TOMORROW: Lucky 13 Boston Marathon Run for Dana-Farber

(Repost of my annual pre-marathon email)

Dear family, friends and colleagues,

Par for the course, it’s past 9pm, and I don’t expect to be ready for bed for at least another two hours. Don’t worry – I did the same thing last year!

Welcome to my annual “night before the marathon, and I’m here to answer all your questions” email. This, like not going to bed on time, has become an annual tradition, and I’ve been pinged all day from folks asking when I was going to “send out the details.”

So, here we go: 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 orange) over a long-sleeve black shirt. Wellesley College baseball cap. Black capri running pants. For those of you on Facebook, I've posted a picture of this year's shirt.

What is my number: 22681

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: Let’s face it: I’ve been in physical therapy since New Year’s and am not expecting this to be the year I set a land-speed record. Slow and steady, hoping my foot holds up. This is what I describe as “directionally correct,” or the earliest time you will find me passing through your neighborhood

Start: 10:30am

5 miles: 11:30am

10 miles: 12:45pm

13.1 miles (halfway mark):1:15pm

15 miles: 2pm

20 miles: 3pm

25 miles: 4pm

finish: 4:15pm

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:

• The most official: www.baa.org will have an electronic monitoring system up and running tomorrow morning. Enter my number and watch me truck along.
• Sign up for text messages before 6am on Monday: to get a text message when I pass various points in the race, sign up for the AT&T Athlete alert by either texting the word RUNNER to 31901 (you will receive a response in which you’ll then be directed to enter my bib number – see above) or sign up online at http://registration.baa.org/2010/cf/RegAthleteAlert/pg_AthleteAlert.cfm?mode=preentry&snap=67012610&)
• Far more fun: Tom has set up Twitter on my Blackberry and I’ll be tweeting the entire day away, beginning when he drops me off at 6am for the Somerville Road Runner bus to Hopkinton, then out on the marathon course. Follow me at hkhagerty. For those of you not on Twitter, we’ve set up my account so that it will repost my tweets on Facebook.
• And last, but by no means least: Just call or text me ANYTIME on Monday at 617-699-6914. Seriously, please call! It totally makes my day!

How the fundraising is going: as of tonight, I have raised more than $3,000, 30% toward my twin goals of $10,000 this year and exceeding $100,000 raised throughout my soon-to-be 13 years running for Dana-Farber. 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 June and hope to reach $10,000. 100% of your contributions support vital innovative research at Dana-Farber that otherwise would not find funding.

Somerville Journal interview: Last weekend, two BU students from the College of Communication interviewed me and three other Somerville residents about our marathon runs for charity. It was published this weekend - enjoy!

http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/features/x43859284/Boston-Marathon-Somerville-runs-for-charity

http://kellieryan.net/BostonMarathon.html

And as always, lots of hugs to my two angels, Brittany and Amber. At this afternoon’s pasta party, I was not only joined by Amber and her entire family, but also by Brittany’s sister, Brianne. I couldn’t have asked for a better kick-off to The Big Run. I’ll be thinking of both families and look forward to meeting Amber at Mile 25, where she’ll join me to finish that final mile.

Time to pack! See you at the finish line!

-H.

*******

Heather Kispert Hagerty

hkispert@alum.wellesley.edu

617.699.6914

Please support my 2010 Boston Marathon run for research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute!

http://www.racedirectors.com/H/marathon.html

2010 Marathon Letter!

Dear family and friends,

I’m sure you’re asking yourself: is she running again? The answer is yes, I’m running….and running late with my annual letter! This Monday, April 19th, I will be running the 114th Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. My 13th year!

I did a tally recently. Over the past twelve years, I have:

• Gone through nearly 30 pairs of sneakers – thank you, Marathon Sports
• Drank so much Gatorade (Riptide Rush, to be exact) that I should have bought stock
• Participated in hundreds of road races and received enough t-shirts that I could probably wear a different one every day for six months and not repeat
• Ran 314 miles between Hopkinton and Boston (that’s 26.2 x 12) and walked it another 2-3 times for good measure through the Jimmy Fund Walk
• Raised more than $90,000 for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

I stand on the brink: this year, “lucky 13,” I hope to reach 340 miles run and $100,000 raised for Dana-Farber. I hope you will help me!

