a shout out to my dear brother

big thanks to Brendan for his generous donation to TFK! I will run mile 25 for him, because he wants me to be "in pain when I'm thinking of him." too kind, really.

Read on for an excerpt from this week's Team for Kids newsletter--my very own pace group, team fireass, is featured!

No doubt you've heard of this notorious pace group in New York. Team Fireass (otherwise known as the 11:30 pace group) is a shining example of what Team for Kids is all about: working together, supporting one another, and having fun in the process.

But what's the secret to this group's success? We asked their fearless leader, Frank Brown, to describe why he thinks Team Fireass has become a positive force in the Team for Kids Community.

What's the story behind your group's name?
I wanted something that simultaneously would convey passion and silliness. If you can't say it with a straight face, you can't take yourself too seriously -- which means you can be passionate about the running part (which we are) and appropriately humble about the fact that there are Team For Kids runners who can cover two miles in the time it takes us to cover one.

"Fire" conveys the passion for running and excelling; it gives us a real sense of community and pride. We may not be speedy, but we're fiery; we care about each other, and we care about all the other pace groups. We want our Fire to spread to all the pace groups so that "Team For Kids" becomes an unstoppable force, an inferno.

The "Ass" part keeps it fun and light. Originally, I wanted it to convey that while we run like our pants are on fire (Coach Adam calls that Race Pace), there isn't a pace group that has more fun. In the heat, on the hills, in the later miles of long runs, if you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be out there. Everyone has days when they don't feel like running -- when they're sore and their bodies are tired and they don't want to do the push ups or the planks or the reverse crunches.

That's where Fireass pride comes in: There are no shortcuts on Team Fireass. I refuse to let down my pace group or my pace group's name. If you're on Team Fireass, you bring passion and excitement and FIRE to every Team For Kids training session or race. The more passion and excitement, the more fun. It creates itself and builds on itself.

I know "Ass" isn't exactly a word you want sewn into a pillow, particularly when we're running on behalf of children, but in today's world, it's a word with no worse than a 'PG' rating. When young people are around, I call our group "Firebutts" to keep things respectable.

Ours is a benevolent fire -- one that warms but doesn't destroy.

NYC half marathon (+2.9!)=16, a personal record!

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:30 am and headed to Central Park in the dark to run 2.9 miles with TFK prior to the start of the NYC Half Marathon. It was REALLY early and kind of freaky, and I was a little anxious because I'd had knee and ankle pain all week. Shockingly enough, though, I was on fire--I had perhaps my best run to date! We finished our 2.9 just in time for the start, and ran as a pack of 11:30 "fire asses" for the whole 13.1. It was crazy--there were 10,000 runners total (including, I learned today, Natalie Morales from the Today show and several Kenyan world champions). It poured for a few minutes, but misted for the rest of the race. I was grateful not to have a repeat of last weekend's 14- mile swim in Maine!

After an endless loop of Central Park (oh, I was SO ready to get out into the street after nearly 10 miles in the park!), we exited onto 7th avenue and ran through Times Square! It was the COOLEST--no cars, just a runners ahead! We passed stages through the whole race, include one that featured the cast of RENT singing "Take me or leave me." You all probaly know that's my favorite song from the musical--I sang along for a few lines and then decided it was taking too much energy, so I stopped. We ran down 42nd St to the West Side Highway, where we finished the race at Battery Park. All along, there were people cheering us on, which was totally motivating. I can only imagine what marathon day is like!

My time was 2:39:28, which is quite slow considering that the leaders were running a 4:50 per mile pace, but I felt great at the end. We alternated between 15 minutes of commute pace (11:30/mile) and 5 minute intervals of warm-up pace (about 30 seconds faster per mile) and supported each other. How cool that I was able to SPEED UP for the last mile after running for nearly 3 hours (including the 2.9 miles prior to the race)!!

Orientation at CUSSW started today, which means school is just around the corner. I really like my group of first-years so far, and I'm totally telling them that cheering me on at the marathon is a group event! Why not, right? ;)

(Photos courtesy of New York Road Runners)

another year older!

A friend asked me yesterday how it feels to be a member of the "quarter-century club." Before yesterday, I didn't know such a club existed, but now I guess I belong to it! Thanks to all who made my birthday so much fun--the emails, cards, phone calls, delicious lunch (T, who knew that sushi and ice cream from coldstone went well together?), candle-adorned cupcake (yum, thanks Johnny!) and little gathering last night will not be soon forgotten! Thanks especially to Colleen and Diego--my room smells like a garden because of the beautiful flowers you gave me! I even got some TFK donations as birthday gifts! Rock on, people! You're all great! It was a lovely day all around.

