Molly's Marathon

It's June - Lots going on!

2008-06-06T07:16:00.002-04:00

Wow it's been a while since I last posted! I guess my life has been getting a little bit back to normal (as normal as my life could ever be). I only have 4 days of school left! I'm still running a little. Though the other day I ran 3 miles and it was so hard! I kept thinking to myself, how can this be so hard when I was able to run 26.2 miles??? It's funny how things work like that!

Well, I have less than 2 months left to fundraise, and I'm getting closer and closer to my goal!! CJ's Spring Swing was a super success and brought in a ton of money! Through their success, I received a generous donation of $3,000! Hopefully that will be posted on my total soon.

Next Friday, June 13th, is my fundraising party at The Point, starting at 7. That should be fun, and hopefully bring me even closer to that goal of $12,000!!

On a fun note, the Buckley's (CJ and fam) just got to spend some time in Disney through Make a Wish! Sounds like they had a ball, and CJ, being CJ, managed to melt some hearts and even completely inspire and change one volunteer's life. That little bugger has a way of doing that! (Hence my marathon ambition) :)

On a more sad note, I won't be able to go to Belize this summer. The area I was supposed to go to was completely devastated by hurricane Arthur. Most people lost everything! It's unbelievable. Check out the articles -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYBtvmbykqY

http://belizenews.com/

Channel5Belize.COM

7 News Belize

Now I'm done with my updates. I have a lot when I don't post for a while! Come to The Point on Friday the 13th (don't worry)! :)

mab

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T07:34:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom, Nana, Nicole, and all the other mothers in the world!

I was able to go for a 2 1/2 mile run on Friday with no real pain! It was quite exciting, though the weird bump thing on my foot did hurt afterwards, but not too bad!

CJ's Spring Swing is tomorrow (crossing my fingers for no rain)!

Running again next year?

2008-04-30T12:07:00.002-04:00

People keep asking me if I'll run again next year. My answer is still a pretty solid no...at least for now. I think if I were to subject myself to this torture again, I'd want to have more time to be able to train a little more adequately, or even just a little more. When they decide to add a couple more hours to the day, that would be a great time for me to train again. Or maybe if I suddenly became so wealthy that all I had to do was workout all day, that would be a great time too. Seeing as teachers don't tend to suddenly become super wealthy (or even a little wealthy), and I don't play the lottery so my chances of winning that are pretty small (they could mess up and think I won right?), and I don't have any rich knight-in-shining-armor knocking down my door (not even any without shining armor), well considering all of this, my chances of running again any time soon are not very good! It wouldn't hurt to get a new set of legs first too (actually that might hurt). My legs don't really like training and running a marathon. Maybe my years in the pool made me destined to have legs that would hate pounding on pavement. Or maybe I can blame it on my mom. So all I'd really need to run the marathon again is more time (whether due to an increase in daily hours, or decrease in my need to work) and new legs. Maybe next time someone asks me if I plan on running again next year I should respond with, "as soon as I get new legs and either more time in the day or a lack of need to work." That would probably go over well!

Ahh the woes of Wednesday!

:P mab

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

2008-04-30T11:52:00.003-04:00

Today is Matt's, my brother's, birthday! Today he enters his last year in his twenties, as well as his last birthday without a child! In celebration we're going to the Red Sox game tomorrow (great idea for a gift - 1 ticket for you, 1 ticket for me)! :)

By the way, I'm feeling somewhat normal again. I attempted to run 1 mile (yup just 1) on Monday and it was a very miserable experience. My hip flexor was killing me, my foot was killing me, and I no longer could justify running by the thought that I was training to run 26.2 with DFMC. That will be my last mile for a while! I did go to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital for their free post-marathon injury clinic to have them check out my hip flexor and foot (strange swelling bump). I got the order to rest until the foot swelling is gone and my hip flexor no longer hurts. I'm okay with that! :) Resting is what I do best!

2 days later

2008-04-23T18:17:00.003-04:00

I'm still sore, not as bad though. Mostly hurting are my quads and IT bands. Nothing a little tylenol and stretching can't help.

:) mab

I MADE IT!

