Wife Mother Runner Races Archives - Page 11 of 15

A Mother’s Day Story About Why Allison Foley Runs Disney

May 10, 2014

As part of the #whyirundisney program, Allison Foley was filmed on why she runs Disney. She is a perfect example of a selfless mother. She runs because her daughter can’t due to RETT syndrome.

I must say that my mother is a selfless mother. My brother has special needs. He will live with my parents his entire life, but not once have I heard my parents complain about that. I hope that I live my life as a selfless mother for my children.

So in honor of Mother’s Day, watch this video and be inspired by a mother who runs for her daughter.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiunbjwvy5A&w=560&h=315]

What I Learned From The Cox Providence Marathon

May 9, 2014

What I love about running is that you can learn something all the time. Always growing. What I learned from this race also came from something Jeff sent me in my follow up email about the race. This past weekend I ran the Cox Providence Marathon with my friend Gail. Here’s what I learned from that experience.

Gail has done several marathons this year and is an experienced runner. So running together for this race was going to be easy for her (I assumed). What I learned was that when you are going to run a race together it’s a good idea to discuss the intervals that you plan to use for race day ahead of time so that everyone trains with the same intervals. Since Gail uses longer intervals, the frequent stop and starts of the 20/20 intervals bothered her legs and hips.

Jeff Galloway also asked me in my race recap email what her longest run was 3 weeks prior to the event. I don’t recall excatly what her longest run was, but this is good information to know to make sure that the person you are running with is sufficiently trained for the race you are running. Since Gail has done multiple marathons in the past few weeks that thought never crossed my mind. In my opinion, she is sufficiently trained. But what Jeff is referring to is for anyone. Be sure you talk to your running partner and make sure you are both trained equally if you plan to stick together for the entire race.

Something else that occurred to me is that we should talk about a bail out plan. If someone is on the quest for a PR and are running with a friend, you need to know ahead of time what the plan is if someone is falling behind or having trouble. When Gail began to hurt I wasn’t sure what to do. We tried to use different intervals to see if we could sync up where she could run her longer intervals and I could run using my shorter ones, but then we were pulling apart from each other. We found a middle of the road interval pace that worked for both of us. But I was on a quest to get a 5:30 marathon finish and she was doing an awesome job of getting me there. Then when things started to slow down we weren’t sure if we were going to make it. But I didn’t want to leave her behind. I am too loyal like that. I also didn’t want to run to the finish alone without her because she helped me get to where I was. So it’s important to talk about the plan of action ahead of time prior to the race and not when someone is having a hard time because honestly, it’s hard to think and make decisions like that on the race course and you don’t want to worry about hurting someone’s feelings during that part of your race.

Despite the rough patch we hit during mile 18 of the race, we found a plan that worked for us and we happily crossed the finish line together and I am so glad I had a friend there to help me and to also experience this special event with me! Thanks Gail! Looking forward to more races and more PRs!

Mission Accomplished – I Got My PR in Providence!

May 4, 2014

I am so glad I signed up for this race! I had a fantastic time and I got my PR!

I don’t know why I look like I am scared!

On Saturday I picked up Kim and we drove up to Providence talking all the way, as usual. We ran next-door to the convention center once we arrive in Providence and picked up our bibs then as girls love to do we hit the Providence mall for a little shopping. Non-running related for a change. After shopping we checked into our hotel and Kim turned on the TV for the Kentucky Derby pre-race shows. The excitement about the Derby was starting to build! The hotel was great! It is right across the street from the Convention Center and the starting line so we could walk wherever we needed to. The rooms were very large! We got the junior suite with 2 king beds and it was awesome. They were running a special for the race weekend, too so I highly recommend this hotel for next year.

