Let is snow, let it snow, let it.... snow?

The snow started yesterday at 2pm, and it has pretty much been SITTING on Boston since it started. The total accumulation so far MUST be around 8-10 inches. My roommate Betsy and I had planned on going for a 10-mile run this morning. We assumed the snow would have stopped by then and that the roads would at least be clear enough for us to run with traffic. No such luck. After spending the majority of the day decorating our appartment in preparations for our annual holiday party, we decided it was time to brave the storm - snow and all. Running up Beacon Street on the side walk was amusing, as we passed groups of college students coming out of the Cleveland Circle bars, laughing at us, and even having one run after us for about 100 yards. Then we made our way into Brighton Center over to Warren Ave, where the road was clear enough for us to pretty much run down the center back to Brookline. It may have been slow... but now we have conquered yet another challenge involved in training for a marathon in the dead of winter....

Running with other people makes the winter less harsh...

Sometimes I forget what training for Boston throughout the winter really is like. It is NOTHING like Monday night's run in shorts and t-shirt, that is for sure. I would say it is more a mix of darkness, ice covered side walks, dodging cars while running besides the sidewalk, wearing too much clothing on the way out the door and stripping down within the first ten minutes. Motivating can be very difficult at 5:30pm, in those dark, cold and icy conditions. That is why it is always fun to have someone to run with. Last night I got to run 5.6 miles with my running club, TNT, and today I ran 8.7 with my roommate, Betsy, who is also running the Boston marathon with Dana Farber. Having people there to push me out the door definitely helps as the winter continues to roll in, and the miles just fly by.

T-shirt and shorts mid-December in New England...

The weather in Boston last night was extremely warm! I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts for my 8.4 mile run, which should be unheard of mid-December. Regardless, I woke up to swim at 5:30am and it was raining and cold. Oh New England weather...

I signed up for my first race for 2009 yesterday. The Derry Mile 16-mile Boston Prep Run. This is a great run if you have built up to 16-miles this early in your training. http://www.coolrunning.com/major/09/bostonprep/

I ran this last year with my roommate, Mo, who had never even run a half marathon before. It is known for its not-so rolling hilly course and its winter weather conditions. Last year we were running in a blizzard. There was a small pathway we could follow on the road that had been paved by the runners ahead. Oddly enough, this race was the beginning of Mo's obsession with running and was followed by three half-marathons, a 20-mile race and the Philadelphia Marathon within the year...

18 Weeks (or more precisely, 4 months and 4 days...)

I've been running marathons for three years now. Disney World 2006 started this crazy obsession with organizing my schedule around fitting in at least four runs a week as well as a long run (12-22 miles) a weekend.

After joining a track team of runner's who run with the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge, I decided it was time that I put a purpose behind all of the hours I put into training and running. The motivation, camaraderie and ability of these runners to come back year after year and train for a cause made me think - if they can do this two, three... TEN years in a row, I can take on this challenge for my ninth marathon. I also started to put the fundraising in perspective. $10 from 300 people (I have that many facebook friends?), $20 from 150 friends, $30 from 100 friends, $100 from 30 friends....etc... all of the sudden I started to think - I can at least raise $3000.00! So, here I am at the beginning of my marathon training and my fundraising.

I am recovered from my previous marathons this year, and I am ready to start easing into my official Boston Marathon Training. I have never committed myself to a real training schedule. Each marathon has been my own sort of routine, whatever feels right when it feels right. Swimming two mornings a week, running at least 4 week days and a long run on the weekends. This time around, I want to commit to a real training regime. One that will make me achieve a personal best in my upcoming race. If you follow me through my training, you can see how it goes. My best marathon time yet was 3:26:30 in Boston last year. I want to beat that time this year.

Welcome to my journey towards the finish line of Boston - and my contribution to the ultimate finish line - a world without cancer. ♫ http://www.runDFMC.org/katherinei2009