I’m Running Boston 2022 with Dana-Farber!

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Posted on January 10, 2022 by jennsbostonrun

I’m back baby! I am running the 2022 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber on April 18th, 2022! I am so excited and honored to have been selected by DFMC to run Boston and support vital cancer research through the Claudia Adams Barr Program. You can find out more about the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge at www.rundfmc.org

Wow, where to begin. 2020 was to be my running ‘comeback year’, we all know how that turned out thanks to the pandemic! I did manage to run some races and continued to work on my running and Peloton obsession (more on that later). Last year, I ran a few more local races and the 2021 Chicago Marathon – in person! It was so great to be back racing IRL and ending the year on a high note!

Heading into 2022, I decided to “re-up” with Dana-Farber for a few reasons. I’m so inspired by several women I’ve met in the last year who are in treatment for cancer and sharing their stories. Runners, moms, friends, all going through treatment with incredible grace and strength. I’m dedicating my marathon in 2022 to Jaimie, Anne & Angela who inspire me everyday. I also wanted to make a direct impact by raising funds for cancer research by running with the DFMC team. EVERY DOLLAR RAISED GOES TO VITAL CANCER RESEARCH!

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

My favorite quote and personal motto is to “Dare Mighty Things”. Why do I keep running marathons, why keep challenging myself? I’d rather dare mighty things. 2022’s mighty thing is to run Boston and raise $13,000 for cancer research!

Help me dare mighty things, a world without cancer! Please consider donating to Dana-Farber. You can make a tax-deductible donation on my page below and please ask me about company matching! You can double your donation at many companies through the company MATCHING program. Ask me how!

Please consider a donation to my run at my fundraising page: jennsbostonrun4dana.com

Follow along with my training here and on Instagram @jennsbostonrun

Dare mighty things!
– Jenn

Jenn’s Fundraiser at Flatbread Portsmouth April 7th 4-9pm

Posted on March 22, 2015 by jennsbostonrun

Hello!

I am so excited to be hosting a fundraiser at Flatbread in Portsmouth, NH on Tuesday, April 7th from 4pm – 9pm! Please come out and join me for some great food and drinks! Flatbread will be donating a portion of every pizza sold (including take out) to my Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge campaign. 100% of the money that I raise goes toward innovative cancer research at the Claudia Adams Barr Program. Here is how you can support me and help us reach the ultimate finishline: a world without cancer.

Come out to Flatbread in Portsmouth on Tuesday April 7th, from 4-9pm. Eat in or take out pizza! You can participate in the raffle and silent auction at the door. Or you can participate now online! RSVP on Facebook and get updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/1767962256762213/
Event listing on Portsmouth Patch!

RAFFLE at the door and online. I will be holding a drawing for some awesome prizes this year. You can participate in two ways. First, come out on April 7th and buy raffle tickets at the door OR buy raffle tickets in advance by donating online to my fundraiser. There will be a separate drawing (jar) for each raffle item. If you want to put all your tickets in the drawing for one item you can. Or spread them around. Drawings for all items will be done at 9pm on April 7th. You need not be there to win, I will call you so be sure I have a contact number on your tickets!

Raffle Tickets: 1 for $5 | 3 for $10 | 5 for $20 | 10 for $26.20 (marathon distance!)
Buy tickets now or at the door on April 7th.
To buy now, donate at: www.rundfmc.org/2015/jenniferh then let me know how to divy up your tickets amongs the prize drawings. Shoot me an email at jenn.h@comcast.net

Raffle PRIZES:

1. Runner’s Alley $50 gift certificate!
2. Target Gift Card worth $30
3. The District $20 gift certificate
4. Cinemagic movie theater: 2 passes
5. Blue Mermaid Island Grill $25 gift certificate
6. Radici restaurant- $25 gift certificate
7. Loco Coco’s Tacos – $30 gift card
8. Cycle Fierce 5 Ride Pack ($80 value)!
9. Book & Bar ($20)
10. Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt! $20 gift certificate –JUST ADDED!

SILENT AUCTION OPEN NOW! You can also support cancer research and get a little something for yourself at my silent auction. The auction closes at 11pm on April 28th. If you “win” the bid or “buy now”, I will contact you regarding payment via a donation to Dana-Farber. If you’re a control “enthusiast” like me, why leave it to chance? Buy now and feel great it’s all for cancer research.
Link to the Auction going on now! www.32auctions.com/jennsbostonrun

Available a the Silent Auction:

1. Wallis Sands Half Marathon 2015 entry (the race is sold out!). Race is May 17th, 2015
2. Shio Japanese Restaurant $50 gift certificate–SOLD!
3. Original art by Jay Schadler “back channel” view of Portsmouth, canvas. SOLD!
4. Cyclefierce 5 ride pack to CycleFierce indoor cycling studio, Portsmouth.
5. Saucony Men’s Nomad running jacket from Runner’s Alley (great for fall, winter and spring of 2015!)

