Mission Accomplished and a Grand Total

Drumroll please.......my awesome family and friends donated $1,000 to the Fitzgerald Cancer Fund!!!!  I delivered it to them today.  :)

I started this mission on January 1st and completed it on June 24th...it took me a bit to finish collecting and actually drop it off...summer brain set in.  :)  Thanks to everyone who followed my mission, trekked to races with me, supported me along the way, and sponsored me!  I have an amazing group of family and friends!  I love you guys and I couldn't have done it without you!!


In addition to the money we raised for the Fitzgerald Family my race fees have...

-contributed to local high school scholarship funds
-donated to the Salem High School cross country team
-helped build a new playground
- raised awareness of esophageal cancer
-raised money for the family of a local fallen firefighter
-supported efforts to promote physical activity in children
-helped kick cancer's ass


Things my mission has taught me along the way...

Life Lessons
If you see something that moves you to do something...DO IT!!
One person can make a difference.
Doing something for someone else makes you feel good and helps you to realize the world is bigger than your small part of it. 

Running Lessons
I am capable of running 7 miles.
I am capable of running faster.
My children will not suffer by me leaving their whining selves to get a run in.
A goal helps me focus and pushes me further than I would push myself.

I haven't decided yet what I am doing with the blog.  Having it definitely pushed me to keep running on days I didn't want to!  My next challenge is the Wicked Half Marathon in September which I have to complete in order to finish the Salem race Series in November.  That is going to be much more ugly than running 10 races and might not be blog worthy.  We'll see! 

Race Awards :)

One unexpected bonus of running all of these races is that I ran many I probably would never had considered.  I am a creature of habit.  :0  Who knew that some of these races would become some of my new favorites!  So I started thinking about each one and came up with some race awards.



Best Reason Not to have Too Rockin' of a New Year's Eve~  The Frosty Four


My First Ever Trail Run~  The Snowshoe(less) Classic


"The Hell Race"~   Olde Salem Greene Cross Country Race 
(This one is like childbirth.  You forget how bad it really is over time.)


Most Fun I've Had Running in a Noreaster Along the Ocean~  Ring Around the Neck 
 
Tied for Best Race Shirt~  Fast Chicks 5K and Ricey's Run


 Best Ending~  Patrick Downey 5K (aka all downhill!!)


 Prettiest Route~ Tri-ROK 5K


 Toughest Race to Complete~ Melody Miles


 Most Inspiring Race~   North Shore Cancer Run

Race shirt swag

A little more swag

Nine of my numbers.  I lost one.  ;)

In the meantime I am collecting some last minute cash and will let you know how much I've collected.  A Grand Total is coming soon!!

Race Number 10...It's a Beautiful Day!

Bright and early this morning I ran my final race to raise money for the Fitzgerald Cancer Fund.  Very fitting that it was the North Shore Cancer Run!!  It was a bright and sunny day.  As I came across the finish the speakers were blasting It's  Beautiful Day by U2.  I thought to myself that it really is...so many people running and walking to raise money and tell cancer to get lost. 

The end of the race mingled with the walk.  I saw families in matching shirts honoring their loved ones with names and pictures on their backs.  Children and the elderly...all walking..each one with a different story of cancer..  Last year my family did the 6M walk as my aunt was at Mass General kicking cancer's ass.  :)  Since last year, many more people in my circle have been diagnosed..and it sucks.  Time for it to go!!

I have a few draft posts that are coming soon...but I can tell you that so far my fundraising has surpassed what I expected when I started this journey six months ago...THANK YOU for helping me help the Fitzgeralds!!!!!!!

And Kick Butt We Did!!

I actually look like I am running...and not shuffling. 

My Number

Nine down...and ONE to go!

I started this mission on January 1st. In 6 months, I've run nine races and I am one away from my goal.  :)

The races I've run so far...