Junior suite with 2 king beds

We heard from Gail and then she picked us up at our hotel and we headed over to the Red Striper restaurant. This is where we watched the Kentucky Derby. That was a fun 2 minutes! I wish our race was that short! The food at the restaurant was great. I ordered the beet salad and a Grilled Pizza Margherita. This was definitely a great choice of restaurants for a pre-race dinner. Warning: if you eat the beet salad before a race, your pee will be red the next day, it’s not that your bladder got irritated from the marathon. (Runners, this is good information to know ahead of time because it could leave you with quite a scare!)

The Dorrance

After dinner we brought Gail up to the room and dropped off her things, then we decided to head out to a bar that her husband recommended called the The Dorrance (Dorchester to us). The concierge didn’t know what we were talking about so we took a walk down the street and found it on our own. It was a gorgeous building. The inside was spectacular, but it was closed off for a private wedding. So we walked back to our hotel and grabbed a drink in the bar downstairs. Then it was time to head up and call it a night. Staying at the Biltmore was great. The beds were big and comfortable, and because the location was right across the street from the starting line, we didn’t have to get up extra early to drive anywhere. The only downside was that because the building was so old, it was hot in the rooms because the heating system is set to hot for winter and cold for summer and we were in the season in the middle. If we had know that maybe we could have opened our window. But it was also not our own beds so we didn’t have the greatest night’s sleep but that happens usually prior to a race.

When the alarm went off at 6:00, that’s when I was really sleeping well. I was grumpy. I honestly didn’t want to run the race at that moment! At this point I was having so much fun having a girls weekend I really didn’t feel like running the full marathon that I have been training for. But once I had my tea and oatmeal and got myself ready it was okay. The girls made fun of me because I put on full makeup and earrings! It was a spectacular morning for a race. The starting line was set up across the street and the music was playing.

The starting line view from our room

I wasn’t feeling nervous, but I wasn’t all that revved up for it yet either. I reviewed my notes from my coach, Jeff Galloway about the paces that I should be doing for each mile. He said to use whichever intervals that I was comfortable with because I trained with different ones to see what I liked. I decided I wanted to do 20/20 and see how I do with that. This is what he told me to do:

Miles 1-5 12:45 – 12:50 per mile.
Miles 6-13 12:35 – 12:45 per mile
Miles 14-20 12:25 – 12:35 per mile

When I was reviewing that with Gail and Kim I was a little nervous. That seemed fast to me. When I did my training at home, I was going slower per Jeff’s advice. So to know that I had to go faster seemed intimidating.

At 7:10 we decided it was time to head over to the start line. We went downstairs I’ve powered up my Garmin watch to find out it was dead so I ran back upstairs grab my other watch and my gym boss timer and we started back downstairs again. Then we walked over to the starting line where we waited about 20 minutes because the race got off to a late start. It was a beautiful crystal-clear morning with brisk air perfect weather for running a marathon. The plan was to do 20/20 intervals and see how we feel throughout the race.

Miles 1-5 we were going at a consistent pace of around 12 mins per mile. I took a Gu at mile 5 because I wanted to stay ahead on my fuel.

Miles 6-10 were also similar. We passed Janice around mile 9. There were bananas at mile 8. I took a few bites and that was good. Since we had a banana, I held off on Gu at mile 10.

Miles 11-15 were good. There were a few rolling hills, but they were comfortable to run. We ran past a beautiful Country Club and golf course. I had a few bites of a banana at mile 15. I had to remember to start drinking more of my Nuun as well.

Miles 16-18 were harder. Because we were doing the 20/20 intervals it was beginning to take a toll on Gail. She is used to doing longer intervals so the start and stop was starting to bother her hip. At mile 18 she needed to sit down at a bench and really stretch out.

Miles 19-22 were very challenging for both of us. I was worried about the discomfort Gail was in and also concerned about our finish time. But I kept doing the math in my head and it seemed like we were still in pretty good pace to get in around 5:30. At that point we were around the 4 hour mark. Gail and I were talking and trying to figure out which intervals would work best for her so she wouldn’t be so sore. So we tried 1:00/30. I did that for a few reps but found it was harder for me to go longer because I didn’t train with that interval. So then I had her continue on with that and I would try 20/20 and see if we could keep up with each other.

We did that for about a half of a mile. Meanwhile we were in a very open area of the course on the water so the winds were howling and pushing against us from the side. I was feeling spray from the ocean coming up on me. Our pace slowed down to around 13 and 14 minutes. I caught up to her and we both decided to try 45/30 and see how that felt. But we would walk for a little bit to give our legs a little rest. We did pose for a picture with the official photographers so I can’t wait to see that picture. At mile 21 I had 2 bites of banana and that was the last of the food I had during the race.

Miles 22-26 we PUSHED to get to the finish. We walked more frequently but we kept pushing forward and our pace was 13/14 minutes per mile. There were a few hills towards the end (one very steep, one to an overpass, and one through town). We walked the hills and ran the downhills. The wind felt like it was getting stronger and stronger the closer we got to town.

During mile 23 we had to walk up a hill so we were talking about what the time was and I told Gail we were still on track for getting in just over 5:30. I think she was relieved at that because she wasn’t aware of what pace we were going and what our time was. She thought that because she had to take a stretch break and we slower our pace a little around 19-22 that we were not going to make a decent finish time. I’m glad she felt that relief. I didn’t want her to feel bad and I felt so bad that she was hurting because of the intervals I said I wanted to use.

At mile 24 we were walking through a park along the water and there were cobblestones… that was interesting for a race! Then we went under an overpass and the winds felt like they were blasting at us at 100 mph!!! We had to bend over and hold our hats so we wouldn’t get sandblasted on our faces! We recorded a video of the wind blasting us as we were at mile 25.5. We got a dermabrasion facial while finishing this marathon!

Mile 26 we ran into Janice. She told us she was very sick during the race and had a hard time from a little while after we saw her in the beginning to the end. We rounded the last corner and the finish line was right there. I was so relieved! I was afraid we’d have a far distance after we got around the corner. Gail saw the clock was 5:39 and said if we hurry we could get in under 5:40! I really pushed but I crossed at 5:40:03. The good news is, that was the clock time. Our actual finish time was 5:38:24.

As much as I wanted 5:30 my backup plan in my head was 5:45. I had no idea I had the potential to do a 5:30. If we didn’t have the wind to contend with I think we would have made it. I am so thankful Our consistency in the beginning really helped because we had put some time in the bank for the issues we faced at the end.

After some post race photos we headed back to our room, showered, checked out and Gail took us to an awesome Chinese restaurant called China Inn! It was sooo delicious! Then she brought us back to our car and said our goodbyes and Kim and I headed back to CT. The rain was just starting to come towards Providence so the timing for everything was perfect!

Leaving Providence as the rain clouds rolled in

I really enjoyed this race. The girls said they would do it again. Kim said she wants to run this full. This race was my first non-Disney marathon and it was much different. The support on the course for this race was good. They had sufficient water and food breaks. They did not have medical tents, which surprised me. I would have liked to have one because I was getting chaffing on my arms. But there was a woman on a bike helping someone and she had lip balm so I used that and it took the edge off for me. But overall, the organization of the race was great, the expo was very small, the hotel rates were great (especially when splitting it between 3 people). For my next marathon (Philadelphia in November), I am going to use it as a training run towards Dopey. I won’t do the 26 mile long run prior to the race.

Thanks for joining me for this race Gail and Kim! I had a great time! I am also thankful to my husband for his support while I take on these crazy adventures!

View a video from the starting line!

Providence Here I Come!

May 2, 2014

When I finished the Walt Disney World Marathon this January, I came home and the first thing I did was research where I can do another marathon. I found the Providence marathon and thought that was a perfect location because it wasn’t far from home. I was hoping I could fine one sooner than the date of May 4; however it gave me time to train some more.

I used Jeff Galloway as my coach during this training. And it was very effective. My last long run was done two weeks ago on Good Friday. Now I am wrapping my mind around it. I usually do my very long run prior to the race as Jeff recommends, however, I am beginning to think that maybe I don’t want to pursue this approach anymore. I am torn over it because when I finish it then mentally I feel like I’ve already run the race. But if I don’t do it, then I’m going to struggle when I have to add the additional last 3 miles to the course on race day. The training to the full distance gives my body what I needs to endure the entire distance. The harder part, the less physical part.

My goal for this race is to get in at 5:30 or less. It is a very aggressive goal and I’m going to be running it with Gail, so I’m hoping that she can push me at the end so that I can make it. I can almost guarantee I’m going to be hurting when this one is over, but it’s okay it will be worth it. My back up plan is to be in under 5:45.

I am also looking forward to spending the night with the girls and hanging out and having dinner before the race. It’s always good to get together with race friends. When I first chose this race, I was only planning on going by myself. But when I told the girls that I was signed up for it they decided to join me. Always a win-win in my book when people join me or I join others for races! I have other friends who are running the half so I am hoping to see Michael and Diana while I am there, too!

I have been working on picking out my wardrobe for the race, we are in that temperature swing where it is beginning to warm up. I t looks like it’s going to be 60° but on the water I’m not sure how breezy it is.

Stay tuned for updates on how the event went! Wish me luck!

Have you run this race before? What is the weather like running near the water?

My First 10K PR at The Simsbury River Run

April 28, 2014

Sunday, April 27, 2014, instead of running the Cheshire Half marathon for my third year in a row I ran the Simsbury River Run which is a 10K run because I wanted to get a good 10K time to submit to Disney by June 1 for future race corral placement. When I registered for the race I told Kim about it. So she signed up and we met at the race. It was a chilly morning but it was perfect for running.

The race started at noon which was nice because I didn’t have to get up so early for it; but it’s harder running later because of fueling requirements. But it all worked out. Kim and I sat in her car for a little bit before the race and talked strategy to help me get a PR. I wanted to be under 1:15 at least. A finish time of 1:10 would make me happy. Her PR for a 10K was 1:02. So I had that number in the back of my head also. I also had my instructions from Jeff Galloway on what I should run based on the temperature and the required pace and intervals for that temperature. Needless to say I had a lot of numbers going around in my head prior to the start and I only use my iPhone with Endomondo to keep track of my mileage and miles per minute. This is where Kim was reminding me that I need to get a Garmin so I will have more information at my fingertips. I knew that and had been thinking of it after my mom gave me money for my birthday.

So we hopped out of the car, used the porta potties one last time before the race, and lined up in our small corral! It wasn’t a very big race, which was ok. I was feeling antsy because my legs were feeling a little tired (I don’t know why) and my heart wasn’t really in this race. I am focusing more on the marathon I am doing next Sunday. But I knew I wanted to get a great time on this race but wasn’t sure I had it in my to do that.

When the airhorn went off we took off. I ran the entire first mile at a pace of 8:50. When I heard my phone announce my mile pace I was shocked. I felt like I was running fast, but I didn’t realize I was going that fast. But I figured if I had 1 mile under my belt at a fast pace that would help me get a PR for the rest of the 5 miles I had to do. I started doing my 40/20 intervals per Jeff, but changed it to 30/30. I kept that up for miles 2-3, then changed to 1:00/0:30 for mile 4. At mile 5 I wanted to rest my legs a little so I changed to 30/30 and pushed on my run portions of the interval. I was feeling a little intimidated at mile 5 because I knew it was only 1.2 miles to the finish but I was unfamiliar with the course and I wanted to gun it at the end but I didn’t want to do it too soon.

Finally I saw where we were going to approach the finish line and I switched it into high gear and ran as hard as I could to the finish. It felt like I was going in slow motion and my legs didn’t want to move; but I didn’t give up. I pushed harder. I looked up and Kim was yelling at me “YOU GOT A PR!!!!” and she gave me a big hug! That was so awesome! She had just finished a minute before me and said she turned around after finishing and saw that I was making my way to the finish. Thanks for being there for me Kim! My final time was 1:05. I am shocked considering lately my 5K time range from 33-38 minutes. But those are usually shake off runs after my long training runs.