2008-04-22T10:04:00.002-04:00

22166Buckley, Molly A.27FNewtonMAUSA

Checkpoints	5k	10k	15k	20k	Half	25k	30k	35k	40k
Checkpoints	0:32:49	1:08:28	1:41:38	2:19:16	2:26:37	2:54:47	3:32:12	4:11:01	4:47:14
Finish				Pace	Projected Time	Official Time	Overall	Gender	Division
Finish				0:11:34		5:02:57	20761	8325	4577

I actually made it! It was an incredible and painful experience. Not so sure I'd ever want to do it again, but I'm certainly glad I did it! You can see my splits above, and can probably tell where I stopped at the port-o-potty :)

I ran a lot more of it than I thought I would. I walked up some of heatbreak hill. I walked through the water stations. I walked when I thought I was going to throw up (yeah that was fun). I wanted to finish around 5 hours and I did! Yay me!

Best part was probably running by (and stopping) at mile 25 where the patient partners were watching. I got to see Sean, Sandra, CJ, Nolan, and a couple of their buddies and take a quick picture before running in for my last mile. It was great knowing I only had 1 mile to go!

I'm pretty sore now, though stretching helps me move more easily. I'm supposed to go for a little walk today. But, I'm on VACATION! Yay!

Thank you so much to everyone who supported me and to those of you who were able to watch me! I loved hearing my name and looking over seeing a familiar face! Thank you all so so much!

mab :)

2008-04-20T12:17:00.000-04:00

Watch me online in case you missed me on tv making a fool of myself! :)

Watch me on tv!

2008-04-18T17:45:00.003-04:00

If you are around tonight (Friday) at 8:00 pm, you have to watch me on New England Cable News (NECN)! I'm apparently going to be on a quiz show with some other people who are running the marathon for charity. There's a pretty good chance I'll make a fool out of myself on cable television! It should at least be worth a laugh!

mab :)

It's also airing again on Monday night at 8..hopefully I'll be done running by then ;)

LESS THAN 1 WEEK!

2008-04-15T07:03:00.004-04:00

Ahh scary! I went for a little run yesterday and it actually felt pretty good. My hip flexor/quad (not sure which) have been bugging me for a couple weeks but had finally felt better so I thought I'd give running a try. I decided I'd start off doing a run/walk combo which turned out to be pretty good. Those first few steps into running from walking were a bit painful but once I got going I felt pretty good. I ended up doing just 3 1/2 miles and then lots of walking. I was only planning on doing 2 miles of running and then more walking, but walking gets really boring, especially when you know you could get home faster if you just run. Also, there were so many people out running yesterday! Probably because it was a beautiful day and people are starting to come out of hibernation. That also made me want to run more. I don't like watching people run by me (though as a slow runner you'd think I'd be used to it)!

Well, 6 days from now I'll be doing a little thing called the Boston Marathon, just a little jog through scenic Massachusetts. :) Actually, as I was running yesterday and listening to my ipod, some song came on and I started getting really excited for actually doing the marathon. I think it was probably some cheesy 80's song (wish I could remember now) but nonetheless, I was thinking about why I'm running and running down Comm Ave and seeing family and friends and random strangers cheering. My goal for the marathon is two fold. 1. I want to finish before they start shutting down. 2. I want to enjoy the experience. Everyone has said it's going to be such a great experience and that I should really try to take it all in. So that's become my 2nd goal for that day.

6 days! (3 'til vacation!)

mab :)

TGIF!

2008-04-11T15:31:00.002-04:00

10 days left until Marathon Monday! Crazy! I'm psyched that it's Friday, but it means that April 21st is so close! Also, since it is Friday at 3:30 in the afternoon, I'm fried! Therefore, I cannot write anything intelligent (not that what I normally write is too intelligent! haha).

Fun Times at the Doctor's

2008-04-09T08:17:00.002-04:00

If you ever have to have any kind of test done involving drinking barium, run away! I had the pleasure of drinking 4 cups of disgusting, chalky "stuff" so they could x-ray my insides to figure out what's going on and making me feel sick. It was pretty cool getting to watch my stomach and intestines in action, however, drinking the medicine was not so cool. The first cup I had to drink while standing up and getting "pictures taken" and the cup was so heavy that the doctor told me to hold it with 2 hands! No drink should ever be that heavy! The next 3 were supposedly thinner than the first, but it was still in no way thin. Anyway, after hours of x-rays, or getting my pictures taken as they so kindly put it, I was finally done. Now I have to call my doctor today to find out the results. Knowing my luck, it will probably be "inconclusive".

