We made it!

Yesterday, we started in Hopkinton at 10:30am, and arrived in Boston, together, 4 hours, 33 mins and 48 seconds later.  It seemed like every couple of miles there were familiar faces cheering us on. Together, we have raised close to $30,000 for Dana-Farber, and we aren't done yet.

THANK YOU!  For your support, donations and words of encouragement.  We truly couldn't have done this without you.

Courtney & Amanda

100 Reasons to Run the Boston Marathon

Thanks to all for giving us 100 reasons, and more, to run the 114th Boston Marathon. Follow our progress and read below for the many, many reasons we run.

We appreciate all of the support - financial and emotional - that we have received over the past months, and we've really enjoyed having you along for the ride via the blog. Check back after the Marathon for a recap.

With much love,
Amanda & Courtney

1 day (Amanda & Courtney): For Kira Corning, Jennifer Kennedy, and Jennifer Gray Beckman. Three fabulous ladies who will be with us every step of the way.
2 days (Amanda & Courtney): Because we couldn't imagine running a marathon with any other organization. Dana-Farber is a very, very special place and we are proud to run for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge.
3 days (Ann Trason): Because it hurts up to a point, and then it doesn't get any worse.
4 days (Patti Sue Plummer): Because when the gun goes off, everything changes. The world changes.
5 days (Jeff, teammate): Because I love you guys!
6 days (Jeff, teammate): Because I can't wait to kiss the Wellesley girls.
7 days (Stephanie, teammate): Because there's only one Jersey Shore episode to go.
8 days (Melissa, teammate): Because I am f'ing hungry.
9 days (Courtney): Because it's a really good excuse to buy new clothes.
10 days (Amanda): Because it brings Sister to Boston!
11 days (Jack Fultz, '76 Boston Marathon winner): Because the marathon is the celebration of all the hard work.
12 days (Courtney): Because why else would I have tallied 491.6 miles over the last six months?
13 days (Anonymous): Because why should the Kenyans have all the fun?
14 days (Court & Amanda): Because it's a really good excuse to have a Date Auction.
15 days (KMP, via Boston.com's Why I Run): Because it feels special knowing that few people have ever seen how beautiful the sunrise over Boston is from the Charles River bike bath under the BU bridge.
16 days (Kristen, via Boston.com's Why I Run): To build physical and mental toughness, which serve me well in other aspects of life.
17 days (Courtney): Because it is distraction from a Virginia PET scan.
18 days (Erin, via Boston.com's Why I Run): Because it satisfies my yearning for adventure, my insatiable sense of inquiry, and my desire to experience the world in ways inimitable.
19 days (Carol, via Boston.com's Why I Run): Because running is an escape from the chemo and radiation treatments.
20 days (Anonymous): Because D.A. should be planning for graduation parties, not for treatment for metastatic cancer.
21 days (Herb Brooks): This is your moment. You're meant to be here.
22 days (George Sheehan): "Everyone who finishes the Boston Marathon has their own great moment in sport. Each of us on this day has achieved greatness."
23 days (John Treacy, 1984 Olympic marathon silver medalist who finished third in the 1988 Boston Marathon in 2:09:15): "The great mystique of Heartbreak Hill is not getting up it. It's getting down it."
24 days (Muhammed Ali): Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision.
25 days (George Patton): "Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage"
26 days (Uta Pippig): I definitely want to show how beautiful the marathon can be. I am the opponent of all those who find the marathon bad: the psychologists, the physiologists, the doubters. I make the marathon beatiful for myself and for others. That's why I'm here.
27 days (Jodi South): "Once you run your first marathon, Boston is the next step. It's the big dream."
28 days (Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon winner ): "The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong."
29 days (Vince Lombardi): Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.
30 days (Emil Zatopek via teammate Caitlin's sister): "We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
31 days (Jack Nicklaus ): "I'm a firm believer that in the theory that people only do their best at things they truly enjoy. It is difficult to excel at something you don't enjoy."
32 days (Paul "Bear" Bryant): "Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit."
33 days (Tommy Lasorda): "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination."
34 days (Jim Valvano): "Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul."
35 days (Vince Lombardi): "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."
36 days (Herb Brooks): "Great moments are born from great opportunities."
37 days (Mike Ditka): "Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy."
38 days (Calvin Coolidge): "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
39 days (Anonymous, teammate): I am running today, so that those who can't will be able to run tomorrow.
40 days (Courtney): Because what does not kill you makes you stronger.
41 days (Steph, teammate): Because my husband/wife/family/friends/co-workers find me a lot more manageable when I've been running...
42 days (Steph, teammate): Because for a few hours on Marathon Monday a 'regular' runner like myself can feel like an elite.
43 days (Amy, teammate): Because your glycogen stores are full and you need to do something to deplete them...
44 days (Gene, supporter): Because the money you raise will not only help patients today, but hopefully prevent people from being patients tomorrow.
45 days (Brandy, supporter): Because bikini season is coming up and you'll have some killer limbs to show off!
46 days (Pam, teammate): Initially running to fulfill a dream, now I'm running to give hope, inspiration,and resources to those with cancer.
47 days (Courtney): Because I am honored to run in the memory of a 16 year old young woman who passed away far too young, and whose family will never forget their Dana-Farber experience.
48 days (Courtney): Because pants that have always been a little too small now are too loose.
49 days (Jon, supporter and Boston Marathon alum): Because running 26.2 miles is easier than drinking 26.2 beers in the same amount of time...
50 days (Jeff, teammate): I run because I am being metaphorically chased.
51 days (Jeff, teammate): Because football season is over, and I need to stay in shape for next tailgating season!
52 days (Melissa, supporter and Boston Marathon alum): Because "actions speak louder than intentions" - stolen from an Adidas billboard along the course last year
53 days (Dotto, supporter): Because it improves your lung capacity for singing.
54 days (Emil Zatopek, via Eric, DFMC teammate): Because "we are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
55 days (Paul Fetscher via Eric, DFMC teammate): Because "if I want to tell you the most about a person in the fewest words, I simply say, 'he's a runner.'"
56 days (Don Kardong via Tyler, DFMC teammate): Because "there's no such thing as a bad carbohydrate.”
57 days (Anonymous via Alicia, DFMC teammate): "Because toenails are for sissies."
58 days (Anonymous via Alicia, DFMC teammate): "At mile 20 I thought I was dead, at mile 22 I wished I was dead, At mile 24 I knew I was dead, at mile 26.2 I knew nothing could kill me."
59 days (Anonymous via Alicia, DFMC teammate): "Because a marathon is a 10K with a 20 mile warm up."
60 days (Ben, supporter): "If HE can do it, then YOU can do it!"
61 days (Mary Claire, proud mom and supporter): "Because everytime I log onto the internet and the two of you show up on my homepage - and I read the updates - I smile."
62 days (Nikki, supporter): "Because for each year after when you are a spectator, you can feel the pain and triumph of those running for their cause, yet still enjoy your beer."
63 days (Nikki, supporter): "So for the rest of your life you can start whatever story you want with "Well, when I ran the Boston Marathon..."
64 days (Lauren, supporter): Because how else are you going to burn off all those Thirsty Thursdays?
65 days (Barb, supporter): Because it gives your friends yet another reminder of how lucky they are to have such an amazing, generous, determined, dedicated, special person as their friend!
66 days (Nancy, supporter): Because you're working so hard, in such cold weather, to help fight cancer and find a cure. You inspire me to be a better person.
67 days (Leah, supporter): For the amazing patient partners who make each grueling mile that much more worthwhile.
68 days (Melissa, teammate): Because when I grow up I hope to one day say, "When I was young, there was thing called cancer..." And because beer/pizza on a Thursday night or breakfast on a Saturday morning NEVER tasted sooo good!
69 days (Amy, teammate): Because you get to meet fun new people that become fun new friends...
70 days (Jenni, supporter and Boston Marathon alum): Because you will feel so great going out for an "easy 10-miler" sometime soon.
71 days (Lindsey, teammate and Boston Marathon alum): Because every year that I write up my DFMC application, I have to add the name of another loved one diagnosed with cancer. And well, chocolate and a post run cold beverage never tasted so good.
72 days (Brandy, supporter): So that grandchildren may have the opportunity to get to know their grandparents.
73 days (Michelle, supporter): To bond with strangers before the sun wakes up on a day that could be filled with sun, snow, rain, extreme cold or heat and look back on it with a huge sense of pride and accomplishment.
74 days (Courtney): Because I was peer pressured. I'm blaming every injury, ache, and pain on Amanda for bullying me into signing up. And every day, thanking her for encouraging me to do something I never thought was possible.
75 days (Courtney): If running was easy, everyone would be doing it. I run in honor of the ones who cannot. (I partly stole that from Steph's 1/22/10 blog post.)
76 days (Leah, supporter & Boston Marathon alum): For the shiny medal at the end.
77 days (Jackie, supporter & Boston Marathon alum): In the words of the 2006 Boston Marathon ADIDAS ad campaign: The Shiny Blanket.
78 days (Ryan, supporter & Boston Marathon alum): Because the guilt free eating and drinking after the race is worth 3 months of training through the winter!
79 Days (Jen, supporter): Because despite the incredible advances that DFCI and its partners in industry have made, and the life changing outcomes that are now possible, cancer treatment still sucks.
80 Days (Amanda): Because my Jimmy Fund Clinic Patient Partner, Kira, is an amazing 8 year old who has gone through so much, with such a positive attitude. I cannot wait to meet her!
81 Days (A proud Dad observing two extraordinary young women): Because 26 miles from now, oops, years from now, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will have to drop "cancer" from its name because of the extraordinary sacrifices of runners and supporters and survivors.
82 Days (Mark, teammate): Because it's quicker than walking.
83 days (Michelle, supporter): Proving that no matter how much you think you aren't a runner, with the proper training you can be.
84 days (Marcy, teammate): (Courtesy of a tea tag) You will feel fulfilled when you do the impossible for someone else.
85 days (Mary Claire, supporter): Because someday one of us - or a family member - could need the services of a Dana-Farber type institution.
86 days (Sean & Steph, teammates): Because I can combine my selfish goal of becoming a stronger person, both physically and mentally; with the selfless goal of committing my time and energy to supporting an amazing cause that hopes to find a cure for cancer.
87 days (Michael, teammate): Because when we run 35-40 miles a week, we can eat all the ice cream we want.
88 days (Michael, teammate): Because we can SHOW our kids that there are things that are so important to do that we stick with them no matter how hard they are.
89 days (Brandy, supporter): Because you are able to do this together! and hold each other up. Such a wonderful thing you're doing! xx!
90 days (Charlotte, supporter): Because you will get a chance to see my smiling face at mile 20.
91 days (Lori, supporter): Because people like my brave strong friend JWP deserve a chance at a full recovery and a long life with her family and friends thanks to well-funded cancer research.
92 days (Jeff, supporter): Because everyone knows at least one survivor.
93 days (Jeff, supporter): Because few things in life feel more exhilarating than working so hard that you are actually sweating in below freezing weather.
94 days (Jeff, supporter): Because 20 years from now, you'll be shocked you were ever in such good shape.
95 days (Erin, supporter): Because you can! And so many others can't! So proud of you!
96 days (Leah, supporter & Boston Marathon alum): Because nothing says "hard-core" like running 15 miles on a Saturday morning in single digit weather.
97 days (Marcy, teammate): Because running for Dana-Farber allow you to heal your heart, your mind, your body and your soul. You come out a new person in the end, even with all the wear and tear. You learn what is truly important and learn that even on the hardest day of your life running 9 miles can give you a brand new outlook.
98 days (Brian, teammate): What Amanda said [99 days], because it deserves to be at least more than one reason.
99 days (Amanda): Because Thursday nights at Crossroads is the new weekend night.
100 days (Courtney): For clear 6 month PET scans and bringing MORE GOOD NEWS to families

