay at Phillips 21 was remembered by quite a few people.

I then spoke with two of the older nurses, both of whom had gone to Woodstock, believe it or not, like my Mom (one made it 5 miles from Woodstock and turned back because of the rain and mud.) We had met these older nurses when Mom was first admitted to Phillips 21. That was when she could still speak, and I remember they all bonded over some shared experiences. I think there was a mutual respect because they were baby boomers as well as a silent recognition that although my mother was the patient and they were the nurses, it could be any of them in her shoes. They'd been around long enough to know that. One of those older ladies happened to be the one who'd initially helped me decorate the room with the Christmas tree... and unbeknownst to her, Christmas trees were illegal at MGH! My decorating escapades had apparently not been forgotten...

Sheila's in her late 30's, a good Boston Irish girl, one of those no-nonsense, down to earth types. A crustacian on the outside with a heart of gold shining through. She definitely remembered us and seemed moved to see me again. I was certainly moved to see her.

Then there was Lisa. She was my one of my mother's primary nurses when we came back from Youville in our second stint on Phillips, and when it was probably obvious to the entire nursing staff (if not to me) that we were essentially there for hospice. I remember that she actually requested to take care of my mother. She was one who tried never to show emotion, but sometimes I could tell that she was very moved.

During our second stay on Phillips 21, Mom was really sick and needed a ton of care, different things at least several times an hour, for weeks. Lisa never complained. None of them did, even when I made them help me change my mother out of her pajamas (no hospital gowns for her!) and into her day clothes and back into pajamas, every single day. There were always wires and tubes to remove and re-attach, but they always came and helped me, twice a day, for two months. I have to add that my mother rarely complained either, and that is pretty incredible.

I had been really nervous about going back, worried that I might fall apart, but I didn't. Even though it was the most horrendous few months of our lives and the end result was the realization of what had always been my worst nightmare, there were some blessings about the experience. One, Mom did have time - time to see how many people loved her and wanted to show it - day after day to visit, send flowers, to call. And specifcally, she and I were able to spend time together - some of the most special time we've ever had.

Taking care of your mother in that way, when she's increasingly helpless and the roles are not only reversed, they're incomprehensible - is difficult, yes. But it's also a gift. And I hate to sound trite, but I mean it was an incredible gift to sleep next to her every night and know that I was helping to make her more comfortable and that there was no one else she wanted there but me (although there were plenty of others she loved and wanted there too). I felt a protectiveness over her that I don't think I'll feel again unless I have a child - or maybe a spouse who becomes ill. We shared things we'd never shared before- some things I could have lived without, for sure - but others that couldn't have happened any other way.

And as for Phillips 21, well it's where the Red Sox stay, the Celtics, The Kennedys. If my mother was going to be incarcerated into any hospital and told she was too sick to go home, she couldn't have been in a better place - or with better people.

There's part of me that feels like I should be over this already, but there's another part of me that doesn't think 'll ever get over it. And I don't think I want to. I don't want to forget my mom, and by continuing to write about it, to work on the MGH council, to advocate for lung cancer, to run for her, I don't forget, I won't and I can't.

She'll always be a part of my life. I will always do something to honor her. Right now, I'm doing many different things... not the least of which is running the Boston Marathon.
I can't wait to run it for her on April 20th.

18.3 miles

I did my penultimate longest training run this weekend, 18.3 miles. I ran with the Fitcorp group, from the State House to Chestnut Street in Newton and back.

After a grueling winter, we were blessed with fantastic Spring-like weather so the run was in 55 degree temps, perfect for running. It gave us a taste of what Marathon Monday might feel like. All winter long, we've been training in freezing, snowy temps, but the likelihood of that kind of weather on April 20th is pretty slim. It could be anywhere from 40-80 degrees. How's that for unpredictability?

I'm happy to report that Saturday's run was pretty uneventful. Except that my friend Lisa, who's been battling some pretty intense knee injuries all season-long, was able to do the entire 18 with me! And another good thing is that this run, like the most of the other long runs was done at my "goal" pace for Boston which is about a 10-ish minute mile. My goal is to complete the marathon in about 4:30. Since it's Boston and the hills are pretty killer, I will be happy just to finish, but I'm at least at the target that I'd like to be at now, which is comforting.

We did run on Heartbreak Hill, like we often do during these runs, but at around mile 9 of our run - not 19 as it will be in April. At mile 18 of Saturday's run, when I was climbing up Beacon Street towards the State House finish, I definitely felt the pain, the burn, and could contemplate "hitting the wall" - but luckily the wall was so close I was able to stop just before hitting it.