On the training side, I only have 12 days until the marathon. I didn't run this past weekend because my hip was bothering me, so I got to endure 3 hours of machines! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I split up the time into 4 45 minute bouts on different machines. Actually my last 45 minutes was in the pool swimming (as unbelievable as that is). For my second 45 minutes I decided I would use the arc trainer that has arms. I thought this was a great idea since using my arms would help to mimic running more. Then I realized that the arms doing go the right way! They were opposite! I couldn't believe it! I was going along moving my arms with the pole things and was trying to figure out why it felt funny. Then I started moving my arms on my own and discovered the pole arms were moving opposite my natural arm movement while running. I was a little perplexed as to why they would do that. I looked around at the other machines and I couldn't find any other machines that had their arms going like that. I ended up just moving my arms on my own and it was a good workout but I still don't understand what's up with that machine! But I digress...time to get some caffeine and plan out my lessons for the day.

:) mab

We're in the Newspaper!

2008-04-09T08:16:00.002-04:00

CJ and I are local celebrities! Check out the article in the Sun Chronicle!

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/04/07/news/2964601.txt

I'm Betty Crocker Jr.

2008-04-04T07:06:00.004-04:00

My homeroom students and I have a "bake off" every Wednesday. This means, every Wednesday, one of the kids and I bring in the same baked good and chow down and then vote on whose was better. I haven't really been doing too well with this...somehow these kids can bake! (It's really a no lose situation though because I still get to eat the treats!) This week I had to bake a cake. I didn't get to do it for Wednesday because I was sick so I made it for yesterday (Thursday). Well, I decided to make a marathon cake. I made it double layer (my first ever) and had a ball with the frosting and food coloring! Take a look....oh yeah-that's me winning the Boston Marathon (with the body of a Kenyan).

Fun Events Coming up for CJ and friends

2008-04-02T07:39:00.003-04:00

St. Baldrick's is coming this Sunday! CJ's Golden Domers will be shaving off their hair and showing us their beautiful baldness!

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/team_info.html?TeamKey=2008-2860

CJ's Spring Swing is Monday, May 12th!

http://cjsspringswing.com/

2008-04-02T07:16:00.002-04:00

April is here! It's marathon month! Wow!

I went to the DFMC group run on Sunday and managed to run 15 miles. A little painfully, but surprisingly not all that bad! Unfortunately, after I got home I started to feel sick and by the evening I had a fever and felt nauseous. I haven't really been feeling too great, kind of never really got better once I got sick earlier in March. So I decided I'd go to the doctors yesterday and they took blood a poked and prodded and want me to come back next week for more testing. Fun stuff!

Amazing Generosity

2008-03-27T11:00:00.004-04:00

This week being lovely MCAS week, I was able to spend some time catching up on my thank you cards. As I was looking through the list of donors and donations I have received, I was struck by people's unbelievable generosity. There are so many causes and organizations that need our money these days that it can be hard managing and deciding which ones to donate to. I know I am not the only person in my donors' and prospective donors' lives raising money for a charity. Despite this, I have received an overwhelming amount of money from friends and family. It really is so touching to think about how many people know what I am doing and decided to dig into their own pocket and help.

As I found myself writing the same thing over and over in my thank you cards I started to get worried that I might sound a bit generic. But then I thought about the words I was writing and realized that they are so genuine, despite their frequent over-use. I really am so thankful that people have donated money to my run for CJ! I really do truly appreciate the support and help that I have received from so many people! I counted up how many donors I have so far, and I have about 65. This is just counting how many donations I have received, this doesn't factor in families and friends who sent a donation together. If I were counting the total number of people involved in my contributions, I am sure that I would have over 200!

OVER 200! Just to help CJ and Dana Farber and support me as I run. That is incredible to me! That's just the start too, I know. I have many other people who have told me they'd donate but haven't yet. I can't even imagine, by the end of this whole process, how many people will have lent their hand, wallet, kind words, and smiles of encouragement to help! It's pretty powerful when I really stop and think about how many people are behind this - whether for me, for CJ, for Dana Farber, for cancer in general - they're there. Wow!

mab -

gotta love 'em

2008-03-25T11:39:00.001-04:00

Nothing like opening the season by winning in extra innings!

