I am 88% of the way to my $10,000 fundraising goal with five and a half weeks until race day. This week, I have started selling raffle tickets for $2/each or 6 for $10. The drawing will take place the evening before the marathon as friends and family dine on the traditional pasta and sauce. I encourage everyone to purchase tickets by e-mailing me, leaving a comment on the blog or donating through my firstgiving page and leaving "Raffle" in the comment section. The prizes are:
$50 American Express giftcard
$25 J.P. Licks Ice Cream gift certificate
Free Peet's coffee for 1 year (2 of them!)
Boston Marathon Vest autographed by Olympic Marathoner Ryan Hall and Sara Hall
John Hancock Turtleneck autographed by Olympic Marathoner Ryan Hall and Sara Hall
My goal is to knock out the final $1299 in fundraising by March 31st and raise my goal heading into in final stretch in April. This raffle is a great way to help me meet that goal and win some fun things along the way!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Looking Forward, Looking Back
With 6 weeks until race day, I have made it to the part of training that feels a bit like having tunnel vision. This week, my mid-week run lead to the first 18 miler of the training cycle. I start with a 6 mile tempo run tonight followed by 1 mile repeats later in the week. On Sunday, my wife and "Coach Speedy" will act as my crew as I run 18 miles on the earlier part of the Boston Marathon course.
The 18 miler is a fairly exhausting task. It is run 30 seconds per mile over race pace while preparing my legs and cardio system for the intense work of race day. Mentally, this is a good opportunity to prepare for the discomfort that the last miles of the marathon brings. Luckily, I will have this run and the 20 miler a few weeks later as the last of my real long runs. The key is to take your body to the edge with enough time to recover for race day.
In preparing for the upcoming really long runs, I have found myself looking back and the past weeks of running. Last week, I knocked out a 9 mile tempo run and had a track workout where I managed to run at a 6:30 pace during the interval portion. That left me pretty excited for race day. In addition, here is this year's Top 10 list:
Top 10 Things About Training for the Boston Marathon:
10. Talking to a 1st grade class at Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School about my run
9. "He is eating again" jokes from my co-workers
8. High fives from small children while running through Cambridge on a long run
7. Coach Speedy cheering and clapping when I get back from long runs
6. Fantastic dinner parties to raise money for MBHP
5. A client trying to donate $5 to my marathon run
4. A random man in Arlington stopping me at a red light to find out why I am running the marathon - and having a cold gatorade and $5 donation when I arrived at the same light 30 minutes later!
3. 4am runs in the rain and snow
2. Having an duck boat "Quack Quack" for the runner (me) in downtown Boston one Sunday
1. Knowing that I will hit the $10,000 mark thanks to your help
The 18 miler is a fairly exhausting task. It is run 30 seconds per mile over race pace while preparing my legs and cardio system for the intense work of race day. Mentally, this is a good opportunity to prepare for the discomfort that the last miles of the marathon brings. Luckily, I will have this run and the 20 miler a few weeks later as the last of my real long runs. The key is to take your body to the edge with enough time to recover for race day.
In preparing for the upcoming really long runs, I have found myself looking back and the past weeks of running. Last week, I knocked out a 9 mile tempo run and had a track workout where I managed to run at a 6:30 pace during the interval portion. That left me pretty excited for race day. In addition, here is this year's Top 10 list:
Top 10 Things About Training for the Boston Marathon:
10. Talking to a 1st grade class at Solomon Schechter Jewish Day School about my run
9. "He is eating again" jokes from my co-workers
8. High fives from small children while running through Cambridge on a long run
7. Coach Speedy cheering and clapping when I get back from long runs
6. Fantastic dinner parties to raise money for MBHP
5. A client trying to donate $5 to my marathon run
4. A random man in Arlington stopping me at a red light to find out why I am running the marathon - and having a cold gatorade and $5 donation when I arrived at the same light 30 minutes later!
3. 4am runs in the rain and snow
2. Having an duck boat "Quack Quack" for the runner (me) in downtown Boston one Sunday
1. Knowing that I will hit the $10,000 mark thanks to your help
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Boston Marathon Course Preview
For those who haven't seen it, here is a great video preview of the Boston Marathon course with a little Bruce Springsteen to get you going!
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