Running Naked

I knew that would catch your attention.  But don’t be alarmed: I’m not running the marathon naked. The goal is to raise money for Dana-Farber, not to scare away the crowds lining the streets of Boston. But Sunday was the last day of running with my Fuel Belt.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, a Fuel Belt is a relatively lightweight belt with a small pouch and four plastic water refillable water bottles. On a long run, I’ll fill them all up, put some Gu packs in the pouch, strap it around my waist and take off. But the problem is: I never felt like I’m taking off. The combination of the belt strap, the weight of the water, and the water sloshing around – always felt like I was weighed down. Come Marathon Day, the Fuel Belt will stay at home, the Gu packs will go in my shorts pockets, and I’ll rely on the water stops for water.

And Marathon Day will come soon enough, just a week to go. That makes this likely my last post before the race. So, my final top 10 observations and comments for the week...

10. For those who have yet to contribute, there's still time to do so. Please visit my fundraising page at: www.rundfmc.org/2010/michaelb to make a donation.

9.      After the most comfortable 10 miles I’ve ever run, I took a 2-3 minute break, took off my Fuel Belt, and went out for 2.5 more. It felt like I was sprinting. That’s how I hope to feel on Marathon Day.

8.   Cool weather would help. I’m just saying…

7.   Not to sound too fatalistic, but it always seems to work this way: whenever I mentally need a good long run, I have one. After my bad 20 miler? A great 20 miler? After a week worrying if I was ready for the marathon, I have a 12-miler where I feel like I can run forever.

6.      If you string together all my training runs, I’ve covered the distance from New York to Savannah, Ga. 

5.  Savannah’s a real nice city but next time, I think I’ll fly there.

4.       There were 1.48 million new cancer cases in the US in 2009, and 12 million cancer survivors living in the U.S. I’d bet a large number would love to be training for a marathon. That’s why I run.

3.      And actually, some of those survivors ARE running a marathon. Now that’s impressive.

2. I’m glad I’ve kept this blog. It’ll serve as a good journal to reread after the race. But now, after six             months of running; six months and 24 posts worth of blogging, I think I’ve finally run out of things to say, except for this:

1.  Thanks for reading and for all of you who have offered up your support – financial and moral. It’s all very much appreciated. My bib # is 22564. To track me during the race on April 19th, go to http://registration.baa.org/2010/cf/RegAthleteAlert/pg_AthleteAlert.cfm?mode=preentry&snap=51214658&  You can get text or email of my progress.

            I’ll post again after the race!