FINAL - 10	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Boston	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	2	6	11	0
Oakland	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	5	7	0

Opening Day! among other things

2008-03-25T07:10:00.012-04:00

Only about 800 tidbits to post this morning...it's time to get cable/internet so I can do this from home as opposed to school (and it's opening day). Which brings me to tidbit number 1: Yay Red Sox opening day!! Weird that it's in Japan and I was listening to it in the car on my way to school this morning (and I'm still trying to figure out how I can check updates while proctoring MCAS). As of right now, the team I love to hate is not doing so well. I'll pretend it's just because they're over in Japan.

My next tidbit for you all - I did my longest run to date on Saturday. I ran 13 miles (yes I am aware that in less than 4 weeks I have to double that). I left my house around 4:30ish and it was beautiful, sunny, warm. By the time I had run down and then back up Heartbreak Hill, I was so cold I didn't think I'd make it the 3 miles I had left to get home. At that point the sun had gone down and the wind had picked up and my cute little spandex capris weren't doing anything for me! I seriously considered calling a friend for a ride, and taking a shorter route home than the one I had taken out. But, the stubborn mule that I am of course had to finish, and I realized as I tried walking that I could get home twice as fast if I just kept running. By the time I got home I was shivering and my muscles were screaming at me! Luckily, without roommates, I felt it wholly acceptable to kick off (no maybe more like lurch off) my sneakers and sit fully clothed in the hot bathtub. I thawed out after a few minutes but I was really sore Easter Sunday (and maybe Monday too). So, lesson learned, dress a little more appropriately and remember that I'll be outside for hours.

That being said, time for tidbit 3... I ran 6 miles yesterday with Berta, a friend of Caitlin who I teach with. In a series of emails and such we figured out that Beta and I live less than a mile from each other and run around the same pace. Yay! So I realized that I have run alone for the past I-don't-want-to-count-how-many months since I started training. As I was running last night, I was remembering how much better it is to run with someone else - it's so much easier to talk myself into walking or stopping when there's no one to talk me out of it! So despite getting used to the multi-tasking of running and talking (I only tripped a couple times) it was great! I know that if I hadn't pre-arranged to meet Berta at 7 last night, I would certainly have given in to the bed that was screaming for me to lay in it! Or I wouldn't have made it all 6 miles. Yay to Caitlin B-F for getting her crazy DFMC friends together!

:) mab

if you get a chance - check out one of Berta's inspirations for running, Matty - today marks his 1 year "angel-versary"

1 Month!!

2008-03-21T14:15:00.003-04:00

In exactly 1 month I'll be running the marathon! Pretty crazy to think about! Today at school we played a kids vs. teachers basketball game. I was great at the running back and forth, the whole shooting and dribbling thing wasn't really my cup of tea. I figure it can count for sort of a track workout though. :)

Why the Marathon?

2008-03-19T11:24:00.002-04:00

i was telling an old lifeguard coworker on mine that I have actually come to love running (he was understandably shocked, having seen me run during our summer workouts several moons ago). It's so funny how when I finished swimming in college, I wanted to go nowhere near a pool. So I picked up running and it's so similar in the way you can just go and go and go that I guess I just found myself really enjoying it.

The marathon is quite a lofty goal for such a non-runner to go for, but I figured why the hell not? Cancer has affected so many people in general and in my life that I just felt like I had to do something. I volunteered last year at the marathon for Dana Farber and was totally overcome with the emotion of it all. I watched the runners arrive in Hopkinton, ready to go. I watched these people hang out and get ready to run 26.2 miles in the cold rain. I watched as people pondered what layers to wear and what layers to leave. I watched them tape plastic bags over their sneakers and don homemade ponchos. I chatted with some runners and wished them luck. I chatted some more with volunteers and one man in particular (no idea who he is, though there was a picture of us on the website at one point) convinced me that I could actually run it. It was then that I decided to apply for this year's. It is such a huge motivation to know that all my training and fundraising is going to help so many people that I love and those I don't even know. There's such a feeling of helplessness when you know someone effected with cancer. This is my own personal way of feeling as though I am doing something to help. I thought about starting with a half marathon, but then I thought about those who get diagnosed with cancer, and the fact that they don't get to ease into it, they're hit full force with their cancer. So I thought I would go full force and dive right into the whole thing.

