A Fundraising Success!

This post is a little late; however, I wanted to have the final tally to report before posting on the April Fool's fundraiser. Thanks to everyone's donations, $429.54 will be donated to Mass Eye and Ear! That's fantastic, and I'm so thankful for everyone who came out to support MEEI and Team Eye and Ear!

I also wanted to thank Laura at Mantra for helping to organize the event. She and the Mantra staff really went out of their way to make sure the evening was a success, and I'll definitely recommend them in the future. I'd also like to thank Kathleen at Downtown Crossing Partnership for putting me in touch with Laura.

Oh, and congratulations to Penny for winning the Dustin Pedroia photo! Penny and my mom came up from Connecticut for the event and even worked at the check-in table. I'm glad that she was able to take the photo home with her!

Thank You to RedsArmy.com!

A huge thank you to John and RedsArmy.com for their generous donation to Team Eye and Ear! This donation is particularly exciting for me, because it's the first donation I've received (including last year's campaign) from someone who isn't a family member or prior acquaintance.

I added a link list to my sidebar (under the Firstgiving.com widget), asking readers to check out the sites that support Team Eye and Ear. Thanks again, Redsarmy!

Final Fundraising Tally!

I wanted to thank everyone who donated to my 2008 Boston Marathon charity team, Team Eye and Ear. My original goal was $3,000, which was the minimum required to race. As the months went by though, and donations came in from my family, friends, & co-workers, I suddenly met and surpassed $3000, $4000, and then $5000! The grand total ended up being $5,845! Unbelievable! I am overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and am happy to report that the money will be benefiting one of the best hospitals in the country- the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. I hope to raise $5,846 for MEEI in 2009!

Training for a marathon is extremely time consuming and often dictates your weeknights and weekends, whether you like it or not. I'd like to thank my husband, Nick, who not only assisted with my fundraising efforts, but also had to wake up extra early to our alarm every Saturday morning. If waking up to an alarm (and then sometimes a snooze alarm 9 minutes later) at 6:00 am on 12 consecutive Saturday's and not complaining about it isn't love, then I'm not sure what is.

General Audience - All Ages Admitted

Tonight Team Eye and Ear is having our post Marathon party at the Union Oyster House. Freshman year in college, my friend and I had a disastrous double-date there on Valentine's Day, which led us both to end our respective relationships shortly thereafter. It's not that I hold a grudge against the restaurant, but this will be my first time back since February 1998. Marathon Monday has come and gone, but our team's fundraising efforts are still going strong until May 21st. To date, thanks to everyone's generosity, I've raised $5,820 for Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary! I believe some additional matching donations are still on their way, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll crack the $6,000 mark.

I mentioned once before how random Internet users are finding my blog through search engines. Here are a couple of more search strings that caught my attention:

• screaming women
• tightest buns
• bowl movement
• over the hill librarians
• dealing with PMS
• picture of teabag women (I'm certain this user did not find what he was looking for here)
• the good looking librarian (this one was my favorite)

Lots to Discuss

Ok, I have a lot of catching up to do... First and foremost, a big thank you to Wayne & Sandie and Brad & Jenny for their generous donations! Wayne couldn't make it to the fundraiser because he was getting a haircut, which is a wicked lame excuse but he came through in the end with a nice donation, so I'll forgive him. Brad & Jenny attended the fundraiser, and managed to rope up some friends to come as well, so I am posting their picture in honor of their commitment to Got 2 Trot.

Don't ask Brad how he earned those beads...

On Saturday I woke up at 5:30 and dragged myself to Fit Corp for 6:45, so I could take a bus down to Framingham, MA with our running group for the big 21 mile run. We had 5 school buses full of runners (or crazy people, depending on how you look at it) and were dropped off at the Harley Davidson on Rt 135. From here it was a straight shoot down Rt. 135 through Framingham, Natick, Wellsley, & Newton. Once we reached the Woodlawn T stop, we took a right on Comm Ave and it was another 10 miles or so to go from there. The weather was really perfect- about 45 degrees and sunny. The first 10 miles through the towns went by really quickly, especially since I was unfamiliar with the route and got to enjoy the scenery. The only part of Natick I had previously seen was the area where the malls are, and it's not a pretty sight. The town center is really cute though, and it's nice to see there's more to the town than huge shopping malls and angry drivers stuck in traffic. I was feeling pretty good until about mile 18 when my calves started to get really tight. I made sure to stop and stretch them out a lot, and was able to finish without being in a lot of pain. Water stops, stretching and 1 bathroom break at a Dunkin Donuts across from BC included, I finished in 3 hours 25 minutes. After the run, Nick and I headed down to CT for our friend Bryan's 30th birthday party, which was a lot of fun. That night we stayed at my parents' house and had an excellent Easter dinner. Nick had an early morning meeting the next day in Stamford, so he took the car down there Sunday night, while my brother and I took a Greyhound back to Boston.

