Bringing Light into the World

Here it is - Hanukkah the Jewish Festival of Lights.  I have been reflecting on what this holiday means to me as I continue my efforts to raise $15,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  As I work hard to find donors and actively fund raise, I realized that there is a link between my efforts and Hanukkah.  Hanukkah is the holiday where we light candles to eliminate darkness and instead bring light into our lives.  The Hanukkah lights represents to me both hope and transcendence.  As a Jew, I realize that light is the central metaphor for our understanding of the world around us.  It is therefore my job as Jew to recognize the need for more light in the world and through my efforts as part of the DFMC Team to use it to impact the world in a positive way.  In a very simplistic way, I have taken on the role of being a light to the world around me which then becomes a way for me to reflect God's light.

So, how can I bring more light into the world.  It is simple really.  I need to perform tikkun olam.  This is the Hebrew phrase that translates to mean "repairing the world."  Through my efforts on behalf of the DFMC, I am helping to bring much needed money to the pursuit of finding a cure for the various cancers that impact our lives every day.  This year alone I lost a friend to this disease and am currently praying for three other friends who are currently in their own battles against the spread of the disease in their bodies.   I would consider the elimination of cancer in our lifetime a huge step in repairing our world.  Wouldn't that bring some much needed positive illumination to our lives?

As my family and I light a new candle each night of Hanukkah this year, I see their flames in a new way.   I see them as symbolic of hope.  Hope that through my efforts and my teammates the scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will find the causes of and develop cures for cancer.  Without hope no one who is fighting this disease would have the strength to carry on.  The holiday of Hanukkah comes to us at the darkest time of year.  Through the ritual of lighting the candles each night, we are bringing more and more light into the world.  We put our menorahs in our windows to share this light with the world around us.  

I will continue my efforts every day to reach my fund raising goal.  I know that the world we are living in today can seem like a very dark place and at times seems to be growing darker.  But, through acts of charity and loving kindness, I am hoping to bring light into the world to eliminate the darkness many of us feel.  We are living in scary times. To avoid letting fear overwhelm me, I plan to use my training and fundraising for the DFMC to provide me with an inner light that will allow me to have an impact on the world around me.

"In each life there comes at least one moment, which if recognized and seized, transforms the course of that life forever.  The moment may call for you to leap, empty-handed, into the world." - Ralph Blum

Let us seize the moment and leap into the world empty handed except for the light of hope that we can improve it through our love.

Dec. 11 – 7.10 miles (1:03:17; 8:55 pace)

Dec. 12 – 6.20 miles (57:47, 9:19 pace)

Dec. 13 – 3.20 miles (24:58, 7:48 pace) – Speed Work

Dec. 15 – 6.20 miles (49:43, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run

Dec. 16 – 6.10 miles (57:30, 9:25 pace)

Dec. 17 – 6.10 miles (53:48, 8:49 pace)

Dec. 18 – 8.00 miles (1:14:48, 9:21 pace)

Dec. 19 – 6.20 miles (57:23, 9:16 pace)

Dec. 20 – 3.20 miles (24:43, 7:43 pace) – Speed Work

Dec. 22 – 6.10 miles (49:38, 8:00 pace) – Tempo Run

Dec. 23 – 6.20 miles (55:32, 8:57 pace)

Dec. 24 – 6.20 miles (55:42, 8:59 pace)

Dec. 25 – 8.10 miles (1:14:48, 9:14 pace)

Total Miles: 78.9 miles

2011 YTD Miles: 1,616.7 miles

My Training for Boston Starts Now

Helen and I at the Runner's Refuge in 2010

On Monday December 12 my training officially starts for the 2012 Boston Marathon. This will be the 7th time I have set out on a 16 week journey to prepare myself to run 26.2 miles.  The last time I did this was in 2008/2009 when I ran he 113th Boston Marathon.  I trained hard for that race and it certainly paid off.   I achieved one of my life's goals to run a 4 hour marathon.  I have heard that less than 5% of all marathoners can break the 4 hour mark.  Although I am not certain of this fact, I do know that for a middle of the pack runner like myself breaking that barrier makes you feel like you have moved into a more elite group of runners.  It is a mark to be proud of and I have to say I am proud to say I am among those runners who have reached that mark.

