My goal was to try to get 50 minutes of spinning in. Unfortunately no running until I see my Doctor on Tuesday to get the results of my MRI. I headed to the spin room and hopped on a bike and I was off. Here is how my workout went.

• 3 min – Warm-up
• 4 min – 30 sec sprints followed by 30 sec recovery
• 1 min Recovery
• 10 min Hill Climb – 8 min in the saddle, 2min out of the saddle
  • I increased my resistance every 1 ½ minutes so the hill was very challenging at the end
• 1 minute of recovery
• 4 mins of jumps (going from seated to standing) – I rotated between 4 sec and 8 sec jumps
• 1 minute recovery
• 5 minutes of intervals – 20 sec sprints followed by 20 sec of recovery
• 6 ½ min hill climb – 4 min in the saddle, 2 ½ out (increases resistance every 1 min)
• 30 sec recovery
• 4 minutes of speed work – 30 second sprints with 20 sec of recovery
• 3 minute intense hill climb (half in the saddle, half out)
• 5 minutes – flat ride, fast leg speed to keep my heart pumping
• 2 minute cool-down

It was a great workout. Very challenging. I love to push myself, especially when I can’t run. I know I need to work really hard to keep up my cardiovascular health. I felt really great to be done by 8:30 this morning and to have gotten such an intense workout in. I’ll be doing 2 hours of spinning tomorrow morning to stimulate a 12 mile run, I’d much rather run. Oh well!

I also received 5 of these “In honor of stars”. I’ll work on decorating each one over the next month for my Mom, Aunt Marie, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Colette and Carole.

Bed time. Early morning MRI and really trying to think positive I will be cleared to run this marathon.

It’s still snowing as I am waiting for my train home. Thanks to the storm they will be running late. It was a busy day so thankfully it went by fast. There are no windows in the “Cave” where I work so I was oblivious to the storm outside. I’m a little sore and tired from today’s work out and I still have to snow blow the driveway and shovel the paths later. I can’t wait to just lie on the couch and watch a movie. We’ll see if that gets to happen. I’d settle for just dinner at this point.

I went to the DFMC runner meeting last night. It was at the Jimmy Fund Auditorium. They began the meeting by talking about one of the important projects the Barr program was supporting. A researcher is trying to enabling immune systems to fight cancer. They are targeting vaccines for pancreatic and prostate cancer. I’m in awe with their determination to eradicate cancer.

They also talked about fund raising strategies, training options and injury prevention. I think I should have heard the prevention talk years ago. I already had a lot of checkmarks on the injury list :) I’m hoping this year is going to be injury free. So far, so good.

I’m looking forward to Thursday night at Kiku Yama. It will be nice to meet your friends and family. Have fun with ANOTHER snow today tomorrow!

-Patrick

RM: 5.75 (Treadmill)
WM: 21.55
TM:  113.5

If you look really close you can see a sidewalk...

Due to the snowy conditions we had to alter our running route.  We headed out of Lexington down Mass Ave into Arlington Center. A young boy and his parents hosted the second water stop.  The boy was a cancer survivor and was excited to greet and cheer on the runners.  It was really touching.

Overall the run went well for me.  I ended up pushing a little past the Dana Farber mileage and doing 15.5.  The first few miles I took it easy warming up.  Miles 2.5-5 were great, I met a nice woman who was running at my pace and we talked quite a bit about Dana Farber, running tips etc.  At the second water stop I met a girl who lived in South Boston and was also running the marathon for the first time with Dana Farber.  We ran for 2-3 miles together and she was quick.   She definitely pushed my pace a bit but it felt good.  At 7.5 miles I was at 1:05:40, a solid 9-min pace and feeling good.  I started to feel a little knee pain around mile 8 but pushed through it.  I’ve been suffering from IT Band issues for about a year now so knee pain is not uncommon for me.  I ran miles 10-15 alone, it was a bit challenging but I kept seeing DF runners along the route and got friendly waves.  I put on my iPod and ran to new “Boston Training” mix.  At 15 I was feeling pretty good so I did a little detour back to the finish and completed 15.5 miles at an average pace of 9:04, which is a nice pace for a long run.  I felt great!

