Lori Runs...New York?

Dani and me

A very big thank you to my friend Dani for her donation to my Boston Marathon fundraising page!  Weight Off My Shoulders - she's truly amazing.  She's also mastered the art of the mid-run selfie, which you can learn more about in her Zelle piece!
Dani will be running the Marathon as a charity runner too as a member of Teddy's Team, so I appreciate her help.  You should check out her incredibly inspirational blog

Since her donation I have been in a bit of a fundraising rut, so if you'd like to make a donation but haven't yet, now would be a great time! I'm just a little over $300 away from my $3,000 milestone!

Friday was a rest day and after work my boyfriend and I hopped on the bus to New York City for the weekend to visit his brother.  It could have been SO EASY to skip my runs this weekend - especially considering we didn't get to bed until after 4am on Friday (oh, NYC, I am too old for you!) - BUT I woke myself up at 8:30 am on Saturday, tied my laces and hit the streets.  We were staying in Chinatown and I was only a few blocks from a beautiful bike path along the East River that went under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.  It was cold and sunny and an overall great morning for a run.

I ran for about three miles - I don't know for sure because in my quiet attempt to sneak out in the morning I forgot my GPS watch - down to the Battery Maritime Building and back again.  There were some big shipped docked along the water and a surprisingly bustling helicopter pad.  My knee managed ok, but I could feel a slight twinge by the time I finished and I guestimate that I ran about a 10 minute mile.  I stopped for a quick second here and there to snap some photos to share with you, and one of some cool cat graffiti, because cats.


Sunday morning brought the same route.  I decided to stick with what I had done the day before because I was on a tight time frame (we had to check out of our hotel) and because I really enjoyed the route! I had company on Sunday and ran with my boyfriend's sister, which was a lot of fun.  I usually like running alone to clear my head, but the time really does tend to go faster when you have someone along with you.  I know for sure we did at least three miles (I forgot my watch again, but she remembered hers and it tells you your info out loud, which was great) - 9:44/9:30/9:21 - before splitting off to our end destinations.

I can see the appeal of traveling for races.  It was so cool to explore a new route and take in new scenery.  It's so easy to get stuck in a rut with your routes - you know how long they are, what the terrain is like and feel confident that you won't end up as a real life Law & Order episode - but I feel a little more inspired to try to give some new life to my run locations.

Anyone have good, T accessible routes you suggest?

    

Getting to Know Victory Programs

Today is a rest day not only to give my knee a break, but because I'm headed to NYC for the weekend! I've got my sneakers and gear packed and hopefully I won't get lost on my morning runs since I have absolutely no idea where I'll be going.  I've been to New York numerous times, but I'll be damned if I can understand the layout of that city.  Go figure, a girl who can navigate the old cow paths of Boston can't manage a grid ::shrug::

Click here to watch a short video about Victory Programs

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all a little bit more about the charity I am running the Boston Marathon for - Victory Programs.  In my first post, I mentioned that Victory Programs is a Boston-based nonprofit that serves 2,600 men, women and families annually who are struggling with homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS, but that doesn't really pain the full picture of this robust agency.

ReVision Urban Farm in Dorchester

Victory Programs was founded in 1975 with the opening of its first program, Victory House, a recovery home for men returning from the Vietnam War with drug and alcohol addiction.  Since that time the agency has grown to 19 programs that include an urban farm (ReVision Urban Farm) and New England largest community & resource center for people living with HIV/AIDS (Boston Living Center).

Joelyn's Family Home kitchen & community room.
Joelyn's has remained empty since being
evacuated on October 8.

Today, I want to tell you about one program in particular - Joelyn's Family Home.  Joelyn's Family Home is a long-term recovery program for women with drug and alcohol addiction that, up until October 8, was housed on Long Island in Boston Harbor.  On October 8, the Long Island Bridge - the only access road from the mainland - was closed swiftly and without warning, causing the evacuation of Joelyn's and several other programs for Boston's homeless and those in recovery.

The 37 women who were in residence at Joelyn's had to leave their home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Personal items, photos, medications and clothes were all left behind.  No one knew when or if they'd ever get to return.  The amazing Joelyn's Family Home staff sprang into action, securing beds for all 37 women at other Victory Programs sites on the mainland.  It's been a month since the bridge closed and Joelyn's Family Home's future remains in doubt.  It is currently a program in name only without a facility to house it.