January
The Frosty Four
The Snowshoe(less) Classic

March
Olde Salem Greene Cross Country Race

April
Ring Around the Neck 5M
 
May
Fast Chicks 5k
Patrick Downey 5k
Tri-ROK 5k

June 
The Melody Miles 5M

Ricey's Run

My last race is Sunday, June 24th...the North Shore Cancer Run!!  I had shirts made to celebrate.  :) 

Time to Say Thanks...

I am one week away from my last race to raise money for the Fitzgerald Cancer Fund.  I have a few races scheduled after that...but nothing compared to how many I've run in recent months.  I'm having some fun with my last few blog posts...but I wanted to send out some thank yous before I get caught up in finishing. 

A big thank you to all of the race organizers out there for organizing some awesome road races throughout the North Shore.  I am lucky to live in such an active and awesome community!!

Thanks to all of the random runners I've met along the way.  Lots of people encouraged me during races...complete strangers.  Somehow those kind words always came at exactly the right time.  Funny thing is, now I am much more likely to encourage someone on the course who looks like they could use some.  :)

To Danielle, Sue, and Kate who ran as many of the races as they could...and snapped photos when they came.  I apologize for that hot and hilly...somewhat brutal...5 miler I convinced you all to do!!

To all of the random strangers I asked to take my picture at the end of a race.

To Mike Toomey from Toomey Sports Running Center who runs the Salem Park and Rec running clinics.  I think I owe my new-found speed to those track workouts!

To my dad and mom who came over many Saturday mornings so I could get to a race while my husband was at work.

To Eric for holding down the fort while I was out running...and for our brand new Garmin!

To my boys for asking me how my run was when I got home and telling me I should sit down and have a drink of water (before I turned back into Mommy).  :)

To all of YOU...yes YOU...for following my blog and offering kind words of support along the way. You all ROCK!!


I think this may be the closest I get to giving an awards speech...

Race for Ricey in the pouring rain. :)

The Race for Ricey honored Jim Rice, a local fallen firefighter.  He was killed in a fire 2 days before Christmas. All of the money raised from the event went directly to his wife and three young children.

 It was pouring rain...and still tons...244 to be exact.. of people turned out! It was an out and back course so I got the see the fast people and all of my friends that ran too. There were lots of local fire departments there which made me smile. They also had a kids one mile fun walk to the fire station and back.  Lots of kids toughed it out in the pouring rain.  Great community event!  They had awesome raffles and great shirts. I love a good race shirt...and a finishing time of 31:51!  ;)

Before the Race

And after.  :)

Hot and Hilly

I was writing this post in my head while I was running it. It was titled "I Came in Last...My Biggest Fear".  I decided I would embrace my lastness and be proud I opted for 5 miles rather than the 5k.   I actually didn't come in last, but I was pretty close.  :)

Race 8 was the Melody Miles. There were high school students along the route playing all kinds of instruments. I would like to say I listened to them, but this race required tunes by Jay Z and Kanye West to get me through.  I did hear a few as I passed when a song was ending.

The night before the race, I went to pick up the packets for myself and three awesome friends who ran this one with me. I got there and my packet wasn't there. It hadn't gone through online.  I had to register at the race and was soooo tempted to opt for the 5k rather than the 5 miler. It was hot as all get out and a few days before I slipped down the stairs causing a throbbing foot....but guilt got the best of me and I circled "5M".  Almost 200 smart people did the 5k, but only 63 did the 5 miler.

I was pretty convinced after mile one that this blog post would be about me coming in last...waaaay last. I ended up being third to last...I'll take it. It was a hot and hilly race, not huge hills, but rolling hills...and lots of them! This would have been bad if it also wasn't also close to 90 degrees and humid. I hit the second water stop, which I assumed was mile two and didn't see how I was going to finish three more miles. Then I discovered the Mile 3 sign a few hundred feet down the road. Two more miles were doable. I took it as a sign that I would finish.

I was expecting my time to be around 1:05, but I came in at 59:16. Once again, I'll take it!! As I was sitting in the curb trying to keep my pre-race crackers down, I heard my name be called over the speaker.  I won a raffle for new Asics sneakers up to $130 at my favorite running store!!

My awesome raffle prize donated by New England Running Company.    :)