Toeing the Starting Line

Last week was the first Runners Meeting of the season for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge.  It's always so motivating and inspiring to gather with many teammates to get prepared for the upcoming training season.  There were so many people attending this meeting that they had to move it to a bigger room to accommodate all of the runners.  That's the first time in the 4 years I've been on the team that this has happened, and I hope it is a sign of a very successful year.  It's such a supportive group, with so much more to offer than a training plan. 

The meetings are usually a combination of running and fundraising information.  The goal of the DFMC team is first and foremost to raise research funds for the Barr program at Dana-Farber, the means of doing that is the running part.  There is a personal connection for each of the runners to cancer and each has their own reason for running.  At the meeting, we were treated to a show by two young boys whose dad is running.  He was a member of the team a few years back, running in honor of his wife.  This year, he is back running in memory of his wife and the mother of these two boys.  One day this summer, the boys came up with the idea to do some fund raising of their own.  They set up "drums" on their driveway....a bucket, a megaphone, a tamborine, etc.  The younger boy, about 5 or 6 years old, sat in a small Radio Flyer wagon and played the drums and the older brother, maybe 8 or 9, held up a sign that said they were raising money for Dana-Farber Cancer Research.  A drum show instead of a lemonade stand.  To raise money for cancer.  For their mom. These impressive young men reenacted their show for us, and then told us all about it.  One person gave them a check for $40.  Lots of people stopped and listened.  At the meeting, they presented the DFMC a check for over $130 to kick off the season.  And they signed autographs.  That'll get you fired up.

After running a half marathon in October, I had been feeling a little unmotivated to run, and took some time "off."  I'd go out for some shorter runs when I felt like it, but didn't look at what I should be doing or any sort of plan for about a month.  It felt good.  Last week, the motivation to run came back.  I felt like going a little further, a little faster, and ready to start building up.  I got out for regular runs at a decent pace and it felt good.  Yesterday, I pulled out all the articles and books and training plans I have been collecting, and have started to put together my training plan for the next 21 weeks.  I am ready to get started. 

And I'm back to writing more, and have started to put together my other plan....making this year another productive, maybe record setting year raising valuable, important funds for Dana-Farber.  Each year the support has been tremendous, and I am excited to get started again.  I'm ready.

It's November 15 and it is 60 degrees at 6:30 a.m.  Can't beat that.  I've been enjoying every last minute of these higher than normal November temperatures, all the while preparing for the winter that lurks behind these treasured days.  I'm ready for it...well, ready as I can be.  Ready to run.  Ready to remember.  Ready to break new records.  Ready to keep running the race against cancer. 

Be good.  Be strong.