Hopefully, I'll be able to run through that wall on April 20th. It always comes, and that's where the mental part of marathoning comes into play. Once you've done 16 or 18 in a training run, 26 really isn't that much further, physically speaking. 21 is even closer (and we're doing 21 in three weeks!) So getting to the finish line of Boston will really be all mental after about mile 18... as it always is. Luckily, I'll have the support of friends and family as well as the people I'm running for to get me through - and of course, my mom.

One thing that's definitely happening how - which always happens to me and usually to a lot of women training for marathons - is that although my running mileage is high, I feel as though I'm putting on weight. It seems crazy, but it's true. So I'm going to try altering my diet a little bit so I can shed a few pounds before April 20th. If I can be just a little bit lighter (like 3-4 pounds), the run will be a little bit easier.

Anyway, not too much else to report in terms of the run. Made it through, only a teeny bit sore, and can't wait for the next one!

In other news, I'm going to MGH this Wednesday night for my monthly PFAC meeting (Patient and Family Advisory Council) and we're making a special trip up to Phillips 21, which is the floor that my mother was mostly treated on, and where she spent her last days. When she was there, it was just a private floor, but it's since been re-dedicated as a cancer ward and the nurses want to meet us, since we're PFAC for the Cancer Center. It's probably going to be hard to be there again, but in some ways, I think it's important to revisit that place and it will give me a chance to remember and honor my mom. In a strange way, it might be comforting, since it's the last place I spent time with my mom- and spent so much intense time with her literally living side by side in Phillips 2120.


OK... back to the grindstone. For those of you who are reading this, I didn't send new fundraising emails yet -but I will! Running 18 took all of Saturday and Sunday was all about grocery shopping for this healthy new eating regime I'm going to try...

I'm not worried though. I know my "peeps" are going to come through.
:)

Love,
Julia

Here Comes The Sun

As some of you can probably tell, I'm sort of playing catch-up with this blog. I've been busy and to be honest, some of my running is pretty mundane, so I don't always feel it's necessary to bore you with the details of every step I take. (only sometimes!)

But this blog wasn't designed to be entirely about the marathon training process. The main reason I'm running the Boston Marathon is because of my mom. As most of you know, I lost my mom to lung cancer about a year and a half ago and I am determined to do something about this terrible disease.

As my friends and family have probably noticed, I haven't been terribly aggressive about my fundraising for Dana Farber. I've sent out one email, that's it. Well, that's about to change. I'll be writing letters and sending a second email out this weekend. Part of the reason I haven't been fundraising my butt off is that I know I've got amazing friends and family who will step up to the plate and support me. I feel so lucky and so grateful for that. And can't wait to see those donations pour in!
;)

But, back to the title of this blog. I wanted to share one of those "mystical" moments that happens occasionally where I'm reminded of my mother completely out of the blue. It has nothing to do with running, but it's related to the reason I'm running at all, so I thought I'd share it.

When my Aunt Karen and I were putting together the tribute video for my mom's funeral, along with Bob Deschene from Raytheon (who actually did all of the manual work), it was a crazy, frenzied couple of hours during a busy, hectic time. I had never planned the soundtrack to my mother's life up til then, and had a pretty short time to do it.

We ended up choosing the song "Here Comes The Sun" as the first song. It's the one that plays during her baby pictures and pictures of her early childhood. I've always thought it was the perfect song to start with and now, whenever I hear it, I immediately think of those smiling baby pictures that capture the essence of her spirit.

Just a minute ago, while researching something for work, I realized that the song choice was more perfect than I could have imagined. When we chose it, I thought mostly of the Beatles' version, which, for reasons I'll explain shortly, does have meaning for Mom (and many other baby boomers!) But I didn't realize there was another version that was also immensely popular.

While researching songs for a quiz I'm writing for work about One Hit Wonders, I learned that Richie Havens did a version in 1971 that went to the top of the charts as well. Richie Havens has a special meaning for my mom.

As many of her friends and family know, Mom went to Woodstock. This is something that I've always thought would win her serious "cool" points with her grandchildren. It won her a few with me. Anyway, she didn't go to see Jimi Hendrix or Janice Joplin or any of the other headliners often associated with Woodstock. She went to see Richie Havens.

