running for a cause

seeing as how i am halfway through a pretty rigorous training for maine coast marathon, i figured it would be a good time to take a look at how im doing so far. i also thought it would be a good time to try and jump start my fundraising... i will be running my 9th marathon on may 11th to raise money for the Autism Society of Maine through Operation Jack. so what does that mean?

my goal over the next 9 weeks is to try and raise $500. Autism Society of Maine relies solely on donations to cover costs for running their programs and activities that that help bring awareness and community to individuals and families who are affected by autism spectrum disorders. autism has affected my best friend and a woman i work with, and many many others. i felt that this was a good way to run for a cause, and im hoping that even the smallest of donation can be beneficial for this foundation. ive also been a strong supporter of operation jack since his endeavor to run 61 marathons in 2010 to raise money/awareness for autism, and in turn my fundraising for ASM will also help his foundation as well (85% of what i raise will go to ASM).

weeks 1-9 of my training plan have gone almost perfectly. there will always be bumps in the road, but i have done as good as i feel i can do under the circumstances i face (which arent many). more or less some days i dont feel like running, and early on i can take that with a grain of salt, skip the run if im not feeling it, and move on. no sense in dwelling. but for the most part, things are going very well... and i can tell i am getting stronger, and faster.

weeks 1-9

i have been very focused and have been working really hard on my training for this marathon, more so than any of the previous eight i have run. my personal worst marathon (2011 maine marathon- 4:43:30) came off a terrible training and a terrible summer (and horrible family loss). my personal best marathon (2012 smuttynose marathon- 3:58:14) i finally got the arbitrary sub 4 hours i had been longing for. yet that was not my best training... my best training (using the program i am now) led to a complete bonk, where, at mile 25, i threw up for 22 minutes after being on course to run somewhere around a 3:45 (humidity, low sodium, lots of bugs. gross). all these numbers are pretty meaningless to me right now, as i havent run a marathon in what seems like a very long time (i was kinda busy growing a little human). but im back on track and ready to try and kick some serious ass for 26.2 miles. however, as i know very well, no matter what your training, anything can happen on race day.

sooooo, even though i just stated above that the numbers are pretty meaningless, lets look at some of the things this training cycle has brought to me thus far...

in week 4 i raced my fastest 10 miler, which also resulted in surpassing my 10k PR during that race, as well as my half marathon PR, all while in a 15 mile training run (follow that?!). in week 6 i raced my fastest 5k by pace (the course was just a bit long, causing my overall time to be just over my current PR), overall pace of 6:59, winning 1st female. in week 8 i PRd the 10k again on a training run, and was able to get my 20 mile long run in on the boston marathon course (which was amazing) later that week. in week 9 i got my sprints pace down to 5:56 (what?!), and finished the week with a marathon pace run along the final miles of the marathon course (and nailed the paces).

i feel like i am pretty much right on track.

   but for what?

at this point i am certainly hoping to a) finish the 26.2 miles, and b) PR. most people would laugh at me and say thats in the bag at this point, but the marathon is hard. and again, anything can happen on race day. but im certainly hopeful. in order to qualify for boston i would need a 3:34:59 (and realistically a few minutes faster due to the registration). thats over 24 minutes faster than my current PR... but ill never know unless i try, right?

in the coming two weeks i will be at the peak of my training, bringing me up into 55 miles per week, then slowly heading towards taper. it still seems like the race is so far away, but i know it will be here before i know it. but first, i would like to get my fundraising going. i finally got everything situated with some giveaway items and informed ASM today of my coming efforts.

from my fundraising page:

My hope is to raise at least $500 to help support the Autism Society of Maine and Operation Jack. The training program that I am using for my marathon will have me running 784 training miles starting January 5th to race day on May 11th. Two simple ways of donating would be 1 cent for each of the miles I need to run to get myself prepared to cross the finish line ($7.84), or perhaps just a donation of $2.62 for the 26.2 miles of the race.

I will also be holding a donation contest- guess my 26.2 mile finishing time! Anyone who donates a guess for my marathon finish time will be in the running to win a prize. My current slowest marathon is 4:43, my current fastest is 3:58 (so for a guess of 3 hours and 58 minutes, donate $3.58). You may put in as few or as many guesses as you would like (if you donate a total amount I will be in touch via email for your guesses), and whoever guesses the correct time will win a gift from Erica Sara Designs! (those who guess the same correct finishing time will be put into a drawing). All donors will be in a drawing for a pair of Pro Compression marathon socks! If you choose to make an even donation, each $10 donation will allow you 3 finishing time guesses, and any donation over $20 will receive an Operation Jack tech shirt!

pretty simple, right? can you help?? any and all donations will certainly be appreciated! CLICK HERE to help these great causes!