I love buying new shoes!

Post run I headed into the Greater Boston Running Company. I was due for a new pair of running shoes, so I figured I would pick up a pair while I was there.  I bought my 4th pair of Brooks Adrenaline shoes.  I love them, so why not?  I also talked with a very informative employee and fellow DF runner about my recent issues with tendonitis in my left foot.  He fitted me for some inserts that should help support my arch better and help with my tendonitis.  My orthopedic doctor advised me to get some inserts so I’m excited to try them out.

13.1
Congratulations to my cousin Heather for completing her second Half Marathon this morning and taking almost 10 minutes off her time.  I’m very excited for her and can’t wait to hear about her performance in the Disney Princes Half Marathon next month!

Birthday girl with her new dress and leggins!

2
It was my little cousin Lily’s 2nd Birthday party today.  I had to add the “2″ just so I could post a picture of the “birthday girl”.  Lily is really growing into a little girl and I love spending time with her.  Lily ran the Disney Halloween Kids dash in October so she’s already a competitive runner!   Happy Birthday Lily!

I had so much fun at the party with you!  I was glad you made it and was able to stay the whole time.   I hope you didn’t wear yourself out too much.  It was nice to finally meet you and your family in person.  Nikki and Isabella had a great time too.  Thank you for getting Isabella the Strawberry Shortcake doll.  She loved it!

Knowing that your appetite has not been there lately I was glad to see you ate a sundae.  It looked really good.  I realized in all of the excitement that I never had one.  I guess I’ll have to treat myself to one later this week.

Which of the 3 group exercises did you like best?  The one where we had to seek out a person in the room and ask as many questions about the person within 1 minute and try to remember, the cup pyramid building or the puzzle making?  I think I liked the puzzle making the best.  It was funny trying to get our “resources” to bring the correct pieces.

I enjoyed the partners who gave their inspiring talk.  Listening to both the young girl and her partner seemed to accentuate the great work Dana-Farber does and how the DFMC and Claudia Adams Barr program helps Dana-Farber continue their pursuit.

After the party, Isabella wanted to ride a train.  So we walked to Kenmore square.  I forget how far it is when you have a little one, but she walked the whole way.  I was very impressed.  Then we aimlessly rode the Green Line to Government Center where we had to get off because the streetcar was going out of service.  We jumped on the E line back to Prudential and grabbed dinner at Legal Sea Foods.  After we got a taxi back to the car and headed home.

Yesterday was a fun day!  I’m looking forward to Wednesday for the big celebration.  I’m keeping my fingers cross that we can skip the reoccurring mid-week storm.

Enjoy Sunday and I’ll talk to you soon.

 -Patrick

RM: 15.8 (Chestnut Hill Reservoir Run)
WM: 15.8
TM:  107.75  

I love the new do!  It looks great.  Thanks for posting the pictures.  You have come a long way in a year.  I can’t wait to see it in person on Saturday.  I think we have matching haircuts?!

And thanks, I’ll be careful.   I ran at the gym today but I hope to get outside tomorrow morning.

-Patrick

RM: 4.5 (Treadmill)
WM: 25.1
TM:  84.7

Creating a blog name hasn’t been easy.  I’ve wanted to start a blog for about 6 months but always got stuck on the name.  I finally decided on “Rise to run” because I’m a morning runner.  Running gets me out of bed every morning.  I can’t think of a better way to start the day then to head out towards Castle Island watch the sunrise over the ocean.  In the summer, I love to run through the town of Ogunquit, ME and people watch, I continue my run down Perkins cove and back along the marginal way and sometimes back along the beach.  It’s such a beautiful run, watching the waves crash on the rocks or people watching on the beach as families get setup for a day in the sun.  Fall runs are beautiful, especially when I have the opportunity to get out of the city and see the foliage.  Running allows me to see and explore new places.  I love to run when I travel, it’s a great way to see and explore a new city.  I love to rise and run.