This year I am going to still train as if I were going to try for that 4 hour mark again.  But, it is really more to make sure that I am fully trained to be able to run and coach my friend Helen to her marathon goal of breaking the 5 hour barrier.  My hope is that my fitness level on race day will be such that the 11:25 per mile pace will seem easy for me.  This should allow me to be able to focus on what Helen will need as we travel those 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.  I need to be in tune with her body and what she needs mentally to reach her goal rather than worrying about my body and mental needs to run a marathon.

What Helen and I need to do over the next 16 weeks is communicate where we are in our training each week.  The bottom line is make sure I have set her up for success on Patriot's Day.  I know Helen wants to run a sub-5 hour marathon.  But, it doesn't mean that it is a guarantee.  Her training times will let me know whether or not it is a realistic goal on race day.   If for some reason Helen is not able to do the tempo runs that teach her body to run at an 11:25 per mile pace, then we cannot expect a different result on race day.  We need to make sure that we know where she is in her training to ensure that we come up with a good plan on race day.  The race plan is as critically important as the good training leading up to the race.

Over the next several weeks, Helen and I will be logging miles to make sure we are in peak condition when we arrive in Hopkinton for the start of the race.  My initial race plan is for us to start out a little slower than the 11:25 per mile pace.  The most successful strategy is start slow. I know we are going to be excited and we will be feeling strong and confident, but I need remember to hold back at the start.  Since the Boston Marathon course is mostly downhill at the beginning, we need to go out at between and 11:30 and 11:45 per mile pace for the first 2-3 miles.  Then we can pick up the pace to try and run the next 23.2 miles at an even pace of 11:25 per mile.  I know that our pace will naturally slow slightly during the race.  This means I need to keep the goal in mind and if Helen is feeling good in the early miles we can try and push the pace slightly. 

However, the best laid plans can be waylaid due to conditions outside of our control -- like weather.  The Boston Marathon has had major variability in weather conditions in the last ten years, from over 80 degrees in 2004 to a windy chilly rain drenched race in 2007.  The most important thing I need to do with Helen on race day is to make sure she does not lose sight of what brought us to the starting line in the first place.  I need to keep her focused on the hard work she will have done to prepare for the race.  We will try and stay as close to our original race plan as possible because this is what we prepared our bodies to do.  What we will keep in mind as we set out on our journey is what Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ said:

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."

Nov. 13 – 8.10 miles (1:12:00, 8:53 pace)

Nov. 14 – 6.10 miles (57:20, 9:24 pace) – Speed Work

Nov. 15 – 3.20 miles (25:19, 7:55 pace) – Speed Work

Nov. 21 – 6.20 miles (56:11, 9:04 pace)

Nov. 22 – 3.20 miles (24:57, 7:55 pace) – Speed Work

Nov. 24 – 5.10 miles (38:57, 7:44 pace) – Whiten 5 Mile Race

Nov. 25 – 6.20 miles (55:12, 8:54 pace) – Tempo Run

Nov. 26 – 10.10 miles (1:29:30, 8:52 pace)

Nov. 27 – 8.50 miles (1:16:32, 9:00 pace)

Nov. 28 – 6.10 miles (57:02, 9:21 pace)

Nov. 29 – 3.20 miles (25:15, 7:53 pace) – Speed Work

Dec. 1 – 6.20 miles (49:43, 8:01 pace) – Tempo Run

Dec. 2 – 6.10 miles (54:41, 8:58 pace)

Dec. 3 – 9.20 miles (1:18:27, 8:32 pace) – Mansfield, TX

Dec. 4 – 7.10 miles (1:01:27, 8:39 pace) – Mansfield, TX

Dec. 9 – 5.10 miles (47:28, 9:19 pace)

Dec. 10 – 10.10 miles (1:32:32, 9:10 pace)

Total Miles: 109.8 miles

2011 YTD Miles: 1,537.8 miles