Monday Motivation: 3 Weeks and $544.34 To Go!

3 weeks from today I will line up with my teammates and 29,500 of our newest friends to run the 120th Boston Marathon. This past weekend our DFMC team was among the hundreds of runners who took to the marathon course to run what is typically the longest run before we begin tapering (fancy running term for cutting back/resting) in the final weeks before the race. The energy out on the course was electric and the support from the volunteers for both our team and the many other charity teams, local spectators/fans, and the Newton PD and FD were truly outstanding. I finally clocked 18 miles for the first time this season which was as much a mental victory as a physical one, though I was running on empty for the last few miles thanks to miscalculating my refueling (a mistake I made last year at this same mileage and which is easily fixed, but alas this is why we have training runs so we can get those mistakes out of the way now versus on Marathon Monday). Luckily for me I get one more crack at 18-20 this weekend, with permission of our training advisor, given I lost just about a month of critical training time while dealing with what can only be referred to as "the plague." I am glad I will have the chance to tackle this distance one more time before giving my mind/legs the necessary time to recharge so I can rock 26.2 miles on April 18th!

On the fundraising front (drum roll please) I have surpassed my original goal of raising $13,100!!!  Reaching this goal also means I have attained the 13.1K Pacesetter level, the second of four fundraising milestones set by the DFMC (8K, 13.1k, 20K, and 26.2K). In addition to my Pacesetter patch (earned for reaching the 8K milestone) which I will proudly wear on Marathon Monday, I have now earned my second set of 13.1K Pacesetter gloves (which will help to remind me of the many generous hands and hearts which have helped me to reach my goals thus far) and I will join my fellow Pacesetters in having our names listed on our official DFMC fundraising map.

But of course it wouldn't be called the marathon "challenge," if I didn't up the ante right??? Right. So I have increased my fundraising goal to $14,866. Why that number you ask? Because once I hit that goal, in just shy of two years time you will have helped me to raise $35,000 for Dana-Farber!!! And $35,000 is a lot easier to remember than $34,444.66 (the current total).

With 4 days remaining in my final March Marathon Madness drawing for two Red Sox EMC Club tickets plus parking (a $700 value), and only $555.34 to go to reach this new goal...well, wouldn't it be awesome if I could head out on my 18-20 mile solo run this Saturday knowing we had reached or surpassed this new goal?!? I could probably run off that energy alone (though don't worry, I learned my lesson this past Saturday and will still pack a few extra energy gels).

Every $10 gift = 1 entry for the best seats in Fenway, plus don't forget about my bonus secondary drawing for a mystery Red Sox item! And how much do I love you and your support, and how much do I want to see someone win these amazing seats? So much so that this Yankee fan made a special pit stop at the Cathedral of Boston this morning just to tell you more about this incredible prize: