New Shoes & Lovely (but COOOLLLLLDDDD) Runs

I can't believe I forgot to show the world my awesome new running shoes!

They are the Brooks Defyance 3 -  not the Adrenaline, which is what I originally thought they were. 
Two notes on that:
1) I couldn't get a hold of my Aunt Shelley, so my 13 year old cousin had to tell me what shoes I run in, sad day.
2) Erin, as it turns out you do not have the old Adrenaline since I don't have the new version, I have a different shoe.
Anyway, I love them.  A word on shoes - FIND THE PERFECT SHOE and REPLACE THEM WHEN THEY NEED REPLACING.  Sadly, these won't be the shoes I will run the marathon in as they will need replacing.  If you are in Michigan and are looking to replace your running shoes, I highly recommend getting in touch with Alan at http://runningcircles.com/  He's my aunt's shoe man and he rocks!

This past weekend was a very special one for me, no not because of Christmas, but because of what happened on Christmas Day.  December 25, 2009 marked the longest run of my life - 9 miles.  I know that I have a lot longer to go, but just about every Saturday from here on out will be a level of running that I have never faced.  Yikes.

9 miles went pretty well.  The last mile was tough.  Perhaps it was because I had been eating cookies for breakfast for two days, or maybe because it was 34 degrees, or it could have been due to the hills in Newton.  All I know is I came home cold, tired, sore, and hungry for Chuck the goose.  Chuck, you tasted good my friend.

I also ran on Thursday, Christmas Eve (I know, running 2 days in a row, not good).  It was beautiful outside and I tried to snap a few photos, but they're pretty dark.  I'll post them anyway!

This is around the Chesnut Hill Reservoir - the dark area in the center is the frozen water.  Very, very pretty.

This is the sidewalk I was running on... SNOWY!










I had happily returned to Washington Square at this point (only to find Gimbels closed....grrr, actually in retrospect probably a good thing).



Hope you enjoy the pics - someday I'll take some when it isn't dark outside!





This Saturday: 10 miles with hills in Grafton!!!  Wahooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Miles Run: 90

DOUBLE!

Update from Jim Laudisio, Operations Manager at Boston Partners:
So far, the 2010 Marathon Team has raised DOUBLE the amount of money raised at this time last year!
Congrats to us!

Awesome people of the week:
Jessey Erath
Jim & Meredith Laudisio
Judy Harrington

Thank you for your donation - you rock!

I don't have to tell you dollars raised anymore... check out my first giving widget on the left!  Woo hoo!
Miles Run: 86

Next post:
My beautiful runs on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
New shoes

Catching up!

1)  EA Active Personal Trainer was fun and surprisingly difficult.  A few too many lunges and squats at the gym the evening prior made my video game crosstraining quite a challenge! 

2)  Boston has received its first real snowstorm... and it has been COLD.  Last Thursday morning, during my 4-mile run it was 16 degrees, feels like 0 with 20 mph winds woo hoo (there was no snow quite yet).  Saturday, Erin and I went for 8 miles before the storm, it turned out to be an adventure to Wellesley, but one without snow!  Soon enough I will have to put on those spikes and run through the snow/slush. 

3)  This Saturday, it's official - it will be the longest run of my life.  9 miles.  Here we go...

4)  I have a thank you that I don't think I have mentioned in my blog yet: Pamela Civins, Executive Director.  She not only supported my fundraising efforts, not only the BPE staff's efforts, but the entire BPE Marathon team.  Thank you for your incredibly generous donation to all of us!

5)  At the Young Boston Partners Holiday Event last Thursday, I put myself on the auction block - as a personal bartender.  A big thank you to Brendan Mullen who will (hopefully soon) be throwing a fabulous house party where I can show off my bartending skills.

6)  A special shout out to Laurelin who has been training through a sore leg.  Show her some love everyone!

Miles run:  66
Funds raised: $920   (very soon will be $1,035)

Update

Hello all,

This won't be the most exciting update, but an update none the less.  I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving filled with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc.  It was wonderful to be in Michigan.  I went for a couple runs with my fantastic Aunt Shelley (ran Chicago, twice) and one with Laurelin (http://laurelinruns.blogspot.com/).  It was great.

The past couple weeks of training have gone very well.  Although the lunges and wall sits I added to my post running Tuesday work out will make tonight's run very interesting... OUCH.