As far as training, I think I hit a bit of a wall on Tuesday night when I was doing hill intervals with the team in Central Park. I had just gotten back from Maine and I was dehydrated and my ankle hurt. I cut the workout short and headed home to rest. Wednesday I struggled to get through my cross training at the gym, and yesterday I had more ankle/knee pain at the end of my run in the park. I'm super-excited about the 1/2 marathon (+2.9) this weekend--picked up my number today at my first expo experience--but I hope I can get through it pain-free. I'll make myself ice my foot religiously tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me!

NYC half marathon this Sunday

...plus 2.9 additional miles BEFORE the race for TFKers! (That's right, I have to be there at 6am). The NYC Half Marathon will be televised on ABC 7 starting at 7am! For those of you in the NYC area, wake up early and watch me run! I'll be wearing neon green, with several hundred of my closest TFK friends!

Visit this link to check out the NYC half marathon commercial--

http://www.nyrr.org/nychalf/images/nychalf.mov

so far, the most memorable run of the season!

I went home to Maine this weekend for a quick visit before school starts the week after next. Mom and Dad and the rest of the extended family wanted to see me before my birthday on Thursday, too (and who am I to pass up celebrations in my honor?!) I arrived in Portland on Saturday evening, and Barbara Bush was at the airport picking up houseguests. How kind of her to meet me! She even dressed for the occasion, pearls and all!

I woke up Sunday to thunder and lightning and was immediately really aggravated because I've been psyching myself up to do a 14-mile run with hills without the help of my great pace group. For awhile it seemed like I wasn't going to go, but the rain stopped mid-morning and off I went. Mom thought it was hilarious, me with my belt, gels, plastic-wrapped cell phone and ipod, etc. I got going and felt good, only to be hit with a TORRENTIAL downpour 20 minutes into the run. (Remember a few Thursdays ago, when Adam and I nearly swam home after being caught in a monsoon? Yeah, it was like that). Pretty soon I was soaked, and I thought for a second about turning around, but I couldn't get any wetter, so I just kept going. It was quite funny, actually...rain, mist, rain, mist, spray from cars passing me on route 9...all I could do was laugh. Any right-minded person would've stayed home in her pajamas, but NO--all in the name of Team for Kids!

Big thanks to Aunt Ellie and Uncle Stu for finding me a route with LOTS of hills and to Mom and Dad for driving alongside me every few miles and holding gatorade out the car window! I wished my TFK teammates were there to share the experience with me, but oddly enough, I think they were! I finished, felt great, and was smiling at the end of 14 miles. Dad commented later, "You look to be in less pain than I would've thought!" and then later..."You know, if you'd asked me a year ago if I thought you could do this, I'd have said no. But you're doing it! I saw you today!" What a great sense of accomplishment I had, hearing my dad say that :)

Congratulations to the TFKers who ran Rockefeller this weekend! Wish I could've been there, but I don't think I'll forget my 14-miler anytime soon...

the cutest thing i have EVER seen

a fellow TFK teammate warming up with a member of the New York Road Runner's Foundation Rabbits team! many thanks to omar for sharing his photos!

pushing a personal record!

I have two days left at my internship, and then I'll be heading up to Maine for the weekend to hang out with the fam before school starts. Sadly, I'll miss my teammates and the Rockefeller run (the "blair witch" run through the woods!) on Sunday. However, I will be running 14 miles (just .2 miles shy of my personal record!) at Goose Rocks on my own. I'm kind of nervous about it, but I know I can do it. I think I'm going to run to the Bush estate and back (thinking about maybe asking them if I can use their bathroom?! In which case I probably shouldn't bring my eggs to throw at the house). The route has lots of hills, so my teammates need not worry that I'm skimping on the strength training!

Oh, and as many of you may know, my birthday is one week from tomorrow. In lieu of gifts, I will be accepting donations to my TFK fund (and you thought it was too late to donate!) Visit the link at the right, click on Contribute and make me a happy girl on my birthday!

