Boston Marathon 2016:Recap and Final Thoughts

So some final thoughts about the whole process. This experience was one to be remembered, from trying to find new ways to raise money, to figuring out proper ways to rehab my body on my own. To realizing the importance of training wile injured. to how well run team Framingham, and baa are, this was one of those things I will remember for the rest of my life

Race morning.

 I get dropped off by my brother in Framingham, at the bus, got in our last bathroom trip before athletes village. Then we got our police escort and headed to Hopkington. Then when you get to Hopkington, we got onto baa's bus, and when in athlete village they had several tents up for shade. Something I noticed, go to the second area, the first area, tent 3, was packed, lines were ridiculously long, but tent 1 & 2 were maybe 1/4 of the size. Gatorade, and Cliff are sponsors, and had blocks, pouches of mashed food, and Gatorade drinks, as well as poland spring bottles, bananas, apples (might not agree with everybodies system), bagels, ect. Make sure you plan correctly, do not eat too soon before you run, and do not eat food that may not agree. You can bring food and whatever you want, just has to be in a gallon sized clear plastic bag, They even gave them out before you got on the baa bus! Before you even got into athletes village, you could see helicopters in the air, and snipers on roofs, some people were on edge because of it, but it was not too much, I quickly forgot they were there. (With the Brussels problems, they decided to keep security high this year) They called of bibs by color and corrals, it was organized well, and the announcer was awesome! you line up in an area at the edge of athletes village, and then get sent out, and walk .7 miles to the start line. Just before the start line there was a whole bunch of portapotties, no lines, unless you did not want to go to the ones in the back, they also handed out water, it is well done! Also along the walk there were bags for clothes, drop them there, or the volunteers pick them up later, and it minimizes how much clothes the next person has to run over, if you can drop your extra clothes early, and they get donated! The start line this year was over 70 degrees, it was bad! but luckily within the first few miles there were a few trees for shade, about the only time you get it in the race is in the begging miles. A few gentle gusts of wind because I started late in the morning, the early runners had heat problems, and issues with wind, most of the heat problems were people not drinking enough water, and I mean they had water stops, on both sides, staggered at each mile, so that was poor planning on the runners part from what I heard.
some things to keep in mind, BRING SUN SCREEN, a small bottle, as you will not be keeping it, but it is important, as sun screen only lasts so long, and you will be running ,in the sun, minimal coverage, and standing at the start for a bit (one of the charities had free sun screen by newton Wellesley hospital). THANK the volunteers, they have been around for a wile making things ready, the streets shut down at 7am, and the last wave does not go off until 1130 ish, then  they break down and clean. This year, 2016, marks the 120th anniversary of the Boston Marathon! Just as cool as that, it is the 50th anniversary of women being allowed in the Boston Marathon!! When we started, there were just so many people, it was hard to move around, so do not try, use it to your advantage, and use it to force yourself to slow down. You will need the help, the steepest down is right at the start, it is easy to just let the decline take you, but do not fall into the trap, it will sap your legs for later in the race when you need them!

So much fun!

When running, I had my Mother, and a few friends in Natick cheering me on. As well as in Newton, Team RWB was camped out at the mile 17 marker, just before you took the right past the fire station. then maybe a mile later, November Project was out, and more cheers, it really helps make the race. Then in Brookline area, I had 3 friends spaced out, I got a hug and a few high 5's, I felt like crap, but magically it did not show, probably because I was lucky and did not walk when my friends were near!
Some pointers to keep in mind for spectators and racers coordinating what mile area you will be and what side of the street you will be on at that time. it is very hard to cross the street (though they had a few ways of getting people into a star market that was cool and did not interrupt the flow of runners). Also it cuts down on the extra mileage you will run, less wasted energy, and less chance of running into people. Also this makes it better for when you want hugs, it helps with an energy boost! that and all the awesome signs people make, seriously, take a second and google articles of best boaton marathon signs, they were great (the best are in Wellesley I think).

