Friday Motivation: One Month Countdown and Why I Run

Last night I stayed up far later than usual (thanks to an evening run and a few post-run St. Patrick's day libations with my teammates) and as I got ready for bed the clock struck midnight and the date changed on my phone. As I stared down at those glowing numbers I could not supress a surge of energy and started dancing around the room with excitement. "Are you okay?" Dave asked, while giving me a look that questioned just how many pints of Guinness I had enjoyed. "I'm more than okay - ONE MONTH FROM TODAY I'M RUNNING THE BOSTON MARATHON!!!" I cheered as I continued dancing around the room. Fully versed by this point in what it means to be married to a crazy runner prepping for a big race, Dave smiled and allowed me to continue my celebration a bit longer before reminding me that I needed to save some of that energy for the actual race and get to sleep (good point dear, good point).

So here we go, the one month countdown to the 120th Boston Marathon. Earlier this week our bib numbers were assigned (I hear 26470 is the one to watch) and this morning the traditional banners that will grace the streets of Boston leading up to the race were unveiled. All winter long there has been a quiet buzz throughout greater Boston, and beyond, as runners have trained for one of our city's most beloved traditions. In the next 31 days that buzz will grow to a palpable roar as we prepare to host the 30,000 plus runners, as well as the countless (and indispensable) volunteers and spectators who come together for our Patriots' Day celebration.

It is an exciting time for sure.

It is also bittersweet. My training season has been less than ideal and I have been repeatedly sidelined by respiratory issues, culminating in my most recent bout with what I can only dub "the plague" which cost me about a month of vital training time. While last winter's record setting weather meant we were often confined to repeatedly running the infamous Newton hills, that training made us stronger. This season, I have been battling painful calf cramps that begin late in my long runs and which only increase with hills (though I suspect this is also a hydration/sodium issue that I am now addressing). Yet life has a funny way of giving you the perspective you need at the time you need it most.

Last Saturday was the first day I had felt 100% healthy in over a month and I was laser focused on running 16 miles for the first time this season (by this point last year I had already tackled that distance several times). About 13 miles into the run, those aforementioned calf cramps ended my run early and I had to accept a ride back to our host gym from one of our DFMC rockstar volunteers (thanks again Amy Jo!!!). By the way, only in maration training will you hear runners grumling  "I only did 13 miles," and to say I was frustrated is an understatement. After chugging a gatorade, stretching, and a much needed shower, I headed back into the gym to greet my patient partner Darla who had just arrived for our DFMC poster party. Looking around the room at my fellow teammates and their patient partners, I felt like a fraud and a failure. I found myself questioning whether I will be able to run this year's race and worried I would be letting Darla down if I could not. But as we started working on Darla's poster - which will be displayed along with all the other patient parnter posters to honor these incredible children and inspire DFMC runners on marathon weekend - I was vividly reminded why I am on this team. And running? Well, that is just one very small piece of what we do.

Together with her family, Darla and I set about crafting her new poster. I smiled as Darla supervised the design, choosing the exact shades of purple and pink to use for her name and informing us of precisely the right spot where each butterfly, heart, and smiley sticker should go. As I looked at the slew of photos from the past year,  I realized just how much Darla had grown. How much taller, stronger, and spirited she had become. And when I gave her the custom DFMC keepsake pillow my incredible teammate Heather made for her, Darla's face broke into a smile and she gave me a hug that I thought would break her tiny arms. Suddenly I realized, I was worrying about the wrong race. Because while the marathon is an incredible experience, it is just one day. The real race - the one that really counts- ends with the namesake for my blog: the ultimate finish line. A world where no child will ever have to make a poster celebrating that they went through hell and back to beat cancer (or are still going through it). A world where the word "cancer" is no longer feared because it is followed by the word "cure." A world that will be forever changed by the research happening right this very second, made possible by all those who have supported me and so many others in this journey.

So as I mentally prepare for tomorrow's group run, I thought I would share this - my Friday motivation. She is also my Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday motivation. And that race we are running one month from today? It will be a celebration. It will be a declaration. And (no matter how long it takes me), it will be a victory.

                            

Darla showing off her cheerleading moves and cheering me on!

Darla insisted we race - if I keep up this speed work,
maybe I will win the marathon! 



I am only $611.74 away from my goal of raising $13,100!!!
Don't forget that every gift of $10 or more made in March gives you a chance to win a $450 Coach handbag OR $700 Red Sox tickets!!! 

Monday Motivation: 12 Weeks To Go!

Happy Monday ya'll! 12 weeks from today we take to the streets for the 120th Boston Marathon and time is really flying by. If I have been a bit silent lately it is because I was kept busy by back-to-back trips to visit family and my favorite toddler running "coaches" - think lots of unintentional stair repeats and speed work (it's amazing how quick one can move when a tipping glass of milk is involved). Lots to catch up on this week including exciting fundraising opportunities and the introduction of my first guest post which is not to be missed, so be sure to check back as the season flies into full gear. But for now, here is your Monday Motivation!

After a 13.1 mile run with the team this past Saturday, I headed over to Dana-Farber for our Patient Partner welcome party. It is hard to believe it has been just about a year since I met Darla and her family, and each and every time I see Darla it is a reminder of why this team and our mission is so important. Because while much of the party was spent seeing just how many gummy bears Darla could put on her ice cream sundae (they are her fav) and hearing all about her Make-a-Wish trip to Disney over the holidays (where, according to Darla, Belle informed her she was my favorite princess- naturally), after the party we headed towards the garage which took us past the Jimmy Fund Clinic. And no matter the amount of kid friendly lights, toys, and decorations that make the clinic as fun and welcoming as possible for its patients - at the end of the day it is still a clinic. In the middle of a hospital. For kids. With cancer.

