7/12

Hello!

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.  Our TEAM M4M (Miles for Melanoma) running team has started training here in Washington, D.C., getting in shape for the Philadelphia Marathon this November.  I'll be running the 1/2 marathon this year, raising money for the Melanoma Research Foundation and its efforts to find a cure for the tens of thousands of Americans that are diagnosed with this disease each year.

If you're interested in helping out, please consider supporting us with a donation.  Donating through this website is simple, fast and secure, as well as the most efficient way to support our fundraising efforts.  Many thanks for your support -- and please forward this on to anyone you think may want to donate too! 

Pat

 

9/21

Thanks again to everyone who's donated to MRF through our team!  The training's been amazing!  Alternately exhausting and exhilirating (usually after we're done :).  Kev and Don have done this so many times, and the system is so detailed (except for those squiggly quasi-maps of the route that Kevin draws on dry-erase board on team training mornings), it's really made it a breeze.  LIke the "food" you eat during the run.  I've discovered that I can almost keep down Hammer Gel, but Gu (appropriately named) gives my innards fits.  If you're ordering for your date, skip the Gu - you'll both be glad you did.  And then there's Don "the Rabbit," who I tried to keep pace with for the first two miles a week ago and nearly died.  My groove appears to be about 8 1/2 minutes per mile.  Anything more and fan belts start to come off.  Other than Gu and the Near Death Experience, it's been completely pleasurable, and to know that we're helping out people who really need it helps you push through the "got no juice in the tank" moments.  Hope all's well with all y'all.  Will post more as we get closer to Philly.

 9/27

For the first time, I think I actually hurt myself doing this.  Started jogging yesterday in a cold rain and after about 15 steps I felt a nasty twinge flare up in my left knee.  Hobbled around for the rest of the evening before getting some ice on there.  A little better today, but I'm going to have to skip tomorrow's team run in the hope that a little rest - and more stretching - will do the trick.  I'm contacting the coach for suggestions on which nutritious, chalky gel I should imbibe to cure this.  More to come.  I hope!

 10/12

After missing two weeks of team runs because of the left knee (and picking up the coveted Slacker Award in the process) (hey, Kev runs a tight ship), I made it back for a 10-mile training run yesterday.  A gorgeous fall day with about 20 bajillion people on the path (the Capitol Crescent trail, an old rail bed that goes from Georgetown up into Bethesda).  People with kids in strollers, Lance Armstrong-wannbes on racing bikes, people with dogs, dogs with people and good air everywhere.  For me, the "run" was about half run and half walk, but it got done.  I may be using a shopping cart by race day, but I will get to the finish line :)

10/18

That was incredible!  I didn't think I could do it, but I was able to run 12 miles today.  I'm currently a pale shade of grey with the pulse of a snake, but other than that - it was awesome!  Everyone on the team's doing really well, looking strong and appreciating the fact that the 94 and humid days are well past.  We're about 5 weeks from the race, and it looks like the Team is cooking!  Kevin and Don are super coaches, as well as amazing runners. They spend each team training day shuttling back and forth along the route, checking on everyone, offering encouragement and then cleaning up all the water-and-Gu stations afterword.  We're in good hands and everyone's getting focused on race day (and, perhaps, the Pasta Party the day before).  Next week - 10 miles (piece of cake!) and then comes 13.  I think I can, I think I can.....

10/25

Like running in Seattle today - wet, cool and humid.  The fall colors are about a week from a peak, and the run today alongside Rock Creek was gorgeous.  Unfortunatley, our team member Flora is probably not going to make the run with us in Philadelphia because she and her boyfriend are moving to Stowe, Vermont to start up a Car-B-Q empire (check them out if you're there!).  One month until the big day, and everybody's looking really good out on the trail.  Next week - lucky 13 (ouch)!

 

11/19

Actually, lucky 13 wasn't so bad.  Alright, right around mile 11 seemed like a perfectly sensible time to stop, but you keep going and all of the sudden - you're done!  We've been tapering off the last 2 weeks (progressively less mileage) to prep for the run, the thought apparently being that your body will have time to heal up and build muscle better without pushing it quite so much.  The team is looking GOOD!   And I want to give a great shout-out-and-you-totally-rule again to Coach Stenny and Asst. Vice Coach Don, who have got us all in super shape with only sparing use of the cat o' nine tails.  Which we appreciate :)  It's supposed to be about 43 for a high on race day Sunday, and our run begins at 7 AM, so I'm very much hoping that the number singlet will fit over a parka.  Heading north for cheesesteaks and pasta!!!!!

 

11/24

We did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was dark and cold (19 degrees at race time) and I've never seen so much Gatorade in my ilfe, but Team M4M got it done.  We dropped our "after" clothes, got into our corrals (moo) and waited, then cheered, then waited some more and...then...we were off!  There were so many people along with us running in memory of someone, as part of a school or work team or to raise money for medical research as we did.  It's quite an experience to be bobbing up down with 19,000 other people in spandex and running shoes, scooting past brownstones, between skyscrapers, over bridges and uphills as the morning comes up.. And then ducking into the nearest available bush or shrub to pee - I had no idea how much of that goes on!  I feel a TLC series coming on....   My race felt great until about mile 8 when those darn....hills...showed up (note to self: Chicago or Kansas next time) until about 10.5 miles.  After that, I was pretty much on fumes, but the spirit of the day and the music and the training got me through to the end.  That and the hot chicken broth at the runners' post-race tent!  Hits the spot surprisingly well!

Our pasta dinner the night before at Buca di Beppo's was a delight.  WIth members from Atlanta, NYC and all over the DC/Virginia/Maryland area, it was the first time we had everyone all in one room.  It's a good crew and I'm going to miss not getting together each Saturday morning before dawn to share Clif Bars and Kev's stick-figure dry erase board course maps.   At Buca's, Stenny and Kendel gave us all foundation stones with plaques as members of the founding M4M team, and we were also able to meet Bill Marsch, who has been handling all of the non-Internet donations for MRF.   It looks like the team has raised enough money to probably fund a new melanoma researcher and her or his project for the coming year, so thanks again to all of you who've helped us out - you have made a real difference already!  Also, thank you and congratulations again on a job beautifully done to Stenny, Kendel and Don Cline for pulling all of the logistics together and for coaching us so well.  It's been amazing, and I'm so happy to have been part of this team.

- Pat