When I am out there training, and I feel like I want to give up, I get to keep in mind WHY I'm out there.

Poster Party Fun!

2008-03-18T07:44:00.003-04:00

I almost forgot an exciting part of my weekend, the poster party! DFMC had a poster making party for runners who have patient partners. C.J. is obviously my partner and so we got to make a poster, with the help of Owen! Despite not having as much time as some of the others (C.J. forgot to bring the directions ;) hehe) the poster still came out looking beautiful! Check out the pictures!

2008-03-18T07:27:00.004-04:00

I missed my long run/workout this weekend - because I had 28 hours of swim meets (coaching). We had our last meet of the season - New England Championships, and we had 16 kids swim. They did really well and had a lot of fun. The kids wore silly hats and beads for St. Patrick's Day - it was cute. The weekend completely kicked my butt though and I was (hopefully not anymore) starting to feel sick yesterday. I think I might have been able to stop any further illness by heading to bed last night (yesterday afternoon) right after school. I'll keep my fingers crossed and drink lots of fluids.

:) mab

Crunch Time!

2008-03-11T07:38:00.002-04:00

I managed a 3ish hour workout yesterday! I decided to play all weekend instead of do my long run/workout, so I got to do that on Monday. It actually went much better than I expected, and first thought it would. When I started running I thought I was going to collapse, but then I started doing some walk/run intervals to get me warmed up and it worked miracles! I ended up continuing my walk/run routine though upping the run and decreasing the walk and managed a total of 7 miles running. Then I jumped on the bike for what was supposed to be an hour and a half but I was too hungry at that point so I did about half of that. I probably should have had a snack after my run and before my bike because at that point it was 6:00 and I hadn't eaten since lunch (and I'm always a hungry hippo!). There's always next time!

thanks for reading :)

mab

Cold Not So Bad?

2008-02-29T11:22:00.002-05:00

I may have come to a startling conclusion...I might like running in the chilly (not ridiculously cold) weather better than the hot humidity. Maybe it is due to the growing up as a swimmer and never really having to sweat, but I just hate how hot and sweaty and thirsty I get when I run in the hot and humid weather, not to mention the fact that it seems way harder to breath in thick hot air than crisp cool air. I think the cold actually feels pretty good. Now I don't want you to think I enjoy running in 10 degree weather or with a freezing cold wind chill, but the 30s-40s are actually quite pleasant. I'm saying this only after having a pretty good 4 mile run yesterday. It felt pretty good, which is amazing considering how things had been going.

On another note, I noticed that I am a celebrity (haha). My picture is on the DFMC homepage. It's a picture of me volunteering at the marathon last year. I'm standing with a man (not sure who he is) but he's the one who convinced me to run this year. I'd like to find out who he is (anyone know?) so I can thank him, or possibly berate him...

TGIF :)

mab

Back in the COLD

2008-02-25T15:56:00.002-05:00

I'm back from my wonderful vacation in sunny, warm Texas. I did lots of shopping, lots of eating and drinking, got my worst sunburn ever (yes even in 7 years of life-guarding), and wanted to steal a cat (Butterscotch). I got some running in - though not as much as I probably should have. Now I'm back in the cold weather and heading outside for my first cold run...though it is pretty warm today :)

I miss the warm weather (and the being on vacation)!

mab :)

2008-02-15T08:35:00.002-05:00

It's finally Friday! I'm heading off to Texas for a whole week of snow-less, warm weather! This week of vacation could not have come at a better time! I've recently waged war on some of Mickey and Minnie's buddies. In the past 2 days I have successfully trapped 2 little critters who think it's okay to nibble on my treats (wrapped in foil doesn't do a thing to keep them out apparently).

Yay vacation!

Some Videos to Watch

2008-02-13T08:25:00.003-05:00

Here's a link to Holly's slide show done at UNH on YouTube.