Tanks Jonathan! mile 23

Also, another tip Wellesley college, right in front as you run by is passed with the college students screaming so much, I heard them at least a 1/4 mile away, all holding signs saying kiss me. some where creative, like kiss me I am a french major, I just broke up with my boyfriend.... you get the idea, it was an interesting thing to see, so why not make a pit stop, experience life and all that.
Somewhere in chestnut hill area, I forget, I was told people say 3 miles to beer, they are lying, they have been there every year for a wile, it is 6 miles, they are hashers, they are funny, (look up what a hash is, one day I will have fun with them)
One of the coolest things about the race, the thing that makes Boston an experience like no other, is everybody that comes out and cheers you on. Seriously, the whole 26.2 was covered in people cheering you on. You could tell where the bars were and the colleges, that is where people were the most drunk, and the most happy. Hell most of them were offering you a beer. One dude had a 1/5 of rum he was letting runners drink, in Natick, it was a nice idea, but I was not stopping. People were offering up plastic cups of beer as well, so if you wanted you could have had several wile running. Many spectators, either in front of their house, or camped out somewhere were offering all kinds of things, I grabbed a few twizzlers on course. several business gave out freebies, a coconut water company gave out bottles across from whole foods in wellsley, and several places gave out cups of water. SO MANY kids with water guns or spray bottles helping to cool you off, a few people had hoses they were running. The fire station in Newton had a short tent you could run through that misted water, it was great. and heartbreak hill in newton was one of a few places you got shade, it was great, on those hills where so many had to walk, like me!

Heart break hill Sucked for me, because most of the race in a net downhill before there, nut just before the course fluctuates a bunch, and then you get the big hills, after about 17 miles of net down, but plenty of rolling hills, it is draining when you come up to a big hill in the course wile running that long that fast. At that point, my hips were screaming at me, I was seriously worried what was gonna happen next, luckily faded after about 3 miles, and then my body kept giving me weird pains all through my legs, kinda to be expected on a marathon. My training suffered due to a few injuries, so I expected to have some fun like this. Luckily this was not obvious, so when I would see friends miles later, and ran to them, I looked better, conditioning helps I guess? So make sure to run these hills, and know how to keep proper posture, as that saved me from being worse off. And knowing how to switch up strides depending on what the course does, like up hill and downhill.

Thanks Ron! Finish line photo

The point that nothing is like Boston comes from the fact that they are everywhere like I said, but when you hit Chestnut hill, they start to get louder and more compact. More dense, and more volume the closer you get to Boston, in each town. When you are just outside of Boston, it is almost deafening, and they just do not stop. When you turn onto Boylston, you have barley anything left, everybody is screaming, and this, and all the people before, they carry you, they really do. I got to the last 2 ish miles left, and I refused to walk again, I kept okay pace, and just took in the crowd, a bridge about a mile out, was just painted with Boston Strong, it was hard not to get choked up. The crowd really inspires you to keep moving, they had a sign with a mile to go, and all the things that keep you going and pushing. You push past the fact that for at least the last 2 miles all the small stabilizing muscles in you legs are killing you. that all kinds of pains are shooting around, you keep moving, it is almost over, and then you do not have to do anything the rest of the day, except get home, and rest, hell sit down on the T back, or anywhere, all the breaks you want are fine, after you are done!
Wear the medal post race, many places give discounts, many people will high 5 and congratulate you. Seriously, it is the nicest experience in Boston I had, with random strangers! I heard free T ride back, try it out, the worst that happens is that they say no.

I am a unicorn!

The people running the course were also amazing, I got passed but some pretty old people, I was amazed they were running so strong, for what I am guessing is 60+ age. There were several athletes tat passed ,e that had amputations. I saw several blind runners, running with a guide, it was amazing to take in, I saw at least 4 blind runners, it is awesome.

I desperately want to be one of the people that runs Boston for like 30 years in a row, I have some work to do, and some speed to gain to make that work.

If you are thinking of doing this, get on it, not fast enough to qualify, don't worry, I am a a year or so away, if I dedicate my time, to qualifying. Be one of the first to request bibs in the fall, or it gets harder to get a bib, less time to fund raise, less odds of a lower required fundraising target etc.

Mile 27 crowded after party, we walked the warning track

A short summery of things to remember if you run for charity. It will be hard, not everybody that says they will donate does, but things, and money changes, it happens. People really do come out of the wood work to donate, Boston is special, you will receive donations from those you would have never expected. A sign up at work with your bib, and all info about your race and info about your charity will go a long way.When you get tired out there on course, remember who and what you are running for, (you will probably tear up) and it will get you going again! Remember you did an awesome thing, for an awesome cause, be happy, it is okay to be proud of this accomplishment!

Also, something I have noticed, with each new thing I do, or try to do.I am slowly realizing that I have an ability to inspire others, which is something I have to get used to, I am just going out and having fun. But one of the cool things about running and fitness in general, if you stick with it long enough, you can help others better themselves. Just share your experience, however you feel most comfortable with. It was absolutely amazing to me, the amount of people that showed love for me in this event. It was kind of overwhelming, I had a very hard time keeping up with everybodies posts on facebook. I was actually paranoid I was going to miss one, or a few. It did not help when I would get a notification and fb would not load my wall. They say anybody who runs a marathon will tell you about it,well that is not a bad thing, it is hard, why not talk about it, you put in months of training, and put it all out there one day. fought demons, and pushed through some hard stuff to go as far as you could, as best as you could. Not many people can do , or would do that. So keep up the good work, you never know who is watching you, seriously, people I did not realize would be excited were very loud cheering squad for me, it felt amazing!

