In the jack-of-all-trades sport of triathlon, people ask what you "are." Swimmer? Cyclist? Runner? My answer vacillates with the tides of my confidence. Swimmer-Cyclist-Runner? I am none of the above. I am all of the above. I’m an accident-prone 40-year-old lefty vegetarian chick. I’m a girl who haphazardly signed up for her first tri one sunny Sunday as she sat at her cousin’s bridal shower debating the pros and cons of gastric bypass surgery and wondering whether sanity was still an option. April 18, 2011 is mere hours away. Right now my answer is clear. I am a runner. Not just any …
The Boston Marathon has a long and proud history of supporting charitable causes. You might be surprised to learn — I sure was — that 20 percent of the field laces up for a cause. Twenty percent! It’s true: every year the BAA gives thousands of bib numbers to 24 different charitable organizations so they in turn can award those coveted numbers to runners who then raise money for the charity. Now in its 22nd year, the charitable-runner program has raised more than 100 million dollars (nope, that’s not a typo) for everything from skin-cancer research to mentoring programs. Pretty darn cool, huh…
On March 22, the BAA emailed all registered runners for the 115th Boston Marathon. Time-stamped 7:49 p.m., the email said we were exactly 26.2 days away from the 115th Boston Marathon. While I’ve been counting down the days, I never thought to do that division–very very cool. The email also announced that all runner bib numbers have been assigned; you can search for any registered runner’s number here. My number is fantastically memorable with a wildly long string of super-lucky 7s: I am runner number 24777. I am tickled pink about this. I am driving my family crazy. They would love it if I …
This morning I was thinking of Hopkinton. As my coffee brewed and my frozen organic blueberries thawed, I ruminated on what might be a tasty topic for my second pre-Marathon missive. I was looking to serve up a subject that would appeal to runners and non-runners alike when I realized the answer was right in front of my nose - well, it was in front of and slightly south of my nose. It was on my breakfast plate. “What do you eat?” I get this question often. When asked by a fellow endurance athlete, he or she wants me to cut to the chase, give details-detail-details: What’s your carb-to-…
Hello, and welcome to my inaugural column here at the Hopkinton Patch. In just 50 short days (yikes--50 short days!) I will be one of 25,000 singlet-clad guests descending upon your town. Yep, I am tickled pink (make that tickled blue and gold) to be a numbered runner in the 115th Boston Marathon. Now, before you go thinking I’m one of those “real” runners (you know, the ones who actually qualify to run Boston by clocking some insanely speedy time on a 26.2-mile course in Hartford or Chicago or New York City) stop. Truth be told I am a charity runner making her 26.2 debut on the Children’s …