As you can see, he was excellent company

Yesterday I took it easy with a 30 minute bike ride at the gym to get my legs loosened up and had a long stretch at the end. I have been using the foam rollers to help massage my leg muscles, and enjoy them so much that I bought one at City Sports last night. I never buy gym equipment, but the foam roller has really proven to be effective. After I got home and Nick came back from his run, we went to Anna's Taqueria, which is a little slice of heaven on earth. Tonight's workout will be on the lighter side again, although I'm not sure what I'll do at the gym.

Fundraiser Recap

Thank you so much to everyone who came to Thursday's fundraiser at McFadden's! Not to sound corny, but it was heartwarming to see so many people come out to support my fundraising efforts for Mass Eye and Ear. I hope everyone had a great time! The event raised $430.60 for Team Eye and Ear, bringing the grand total up to $3,660.60! Thank you again to everyone who came and drank for the cause!

Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but I did manage to take a picture of my mom and aunt who deserve their own special thank-you for driving up from Connecticut to collect the donations as people arrived.

Thanks Mom & Aunt Kim!

$3,000 and still going strong!

Just a quick donation update: Many thanks to Greg & Laurence! Their donations put the total raised to over $3,000! The new goal is $4000 and I'm feeling confident that Mass Eye and Ear will get at least that much.

Don't forget the fundraiser is tonight at McFadden's starting at 6:00 in the back room on the first floor. I hope to see you there!

Another Donation Today!

Another Donation Update

Thank you to my friend Tom for his generous donation! Here is a great photo of us that was taken about 2.5 years ago with some random lady and a mustache.

Mo Money No Problems

Donation update! A HUGE thank you to the Marziali family for their generous donation! Their donation brought the fundraising total to over $2,000!

So, like most blogs, I keep track of usage statistics and can follow who has visited my blog and how they arrived here. Sometimes users' Google searches lead them here and my Stat tracker lets me see their search strings. Some of my favorites are:

1. I'm sitting around, minding my biz
2. chafed underarm
3. why do sialors ear red caps?
4. chilean chicken sandwich

Last night I took advantage of my book's suggestion and took a rest day. Tonight if the weather holds, I'll do the outdoor hill training with FitCorp and if not, I'll hit the gym.

When you're here, you're family

I'd like to thank Kathleen for her generous donation! Keep 'em coming, people!

Last night I ran 6 miles at 6.9 mph for my stamina training. Usually, Pardon the Interruption is on at the gym at some point while I run, and the show's time segments really help the run go by quicker for some reason. (Unless "5 Good Minutes" is someone uninteresting.)

Last night Nick and I classed it up and dined at the Olive Garden in Dorchester. Don't be jealous. My meal was actually really good, Ravioli di Portobello. Nick had a chicken Alfredo pizza that was also very good. After dinner we went to Circuit City where we played Rock Band for PS3. This game is awesome! The staff had to tell us to leave because they were closing the store, but I think I could have played all night. We were talking about buying it, but I'm not sure how we would store everything...

This morning I got up early and went to the gym for my cross-training, because tonight my marathon team is getting together at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary for a Team Kick Off Meeting. I'm excited to hear Bill Rodgers talk!

Nick playing along to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive"

A Running & Donation Update!

Time to get this blog back on track! First of all, many thanks to Betsy, the Stacey family (especially little Isabelle), and Lyndsey for their generous donations! Tonight I am continuing my stamina training and running 6 miles at the faster pace- 6.9 mph on the treadmill.

Oh, & here's one more photo from Lisbon. What do you think the safety rating on the Smart car is? 0?

Early Bird

First of all, a HUGE thank you to the Dugdale family for their generous donation! I'm now past the halfway mark to my fundraising goal, which is amazing! As of this morning, total donations to the Firstgiving page are $1835!

Last night, I ran 4 miles at a 8:40 pace to kick-off my stamina training phase. The idea is to build up milage at a quicker pace than I'll run the marathon at, thus building up my (you guessed it) stamina. Ideally, I'd like to run 9:05 minute miles, but I'm trying not to get set on a time goal. After the run, I met some friends for Frank Sinatra night at Red Sky, only to find out that poor "Frank" had an allergic reaction earlier in the day and was in the hospital. The bar played one of his CD's, but it just wasn't the same. Tonight I'm meeting up with some friends to celebrate Jen's 30th birthday! We're going to Mare, which looks pretty good.

Since dinner is right after work tonight, I woke up early and made it to the gym before work for my cross-training. The gym's actually pretty crowded at 6:30, but not like after work. It was nice not having to fight for my Cybex and the showers and dressing rooms are in great shape, so I don't feel like I'm in a college dorm bathroom (although I do wear flip-flops in the shower.)

Free Beer!

