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see you next year ….Run To Remember …..pays tribute to fallen 1st Responders.

honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S.

The Boston Run to Remember is a favorite of mine. Runners are given the choice to run the half marathon or 5 miles through the historic streets of Boston. I ran 5 miles.  

This race is a tribute race to the fallen law enforcement officers and first responders. Plus, having the race on Memorial Day Weekend made it even more special. 

On Saturday, my spouse and I went to the expo to pick up my bib number and shirt.  It was a well-organized expo. I waited in a short line to get my bib and shirt.  We also walked around and checked out all the vendors. 

Afterward, we went to my favorite pizza restaurant in South Boston.  It is called PICCO which stands for Pizza and Ice-cream Company.  I love their food. 

  Sunday

It was a beautiful day in Boston. It was in the ’60s at race time.  The five-miler started at 7:45 am in front of the Seaport Hotel.  To get to the start, I took the blue line to the aquarium and then walked about a block. 

The Five-Miler and Half Marathon go through downtown Boston and then back to the Seaport District.  

The Half Marathon includes Memorial Drive.

 It was inspiring to have the police, EMTs, and firemen out on the streets cheering us on. It was a fun morning.

Happy Mother’s Day…. My reflection on the day.  

On Mother’s Day forget the pricey lunches, brunches, and flowers; today is my time. I am a simple Gal. I rather celebrate this day doing what I love, running. 

Running has always been my time. It’s something I do alone, and I mostly prefer it that way. 

I woke up before sunrise to join nearly 1000 runners at the Mother’s Day Western Massachusetts Run to benefit the Cancer Connection.  Runners were given the choice to run 13 miles or 9 miles. I ran 9 miles.

Today was not about running fast but rather enjoying a beautiful setting outdoors and being happy. I didn’t try to race the clock; I just had a nice easy-paced long run.

The weather was perfect. It was in the 50s. 

I enjoyed running through the beautiful neighborhoods of Deerfield Massachusetts. The country is quite pretty in the spring. 

Am I crazy for running 9 miles today? I do not think so. 

The best gift for my family on Mother’s Day is to take care of me, so I can care for others. Running gives, me peace of mind; it helps me stay healthy and fit; and it makes me feel full of life. My family deserves that. 

So, today. I run to take care of myself. 

Mother’s Day shouldn’t be just once a year.

 We should all love and respect the moms in our lives every day.  Happy Mother’s Day. We are nurturers at heart and in our home!

Road races are a ton of fun but today I changed it up! 

I participated in the “Fight for Air Climb” affiliated with the American Lung Association. This is an event like none other, where its participants “race” up a stairwell as they raise funding (and awareness) to benefit those afflicted with lung disease.  The event was held at One Boston Place located in the financial district of Boston. 

This charity is dear to me because I have allergic asthma and allergies.  I am very thankful I have good medical doctors that keep my asthma and allergies well-managed. I also have been very blessed to have a healthy family. 

So today, 

I climbed for Lung cancer.

I climbed for COPD. 

I climbed for Pulmonary Fibrosis.

I climbed for Emphysema. 

I climb….

My strategy was to take my time, climbing up the stairs. My legs were sore, but it was well worth the muscle fatigue. 

It was a good day. Back home to rest my legs. Workout done.

If you can dream it, you can do it.” 

Quote from Walt Disney.

My day started at 3:00 am in the pitch-dark morning and ended with my accomplishment of crossing that fourth and final finish line on Sunday.

 This is the third Dopey Challenge that I completed.  My first Dopey was run in 2020. I was 50 years old.  Back then, my goal was to become a Dopey streaker, running it every year. Today, it is still my goal.   Cheers to my Dopey Completions, 2020, 2022, and 2023! (Note 2021 was canceled because of Covid.)   A Dopey Challenge is always a magical event and an amazing experience. If you know me, The Disney Marathon Event is my favorite weekend.   It’s all about the runners, energy, camaraderie, experience, and having fun.  