This link is to a video on YouTube of the song "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance. It's really sad video, but so touching at the same time. If you're looking for some more motivation to do something, anything, to help rid the world of cancer, you should certainly watch this.

click here

2008-02-13T08:05:00.002-05:00

I got back in the water yesterday. Since the weather has been ridiculously cold, I've been forced (maybe I'm a wimp) to stay indoors. I attempted some more water running. I lasted a whole 15 minutes this time! And today I've ordered myself a waterproof case for my ipod. Hopefully that will make the dreaded water jogging (and yes I wear a floaty belt) go by a little quicker.

On to more exciting news...only 2 days (sort of 3) until vacation!! Hip Hip Hooray! I can't wait to be out of this snowy, cold weather.

mab

Waterhouse Wellness

2008-02-08T08:24:00.000-05:00

Want a massage? Acupuncture? Health counseling?

My friends Renee and Kelly recently opened Water House Wellness, a wellness center in Arlington center. I had the privelidge of attending their phenomenal open house (and got a free sample massage)! Check out their website! Kelly gives amazing massages!!! And who doesn't need one!?!

http://www.waterhousewellness.com/

water house wellness' expert and caring practitioners are dedicated to providing you with the best care, safely and confidentially. we will customize each treatment to fit your needs and will work with you to provide comfort, long term change and relief.

we believe effective, on going communication is key to optimal care. Our center integrates the expertise of health professionals from a range of disciplines. we will match you with the best practitioner through consultation. if you have questions and would like to discuss how you can create a long term wellness plan, please contact us.

On the Road Again

2008-02-08T08:13:00.000-05:00

Yay! I ran. I ran 2 miles (or a little more). It was a little awkward, but I did it! Despite the fact that it didn't really feel very good physically, it felt great mentally to be back out running - and in the snow of course!

Some exciting/scary dates ahead:

Today is my last day as a 26 year old. I'm not so sure how I feel about this yet. I think 27 sounds a lot older than 26 - but I guess I'll deal.

February vacation is coming up in only 1 more week!! One week from today I'll be thinking about flying off to Texas with my mom to visit Mary Ellen and Gene! Fun Fun! I can already taste the tacos and margaritas!

The marathon is only 73 days away! That is definitely scary! Back when I applied for the Dana Farber team, April seemed a lifetime away! Now it's right around the corner!

TGIF! :)

mab

Run Run Run

2008-02-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't really had a whole lot of interesting news on the training front to report. I saw the doctor about a 2 weeks ago and he told me to take a whole week completely off from running. Now it's been almost 2 weeks completely off from running - life just keeps getting in the way! Between having report cards due, and 2 solid weekends of swim meets, I've been lucky to get a 4 or 5 workouts in during the past 2 weeks.

Luckily for me, swim team is winding down. Practices are down to just about 8-10 kids who are trying to or have already qualified for New England's in March. Coaching 8 kids versus coaching 50 kids is significantly different!! I actually got in the pool and swam most of the workout with the kids last night (my idea of killing 1 bird with 2 stones). 45 minutes in the pool attempting to do a workout that I created (before I knew I'd be doing it) made me realize how badly I need to get back out and run! Swimming was too hard! It's been quite some time since I last REALLY swam, and now I remember how hard it is to just jump right back in!

Today I'm going to try running again! I'll keep you all up to date on how that goes!

(Yay for tomorrow being Friday! and for Saturday being my birthday!)

:) mab

Holly Young

2008-01-28T07:08:00.000-05:00

It is with unbelievable sadness that I share some heartbreaking news with you all. Twenty-two year old Holly Young passed away on Thursday, January 24^th after a determined battle with Ewing’s sarcoma. I had the pleasure of working with Holly as a lifeguard for the Dennis Beaches several years ago. I remember Holly as a beautifully talented young woman who always made my job easier when working with her. She was an incredible athlete and extraordinarily hard working girl. She was one of those people who could instantly brighten up a room (or beach) with her bubbly personality and warm smile. It is a true tragedy that this beautiful girl was given such a short life. Even in that short time, however, she managed to be an inspiration to so many of us. This is just one more reason why running for the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge and fundraising to reach my goal of $12,000 is so powerfully important.

For more info about Holly:

http://38pitches.com/

http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=185293&fh_id=11279&s_id=53802BE174D7C1473AE2DA80CCA8E8D6

2008-01-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post! Things have been pretty busy. The Blue Waves swim team finished our regular season on Saturday. We may not have won the meet, but we (the coaches) ended up in the water fully clothed - much to my chagrin. Despite the fact that we didn't win the most races, we certainly won as far as team spirit! We now have 50 swimmers competing in our District Championships this weekend and next weekend.