Yesterday I had to to the JFC for another IVIG and my chemo. Everything went fine and it was only a 3 hour visit. Unfortunatly today I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy I hope that maybe since we have so much snow now, that maybe we can have a nice snow free Feburaury. I can’t believe I’m going to florida in 2 weeks. I hope it isn’t freezing down there!!!

We are going to try to post 2 pictures of me. One was taken on January 18, 2010 and the other was taken on January 18, 2011.

Hope you stay safe on your runs. Be careful on all that ice!!!

See you soon

-Brendan

Storms of artic air, ice and snow,
makes a runner’s mojo start to low.
Trying to hasten on slippery ground,
cuts and sprains will soon abound.

This has been some stretch of winter weather.   I wanted to start interval training last week but the ice and snow prevented me because the roads are too slippery to get enough traction.  Today would have been more of the same, so I moved indoors.  I went to BSC and ran on the treadmill.   One virtual lap slow, then one virtual lap fast.   I would repeat this increasing the speed each time.    I had hoped to run for a full hour but when my right hamstring started yelling at me, I backed off.

It looks like we have another storm on the radar just in time for Thursday’s run.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that one yet.   I might have to get creative.  When I mentioned back in the beginning of this blog we would be talking about the weather, I really didn’t think we would this much!

I’m glad you enjoyed The Green Hornet.  I finally saw the trailer.   It looks good, but I’ll have to wait until it gets on DVD.   

A big change in plans heading to Skipjack’s instead of the usual destination.   I’m sure they were looking for you.  I’ve been to the Skipjack’s at Patriot’s Place a couple of years ago.   I remember liking it.

Pay extra attention in school today and tomorrow because it looks like you will be getting yet another snow day.  Boy, to be a kid again J!

- Patrick

RM: 5.6 (Treadmill)
WM: 20.6
TM:  80.2

I can’t imagine having to run in this COLD!!! I was freezing walking from the house to the car today. I hope you have tomorrow off from running. It’s going to be miserable out!!!

Yesterday I went to go and see The Green Hornet with my mom, dad and friend Christopher. It was really, really funny. we all had a really good time.

I’m so glad you can come and join us for my dinner celebration. It’s going to be alot of fun.

 Tonight instead of going to Kikuyama like I usually do on Sundays, I spent the afternoon at my grandmothers house and went to Skipjacks for dinner.

Well, I guess it’s back to school tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet you and your family next week. Have a good night.

Bye-

Brendan

Yesterday your mom told me about the Kiku Yama trip to celebrate 1 year of being cancer free.  I’m in!  It sounds like a lot of fun.  I’ll be counting the days.

Today is Sunday so it’s another long run with L St.  I got in the car this morning and the thermometer read -4 F.  By the time I got to Carson beach I was pretty excited to see that it warmed up to 12 F.  I guess that would be the only way someone could get excited about a number like that?!?

I was all set for the cold today.  Preparing for the worst, I took a trip to Dick’s yesterday to get thicker running pants and my first balaclava.   I had the Vampire Weekend song, Horchata in my head all morning. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkUQ-OBazbc).   As I started to warm up during the run, I was starting to second guess my wardrobe.    The mask was starting to itch my neck and I was beginning to overheat.  By the first water, I had to remove my new balaclava purchase along with my hat and gloves.  With my half unzipped jacket a ran the next 5 minutes trying to cool off.  I forgot just how quickly you warm up.

I can’t picture training without this group.   This morning the brave water stop volunteers were out in the cold with smiles on their faces, freezing their tails off just so we don’t dehydrate ourselves.  They also have some fun treats to help fuel us in the later miles like candy and fig newtons. 

Training for a marathon seems like an individual sport, but it isn’t.  You need the support of a lot of people.  Your family, friends, other runners and volunteers are very much a part of it.  Sure, I guess you can do it on own but that sounds like a lot of work.

I know you have been running your own marathon for over a year now, one that nobody chooses to run.   As hard as it is for you, I’m sure having your family, friends, doctors and other patients support you, gets you through the tough hills. 