I am constantly reminded that we now live in an era where all of us will know someone who has battled cancer. I have had the privilege to hear directly from researchers at Dana-Farber about the advances that have been made and how far we have come in treating cancer patients.

I am also reminded how precious our own lives are. Just this winter, both of Tom’s parents were diagnosed with various forms of skin cancer. Thankfully, both have been treated successfully. However, as I look in the mirror, I wonder: did I do enough to prevent skin cancer for myself? I think: it’s likely not a matter of if, but rather a matter of when.

And then I hope: someday, we will not only cure cancer. We will prevent it. This is why I run.

And why, you ask, was this year’s letter so late? I was running well this winter until I ran a half-marathon on Cape Cod and limped away with a painful foot injury. Three doctors, two physical therapists and one MRI later, I finally found a magician who believed in both my body and my cause, enough to tell me that I would toe the line once again. I’ll be there Monday, taped foot and all, ready to break 340 marathon miles. But I need your help to reach $100K.

Please take a few minutes today to support my 12th marathon run. 100% of your tax-deductible donation funds Barr Program researchers at Dana-Farber, ensuring novel approaches in basic cancer research.

With thanks and appreciation,
-Heather

PS: As I have every year, I will be wearing the names of your loved ones, cancer victims and survivors, on my marathon-day singlet to spur me forward. Be sure to email me so I can include them.

Please support my 12th marathon run for cancer research

Dear family and friends,

It’s that time of year: in less than two weeks, on Monday, April 20, I will be running the 113th Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. A dozen years… Who would have guessed when I nervously toed the line in 1998 that I would return year after year to run the granddaddy of all marathons? Certainly not me—the few times I did join friends for a run, it usually both began and ended with me grumbling: the early hour, their far-too-quick pace, an accumulation of blisters from ill-fitting sneakers. What changed? I have been inspired—a dozen times over—by the most amazing young women, waging their own personal marathon against cancer research.

By Brittany Lambert. Brittany was my patient-partner that first year, an amazing teenager who celebrated life as passionately and fearlessly as she faced death. I have remained close to her family and earlier this winter went to a Bruins hockey game with her sister, Brianne. Brianne has grown into a beautiful, self-confident young woman who openly shares her dedication to Dana-Farber. As we reminisced and enjoyed one of Brittany’s favorite pastimes, my mind traveled back in time, recalling nearly verbatim a conversation with Brittany about meeting her favorite Bruin. Brianne now shed new light on that encounter, describing how Brittany had been feeling poorly, but had perked up ten-fold when the opportunity presented itself. Carpe diem, after all. Two incredible sisters, the same conversation, a dozen years apart.

By Amber DaRosa. Six years ago, Amber was diagnosed with leukemia. Although four year-olds are not usually allowed in the patient-partner program, an exception was made because Amber’s parents are high-school friends of Tom’s. She meets me every year at mile 25, and I have had the immense pleasure of watching her evolve into a healthy, cancer-free young lady. The first year, we pushed her in a carriage. The next, I carried her most of the way. The following year, a slow walk. Most recently, she’s been the one pushing and pulling me along that last mile. This winter I joined Amber and her family at a special party for runners and their partners at the Children’s Museum and could not help but wonder at the transformation of this nearly-ten year-old as she easily (and repeatedly) climbed a rock wall. It’s nothing compared to what she’s already survived.

These young women, and their families, inspire me through the miles each year. And they remind me that we still have many miles to go. Please take a few minutes today to support my 12th marathon run. 100% of your tax-deductible donation funds Barr Program researchers at Dana-Farber, ensuring novel approaches in basic cancer research.

With thanks and appreciation,
-Heather

PS: As I have every year, I will be wearing the names of your loved ones, cancer victims and survivors, on my marathon-day singlet to spur me forward. Be sure to email me so I can include them.

General update and news from the front...

A quick and brief update:

As you may have heard, I recently accepted a position at Boston University to return to frontline fundraising. This Friday will be my last day at THD, although I will be staying engaged in the hiring process for my replacement. I'll be taking two weeks off before starting at BU, so expect some massive updates to the blog and our photo page on Shutterfly. I've been writing partial entries over the past two months that need to be finished, so be forewarned, you'll be reading about mischief from weeks ago! Bear with me as I catch up on life!

Girls-only wine series: round 2

Several years ago, I read a wonderful article about a group of women who got together once a year at someone's home or summer home and spent a weekend together eating, drinking, laughing...no real agenda except the occasional pedicure. This really struck a chord with me, so I floated the idea among my friends. Long story short, by the end of a beautiful early spring weekend, close to 30 women had passed through our house in Plymouth. Some dropped by for an afternoon, others came down for a day, still others stayed overnight, and a few girls even came from out of town! Those who couldn't make it begged me to continue the tradition, saying that not only did they look forward to some girl-time, they needed it!

This year, we put the house on the market and eventually rented it out in the last spring, so using Plymouth was out of the question. We live in a two-floor apartment in Somerville, so having a houseful of girls for an entire weekend is sketchy at best. So, Heather's girls-only wine series was born!

I threw together a last minute wine & cheese in June, featuring Australian wines, and only a few girls could make it. This time, I gave the gals a few weeks notice and was delighted to have a full table of girls over for brunch today. Our theme: champagnes and sparkling wines. Why? Because I had somehow accumulated four bottles in our fridge between the SuperBowl and a few other parties and I desperately need the room!

Our selection:

• France: Perriet Jouet Grand Brut
  
• Spain: Freixenet and Segura Viudas Brut Reserva
  
• Italy: Prosecco Brut Mionetto and Zardetto Proseco
  
• US East Coast: Westport River Blanc de Noirs 2000
  
• US West Coast: Mumm Nappa Blanc de Noirs
  
• El cheapo: Korbel

Yes, we did drink eight bottles of champagne (French)/sparking wine (all others), much to Tom's disgust!

A good resource for the uninitiated: Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wines. I think the writing is hilarious and have learned a lot from it. The best part is for each type of wine, he recommends best buys under $15, as well as those to impress under $30. Several of the above were his recommendations.

The nicest surprise of the day, however, was Tom's early anniversary present. He had come home from the Cape a wee bit hungover, so instead of heading out with the boys, he spent a few hours in the a/c upstairs in bed, then later in the afternoon settled in on the couch to watch TV. He must have been listening to our conversation about jewelry, because he suddenly appeared with a bag from DePrisco and said "here, I thought you might have fun showing these to the girls." A beautiful pearl necklace and matching earrings! Totally caught me by surprise -- we're heading up to Portland this coming weekend to celebrate and I hadn't expected us to exchange gifts (sneaky little bugger!). But apparently I needed to stop borrowing my friend's pearls (namely Cindy's for our wedding) and have my own. What a guy!

Birthday musings.....

Birthdays really just aren't my thing -- I'm much more of an Easter or Christmas kind of gal. And today is off to a rip-roaring start with torrential rain, the worst traffic I've hit yet going to my still-relatively-new job, and a leak has appeared in my office ceiling. But I digress....

Top things I hate about turning 35......
1. I am now closer to 40 than I am to 30. Or, as Tom pointed out, today I'm exactly half-way in between, but once midnight strikes, I'm on my way to 40. I've always had issues with the birthdays ending in 5s and not the 0s. 25 - miserable. 30 - one of my favorites. We'll see where 35 lands...

2. I'm twenty pounds heavier than I was at 30 when I got married. There - I put it in writing. And I have nothing but beer and Tom's good cooking to blame. And my morning can of soda. And my sweet tooth. But seriously, the upward slide needs to stop.

3. Just don't bounce back like I used to. The dog kept me up last night because of thunderstorms, and I had the hardest time getting out of bed. Is this the same person who could stay up until 1, then get up at 5:30 and do it all over again? I'm just hoping I last long enough to enjoy drinks tonight with friends.

4. Aches and pains. I had a lot of hip pain after last year's marathon and spent a good deal of time in PT trying to work out the kinks. After this year's marathon, I noticed that my other hip now gets achy. At least my knees are still functioning....knock on wood.

5. I'm starting to get ma'am at the grocery store from pimple-faced teenagers. Don't need to expand upon that at all.

There are bright sides......
1. I'm told I barely look 30 and still occasionally get carded.
2. I'm still a size 8 (hmmm....so where the heck is that 20 pounds going?)
3. If I were really motivated to run faster, I just got another 5 minutes added to my qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.
4. I have an awesome husband of nearly five years and a ridiculously full calendar of things to do every week!
5. The things I used to sweat and worry about in my 20s are downright laughable in my 30s.

Things to ponder over drinks tonight!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

To the man who taught me enough electronics to build my own doorbell, how to use a level to hang my pictures properly, how to hook-up computers, TVs and other appliances on my own, and other tricks of the trade that a father would typically teach a son, not a daughter, yet still comes to my rescue when a household project has gone terribly wrong. To the man who taught me how to drive, but made me get AAA for fear I would stubbornly change my tire on the highway. To the man who told me to get into the best school I could and that he'd find a way to send me there, even at a difficult time for our family financially. To the man who would listen to a problem, give me food for thought, but never quite tell me what to do-- yet I always felt he'd stop me if I was going over the cliff! Thank you always!

More on Tim Russert. I've been catching up on news online and watching some of the videos from the coverage the past two days. One has really struck me: a voice-over that Russert did a few years ago for Father's Day, talking about the birth of his son, Luke, how it changed his life, and how he hopes his son will live by his grandfather's ideals: "to live a good and decent and honorable life."

On this Father's Day, I think of my own grandfather, Ralph, who died my senior year in college. He was the second-most important man in my life growing up, and had he lived, I would have asked him to join my father in walking me down the aisle. One of my great disappointments is that Tom never got a chance to meet him. He was a simple man, self-made, of many principles. I always think of a plaque he had in his house which quoted Abraham Lincoln:

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”

Happy father's day.....live well and be proud of all that you have taught the rest of us!

Packing, packing and more packing

Our tenants move in this weekend, so Tom and I are frantically trying to get the house in order. Our space in Somerville is less than half of that in Plymouth, and storage even less so. So furniture needs to be sorted, books need to be boxed, concessions need to be made about what we need versus what we'd like to have our hands on. Although we both grew up in homes in which we were the third or fourth generation in the family to live there, I've moved nearly a dozen times since college and have far more patience than Tom in the what stays-what goes debate. But we're both feeling good about the decision to rent the house, rather than sell at a loss, and become first-time landlords. Wish us well!

Happy 40th anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Today marks my parents' 40th anniversary. They met in elementary school in Dover, MA, then stayed in touch throughout middle and high school when my father left Dover public schools for Phillips Academy. They married one week and one day respectively after their college graduations on the auspicious date of 6-8-68 (always made it an easy one for my sister and me to remember!). In an age where the divorce rate is quoted at nearly 50%, I'm proud to share that childhood sweethearts can indeed go all the way!

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

Presenting Chris and Kristine Shatas

My cousin, Kristine, married her boyfriend, Chris, yesterday down at White Cliffs in Plymouth, just down the road from our house. I was able to get the one photo that escaped me at my own wedding five years ago -- the whole family photo. So, without further ado, may I present my grandmother, Lorraine Morse, her three daughters and their families (Kispert, Chandler and Delano), her son and his family (more Morse lineage), Tom and I as the Hagerty's, and our newest additions, the Shatas'.

Tenants and Benefits

Our house situation appears to be near resolution! After six months of being on the market with precious little interest (a glut of houses at our price point in Plymouth), friends of ours introduced us to a couple who are living in a winter rental in town and need new digs. We met with them yesterday morning and found them to be really personable and trustworthy. Tom has done a 180 and agreed to pull the house off the market if they would agree to a one-year lease. We still need to finalize the details, but if all goes well, they should move in mid-June!

Yippee! Selling the house in this market would have been financially foolish, and Tom is very relieved to be renting to a somewhat known-entity. Our stress level is beginning to diminish...only to be slightly offset by a minor flood from our second floor bathroom earlier in the morning through the light over our kitchen sink on the first floor. Help -- anyone know a plumber?

Last night we were at the BBC for a benefit for one of our favorite bartenders, Kenny, who is battling lymphoma. The folks at the BBC pulled out all the stops for his family and did a wonderful job raising more than $15K at last count. A pair of Tom's Patriots tickets sold for $500 in a live auction! Technically Kenny's disease should be curable through chemo and a bone marrow transplant, but three rounds of chemo to date haven't decreased the cancer. Ironically, he has been denied disability because of the cure rate, putting him in an awful Catch-22 of health care. Yet another reason why a new administration is needed in the White House to put things to right.