Instruction Manual:

How to Watch Amanda and Courtney Run the Marathon

We started our blog with a video, one that helped to secure our spots on the 2010 DFMC team. We thought we'd post another now that we're so close (!) to the BIG DAY. Watch our quick video for some helpful and hilarious hints on how to be a spectator on Marathon Monday.

We mention a lot of resources in the video; links are below.

BAA SPECTATOR GUIDE

Gives you the schedule for the weekend, as well as how to get around on Marathon Monday with road closures and T service. It also gives you a map of the course and estimated times for the elite men and women (we'll be RIGHT behind them....haha)

Link

WHEN WILL WE GET TO YOU?

Use boston.com's interactive tool to get a rough idea of when we'll pass you along the route. Use 4h20mins for our expected finish time; we start at 10:30am but may be a little slow leaving Hopkinton because of the crowds.

Link

TEXT ALERTS

Sign up asap for text alerts - AT&T will send you a text message when your chosen runner passes the 10k, 30k, half marathon, and finish line.

Link

Amanda's bib #: 22498

Courtney's bib #: 22744

RACE DAY ON YOUR PDA

If you want more frequent, and less delayed updates, go to www.baa.org on race day and use the athlete tracker (by bib # or last name) to get updates. Just hit refresh, you can track as many as 5 runners at a time (assuming it's the same as last year).

WHERE TO FIND US AFTER WE FINISH

At the DFMC 2010 Recovery Zone of course! Join us at the Marriott Copley Plaza to celebrate our achievement!

Link

Humbled by Generosity

Dear Friends,

We had the most amazing time last night at our Date Auction. To all who came, more than 130 of you, THANK YOU. Thank you for donating to Dana-Farber, thank you for supporting our marathon, thank you for bidding and not embarrassing those of us who made it to the stage.

Thank you as well to those of you who donated items for the dates and door prizes - Amy, Dave & Mary, Jen, Nancy, Amber at the Fairmont Copley, Alex at Avanti Salon, Brian at Franklin Southie, and Deborah at the DFCI Gift Shop.

