Monday Motivation - An Open Letter to My Laziness

Dear Laziness,

So we meet again. We broke up quite a while ago and I have been just fine without you. Blissfully happy, in fact. However, lately I have noticed you trying to win me back. Your callous giggle as you push snooze on an early alarm meant to get me out the door for a run. Your brazenness as you pile another cookie on my plate. And your haughtiness while ignoring baskets of laundry ready to be put away. It seems you are everywhere I look these days and I do not like it.

When I first broke things off I knew you wouldn't take it well. You lingered around the corner always ready and trying to lure me back. But I stayed strong. And eventually, your voice became but a whisper and distant memory as I conquered my to do lists, set and surpassed goals, and enjoyed a productive life without you.

But you are persistent and, well, now here we are again.

So I am here to tell you, it stops now. We had our little holiday fling but now you have to go. No matter the rush I may feel when you first arrive, I am always left frustrated and unfulfilled while regretting all that could have been if I had only just ignored you and your pesky ways.

This is goodbye (until 16 weeks from today right around 5:00pm when I may welcome another fling- but you are NOT moving back in and I want my key back).

Not Yours,
Erin

Monday Motivation - Official Training Starts Now!

Today marks the official start of our 18 week training plan to prepare for the 120th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2016! I will begin posting training recaps this week and here are a few fun numbers to put the next 18 weeks into perspective:

13,100 | My DFMC fundraising goal in honor of the half marathon distance (13.1 miles)

10,846 | Number of dollars still needed to reach my goal

522 | Number of training miles I will run between now and April 18, 2016 

26.2 | Number of miles I will run in the Boston Marathon

20 | Longest number of miles I will run in a single run prior to the marathon

18 | Weeks until the Boston Marathon

8 | Number of towns we will run through during the marathon 

6 | Age of my amazing DFMC patient partner Darla 

2 | Pairs of running shoes I will go through during training 

1 | Goal: To end cancer 

0 | The number of people who should be affected by cancer

Giving Tuesday - My Gift to YOU

Today is #GivingTuesday. In the four years since its inception in 2012, the #GivingTuesday movement has grown to include over 30,000 partners in over 68 countries and has led to an estimated 470% increase in online charitable giving following the Thanksgiving holiday. Pretty incredible for an idea from a group of people at the 92nd Street Y in NYC who simply wanted to encourage people to give back throughout the holiday season.

Your newsfeed has likely been flooded by #GivingTuesday appeals from worthy organizations near and far, and it can be a bit overwhelming choosing where to allocate your money and time as you commit to giving back. Let me make it a bit easier by encouraging you to make a gift of any size to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, with the comfort of knowing that 100% of every dollar directly supports vital cancer research via the Barr Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In a day and age where many charitable organizations face rising administrative costs, often resulting in percentages of their donations supporting that overhead, I am beyond proud that every single cent raised by our DFMC team directly supports the cutting edge innovations coming out of the Barr Program which are getting us one step closer to a world without cancer. 

But I want to give back to you as well, so ANYONE MAKING A GIFT TO SUPPORT DFMC TODAY will receive the following #GivingTuesday incentives as my way of saying thank you. And don't forget that matching gifts can double or even triple your gift, making you eligible for even more perks.

Special #GivingTuesday Incentives

Anyone Who Signs Up to Volunteer for DFMC: I will call you and sing a short holiday tune to thank you for donating your time to our team (please forward me your confirmation email so I am aware that you have made a gift of time to DFMC)

Gifts of $10.00 Or More: I will call you and sing a short holiday tune to thank you for your gift

Gifts of $26.20 Or More: I will call you and sing a full holiday carol to thank you for your gift

Gifts of $50.00 Or More: Your choice of holiday carol performed IN PERSON (for those in the Greater Boston area) or over Facetime, Skype, or the Phone on your requested date

Gifts of $126.20 Or More:

• Your choice of holiday carol performed IN PERSON (for those in the Greater Boston area) or over Facetime, Skype, or the Phone on your requested date
• A mile of your choosing to be named in support, honor, or memory of someone dear to you
• A DFMC Team Mug

Gifts of $226.20 Or More:

• Your choice of holiday carol performed IN PERSON (for those in the Greater Boston area) or over Facetime, Skype, or the Phone on your requested date
• A mile of your choosing to be named in support, honor, or memory of someone dear to you
• Two DFMC Team Mugs
• A dozen homemade holiday cookies

Gifts of $500 Or More:

• Your choice of holiday carol performed IN PERSON (for those in the Greater Boston area) or over Facetime, Skype, or the Phone on your requested date
• Four miles of your choosing to be named in support, honor, or memory  of someone dear to you
• Four DFMC Team Mugs
• Two dozen homemade holiday cookies
• Custom Blended Hot Cocoa Mix and Homemade Marshmallows

Regardless of where you decide to give your time and money today, I hope you do so with a full heart and the joy of knowing that this movement is having a tremendous impact on organizations who need it most. I thank you for considering this amazing cause as you plan your year end giving and look ahead to 2016, and t-minus 10 days until "official" marathon training begins!