Photo: Boston Globe's
Jessica Rinaldi

With the closure of the Long Island Bridge the City of Boston lost 57% - more than half - of its substance abuse treatment beds in the middle of what Governor Deval Patrick has deemed a heroin epidemic in the Commonwealth.  Programs like our Joelyn's Family Home are needed now more than ever.  It is estimated that the Bridge will be closed anywhere from 3-5 years - a lifetime for a nonprofit agency and for a person in need.



By donating to my Team Victory Boston Marathon fundraising page, you're not just helping me run a race - you're helping the women of Boston who are desperate for help.  Your donation goes toward bringing Joelyn's Family Home back from the brink and offering a second chance to women who are trying to get their lives back on track for themselves and their families.

Setbacks and Steps Forward

Before I jump in, I want to make sure to thank everyone who has donated to my Boston Marathon fundraising page since my last post!  Big high fives to Roseann H., Jessica S., and Alison M. for your generous donations!  If you'd like to help me out and make a donation, you can:

Who's the sexiest gal at the gym?

On Monday, I went to my doctor to see what could be going on with my busted up knee and...drum roll please...she didn't think it was a big program, which is great news!  She thinks it's a bad sprain and put me on a regimen of ibuprofen and ice and told me to get a knee brace. I am following her advice to the letter and taking one run at a time.  If it persists, I'll go to see an orthopedic doctor.

On Tuesday, I FINALLY had the opportunity to go for a run with the RUNFELLOW crew in Cambridge, something I've been wanting to do since it began about 5 months ago.  Runfellow organizes 3-5 mile group runs in Cambridge and Somerville on Tuesday nights.

Truth be told, I have been putting off joining them for a run, because I am a huge introvert and get really intimidated going into situations where I don't know anyone.  I revert back to being in school and am afraid no one will talk to me and so I just don't go. Knowing that the winter is coming and accountability is going to be really important, I decided to put my big girl pants on just put myself out there...and I am so glad I did! The Runfellow group was warm and friendly and I look forward to making it a part of my weekly training.

Get ready, Runfellow!
Here I come!

The great news is that I ran the full 3.5 miles (in my knee brace) without stopping and without pain.  My pace was a little slower that I would have liked (9:45 avg min/mile), but considering I had to stop three times on my Sunday run from knee pain and difficulty breathing, I'm more than happy with it!  It was a great reminder that I didn't fall completely apart from my peak shape a month ago and that with every run I'll get closer to being where I need to be.

That being said, I tried running on the treadmill on Wednesday and only got about 2 miles in when my knee wasn't having it anymore.  It was frustrating to go from feeling so good to feeling so bad, but I think this is just part of the healing process.  I'm trying to stay patient and not let setbacks upset me too much.  I'm just trying to listen to my body, push it when I can and give it a break when I need to.

Photo courtesy of Runfellow. 
They do a group photo before the run &
everyone gets a high five at the finish!

Hit the gym again today planning to take it easy and hop on the elliptical machine, but my knee was
feeling so good all day I decided to take it to the treadmill.  SUCCESS! Three miles, no pain, no trouble breathing!  I took it slow and have felt the best I've felt since before my half marathon.  Progress is a beautiful thing.

I plan on posting again tomorrow to share a little bit more about Victory Programs, the incredible agency I work for.  I gave an overview of what we do in my first entry, but there's so much more to share about who we are and what your donation dollars are helping to support.

Until then, run happy!

      

Getting Back on Track

Before I get into this post, I want to take the opportunity to thank the following people for their generous donations to my Team Victory Boston Marathon CrowdRise page: Ellen W.M., Sarah & Jamie C., Anu P., Phyllis M., Kelly & Simon D., Sarah B., Erin, Erik & Easton R., Sarah P., and a very dear friend who donated Anonymously.  Thanks to these wonderful folks, I am happy to report that I am HALF WAY to my goal of $5,000...but with 5 months still to go before the race, I think we should try to SMASH that goal!

I also want to give special thanks to the wonderful Servio & Chef Pooler at Bergamot Restaurant for donating two incredible dining packages that I will be raffling/auctioning off at a later date. In the meantime, if you've never been to this gem of a restaurant in Somerville, you should check it out sooner rather than later.

A Little Advice 

So here's a small piece of advice from me to you.  If you are a runner, NEVER EVER take a month off.  Ouch!

