Thank you Labor Day Creative...

The great guys of Labor Day Creative (Jeremy Wirth and Brian Rogers) took these photos of me running through Natick Center (around mile 10). Thanks for your support and advice!

Brian ran the Boston Marathon in the past and shared great advice and inspiration.

Heartbreak Hell...

Rick Bern (local photographer) did a great job capturing how exhausted I was with this photo of me running up a section of Heartbreak Hill. My face says it all... it was tough!

Thanks for the photo Rick!

4:54:33...

Goal accomplished! Most important I finished, and I was happy to run it in under 5 hours!

Thank you Lindsay...

Thank you Lindsay for posting such fantastic Marathon photos. You did a great job capturing how amazing and uplifting the day was.

Lindsay is a talented and passionate photographer. If you get a moment please check out her website Lindsay Lehmann.

THE BOSTON MARATHON: by Lindsay Lehmann

Well a good crowd turned out for Ryans Run in the Boston Marathon. I decided to post this blog: my first I might add, while he's at home recuperating. So many of Ryan's friends and family came out and followed him (the best we could) as he did his 26.2 mile run. There were people and cars everywhere, and what shocked me more was how many people actually were running. 27,000 runners, plus bandits add up to be more than I thought.

There were "Old Spamers"

"Telephone Runners"

"Excited runners"

"Really Tall Runners"

and "All American Runners"

and then, almost from out of nowhere, came our little "SuperMario Brother" runner.

He was running hard. Pushing himself, but didn't look strained. We were all so proud and couldn't have cheered louder.

Run Ryan Run!

Super Mario Brother or what?

And so after a quick kiss to the wife...

And encouraging words and steps with dad...

off he went up HeartBreak hill, and off we went to the T to go to Boylston St for the last leg of the race!

Before we knew it we were on Boylston St. waiting for Ryan to finish the final leg of the race. The end was in sight for every runner that came around that corner. Some were walking..

After tracking his entire race, what seemed like very quickly from his 21st mile, Ryan came around the corner just as strong and unphased as the last time we'd seen him.

He ran hard, and after a quick slap of the hands...
He was off again.
Everyone was excited... even the "naked beer cups"
And well, we're not sure what this was.
But Kelley and Jay were really pumped about it!
and Ryan was having the time of his life.
Go team Liver. Ryan did it with all his supporters on his back. Each name neatly and diligently hand written on his back, his shirt showed how much he appreciate all the support everyone has given him throughout his training and this rigorous run.
He crossed the finish line in under five hours
4:54:33
We couldn't have been prouder at this moment!

"Go Liver!"

To see all the photos from Ryan's big day:

click on the link below

ofoto gallery

Boston Marathon - Interactive Tour

Boston.com has a great interactive tour of the Boston Marathon. See you at the finish line... enjoy!

Fundraising goal met!

Thanks to all of you who have generously supported the Liver Foundation and my quest to run the Boston Marathon with your donations! Because of your support I have reached my fundraising goal of $3,000! One goal down... one to go!

Fundraising Leaders

21,468...

It's official! My bib number is 21,468, and my starting time is at 10:30 am. I'm so excited, can't wait!

17 Miler – 3/29

As promised below are pictures of the March 29th 17 miler... my longest run to date.


Run For Research group picture at the Boston Marathon starting line in Hopkinton. Can you find me? Hint... look for the guy with a crazy mustache!


Ashland, around mile 2. I'm in black pointing to my Run For Research pin.


Ashland again, just a little closer.



Natick, around mile 9. I'm pulling off the course to grab some gatorade and the cameraman caught me giving him the two thumb salute.

Mustache Marathon...

Back in February Kelley's business partner Melissa Jordan had a crazy fundraising idea. She said that I should tell everybody that if I raised enough money by a certain date that I would grow a Steve Prefontaine mustache. I've never grown a mustache, so I thought her idea would be fun. Through your eagerness to see me with a mustache and gracious donations, Mustache Marathon was off and running. As of the beginning of March I've been doing my best to honor "Pre". Stay tuned for Mustache Marathon pictures!

Been a long time...

Since I blogged, and I apologize for that. Sitting in front of a computer to blog after a long and tiring day was the last thing I wanted to do. My mind was focussed on training and my blog obviously suffered. With just 2.5 weeks till the marathon, I'll do my best to catch-up with more blogs.

Now that I've gotten my apology out of the way, you all should know I'm alive and my legs are still kicking towards the finish line. I'll try to give you a quick recap of the last two months.

February

February was physical therapy month. My sessions were filled with cross-training and painful massages. In the beginning, my legs were so knotted and tight I often thought the therapist was ripping my calves off of my legs! Over many therapy sessions the massages have been a welcome relief from the constant aches and pains of running. Without the physical therapy and the wonderful therapists (Brian, Christina, Todd, and Marie) at Pro Sports I don't believe I would even be considering running this marathon. They have been great!

March

The month of March was extremely busy... logging 30+ miles and multiple physical therapy sessions a week. My daily schedule has pretty much been run, work, therapy, eat, sleep... repeat. I'll be honest, it's taken it's toll and no doubt this training has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Getting back into running after taking most of February off due to my injury was a slow process. I began just running indoors on a treadmill. Three mile runs progressed to five milers and so on. Running on the treadmill was easier on my legs, but extremely boring. Try running 9, even 6 miles on a treadmill and you'll know what I mean. I'd rather run outside any day. Eventually my therapists allowed me to do smaller runs on the road, which then grew to longer runs on the road. Currently I'm running both on the treadmill and the road.