In the end I ran it in 4:53, 5 min slower than Baystate, and with a few injures over my training. Wile I always want to improve I am happy with this race. I am also happy that oh so many friends got the chance to run it as well. And I hope to share the day with even more friends in the future! 

So summery of tips:

write your name on your shirt, or a piece of tape and put it on your shirt, people will cheer for you, and it will be great!

If you have a gps watch that will tell you pace, it is a life saver. I set mine up with current pace, average pace, distance, and time

be extra careful of pacing at the start, you start on a serious downhill, you need your legs for later

coordinate what side you will be on and where for friends

water and Gatorade are on both sides, Gatorade is first, they stagger them, more people run on the right, so go on the left!

take in the course, all the fun stuff, the signs, etc

do not post a picture of your bib before the race, this is how counterfeiters get in, and then you may not be in your own pictures (if you are going to shell out a small fortune for them)

sunscreen for athletes village, and toilet paper, they ran out at a few portapotties, and the ones on course as well!

in long distance races, start hydrating a week before the event, same time as tapering and carbo loading

In the last few days, I ramp up the food, water, and take some electrolyte pills, or anything to increase electrolytes, as too much water flushes the system, better safe than sorry, especially when it is hot out!

Lube is your friend, I usually only use it for my feet, if I do. Wool socks take care of most problems, and a good shirt will prevent nipple chaffing. Inner thighs can also be a common spot where chaffing can occur, watch your stride.

So until next time
Stay Active
Stephen

BAA 5K, and final pre marathon thoughts

So the baa 5k, Now this may not be the smartest idea days before a marathon, but I bout the medley pass, and I was not about to miss out! I ran with a friend, and it was a fun time. it was a down and back starting and ending on the Boston common, parking can be fun, but if you park just a few streets away, you can skip the big parking fee, that is if you live far away from public like I do. I found plenty of parking on Tremont st, about 1/2 mile away, perfect! One thing to keep in mind, you cross the Boston marathon finish line, so if you are superstitious, be warned. for those that are not, be careful, people stop and take selfies on the finish mid race, don't do that, don't be that person. The street is already closed off until Monday anyway. You can always grab a selfie after the race. The mc did a great job directing people before the race, and a good job saying hey don't take pictures on the finish line, keep running. Also, something to note, great volunteers! As I walked up to bag check, the lady read my number out loud before I was close enough to read it, that is awesome! Also fun note, my bib was 1776, it doesn't get cooler than that!

Try reading this at the expo on friday, that was hard

Boston day was Friday (4/15) and I went to pick up my bib because Friday is the least crowded. And walking around Boylston street and seeing everything going crazy in prep for Monday was cool. But the touching thing was all of the little shrines to those lost, and the messages of peace. Needless to say it is a very raw and emotional experience if you let it be. Facebook has been flooding with memories of 3 years ago, and the tragedy that happened that day. I have many dear friends that live in the city, some have moved out, many have stayed, I do not want to imagine how my life would be altered without them. I am reminded all the time, through facebook all the lives effected, most recently dream on, with team mr8, literally brought tears to my eyes, wile I was lying in bed before I got up this morning (Areosmith dream on Boston Bombing tribute, seriously look it up, it is powerful). So for many reasons, running Boston means more than I can put into words.

Running for charity, a common thing is the desire to qualify for Boston, but that is incredibly hard! There are running clubs and various other ways that you can get into the marathon, but those are incredibly hard to get. Some business can get bibs, and some do not want to be on the hook for the funds, 6 grand was the minimum, and good luck, there were not that many charities that had minimum funds that low. I got in through the town program, it started 3 years ago, the minimum is way less, and the charities are effecting your immediate town, so you can tell the impact it is making.

Now the reason that this is so important to me, the charity that I picked is simple, but complicated. Basically, I believe in kindness, almost as a way of life, though you may not alays see it, it is there. Through my life, I have had Rape, and Domestic Violence touch several friends, all the way back to middle school. I have not been around to help, and it kinda breaks my heart, the fact that I was never able to help my friends when they needed it. So when I got the charity that helps those suffering from Rape and Domestic Violence, I was extremely excited to be able to help. I am finally able to make a difference, and it means the world to me, I honestly think it has been something I have been missing for some years.

