The less than thrilling recap

It has been over a week and in case you were wondering, I did run and finish the Boston Marathon. I've been hesitant to write my race recap entry, because I'm not satisfied with just having finished this year. I know how that finishing is important. I know because I've seen teammates this season who were unable to make it to the start line and watch them transform into the greatest cheering squad ever. I saw how frustrating it can be to start and not finish after one of my teammates had her foot literally break during the race and was forced to drop out despite the incredible amount of hardwork she put into preparing for this year's race. I believe it was in the Marathon Mama's recap that I read what best summarizes what I learned about marathons this year. To paraphrase, marathons s**k because effort in does not always equal results out. To an engineer this equation does not compute. Despite the fact that I battled some injuries off and on, I had a good training season this year compared to others, but the efforts don't compute into time finished, or how I felt during.

On top of these initial thoughts I feel that this blog has somehow become a running narrative of my injuries instead of a way to memorialize all of the great things I learned and experienced during my 5th year training for DFMC. So, since I can't seem to move onto the positive until I expel the race recap baggage, here goes nothing . . .with my race recap

Transportation logistics were not anything I had to worry about in previous Boston Marathons as I likely walked my butt out my front door and 1/4 mile down the street to the DFMC refuge at the church in years past. This year was different. I learned Saturday that Dave had to leave earlier for school than usual (no Patriots Day for Springfield College) and therefore he was afraid he wouldn't have enough time to drop me off at Hopkinton State park and still be able get to school on time. Not getting to school on time meant loss of 10% of grade, so not good. I was afraid if I drove myself to Hopkinton State Park the parking would fill up too soon and I would be stranded with no place to park and not enough time to take the official buses from Boston. And the option of driving into Boston to take the buses in seemed less than desirable since I drive a standard and didn't see myself being in any position to drive myself home after the race. Luckily I ran into Steph and her mom at the Pasta Party the night before and made arrangements to meet at Steph's mom house to be dropped off at the park with Sean and Steph. Thanks Pat!

This year's experience at the DFMC refuge was a bit different as I had met many teammates during this year's training unlike in past years where I hardly knew anyone. I tend to be shy in large groups so I always felt a bit awkward waiting at the church. So far, so good. I was hoping to start the race with Janel and Eileen who were going to run 10:00 min miles or so, but I lost them after the team photo and was on my own.

While enroute to the starting corrals we ran into Tedy's team taking their team photo. It was cool to see Tedy Bruschi taking time with the runners. We walked the rest of the way down Price St with Tedy's team only to reach a barricade. Problem? What problem? We had a New England Patriot to open the barricade and we were on our way.

Despite losing Janel and Eileen I was able to stick with my 10:00 min mile plan through 5K, 10K, 15K and then the wheels started to come off. My right knee started to hurt around mile 3 but it was intermittent. By 15K or so, I decided a conversion to a 4:1 run walk was in order. This kept me going until about 20K, losing only about a half a minute a mile, but things were not looking good it seemed that when I stopped to walk my knee hurt more. Uh-oh Somewhere around this point I decided to take a break to recycle some gatorade and that's when the real trouble set in. My knee REALLY didn't like stopping. It locked up and I had a hard time getting going again. I literally parked my butt on the sidewalk and stretched. I limped probably for 20 yards or so and it seemed things warmed up so I could walk without pain. For the first time ever I considered dropping out of a marathon. But my parents were at mile 17 and up until mile 10 or 11 I was running exactly the race I wanted to run, even if it was more painful than I anticipated. So at this point I had to decide. Do what in retrospect would've been the smart thing or push on. With the all the stubborness in my soul (and there is a lot) I decided come hell or high water I was getting to the DFMC cheering zone to see my parents and then I would reassess. I did a little running from here until about mile 15. Running past the Wellesley scream tunnel and through some of the downhills after Wellesley Center.

I stopped and took a photo with my parents and ate a pretzel. I knew stopping was a bad idea and that I was likely to have a recurrence of the 20K knee lock incident and the major limping. It was and I did. I turned at one point to see if my parents were following me to see if I'd drop out. They were but hid so I didn't see and again I decided to go on. I walked pretty much the rest of the race except for running by the Patient Partner cheering section where my parents had repositioned. I was smart and waved only as I ran by. And of course, I ran the whole length of Boylston.