 I gave this 48.6-mile event all my effort, both mentally and physically. In the last segment of the challenge, I pushed through the pain, fatigue, and self-doubt to make my dream come true again. I am proud to be a finisher of Three Dopeys’.   Who wants to join me next year for number 4?

 These Dopey Challenges are a mark in time for me.  I am 53 years old and still married to my spouse Ed for 28 years. My granddaughter Sarah will be three in May. My oldest daughter Carrie and John McNamara are proud parents. My youngest daughter Izzy is developing into a kind adult. She is dating a very nice gentleman named Bobby. We are all in good health and I am super thankful for all the blessings in my life. 

In closing, I am blessed to be able to run freely without any complications.  You can’t just pick up a Dopey Medal at the finish line, you must earn it. This race closes out my training season. I will be taking a break from running to prevent burnout during the rest of January, February, and March.  See you on the road this spring.

Time 6:47:51 

5k done

10k done 

Half Marathon done 

Tomorrow is the Marathon!   The challenge is almost done. Friends and family, please wish me good luck. 

The Half marathon went well. The race traveled through Epcot, inside the Magic Kingdom, and then right back to Epcot for the finish.   The highlight of the race was running down Mainstreet towards Cinderella Castle and past all the attractions in both Epcot and Magic Kingdom.   It was a lively morning, and I enjoyed the race.  The rest of the day was spent relaxing at the resort. 

I will always remember the journey, the 10 months of training for the Dopey Challenge and putting myself through physical and mental stresses.  It has been an incredible experience so far, and hopefully tomorrow I will have a successful 26.2 run.  I appreciated everyone that supported me throughout my Dopey Challenge journey whether it was donating to the American Lung Association Charity on behalf of my run or just being my cheerleader as I logged on the miles. 

   Tomorrow, I have 26.2 miles to run.  I am confident that I will finish it.   All I need to do is put one foot in front of the other. 

Once again, thank you friends and family for supporting me throughout my journey. 

To Ed …Thanks for keeping me company in Florida.  

To Carrie and Izzy,

It is getting easier to do the Dopey Challenge because I can count on both of you to take care of the dogs and the family business.

Not too late to donate …..

Thank You for all the love and support.

https://gofund.me/9c35f822

Happy Friday!  . 

The 5k and 10k are done.  Tomorrow is the Half Marathon. I am well-rested and ready to go. Yes, this runner loves posing for the cameras on the course! In the 10k pictures, I am dressed as Micky Mouse. For the 5k I am dressed as Minnie Mouse.

We are in Disney World.  The Dopey Challenge Weekend is here! 48.6 miles 

Thursday 5k

Friday 10k

Saturday Half Marathon

Sunday Full Marathon

    My husband and I flew out of Boston at 7 a.m. It was nice to leave behind the frigid Massachusetts weather. We arrived at Orlando Airport late morning, got our luggage, and then we were on our way to Disney World.   

      We are staying at the beautiful resort Old Key West.  I love this place because it’s more like an apartment complex than a hotel.  Each complex has a spacious kitchen, dining room, living room, bedroom, and washer and dryer room. Also, the resort has a grocery delivery service, where you can order groceries from a local food store, and they deliver the groceries to your room just like they do with luggage.  I always take advantage of this service. Every time I stay at this resort, I stock up on Gatorade, water, bagels, fruit, peanut butter, yogurts, and other various high-carbohydrate foods. I am so thrilled that I have the option to cook meals in our complex rather than dining at restaurants. I do not enjoy running on big meals that restaurants are known to serve their customers.  No fun running races with lots of food jostling in your stomach. 

  Later in the day, we headed to the ESPN Wide World of Sports for the RunDisney Expo.  Here, I picked up my bib number, and then my running T-shirts.  There was also a bunch of merchandise for sale, and vendors hawking their stuff. We walked around the expo to kill time and then it was time to head home for dinner and get ready for race weekend.

Great morning for a 5k. Run a Latke