Also, I do not get the proud feeling much, but I do with this,I was able to reach my goal! I just got the amount the other day, and I will deposit the last bit of cash later today. So a HUGE thank you to all of those that helped out, I do not know if you truly understand what it means to me. I have never been a fan of asking for money, but I am lucky, many friends gave. One of the best things is when somebody gives me a donation, and apologizes that they can not give more. The simple fact tha you gave means a lot, the amount does not need to be high, it is the good deed, and helping others that matters, that is the principle of this entire thing.

also if you are lucky enough to get a bib, don't post it to social media, baa does not like it, and you can get in trouble, you are making it easier for people to sneak onto the course.

also if you want to follow my race, my bib is 28289, and the baa app will update, and their web site also changes on race day to make it easier to follow people.

So for those of you that may want to help me continue to help my cause the link is here.

Stay active
Stephen

Boston Marathon: Team Framingham 2016

Hello all!

Sorry I have not updated at all this year, life has gotten in the way. First this I will say is this, I have done 3 races this year, a winter 5k in NH that gave you a free hoodie with each entry, that was pretty cool (the name escapes me, but it was just shy of a full 5k, and the hoodie is awesome!). I did Polar bear, (more like brown bear due to lack of snow this winter) and it was as fun as shale hill always is. Also there was blizzard blast, missing snow, fun, but needed snow.

Now onto the new stuff since the last Boston post! 

So the benefits of running for a charity are awesome! The town selectmen has been doing the Boston marathon for a long time, and he has been a great help for all the things that you need to know about Boston marathon. Team Framingham benefits 6 local charities, and Greater Framingham Running Club has been there to support. We have had several meetings, handing out applications, going over the online donations site, and running tips for anybody that asked. There were a few long runs organized, down and backs on the course. They also got us t shirts, and parking at the 21 mile mark on the course and transportation to the start line. It has been awesome getting all the pointers, and the people that were out on the course on charity day just giving out food/water/gatoraide/guus to all the runners on their yards were awesome. The charities were checking on their teams, and giving out stiff to any runner that wanted it, it was an awesome atmosphere! There were even cops directing traffic along the course. In Natick on speen street, the bridge over 128 in wellesley, at the fire station (in newton?) and through spots on the hills through heartbreak, and just by the college. It was a great 21 miler!

My training though, has been horrible, I hurt my ankle, very slightly, but also my knee in Jan, right when I was improving all levels of speed! then when that got better my heel has been upset, luckily mostly with cross training. Then my hips have been messed up due to issues with my psoas! Luckily I have a great healer, she helps me with fixing my body through various forms of massage, and tricks to help me fix stuff on my own. due to that, and being sick, my long runs were never more than a 1/2, blisters were forming around11/12, really bad ones, again, due to hips. so it was 13ish, 13ish, 10. Luckily I knew I could run longer, but when you add mileage, and do not add more repair time, problems come up! The couch ridden 3 or 4 days before charity day were bad, the flu sucks, my stomach did not want to run, luckily I was better by charity day.

Due to the lack of training, I probably will not get sub 4hr like I had wanted. but I did pr a 10 miler a few days ago, wile I am supposed to be tapering, maybe that is a good sign, now to keep my pacing on race day! So now the new goal is to beat baystate (4:45) and to keep running, though I may skip heartbreak hill. Because it is more important to finish running, and most time running, if I walk a hill it will not be the end.

Also, some tips for what I have learned for fundraising!

Raffles are great!

 I raised $200 bucks with mine! I was very lucky in a few ways with that. First a friend of mine was looking to use some well crafted wood work for charity. He gave me a jewelry box, 2 candle holders, a fancy wine holder, and a cheese tray. The woman that has been healing my body for years, even before I was an athlete, gave me a gift certificate for an hour to raffle off. 

I also went to several business in the area asking for donations. This is what I got: $50 Target gift card, $25 Stop and shop gift card, about $40 bucks worth of food from trader joes in the form of a raffle bag with an Italian theme. And a few mugs, and water bottles, and pins/key chains/pins from my charity, those helped make the raffle winnings bigger, and easier to sell for $5 a pop.

Dining for a cause

So most restaurants offer a kick back, as part of a standard package for a charity night. Most will require a card that they email to you, and then print and hand out. Then when your friends pay their bill you get a percentage sent as a check to your charity. the percentage varies, I have seen from 10% to 20%. Many will have an all day thing going, or you can have a set time. I saw some people doing what I should have, which is combine the two, and charge at the door. For example, 26 bucks at the door, comes with a beer and small food, and you can buy raffle tickets. Careful as some times this flops, plan to do several things to help, multiple time, you will have a lot of money to raise!

My first one had a small showing, it was fun, but not as much raised as I would have hoped. The second, a charity rep showed up to talk, but not many else, it was family, and a friend. But I got stuff for my raffle from them so it helped. It was a bust, but not everything works, all you can do is try!

