Thursday, January 27, 2011

First Timer – Todd

Hello! My name is Todd Abbott and I am going to run the 115th Boston Marathon to raise money for Integrative Support Services at the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. This will be both my first marathon and my first blog. I will start off with an introduction to who I am and how I have gotten here. On future entries, along with detailing my marathon thoughts and concerns, I will also expound on each of these items.

It all started on December 19, 1969. I was born in Fort Defiance, AZ; however, I was raised in Boise, Idaho where I lived until going to college. I attended Hope College in Michigan followed by the University of Washington School of Medicine. Medical school was paid for by the US Air Force, and after graduation I was assigned to bases in Virginia, Montana and Germany. I worked as a flight surgeon, and cared for aircrews and their families, and participated in a number of unique activities. I then completed a residency in pathology and a fellowship in cytopathology at the University of Virginia. I moved to Newton in the summer of 2007 to work as a staff pathologist at Newton-Wellesley. I have been married for 12 years and we have three children aged 4, 7 and 9. Right now, my hobbies primarily have everything to do with having a family. We participate in the sports of every season and enjoy bicycling, hiking and fishing.

I have been running for exercise since my senior year in college; however, it has usually been only a few miles a day. I have run in a handful of 5k races and in one 12-member team event: the Mount Rainier to the Pacific Relay. I created my own training plan by looking at a number of other 16 to 18-week plans for first-time marathoners. The plan has runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with long runs on Saturday. I have at least three weekends of snowboarding built in, which I am counting in as “cross-training.” Training takes away time I would have otherwise spent with my family: helping the kids get ready for school during the week and playtime during the long Saturday runs.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Borrowing a saying "Yes you can!" Don't let the weather interfere.

Anonymous said...

borrowing a saying "yes you can!" don't let the snow stop your training

Unknown said...

Hi Todd,
It was nice to hear about how you are doing. Good for you!
Dr. Isola
Hope College