An unexpected Christmas gift...

Photo 1: James after the 10 Miler :)

Photo 2: On our way!

Greetings!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. James was home from Miami and we celebrated Christmas Eve with Aidan's parents, Josh and Regi. It was so good to be together... this has been a tough stretch for all. Our thoughts and prayers are with Josh, Regi and Aidan's sister, Ava as they travel to Ohio to spend New Year's with Regi's parents.

On Christmas Day in between a family brunch and evening dinner at our house, James and I snuck in a 10 miler. It was 90 minutes of conversation uninterrupted by blackberries and laptops. A cherished and unexpected Christmas gift! That night, following grace before dinner, we all went around the table and said one thing we were grateful for... James replied, "Family, friends and RUNNING." :)

Love to all,

m

Quote of the week:

"We only know of one duty, and that is to love." Albert Camus

What's on the iPod:

Celebrate Me Home, Kenny Loggins

(Call me a sap but I love this Christmas song!)

Hello WINTER

OK... the photo shows the temp. at 6:45 a.m. Saturday morning when Kristen and I went out for our run :) Hello WINTER!

Today would have been Aidan's 6th Birthday. It's a day we're thinking deeply of him, his mom, dad and the entire family. Love to all.

Quote of the week:

This comes from Aidan's mom, Regi. She shared it this week...

"Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances

and become more extraordinary because of it." Psalm 55:22

On the iPod:

"This Little Light of Mine" by Elizabeth Mitchell

A song that reminds me of Aidan.

Thanks to all for your support...

m

Winter arrives!

Greetings!
First snow this week... and COLD. December has arrived. The early morning runs require a bit more preparation and layering but overall it's been just fine :)
Had a fantastic run with my cousin Kristen very early last Saturday (6:00 a.m. to be exact!) and again today. Kristen is Aidan's godmother and it's been wonderful to share this experience with her. She's a strong runner and a great motivator... we talk and talk and 10 miles flies by.
James will be home in less than two weeks. I really miss him and I'm looking forward to hopefully getting in another long run with him while he's home for a couple days. We may have to don Santa hats and run Christmas Day!
Cheers,
Mary

iPod this week... "Smile" by Uncle Kracker
It just makes me :)

Quote of the week...
"Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries." Corita Kent

A run around Walden...

Greetings,
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!
James was home from Miami and on Saturday a.m. we met to run at Walden Pond... (his idea!) What a great morning... the path around the pond was muddy, rough and spectacular. We passed a pack of runners along the way and I was tempted to ask "Are you training for Boston?" The easy commaraderie that runners share is one of things I like best about running...
The run offered James and I some quality time to catch up and before we knew it we had run from Concord to Wayland. A run for the memory books.

Also enjoyed some time with Maria on Thanksgiving Day down on Cape Cod. She was home from college and in the midst of preparing for final papers and exams... remember those days?
Kept up with training while on the Cape and had the chance to run in the pouring rain and wind in Welfleet on Friday a.m.
Passed by The Beachcomber, a haven for surfers and home to some great family memories... we have photos of Katherine and Aidan together on the beach here in 2008. The sign out front said "We're closed for the season. Why? Because it's freezin'" along with a picture of a snowman holding a surf board. Too funny.

The journey continues...

This week in honor of the run at Walden Pond, I'll leave you with a quote from Thoreau.

All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one... characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers. Henry David Thoreau

As for the iPod...
"Home" Michael Buble

m

My team mate and running buddy, James (Jim)

Greetings!
Last week we said goodbye to James (Jim) and Ed took this photo before James headed down to FLA. Looking forward to training in tandem with him from each end of the coast :)
On the fundraising side, some good progress this week with the outreach. Will continue to generate letters and keep the momentum moving. A work in progress.
For now, I need to get to bed so I can get up and run early tomorrow morning... though cold, I saw the most spectacular pink sky yesterday as dawn broke over the hills of Worcester. These are the secret surprises that make me feel lucky to be out there pounding the pavement.

Quote of the week:
Keeping it simple... this is a magnet I have on my fridge that was given to me by James:
"Life is good."

What's on the iPod
Staying with Miley...
"The Climb" Very inspiring lyrics

Send me a quote or tune!

Mary

First steps...

Greetings!
This week the first batch of fundraising letters has been prepared and mailed. I'm going to subscribe to the theory of concentric circles and keep building contacts as I reach out. The first steps have been taken... Hooray! We're moving.

Just received an email from James in Miami... while it is rainy and cold here he will be running today in the warm Florida sun. Check out his hotel suite for the next month as he gets settled... http://www.viceroymiami.com/hotel/one-bedroom_den-residences.html I have a feeling there are going to be a few "No fair!" exclamations during the training months :) He's promised to try and come up for one of the long run days later in the season and I'm hoping to jet down there for one as well... that will get me through the 10 degree 15 milers in February!

Enough for now.

Quote of the week:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Ghandi

iPod tune
Party in the USA Miley Cyrus
keeps the feet pounding the pavement

Stay dry!

m

The Journey Begins...

Welcome Friends!

Come along with me on a journey...

We're "Boston Bound" and over the next several months you can return here for routine updates from the trail. Looking forward to connecting with you!

This past Saturday was the big kick-off for Team In Training in Wellesley. There I met the fellow Team members and heard from two cancer survivors. There wasn't a dry eye in the room and following Ed leaned over to me and said, "I'm running next year." :) I loved it!

We're on our way and right now my focus is on getting the word out to insure I exceed the fundraising goal set by this incredible organization that has helped so many. So, I'll leave you now so I can get back to completing my outreach letter.

More to come...

m

P.S. Some of you may know that two of my many loves are quotes and music. Thought I'd include an inspirational quote for each post along with what's current on my iPod. I'm hoping that along the way you'll send me a quote that's inspired you or a suggested song to keep me moving in the right direction :)

First Quote:

This one I saw on a t-shirt while at Disney World with Katherine Rose and Ed in May.

"Run Hard. Live Easy."

What's current on my iPod?

Well, this weekend we were in Boston for a goodbye party for James. Ed and I were howling at some of the tunes the DJ selected. Came home and downloaded "Dirty Water" by the Standells along with Will Smith's "Miami"... been jamming ever since.

Send me a quote or tune!!