So as we strolled towards the garage I watched as Darla bounded ahead of me and then casually turned and said "this is my clinic where I go for treatments." With the same nonchalance as when she showed me where she practices for cheerleading, or where her dance recital was last year. The location is so familiar to her and forever embedded in her childhood. All at once I was struck again by the magnitude of how this disease forever changes those it touches, but also by the safe haven and hope that Dana-Farber provides for those bravely fighting it.

As we continued towards the garage, we came upon one of my favorite parts of the Dana-Farber campus - Marathon Way. In addition to highlighting each year's DFMC singlet, the team's history and milestones, and the previous year's check to the Barr Foundation (man did I love seeing that cardboard check again!), visitors have the chance to "travel" the marathon course from start to finish. And so, here is my motivation for this Monday and the next 12 that follow. And probably many more Mondays after that. I may have a long way to go until I get to that finish line, but knowing this girl is running beside me will keep me going until I get there!

                  

It's a long way from the start to the finish, but Darla is ready to help me take on the challenge!

Pointing to a pic of Darla and her family at Fenway Park which

is featured on a timeline honoring the longstanding commitment

of the Red Sox to the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber. 

Darla was in treatment when that picture was taken, and

to stand next to this smiling whirlwind of energy with a head full of hair

while looking at this picture of her tiny, balding, and in her Dad's arms was

a bold reminder of the miles she has come since her diagnosis 

Click HERE to View Erin's Super Bowl Squares for Cancer Research - $30 gives you the chance to win $100, $300, or $1000 while providing a $2500 donation toward cancer research!!!

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

Monday Motivation: Meet Darla

We are now in the single digits (and not just temperature wise)! 9 weeks from today we run the Boston Marathon and while the weather remains frigid, things are really starting to heat up on the training and fundraising front!

If you missed last week's announcement, once some gifts in process post I will have SURPASSED my initial goal of raising $10,000 for the Barr program and innovative basic cancer research! "Thank You" doesn't quite capture how grateful I am to the many donors who have generously helped me to not only reach but exceed my initial goal. And in true runner form, once you reach a goal, well...you set a new one!  So I have extended my fundraising goal to $13,100 in honor of the half-marathon distance. With some exciting things on the horizon including my "Marthon March Madness" opportunity drawings- four weeks of prizes building each week in March- I am confident that we will not only reach but maybe even exceed my new goal, so keep checking back for more updates including how YOU can be a winner! 

In a week where "18 miles" looms on the calendar for Saturday's long run and the snow continues to prove a challenge, I have found myself drawing strength from the tremendous support and encouragement many of you have offered throughout this journey thus far. And while I certainly could not do this without all of you, I knew early on that if I was going to train for and run 26.2 miles I would need all the inspiration and motivation I could get. There are many factors that I feel set the DFMC team apart in this area and which makes it a true and special honor to be a part of. By now you are well aware of our mission and that 100% of the funds raised by this team goes directly to supporting the vital Barr program research. And I need look no farther for inspiration than the teammates running in stride with me each week as they are themselves cancer survivors or (like me) running in honor and memory of parents, siblings, children, and loved ones who have bravely danced with this disease. But at the heart of the DFMC is a very special component, one which actually gave me the final "push" I needed to submit an application for this team back in August. It is called the Patient Partner Program, and it matches DFMC runners with children who are currently or previously treated at Dana-Farber's world-renowned Jimmy Fund Clinic. Just before the holidays I received word that I had been selected for the program and I eagerly awaited meeting my patient partner at the end of January for our "meet your match" party. 

And so friends, meet all the Monday (and every day) Motivation you could ever need: five year old Darla Holloway.

My patient partner Darla Holloway at our "Meet Your Match" party

Darla is a whirlwind of energy, and from the outside you would find it hard to believe that this vivacious, funny, sassy kindergartner had spent nearly half of her life fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Thankfully Darla has been in remission for a little over 8 months and will celebrate her one year remission anniversary on May 21st, though she still has to have blood tests every two months to monitor things. As I sat with Darla and her family at our welcome party, I learned more about her journey from her amazing parents Sherelle and Daryl. They showed me pictures and shared stories from the day Darla was diagnosed and throughout treatment. They spoke of countless trips to the clinic, of Darla losing her hair and then some teeth from chemo, and they spoke of the amazing care they received at Dana-Farber. And through it all there was one constant- a smile on Darla's face. She is the sort of kid who lights up a room the instant she enters it, and as I learned more about her story and watched her "work the room" and make the other kids - many of them still in treatment - laugh and smile, I realized that there wasn't anything I wouldn't do and no distance I wouldn't run to see that smile and hear that laugh.

And in the past few weeks as we have talked on the phone and went bowling (Darla's favorite), I am sure that Darla is just excited to have a new friend. She has sang me the ABC's, counted to 100, talked to me about her baby doll, styled my hair (she gave me quite the 'do), and we have discovered we have quite a few things in common - we are both singers, we both dislike when banana is mixed with other fruit, and as Darla is a cheerleader (and I a former one) we are working on a special cheer for when I see her at Mile 25 on Marathon Monday. But what Darla doesn't realize is she is a game changer. Because before I was training for a marathon and raising some money along the way. But now? I am running so that no family ever has to go through what this sweet girl and her family have had to endure. I am running to keep funding the research and investigators that have helped result in cure rates of more than 85 percent in pediatric ALL. And I am running to see that smile on Marathon Monday - along with all the other patient partners -because let me tell you, there is nothing more motivating than that!

Darla singing "God Bless America" at a Red Sox game last year while still in treatment

Bowling with Darla following her All-Star cheerleading competition where her team took first place (hence her "fancy makeup" as she calls it) 

Click HERE to Make A Gift Towards the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge