Recommitment!

January 31st was a very important milestone.  Yesterday was Recommitment. By 5pm, we had to have our official Boston Athletic Association registration for the Boston Marathon into Jillian, the LLS Campaign Coordinator, as well as all of our recommitment paperwork which formally confirmed that we want to continue to train with and raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  I was really excited about filling the form out for some reason.  Now my name will be official not only with LLS but with the B.A.A.  I may not be a qualified runner but I think it's still an accomplishment just to be on their official list. 

The official B.A.A. entry form

All filled out with my signed recommitment form!

We also had to reach our fundraising minimum.  As of the deadline I had...drumroll please...$2,916 in my Paycor account!  This excludes the $315 raised from my bowling tournament fundraiser which has not hit my online account yet so I'm actually just $19 shy of my minimum!  Who's going to put me over the top?  Thank you to everyone who has donated so far.  I've really appreciated the support and it has made getting out there in the snow and ice much easier every week.

Now a quick training update.  Saturday was our first half marathon run.  I ran the Wicked Half Marathon up in Salem, MA in late September so this wasn't quite my longest run but I was especially looking forward to it none the less.  I felt like I didn't do my best at the Wicked Half.  It was my first real long distance race so I knew I'd be happy just with crossing the finish line and clocking a time.  Still, being the competitive person that I am I really wanted to come in in under 2:30.  My time was 2:33:57.  Moving apartments at the beginning of September and starting a new job cut into my training towards the end and the high that day was 86 degrees.  Excuses, excuses I know.  Having properly trained this time around I was really excited to see improvement.  My time was 2:07:43!  That's a 26 minute improvement and a 10:06 min/mile pace!  I was blown away!  I'm right where I want to be for my stretch goal of coming in under 4:30.

To cap it all off I took my first ice bath to help speed my muscle recovery.  I really thought these were an exaggeration in sports movies.  Apparently not.  I filled the bathtub with cold water and a tray of ice cubes.  Let's just say that my roommate Elise had to come check on me after the string of curses that exited my mouth after I put my first foot in the water.  She was kind enough to snap this pic of me cringing in pain as I sat my whole body down.  I put my iPod on to try to forget about the cold for the 10 minutes I was in there and fittingly the first song that came on was "F**k You" by Cee Lo Green.  I just can't wait to do this again next week!

Filling up my first ice bath

Oh the pain

The Real Challenge: Fundraising

As I mentioned before, the Boston Athletic Association sets a fundraising minimum for charity runners because the race is so popular. While this is great for the charities as it ensures that they will raise a certain amount based on the total spots the BAA allocates to them, it can be overwhelming for the actual participants. This year the fundraising minimum was set at $3,250.

Initially I wasn't really too worried about raising this much money. The final deadline is May 18th, 2011, a full month after the marathon and five months from now. That's $650 per month or about $150 per week. Piece of cake! Then I reread my signed agreement...

January 31, 2011 at 5pm marks the recommitment deadline. Up until this point I can donate what I've raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and still walk away from the marathon and my fundraising minimum. After this date, I supply the balance of the minimum and am reimbursed as I raise the money. Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy to donate my time and money to LLS, BUT I'm not sure my credit card can quite afford one large $3000+ hit. So that leaves me with really focusing on fundraising. Having never raised this amount of money in my life I was a little worried. My parents raised me in the traditional "we don't talk about money let alone ask for it" way so it's a bit of a challenge for me to solicit donations, even if it is for a good cause.

Despite my reservations, I've come up with a few different fundraising event ideas and I'm sure many of you have already received emails from me. I'm happy to announce that I have blasted through my first goal of $500 in just my first week. To-date I've raised $840 which is 26% of the way to my goal!

Thank you so much to all of you who have contributed thus far. I'm not really one to get emotional or sappy but I  have been really inspired and motivated by your words of encouragement and even more so by your stories of loved ones who have battled leukemia or lymphoma.  In fact, to show my gratitude, if you've donated to me and have someone close who has battled one of the blood cancers, I'd like to run in honor of them by writing their name on the TNT singlet I'll be wearing on race day.  If you'd like to donate, here's the link to my TNT website: Team In Training: Kate Lauro

Finally, this is my official announcement of my first fundraising event.  I will be hosting a Bowling Tournament at Jillian's (aka Lucky Strike) on January 6, 2011 from 6-8pm.  We will have four teams of five and the donation to enter a team is $75 ($15pp).  There will be a two game guarantee and a prize TBD for the winning team.  The Facebook event will follow shortly but you can let me know now if you would already like to reserve a spot!

Ok, I promise that's enough plugs for now...back to training!

It's Official!

A few weeks ago, I received a voicemail when I got home from work from Team In Training (TNT). I've been accepted to be a part of their Boston Marathon team!! There's no turning back at this point...

So what is Team In Training and what do I have to do to get myself to the starting line on April 18th? Team In Training is a branch of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society which started 1988 in Westchester County, NY when Bruce Cleland and 38 other runners raised over $300K to run the New York Marathon in honor of his daughter Georgia, a leukemia survivor. TNT has complete 16- to 20-month training programs for a variety of endurance programs such as triathlons, hikes, and of course, marathons. As part of the program, I'll have coaches, a mentor, group training runs, and various clinics to make sure I have the proper gear, nutrition, and injury prevention information to get me to the starting line and across the finish line with minimal lasting scars.

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) sets a fundraising minimum for all charities since registration is limited and the marathon is so popular (regular registration filled up in 9 hours for 2011!). This year, the fundraising minimum is $3,250. It's a daunting task but I think, with the help of my friends and family, I can do it. Visit my fundraising page if you'd like to help!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston11/klauro