Go after what you fear most in life.....

I've always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon and honestly, never thought I'd achieve that dream.  I am honored to have received a bib number from Dana Farber and I will be running in the 115th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2011.  Registration for qualified applicants closed in record time - nearly 8 hours after opening on October 18th. I competed with applicants who were qualifiers that tried to get numbers through charities. Dana Farber was the only charity to which I applied for a number from.  I will be making updates to this blog on a weekly basis with my training progress and inspirational quotes for all.  Here is a link to learn more about Dana Farber:

http://www.dana-farber.org/how/danafarber/

People have been asking me why I am running the marathon.  Here are my top reasons:

1. At age 28, I am finally feeling confident and going after things that I dream about and want to accomplish. I am afraid of running alongside thousands of top runners, and I am afraid of running long distance. But I have already tackled my fear and completed a half marathon in November. It was a bit of a struggle as my knees bothered me at mile 10, but I know I can sustain this.  Like everything in life, it takes dedication and commitment and I know I can do it.  I can only imagine the feeling I'll have when I cross the finish line in April.  Thanks to those who have already said they'll be there to support me on race day!!!

2.  Dana Farber is am amazing organization and cancer affects my life.  My grandfather, who was one of my favorite people in the world, died in 2004 after a short battle with Leukemia.  My grandmother (Meme) is a breast cancer survivor.  I run in memory of and honor of these two amazing people.  I also run for others whose lives are affected by cancer. 

My training this week will include a cross training workout, 3 mile run, 5 mile run, another 3 mile run, 5 mile run, a day of rest, a 5 mile run, and a 10 mile run. 

I met a few people from Novartis who are running the marathon for Dana Farber...some were first timers others are experienced marathoners.  Everyone is so excited and I am really pumped!!!

1. Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder:

"The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can't dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon."