24184

#24184. Coming to a marathon near you. 5 weeks from today.  Yeah!!!

Holding down the couch

Here I sit (more of a lounge, really), on my couch. On my birthday. Sick. Sad face. :( The blessing in disguise: I really needed a day like this.  As much as I think I can keep going nonstop, my body has spoken.  And it has told me, "Girl, I don't know what you think you are doing, but you need to slow down!"  Between working a ton, training for the marathon, planning fundraisers....  Yeah, I needed a time out.

I did have a restful day. I had ice cream for lunch. (hey, it's my birthday! why not!)  And I am swimming in Facebook birthday wishes.  I am overwhelmed with the birthday love! Thank you all! I am so lucky to have so many special people in my life - old friends, new friends, running buddies, work friends, family - you all inspire me beyond words. Thank you.

So, in between my life of chaos lately, I did stumble upon a new blog - Miles Gone By.  What an awesome blog.  And her name is Amanda too, so she must be cool. :)  Our running stories are similar - she got into running in her late 20s, runs for the fun of it, and paces about the same as me.  If we lived closer, I'm pretty sure we would be running buddies. Check out her blog!!!

I found this picture she posted last week:

 

 

Yup. Simple as that.  Run for you, and no one else. And there is a lot of satisfaction in that. 



Mother Nature, 1. Amanda, 0.

Well, I guess it wasn't *that* bad.... um, yeah, who am I kidding?!  It was 37 degrees and raining for my entire 8 miles tonight.

Had a great day at work. I knew it was going to be a rough run tonight, but I was ready to suck it up, lace up my sneaks, and hit the road. 

 

Here's a *relative* sense of what I looked like when I came home from work.

And here is what I looked like after my run...

Yup. Pretty accurate.

The highlight of my run - wearing my new running skirt! :)  Yup, I went there.  I am now the girly girl runner.  But I LOVE this skirt.  I got it from Athleta and it is perfect. Adds just enough of an extra layer to my bottom half to keep me a bit warmer on the chilly days. 


Tonight's run was brought to you by...

....the letters B and H...as in Blustery Headwind.  Thanks Mother Nature, for the extra challenge.  Here's what I have for you...

...and AFTER my run....

Take that. :P

Long weekend run, take 2!

So, Blizzard Nemo squashed my plans to run 15 miles last weekend.  I haven't run more than 10.5 since September 30 (Smuttynose Half). Yikes.  Anyway...I planned a little trip to the Cape to visit my parents (and Fenway Sally, of course!) and hopefully get 15-16 miles in a relatively snow-less area.  Well, now we are preparing for 4"-8" of snow between tonight and tomorrow. 

Channel 5 forecast as of Saturday evening.....

On the Cape.  Really, Mother Nature?! C'mon, help a girl out! Hoping for some clear roads by Monday!

Until then...

 

 

 

 

Want to win an iPad??

A HUGE thank you for all of your support thus far! I recently got some info from my contact at NF that came from John Hancock (the primary sponsor of the Boston Marathon).

Between now and February 24, anyone who donates $26 (or more) will be entered to win an iPad2 AND a $100 iTunes Gift Card. How cool is that??

So, all you need to do is click on the "Donate at Least $26..." link below, make a donation, and you will be entered to win!

Thank you for your continued support of my marathon training and Team NF!

Much Love,

Amanda

Donate at Least $26 and You Could Win an iPad2 and $100 iTunes Gift Card

Right now, anyone who donates at least $26 to any John Hancock Boston Marathon fundraiser will get signed up to win an iPad2 and a $100 iTunes gift card. - Here's how everyone you know can win... Send the link to your John Hancock Boston Marathon fundraiser to all your friends and family and ask them to donate at least $26 too. That's it. On February 24th 11:59pm EST, a winner will randomly be chosen. If you have any questions, please email Boston@CrowdRise.com and they'll solve everything right away. Thanks so much. Amanda Cancellieri, running for Neurofibromatosis Inc. Northeast Click Here for all the contest rules.

It is official!!

Got an email last night - and I am over-the-moon excited!!! Check it out:

 

Dear Amanda E. Cancellieri, This is to notify you that your entry into the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, 2013 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate. A Confirmation of Acceptance card will soon be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail. In early April 2013, an official Number Pick-up Card and Welcome Booklet regarding the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and related race week activities will be mailed to you via US Postal Service first class mail. This.Is.Real. Wow.