I hope to see you on April 7th or please consider taking part in the raffle and silent auction online! I would also appreciate any donation of any amount to the campaign as well.
Donations: www.rundfmc.org/2015/jenniferh
Also I’ll have my ‘team’ at the fundraiser. Come find out why there is a panda on our event banner? What’s it like to run a marathon? What the heck is “GU” and why would you eat it? More myths busted and mysteries solved on April 7th!

See you out there,
– Jenn

Boston Training Update

Posted on March 4, 2015 by jennsbostonrun

Hello friends,

Just back from Florida (my review of the Disney Princess Half Marathon coming soon) and yep, the snow is still here. Shoveled the driveway twice this week already, a few inches of snow on Monday and Wednesday, just enough to be annoying. Training for Boston is going pretty well. I am following a new plan this race from a book, Run Less, Run Faster. It prescribes 3 ‘quality runs’ per week where you focus on a specific pace or goal rather than just getting in mindless miles. This appealed to me because with working and parenting, 3 runs a week sounds awesome. I also wanted to take a step back from over training or the brink of over training, where I have been in the past. The book: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/run-less-run-faster

I’ve been running since January 1st on the treadmill with 2 exceptions, the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, TX and the Princess Half last month in Orlando, FL. The snow is everywhere and roads are still dangerous– too narrow in spots, no visibility around snowbanks, ice, more snow. I did run my first OUTSIDE run of 2015 on March 1st, and ran a 20 miler out and back down by the beach. I find I have to go out and back, because once I am out there, I have to get back to my car. That second half is where my motivation sometimes waivers.

Some things I’ve learned this training season or observations (so far):

1. The Walking Dead may not be the show to watch while on the treadmill. Too many suspenseful zombie moments. But I am looking for a new series since finishing LOST and Criminal Minds.
2. As a runner, you should rotate your shoes. Last month I got two new pairs to replace the pair that I have been wearing since summer of 2013 and through 3 marathons (Boston, Disney and Marine Corps). Yes I know, I’m a bad runner. I don’t follow some of the usual things one should do. But I’m on the right track!
3. When you see it, buy more body glide. You can never have too many of those travel sized sticks. Not elaborating further for your benefit.
4. My iphone freezes at 8F despite being in an inside pocket. On my 20 miler last weekend it died 3.5 miles in. Ironically during a Morrissey song. GU also semi-freezes.
5. Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. Or enjoy the sunrise, sunset or beauty of the season. Yes, even in this wintery hell there can be some beauty.
6. Wear my Dana-Farber Marathon Shirt to my next race. I wore it in Texas and Disney and had a few cheers of “Go dana-farber” or people comment how Dana-Farber has helped them or a loved one. Reminds me what the real goal is: a world without cancer. And if I can help reach that goal, I will.
7. This winter must end. Forget Elsa, this winter is the work of the “White Witch’ of Narnia! (currently my girls favorite movie, ironically they weren’t big Frozen fans).

Fundraising update! For my local Seacoast friends, I will be holding a fundraiser at Flatbread in Portsmouth on April 7th! A portion of pizza sales will go to my campaign and I will have prizes for raffle and silent auction. This year you can throw down raffle tickets just for the prizes you want– a separate drawing for each item. And a few items for silent auction so you can secure them right away.

Please mark your calendars for April 7th, from 4-9pm for benefit night. You can join the event on Facebook for more updates on raffle & auction prizes. So far a few items include gift certificates to Loco Coco’s Taco’s, Cycle Fierce spin studio, Blue Mermaid Bar & Grill, Cinemagic movie tickets. Just a preview of some of the awesome prizes! Join the Facebook event click here

Please support my run and support cancer research! Still time to donate at www.bit.ly/dfmcjenn2015 I’ll be updating the fundraising ‘thermometer’ soon. So far I have raised about $1000 of my $10,000 goal. Help me reach my goal!

thanks, run safely out there!
-Jenn

Austin 3M Half Marathon/Gluten-Free Austin

Posted on February 18, 2015 by jennsbostonrun

I ran the 3M Half Marathon on Jan 25th in Austin, Texas and it was a great run and really fun weekend. I met up with a friend from grad school and we covered a lot of ground in addiiton to the 13.1 miles on Sunday. Here are just some of the highlights of the weekend.

I arrived late morning on Friday to cold and rainy weather which I did not expect. I had a vision of sun and 70s, but no problem, anywhere without snow is good. I met up with an Army buddy of mine at Hopdoddy burger joint on South Congress a.k.a. “SoCo” area. The burgers here were delicious and they serve their own house-made gluten free buns! Anytime I go to a new city I like to check out the GF options in town and treat myself to some great gluten free bakeries and restaurants. www.hopdoddy.com was so good, i went back again on Sunday before leaving town.

