Some dreams keep on gettin' better, gotta keep believin' if you wanna know for sure

I ran Newport on Sunday and it didn't go the way I wanted it to at all.  My final time was 5:01.  I know, I talked a big game and I think I built myself up to believe that I was unstoppable.  Hubris man, it gets you every time.  But, after a good day of wallowing and a nice round of punching it out, I'm moving on.  As Ryan so kindly put it, did Tom Brady quit when he lost the Superbowl in 2008? No, he went back out there next year and worked harder.  Once again, Ryan comes through with the support and logic that I need.  Really, my life would be a lot worse if there was no Ryan.  (Ya, I know, barf, whatever, he deserves recognition.)

So, Newport's over and now it's on to Boston.  Of course my fundraiser is still waiting for a lovely person like yourself to drop a few dollars in, so you can head on over to that at any point if you're feeling generous.  Just CLICK HERE TO DONATE! Don't worry, all your money goes to that fantastic charity and I promise to work hard on every mile, in recognition of everyone that donates and supports the cause.

Now, since I'm using this blog as a way to bring in donations, I'm going to have to update a bit more often.  I"m sure anyone who donates will definitely want to follow my training plans and track my run when the big day finally comes.  Of course, the training is still a few months away, so in the meantime, I'll try to keep you entertained with ways I'm fundraising and events/activities I'm doing in between.  For example, yesterday I bought a new Garmin, one with a heart rate monitor, and I'm super pumped to try it out.  Sure, it's just a running watch but I think it will help me understand my pacing a bit better.  I've never tracked my heart rate before, so I might actually learn a thing or two about it now.  Another piece of equipment I'm still debating is an elevation mask. If anyone out there is wondering what to get me for my birthday *ahem, family members* I'd be happy to have one of those bad boys.  Pretty sure you can get it on amazon.  Probably a small.
Moving right along though, I don't know if those actually help, but I do feel like my lungs have a harder time keeping up than my legs.   So, if I can increase my lung capacity, I might be able to run further faster.

Now, before I end this post, I would be remiss if I didn't throw out a thank you to the other people who pushed me through my rough patch of being mad at myself for not running a better marathon.  It's surprising how many people have come to recognize me at Title as the girl who runs, even if we don't know each other's names.  Of course the trainers are always willing to give an encouraging word, but it's nice to know that the other members offer that same support.  This is the reason I still go to Title, and it's the main reason you should join one near you.  I doubt you'd find another gym where the trainers and members get to know you and can offer you advice but not placate you and try to tell you what you want to hear, instead of what you need to hear.  Title is the Batman of working out. That's the easiest way to put that statement.  So, that's it, and please enjoy these pictures of Newport.

Pre-race sunrise

A whole glorious row of empty porta-potties

Start

This is the guy I ran with for the first half(ish).  I was doing great until mile 11, then I jumped out to talk to Holly and never got back into my groove

I'm still not sure how I feel about this medal.

BIG NEWS!!!!

No joke, it's for real the most exciting news you'll read if you've been following this blog for the past two years.  April 18, 2016, Hopkinton to Boston, and I am IN.  YES, you read that right people, I am FINALLY in the Boston Marathon!!!!  If you aren't aware, I've been trying to get in this for the past two years, but my marathon pace isn't qualifying time and the charities are always full.  But this year I found out that the respite center that Morty used to go to has a charity team.  Of course I immediately sent them my information because if ever there was a charity I wanted to run for, it would be this one. Lucky for me, they read my story, we discussed Morty, and everyone agreed it would be a great fit.  I'm so excited to be running for Morty and the Respite Center.  You know how some charities are huge and take donations but then spend most of the money on advertising?  Definitely not the case with the Respite center.  This is just a local home that provides families the opportunity for some much needed rest and a day off. Most of their programs are free of charge to the families who need them, so all the donations that come in go directly to supplies and services at the center.  Just keep that in mind if you decide to donate.  Your money is going directly to those who need it, not some giant CFO somewhere.
If you are interested in Morty and the Respite Center, you can follow this link and check out my page.  
Morty's Story

I mean, really, look at that face!

Piggybacking on this post now, I am still running Newport this weekend. I couldn't really get myself amped for this marathon, not the way I was for Louisiana, so I decided to give myself a reason to run.  Since this is number four, I'm dedicating this one to all the people who helped me out with training.  Really number four has nothing to do with it. But number one, MCM, was to do something new.  Philly was because we were still riding the runner's high and wanted to be maniacs.  Louisiana was for fun and to do one on my own.  So Boston is for Morty, of course.  So, Newport is for everyone else.  The people, if you will.  Everyone who ran with me, talked to me, listened to me whine about how much I didn't want to do it. The list, while seemingly endless, actually isn't that long.  But instead of writing a dedication list here, I'm doing it the creative way.  On the bottom of my shoes.  Yup.  One name for every mile.  Of course Ryan leads the list, because he's my number one fan, even when he's not.  But the other 25 miles are for everyone else.  And just to have a little fun, I switched up my shirt again.  Newport, I am ready for you!

Ok, you can't read that,here's the list:

Right Shoe: Ryan, Cynthia, Murdock, Madilyn, Holly, Tracy, Jenna, Danielle, Nala, Stella, Kenny, Mom, Gibbs Family

Left shoe: Title Boxing (the club, the members, and the trainers!), Kerri, Dana, Erin, Matt D (for offering his treadmill after the kids went to sleep), the Revolutionary War Soldiers (for getting me through a training run on the Battle Road Trail one day), the Mystics from the relay team, Lynn Woods Running, Lynn Classical Girls Spring Track Team, Donna, Cortney, Brian, and finally, Alex F.

October

Well, in case you were wondering, I've made it through my marathon training again.  Except this time around I split up my 20 miler so that I joined up with friends for 12 in the middle.  It worked out well because it didn't seem like it was 20 miles.  Anyways, I'm ready for Newport next weekend.  I don't remember if I even mentioned that I deferred Chicago due to not wanting to pay for plane tickets to Chicago and to Louisiana in the same month.  And baby Beau's christening took precedence over marathon running, so Newport, here I come.  My only real goal during this marathon is to get over the finish line in under 4 hours.  3:59 is fine with me.  So I guess that means no selfie mile markers this time around, and I'll probably have to really think hard about bathroom breaks and walk-through water stops.  You know what though, I think I can do it.  And if not, I'll try again in my next marathon.  But I think I can do it.  As long as it's not raining, or overly hot, or overly cold.  Ideal conditions only.  It will be nice to run through Newport though.  I hear the scenery is lovely.  I'll try to get some pictures, and apparently the race photos are free too, so I'll have those to share.  Anyways, I swear I'll have a lot more going on here real soon, it won't be months between updates anymore.  For real!