Last name: Flavin
Bib number: 2451

tools of the trade

whoever said that all one needs to run are sneakers and some road was wrong. despite my quest to achieve a newfound zen through training for the marathon (well, maybe not, but that's the way some of the coaches talk!) i seem to have accumulated more stuff in the process! new sneakers, a fuel belt, gels (they come in handy for anything longer than 10 miles, but note to self: i do not like the raspberry and cream flavor!), gatorade, wicking socks, etc. who knew there was so much gear involved in this sport??

the 11:30 pace group did really well in our 12-mile long run this morning, despite the fact that we were missing nancy and emily due to injury! heal up soon, ladies! it was another perfect day (almost chilly when i left my building at 6am to head to the park), and a welcome change from Thursday, when Adam and I were caught in a monsoon and had to swim home!

we headed down the west side today, past chelsea piers (and Law & Order way!) and turned around at houston to come back up the park. all the way, we did a "west side story" theme complete with jets and sharks squaring off with squirt guns. dave got me, and i think he might've been the only one. i guess i'm just too fast ;). I can't believe how smoothly the 11 miles went--we're all getting so much stronger! the last mile wasn't too fun, thanks to a blister on my foot, but i made it through and was rewarded with nancy's great banana bread at the end of the run. popsicles, too!

hill intervals

i've graduated from base training! that means i'm in the strength building part of my marathon training, which has me running hill intervals during the week. last night, i did 40 minutes of intervals up and down hills at warm-up pace (which is supposedly a minute faster than commute pace, but it's hard to go faster up a freaking hill!)

needless to say, my legs hurt a little this morning!

saturday morning, TFK will be taking on the west side for a 12- mile strength- building run. that means hills. woohoo. oh well, whatever i do now will prepare me for those bridges on race day!

A beautiful day for a run!

This morning, at the crack of dawn, I went to Central Park--in a cab again because it was too early for the buses (seriously, can't look at cabs the same way after a summer at the TLC!)--for the weekly long run with TFK. As I stumbled around my room half asleep, I kept thinking "I must REALLY like this" and "I must be having a REALLY good time to get up this early!" We slapped on some green paint (I sported a TFK logo on my arm) and did 11 miles at commute pace in conjunction with the ING Marathon Long Training Run #1. I was a little stiff at the beginning, but the first two miles up a hill were a pretty big wake-up call! It was a good run, and I love being with a group of people who:

1) are at my pace
2) love to chat (especially Nancy, who tells GREAT stories about last year's training season and race, which get me ALL SORTS of excited to run the big one on 11/5)
3) feel no shame about stopping for water or pee breaks despite the fact that the hardcore folks are lapping us all over the place. Whatever. We'll be the ones smiling when finishing the marathon.

The 11:30s (aka Team Fireass--ask Frank where we got that name, because I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to energize us) all run for fun and today was a beautiful day with a breeze--a huge change from the past few days in NYC, where the heat index was over 100. bleh. days like this are why i run. go TFK!

what an insane week!

it's been a week since i've written, and a lot's gone down on the marathon front in a week! last saturday, i hurt my ankle and was hobbling around for about a day and a half with an ice pack all but glued to my foot. by sunday afternoon, i felt a bit better and went to jackrabbits to buy new running shoes. this store is completely fabulous--i got to run on a treadmill and have the (cute) salesguy tell me all about my stride and what kind of shoes i needed. he told me that my stride was "unique." translation: funny looking (but i'll bet he says that to all the girls).

despite my "unique" stride, the shoes made a HUGE difference for yesterday's long run. but i'll get to that.

tuesday i didn't run because i wanted to go easy on the ankle (i went to a cookout for the city interns at gracie mansion, too!), but thursday i ran and it felt so good after the crazy week i had at work, out surveying FHV drivers. if you want to know more about my project or my summer internship, just ask--pretty interesting stuff, but there are some really long, stressful days ahead until i finish up on the 18th of august! andrew teased me (at least i hope he was teasing me) that there had been some talk at the office that i wouldn't be able to finish the race because i'm not dedicated enough. of course, that made me want to finish it even more. see you at the finish line, office-talkers!

yesterday's long run was awesome once i got there (no bus came, so i had to take a cab at 6:30am to get to the park in time), and i breathed a big sigh of relief at being able to finish without pain. i think it was the shoes. the shoes and my totally great pace group, the 11:30s, who made a great showing on the course AND with the after-run refreshments! oh my goodness, we had so much extra food. i made a gentleman at the 86th street subway station VERY happy with a bag of Nancy's great banana bread. unfortunately, we didn't get to run to randall's island because the bridge was up, but the loop around the park was fun, too.

the benefits to being on this team are never-ending. betsy and i discovered that we each had the wrong size fuel belt, so we switched and we're much happier (at least i hope so--betsy, how did it work for you?), and dave b. gave me a great running mix full of crazy techno and dance music. speaking of daves, dave w, where were you yesterday? sarah k, i didn't see you either!

another week down--november 5 will be here before i know it. i just can't wait to be there for the actual day of the race. my teammates who have run it before say that it ranks up there on the "scale of life-changing experiences" with getting married and having kids. my great running partner, patty, got goosebumps when telling me about it yesterday! i don't know what getting married or having kids is like, but i'll soon know firsthand what it's like to run up first avenue with all those people cheering me on! i'm so excited, i can't even wait!

many, many thanks to those who continue to donate! mile 25 is for uncle stu and ellie! mel k, thanks so much for your donation and for being so excited for me :)

and mile 26 goes to...

the epsteins, because according to them, "it's worth waiting for!" thank you to all of you!!