After lunch I picked up my friend at the airport and checked in at the hotel. We stayed up by the Gateway shopping / Arboretum area north of the city because it was walking distance to the start of the race. We went by the Texas Running Company and I ended up buying some Hoka Constant running shoes – the gal there gave me a whole run down on how they are great for marathon and half marathon. I’m going to give them a try. Dinner we tried Maudie’s Tex-Mex on W. 7th. We had to wait about 20 minutes or so but the food and margaritas were worth it. Then on to the Hole in the Wall for some live music. Good music but it was literally a dark, semi-seedy hole in the wall bar. But apparently a famous landmark of the Austin music scene.

Saturday we covered a lot of ground. Around 9am it was still in the upper 30s/ pushing 40F so we went by Target and got some cheap grey sweatshirts for the race. “Team Hanes” was ready to rock. We did a nice 3 mile loop on Town Lake, a runner’s paradise and the one thing that I miss most about the city. We hit Joe’s for breakfast and it was delicious. We were at the downtown location but drove across the river to the SoCo location for gluten free pop tarts. I had a lavender-fig pop tart, and it was an out of body experience that I cannot even begin to describe. Here’s a picture of the pop tart. (Did I mention that I took a hundred pictures like a total tourist).

We went by the capitol and Texas History Museum to pick up our race numbers. Here’s our Capitol of Texas Selfie.

Then on to the University of Texas Co-op for some UT swag. I got a “hi, how are you” t-shirt and some post cards. The main drag by campus has changed a lot. Also if my current gig doesn’t work out, I can get a job at Jenn’s Copies–that’s Jenn with two N’s. They are everywhere. Back up to the hotel to kick up our heels for a bit before dinner. For dinner we went with a gluten free and pre-race standby, P. F. Chang’s. Then we had to see Interstellar at the movies, for our traditional pre-race movie night (to get off the feet and relax). And in Austin, if Matthew McConaughey is playing at the theater, you simply have to go. I give the film a thumbs up. We laughed, we cried, I was stressed out about the ‘dramatic’ scenes. We cried some more. Good movie in my opinion.

Enough about the food and around town, how was the race? Chilly start, sweatshirts came in handy, it was only in the lows 30s. The course is almost entirely downhill and billed as fast–and it was really fast. It started up at the Arboretum/Gateway area and finished with a run through the UT Campus and finish line just steps from the capitol building. I had a great run and didn’t realize that I was moving along at a pretty good pace (for me). There was a slight hill around mile 9 but otherwise it was downhill as advertised. The standout feature of this race is the ginormous goodie bag! A huge sampling of 3M products, here’s a pic of everything included: Scotch tape, lint roller, scotch brand kitchen sponge, recovery drink mix, glass cleaner, Post-It notes of course!

Post-race we went down to Snack Bar Austin for some brunch back South of Congress. Snack bar was very cool decor (if i may call it decor) and they serve gluten free french toast that was delicious! (pictured above!) We cleared out of the hotel and returned to SoCo for live music at the Capitol Club, and a final burger at Hopdoddy before heading to the Airport.

Great race in a fun place. I would definitely recommend this race and may come again or in February for the Austin Marathon and half. And this was my first time running outside since January 1st with all the snow in Boston!

– Jenn

Happy Groundhog Day?

Posted on February 2, 2015 by jennsbostonrun

Happy Ground Hog Day?

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter. Ugh. I think Bill Murray famously said, this ground hog must be stopped! I am feeling as though I am re-living the same day a la Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day (one of my favorite movies). Snow, no school, staying home for days on end. Granted I was out of the snow zone last week on a business trip during the blizzard, but I’m already tired of it. And I am getting very friendly with my treadmill to get my Boston Marathon Training done. I’ve nicknamed him “Fred Mill”. Cracks me up every time but I could be suffering from cabin fever.

I originally thought to write this post about outrunning wildlife while running. What’s the most ferocious animal you have out run while out on the roads and trails? I have not been chased by a ground hog, but folks in a neighboring town were chased by a crazed groundhog last fall. Which sparked some great groundhog memes (here). I love a great groundhog meme. *Photo credit to Trevor Bartlett for this pic of me outrunning the Hampton Groundhog.

The most ferocious thing that I have been chased by was a small dog (think lap dog) which gave up easily. I also nervously ran through a flock of Canadian geese while running out in California. They lined both sides of the trail and a few stood in the trail. Luckily they didn’t attack but I put the afterburners on and ran for my life. I’ve seen a few fox, deer and turkeys cross my path but none were very close or suspicious looking.

Training is going well for the Boston Marathon, 11 weeks to go! Please consider donating to my campaign for Dana-Farber cancer research. Sponsor a mile or donate a buck per mile? Every bit helps. You can donate online on my Dana-Farber page.

Thank you for reading and your support! My 3M Half Marathon trip report coming up next.
Stay warm, – Jenn

Jenn's Boston Run

est. 2013 | Running the 2022 Boston Marathon

Category Archives: dana-farber marathon challenge

I’m Running Boston 2022 with Dana-Farber!

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Austin 3M Half Marathon/Gluten-Free Austin

Happy Groundhog Day?