Games

So with the timing of Boston, and when you get your charity acceptance, the Superbowl will be taking place. This is great for something called Superbowl squares, sell them for $10 or $20 a square and you get 500/1000. Do it like a 50/50 raffle, 1/2 to the winner, 1/2 to the charity. plus you can always say that it would be great to donate the winnings to whoever wins, I had 2 awesome people give back their winnings!

Also march madness brackets fall in the time before your money is due, and cbs, and espn allow for small groups to do that, and do all the work for you. That way you do not have to know anything about the rules to use it as a tool to raise money! That is exactly what happened in my case. Also I used the gift cards as prize that way the winnings all went to the charity, if you get a few gift cards you could do the same for super bowl squares.

Social media

This one is the most obvious, and also my most effective way of raising funds, by just posting the link. Most people will donate something, even people who do not run, and do not understand the fact that you are required to raise the money, or pay out of your own pocket to cover the rest. It also helps when you have a great cause to promote.

Work

This one was kind of a surprise to me. I mean I know, I spend a whole bunch of time there, but still, no runners there, and not sure how people felt. BIG MISTAKE, I had a bunch of help from several people there! (it also helps my brother works with me and has been a big supporter, and talking about it a bunch to people) Just talk to coworkers! Even people that do not know how far a marathon is, or anything like that, in Massachusetts, everybody knows about the Boston marathon, especially those that live near the course! And many people will want to help when they understand that you have to raise money to get in.

Also, something to keep in mind. People really do come out of the wood work to help with something like this, people you would never expect to get money from, or from across the country, or from way long ago. But there are also people who say they will give, but never do, stuff happens, and you never know what is going on in their lives. That is why I never push, and do not hold it against them.

As for me, I gave up on a venue that never got back to me, regardless how many times I was told they would help me. So instead, I threw myself a birthday party, invited a bunch of friends, and then raffled off the last of the stuff I had. It was great. I really stink at hosting a bunch of people I am better with a few. Luckily for me, I had help from my Mom, and Brother, and my friends all had fun, and money as raised. I am lucky that I had a birthday, and that I have my own place that I can just throw my own, and not worry about a venue not working out.

One thing is for sure, running for a cause is very different than any other time I have run. Also this is Boston, a potentially once in a life time experience (we will see about that, one day I will qualify!). I can not tell you how many times I have gotten teary eyed thinking about my cause. In case you are new, or missed my conversations, or facebook posts, I will tell you. Voices Against Violence is based in framingham, and helps those who are suffering from domestic violence, and rape crisis. They offer a wide variety of services for free. they are active in the community trying to educate and raise awareness to help make a difference before problems arise, they reach out to schools, try and effect change in policies, etc. They also work closely with any and all branches of local government, police and the like to assist in legal cases if needed, and safe housing. They make me feel all warm inside helping them. It is funny when they are impressed with the fact that I am running a marathon, that is way easier than what they do, so it gives me extra joy to assist them in raising funds so they can keep doing the good they do for the surrounding communities!

I am sure you can see where this is going next! PLEASE help me reach my goal, as I am typing this, I have only $150 to go to my goal of $2,500!!! I would love to get more, everything will help, but I really want to prove to myself that I can make this work. the link is here to donate.

Also, This looks like it could be a warm marathon this year, should be interesting if it gets too warm! Now I am off to hydrate, carbo load, and get electrolytes in me, all wile running slower, this should be fun. at least I have the baa 5k, and marathon expo to calm me down..... or hype me up!

To read up on all that I have posted check below for other posts about my experience with Boston so far:

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

Post 4

As always
Until next time

Stay Active

Stephen 

Boston Marathon: Voices Against Violence

So, things are starting to get real for me now. I just got an email telling me I got my first pick for a charity to raise funds for. Voices Against Violence is an organization that helps those who are suffering from domestic violence, and sexual abuse. I have heard stories from far too many friends that have suffered from this through my life. Now is my chance to help out, and make a difference! I am so excited to be able to help those in need. It makes running the Boston Marathon that much more special to me! I have had many friends offer up help, and I will be reaching out to everybody for ideas and help of any kind. The goal is 2,500, but I would like to see what I can do, and plan to surpass that amount. Alright enough about me. This is about the charity I chose to help as best I can.