As we say out on the course, “Keep it up, you look strong!”

-Patrick

RM: 15.0 (Adams Street Run)
WM: 15.0
TM:  74.6

I’m glad you had a great time.  Football with Wally and Darnell, that’s great. I guess I can picture Wally being a good football player, seeing he is a big green monster.  I remember Darnell’s first game with the Sox, hitting a home run in his first at-bat.  That’s great that you got to meet him and the rest.

I am very happy your headache went away before you had to head to the hospital.  I don’t blame you for hating the emergency room.  I’m not a big fan of going to them too.

That’s cool that you go every Sunday night.  I didn’t know that.  Let me guess, you had teriyaki and rice ?  I read your post before lunch today and it was making me very hungry.  Unfortunately,   I couldn’t to go a Japanese restaurant for lunch , so I had to settle for Whole Food take out.

Today I was supposed to do Interval training.  That consists of alternating from fast running over a distance to rest periods of a slow jog.  I can either do it at a track or along a short course. When I got out this morning there was already I coating of snow on the ground.  Without good traction, running fast wasn’t an option. So, I opted for a slow run.  It was pretty slippery out.  I took a “TJ Hooker” somersault when I turned on King Phillips St.   You’re too young to know that that means so here is a link to show you. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7S6JW5EfD8)

Have fun at school tomorrow and stay dry!

-Patrick

RM: 6.5 (Gardner St Run)
WM: 20.1
TM:  50.35

I had a great time with my friend Christopher at New Stars for All Stars. We got a bunch of autographs and all the players were really friendly. We met Jarrod Salatamacchia, Ryan Kalish, Will Meadowbrooks, Jeremy Hazelbaker, Darnell McDonald, Bill Mueller and a few more. We even played foosball with Wally and Darnell McDonald!! It was a lot of fun. Later on Saturday though I got a HORRIBLE headache that made my mom want to take me in for a brain scan. I hate going to the emergency room, and the doctor on call said if it went away with some meds, I didn’t have to go in. Finally by about 3:00 yesterday it went away completely. I was so happy because Sunday nights my mom and I go to KIKU YAMA in Dedham for dinner. It’s my FAVORITE place to eat. My dad comes with us once or twice a month but my mom takes me every week.

So I guess its back to school for me tomorrow, so I’ll write again tomorrow.

Bye for now,

-Brendan

I had a good run today.  It was the Packard’s Corner Run.  We didn’t start from our normal location, the Curley Community Center in South Boston but at the Boston Athletic Club.   It was a little confusing for us because in the past the BAC would be open early but this year it didn’t open until 8 a.m., which is when the run starts.  We were scrambling around last minute.    It was kind of funny.

The run is listed at 13.2 miles but my watch said 13.6.  I have a Garmin 405 watch that tracks me by GPS.  It lets me know real-time my pace, distance and time.  It can give me my heart rate if I wear the monitor.  I only use the monitor when I want to control my zones, like interval training or a controlled pace.   You can see a map and the stats from my run here, http://connect.garmin.com/activity/63760937. 

RM: 13.6 (Packard’s Corner Run)
WM: 13.6
TM:  43.85

How are you today?  Your mom gave me an update from Friday.  She said you did great.  That was an unbelievable day.   I thought I had some type of understanding what someone has to go through for their treatments, but what you are showing me is I have no clue.   I appreciate so much that you are sharing this with me.   Thank you.

Mohawk One Year Ago

I can’t wait to see the new haircut.   I bet it looks awesome.  What did you go with?  The Bieber?  Another Mohawk?  Spikes with blue streaks?  Wait…don’t tell me yet.  You can surprise me when I see you on the 29^th.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot.  How was New Stars for Young Stars?  Did you have fun? Who did you meet?  You will have to tell me in your next post.

I’m running with L St again tomorrow morning.  It’s the Packard Corner  run.  I’ll let you know how it went when I get back home.  And I expect to hear all about today’s Red Sox adventure.