Next Wednesday we have a very interesting cross training opportunity.  A video game personal trainer... I will certainly let you know how that goes!  I mean, check out this lady - she looks so happy.  Let's hope we will enjoy it just as much.

Tonight - 3 miles!

Miles run: 30
Funds raised: $900

Grandma.

Grandma!  Thank you thank you thank you for your incredibly generous donation!!  I wish you could be here when I run, you should try to make another trip.

Everyone, in case you didn't already know my Grandma is AWESOME.

Miles run: 5
Funds raised: $900 (almost 20% to my goal!)

2 miles down - 574.2 miles to go

Yesterday was the first official day of training!  2 miles down - 574.2 miles to go!

It was definitely a good run - 2 miles around the Charles River with Virginia (hottie bartender at Skipjack's) pacing me... she's fast! 

Thank you to Tom Ricketts for your $25 donation!!

Miles run: 2
Dollars raised: $400   (I'm $100 away from 10% of my goal)

http://www.firstgiving.com/jessbaker

Meeting the team

Today was our first Marathon team meeting.  It was really wonderful to meet everyone who will be running for BPE.  I'm sure we'll all get to know each other very well over the next 5.5 months!  It was too bad Laur is in KC.  :(   BUT - the good news, she ran a half marathon today in 2:00!  Awesome!

Monday is our first official day of Marathon training.  I'm glad that we had our meeting before the first week of training... there have been days that I've woken up (already) and not been sure if I could handle my daily run or days that I look at the $5,000 fundraising goal and ask myself what the hell I was thinking.  That is why the meeting we had today was absolutely perfect timing.  Our Coach, Rick Muhr (one of the top running coaches in the country, people) gave us quite the pep talk.  Being in a room with such caring and dedicated individuals was exactly what I needed.  I'm very excited and inspired, once again.

On a side note, I'd like to mention that on a quick 3 mile run this week I ran to Copely Square to head to the gym.  If you don't know, the Boston Marathon finishes on Boylston Street in Copely Square (between Exeter and Dartmouth).  Even on a normal day after a very short run that finish line was an awesome site.

There it is!

Wish me luck on my first 2 miles of (official) training this Monday!

More donations!

Thank you to another Anonymous sponsor for your $25 donation! 
Thank you to Sarah for your $25 donation!
You guys are awesome and totally made my day!!  Woo hoo!!!!

Funds raised: $250

My official training begins VERY soon!  Can't wait!

First Donation!

Hooray!

I have received my first donation!  Thank you to an Anonymous donor!

Funds raised: $200

First Giving

Here it is folks!  Let the fundraising begin!

http://www.firstgiving.com/jessbaker

All About Boston Partners in Education

So, we've already covered my personal reasons for running the Boston Marathon.  Let's explore another reason - the biggest reason: Boston Partners in Education.

Training for a marathon and fundraising for an organization are both tasks that will be new and difficult for me.  It will be taxing on the body and on the mind.  I would not, could not do this for an organization that I didn't stand behind. I truly believe in what Boston Partners in Education does and what it will continue to do for Boston's public school students.

So, who is Boston Partners in Education (BPE) and what do we do?  BPE has a full-time staff of 15 and one part-time employee in the office.  Last year our staff supported almost 6,000 students and 914 volunteers in 69 schools in Boston.

Our programming reaches students in grades K-12.  We have a specialty math program, Math Rules! for students in grades 3-5.  Math Rules! is for students who just need a little bit more in class support.  Volunteers often stay with their student for the duration of the program creating a powerful bond.  Last year was the biggest year yet for Math Rules! serving 173 students. 

We also have a specialty program for students in grade 1-3 called Power Lunch.  Power Lunch is a corporate read aloud program where volunteers from local corporation come into the school once a week to read to students on their lunch break.  In 2008-2009 320 volunteers were able to commit a lunch break to reading to their respective student.  Power Lunch volunteers are also encouraged to commit to the program for three years, mentoring their student throughout elementary school.

The Big Cheese Reads is our fundraising initiative, and is close to my heart being that it is the program that I work on.  The Big Cheese Reads invites corporate, community, and civic leaders into 6-8 grade classes to emphasize the important link between literacy and career success.  Last year we had 73 "Big Cheeses" speak to students.

