After 5 months of training I have less than a week until the marathon. Thank you to everyone who has donated. You have helped the team raise over $750,000.00 so far. Our fundraising pages are active through May so continue to forward the link to friends.
Feel free to track me on Marathon Monday my bib # is 22866. I've been hit by some serious tendonitis this season so I'm expecting a slow, painful run. If you see me out there on the course, please cheer me on. I will need it, especially in the hills leading up to Heartbreak.
From what I have learned this training season, the marathon is an extremely gruelling task physically. The Boston Marathon, though, is a completely different monster. I have been lucky enough to have trained the entire season on the course, getting to know the ups and downs of the hills from Hopkinton to Newton. It is clear to me now why Boston is given such legendary status. Preparing physically is the easy part. If you don't show up prepared for the emotional toll the course takes, you will not finish.
It is the mental part of the race where I think I have been given an advantage. Running with Team In Training has put me in a position where I am constantly inspired to push through barriers. All I have to do is remember the stories of survivors or those who have lost the battle with blood cancer. Throughout the season those stories reminded me of what the team was accomplishing and they helped me to finish the long training runs.
I am dedicating my training, fundraising and marathon finish to my sister Beth who passed away on September 24, 2010. After witnessing her experience fighting cancer, I will never forget the incredible physical and emotional strength she showed when faced with a never ending uphill battle. She never gave up and neither will I.
