it's a numbers game

THANK YOU!

With six weeks to go until Marathon Monday, I hit two big numbers last week:

500 miles in training

$3,000 in fund raising

That means I am halfway to my fund raising goal, and far more than halfway through my training. I thought the countdown clock at Marathon Sports was a fitting image for this post....I walk by it two times a day, on my way to school and on my way home...and I would be lying if I didn't admit how excited/nervous/anxious/incredulous/scared it makes me each and every time.

But I wouldn't be anywhere without the support of all of you. I may be the one training for, and running this race...but for every mile I run, there is a person along the way that has
supported,
encouraged,
donated,
helped,
cheered,
commiserated,
pushed,
organized,
inspired,
comforted, and
listened.

I try hard to let you all know that, with a thank you or a hug, or a mention in the blog, but sometimes it's impossible to reach everyone that is reaching out to me. So this is for you. Without you, this whole thing would be a lot more challenging--and a lot less meaningful.

Thank you.

team chico-pee

This has been a fantastic weekend so far....my roommates Katie, Kiirsten, and I trekked down to New Haven last night to visit our old roommate, Mo! After some wine and girl talk last night, we got up for our morning ritual of coffee and watching The Office, then headed out for a run around East Rock and the Yale campus. It was a beautiful day, I was with some of my favorite running buddies ever, and it was all around just awesome.

me, Mo, Katie, and Kiirsten after our run in New Haven

We ran together today in preparation for the Hyannis Marathon Relay in two weekends; last year we ran as Team KEEK, and this year we'll be running as Team Chico-pee. (The name comes from our upstairs neighbors who let their little pug, Chico, pee all over their back porch. Which means that it drips riiiight down onto our porch. ew.)

For those of you unfamiliar with a marathon relay, it is basically the 26.2 miles divided up between 4 relay legs: Katie and I will run the first 13 miles, then hand off to Mo for the next 7.3 miles, who will hand off to Kiirsten for the last 5.8 miles. We're not out to win any medals...just to enjoy the pasta dinner the night before, cheer on the father-son team of Rick and Dick Hoyt, and have some more roommate bonding time :)

Last year's Hyannis adventure consisted of some interesting driving by Kiirsten, some new male friends, a very strange continental breakfast in which we were told our eggs WILL explode, and a race director who made us keep getting closer to the porta potties (as if that would help start the race on time). This year's adventure has a lot to live up to.

a "yay" moment

Yes, this was me...for the better part of 3 months in the fall of 2007 after the bike accident. After weeks of staying in hiding in my apartment, I finally decided to brave the Boston bar scene with some college friends that I knew would take good care of me...and luckily, Sammy didn't desert me in spite of my fashionable accessories!

But, I post this photo to make a point! This week marks a momentous occasion: Aunt Karen will be finishing her chemotherapy treatments! Her battle has been long and much more arduous than my few months in a neck brace and a sling. So this post is simply a "yay" moment--for Aunt Karen, or for anyone that has ever had to endure the fragility of the human body, and discovered a different kind of strength in the process.

(a note about "yay" moments....as a third grade teacher, I am a big fan of the word "yay!" i use it often (more often than I should?) to describe anything from a good run, to a fun night out, to a student reading a big word correctly, to a life changing event. it just works. try it, you'll see!)