As I walked up the Newton Hills I knew I was not going to reach my goal of finishing in a time beginning with a 4. By mile 18 I was already trending at an 11:15 average pace per my Garmin. My goals at this point (1) to try to finish under 5:30 this would result in a 10 min PR and (2) stay ahead of Valerie Bertinelli. Well Val passed me on Heartbreak. But I did finish in 5:27 a 13 minute marathon PR and a 15 minute Boston PR. BUT . . .I hadn't trained for those other races (yes, I know I'm an idiot) so if you are keeping score at home . . .hundreds of training miles in = 13 minutes out.

Spent Tuesday at the Newton Wellesley injury clinic to be diagnosed with full on IT Band syndrome. So now running for me for several weeks. Lots of Aleve, Ice, and some PT.

Things following the marathon that made me realize just how much I was hurting during the race:

1.) I never saw the lake in Natick or really was aware of it. Every other time I've run Boston I've marveled at how big it seems and how long we are going to be running by it. It completely was not part of my awareness raceday and I didn't even realize I had missed it until reading someone else's recap.

2.) The 128 overpass seemed short. Because my parents were on the other side maybe, or my mind was on a vacation in pain land and didn't have room to curse the damn bridge who knows.

3.) Can you say marathonfoto? Check it out . . .Stone 22978. Never have I taken such awful pictures. Even the ones I was aware were being taken and "smiled" for I have a pain grimace in. And I thought I was hiding it so well.

4.) WBZ finish line video . . .I had the strangest running gait coming down Boylston. But I ran damn it.

5.) The fact that I'm doped up on Aleve per NWH clinc orders and it still hurts to extend my leg.

That's all for now. Coming soon to this blog now that I got all this out of my system: a fundraising status update and gratitude and a list of all the positive things DFMC meant to me this season.

Insanity, Brutality, & Excitement

This is it one more day until the marathon. This time tomorrow I will be out on the course. Later this afternoon I'll be at the DFMC pasta party. I created a spectator plan for my parents and picked them up some DFMC cheering pom poms and megaphones at the DFMC check-in Friday so we are all ready to go.

Before I got to this point I've had some anxiety in the final days leading up to the race resulting from the injuries I've suffered over training this year. As marathon weekend grew closer I began to become more concerned about my knee and ankle pains. My anxiety grew in large part due to my DNF in Shifter's 5K due to stabbing pain in my right IT Band. Despite shutting it down completely after the race, my IT Bands on both sides grew tighter, ankle pain started to return along with the inner knee pains that brought me to a PT for the first time at the end of January.

Steph recommended I add ice baths to my ibuprofen regimen. The thought of this was shear insanity but I have used them in the past post marathon to help with soreness so I decided to give it a shot. I stopped at Stop and Shop on the way home Thursday bought a 10lb bag of ice and filled the tub with cold water for a 20 minutes soak. The human body is pretty smart as the mere attempt of getting in an ice bath evokes an instant flight response. . .but in I went.

Next up was an appointment at the PT on Friday morning. My PT sessions had ended due to waiting for an insurance company extension but by Wednesday I couldn't take it any more and made an appointment for Friday morning willing to pay out of pocket for some pre-marathon ultrasound therapy on my knees. I received the ultrasound and some ice, but unfortunately the manual therapy on both of my IT Bands just prior was unbearably painful. Probably a 9 or 10 on a 10 point pain scale. Not what I was bargaining for. My IT bands were tender when I left and I iced them through the morning. They did seem a lot looser so I was optimistic UNTIL . . .I noticed the gigantic bruises that had formed on the outside of each knee in the afternoon. Seriously it looks like I was beaten with a baseball bat on each knee. I showed my mom and the seamstress at my wedding gown fitting yesterday and received two gasps and wince faces in response. This after I broke down in tears Saturday morning due to my anger both at the PT for doing something so severe to me knowing I was running Monday and also at myself for not having the common sense to tell her to stop when it hurt so bad.

Concerned about the bruising I made another Stop and Shop run Friday night for ice for another ice bath. I could barely touch my legs in the vicinity of the bruises and had to be sure not to lay on my side Friday night as I slept. Merely rolling over on them work me up.

