Monday Motivation - Gobble Gobble Edition

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! I am looking foward to a short work week and running the Wellesley Turkey Trot on Thursday morning. The next few days will be a flurry of travel, cooking, and craziness, so before the holiday hub bub gets underway I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the things I am most thankful for this year and which provide motivation day in and day out.

Each and every person reading this. YOU are amazing and I thank you for your love and encouragement. You send notes when I need them most. You like my silly posts and photos. You tell me to keep going even when I want to quit. You open your hearts, your faith, your ears, your wallets,and so much more to support me in this journey- I am so thankful to all of you.

My health and mobility.  

I am so thankful for these overlooked blessings. All too often we do not reflect on our health or mobility until something threatens either. I am grateful for all that my body allows me to do on a daily basis! 

My incredible husband David. I am so thankful for you. I love you more with each passing day and could not be more proud of you and all you have accomplished this past year. You want to talk about motivation? This guy relocated across the country, worked his bum off through pre-reqs and an accelerated BSN program which he graduated from with honors, AND was offered his first RN job two days after graduating (yeah, setting huge goals is sort of a thing in our household). This Thursday marks Dave's six month anniversary of working as a nurse and I could not be more inspired by the compassion he brings to his profession, by the dedication he has shown to continually learning and growing in his new career, and by the tremendous impact he is having on his patients and their families. 

I could have never gotten through this past year without Dave's love and support, and one of my absolute favorite photos of all time is when Dave surprised me as I rounded the last turn to head towards the finish line of the marathon. Dave and all of our family had waited for me at Mile 21, and given race day crowds and weather I told him not to bother trying to get to the final stretch as it would likely be impossible for him to get there in time and find a spot, etc. As I came up "Mt. Hereford" (thus dubbed because there is an ever so slight incline which feels like Everest on 26 mile legs) and approached Boylston, I looked straight ahead and saw a guy jumping up and down behind the spectators lining the barricades. It took me a moment to realize it was Dave and right when I did, someone snapped the below. Dave then proceeded to run alongside me on the sidewalk for the next block before additional barricades prevented him from going further. That medal I received moments later is just as much his as it is mine - thank you baby,  couldn't do this without you!

My family.
I am so thankful for you and am blessed beyond measure to have each of you in my life. I could fill an entire blog with posts about the lessons you have taught me, memories we have shared, and how much I love each of you. You are my rock.

                    

                       

1. Seeing my family at Mile 21

2. Getting my medal with my cousins

3. Proud Papa Naughton and his marathoner 

When you have known each other for 15+ years, and when you travel in from multiple states to surprise your friend the night before she runs her first marathon,you are more than friends -  

you are family (and yes, that is my Dad with the best photobomb ever)

My brave, silly, funny, sassy, HEALTHY patient partner Darla.

I am so thankful that you are a cancer survivor and thriver, and that I was matched with you.You have had to see and go through more in your six years of life than I have had to in thirty-three. To watch you run, jump, skip, dance, and sing is to watch blessings before my eyes. You were given back the gift of life, and you put that gift to great use each and every day. I am so thankful for you and your beautiful family, and I am so honored to run for you! 

My amazing DFMC family. 

From our fearless leaders, to my ever inspirational teammates, to every single volunteer who gives their time and energy to help this team - I am so thankful for each of you. This is much more than a team, it is a family. Thank you for welcoming me with open arms (some of you quite literally after our long runs!).  

   

My coaches.

I am so thankful for Belle and Josie, and they bring so much joy to our lives (as well as being in charge of my training, obviously...)

My BAA bling.

I know, I know. Thanksgiving is NOT a time to reflect on material things. But I just can't help it, I am so thankful for these beautiful shiny necklaces. Mere pieces of metal and fabric, yet the milestones and experiences they represent are precious to me, and I am thankful for all the memories that they symbolize.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

Monday Motivation - When I Run...

When I run, all at once the world fades away and reappears in vivid detail

Stresses and petty nothings dissipate, and in their place - beauty unfurled. 

In simple fleeting moments so often gone unseen, unappreciated, unknown

Nods, smiles, handshakes, cries, laughter, whizzes, whirls, and chirps

In water gently lapping and tapping, then flowing fast away

I am absorbed and consumed in the rhythmic trance of each footfall

And the path takes me farther than the mileage ever says

Yet even in zen a soul can weep. 