About Voices

Voices' mission is to end sexual and domestic violence. Voices staff members work to empower victims and survivors to help themselves and their children. Program Advocates work in partnership with individuals and families to ensure their safety, create stable home environments, gain independence, and to develop personal and economic self-sufficiency. Voices is also a social change organization, working toward the elimination of violence on a societal level through community education, primary prevention and increased public awareness and action. Voices also works in close collaboration with public safety and criminal justice professionals throughout the region.
Voices is a proud core member of Jane Doe, Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Services

Voices provides free and confidential services to victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence in the MetroWest area. Services are provided in English, Spanish, and Portuguese and are available to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.
Services include a 24-hour hotline, crisis intervention, confidential short term emergency shelter, counseling and support groups, information and referrals, and medical, legal and criminal justice advocacy. Voices also offers Supervised Vistation services on a sliding fee schedule through KidSpace. For more information about KidSpace, please call 508-962-2643.
In addition to direct services for victims and survivors, Voices conducts outreach and education to community groups and professionals, as well as primary prevention activities to address the root causes of violence and prevent the development of perpetration

 (these two paragraphs were pulled from their web site)

Some more info about this organization can be found on their web site here.

So keep me, and more importantly this organization in mind, It would mean the world to me, whatever help you can give!

Here is my fundraising link:

Until next time
Stay active
Stephen

Cupids Undie Run 2016: The bearded edition!

Thank you Heather, you started this whole thing

I am back again, doing Cupids Undie run, this time a few things have changed for me. It is still the same cause, to #endnf, Benefiting the Children's Tumor Foundation. For more info about the charity the money goes to, and it's research check out their web site, I have a link here with some info about NF.

So last time around, I was super shy about everything involved. I was shy about asking for money (figuring ways to get people to donate is not easy, but I got 150, I had to promise burpees, it only sorta worked). I was also shy about telling people what I was doing, I knew I would be with friends, so I was not overly insecure, but telling people at work, and asking for money, it felt too much. I only really got over it around the run. I had noticed that even though I did not know anybody with NF, that I had loved ones that knew people with it! My friend asked to share something about it on facebook, because their friend had it and just did it. So I officially did not feel bad, I knew it was for a good cause, and that I did some good (and had a whole lot of fun wile doing it).

Whitebeard attempt #1

This time around though, I had a better plan! This time around I have a giant beard, I mean massive, the biggest I have ever had in my life, it has been growing for  7.5 months!!! (I grew it to have the forest gump look for an ultra, and it worked!) I had been wanting to get rid of it for a wile now, like 2 months. But I figured, why not try and raise some funds before shaving it, so I put it on facebook, and said if I got 75 then I would cut off the beard. You see I had been getting grief about how long it was for months, and figured it would be incentive to get rid of it, WRONG! I had a few friends instantly ask "How much to save it?" so then I started a bidding war, because why not! I put 10 days on it, and did not expect much, I was hoping for 100 bucks all together. Well this is where things get interesting, One friend, took the picture I posted, and made a flattering status update, and donated money to my page, and asked for her friends to spare some money to save the beard as well. I was touched! it was awesome, and unexpected!! then shortly after, maybe an hour or two, one of my brothers shared it, and again, flattered me with compliments and asked to donate.Then my other brother, then a few friends shared my picture and link post as well. and the best part? IT WORKED, better than I would have ever thought, 200 bucks in about 24 hours! That is 50 bucks more than last year in a day. Man this beard was paying off. Only problem was that now, clean shaven was up by 5 bucks, a few days after the post, I was up to about 240, and I kinda wanted to keep it, you see my friend said she wanted a blackbeard for me, and I kinda liked the picture, and idea, because I will not grow one this long again, why not have fun with it before I shave it.

Before Glitter

So now, I am trying to figure out how to make it work. I make a few posts, try to get people to donate, but not be annoying. One friend said I should be festive for the holidays, and dye it white, again, anything for the cause, so I said if you donate, and the beard wins, you got it. So now I am at Black beard, White beard, and whatever else comes up to keep the beard and have my fun!

Glitter

Good Location

This is all their fault

Then it got interesting, so there is this thing that some people do, and put glitter in their beard, not my level of weird, I had no desire to ever do it. Until one day at a bar, for a fundraiser, a woman asked if she could glitter my beard, after saying no several times mind you. I said something to keep her quiet, sure if you can raise money for my charity, thinking it would not happen, we agreed to 300, and her, and a friend went to work. Oh man I instantly regretted it. I underestimated how much these people, many of them friends, wanted to torture me, and see a glitter beard, in Red, White, and Blue, even better (it was a team RWB event after all). So fun was had, I walked out, happily dreading the day, this happened on a Monday, and I took money for the charity, donated it, and agreed to glitter it on that Sunday, wile at another fundraiser for the same team, they really do good work, I am happy to be a part of the team, even if they make me glitter my beard! One of the women is picking up the glitter, and anything else that is needed, which is also awesome, all I had to do was show up. So now we add on the glitter beard, oh man, this has been one wild and crazy 10 day charity bidding war over a beard, and I am so happy to have raised over 500, even if it was because many of them want to torture me, at least I am doing good, and making people laugh, so all is well that ends well!

