Thursday, March 8, 2012

How run a 19 miler....

Join me as I prep for and then run a 19 mile training run last weekend.  Take a virtual tour of DC in the process.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Sunrise, bikes, and planes....

Sunrise and a plane landing over my head as part of the morning commute.  Part of my Boston training includes my 18-mile roundtrip bike ride along the Potomac River to work each day. 


Test

Friday, March 2, 2012

Zero to Boston?

The name "Zero to Boston" refers to how much running I had done the last year before I started training on December 2. This really was starting from scratch, but as of this weekend I am up to 19 miles for the long weekend run, so we are plugging along!

My brother Chris drew the logo. He modeled it after a comic strip character he made for me when we were in high school. For those not familiar with the Boston Marathon, they literally bus you out of the city to a town call Hopkinton, Mass. and then during the race you run the 26.2 miles back to Downtown Boston. It was a bit intimidating the first time around, but in the end there is no other race quite like it.

In future posts I will talk more about the race, but for now the slide show on the blog give you a bit of a feeling for what race day is like. The photos are a mix of shots from my past runs in Boston in 2007 & 2008, and then from a time during graduate school in 2005. I did not run that year, but rather walked back from the finish line during the race to the infamous "Heartbreak Hill" and snapped shots of the scene along the way. These are now the photos I use for motivation.
Thanks for taking time to read these posts, and joining me on the journey and in the fight against cancer. -Andy

Why I run....

I am running the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge to honor my father Scott’s struggle with cancer. He was diagnosed with cancer in November 2010, and after a 2 month struggle to find the source, and a very scary free-fall, he was determined to have Adenocarcinoma of unknown origin and started chemotherapy in January 2011. By the time he started treatment; he had lost a lot of weight, lost appetite, was in a lot of pain, and had a tumor marker count that was off the charts. We all feared the worst.

Since he started chemotherapy he has stabilized, the pain has subsided, the tumor marker counts are under control, and he is at work again. Yet we know this is a battle for the long-haul. Chemotherapy is now part of life, and Scott and my step-mother Maureen have adjusted to a new normal. Their grace and resolve during this ordeal has been inspiring.

I run for my Dad and Maureen. To honor their struggle, and the struggles of all families whose loved-ones are battling cancer now, or those who have lost loved-ones to cancer.

I have run marathons before, and have even run for the Marathon Challenge before, but this time it’s personal. Any time I am tired at the end of a long-run, or hill work-out, I think of what he has faced this past year and deals with every day. I see that my problems are small, that those last few miles to run, or hills to climb are insignificant in comparison, and I power through and finish as strong as I can. By race day on April 16, I will have run over 650 miles, biked over 1,000 miles, and climbed hundreds of steps, all for Dad and Dana Farber.

Please help me in the fight against cancer. Please help me to honor my Father’s struggle, and the struggles of all families who have been touched by cancer. My goal is to raise $10,000 for Dana Farber by the day of the Marathon and help them find a cure for cancer.

Please share this blog, and links to my fundraising page with others!