-Patrick

Brendan did great today at his appointment as usual. He was pretty tired and asleep by 6:45 tonight. He undergo’s these Lumbar Punctures(LP) once every 9 weeks as of right now for one more, then it will be once every 18 weeks. Brendan starts a new chemotherapy cycle every 3 weeks and consist of: Day 1-vitals, labs, see the doctors, wait for the chemo orders to get filled, then he gets vincristine, methotrexate, and gets sent home with dexemethesone(steroid) and 6-mercaptopurine(6mp) his oral chemo I give him at bedtime for 14 days out of every 21 day cycle.

Brendan also is on a daily dose of zofran to try and keep the nausea at bay, Marinol to help with nausea and his major loss of appetite, Mepron to keep away PCP pneumonia which is a killer for ck (cancer kids), calcium and Vit d  for his bone loss and osteopenia which is caused by the steroids which help keep the cancer at bay, and Neurotin to help his neuropathy which is caused by the vincristine.

So as you can see, this is just another day in the life of  a cancer kid.

But today was a special day since it was 1 year ago that Brendan got his last hair cut. We let him get a mohawk last year since it was only a few days till he would lose his hair or so we thought. That night we started to notice some hairs on his pillow, and by morning his pillow was covered. by Jan, 18th his hair was gone.

So to celebrate this milestone, I took Brendan to get a haircut. His hair has been CRAZY since it grew in. It is so fine like baby hair, but dry and unruly as if he stuck his finger in an electrical outlet. Well, lo and behold as my hairdresser Gail was cutting his hair, he suddenly started to look more and more like the pre-cancer Brendan. Suddenly my little boy who has looked so sick for the past year, looks ALMOST like my old Brendan. It brought tears to my eyes. It’s still bringing tears to my eyes. It was the first time I REALLY KNEW it will all be ok.

You’ll be shocked to see him in a few weeks when you meet him. I’m not even sure his doctors will recognize him next week!!!!

Tomorrow morning we are off to New Stars For Young Stars to meet some up and coming Red Sox stars! He’s bringing a friend from school so I’m SURE he’ll have a great time.  

Brendan will update again tomorrow afternoon. Hope your well and enjoying the snow!

-Alexis (Brendan’s mom)

Hope you are doing ok and everything went well.  I didn’t want to call tonight because it was quite a day for you and your family.   I kept thinking of you all day.  You are one brave kid.

Get some rest and I talk to you tomorrow.

-Patrick

RM: 4.25 (Mill St Run)
WM: 30.25
TM:  30.25

I didn’t know many of the procedures and drugs that you talked about.   I had no idea the amount of processes that needed to be done all at once.   I went on to the Dana-Farber website to educate myself and look up some definitions.  Here were some of the terms:

Intrathecal Chemotherapy
Emla Cream
Methotrexate
Cytarabine
Vincristine

Brendan, I’m in awe with your strength and endurance with such a positive attitude.  I wish you all the best tomorrow.  You will be in my thoughts all day.    

-Patrick

Tomorrow I will arrive at the JFC @ 8:00, Get my port accessed, have my vitals done, have emla applied to my lower back, be put under with ansthesia, then they will do a lumbar puncture (spinal) and give Hydrocortisone, Methotrexate, and Cytarabine into the spinal fluid. Then, once I wake up they will give me my Vincristine. And if ALL that isn’t enough, I start back on my oral Chemo at home later tomorrow night for the next 14 days! PLUS my Steroids start up again!!

So it’s a big, busy day for me tomorrow (one that will be repeated again in 9 weeks..) but I will post again tomorrow.

I’m really excited your running for me and we can”t wait to meet you!!!!

-Brendan

The rule of this morning’s run was “Slow and proceed with caution”.  Most roads were plowed well enough for traffic, but traffic plus a runner, not so much.   Each time a car was coming down the road I had to judge:  Did the car coming see me? Did the care moved over enough for both of us? Or do I have to jump into the snow bank?  Running with conditions of packed snow and ice gave my ankles a work out too.  Needless to say it was an adventure. 