8 miles

What a busy week this has been! I worked late every night, so I didn't make it to Tuesday's or Thursday's runs. I did them on my own, and it was weird not being with a pace group. How strange, since I ran alone up until 3 weeks ago! Just as well, since it was about 100 degrees on Tuesday night and I couldn't fathom going for a run outside!

Today's long run in Central Park was 8 miles--4 with the Run for Central Park and then 4 additional miles, all at commute pace to build endurance. I felt a little sluggish when I woke up this morning, so I was a little anxious about how my knees would feel during the run. It was so annoying--one mile in and my right knee and shin started to hurt. Fearless pace group leader Frank told me to warm up and see how I felt, and after a few minutes, the tightness passed for a few miles. Then, my left ankle started to hurt. To top it off, there were SO many people running the race and it was about 90% humidity! Needless to say, it was a rough day for me. So frustrating, because my heart rate was steady and my breathing was good, it was just my stupid knee and ankle! I've spent the afternoon sitting down with ice on both, and planning to stay off them tomorrow!

Despite all my achiness, my pace group managed to finish the 8 miles together, and we ran the second 4 two minutes faster than the first four! Pretty cool. I also have to give a shout out to two of my fellow racers today--not TFK members, but I won't hold it against them! Larry the Lighthouse was back this week--check out http://larrythelighthouse.com. I first saw him last week during our 5 mile race. This dude is hilarious--he runs in a wooden lighthouse costume! I don't know HOW he does it. And secondly, I saw this amazing little boy this morning--he couldn't have been more than 7 years old. He had one leg and he was racing right alongside us with the help of a rollerblade and some cross country ski poles! I don't know who he is, but it was so inspiring to see him. It really puts a little ankle pain into perspective!

I'm overwhelmed!

The generosity of family and friends now that i'm getting the word out about the marathon is overwhelming! I'll write more about the week in training soon, but many many thanks to all who have donated! ALL of the Casey families, the Damons, and to Mom for helping spread the word--I REALLY appreciate it!

I will run the following miles for these excellent supporters:
Mile 1: Eric K.
Mile 2: Damon family
Mile 3: Tanya
Mile 4: Diego and family
Mile 5: Jane Oliver
Mile 6: Kate, Mark, Stuie, Olivia
Mile 7: Kenny, Tracy, Emma
Mile 8: Bill and Audrey Maher
Mile 9: Darcey Comer
Mile 10: Stephen K.
Mile 14: Mimi and John
Mile 15: Rob, Cheryl, V and Suz
Mile 16: Jim, Irene, R, C,A
Mile 25: Brendan
Mile 26: Epstein family

You KNOW you want me to run a mile for you, too! Donate and make it happen :)

week 2!

i realized i haven't written in awhile, so it's time for an update! tuesday night, i joined some TFK folks in central park for an evening workout. we did a warm-up that felt like a high school xcountry practice (or what i imagine one to feel like, since i never did that in high school). it was pretty cool to be doing exercises in a big group like that--very motivating! (maybe i should've tried the team sports thing earlier, but hey, better late than never, right?)

wednesday was yoga (love that yoga) and thursday night i skipped our workout because i went to the ani d. show in central park. gotta get my priorities straight, after all. just kidding (kind of). it was a great show, full of memorable quotes. for example, my hallmate Aspen came with me and said, as we were watching a group of teeny boppers get down to 'napoleon': " look at those girls. they're so liberated--they only blew their hair dry once today!" tis true, the crowds at ani shows have changed since i started going ten years ago (can you believe it? thursday marked show number 14!) but ani was still in top form with a beautiful new poem and a new album out at the end of the summer. plus, she closed with 'overlap.' 'nuff said.

anyway, after not running since tuesday, i was a little tight for cross training last night at the gym and a little nervous about 6 miles in awful heat this morning. but i was a trooper and got up at 6am to get to the park for 7. my pace group is great and we stayed right on point for the 5 mile race and then slowed down a bit for the last mile that TFK so kindly added for us (sarcasm, anyone?) but seriously, despite the loss of focus when folks around me were finishing at mile 5, i felt really good and was able to maintain conversation the whole time. ps, two truths and a lie is a good game to play while running! next week is a 4 mile race with 4 miles added on, and i'm hoping it won't be quite so hot, but we're in New York in july, so who am i kidding?