I do not usually like to much attention, so this has been weird, but awesome.

Glitter is meant to be shared right?

  Because it is the season

Because why not!

Whitebeard

If you want to donate to help #endnf the link is here

If you want to join me in febuary, and have fun here is a link to sign up:
https://my.cupids.org/register.asp?ref=40110

If you want motivation, there is still plenty of time to fund raise for this charity run, and here are some of the perks to raising funds 


Here is a link to the video of the magic of glitterbeard wile it happened

Also Huge thanks to Henry for most of the pictures, and David for the video! There were many others taking pictures, naturally, I mean how often do things like this happen, but the facetime during, was priceless, thank you all for the laughs, and donations through this. Even if most of you just wanted to humiliate me, I will still happily take it, it is the least I can do for a good cause!



 

So join me in the fun! And as always

Until Next time

Stay active

Stephen

Boston Marathon, part 3, the return, the good post

So I have wanted to do the Boston Marathon for a wile now, I even wrote 2 posts about it, and how I found my info along the way, so that anybody else who may be looking had a better idea of where to look. Those are here and here. But then I realized just how much money it is, and just how much I spent on stuff this year, so I stopped looking. But, you see, I had already filled out an app at town hall, just figured I probably would not get in, since they only get 22 bibs both last year and this year. Also it was different, you did not fill out an app, and pick a charity you wanted, so a different way to go about getting a reg. Aaaaannnndddddd then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, on a Tuesday night, BOOM! My watch buzzes, and flashes through an email, saying congratulations on joining team Framingham!!! I felt myself shaking, and get nauseous all at the same time, I wanted to scream, but I wanted to wait and go over all the details before I celebrated, make sure it was not a wait list, and that they had charities I could get behind. That and I was not around many people that would understand the significance of getting into The Boston Marathon!!!

So flash forward a few days (2 days later) I fill out the app, email it in, find out there are some great causes that I would be very enthusiastic about helping out, and fill out my preferences. With Framingham, you have 6 charities to pick from, they make sure each charity has at least 2 runners raising funds. And they said that almost everybody got their first pick, so, of course I needed to make sure that I get one I really enthusiastically stand behind, so I send it in asap! Now I wait to hear back, and go to town hall in January, to meet people learn stuff, and figure out what charity I get, and what site  should use to get funds raised, and so on. I can barley control my excitement, This is such an awesome thing to happen, It is considerably less for me to pay out of pocket, and much less I am required to raise, which is great, because to hit the 5 grand, I would have not wanted to start this late! I will be open and honest, they require us to raise a minimum of 1,500 bucks, but state that they expect 2,500. It is still a decent chunk of change, luckily I know some awesome people that have been fundraising longer and better than I have, and know a few other people that have other ideas. I also have a few of my own, ones I may have used for cupids, and would still work for that, but This one will be getting my hard work from now on because I need to raise it, or I have to pay it. As much as I do not want to take away from anybody, the money will still be going to great causes, and I am amazed I was able to hit 500 for cupids, and they still have the potential for a few weeks of money to be raised with beard games.

Luckily I can be a good sport about these things, check here for the story I posted about the beard hilariousness that I did for cupids.

But basically, if you have any bit to give, anything at all, It will make a difference, and I will appropriate anything you can do, I know this is a time if year when money is tight, hell, I have that same problem. And I will likely annoy you on facebook with my posts, sorry it is just gonna happen, but I will keep it at a respectable level.

Now I just have to wait for the meeting and figure out wich cause I will represent, and get everything set up, and buy my reg, and start fundraising, and I will post all along the way of my journey!

Anyway thanks for reading, and wish me luck as I train hard this summer to try and get a sub 4 hour Boston marathon, and that I actually run the whole thing with no walking breaks!