Now that I have your attention...
In order to help raise money to meet my $3,000 goal, there will be a fundraising event at McFadden's in Boston on Thursday, March 20th.
Please come and help support one of America's Best Hospitals!
To reserve your spot, please make a $25 donation via Paypal.
Please visit: http://www.got2fundraise.blogspot.com/ to make your donation and learn more about the event.
Included:
*1 free drink
*hot/cold appetizers
*awesome surprise gift

We've had a great response so far! Anyone is welcome to attend- I hope to see you there!

And the donations keep coming in!

Albuquerque Balloon Festival

Huge thank you to the Wachob family for their generous donation!

Last night I ran at the gym and then Nick and I went to our friends' house for dinner. Vince & Steven made us a wonderful 3 course meal and I learned that Albuquerque is not a flat city, but rather quite hilly. (Steven's from there.) I guess that's the "New England" in me- I know my little part of the country, and can only take wild stabs at what the rest of it is like. Also, much credit goes to Vince and Steven for politely listening to my gross chafe and foot injury stories!

Tonight my wonderful husband is taking me to Portugal with him on his business trip! I told him that I might sit in on some of the trainings, so maybe I'll have something interesting to say when I come back about Sarbanes-Oxley. The hotel has a gym (according to their site) so I hope to get in some good workouts while I'm there.

Don't Need No Credit Card to Ride this Train

First off, there have been a lot of great donations the past few days! Thank you to everyone who has donated towards attending the fundraiser on March 20th at McFadden's! Again, if you would like to attend, please click on the link to the right or visit www.got2fundraise.blogspot.com. Also, thank you to my friends Kristina & Michael, Trisha, George, and the Ahlschlager's for their generous donations via the First Giving site!

Tuesday night I found myself back on the weird Cybex machine, which was actually a good workout. Last night were the quarter mile repeats, which are an intense workout, but time goes by quickly. My book recommends eating a carb snack before and after the workout; however, yesterday I didn't have time to grab something before rushing to the gym to secure a treadmill. I did have a package of Pina Colada flavored Clif Shot Bloks in my backpack and decided to try them out while on the treadmill, since part of my training involves learning to take these energy supplements while on the move. The Bloks are the exact consistency of Jujubes and maybe slightly larger, while Clif describes them more scientifically as, "chewable, 33 calorie cubes." Yum. The package recommends taking 3-6 per hour, so every 15 minutes or so I popped one into my mouth and chased them with water. They tasted pretty good, but I couldn't tell during the run if I felt any better than I had the week before. The main difference is that after my repeats I still felt OK- and I wasn't famished. I have another package of "margarita" flavored Bloks that I'll try again, but I think I'll stick to more traditional supplements during the marathon.
This morning I had a dentist appointment in Walpole that I had to drive to (vs. taking public transportation.) It's a bit of a haul, but Dr. Strac is a great dentist and it's not so bad considering I only have to go twice a year. I used to commute to Norwood, and while I don't miss the bumper-to-bumper traffic on 93, I do miss listening to the radio this morning. My hellish drive to the dentist this morning was compensated by the fact that I got to hear Huey Lewis' "The Power of Love" and the Who's "Squeeze Box."

Many Thanks!

I received donations from my friends Leah and Candice yesterday! Thank you!!! The total raised so far is $760.00- and thanks to my generous friends and family I am more than 25% to meeting my goal (and it's only January!)

Last night, I enjoyed my "rest day" and a fun dinner with Sharon. Tonight's workout is a light 40 minute run, and then Saturday is a 10.5 mile run with the FitCorp crowd. It will be the same route as 2 weeks ago- from the Woodlawn T stop back to One Beacon Street. The weather is a high of 35, so it's going to be pretty chilly out there. Oh, and wish me luck with this week's GU flavor- Lime!

First Long Run is Out of the Way

First off, thank you to Mom for her generous donation!

Thanks Mom! (Seen here with her friend Carol)

On Saturday I ran 10.5 miles with the FitCorp crowd. We took the T to Woodlawn (2nd to last stop on the D line) and ran back to One Beacon via the marathon route. You had the option of meeting other runners at FitCorp (located at One Beacon St) or meeting everyone at Woodlawn T stop. I took the bus to Copley and the D train that I caught coincidentally had everyone who had met at One Beacon. There were about 100 runners; in other words, a train full of spandex, water belts and Vaseline-d body parts.

The run was awesome and I did my best to take my time and not try and keep pace with the fastest group (which appeared to be some folks running for Liver Research. They were also followed around by a guy recording their training and the T ride down.) For Heartbreak Hill, I just kept my head down and it wasn't bad at all, but we'll see what happens after 20 miles vs. 6 or so. I finished the run in 1:37:37- so about 9 minute 24 second miles, which is faster than I should have been going for my long run. Next week is a 12 or 14 mile run, and I'll try to keep my time a bit slower.

Sunday was "rest day" and Nick and I went to Costco and Jordan's Furniture. Jordan's in Reading is only slightly less fun than Disneyworld. They had a trapeze school, liquid fireworks, and a giant animated Wally that ate a Yankee player. Tonight, per my schedule is a 40 minute jog. Nice.