She didn't know that Woodstock was going to be "Woodstock." She heard about this great music festival in NY where Richie Havens was playing and was determined that she and her friend Patty had to go. They packed suitcases (yes, suitcases) and bummed a ride with two guy friends, but once they got there, they had to park miles and miles away. So they walked, with their suitcases (and tent.) The story goes on from there (the suitcases and tent were later abandoned) but she arrived in time to see her idol, Richie Havens, and to her, that was worth the price of admission. Little did she know that her love of that singer would help her become part of history.

Interestingly, Mom had a "connection" with the Beatles as well. She was most definitely a fan and named me after John Lennon's mother, Julia, who (unbeknownst to her) died on July 15th, the same day that I was born (but 16 years earlier). And my mother died on December 8th, the same day that John Lennon died, but 27 years after he was shot outside his apartment.

So I just had a major "Mom" moment and wanted to share it. That song has even more meaning to me now. Wish I could put a little music file in here. I can hear it now: "Doo doo doo doo. Here comes the sun..."

Til next time....
Love,
Julia

Boston.com article about snowy marathon training

I loved this article that ran in today's Boston.com. I was actually out running yesterday morning around the river on terrain just like the pictures they used to illustrate this article!

Boston.com

By John Powers

The secret to running in snow, confides Bill Rodgers, is Yaktrax, a rubber and steel coils device that attaches to shoe bottoms to provide extra traction. "They're like tiny snowshoes," said the four-time Boston Marathon champion, who did an 8-mile training jaunt in Boxborough Monday after the storm had dumped a foot of white stuff. "What you do is, you adapt. You have to find a way around the winter as an obstacle."

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For thousands of local runners, this winter's nasty combination of snow and subfreezing temperatures has presented an unusual challenge for training for next month's 113th Marathon. But it hasn't kept them indoors. "Many of our members just put their heads down and truck through their miles out in the elements," said Mike McKechnie, president of the Cambridge Running Club, which has three dozen entrants in the field.

With race day less than seven weeks away, competitors need to build up an endurance base that will enable them to survive the world's most demanding 26-mile layout. "You have to get the miles in," said Erin Heslin, a Newtonville resident who runs for the Boston Athletic Association and coaches cross-country at Framingham High School. "You miss a long run and your whole training is off."

So competitors have been doing whatever it takes to get in their 100-plus miles a week. "Generally, the guys go out in whatever conditions pertain," said Bruce Davie, president of the Greater Boston Track Club, which will have between 15 and 20 athletes in the race.

Marathoners, who are obsessive by nature, hate missing workouts, even in arctic conditions. "A group of us call ourselves the Ice Road Runners, after the Ice Road Truckers TV show," said Rodgers, who has asked the BAA organizers to set aside a number for him just in case he gets the itch to race. "We're just as crazy as they are."

This season's volatile weather - snow followed by 50-degree temperatures followed by a deep freeze followed by a thaw followed by more snow - has demanded both flexibility and creativity from runners determined to get in their work. But they've been undeterred. "You just run through it no matter what," said Beth Coughlin, a Newton resident and BAA member who has run the race five times. "Nothing is going to stop you."

The experienced marathoners keep a sharp eye on the forecast, juggling training days and times. They use indoor tracks. They strap on Yaktrax and slosh through the snow. Or they cross-train. "On Monday, I went for a snowshoe run along the banks of the Charles," said Davie. "It's a great workout."

One way or another, runners are determined to get outdoors. "I'd rather run in ice and cold and freezing rain than run on the treadmill," said Coughlin. For serious distance racers, there's no substitute for pounding the pavement, particularly long sections of the hilly course from Hopkinton to Copley Square. "To train for the Boston Marathon, you run on the Boston Marathon course," said race director Dave McGillivray, who annually runs the route immediately after the event. "To run strategically here you have to know the course, and to know the course you have to run it."

That is why Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher, the top two American hopes in this year's race, made a point of lacing up for lengthy training runs when they were in town recently. Hall, who trains in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., went out last Sunday just as the weather was turning foul and ran the final 20 miles. Goucher, who lives in Portland, Ore., spent the better part of a week here last month when she was competing in the Reebok Boston Indoor Games and will get in more work on the course this month en route to the Lisbon Half Marathon.

"I was surprised at how much I liked it," said Goucher, who's bidding to be the first domestic women's victor in 24 years. "But I was also surprised at how much it upset my stomach. The course is so rolling."