oh, yeah--i just finished a GREAT book recommended to me by Eric K called "The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner." It's about a Brit (Russell Taylor, the author) who agreed to run the NYC marathon after getting drunk and making a bet with a friend in a London pub. The book is hilarious and it tells the story of his training all the way from joining a gym and using the treadmill for five minutes and then showering to completing the race NY-style. The writing is dry and quite British, and there is a full chapter about the history of the race, including a description of all of the people who died trying to do it. I hope I will not be added to the list when Taylor's new edition comes out!

i know i won't. i'm going to finish, and i'm going to be running when i do. that's right.

more updates to come! many thanks to all who have donated to the fund! you can do so by clicking on the "Team for Kids" link and entering my name and bib number (2451). i appreciate it!

Donate and I'll run a mile just for you!

Visit the Team for Kids link and type in my name and registration number to donate! If you'd like me to run a mile just for you, let me know! Mile 1 is for Eric K--I promise I'll run it slooooowly! Mile 14 is for Mimi and John--they'll be rooting for me when it gets really hard!

Many, many thanks to all who have already donated to my marathon fund! Mimi and John, Betsy, Tom, Melissa, Colleen C. and Eric K.-- you are all so generous!

Pictures from Saturday's first group run

Here are some pictures from Saturday's first group run with TFK--look left for proof that I was there! (It's a little bit like "Where's Waldo?")I got lots of comments on the Bowdoin t-shirt, and I hated telling excited alums that no, I didn't go there!

TFK website is up!

The beautiful new TFK website is now up! If you'd like to make a donation to my marathon fund, go to www.teamforkids.org and click on "contribute." follow the prompts and enter my full name and registration number (2451) and the amount you wish to pledge. I am so grateful for any donation you can give, and if you are unable to give money at this time, that's ok too--just send some good training karma my way. :)

training has officially begun!

Yesterday, I headed over to Central Park for an 8am five-mile timed run with Team for Kids! It was the first official run of the 2006 training season. What a beautiful day, and how energizing to see a crowd of people gathered together to run for a cause! I met some great folks, all with different reasons to run. (I'll bet you can guess mine--I run for fun!) Everybody wants to accomplish something for themselves and for others. It's so awesome and I realized yesterday that it's going to be so much easier to do this marathon with the help of a team. Just to be clear--I'm not saying the marathon will be easy--but with the support I'm going to be getting, I'm that much more likely to pull through on race day :). I love the quote on the back of the TFK shirt: "I ran my fastest 10k 20 miles into a marathon." We'll see if that happens for me!

I set off on the 5-mile loop around the park with group 3 and took it really easy. It was so cool to people-watch and pick out fellow green-bracelet wearing runners. True, a lot of them were passing me, but I'm not too concerned. I'm a slow runner--I accepted that a LONG time ago--but I can keep going for awhile! I finished in 52:35, which put me in the 11:30 pace group.. can't wait to meet up with my group members next weekend!

Sadly, I didn't get to meet Dave and Sarah, my teammates and authors of the two blogs linked at the right--Guys, we're all going to have to wear red shirts next week or something!

More to come--I'm just getting started!

4th of July Flavin-style!

This weekend, I headed home to Maine for a little 4th of July Flavin fun. In true "Camp Flavin" fashion, we had a cast of thousands (including a tent full of B's friends and lots of extended family!) It was a great time--Dad made a lobster feast for Mom's birthday. Check out the photo of the leftovers--(that's right, leftovers--we had 50 lobsters total) --in the sink. Some of the crew got up early Tuesday morning and went to cheer on the crowds at the bike parade (What can I say, it's a small town).

I also got in some great running this weekend. My cousin and I did a long-ish one on Sunday, and I felt pretty good after that. B had a friend visiting who does triathlons, and he was the only person up for a morning run on Monday. We kept a good pace then, too. Tuesday AM, I woke up and did the 12th annual (that's what it says on my t-shirt!) GRBA 5k. I finished in 28.28, which is pretty decent, considering that it was really sticky and I ran 2 miles to the start of the race! Mom and Dad came to cheer and take photos--they're rehearsing for the real deal in November. :)

It was a great weekend, and even my disasterous trip back to NYC couldn't ruin that! I was delayed 3 hours due to weather, but I did manage to see the fireworks as the SuperShuttle van tried to navigate through three lanes of parked cars on the LIE. I got home later than expected, so I'm a little tired today, but I'm totally pumped to start official training on Saturday!