Trick-or-Treatable Cancer

Today, Halloween, marked my first fundraiser for Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge! My roommate and I dressed up as runners; I wore my DFMC singlet and bib number from last year's DFMC and Kay wore her B.A.A. number and my reflective vest. We went door-to-door in our neighborhood and collected contributions in lieu of Halloween candy. Last year, I gave out letters on Halloween and found them rather unsuccessful. This year, however, was a totally different story! We raised $148.00 for innovative cancer research!

Our neighbors opened their doors and their wallets to a variety of charities this year. UNICEF was most popular and we found that many houses were prepared with a bowl of candy and a separate bowl of quarters. I was concerned that people would think that we're too old to be soliciting funds on Halloween, but there were many other adults dressed as skunks, cowboys, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, etc....

To make a long story short, we came home after trick-or-treating for two hours with purple and black spider rings, apples, candy and a whole lot of cash! I also met two people who work for Dana-Farber, a doctor and another gentleman from IT. Lastly, I was impressed by the sheer number of children in our neighborhood! One particular street was blocked off tonight, and a donor reported that they receive almost 1,000 trick-or-treaters on an annual basis!

Halloween has never been a popular holiday in my family for a variety of reasons, but I've come to the conclusion that the holiday isn't entirely "bad" afterall!

Training Log

Monday, October 27, 2008
7:15AM (2 Mile Run)
Rt. 9
Weather: 40F
Conditions: Sunny
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: Who knows?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
7:15AM (3-Mile Run)
Rt. 9
Weather: 40F
Conditions: Cloudy and Windy
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: Who knows?

Friday, October 31, 2008
7:15AM (2-Mile Run)
Rt. 9
Weather: 30F
Conditions: Sunny (pink skies)
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: Who knows?

FUN FACTS: (since October 20, 2008):
Total Miles Logged: 9
Total Time Running: 01:30:00
Total Time Crosstraining: 00:30:00

MONTHLY MILEAGE:
Total Miles Logged October: 9

MONTHLY CROSSTRAINING:
Total Hours October: 00:30:00

GUT RATING SCALE:
(1) Great workout! Could have run twice as far (if I threw caution and The Plan to the wind).
(2) Rewarding effort - felt almost great.
(3) Worked up a decent sweat - had fun in general.
(4) Heart and soul not out here with my body, but...The Plan, Boss, The Plan!
(5) Thank goodness the race wasn't today. I'd rather be doing almost anything else.

Cure Cancer Burn Calories!

Separate from my run for Dana-Farber, I will be running the Brookline High School 21st Century Fund 2008 Walk-Run to raise money for cancer research. This event is a sanctioned 5k road race/walk that starts and ends at the Brookline High School on Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 10:00am.

The 21st Century Fund is sponsoring and planning this event to give groups in the community of Brookline High School the opportunity to raise money themselves for their activities.

I have entered a team in the event called Cure Cancer Burn Calories! to give you the opportunity to run a 5K by my side and to raise your own funds for cancer research. All are welcome to join my team and each participant will receive his or her own fundraising webpage! The cost is only $10 ($15 after November 24th) to run/walk and there is no fundraising minimum, but I hope that you will collect additional pledges from family and friends as part of the Cure Cancer Burn Calories! team. The great news is that the 21st Century Fund will contribute 80% of the pledges raised through my run/walk team to support cancer research! The individual who collects the most in pledges will receive a gift certificate redeemable for a FREE 3-month membership at the Beacon Hill Athletic Club!

If you would like to join my run/walk team, go to http://bhs21stcenturyfund.kintera.org/walkrun/curecancer to register! Please feel free to comment if you have any questions!

We're Live!

My DFMC fundraising page is LIVE! Please click here to be the very first person to sponsor my run in the 2009 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber!

Thanks,
Katy

P.S. The Black Toe

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
7:15AM
Rt. 9
Weather: 41F
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: Who knows?

I did a nice, easy two miler with Kay before work. The hardest part of the run was getting out of bed this morning. Last October, I was running six and seven milers. This year, I'm going to try not to increase my mileage so quickly. I'm also not going to take a week off at Christmas, but I'll save that topic for a December post.

It felt good to run today. My confidence in my running has improved ten-fold because I know that I am capable of completing the mileage. Kay and I somehow got onto the topic of pedicures and toes during our run (odd I know), which reminded me that I never told you about my post-marathon trauma. Yes, my big toenail fell off about four months after the marathon. I'm currently debating whether I should include a picture of it in this post. Not sure if an image of my toe will portray DFCI in a positive light? It could also scare away potential teammates. Anyhow, my toenail is almost back to normal ... just in time for it to turn black and fall off again! I'm still not sure why I didn't have problems with any of my other toes. Any guesses?

I would also like to share with you that I wore both of my lime green fleeces today. I wore one during my run, and the other during my GMAT class because it is starting to get chilly out there!

FUN FACTS: (since October 20, 2008):
Total Miles Logged: 2
Total Time Running: 00:20:00
Total Time Crosstraining: 00:30:00

MONTHLY MILEAGE:
Total Miles Logged October: 2

MONTHLY CROSSTRAINING:
Total Hours October: 00:30:00

GUT RATING SCALE:
(1) Great workout! Could have run twice as far (if I threw caution and The Plan to the wind).
(2) Rewarding effort - felt almost great.
(3) Worked up a decent sweat - had fun in general.
(4) Heart and soul not out here with my body, but...The Plan, Boss, The Plan!
(5) Thank goodness the race wasn't today. I'd rather be doing almost anything else.