For local club members, training on the course on Saturday and Sunday mornings has become an annual ritual. "That's when everyone comes out of the woodwork," said Coughlin. Last weekend, hundreds of runners could be spotted on the main routes of Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, and Newton - Routes 135, 16, and 30. "I took the commuter rail out to Ashland last Saturday and did the last 24 miles," said Bernie Muller, who lives in the Back Bay and runs along the river and the Emerald Necklace.

Since the roads along the course usually are the first ones plowed, they're an attractive option for runners wanting maximum mileage with minimum slipping. But the marathon route requires dodging traffic and avoiding ankle-busting potholes. "The biggest challenge is finding roadways and pathways that are safe to run on," said McGillivray.

The paths along the Charles are a favorite, as is the carriage road along Commonwealth Avenue. "I've been doing a lot of training on Heartbreak Hill," reported Heslin. "That's my best friend."

Parking garages also are popular, as are cemeteries. "They're always plowed," observed Coughlin.

Boston's storied marathon is unique, both in its quirky topography and its meteorology. During the past five years, the temperature at the start has ranged from 47 to 83 degrees, with the 2007 race held amid windswept rain. "Sometimes weather like this is the best preparation you can get," said Muller. "I told someone I was running with that I would hate to be coming here from Arizona."

The problem with an April marathon is that runners have to train during the winter. But Boston habitues wouldn't change the date any more than they'd level the Newton hills. "I wonder what it's like to run a fall marathon," mused Coughlin. "It would be a treat. But this is what makes this race special."

16 Miler or "Follow The Leader"

I ran 16 miles a few weeks ago with the Dana Farber Marathon Team. I've mostly been training with The Fitcorp group out of Beacon Hill because my friend Lisa does, and it's become a habit, a nice habit where I've met some nice people. I was a little bit nervous to join the DFMC group because I knew I hadn't been a good teammate, more like a prodigal daughter being away for so long. They probably wouldn't recognize me.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into practice and our coach Jack Fultz greeted me with a cheery "Hi, Julia." He'd only met me once, about a week earlier when I showed up for a Somerville Road Runners track training at Tufts indoor track (where I didn't expect DFMC, but there they were.) Great memory!

When I first showed up, I did feel a bit like the new girl at school, with everyone gathering in their pre-run cliques. But by the end, the cameraderie of having finished 16 bonded us together.

We ran out of the Waltham branch of the Boston Sports Club which is on the Lincoln border, and most of the run was through the beautiful, hilly roads of Lincoln. I hadn't been to Lincoln probably since I was 6 or 7, when my Aunt Elaine lived there, but I had been to Waltham recently because there's a Raytheon facility there, and that's where I met some wonderful ladies who helped me sort out some of my mother's paperwork at a very difficult time. I never thought I'd be back again under these (much better) circumstances.

Since I didn't know anyone, I was pretty much on my own for the entire run, but there were a few different groups that I ran near at different times. I think it's natural to assume that you'll be the slowest one in a new group, and while I certainly wasn't the fastest, it was good to see a decent number of runners who were at a similar pace as me. Even if we didn't really talk much, it was good not to be completely alone!

As I was running, I thought about calling this blog post "I went the extra mile" because the way the course worked out, the "out and back" only got you 15 miles and in order to do 16, you had to add on an extra mile at the end - an extra, super steep hilly mile. The entire time I was running, particularly the last few miles, I was dreading that "extra" mile.

By about mile 12, I was trailing two other girls, being pulled along in their wake and waiting for them to take the final turn back to the health club and up the "extra mile." But they didn't take that turn. They kept going past it for a while and then turned around, wisely choosing to do the "extra mile" on flat ground instead of the hideous uphill climb. I wasn't even thinking, just following and by following the leader, I was spared that grueling hill and so grateful for those girls.

It was, as I mentioned, a mostly solitary run, but that's a good thing. During the marathon, especially in those last tough ten miles, I won't have much left inside, so the extra boost from the crowds will be something new, something fresh. And if you can do 16 alone, you can do 26 with crowds, right?
That's what I'm hoping, anyway!

When I finished and was stretching, I chatted with a few fellow runners, one man in particular who drives from Connecticut each weekend to run with DFMC! He said the marathon is amazing, tough, challenging, and the toughest part is actually after Heartbreak Hill, in those last 8 miles when there's really nothing to look forward to- but you're not really "done" yet either. Basically from Boston College to the end. Little tips like that are good to know, so I can ask friends and family to strategically position themselves in the miles after Heartbreak Hill to the end... Food for thought.


Tha'ts it for now. Onwards and upwards....