Subzero Temps

Today I participated in the first "Winter Wild" event at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, MA. The race started at 7am SHARP which meant a wake-up alarm at 4:30am... yikes. As I stepped out to my car, the absolutely frigid wind against my face and -12 degree weather should have deterred me but, as my friend Ashley told me (in an obviously loving-friend way), I'm crazy. :)

The race was so much fun - there were at least a hundred people there and I was so impressed to see at least 6 kids at the start excited to run a mile straight up the mountain. The hills were brutal. Every hill accomplished only led sight to the next one to tackle. See the map below:

The way down, however, was much more bearable. Not only was I able to actually start running, but the view for miles was absolutely stunning.

When I reached the finish, my eyes were nearly shut from the icicles that formed on my eyelashes... and it took a full 51 minutes to accomplish up-and-down the Wachusett mountain.

Food:
After the race, I had a creamy dutch chocolate Isagenix shake - a perfect post-workout refuel with 24g of protein and 240 calories

Lunch was a delicious oven-roasted turkey wrap with arugula and spicy dijon mustard wrap

Dinner was the same (boring, I know) but with sweet potatoes and eggplant on the side.


Fundraising has leveled out for the weekend but I am planning a 5K Run/Walk Benefit to happen hopefully in Southie (possibly in Quincy, otherwise) on March 22nd at 9am! Invite all of your friends and family!

New year, New goals!

Hey all! It's been a LONG time since I last posted - but I'm back to share my newest challenge I've taken on... running the Boston Marathon!

I'm sure that everyone remembers the horrible tragedy that struck Boston last April, but this year is all about renewal and positivity. Even before last year's events, Boston is one of the top marathons for fan support: throughout all 26.2 miles, you're bound to have people filling the sidewalks cheering you on.* However, this year is going to be even MORE jam-packed with supporters! Just to show the world that we can come back stronger and more prominent than ever.

So I will be running with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) team on April 21, 2014** and I've pledged to raise $7,500 by May 31st (I know that's a lot of money!). But I'm confident that with the help of my colleagues, peers, social media, friends and family, that I can do it! 

Fundraising Update: As of today, I've already raised $1,030 with 25 individual donations!!!! Thanks to everyone who has supported me!

Workout Today:

• Shoveling the snow that Winter Storm Hercules dumped on my car
• WFHW (Work-from-home workout):

5 rounds

15 burpees

30 lunges

1 min plank

30 squats

10 tricep tips

The best part about this workout is you don't need ANY equipment to do it - which is why it's a great "at-home" workout! Do the workout for time and then try it again next weekend to compare your times :)

Alright, that's all for today - hope everyone has a good snow day!

*As a side note, you don't always get this! My first marathon, the Disney World marathon last January, had 5 miles between each theme park, which correlated to 5 miles of empty road before getting to the next theme park where you'd finally get some cheers. This also happened to be my slowest pace - having pepole cheering you on makes all the difference.

** April 21, 2014 = 04/21/2014 .. the month and day have the same numbers used in the year! #mathnerd