I am amazed at how quickly time is going by! There are only 89 days left until the marathon! That seems so close! Though if I think of it as 89 days until April vacation, it seems like it's forever away! I've been doing a lot of cross-training since my leg is still hurting. Luckily I go to the doctors on Friday to see what in the world is going on. I did manage to eek out a 10 mile run last week, though I was in a bit of pain the next day because of it. It even felt pretty good while I was running! I never thought I'd say that!!

Enjoying this weather!

2008-01-11T07:18:00.000-05:00

I am loving the way-too-warm-for-January weather! It is certainly making training much more enjoyable. This was a pretty crazy week and so I had to take a few days off because no matter how hard I try, those extra few hours I'd like to be added on to the 24 hour day just never seem to show up! I made it out for a run last night and it felt great. The weather was nice; the snow's mostly cleared from the sidewalks; the last half mile was downhill. :) On the fundraising front, things are starting to pick up. It's amazing how generous people can be! Thank you thank you!

Some happy news...Sandra (CJ's mother) gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday morning, Riley Ann, 9lbs and 21" long. Congratulations to Sean and Sandra, we finally have another baby girl in the Buckley family!

Happy Friday!

happy 2008!

2008-01-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

Back to school today after a wonderfully long break! Haven't posted in a while - mostly because I haven't had much procrastinating to do. My training has been a little spotty. I've had a weird pain in my leg for which my doctor gave me super ibuprofen, though I don't think it's helping much. Fundraising is going well! I held a stroke clinic on Thursday, December 27th for some swim team kids. It went really well. It was great to have the time to devote to only stroke work. And it was also great that all the money made went toward my fundraising! Once I send in all the checks I should be over the $1,000 mark! Yay!

Happy New Year!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow

2007-12-21T11:26:00.000-05:00

Of course we got more snow! I thought I was so smart as I ventured out into the snow for my run. I thought I had learned from my last mishap in the snow, so this time I was prepared…so I thought. I wore a hat to shield my eyes from the falling snow, and I wore an extra layer of pants to keep the falling snow from melting and then freezing on my legs. So I thought I’d be all set. Then as I made my way out to the street, I realized I couldn’t run on the street because they weren’t even plowed yet and so weren’t even safe for the cars. That left me to run on the sidewalk. Again some people have done a wonderful job of shoveling their sidewalk, others left a great deal to be desired. My run turned out to be like a mix between running on soft sand (which I hate), running on a trail (not so fun either), and playing dodge ball. I did manage to run 5 and a half miles, though with the hurdling over snow banks and weaving between ice chunks it felt a bit more like 10 miles. At one point when I was trying to run up a hill, I discovered that I was not even moving. Since I couldn’t get any footing in the snow I was basically running in place. That’s when I decided I would be best off walking up the silly hill.

Anyway, after all that excitement I have decided that today will be a great day to take off from running so that I can finish up my Christmas shopping. Thanks for reading! J

I never was a math whiz!

2007-12-18T23:43:00.000-05:00

I ventured outside for my first run outdoors since the icicles on my eyelashes last week. It turned out to be another kind of adventure. Let’s just say the cities of Newton and Boston could have spent a little more time and effort on the sanding and plowing! I was forced to run in the street due to the ice-covered sidewalks (though I must say that some people did do a lovely job clearing off their sidewalk area – unfortunately not all). Once running in the streets I was trying to dodge mounds of snow, random ice patches, and cars – both parked and moving. I ended up having a pretty good run overall, maybe because I was distracted from the cold and pain by trying to survive amidst ice and cars.

I was able to get my first attempt at a speed workout in while running. It was kind of exciting, and kind of exhausting. I did 6 intervals of 400 meters at a faster than my usual jogging pace with 200 meters in between of jogging easy. Since I was on the street and not a track I decided to estimate how far I thought 400 meters was. My estimate could have been incredibly off but I decided that each footstep could be a meter and so I could count to 400 steps. As I am writing this and thinking about how big a meter is, I’m realizing the ridiculousness of my estimation. I seriously doubt I was running with each step a meter apart. I guess I know to count more next time. I guess if I thought that was hard, next time I’ll be collapsing. Oh well, those are the times I need to remind myself of why I’m doing this! It’s a pretty good motivator to keep CJ in mind when I think I’m in pain from running. He and others with cancer have to deal with much more than some aches from running. Quite humbling – and encouraging.

vacation!