SEINFELD SCALE:
XX

Six Months = 182.621099 Days

Monday, October 20, 2008
7:30AM Workout
BHAC
Weather: Indoors
Conditions: Indoors
Gut Rating: 2
Perfect conditions for a marathon (ha!).
Pace: Who knows?

GET EXCITED! In exactly six months from today, I will complete my second Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber! I'm looking forward to seeing my mom and dad at mile 10. I have a hot date with Owen (lol - and family) at mile 22. My roommate, Kate, will be at Coolidge Corner. I can't wait to open my little envelope -- it's always Christmas at mile 16. The screaming girls at Wellesley at the halfway mark are CRAZY! The patient partners and their families will be in Kenmore Square, cheering beneath my favorite part of boston: the famous Citgo sign. My co-workers and friends will be scattered along the route, and we all know where we can find the finish line! Again, GET EXCITED!

Today also marked the first day of my marathon training. I did a half hour on the elliptical machine this morning before work. Before I blog too much, I have a confession. I haven't worked out in over two months. EEP! I expected today to be difficult, but it wasn't so bad. I think that my body appreciated the hiatus from running, etc. Now, we're back on track!

FUN FACTS: (since October 20, 2008):
Total Miles Logged: 0
Total Time Running: 00:00:00
Total Time Crosstraining: 00:30:00

MONTHLY MILEAGE:
Total Miles Logged October: 0

MONTHLY CROSSTRAINING:
Total Hours October: 00:30:00

GUT RATING SCALE:
(1) Great workout! Could have run twice as far (if I threw caution and The Plan to the wind).
(2) Rewarding effort - felt almost great.
(3) Worked up a decent sweat - had fun in general.
(4) Heart and soul not out here with my body, but...The Plan, Boss, The Plan!
(5) Thank goodness the race wasn't today. I'd rather be doing almost anything else.

SEINFELD SCALE:
X

Live and Learn

I'm so excited to be part of the DFMC team this year, but the experience is already different in so many ways. Last year, I walked around with a silly grin on my face for several weeks after finding out that I would be running the 2008 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber. Then, I went through a period of denial. No way! I thought, this can't be happening! I'm running the 2008 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber! I think that there was a "deer in headlights" phase at some point in time. Oh my goodness! Ah! I have to run the 2008 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber! After that, I really buckled down and focused on my training because I would be running the 2008 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber. Lastly, I focused on my fundraising because I was running the 2008 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber. This isn't to say that I didn't put a ton of effort into my fundraising. Bottom line: I met my running goal ... but I did not meet my fundraising goal. I should've started my fundraising even earlier.

This year, I'm going to focus my efforts on the harder of the two challenges. After all, I was not accepted onto the team because I'm a runner. Heck, it took me over five hours to cross the finish line last year. I was accepted onto the team because I am capable of meeting my $10,000 fundraising goal. I know what I have to do to raise $10,000 for Dana-Farber ... and this girl means business. My time is limited because April 20, 2009 is right around the corner. I already submitted a pre-event plan and budget for "Trick or Treat Cancer" and I've drafted a list of potential supporters. My goal is to email my contact at Feld Entertainment this week do discuss the Skate to Freeze Cancer 2. There's definite potential to conduct two separate skate-a-thons this winter, one in Boston and another in Worcester. I'm also going to prepare my first batch of letters and make every effort to secure some free ice time this week. Here we go!

Running Cancer Outta Town

The wheels are turning. I have a few more fundraising ideas:

1. "Doggone Cancer" or "Fetch a Cure": an organized dog walk in the Boston area
2. "Ultimate Frisbee Marathon": a winter ultimate frisbee tournament in Burlington
3. "Trick or Treat Cancer": collecting contributions in lieu of candy on Halloween

Last year, I gave out close to two hundred letters on Halloween to get the word out about my fundraising goals for Dana-Farber. I received a lot of positive feedback from my neighbors, but very few people actually sponsored my run as a result of the letters. This year, I'm going door-to-door dressed up as a runner on Halloween. It's likely that some of my neighbors will declare my efforts a shameless attempt to collect money, but I will definitely generate interest and awareness ... and hopefully raise $10,000 for Dana-Farber in a single night. This activity will also double as a training run!

Owen suggested that I conduct an ultimate frisbee tournament this winter, probably because it will give him another excuse to wear the waterproof socks that I gave him last Christmas. I've done a bit of research and the last "good cause" frisbee tournament raised over $10,000. Not sure if ultimate frisbee enthusiasts will be willing to brave the snow for the love of the game and an even better cause.... If so, I'll book the field!

Have you ever noticed how many dogs there are in the Boston area? Maureen must be terrified! I'm thinking about bringing the local dog lovers together for an organized dog walk to raise money for my run. What do you think?

If I decide to move forward with any of these fundraising plans, I will naturally submit a pre-event plan and budget to Dana-Farber for review and approval.

Lastly, while I have the mic, congratulations to my roommate, Kay, for being accepted onto the DFMC team!!

Chelsey_yeslehC

Yesterday, I found out that one of my best friends from tour, Chelsey, applied to be a member of the 2009 DFMC team! I received a surprise text message saying, "I did it!!! Put my app in ... Annnd now I cross my fingerssssss." Last year's DFMC team had representatives from 30 states and several foreign countries. If Chelsey's application is accepted, she will be my Canadian running mate!

Pick Me! Pick Me!

My application to run the 2009 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber has been accepted! Still waiting to hear back whether my roommate, Kay, will be my running mate...

With applications pouring in for the 2009 DFMC and my roommates at the apple orchard this morning, the theme of the day is "Pick Me!"