For the magnitude of this world can oft be far too much

Though I push on in hopes these simple beauties will comfort me a moment longer

Wrapping me in their embrace and blocking out the rain

Until life breaks in loud and coarse, and we agree to meet again tomorrow.

Monday Motivation - Birthday Edition

Happy Monday! Kicking off my first week as a 33 year old with a heart full of love and gratitude to each person who helped make my birthday this past Friday so wonderful. Thank you for your posts, emails, notes, and phone calls - it really made the day so special. 

HUGE thanks 21 very special donors who helped me raise $1418 for vital cancer research during my #33for33 birthday campaign! When I first launched the campaign I had hoped to raise at least $165 on my birthday (33 gifts x $5, the cost of an average birthday card), and I had secretly hoped we could reach $333 raised in honor of turning 33. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined you would help me raise more than four times that amount! Plenty of you also took the time to share my posts, perform a random act of kindness, help someone in need, or even signed up to volunteer for a cause near and dear to you in my honor. Spreading love and giving back was my birthday wish, and boy did ya'll help that wish to come true! Thank you, thank you, thank you.  

As I enjoyed my birthday festivities throughout this past weekend, it was not lost on me how simply reaching another year in our life is a present in and of itself. That is something I was vividly reminded of while I watched my incredible DFMC patient partner Darla whizzing around the room at her sixth birthday party this past summer (it was a roller skating party and yes, she did inform me that I would finish the marathon much quicker if I wore roller skates this year). While the gift table was overflowing with bags bearing Darla's favorite Disney princesses and Frozen characters, as I watched her loving parents Sherelle and Daryl look on - as well as countless family members - we all knew the real gift was seeing this happy, healthy little girl laughing without a care in the world beside which flavor cupcake to choose.

And yet, cancer has forever changed this family. To look at Darla you wouldn't know that she had spent hours at Dana-Farber undergoing treatment. You wouldn't know that every two months since being declared "cancer free" (not cured) last year, she has still had to have her blood tested every two months to ensure that her Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) has not returned - meaning that every two months her parents have had to wait with baited breath at the mercy of a simple test that has the power to turn their world upside down (thankfully after her last tests came back clear, the interval has been extended to every four months for the next seven, yes SEVEN, years of her life and then yearly after that). You wouldn't know that Darla's innocence was forever altered by this disease, as evidenced by the conversation we had while walking together for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society recently: 

Erin (while explaining why it is good Darla doesn't reach out to pet dogs she doesn't know): Well you know how if I came up behind you  and yelled "boo" you might jump and throw your arms out because you were scared? That's how dogs feel sometimes when people come up and pet them unexpectedly, only since their arms are down on the ground they may turn around with their face and that is why people sometimes get bitten by dogs. They aren't always trying to be mean, sometimes they are just scared.

Darla (pausing to consider what I just said): Oh, I see. So you mean they are just scared of me the way I am scared of cancer?

Darla's response literally stopped me in my tracks. Should this little girl be scared of dogs? Sure. Spiders? Sure. The dark? Most kids are. But cancer?!? No, she should not have to be scared of that. And yet, cancer is as much a part of her vocabulary and childhood as ice cream and barbies.  

So why is this team and our mission so important to me? This is why. Because 100% of every single dollar raised goes directly funding the Barr program's cutting edge research which is getting us closer to the day where cancer is nothing to fear. And in honor of Darla, for today's Monday Motivation I would like to feature the work of Dr. David Weinstock who has twice received Barr program funding and was himself a DFMC runner/fundraiser in 2013 and 2014. 

Barr Program Spotlight

Barr Investigator: Dr. David Weinstock, MD

Barr Project: Improving Treatment Potency - Identifying genes in leukemias and lymphomas that cause resistance to treatment.

Although our current therapies cure about half of all patients with leukemia and lymphoma, the other half fail treatment because their diseases become resistant to treatment. This often happens as a result of genetic alterations in their leukemia and lymphoma cells. Barr funding in 2008-‘09 and 2013-‘14 has allowed David Weinstock, MD, to use powerful new technologies to identify the genes that can cause this kind of resistance. Drugs that inactivate these genes could prevent resistance and lead to cures in many more patients. 

Thank you to Dr. Weinstock and his team for the tremendous work you are doing to get us one step closer to a world without cancer! And thank you to each of you for considering a gift in support of this important research to ensure kids like Darla have many more birthdays to celebrate!