Looks like the technical glitches are all out of the way and you should be able to start writing your own entries soon.  I look forward to it.

Did you have another snow day today?  I bet you did. 

-Patrick

RM: 8.0 (King Phillips Hill Run)
WM: 26.0
TM:  26.0

My Snow Shoes

Hi Brendan,

No school!  It’s your first official snow day of the year.  I’ve already cleared the drive way but it looks like I’m going to have to head out at least one more time tonight.   I can’t really figure out how much we got because of the snow that was still there from the Christmas storm. 

Your mom sent me the pictures of your impressive Taj Mahal and your latest master piece, the London Tower Bridge.  I still can’t believe that is all done with Legos.   What’s your next project?

Your grandmother (your mom’s mom), sent me a nice note today.  She told me you are “one amazing kid!”

No running today.  Wednesday’s are usually some type of cross training.  In January, I usually just work out at the gym, doing similar to exercises that you would do at therapy.  Today because of the storm I thought I’d change it up a bit.  My 5 year old daughter, Isabella, and I worked out using WII Fit Plus.  It was fun.   Her favorite exercise was one where she had to follow a cat around a park while running.   When she finished it would ask her 3 questions on what she observed on her run.  

Tomorrow I’m going to attempt to get out there for a run in the morning.   Hopefully the roads will be in good condition.  I’ll check in and let you know how it went.

-Patrick

I wore my new reflective vest today while running.  It is still dark when I head out for my morning runs.  I try to wear bright clothing and some of my running clothes have reflective material in it.  I don’t know how well it works because I do a lot of directing traffic than I should while running.

My wife was getting a little nervous with me running while it is dark out and was afraid I might get hit by a car not being able to see me.  So, she gave me a reflective vest.  When I took it out of the package it looked small and a little “School Crossing Guard” like, but I put it on anyway.  It seemed to work well.  I noticed cars moving to their left sooner and with less surprise.

I didn’t have a planned route today.   I just knew I needed at least 6 miles.  I ran a route that I was familiar with and added another mile or so on to it.  I ran with a moderate pace trying not to push it too much.  It’s early in the training and my muscles are not used to the increased miles and the cold.  I’m trying to have an injury free season for once.

Hope you had a good day at school.  I think tomorrow will definitely be a snow day for you. 

- Patrick

My new reflective vest

RM: 6.5 (Gardner St)
WM: 18.0
TM:  18.0

The reason Brendan was partnered with me is because on December 30, 2009, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  Brendan was immediately admitted to Children’s Hospital in Boston where he spent four weeks undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatments.  Brendan is thankfully in remission, but he must still undergo two years of aggressive chemotherapy to help ensure the cancer doesn’t return. 

You can follow Brendan’s journey and find out more about him at http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/brendanbarrie and http://www.brendansbuddies.org/.

The Blog

I created this blog for Brendan and me.  All my future entries will be conversions between two team mates.    I welcome anyone to follow along and check in often.    I’m sure along the way there will be plenty of talk about running and training, Legos and food (especially teriyaki chicken) , cancer and treatment,  good days and bad…and yes the weather.  But most of all, it will be about two people teaching each other about living life.

Orange running shirts with blue accents and the white highlighted words Dana-Farber.  I would see many of them out on the course during the marathon.  You have a lot of time to think while you are running a marathon.  I remember saying to myself how lucky the runners are to be involved with such a great organization.  In 2009, I got to become more informed about the success and achievements of Dana-Farber through my wife Nikki as she rode the PMC and got involved with the Dana-Farber Leadership Council.  I knew someday I would find a way to get on the DFMC team.  

Well, I am pretty excited to tell you that this is the year.  Over the next few months I will be raising money for Dana-Farber.   One hundred percent (100%) of the funds raised will support the Barr Program research initiatives.   The support from the DFMC has been great, with plenty of help with fund raising, training runs and marathon information.

If you are interested, there are plenty of ways to help me in my fundraising efforts.  The easiest is to go to my personal DFMC donation page.  If your company has matching gifts, please send me an email and I’ll send you the matching gift form.