See the guy behind me? I passed him a few times and he passed me, but I really wanted to beat him so I passed him one last time to make my break for the finish! I LOVE when I can run past a guy in a race and beat him! I will definitely consider this race course for future races if I need to get a good 10K finish time for Disney races. The course wasn’t too hilly, I got a PR there and it’s not an overcrowded race. It was an hour away from my house; but I didn’t mind the drive. I got to enjoy my Be Our Guest Podcasts on the way there and back and got a few ideas for our upcoming vacation!

Thanks for joining me Kim and for taking my finish line picture! It was Fun!

Boston Marathon Bib Stealing

April 26, 2014

Kara Bonneau of Durham, North Carolina

If you are not part of the running community you probably haven’t heard about a situation that happened at the Boston Marathon this year where four bandits made copies of a bib and printed it out to use to run the race.

When the owner of bib #14285 went online to view her race photos on marathonfoto.com she found her photo along with four other individuals wearing the same bib!

This has gotten a lot of publicity in social media and also recognition by the Boston Marathon Association.

Four other runners wearing Kara’s bib number

Of course this is also theft. You are stealing someone’s photograph of their bib number and printing it out so you can run a race that you didn’t pay for. People don’t just register for Boston or get in for a lottery. You have to QUALIFY for it or raise money for a charity (and it’s a lot of money you must raise). This is what makes the Boston marathon such a coveted race to run. The bandit runners also took medals that they did not pay for! They also probably used water, and fuel sources on the race course that other runners’ registration fees pay for.

And then there is the issue of safety. When you register for a race, you also sign a waiver. There is also an area on the back of your bib where you should fill out personal information about yourself, emergency contact information and important medication information. Should you become hurt or unconscious during the race, this information is helpful to the first responders.

When I first saw these pictures of the four individuals circulating through my social media channels asking people to identify these runners I was very surprised. I will admit that I am naive about the unethical things that happen at races so people can run them. I don’t even know the half of what goes one for people to steal to get into races. But then I saw more and more coverage about it and that the Boston Athletics Association is getting involved.

As I did more research on this topic I found another news story about it from wcvb.com with the wife of the owner of Foursquare running under a fake bib number. How sad.

“The owner of the real bib looked closely at the bandit’s photo using her bib and saw a twitter handle on it. She then researched on twitter and saw conversations being tweeted shere Chelsa Crowley, wife if Foursquare Founder Dennis Crowley tweeted out that she was looking for a bib. Someone tweeted back, “Fake bib? 34033” and she replied with , “Shhh.”

What a shame.

Dennis and Chelsa ran the marathon together last year and got separated before the finish line and wanted to run together again this year but his wife couldn’t get a bib. She crossed the finish line last year just minutes before the bombs went off. He did not, so he was allowed to return again this year. They said they donated $5,000 to charity this year and that there was no malicious intent to what they did using a fake bib this year. Just because you donate money to a charity doesn’t mean you can make your own bibs and think that it justifies why you are stealing someone else’s bib number! Shame on you!

The rules for the Boston Marathon and other races are clear when they specify that no one is allowed to wear the bib number of an official entrant. In the past the B.A.A. has not allowed runners who have been found duplication bibs to run future races held by their organization.

This year’s race was spectacular and inspiring. I know cheating in sports is common. It’s just disappointing to really know that it happened at the Boston marathon also. I hope there will be a way in the future to stop this behavior; but someone will always find a way to outsmart the system. And I hope it doesn’t come at the expense of those who pay the registration fees in the end.

Source: http://www.wcvb.com/news/fake-bibs-being-probed-by-boston-marathon-organizers/25650754#!FS2An

The Boston Marathon – An AMAZING Day!

April 22, 2014

One round trip ticket to Boston!