Our School Volunteer Program is our biggest program serving 3,872 students in 2008-2009.  We recruit, train, and support volunteers in both math and English Language Arts for students in grades K-12.  Our School Volunteers commit a collective total of 23,816 hours a school year to our students!

While we do have solid evidence of the positive influence our volunteers have on our students academically (which you should check out on our website), such as increased test scores and increased GPAs, the most empowering part of being a mentor is the impact you have on a student's life.  The relationship and bond that is made over the years of mentoring has the power to change the life of a student and a volunteer.  Students report feeling more confident in their studies as well amongst their peers.  Volunteers who take a break from work often return feeling more relaxed.  This is what we strive to do - support our volunteers and most importantly support the students struggling in the Boston Public Schools.

Basically, I think we're great.

Confirmed Running Partner!

Yay!
Congrats to Laurelin Barkel, my (mightaswellbe) sister-in-law and former Boston Partners in Education employee!  She lives in Kansas City, MO and will be training in KC, MO to run the Boston Marathon to support BPE. 

Check out her running blog:
www.laurelinruns.blogspot.com

The two of us at Yellowstone National Park rocking our BPE gear.

A short but sweet post

First of all, thank you Erin and Laurelin for commenting on my blog! And thanks to everyone else who mentioned that they will be reading - awesome! **Grandma, you need a google account (not just gmail according to Dad) to comment.**

I find out (officially) tomorrow if my special running partner in crime will be joining me in the madness of the marathon... I know that you are all dying in anticipation of who it could be. This person will be lucky enough to enjoy 26.2 miles of "Eye of the Tiger" sung by yours truly.

Last week went well. I ran 4 days and felt really good all week! I'm running tonight with Matt (for part of the way) and this coming week I'm going to up my game a little bit.

So far, no updates on events yet. I plan to sit in front of a calendar very soon and map out when I will begin hosting amazingly awesome events that you will all be dying to attend. Anyone know of a company that would be willing to match what I bring in on an event? Let me know...

I have one new idea, well it wasn't completely my idea - a colleague at Skippy's, Allie, had a fabulous idea for a party. Balderdash. I mentioned I thought that would be a great small event to kick off the fundraising efforts. We are currently planning a date to drink awesome beer (Harpoon) and kick your ass in Balderdash. Stay tuned for a date and email if you're interested!

Check out my blog tomorrow to see if I'll have myself a running partner!

Accepted

New idea for my blog - I'm going to log my training for the 2010 Boston Marathon for your enjoyment (and sympathy).

Friday, October 3 I was accepted to Boston Partners in Education's marathon team. Now, many of you that know me may be thinking, "What the hell was she thinking?!" Right. Here is my reasoning...

The B.A.A. has a charity program. They try to diversify they type of charities that are accepted into the program by giving 15 numbers to a charity for a 3-year period of time. This is BPE's third and final year of the program. So, 1) It was (probably) the last chance for me to run for my organization through the B.A.A. 2) I don't have to qualify (and, honestly I'm never going to qualify). 3) I can quit my second job without feeling guilty. 4) It's a good way for me to raise money for BPE. *Summing it up: it is (probably) a once in a lifetime opportunity and you don't get once in a lifetime opportunities don't happen to you very often.* So, there you go.

Some important details about this en devour:
* A marathon is 26.2 miles :) I have never run one before. I've never run a half before either.
* This is for charity. I have committed to raise at least $3,250 (if I don't raise it, sucks for me, I still owe it). My official goal is $4,250, but shhh my real goal is $5,000. Stayed tuned for some fun events!
* I'm trying to talk someone who will remain unnamed (for now) to also run the marathon.

Officially, I start training November 11, but what the hell, if I think that maybe people are reading this, I'll have to keep you entertained.

Today I ran 3 miles. I am pretty sure I can run 5 miles no sweat. I'd like to be able to run 8 miles no sweat before I start training. I think it's doable. The training schedule starts with 2-4 miles a day 5 days a week, which I am hoping should feel like a breeze, if it doesn't I might be in trouble... Matt ran with me most of the way which was pretty awesome of him! We finished up our run with a beer from the Tavern. Motivation.

That's all for now. I will be diligent - please support me by reading (or by donating...) but, really, I need readers or I will feel silly. Please also feel free to type encouraging comments. No horror stories, thank you!