2007-12-17T01:03:00.000-05:00

I’m on vacation! And we’ve got another snowstorm! I made the mistake of going for a run during our last snowstorm (Thursday). It was only a 3.5 mile run but it was quite an adventure! When I left my house it was just starting to snow. After about a half mile I realized it was coming down pretty hard and I had to squint in order to see where I was going. Then when I turned around to head back home – all my footprints were gone! It was coming down pretty hard. There was also a huge line of traffic on the street I was running on and they were having a really hard time driving up the little hill (I made it much more gracefully than those cars did!). Well by the time I got home, my eyebrows and eyelashes had icicles hanging off them and I couldn’t feel my quads because they were covered in snow that melted and then froze. Needless to say, I postponed today’s run until the snow has ended and the roads are a bit more clear. Now that I’m on vacation I’ll have plenty of time to go from my runs J

Apparently I'm a runner now

2007-12-13T07:12:00.000-05:00

I went to our DFMC meeting last night and according to our coach Jack Fultz, I am now a marathon runner. I guess once I signed up for the marathon, I officially became a marathon runner. Personally I think I'll be able to call myself a marathon runner once I actually FINISH the marathon! So, I have changed my info to call myself a "former non-runner" seeing as I am no longer a non-runner. Yay me!

Well, we're about to get a great big snow storm and then another great big snow storm (though there's always a good chance that the weather people are wrong), but it should make running outside interesting!

Only 2 more days of school until winter vacation :)

(for me)

Donate Blood

2007-12-12T12:23:00.000-05:00

I just remembered...my friend Katie is a little girl I met through an organization called Chemo Angels. Every week I send cards to Katie because she is undergoing Chemo treatment. She is a young girl living in Alabama with ALL. She has a Caringbridge web page and has been reminding us all to donate blood. This time of year with all the colds and flu going around, more kids end up needing blood. Donating blood is a great way to give a free gift this holiday season. Take a look at what Katie posted on her website the other day:

"I was o.k. on blood but you should still donate the holiday season brings alot of kids to the hospital because of cold and flu season. Not too long ago a girl at clinic I was sitting next to had to leave because the blood wouldn't be there until the next day."

This is my plea to you all to donate blood soon if you can! Thanks :)

First On-line donation!

2007-12-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

Yay to Sharon Lowe (Rebecca's mom) for my first on-line donation. In case you don't know this already, I coach the Blue Waves Swim Team at the West Suburban YMCA. Rebecca is one of my adorable swimmers!

Last night I had a conference call with my DFMC (Dana Farber Marathon Challenge) mini-team. That's just basically 5 people who are all on the team and we're put together for help and support and stuff. So Tyler is our mini-team coordinator I guess and set up a conference call for us. We chatted about fundraising and training and mostly fundraising. So now, after that call, I'm all psyched up to get my fundraising going. I have all kinds of plans in my head, but now I need to get them going! On the 27th I am running a swim clinic for some of the kids on my swim team. This is a chance for them to get some more individualized stroke instruction with me - and a chance for me to raise money for DFMC! I have about 10 kids signed up for each of the 2 clinics I planned. It should be fun.

This blogging thing is definitely dangerous. Once again, I'm spending my planning time blogging! (I hope my boss doesn't read that!) I just added a link for CJ's Carepage - check it out to see how he's doing.

Thanks for reading! :)

My first post

2007-12-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

I've never had a blog before, but I can see that it is going to be quite a distraction (I should be planning a lesson right now)! I just got this started so that I can keep people informed of how my marathon training and fundraising is going. Though as of right now, there's not a whole lot to speak of. I have been having to run inside on a treadmill (yuck!) because it's been so icy out there, but hopefully soon some of this junk will melt and I'll be able to head back outside! I also raised my first $$! My aunt Marcia had an open house and sold some cards I had made. I think I made $40! (I think my family might have been the only ones who bought the cards though).

Well, stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Molly :)