After my breakdown Saturday morning I decided to have yet a 3rd ice bath of the weekend. This one sans ice and just cold water . . .it was almost as cold temperature wise as the ice version. Since the marathon is a good part mental I needed to do something to take my mind off thinking I was going to DNF due to the PT's brutality. After the wedding dress fitting Dave recommended an easy spin on the Arc Trainer or Bike at the gym to use my IT bands to keep them lose and prevent them from forming adhesions as they heal from the PT session. I was really nervous about following his advice out of fear of a bad workout would only make my mental state worse, but I trusted his professional judgement and out the door I went with some new music on my iPod. Luckily, Dave's plan worked well. I felt great on a 20 min Arc Trainer session and ran a mile on the treadmill with no pain. The result a boost in confidence that I CAN do this and I WILL. I supplemented my workout with some good stretching and foam. Yay! So back home to my 2nd ice bath of the day with ice this time and off to bed early.

This morning the bruises look a little better, yet I expect still shocking to someone who hasn't seen them. Another cold water only ice bath this morning and off to do a last minute errand for some body glide and sunscreen. One more ice bath with ice this evening and off to Hopkinton tomorrow.

You can monitor my progress online at baa.org My bib number is 22978. The BAA web-site shows splits every 5K and the 1/2 marathon and finish lines. Or you can text RUNNER to 31901. In response to the prompt you can enter my bib number 22978 and you will receive SMS text messages when I cross the start, 10K, 1/2 marathon, 30K and the finish.

And of course there is still still to donate to DFMC. Just click on the link up at the top right of the screen. My total is 6,386 still short of my original $7500 goal. Please help push me over! See you at the finish!

The Best Email Ever

I've been running for DFMC for the last 5 years. My first DFMC training season started in October 2005. My reason for joining was two fold:

1.) Out of gratitude for discoveries at DFCI that led to the development of the drug Gleevec which my mom takes to treat her CML, a form of leukemia that did not have any long term treatments only a few year's prior to my mom's diagnosis.
2.) Out of hope that more could be done. Gleevec treats CML but does not cure it. The lack of a cure and hope of permanent remission was unacceptable to me.

Today, I got the best email ever from DFCI. Proof that the funds raised in the last 5 years have had real tangible benefit in treating my mom's form of leukemia. This is just one of many hopeful emails I've received documenting the good works of the Barr Program Invesitgators this training season. Follow the link, "DFMC Dollars in Action" in the article below to see how DFCI is helping your loved ones win their cancer battles. This research started not 3 months after I first crossed that finish line on Boylston St. Use this as evidence that you CAN and DO make a difference whether you chose to run for DFMC or choose to be a loyal sponsor.

The transcript of the email that made my day:

We're pleased to mark the one-week countdown to the opening of DFMC Check-In next Friday with a look at important research led by Nathanael Gray, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Barr Program funding recipient in July 2006-June 2008. The project, conducted in collaboration with colleagues at DFCI and elsewhere, was funded in part by the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research.

Robert Levy of DFCI Communications wrote the following overview in February 2010, and is pleased to share it as another example of “DFMC Dollars in Action.”

Discovery opens way to treatment of recurrent form of leukemia Cancer cells’ Houdini-like ability to escape the shackles of drugs that restrain their growth is one of the chief challenges of cancer treatment. As cancer genes mutate and create misshapen proteins, drugs that once blocked these proteins become less effective.A prime example is in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), where the drug Gleevec® often produces dramatic remissions but tends to lose potency over time, particularly in cases where the disease was far advanced when treatment began.

In a new study in the journal Nature, Dana-Farber scientists and their colleagues show how a compound that enters a molecular “side pocket” of a key protein stops the proliferation of CML cells that are no longer susceptible to Gleevec®. They show, further, that combining this compound with a second-generation version of Gleevec called Tasigna® (nilotinib) may prevent CML from becoming resistant to the drugs to begin with.

“Our results offer a promising alternate route to attacking CML cell growth, even in disease that has become drug-resistant,” says study senior author Nathanael Gray, PhD. “The study offers an example of what can be accomplished when researchers at academic medical centers collaborate with colleagues from a pharmaceutical company – in this case, Novartis.

The next step will be to develop versions of the compound we studied into an active drug that can be tested in patients.”

