Below are the Athlete Alert text messages that were sent to my aunt Francesca during the marathon.

Mon, April 20, 2009
At 10:57 AM: 10km Athlete Alert. Michele Ricci. Time 0:49:19, Pace 7:56
At 11:54 AM: Half-Marathon Athlete Alert. Michele Ricci. Time 1:45:39, Pace 8:03
At 12:42 PM: 30km Athlete Alert. Michele Ricci. Time 2:33:59, Pace: 8:15
At 01:53 PM: Finish Athlete Alert. Michele Ricci. Time 3:45:24, Pace 8:35

What a great experience. I was honored to be a part of the Dana-Farber team. Overall, I raised over $4000 for cancer research.

Principal runs Boston Marathon

Boy was I surprised when the staff gathered on Friday afternoon to say good bye and good luck. They told me our administrative assistant, Lisa, had put the following up on our sign. The sign sits out in front of our school on VT Route 107. I stopped by this morning to get a quick photo.

The spaghetti dinner was not in honor of the marathon, it was a pre-planned fundraiser for our 5th/6th grade class trip to an environmental education camp this spring. I had another event to attend at Vermont Law School, so I didn't get to do any carbo loading!

One week to go!

Next Monday is Marathon Day! I'm ready to go and excited to run as part of the Dana-Farber Team. There are about 550 of us on the team and I'm amazed at the kind of money that is raised as a part of this team and the number of people across the country and around the world that are supporting this team!

Today I ran a make-up long run of 10 miles. It was on the schedule for yesterday, Easter Sunday but I didn't find time to fit it in between a blueberry pancake breakfast with sister-in-law Jessica and a yummy ham dinner and carrot cake dessert with the rest of the family at sister-in-law Justine's. So, I've started out my last week with a longer run and am looking forward to some 4 milers this week. My focus for the next 6 days is to get plenty of rest, drink a lot of water, stretch, and eat well.

I am so thankful to the many people who have supported me emotionally and financially through this Marathon Challenge. At this point, I've raised just over $3600 and am so amazed by all the generosity out there, especially in this economic climate. And to think.. every penny will go towards Innovative Cancer Research at the Claudia Adams Barr Research program at Dana-Farber. FANTASTIC!

So now, just send your positive vibes my way next Monday and I'll let you know how it goes.

Taper time

The last few weeks before the marathon is a really wonderful time. The hardest work is done, the longest runs are run, and the final countdown begins. This last two weeks I'll put in fewer miles and worry more about marathon day. I worry about being able to finish and worry about running a time I can be proud of and worry about being healthy. At my core I know it will be what it will be and I'll find the things to be proud of and the things I wished I'd done differently. The biggest difference between this marathon and others I've run is the community that is running with me. I've managed to raise over $3200 (THANK-YOU) and know that everyone who I've contacted about the DFMC is with me in spririt. I feel a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment having raised the minimum amount required and am really looking forward to spending marathon week-end with the other 500 DFMC team members.

Today I went out for a 7.5 mile run on a nearby trail. It felt great to be out in the woods again and running on dirt and over fallen logs. There were parts of the trail still covered and a lot of muddy sections, but it was fabulous. I'm excited to be able to get off the roads and back out onto the trails.

Sunday Shuffle

Well, I can say that I am happy to be done, but that was not fun. I just finished my last long run before the marathon, 22 miles. It took me longer than I expected and that is disappointing. I ran about 10 minute miles. ugh! It makes me question my ability to run the Boston in a time that I can be proud of. I know I will be happy to finish the marathon, but I will wonder why I didn't run just a little more and train just a little harder.

Anyway, we woke up to rain this morning and I knew what I was in for. The run reminded me of a Juneau run, it was raining the entire time with temperatures in the mid-30's and overcast skies. I started off slow and just got slower. I was literally shuffling along many miles and if I wasn't three weeks away from the Boston, I'd have turned around and headed home. I completed my 22 miles on dirt roads with some hills and mud. I got home and rewarded myself with a nice long bath and a yummy chocolate milk recovery drink. Now, I'm feeling great and as always, happy to be done with that run!

$3005

Looks like we made it! Thanks to the generous support of family and friends (and family friends) I have reaced the minumum fundraising goal. Last October it seemed a pretty daunting task and I had my doubts. My mom was integral to making it happen as she shared my newsletter with colleagues, friends, associates, and acquaintances. She also passed along the names of family friends to whom I sent fundraising letters. With her support and determinaton, I've reached my goal. Thanks mom!

Thank-you to everyone who has donated and to those who are with me in spirit. Now, all I need to do is keep running for 24 more days and finish the marathon strong!

What goes up must come down!

I discovered a few new roads to run on near the house, trouble is they are all hilly. I decided to try out a new loop last night and ran up Lilliesville road then up Whittier Road until the end (about 4 miles with some pretty steep sections). My plan was to turn around and come down Whitcomb Hill Road, which looked doable on the map. It turns out the road is closed in the winter. So, I retraced my steps to the car. Ending up with a 9.5 mile run going up and down Whittier Road.

A friend of ours showed Stefan an online running tool at runningahead.com. It allows you to plot your course and get the mileage and elevation and to keep track of workouts. I know it will be a great tool to use to be more accurate in my workouts. I just plotted this course to get the mileage and learned I gained 1260 ft in elevation throughout the run. Phew!