On my way home from school today, I got a voice mail from my co-teacher Carrie. She updated me quickly on a student situation (we never have time to talk about these things during the day!), then went on to say she was so excited for the marathon. "During my quiet alone time in the morning, every day this week, I've been thinking about you and sending good mental vibes your way. I am so excited for you, and just amazed at all the hard hard work you've put into this."
It's true, I have put in a lot of time and effort into training for this thing. About 700 miles, in fact. Which, at an average pace of 8:00/mile, is about 93 hours. (woah, I just scared myself with that math!) But none of it has ever felt like work to me. Sure, I had some bad runs and some days where I just didn't feel like turning my legs over. But most days, I actually look forward to my run...whether it's some alone time, or running with Katie and Aimee. Since I started running seriously, it's been the only constant thing in my life amidst leaving an old job and starting a new one, relationships beginning and ending, family and life changes, and lots of other hobbies that just didn't stick.
In general, I really like doing this, and it hasn't been a chore for me. Maybe this tapering has gone to my head...
Learn more about the two people I am running in honor of:
Karen Gott, of Waldoboro ME
Karen is my Dad's older sister, and she was like the cool babysitter when we were growing up. Ted, Tom, (my brothers) and I used to love seeing her car pull up to the house, because it meant board games, M+M cookies, shopping trips, and sleepovers. Karen just finished 6 months of chemotherapy for colon cancer, and is doing great with physical therapy and getting back on the move again!
Theo S. of Arlington MA
Theo is a sharp, inquisitive, high energy two year old that has been battling LCH in his skin and femur bone for over a year. He is my Patient Partner through the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund clinic, which means we get to do fun things like play Dr. Seuss games, have pizza parties, and visit childrens' museums. He just completed a year of chemotherapy. He loves dinosaurs, animals, and lea
rning about bones! 
Karen is my Dad's older sister, and she was like the cool babysitter when we were growing up. Ted, Tom, (my brothers) and I used to love seeing her car pull up to the house, because it meant board games, M+M cookies, shopping trips, and sleepovers. Karen just finished 6 months of chemotherapy for colon cancer, and is doing great with physical therapy and getting back on the move again!
Theo S. of Arlington MA
Theo is a sharp, inquisitive, high energy two year old that has been battling LCH in his skin and femur bone for over a year. He is my Patient Partner through the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund clinic, which means we get to do fun things like play Dr. Seuss games, have pizza parties, and visit childrens' museums. He just completed a year of chemotherapy. He loves dinosaurs, animals, and lea
rning about bones!
About Me
- Betsy Gott
- Brookline, MA
- When I finished the 2008 Chicago Marathon, I told my family "I am never ever EVER doing that again." And yet, here I am...training and fund raising for the 2010 Boston Marathon with the Dana-Farber team. I run because it is something that I love; but I run for Dana-Farber to support and honor somebody that I love: my Aunt Karen, who is heading towards remission for colon cancer. This blog will follow my training and my fund raising as I attempt to run over 700 miles in training, raise at least $7000 for cancer research, and run 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston on April 19th.
Click below for my personal Dana Farber webpage to learn more and donate towards my goal of $6000:
Theo, my patient partner at Boston's Jimmy Fund Clinic. January '09.
1 comment:
Awesome blog, Betsy! You and Katie have got me seriously inspired. I've been focusing on 1/2 marathons of late, but maybe you've changed my mind... good luck and have fun out there!
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