When I woke up I saw the sun shining in my room and I was excited that I was about to go to the Boston Marathon to hopefully see my friends run it! I put Kevin on the bus then I dropped Adrienne off at school and had to make a quick stop to rite aid so I could get cash back for the tolls and the train. I hauled up to Worcester for the 10:45 train and caught it in time with about 3 minutes to spare. I have to admit that was cutting it close!

The train tracks run right alongside the marathon route at mile 6 so I got so excited when I looked out the window and I was able to see the runners. At that point there weren’t as many as I expected and they didn’t look like elite runners either. A smattering of them were scattered about. Then we went to the another stop and were held up there for a while. At that point I saw more runners and according to runner tracking and Facebook I was right about near be area where Eddie McCoy was.

Fenway Park

I met a girl on the train who gave me some advice. The train arrived at 12:15 and we got off at Fenway park. That was cool. I have never been there. The atmosphere had some electricity in the air. To my right was the baseball stadium with a game going on and to my left up a block the runners were approaching mile 25 where the famous Citgo sign is. I went through bag check and parked myself at mile 25.2. I figured this would be a great place to wait for Eddie. I decided against going to Heartbreak hill because the B train has too many stops both there and back.

The famous Citgo sign I always heard about

I was loving the energy at mile 25 and wanted to see what I could see in this part of town. I was overcome with emotions. I got emotional when I was talking to my husband on the phone. This is one special race. I WANT to be a part of it.

I was doing the math in my head trying to figure out when I would see Eddie because I got an alert that he already passed the 30k mark. I knew he shouldn’t have passed me yet and I almost left but I didn’t get an alert either that he had crossed the finish line, so I waited. And then I saw him! I have to admit he looked upset or tired. He had his head down and was walking a little bit. I recognized the buff he had on his head in his Facebook picture this morning so thankfully I knew for sure that was him! I was only able to get a picture of the back of him but I got one!! My mission was to go to the race in hopes of seeing some of my friends and I did! I wished I was on the same side of the street as him so I could cheer him on and give him the boost he needed to get to that finish line.

Eddie at the far left in the blue shirts and shorts and yellow sneakers

After seeing him I decided to call rich and see where he and Charlie were. They were on the T coming back from the hill. I walked towards the finish and took in the sights. It was a spectacular day. The sky was so blue the air was the perfect temp and there was a special feeling in the air. I ate my packed turkey sandwich and continued to walk and see where I would end up.

The trees blooming in the City

The streets of Boston were beautiful with the trees blossoming and the streets are lined with store fronts and restaurants. I definitely want to make a trip up there more often to take in the sights of the town and bring my kids to the aquarium. I was really enjoying myself.

Boston Strong On Bolyston street

With a lot of zigging a zagging I did get to see runners cross the finish line and I walked on Boylston Street where then bombs had gone off just one year ago. It was a little bit eerie. I was wondering which part of the sidewalk was the backpack on. And since I am reading the book Stronger I thought of the victim who looked at the bomber right in the eye.

Mike 26 on Bolyston Street

After a lot of walking I found myself in the back stage area where the runners get their water, their medical help, and reunite with their families. It was neat to see this side of the race. Being a marathoner I know what it is like after you go through the chute to get your medal, water, space blanket and “stuff” and then sort of collapse or come down for a few minutes from the rush that you just had of the final stretch of the race. There were people in space blankets everywhere and many of them looked really wiped out. Like I said it was a beautiful day, but it was full sun for the runners.

The Finish Line!

After two hours of walking around a maze, I was finally able to cross the street at Boylston street in front of the Prudential building. I had to walk around most of the city, but I made it to the area where Rich Garing and Charlie Gessner were. Rich and Charlie are friends of Eddie McCoy and Michelle Scribner-MacLean. It was great to meet fellow Mickey Mile Podcast friends and Disney race lovers!