At my DFMC Patient Partner Darla's 6th Birthday Party this summer

I am far from the best runner, but I get out there and go for it because I know that we are helping to save and change lives - that is why I started and that is why I keep going! 

Click HERE to support Erin as she completes the 2016Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's my birthday!  Thank you to everyone who has already reached out with notes, emails, phone calls, etc. - your love and support means the world to me!

We are midway through my #33for33 quest to have 33 people make a gift to Dana-Farber before midnight in honor of my 33rd birthday! Thank you for considering a gift of any amount to make this day even more special by getting us one step closer to a world without cancer. Maybe the $5 you would spend on a birthday card, the $10 you might spend buying me a birthday treat or drink, or perhaps even $26.20 in honor of the marathon distance? When 100% of each and every dollar goes directly to supporting research at Dana-Farber's Barr program, each and every gift has tremendous impact and makes a difference for so many.

Already maxed out on your charitable giving or planning to make a gift in the New Year? No worries. Do me a favor today and help someone in need, perform a random act of kindness, or sign up to volunteer or become involved with a local organization or cause. Spread some love, do some good, and give back. THAT is my birthday wish!

Click HERE to Make a Gift in Honor of Erin's Birthday!

Getting Out of Your Own Way

I distinctly remember my junior high basketball coach telling me in practice one day that if I could only get out of my own way, I would surprise myself. She was being kind by not adding that if I could have only learned how to play basketball that would have helped too, but that's another post for another day. While the mechanics of basketball may or may not have stuck with me, my coach's comment always has and as the years have gone by I now know what she meant by it. You see, I was never going to be the most talented kid on our team (far from it). But I would spend so much energy anticipating that I would fail or focusing on my weaknesses compared to the rest of my teammates, that I couldn't allow myself to be in the moment, enjoy the journey, and see how I was growing and becoming (very, very slightly) better over time - as in when you're the kid who gets cornered in your first game ever and throws the ball backwards over your head without looking, well just about anything after that is an improvement.

But on the days I would let myself have fun - and for that three week stint where I actually convinced myself that with enough hard work all 5'4" of me could be a center for UNC and play in the WNBA (ummm have I mentioned I have always had a flare for the dramatic vs athletic?)- I would actually remember what to do, and even occasionally score a basket or two along the way.

Flash forward to today and things aren't all that different in mental energy la-la land. For the past few weeks I have been spending the bulk of my runs focusing on the negative instead of the positive. How much slower I am after being sidelined in late summer by a severe chest cold that stuck around just long enough for me to slip back into old bad habits and skip a few too many runs through the early Fall. How my weekly mileage base is not yet back where I want and need it to be. How I am not as (fast/fit/close to reaching my goals) as some of my most amazing and inspiring teammates. The list goes on and on. And not surprisingly, those runs have felt tedious and draining, and not because of the physical work being done. My own mental energy was dragging me down and I was getting in my own way.

After a stern talking to (hey self, knock it off), I realized I needed to snap out of it. Instead of focusing on how much slower I have been these past few weeks compared to earlier this year (when I had been training consistently for months), how about focusing on the fact that my "slow" pace now is still better than my best pace when I started running again nearly two years and 60 pounds heavier ago? Instead of cursing that my weekly mileage base is not yet back where I want it to be, how about celebrating that some miles are better than no miles? And instead of constantly doubting my own abilities in comparison to everyone else and saying "I will never be like (person)," how about letting those I admire most become my inspiration as I reach higher and push harder through this journey so that "one day I will run like (person)."

So this morning as I prepared to head out for three miles when I had planned to do four (thanks traffic), I caught myself slipping backwards into the rabbit hole by cursing that I would be one mile short versus being grateful for three miles more than if I had hit the snooze button. But then I stepped outside into the most beautiful morning with autumn's splendor on full display and it literally took my breath away. It was so beautiful that as I started running and kicking through the golden hued carpet of leaves lining Commonwealth Avenue, all I could focus on was how much I love this time of year. Not my pace. Not my mileage. Not my performance in comparison to all the other runners with the same half crazy grins plastered their face as they enjoyed the sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures. And that's when it happened. I got out of my own way and suddenly I looked down and was half-way through the run and averaging a 9:15 pace (which I hadn't seen in months!).

Who knows, if I can continue staying out of my own way and working my pace the WNBA might just give me a call after all. But I'll probably be too busy training for a marathon.

Click HERE to support Erin as she completes the 2016 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge