Tom is coming home today!

Barring any complications, Tom expects to be released sometime this afternoon. Woo hoo!

Update on Tom - my email to family and friends

Hey everyone,

Sorry for not getting an update out via email last night -- I ended up staying overnight at the hospital again at Tom's request. Surgery was at 7pm, he was out by 9pm and in recovery until about 11/11:30. The surgeon was able to remove the gallbladder lapriscopically instead of cutting his ab muscles, which will speed up recovery tremendously. It was much more infected than we had thought -- apparently this has been brewing for some time, which would explain a few days over the past weeks where he was feeling kind of blah, for lack of a better description. Because the infection was more pronounced, they kept one incision open with a drain, and he'll remain in the hospital until at least tomorrow and treated with high doses of IV antibiotics.

His pain has been very well managed (a big difference from his car accident two years ago!), and he was able to get out of bed this morning under his own power, which impressed me. He's still exhausted, as am I, after three days on little-to-no sleep, but starting to hit that bored phase. He now has his cell phone and I'm sure would love calls (617-686-5449) or visitors (Lawrence Memorial in Medford, room 229). We should be in the hospital through tomorrow (Wednesday).

Thanks for the well wishes, as well as the grief for missing the golf tournament yet again -- he's been enjoying the ribbing!

Tom is having surgery this afternoon

After spending nearly all day Sunday in the ER with chest/abdominal pain, Tom has been diagnosed with an infected gallbladder and will have surgery this afternoon to remove it. The infection is fairly far along, but the surgeon hopes to do it lapriscopically, rather than through his ab muscles.

Planes, trains and automobiles

Talk about a travel nightmare. I was scheduled to fly home from Chicago yesterday after lunch. Flight #1 was delayed until mid-afternoon, then after an hour sitting at the gate, the flight was canceled due to mechanical problems. I scrambled on the phone to United and was told the next available flight was Saturday night. Argh! The trick is to respond "this is unacceptable" and within a half hour, United booked me on a flight Friday evening on American. I pick up a second airport book and hang out at a chain restaurant for dinner, then work my way over to the gate for Flight #2.

By now, to paraphrase an old classic, the weather started getting rough and the tiny planes were tossed. Sure enough, Flight #2 is cancelled shortly thereafter, and I trudge over to the American customer service area. My cell phone is dying, but I manage to reserve a room at the local Marriott, expecting the worst.

After more than an hour, I arrive at the front of the line, and a tired customer service rep gets to work. Leave tomorrow through Toronto -- well, I don't have my passport. Leave Sunday straight to Boston -- I have plans between now and then back in Boston. Can't you get me there? Ah ha -- we could fly you to St Louis tonight, just to get out of this mess, then fly you to Boston tomorrow. Hello Marriott -- cancel Chicago and find me a bed in St Louis.

I finally got home 24 hours after I had started!

The Post-Marathon Report

Coming soon!

Marathon #11 in the books!

Hi all,

I came, I saw, I finished. Full report tomorrow, but rest assured, I toed the starting line and gallivanted across the finish with Amber 26.2 miles later. No injuries aside from a few minor blisters -- kudos to Tom for those 6am gym times all winter lifting weights. Full report sometime tomorrow -- but thanks to all for your support!

Pre-marathon prep

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow's the Big Day -- my 11th year running the Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team! Many thanks for all the emails and phone calls I've received over the past few days -- I appreciate all the karma and good luck! Feeling pretty good, a few nagging injuries and a sore throat that I hope will lay low until after the deed is done. Weather for tomorrow looks beautiful -- much better than last year when monsoon conditions were predicted!

So, my annual answers to all your spectating questions!

What I'll be wearing: at the start, likely a light blue running jacket; further along, you'll see this year's singlet (colorful as always, but this year's is mostly blue). Boston College hat this year (alas, my faithful Wellesley hat was forgotten in the back of my closet in Plymouth during a quick trip down yesterday!). Black shorts or running tights. On my website, I've added a few quick photos of my shirt, as well as some from today's Runners' Expo and the DFMC Pasta Party:http://www.racedirectors.com/H/running_photos.html

What is my number: 22456

When the race starts: there are two starts for runners. 10am for the speedsters, 10:30am for the rest of us. Nearly all of the DFMC runners are in the 22000s corral with a 10:30am start.

How will you find me out on the course: Tom and I did some back-of-the-envelope math, and the following are the *earliest* that I will arrive in five mile intervals (we're expecting me to be slightly slower, but this is close enough)

Start: 10:30am

5 miles: 11:30am

10 miles: 12:30pm

15 miles: 1:30pm

20 miles: 2:30pm

25 miles: 3:30pm

finish: 3:45pmish

If you are planning to be out on the course, your best bet to seeing me is to let me know where you'll be standing -- it's easier for me to find a spectator than it is for you to find me!

How you can monitor my progress from afar: www.baa.org will have an electronic monitoring system up and running tomorrow morning. Enter my number and watch me truck along.

Is she really taking calls again? Yes, I'm running with my cell phone! Feel free to text or email me ANYTIME on Monday at 617-699-6914. I won't return text messages, but I'll try to take/return calls (if I don't answer, it only means I don't happen to hear/feel my phone at the moment). This has worked out great in recent years to hear from family and friends all over the country -- it really makes my day!

How the fundraising is going: Very well -- I just broke $4,000 this morning and am nearly halfway to my goal. Many, many thanks to those of you who have already contributed to my run. If you have not done so and would like to, please visit my website, http://www.racedirectors.com/H/marathon.html. I'll be accepting donations through the end of May and hope to reach $8,200. 100% of your contributions support incredibly important innovative research at Dana-Farber that otherwise would not find funding -- this is the REAL reason why I run every year!

And finally, a big shout out to my two angels, Brittany and Amber. Brittany got me to the starting line back in 1998, and her memory is the wind at my back pushing me along throughout the years. Amber waits for me at Mile 25 every year and pulls me home. I couldn't do it without either one of them!

Time for bed! See you at the finish line!

Just one week away

About this time next Monday, I'll be lining up for the second wave of runners at the Boston Marathon, my eleventh year in a row as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. Want to know what it'll be like? Check out this interactive guide to the marathon, from a runner's point of view. It's surprisingly accurate!

Ready, aim, fire!

Tom and I finished our pistol class tonight and passed our written exam. We're now proud owners of two pieces of paper that says we're qualified to shoot a gun -- next step is to convince the local authorities as such!

Shift happens

I was at a conference yesterday, and a keynote speaker ran the following video which was developed last year by a group of students at a school in the mid-west (if I remember correctly). Very cool stuff -- makes you think!

"Shift happens"

Last lecture

If you haven't already, you need to read or watch Randy Pausch's last lecture. It's an incredibly optimistic view of a life lived well by a Carnegie Mellon professor who has pancreatic cancer and only a few months left to live.

One of my favorite parts of his talk:

"So my next piece of advice is, you just have to decide if you're a Tigger or and Eeyore. [shows slide with an image of Tigger and Eeyore with the phrase "Decide if you're Tigger or Eeyore"] I think I'm clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. [laughter] Never lose the childlike wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us. "

I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind that I'm a Tigger. Several of my posts have included lists of things I want to do when I have time. But it's a bit more than that -- everyone should have a list of the 101, 1001 or million things they want to do before they die -- have something to aspire to!

Women Don't Ask...

Great NYT article today entitled: "Women, Repeat This: Don't Ask, Don't Get."

Heeeeeeee'sssssss baaaaaaack!

Tom made his triumphant return to road races today, running the R.J. Crowley 3 mile road race with me to benefit Dana-Farber. We took it easy, running 11 minute miles, and were pleased that we beat the puppy division (including a brutish yellow lab and a frisky yip-yip dog), several within the stroller division, an older gentleman with all sorts of keys and what-not jingling away at every step, and a race walker who looked like he was recovering from a serious knee injury. :) Hey, two years ago this month, Tom was laying in a hospital after a serious car accident, so I was "happy as a clam" to have him running next to me (although starting around two miles he was swearing a storm....).

Congrats, honey!

Oil

Oil. Just mention it, and people with oil heat just cringe.

Like a lot of folks, we're on a monthly budget plan. The oil company charges our account roughly $175 a month, it goes into our account, and whenever oil is delivered, the expense is held against the balance we've built. Pretty simple.

Oil prices have been going up dramatically, but my budget plan has stayed the same. Then today I discover that without warning, the company has charged me $550. Yikes -- this must be yet another accounting mistake (there have been a bunch with this company, but I digress...). When I called to check, however, I learned that in fact it wasn't. We owe $550 this month and next to pay off our oil for the year, then a new budget charge will begin in July.

Usually when rates change for any other utilities or even our student loan accounts, we get a 30 day notice. None here. Dozens more found out the hard way when they went to the ATM and couldn't withdraw funds -- the customer service rep I spoke to had been fielding calls all morning, and it was only 11am. How on earth is the average person supposed to stay afloat when oil goes up several hundred dollars a whack?

Our latest mischief....

So Tom and I are taking a pistol class. Yup, we're going to learn how to shoot guns..hopefully at a bulls-eye, not at each other. :) For those not familiar, MIT has a pistol range on campus and has had a number of students nationally ranked in marksmanship. Tom's wanted to take a class for years now, and it just so happened that the timing was right for both of us. Plus we get a small discount as Wellesley alumna and spouse, part of the greater MIT community.

Wish us luck!

More things to do when I have time....

The list just continues.....

Re-learn how to play the piano. Ah yes, twelve years of piano lessons and I barely remember a damn thing. My teacher and I were constantly at odds. She wanted to teach classical; I wanted to learn current music. She wanted me to learn how to read music; I would write in the note names, memorize, then erase before the next lesson. My mother, who does not play, used to point out to me how my father continued to play as an adult and that I would regret someday not being able to play at a party with friends. At 15, I thought I knew better, but sure enough over the past few years, I've found myself wishing I had paid more attention. Tom bought me an amazing keyboard for my birthday last summer; now I need to make some time to re-teach myself!

Figure out all those bells and whistles on our cameras. I used to love taking pictures and was the back-up photographer for our yearbook in college. One of the first things we did when we got married was to invest in both a digital and regular camera. We've since upgraded to yet a newer digital, and I'm embarrassed to say, I don't know how either works beyond "push here dummy." Tom's much more knowledgeable than I, but we could both use a remedial class.

Garden with success. So when we lived in Somerville, we had what I jokingly referred to as a "city boy garden." Tom bought huge pails, cut holes in the bottom, and planted tomatoes and peppers. Our deck boxes were filled with easy-to-grow flowers and a few herbs. We actually did pretty well. Fast forward to buying a house: one would think that with plenty of land, we'd do even better. Well, our garden last year was a disaster. Tom tried to start plants inside, and we both lost interest fairly quickly. Few survived. Lesson #1: just buy the starter plants, don't bother with growing from seed. Then, we did a half-assed job digging an expansive garden. Result: weeds everywhere. Halfway through the summer, I dug everything up, lost a few less hardy plants in the process, but refilled the plot with garden soil and replanted what I could. Lesson #2: Invest in a timer for your spigot and water daily. The sun was so strong and our days commuting so long, we pretty much lost everything. Sigh.....I think we should revert to container gardening!