So until next time
Stay Active
Stephen

Garmin Fenix 3 Product Review

So I got this watch about a week ago, and it is pretty cool, and super expensive. It has a place on my wrist all the time now, and if you want more info than I could probably ever put in a review, check out DC Rainmaker, he has so much info that I would not know how to get, or how to even know about, but he cheats, he tests for garmin. So anyway, lets start with my thoughts on this watch. There is so much on here, so keep in mind I am just scratching the surface. Now you make see the watch and think why do I need a 500 dollar watch, well you don't, but it is cool. I wanted it because it has a long battery life, plan and simple, I love ultras, I just did the TARC fels winter ultra, and it offers better gps accuracy than my last watch, the fr10. So some f the things you may not know, that I wanted to know, but could not find online:

1. It has programmable timers for each activity (like running, trail running, biking, swimming, etc). You have several options: preset, water, food, (you can set them for any interval based min)Also HR, Run/Walk, Pace, Time, Distance, Cadence, Calories, and Elevation (also under custom, turn around, go home (lol) and a completely custom name you make yourself!)
2.  It has a track back feature, it comes in handy when you are in unfamiliar territory, or a trail you can get lost in easily.
3. you can make a course, and race it, it gets stored on the watch somehow, I guess magic!
4. you can make hotkeys, I chose bluetooth and location storing (you can also use stop watch and timer)
5. you can lock the screen, so when you hit button it will not effect your data 
6. Instant gps lock, even in new places, it barley takes a second the few times I have used it! 
7. there is a setting that lets you use the watch wile charging, not just gps, but also change settings, whatever you want to access wile it is plugged in
8. you can have the watch auto shut off notifications off all kind, or just phone calls.
9. you can set up a live track and post it to facebook, twitter, email, or your connect friends, all  of them (not many people use it regularly, but hey it has facebook)

 This watch is also heavy, not as bad as the sapphire one, (it has a nicer quartz, (watch talk for face plate) it is scratch resistant, and nicer metal bracelet, and rubber strap as well). But this watch could be a problem on super long runs or races just switch wrists, keep in mind if it was not heavy it probably would not do all the cool things it does!

Weather!

As far as the other non running things too! It connect by bluetooth, and tells you when you have notifications like text, call, email, facebook, etc. You can easily change that on your phone and the notifications area and shut off the push, or change the settings as you wish. It is pretty good, I have had my watch buzz before my phone on several occasions, and  Step counter is a nice touch. You can see the temp, altimeter, and barometer for the last 48hrs as well. You get cool controls for you music, it has to be in the background, and you can see your calendar for the day as well, but that has on occasion not worked unless the app was in the backround. It is also supports temperature on the watch face, by converting to some app on your phone I would guess, as it only worked for a day or two. When I updated my IOS to the current one (9.1, about to be 9.2 as I type this) the weather no longer showed, no idea what happened, both the watch and phone have been power cycled, and connections reset. So I am at a loss. The blue tooth connectivity is great, a surprisingly long reach for a watch, and an Iphone 5s. The watch face can be tweaked in the digital face to show battery, day of week, and month, and  bluetooth connection status, also the time of the next sunrise/sunset! All of which can be tweaked based on prefernce, you can have a classic analog look if you prefer, but that seems to offer less options for what you see other than the dial. There is a find phone option on this watch as well, it will make the phone make noise, and it will show an arrow as to where it is, giving you direction when you louse your phone!

Time!

The heart rate monitor is super easy to connect, I do not plan to get any of the other fancy high tech data collectors ( you can get monitors for temp, and a foot  pod that measures cadence and other data based on your run very easily, and one for more accurate data on a bike) It will auto upload by bluetooth to your app on your phone, it is super easy. It took me a few tries to connect the heart rate monitor (that is why I connected it the night before my run), but after a few applies of water from a sponge it connected quickly, and now as soon as the strap is connected, and wet, it connects instantly, no need for me to dig through sub menus to find it! I have heard that the wrist based ones are still not as good as the chest, and they have to be pretty tight to be fully accurate. But I do not know, I mention this because if you want a cheaper alternative, there are some and they have many of the same features, but I wanted the super long battery life, the option to make it even longer in the settings, and the ability to charge on the go so a multi day race can still be recorded! (and yes those are planned in my future, I will learn everything about this watch, probably before the end of the summer in 2016)

I am so not meeting my step goal

So Is this watch the greatest at everything? Hell no, but it is awesome for what I want it to be, long battery life, notifications from my watch, accurate details on more things than I ever thought would be cool on a watch. It comes at off sets, several options are unavailable unless the garmin connect app is running in the back ground, and I still can not get the weather to connect. But I am a fan, you can do most of this stuff on some of the medium level watches from garmin (or sunnto, or tomtom, I just picked garmin a wile ago, and love them, well most of the time)

So there you have it, My first impression on this super fancy ultra watch! I am sure I may have forgotten something, but bear with me I have only had it for like 3 runs, in about a week. Soon I will see how some of the apps work fr it, and how well it works as a srtength training tool, there are a few cool apps that set timers, and show you your heart rate wile you work out. Also cool apps that show your your heart rate and what zone you are in ect. If you have any further questions, or think I missed something, let me know!

Until Next time
Stay active
Stephen

Update! Literally a moment after I hit post for this blog, the watch started to show the weather again, so yay!