I ran my first half marathon just shy of a month ago on October 12.  Leading up to it, I ran (almost religiously) five days a week for four months. In all of that time, I trained injury free only to tweek something in my knee around mile 4.  By the end of the race I knew I was going to be sidelined for awhile to recover from whatever I had done to myself.  My plan was to take a week off, let my knee recover and pick up again...but you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Over the next few weeks, I moved into a new home that needed a lot of work and time.  I also suffered a massive allergy attack that landed me in the ER because I could barely breath.  My one week hiatus lasted a whopping 26 days.

This Saturday, I was determined to get myself back on track, slowly but surely.  The marathon training plan I've chosen to follow (Hal Higdon Novice 2) calls for 18 weeks of training, which requires me to start mid-December.  I figured it would take me we a week or two to get my body back to where it needs to be to go full bore into the plan.  Good thinking on my part because YIKES were my first two runs HARD.

This is what a month off can do.  Yikes!

It was clear that the strength I had built up during my half marathon training is still there.  My legs are strong, my muscles didn't hurt, but a mile into my Saturday morning run my knee started screaming and my lung capacity was shot.  I can usually crush a casual 5k run in about 28 minutes...not so much this weekend.


Saturday: 3.1 miles, 33:24, 10:45 minute mile
Sunday: 3.1 miles, 35:48, 11:33 minute mile

Yeah.  That was a wake up call.

First things first, I'll be calling the doctor in the morning to get my knee checked out so I can get it as healthy as possible in time for me training plan to begin.  Second, I need to focus on getting my lungs back in the game.

Now for those of you who have donated to my Team Victory Boston Marathon CrowdRise page who are reading this and thinking you might have made a bad investment, I promise you DO NOT WORRY.  I'll be back in fighting shape sooner rather than later, and I look forward to sharing positive news with you in the coming days.

Welcome to Lori Runs Boston!

I couldn't possibly be more excited to welcome you all to my Lori Runs Boston Blog. I've set up this blog as a way to keep everyone up-to-date on my Boston Marathon training and fundraising efforts as a member of Team Victory!  Some of you may know, that as a charity runner our goal - aside from running a marathon of course - is to raise money! As part of the agreement we sign, we must raise a minimum of $5,000 - so please, please, please make a donation to help support me and my charity!

Running the Boston Marathon is a dream for anyone who has ever laced up a pair of sneakers, but I feel even more fortunate to be logging those 26.2 miles as a charity runner for my amazing agency, Victory Programs.  Since it was founded in 1975, Victory Programs has expanded from a single recovery home for alcoholic veterans to 19 housing and health programs across Boston, Cambridge and Topsfield, Massachusetts.  Every year, Victory Programs helps more than 2,600 men, women and families struggling with homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and chronic illnesses like HIV/AIDS, get back on their feet and live healthy, productive lives.  I've had the honor of being an employee at Victory Programs for over two years and every day I sit at my desk, I feel so fortunate to work for such an amazing place.

I hope you'll support me and Victory Programs throughout this adventure by donating to my CrowdRise page and signing up for the Victory Programs monthly e-Newsletter.  I'll also be holding some special contests, raffles and events on this site to help me raise the $5,000 minimum required.

A Little About Me 

By day, you know I work for Victory Programs where I do all things communications related - run social media accounts, write our e-Newsletters, maintain our website and much, much more!  By night, however, I am a runner and a devoted cat mom to Yoda (left) and Pinkerton (right)...aren't they so cute?!

I started running on a whim on an October morning in 2013 and was hooked right away.  I ran my first race on Thanksgiving morning - a 4 mile jaunt that had me totally exhausted.  Since then I've participated in 13 other organized races, including the BAA 10k in June and BAA Half Marathon in October.  It's funny, when I signed up for the 10k, I thought "How am I ever going to run SIX MILES!?," but I worked hard and finished in just under an hour.  Then, I signed up for the half marathon and thought, "Oh my goodness...what have I gotten myself into!?," but again - I had a plan, I trained hard and I finished in 2:04:21.

My first Half Marathon

I am a pretty thoughtful person - not a daredevil or particularly spontaneous.  I don't take a lot of risks or make quick decisions. I am, in a way, a little boring. Running is my way of throwing caution to the wind and putting myself in the uncomfortable position of having to go way outside of my comfort zone to accomplish what seems impossible.  So far, I've managed to tackle the challenges I've set forth for myself and I cannot wait to take on this new adventure.

Keep following me here for the good, the bad, the ugly and the hopefully humorous adventures of an every day nonprofit employee as I train for the country's oldest and most historic race. We're all in this together!