Tom of course dropped $$$ on raffle tickets and walked away with all sorts of goodies -- at one point, the crowd began to turn on him for winning so often, so he quickly passed off the remaining tickets to a friend and let her take the rest of the winnings!

All that travel finally caught up with me....

My latest travel took me to Atlanta for a day this week, and by the time I got back last night, I had a raging sinus infection. My doctor took one look at me this morning and promptly pulled out her prescription pad for some antibiotics. Ugh....can't breathe......hack, hack.....achoo! So much for thinking it was just allergies!

We're off in the morning to Plymouth to do some outdoor work at the house and hang out with friends....hopefully I'll be somewhat less germy by then!

Staple removal

We saw the surgeon this afternoon for a follow-up appointment, and he seems quite pleased with Tom's progress. He removed his staples (and even had me take a stab at one -- poor Tom was less than pleased with my handiwork). The pathology report came back -- all that fuss and just one gallstone. Some people go their entire lives with dozens, if not hundreds, of gallstones, and never have a single problem. Go figure. The surgeon seems convinced that he will not have to change his diet, although we have read online that most people seem to find that one or two things that they cannot eat. If that's the worst of it, so be it!

Catching up....report on my patient

Mea culpa. I'm only now catching up on emails, phone calls and regular mail (starting with the bills!). Tom came home Wednesday and stayed home for the remainder of the week. Per doctor's orders, he was up and walking every day, and Sunday we even went out for an hour to do some last minute clothes shopping for our trip to Florida later this week (quickest way to lose weight: take out an organ).

He went to work today, but was dragging by mid-day, so I picked him up around 3pm. He's been in bed sleeping practically ever since. He'll head back to work tomorrow, but we're leaving early for a follow-up appointment with the surgeon to assess his healing progress and take out the staples. He's feeling much better, although sore, tired and a queasy stomach. Hopefully he won't have any long-term side-effects.

It's somewhat of a mystery how this happened, but the surgeon made it clear that he has been sick for some time. A friend who is a nurse says she sees gallbladder infections frequently in men who have gone through a rapid weight loss (Tom started back at the gym early this year and is running 3+ miles at a clip now).

For those of you keeping count, here's a recap of the past two weeks: fly to Chicago, fly home, run the Boston Marathon, fly to Chicago, detour to St Louis, fly to Boston, spend 12 hours in the ER, remove one gallbladder. Now do you see why I named my blog "never a dull moment"?

Hmmm...maybe now I can finally write that post-marathon report!

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.

Girl Scouts seeking a new image

This article caught my eye in a recent philanthropy newsletter I receive -- Girl Scouts is building a new image. My mother was a Girl Scout and, I believe, stayed in it through senior year of high school to receive the Gold Award, its highest honor. I was a Brownie and eventually made it to Girl Scout, collecting a few dozen badges. But somewhere along the way, I became more involved with Rainbow and scouting dropped.

I was in Rainbow before the Internet really had a presence, so I'm somewhat amused to find a website for them. And it looks like they're going for the same thing -- attracting the modern day girl.

Two very different experiences. As I recall, Girl Scouts focused more on skills, particularly outdoor skills, and cookie sales. I remember it being clique-y, painfully so. Aside from visiting Prime Computer in Natick (now I'm showing my age), not a particularly memorable time in my life.

Rainbow was far more tuned into service, especially within your community, which had a much stronger appeal to me and has greatly shaped my passion for volunteerism as an adult. Through Rainbow, I broke out of my shyness (can you believe I ever was?) and learned I was a relatively good leader, a more than capable public speaker, and even found a use for those twelve years of piano lessons. More importantly, I felt like I was continuing a legacy begun by my grandfather, a 32nd degree Mason, and continued by my father, a past Master Mason. Before I reached my majority, I was awarded the Grand Cross, its highest award for service.

Too often, I hear comments that Rainbow, the Masons and their affiliated organizations are cult-like. Au contraire, these organizations have opened up their membership to all. Yes, they're steeped in tradition and a hint of mystery, but the doors that it opened for me as a teenager were incredible.