Week 23

With 4 weeks left until the marathon the training has been going well. I had training runs of 8, 5, 5 and 18 miles this week. The 18 miler was with the DFMC team out on the course. I had run this same 18 miler last year and as I checked my logs from last year remembered that it was not one of my favorite training runs. I went to the Wellesley BSC prepared for a long day on the roads and was pleasantly surprised at how well the run went. Even with the temperature hovering around 70 degrees I was able to maintain a good pace for the full 18 miles the first 9 of which were run with DFMC teammate Mike McDonough. It definitely helps to have a partner when you are out on the road for 2 plus hours even though there may not be much talking going on the miles seem to go past quicker with someone traveling the same road at the same pace. As this route is an out and back to the Wellesley BSC on my way back down the hills I ran into another DFMC teammate Tom Fitzpatrick. This is Tom's first year with DFMC and his first marathon. It hasn't been the easiest of training seasons for Tom but he has stuck it out and will no doubt have a great day from start to finish on April 19th. So for the week I had a total of 36 miles.

Donations this week came from Mrs. Deb Barret (My son Colin's 4th grade teacher that is due any day now with her first child. Good Luck Mrs. Barrett), Billerica Little League, Billerica Pop Warner, Tom Lavery, and the Arthur Family. I believe that with these donations we have gone over the $5,000.00 for this year. Thank you to all that have donated.

The fundraiser tickets are going strong. The prizes for the raffles are starting to come in and we will have a couple of pairs of Red Sox Tickets, a wheel barrow full of stuff, a hand made blanket, a hair care basket, a pair of Patriots tickets with more items to come. There will also be a silent auction of Boston teams sports memorabilia and music provided by DJ Captain Dave McCourt. If you need tickets contact me at beebrad@comcast.net.

Weeks 21 and 22

Training for the the past two weeks has been going well. The weather for the outdoors runs has been very accomodating. I had runs of 8, 8, 5, 20, 8, and 5 miles. The 20 mile training run was very gratifying as I had been having some issues with the longer runs and didn't feel really good going into the 20 miler. I finished in just under 3 hours and felt good and healthy after. That will be the only 20 miles I run before April 19th as the long runs I have left are 18 and 13 miles along with my daily 6 - 8 mile runs I am hopeful that it will be enough to carry me throught the to the end on April 19th. So total training totals are:
Total Distance 584.32 miles, Total Running Time 81:57:04.

Donations have come from the following: The Spurrell Family, The Roberts Family, Beth Hennessey, Chris Martorana and The G.E. Foundation. Thanks to all that have donated.

Fundraiser tickets are moving briskly. There are tables and single tickets still available, if you need tickets please contact me at beebrad@comcast.net. Don't miss out on a great night.

Week 20

Training runs last week were quite interesting due to the weather that we encountered. I spent two days on the treadmill for runs of 6 and 9 miles and then went outside for runs of 6 and 16 miles. The 16 mile run on Saturday was with the DFMC team on the bikepath in Lexington, during the 2 1/2 hours spent outside that morning we ran through just about every type of weather you can imagine. It started out a little overcast with some sun, then started snowing, then a little sleet, back to a snow squall, with some rain thrown in for good measure. It finally let up just as I was finishing. So for the week it was 37 miles logged.

Donation this week came from Everett Firefighters Local 143, The Kelley Family, Former DFMC Teammate Maria Baker, and The Perrier Family. Thank You to all that have donated so far.

Tickets are still selling briskly for the April 10th fundraiser. If you need tickets please contact me at beebrad@comcast.net and I will get them out to you. $20.00 per person and $200.00 per table. Just like last year it promises to be a great time don't miss out.