A mom hugging her son as he is about to cross the finish line. He was running for Team Spalding Rehab

I hung out with the guys at mile 26 for a little over an hour to wait for Linda Ambard, Linda Bachand, Jeff Galloway and Michelle. Somehow Linda Ambard slipped by me! Then Team Hoyt came by. That was emotional! I was very, very happy that I was able to see them in person! It was beautiful to see the father and son team run their last Boston marathon together and the Team Hoyt runners gathered all around them! Watch the video!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsQ4ZEBOtqc&w=420&h=315]

I saw some amazing things today. I saw a pregnant woman who I would guess is 6 months pregnant, run by me at mile 25 doing a sub 4 marathon. I saw a man completely out of it barely walking to the finish. The woman standing next to me saw him, too. He needed medical attention because he was about to drop. I saw history made as Dick Hoyt pushed his son past me and to the finish line for his last Boston marathon – that was emotional. I saw blind runners being led to the finish by their guides, soldiers running in camo and boots, amputees running, and I saw pain, happiness, elation, runners in tears pass by me to the 26.2 finish line.

On my way home I did see two men with dark bags near the finish line being questioned by police. I didn’t want to go into too much analysis of what-ifs. I didn’t want to ruin the spirit of the day. But it was on my mind as I am sure it was on everyone else’s.

Goodbye for now Boston!

I said goodbye to Rich and Charlie just before 5:00 so I could catch the train back home. As the train was pulling away from the city I said goodbye to it, but not for long. I will return one day to run that hard and rewarding race! My plan is that it may take 4-5 years to accomplish this goal. If I cannot get faster to get to this race on my own then I will work hard to raise funds on a charity bib so I can run it for an organization who can benefit from my help. I won’t give up trying! I have had a taste of it and saw the joy on people’s faces for having run it. It is such a major accomplishment. It’s not just any marathon, it is the Boston Marathon.

As a follow up to my Shalane Flanagan story, she took her loss very hard. View her post race interview

Dick and Ricky Hoyt – Their Last Boston Marathon

April 19, 2014

Get your tissues ready, this story is beautiful and inspiring. The 2014 Boston Marathon will the 32nd Boston Marathon for Team Hoyt. Last year, due to the events that happened, they were forced to stop about a mile from the finish line. Dick Hoyt at the age of 73 says he has one more Boston Marathon in him. He has been suffering from severe back pain. Their first Boston marathon was in 1981 as Dick pushed Rick in a wheelchair.

Ricky was born in 1962, but suffered from oxygen deprivation to his brain and was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Against doctor’s suggestions, Dick and Judy had a quest to include Ricky in everything they took part of in their lives. Dick and Judy saw that their son was intelligent and had the ability to learn like everyone else. However, they needed to find a way to help Rick communicate for himself, so they built him a computer. Because his first words were not “Hi Mom,” or “Hi Dad,” but “Go Bruins!”, his parents knew he loved sports and followed the game just like anyone else. After graduating high school, Rick attended Boston University, and graduated with a degree in Special Education in 1993.

Their racing career began in the spring of 1977. Ricky told his father he wanted to participate in a run for a paralyzed Lacrosse player. His father agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They came in next to last, but that night Rick told his father, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.”

Since that day, Team Hoyt has run over 1,100 races including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them were Ironman competitions). And Dick and Rick biked and ran across the United States in 1992. It took them 45 days to complete the 3,735 miles. They are absolutely unstoppable. The thought of even doing an Ironman blows me away, but to know that Dick did this while pulling his son in a boat or riding a special two-seater bike and then pushing the wheelchair is absolutely remarkable.

When Dick and Ricky first wanted to run the Boston marathon, they did not want them to. Now there is a bronze statue of them near the start line. With their motto “Yes You Can”, they want so show that if you are disabled it doesn’t mean you have to site on the sidelines. Although his father won’t be pushing him in future Boston marathons, Ricky will continue to compete with a new partner. He will still run with his dad, and compete in shorter races, just not in marathons.

