Money Monday

Hey everyone

It’s Monday so here are five more reasons that you should help me in my goal of raising $6,000 for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund

1. I have a canister on the counter at Mr. G’s and in just two weeks perfect strangers have already donated $48

2. 31 of Dana-Farber’s physicians were recognized by Boston Magazine as the top physicians in the area

3. Dana-Farber president, Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, was recognized by the University of Texas with the Margaret L. Kripke Legend Award for Promotion of Women in Cancer Research and Cancer Medicine. Not only is their science amazing, but they support women as well…come on…that’s AWESOME!

4. On Saturday I ran 12 miles on a treadmill while watching the great American classic film “Welcome Home Rosco Jenkins starring Martin Lawrence (I will watch paint dry on a treadmill, it will probably be better than that movie too!)!!!  TWELVE MILES

5. I need your help and the help of your friends and your families to reach this goal!! We’re only 10 weeks from the day of Marathon Monday!

Ankle Update Alert!

Bosu Ball

I’m sorry that I haven’t posted much lately. I was a bit down in the dumps about not being able to run and was growing pretty tired of watching my ankle move up and down and side to side at physical therapy. Don’t get me wrong, I do understand just how important each one of those movements of my ankle are to my recovery but when you know that you’re supposed to be running 15 miles, it gets a little tough to get all that excited about making circles with your foot.

Alas,  I am here and let me say it loud and say it proud, THERE IS NO OTHER MARATHON. So many times over the past 8 weeks, when people have asked me how my foot is doing I’ve heard “Well, there will be other marathons.”  No one wants to see me disappointed or upset about missing out on this year’s marathon because of my injury. However, I have never been more determined to see something through to the end. I don’t care what else happens from now until April 18th, I don’t care if I end up crawling across that finish line but on April 18th I will have completed the Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team.

So let me give you an update. I am having a bit of trouble healing a ligament that goes right over my Talus (the major bone in your ankle). My exercises have gotten more challenging, my therapists Dan, Joanne, Iris, and Johnathan throw medicine balls at me while I balance on a balance disc (a frisbee-sized disc full of air), I rock back and forth and from side to side on a wobble board (a wooden board with a plastic ball located on the bottom),  and started speed walking on a treadmill for 10 minutes at a time. My appointment with Dr. Bradley was delayed because apparently, we live in Antarctica where it snows every other day. After digging a tunnel out my front door and taking a dog sled, I made it to Dr. Bradley’s, he thought that my ankle looked much better, was happy with my progress, and told me that it was finally okay to get back up on it and start moving. Dr. Bradley also has given me a long list of things to buy including my own balance disc, bosu ball, and heart rate monitor in order to make sure that I can get all of my training to be as efficient as possible.

Over the past two weeks the furthest I have run at one time is 5 miles. This weekend I plan on going for 8 miles. I am determined and I feel confident that if I increase each long run enough I can catch up to the distances that I should be at. I’ll let you all know how the weekend run goes. Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!

Thank you Thursday #3

This week’s thank you Thursday goes out to two great ladies…

The first is Kathy Wilson. I have had the pleasure of working with Kathy at HCPro for the last 6.5 years and she is not only great to work with but also, a ton of fun to travel. Working those Greeley seminars is no joke, the days are long starting at about 5:30 AM and going until about 6/7 at night and Kathy has an incredible amount of energy. Not only does she do it all with a smile but when you look at her at 7:00 PM you would have no idea she’s been at it for the last 13/14 hours. Plus she is always down to grab a beer after a hard day’s work. As anyone knows who is friends with Kathy on Facebook she is a HUGE Red Sox fan. Don’t start thinking that she’s one of those pink hats though, Kathy knows the Sox better than almost anyone I know. If Jerry Remmy or Don Orsillo ever do decide to resign the Sox should think long and hard about bringing in Kathy as the next announcer.

The second is perhaps one of the funniest, smartest, and most generous people I know, Gretel Seeley. Gretel is a blast to hang out with, you pretty much don’t stop laughing the entire time you’re with her, whether it’s on the porch of her condo or at the Anchor in Beverly you always have a great time with Gretel.  I met  the VP of Sales and Marketing for JSI Store Fixtures about 5 years ago playing hoops at the Gloucester YMCA. As some of you may know I am pretty competitive and sometimes my competitive side does not bring out, shall we say the best of my easy-going demeanor. Whenever Gretel saw me starting to act like Monday nights at the Gloucester YMCA were the same as Game 7 of the NBA finals against the Lakers, she would look at me and just laugh and say, “It’s the Gloucester YMCA. Want to go to Jalapenos after this and get a beer?”. Gretel has since traded in her high tops for a racing bike and tries to get me to go riding with her all the time so she can kick my ass, the girl is NASTY on a bike. Gretel  is also queen of all the latest and greatest technology, you name it and she has it, the iPad, the internet enabled TV, the latest Apple computer that Steve Jobs hasn’t even thought of yet…she’s got it all.  Gretel is a great friend and does the Multiple Sclerosis ride from Boston to Provincetown every year, so after you make your donation to me, keep Gretel in mind for your next donation.