Nooks and crannies
Gleevec® works by targeting a defective protein in CML cells called Bcr-Abl. By lodging inside a nook on Bcr-Abl’s surface, it blocks an enzyme known as a tyrosine kinase. The effect is like jamming the gears of a bicycle: the kinase cannot act as a growth stimulant, and the machinery of cell proliferation comes to a halt. As gene mutations produce subtle changes in Bcr-Abl’s chemical structure, Gleevec® no longer serves as an effective blocker, allowing cell proliferation to recommence.

Four years ago, Gray and his colleagues screened thousands of compounds to see if any could stop the proliferation of CML cells that were resistant to Gleevec®. They identified one named GNF-2.

They speculated that it blocks a separate niche on Bcr-Abl than Gleevec® does – a pocket known as the myristate binding site. Using a variety of techniques for analyzing chemical structure – nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, mutagenesis analysis, and hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry – they determined that GNF-2 does indeed target the myristate binding site. By contrast, Gleevec® and two recently approved drugs (nilotinib and dasatinib) target a section known as the ATP binding site.

“GNF-2 is the first compound that has been shown by crystallography [which shows the arrangement of individual atoms in chemical compounds] to lock onto to Bcr-Abl outside the ATP binding site and thereby inhibit kinase activity,” Gray remarks. Neither Gleevec®, nilotinib, dasatinib, GNF-2, nor its more potent cousin, GNF-5, can keep cell growth in check when the gene for Bcr-Abl undergoes what’s known as a “gatekeeper” mutation. “This mutation revs up the kinase’s ability to spark cell proliferation regardless of whether the ATP or myristate binding site is involved,” Gray explains.

Other Dana-Farber contributors include lead author Jianming Zhang, PhD, and co-authors Taebo Sim, Yongmun Choi, Amy Wojciechowski, and Xian-Ming Deng, PhD.Investigators found, however, that when an ATP-blocker such as Gleevec® is combined with a myristate-blocker such as GNF-5, the tandem reduces the chances that lab-grown CML cells will become drug-resistant. In animal studies, the combination also proved effective against human CML cells that already were resistant to either agent alone.

The investigators’ structural studies, led by Sandra Jacob-Cowan of Novartis, showed precisely how GNF-5 impedes CML cell growth: when GNF-5 settles inside the myristate binding site, it forms a connection with a distant region of the Bcr-Abl protein – “kind of like throwing a lasso around it,” Gray says. The result is a constriction of the enzymes’ activity.

On the Road Again

I've been a horrible blogger of late. . .I had to take some time off from running after the Hyannis Half Marathon for the Ankle injury that wouldn't go away and 2-1/3 and 3 hr workouts on the Arc Trainer aren't terribly exciting.

Despite my injury setbacks this year, I am 100% more ready for Patriot's day this year than I ever have been. Some training is better than none. I will have to toe the starting line with a 16 miler as my longest run with a 18-19 mile equivalent on the Arc Trainer, but I am feeling confident. My return to the roads (first a 3 miler up and down part of the Sugarloaf access road) reintroduced my hills to the quads and confirmed I am no Joanie Benoit (not that I ever thought I was). When Dave lived in Carrabassett Valley he'd see Joan running up and down the access road all winter, doing repeats. After having done not even 1, all I can say is Wow.

I then hit Crossroads last Thursday for a 7 miler out and back to Cleveland Circle and adding some distance on to round out the mileage. I felt really strong cardiovascularly but had some Achilles pain in my left leg (different leg than I had injured). It REALLY annoyed me to be back running and have new ailments.

Saturday, to allow myself a steady ramp back up I set off to run 10 from home in lieu of 22 with the group from BC. Roads around my house are rolling and offer some of the same challenges as running in Newton. Achilles discomfort was there but less significant that Thursday so I took that as a good sign, but by mile 7 I had some pain by my knee at my right IT Band. Thinking the 16 miles 2 days apart was perhaps too much too soon, I walked the last mile, but was happy with the workout because I nailed my pace.

This week's plan: strength, cross training, a mid-distance long run of 7-9 tonight, and one more long run. I planned to run the hills Crossroads when planning for the week, but in light of my aches and pains on the last few runs I may opt for the treadmill for the option to retreat to the Arc Trainer if necessary before putting in my final long run of 14-16 this weekend before my taper starts in earnest. Shifter's 5K is also on the schedule for Saturday this weekend.

Fundraising is going well, at $6,086 once all my checks and company matches are posted. Thanks to everyone's support to date. Still $1414 away from my pre-season goal of $7500. Your donation would be much appreciated.