Excited to Be Part of the Team! – Annie

I started running about five years ago, with my first race a 10K in Washington, DC, where I lived at the time. My big sister, a runner and cross-country coach, was a huge inspiration to me to get started with it, and continues to be an incredible resource and cheerleader. I love long-distance running: the endurance aspect, the challenge, the discipline.

My first (and only thus far) marathon was the 2008 Chicago Marathon - a truly amazing experience, through 25 neighborhoods, with unbelievable crowd support. I trained through the long, hot summer for this fall race, with the goal simply to finish and have fun, which I certainly did! I wore my Boston Red Sox baseball cap in the race, drawing quite a bit of good-natured heckling from the Chicago spectators, which spurred me on to the finish. My training had prepared me very well, and I finished strong, with not even a blister!

At the risk of sounding cheesy, it truly is a dream come true to be able to run the Boston Marathon. With the support of my family, friends, Newton-Wellesley colleagues and pretty much the entire Boston area, I know this will be quite a day.

I used well-known marathoner and coach Hal Higdon's training plans to put together my own routine, with a general weekly model of four running days (one long, one medium, two short), one cross-training day, and two rest days. Though at first I may have grumbled, I love the weekly long runs outside in the cold. It's an incredible way to get to know all parts of Cambridge/Boston, with a favorite loop thus far from Harvard Square down to Jamaica Pond. I also love the solidarity between all of us bundled up runners, out for a few hours on a blustery afternoon.

As the midweek distances get longer, it will begin take up more and more time, and will become even more of a focus in my daily life. I know I'll need more and more sleep, for sure! But it adds a very centering and purposeful routine, with the ultimate goal always in sight. I am so excited and thankful to be a part of the NWH 2010 Boston Marathon Team!