End of March

The end of March has been a turning point for me, and I'm filled with optimism and confidence. The last couple weeks of March have really done wonders for me mentally. A couple weeks ago I ran a 12 miler, and just this past Saturday I ran my longest to date, a 17 mile run. The 17 miler was really a great experience, because I ran from the starting line in Hopkinton to the base of Heartbreak Hill in Newton. With that run, I'm now familiar mentally and physically with the whole 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon. Just a few minor aches following the 17 miler and no pain in my achilles or calves which is another boost of confidence. I'm about as ready as I'll be, and I'm anxious for Marathon Monday.

Note: I will write more about the 17 miler and post some pictures from the run in my next blog... which I promise will be soon.

April

The last few weeks leading up to the Marathon are less intense and I'll be "tapering" down and logging less miles (30+ miles to around 20 miles a week), allowing my body to rest and heal.

Can't wait for the Marathon, I'm very excited!

The Boston Marathon...

The 100th running of the Boston Marathon, 1996

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events.

Today, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) manages this event. Amateur and professional runners from all over the world compete in the Boston Marathon each year, braving the hilly New England terrain and unpredictable, sometimes brutal, weather to take part in the race.

Qualifying times for the Boston Marathon vary by the prospective participant's sex and age group. The marathon is one of five members of the World Marathon Majors.

The event attracts an average of about 20,000 registered participants each year. In the 100th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996, the number of participants reached 38,000. While there are cash prizes awarded to the winners of the marathon, most of the runners take part in the historical marathon just for the joy of participating in such a prestigious race. Indeed, the qualifying standard is high enough that many marathoners aspire to meet it, and doing so is considered an achievement in itself.

Boston Marathon's Monday race date is unique to the sporting calendar of the major marathons. The race has traditionally been held on Patriots' Day, and until 1969 that was every April 19, whichever day of the week that fell on. Starting in 1969, the holiday was observed on the third Monday in April, and so the marathon date was correspondingly fixed to that Monday.

The Boston Marathon is New England's most widely viewed sporting event. About 500,000 spectators watch the race live annually, and more than 1,100 media members from over 250 outlets were expected to receive media credentials in 2006. Current course records as of 2007 are 2:07:14 and 2:20:43 for men's open and women's open, respectively.

History

Boston Marathon Finish Line, 1910

The Boston Marathon was originally a local event, but its fame and status have attracted runners from all over the world. In recent years, critics of America's professional sports leagues have pointed to the dominance of foreign-born athletes in the event (especially runners from Kenya) to back their arguments that American professional running is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of producing quality athletes. However, foreign dominance of the race is nothing new. Between 1946 and 1967 only one American (John J. Kelley in 1957) won the marathon in an era when Finland and Japan were the distance powerhouses.

For most of its history, the Boston Marathon was a free event, and the only prize awarded for winning the race was a wreath woven from olive branches. However, corporate-sponsored cash prizes began to be awarded in the 1980s, when professional athletes began to refuse to run the race without cash awards. The first cash prize for winning the marathon was awarded in 1986.

Women were not allowed to enter the Boston Marathon officially until 1972. Roberta (Bobbi) Gibb is recognized as the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon (in 1966). In 1967, Kathrine Switzer, who had registered as "K. V. Switzer", was the first woman to run with a race number. She finished, despite a celebrated incident in which race official Jock Semple tried to rip off her numbers and eject her from the race.[6] In 1996 the B.A.A. retroactively recognized as champions the unofficial women's leaders of 1966 through 1971.

Source: Wikipedia

Minor Setback...

It's been a while since I last wrote, I apologize for that. The past few weeks have been humbling and frustrating to say the least. My lower legs haven't improved. In fact on the 12th of January I had planned on running an out-and-back 8 mile run. I made it out to about the 4 mile point and my lower calves were in so much pain that I had to limp the remaining 4 miles back to the starting point. It was a low point for me, but it forced me to see the doctor. Since the 12th I haven't done too much running at all. Lots of resting which is the frustrating part for me. I joined the Liver Society to help their cause, but also experience training for the marathon with a group. Now with my injury I'm in a way forced to train on my own.

Yesterday I visited the doctor and I was told what I had thought... that I have the beginnings of achilles tendonitis. Achilles Tendonitis can also cause pain in your lower calves which is where the top of the achilles tendon meets the calf muscle. This was the case for me. They ended up scheduling me for some therapy classes which I begin on the 31st. I was told for now to stretch the area and ride a stationary bike to keep my heart rate up. I am also allowed to swim. I'm hoping from the therapy classes I can recover and also strengthen the area.

I will get through this minor setback and more than ever am determined to cross the finish line on April 21st.

Testing the waters – 1/6

Took it easy yesterday and ran for the first time since straining my achilles. The schedule had us running 10.5 miles, but I stuck to my plan of going short and ran 6 miles. For my cool down I rode 8 miles on a stationary bike. From what I've read, 3 miles on a stationary bike is equivalent to 1 mile of running. I'm happy to report that not once during my run did I feel any discomfort in my achilles. I plan on slowly working my way back up to what the group is doing. I also plan on joining a local gym. I'd like to focus on hamstring, quadriceps, calf, and core training. Increasing strength in these areas should help support my joints and prevent further injuries.

Group Run Tomorrow Morning – 1/5

I haven't run since last Saturday. Been resting and icing my achilles. The swelling has gone down, and I feel pretty good. I'm so anxious to get back out there and run!

Heard back from the trainer, and he feels that I probably just aggrevated my achilles from too much hill running and the rough footing and constant dodging of ice. He said this can add additional pressure on your legs and any already sore areas.

With this said, I'm going to give it a go for tomorrow morning's group run. I don't plan on running the entire run, but I'd like to get a good 6-8 mile run in...of course this depends on how my foot feels. Looking forward to getting back into a groove.