Today I had an AMAZING run with my MGH Marathon Team! We met at Marathon Sports on Boylston St and ran the Boston Marathon course backwards all the way to Boston College (and then back!). We didn't get as far as the infamous heartbreak hill, but boy was it hilly! In total we ran 13.3 miles, but I ran a mile there and back from my apartment, so I'm saying I ran 15 haha. I absolutely LOVED this run. My body felt awesome, I had a great running partner (Chad from my team), but most of all, the course we ran was filled with runners! Every where you looked were groups of 2 or 3 runners, decked out in past Boston Marathon gear and loving life. I have never run out by the BC area (I'm a Charles River snob), and it was like a running utopia - everyone smiling, waving, saying hi and rooting you on during those Brookline hills. I am definitely going to start doing my long runs out that way and recommend that route to anyone who wants a more challenging workout! I've posted my MapMyRun route below. You have to be my friend to check it out...so friend me and get to running!!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/66362240
Also, last Wednesday was our 2nd MGH Marathon Team meeting and 1st team social! We talked a lot about upcoming dates, our personal struggles (either running or fund raising....which thank to all my FABULOUS donors is not a problem for me!) and what inspiration means to us. Here's a little summary of what we talked about, which hopefully will help inspire you to use the above link!!!
The runners on the MGH Marathon Team have 2 finish lines: The physical finish on Boylston St and the personal finish of raising $5,000.00. It is the latter that inspires us. By raising money, we are actively working to support cancer research and cancer recovery. Almost all the runners have family or friends who have been affected by cancer. Members of my team have lost best-friends to cancer, have children who are currently being treated at the MGH for Children, or have lost parents and siblings. For me, as you know, I am running for my Mom, who fought through 3 rounds of intense chemotherapy to live. While talking to my teammates during the social, we realized how much we are not only motivated by our own stories, but by each others as well. I cannot wait to run for Matt's friend or for Ping's father, and hearing their stories made me so motivated to run today. But what surprised me the most was how my story also impacted others. My story has a happy ending, and as one of my teammates told me, we need to hear a happy story every now and again to know that our fight against cancer IS working. We also received a list of 26 motivational reasons to run a marathon, I will end this post with my personal favorites:
1. The best way to remove the words, "I can't" from your vocabulary.
7. There is no rational reason to run a marathon. Pretty cool, eh?
10. Inspiration in life. Marathoning brings out the best in humankind. You'll see people from all walks of life and situations in a marathon - in wheelchairs, with amputated limbs, blind. You become inspired by seeing what the power of will and human spirit can achieve, and overcome.
23. Learning about life. Life is a marathon. It is not short. It has its ups and downs. It is all about having goals, taking it one step at a time. The parallels are downright amazing. You'll be better in life having run a marathon.
Peace, Love, and RUNNING!
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