With your incredible generosity we were able to raise nearly $7,000 for the Claudia Adams Barr Program at Dana-Farber (insert wild applause here). We cannot say thank you enough, but we'll try one more time:

Thank you.

With much appreciation,
your hostesses Amanda & Courtney

Date Auction: Take Notes!

Please join us at our Date Auction:

Saturday, April 10th
An Tua Nua, 835 Beacon St. (just west of Kenmore Square)
7pm on; Auction starts @ 8:30pm
$20 suggested donation at the door
21+

And to prepare yourselves, here are our singles (in order of appearance on Saturday) and their dates!

COURTNEY. A night at cooking school, followed by drinks. Think Hitch but without the boss or the anaphylactic reaction.

TONY. Wine and chocolate tasting at Hotel Chocolat on Newbury Street.

JORGE. Dinner at Toro or Bar Lola for Spanish-style tapas, followed by tequila/ margarita tasting at Masa, ending with a Salsa lesson and more dancing at Havana Club or Mojitos lounge.

JENNI. Harpoon Brewery Tour & Tasting, plus dinner.

RASSUL. Ten-course meal, with wines, for the winning bidder and up to four friends.

LAUREN. Go see Hot Tub Time Machine featuring John Cusack followed by dinner at the Village Smokehouse in Brookline.

TOM. Start with a Photowalk tour of Boston, and from there have cocktails outside. Spontaneity will dictate where you'll eat while you are out and about! If still going strong, end the date by burning few calories on the dance floor - preferably salsa!

GREG. A night (yet to be determined) at the Sox, perhaps followed by dancing.

AMY. Work up an appetite canoeing on the Charles, then head to the Franklin Southie for Amy's favorite meal...brunch!

ED. Dinner at Sibling Rivalry, followed by The Wine Riot (a huge wine expo sampling wines from around the world). Saturday, April 17th.

ASHLEY. Spend an evening at Fenway Park on April 23rd as the Boston Red Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles.

ERIC. Dinner at Sibling Rivalry during on of their Show & Taste Tuesdays.

AMANDA. Bring your clubs and join Amanda on the range for a bucket of balls, followed by burgers and beers at her favorite little-known pub.

IHO

IHO = In Honor Of

In a mere handful of days, I'll don my sassy orange and green DFMC singlet and line up in Hopkinton with 26,000 other runners. Each and every one of us has different reasons and inspirations for running. Dana-Farber helps its runners highlight the people who have inspired them by giving out "In Honor Of" cards - a way for runners to celebrate those adults and kids who have undergone treatment and in whose honor we run.

I decorated ten cards for ten special people. There are many more who will guide my way, including and especially those in whose honor and memory my donors have contributed, but these ten names will be added to the hundreds of others that fellow DFMCers have created. No one signs up to get cancer, and none of these people asked to be an inspiration. They simply attacked cancer with all they had, with the support of their friends and family, and with hopes and prayers that they would make it through. And that makes them an inspiration for me.

One person whose family continues to honor her today by participating in the Marathon Challenge's In Memory program is Jennifer Kennedy. Jenn passed away four days after her 16th birthday, after an 18 month battle with Osteosarcoma. Jenn left quite an impact on Dana-Farber during her treatment, even charming Jason Varitek and helping to inspire his Tek's 33s program where he brings Children's Hospital patients to a Sox game.

I am fortunate to be partnered with Jenn's family and to be able to run in her memory. And it gave me a tremendous feeling of pride to work for Dana-Farber as Jenn's dad described her experience there, and when he said that the treatment she received was "second to none."

So for Jenn, my nine other IHOs (JGB, Papa, KD, MN, MC, SB, IM, Kira, & MS), and everyone that my donors and supporters are honoring as well, these 26.2 miles are for you.

Ten Days of Singles: Day 10

Day 10

Single #13:
Greg

Greg is a hands-on kind of guy. A carpenter by trade, he runs the family construction business. Also a true guys-guy, Greg loves sports and enjoys working out in his free time. He also likes going to the beach, catching a good flick, and going out for dinner, drinks, and dancing.

Ladies, you're in luck - Greg considers himself an old fashioned, always-hold-the-door-for-a-lady, type of guy. A lost art for certain!

Greg is still working on his date, but be assured that you'll be charmed.

Today is the final day of Ten Days of Singles. We hope you've enjoyed meeting our 13 singles as much as we've enjoyed introducing them to you! Please join us at our Date Auction:
Saturday, April 10th
An Tua Nua, 835 Beacon St. (just west of Kenmore Square)
7pm on; Auction starts @ 8:30pm
$20 suggested donation at the door
21+