I have a brother with special needs but we always included him in everything we have done. I remember going to the Special Olympics when he was younger and being so proud of him. I was so touched by the athletes giving their all in their events. My brother works a full-time job where I work and participates in the volunteer Fire Department in our town and we have lived with the same motto as the Hoyt family. You can do anything you want to do.

This is a message that I am teaching my children. They are sitting with me right now as I type this blog post and they watched the movies and stories of Dick and Ricky. I want my children to know that “Yes You Can”. My motto to them is “Never Give Up.” I hope for the chance to see Dick and Ricky at the race on Monday. What a special relationship.

Shalane Flanagan – The Woman Hoping to Win The Boston Marathon This Year

April 18, 2014

A 5 foot 4″, 102 pound fiery Bostonian has her eye on the finish line to win the Boston Marathon. Shalane Flanagan has been training the Boston marathon route repetitively. She is called a pony tailed assassin in knee socks. The Olympic athlete who now lives in Portland, OR has been training in Boston, Portland and at high altitude in Arizona.

Watch a segment on 60 minutes about her quest towards her goal. The 32 year old sponsored by Nike, runs as her full time job. What a dream! She watches everything she eats because it is not only food, but fuel for her body. Shalane ran 2:25:38 at the 2012 Olympic marathon trials in Houston, which many of the women have faster marathon bests than that. That blows my mind!

Shalane grew up watching her father run the Boston marathon. So winning this race to her means everything. It even means more than winning an Olympic medal. It’s in her blood. Her mother, Cheryl Treworgy, was the world-record holder in the marathon in 1971 and her father, Steve Flanagan was once a 2:18 marathoner.

When watching the CBS 60 minute story of her you can see the desire in her eyes. You can feel her passion for wanting to win this race. It’s going to be an amazing marathon this year for many reasons. I will be watching (or listening via my iPhone from my car on the way up to the race) to see if she can beat the Kenyans at this year’s marathon!

You can watch Live coverage streamed online on Monday from http://watchlive.baa.org/. For more media coverage click here. Will you be following the marathon live on Monday?

Being a Boston Marathon Spectator

April 17, 2014

On Monday, April 21 I plan on going to the Boston Marathon as a spectator. There are three friends that I know who are running the race. Eddie McCoy, Michelle Scribner-MacLean and Linda Ambard. I set them up with runner tracking in my phone. I hope I get to physically see them at the race! I have to get my kids off to school first, then I am driving up. I have been chatting online with friends of Eddie and Michelle and we are hoping to all hook up and figure out where and how to do this spectating bit! We have all never been there before. I am also using the road trip to figure out what I will be doing for the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon on June 8th with Kimberly Markey and Gail Savidge! There is a downloadable spectator guide on the Boston Marathon site that I using for reference. I have my computer open with Google Maps, Boston Marathon’s webpage and a marathon pace calculator trying to figure out when people will be taking off, when to expect to see them and where I need to be at what time. I think being a spectator is harder work that being the actual runner (well…. not exactly). But it sure is easier to show up at the start line on race morning because you know where you have to be and what time you have to be there and then you follow the rest of the people all the way to the end! Pretty simple. There are guidelines on what spectators can bring to the race so I need to take these rules into consideration. I was planning on packing a lunch and having food and drinks with me so I have to study these guidelines and plan accordingly. Eddie is a fast runner and will be going out of the start around 10:25. I believe Michelle and Linda are going at 11:25. I expect to arrive in the area sometime before noon (if I don’t have traffic issues) and I am hoping to watch the race from Heartbreak Hill. So according to my calculations Eddie will be at the hill around 1 pm and Michelle and Linda will be there around 3:30 . Parking is something I still haven’t figured out yet. I am making runDisney signs from the #DisneySide party planning kit that I received in February, and I can’t wait to be a part of the excitement of the day and to experience a side to races that I have never done before – cheering others on! I know that while I am there and feel the energy of this race, it is going to fuel the desire I have burning inside me to one day qualify for this race. Since I have zero knowledge of the area, do you have any advice to give for spectating this awesome event?

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Category: Races