All I Want for Christmas is Some Liver Love

When applying to run the marathon with the ALF I knew the training would be happening in the dead of winter. As much as I didn't want to think about it, I knew eventually I would be running in arctic cold temperatures.

Yesterday was the first of many chilly runs to come (~17 degrees in Boston). Since Heather and I had missed the long run the week before, and I am fighting against a potential injury, we decided to do a shorter 6 mile run around the city. Crazy as it sounds we bundled right up and headed out... Hats, gloves, etc. For the first couple of miles the legs were pretty much numb, but after conquering Beacon Hill we were as toasty as we could be.

It's comforting to know these runs aren't going to be as terrible as originally expected... at least until we hit the snow and ice I guess (I write this as I'm watching the snow continue to pile up outside).

On another note, last night was the annual Christmas cocktail. Each year we all get dressed up and rent out a bar in the city for a holiday party. Normally Nicola and Tyler would be right there with us celebrating. Since Nicola has been having elevated numbers it just wasn't safe for her to be out in public around so many people. Even though she is almost 6 months out of the transplant and looks as fabulous as ever, these small bumps in the road remind us all that she is still fighting a battle every single day.

So here we will be for the next 4 months running through the snow and ice in hopes of raising enough money to someday find a cure for liver disease so people won't have to worry about going through the painful experience that Nicola has been enduring so bravely.

Hoping for lots of liver loving this holiday season...

Meredith

Week 1: 10 miles... Rough Start!

I'm really excited to start blogging about my experience as I train to run all 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon while raising more than $5,000 and awareness for the American Liver Foundation!

When I finished the Chilly Half marathon in November, my 2nd half marathon ever, I realized that I wasn't truly pushing myself to the max. I was very comfortable when I crossed the finish line - no injuries (besides my first black toe!), muscles felt good, etc.

So when my friend Heather suggested I apply to run the Boston Marathon with Run for Research with her, I first thought she was a nut case, but I have to admit that she did plant the idea in my head. One night on the bus on the way home from work, I couldn't stop thinking about how I would regret not running and about how if Nicola could go through a transplant, I could certainly run a marathon. The next night I'd applied to join the Run for Research.

This past Saturday was the first 10 mile run... We could have run 6, 8 or 10 miles, but since we like to consider ourselves all-stars, Heather and I took on the full 10 miles. It was definitely not easy, between getting used to each other's pacing, running on hills (I hardly ever run hills), and running on "dead sneakers," I ended up with a little knee pain for the rest of the afternoon, but thankfully that was it! Sunday morning the knee pain was gone and I wasn't sore at all - shocking really!

After buying new sneakers on Sunday, I did the interval training on the treadmill last night. I hated every minute of the treadmill (Monday nights at the gym mean I can't get the treadmills I like), but the knee was back to 100%.

So today I'm posting my fundraising page and taking the first steps to reach my goal of $5,000. Help me reach my goal by visiting my fundraising page!


Happy Tuesday and Lots of Liver Love,
Meredith