Finished!!

I did it! 

I am a BOSTON MARATHONER!

Yesterday, I crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon after 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 43 seconds of running!! It was the most exciting, exhilarating, and inspiring run of my entire life.

But more important than the run, I have raised $6,682 for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and this amazing foundation. I could feel Abbie pushing me along my run and I know she was smiling down. It has been an amazing experience to run in honor of such an amazing girl. I miss Abbie every day and I wish that she was here to cheer me on, but I know she was cheering and smiling down for me, louder than anyone else.

The run on Monday wasn't perfect weather and required some quick outfit changes in an attempt to stay warm and dry- a hat, long sleeve, and gloves. But it didn't really work! By the end of the race I was absolutely soaked and freezing cold! I was very appreciative of the heat shield blankets at the finish line and a warm car ride home!

I wasn't the only one drenched from the run, though. My closest family followed me the entire race and were just as soaked as I was by Boston! Team Keep Smilin' was at the start, mile 16, mile 20, and the finish! Thank you to my parents, sisters, the Benfords, Alex, and the Cohens for chasing me the whole way and giving me the greatest hugs at the finish line. You were the best support team, before, during, and after the race.

Check out this AWESOME video of me just before crossing the finish line!

Watch Here!

Along the run, I ran in to lots of supportive friends. It was so exciting to search out for them on the sidelines and flash them huge smiles as I passed. The rain scared away a lot of spectators, so it wasn't as loud as a sunny marathon day, but I took full advantage of the celebrity status. When the crowds weren't cheering for me, I cheered at them! And when they didn't have their hand out for a high five, I reached out mine! I fed off the crowds energy during the hardest parts of the run. (And shout out to the students at BC- you were totally the most energetic supporters along the course!) Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to support me and all the other runners on the course!

I can't stop raving about my marathon experience. I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me in my training, fundraising, and final marathon run. Without everyone's help, I never would have been able to finish. It wasn't just my Boston Marathon, it was our Boston Marathon.

Team Keep Smilin' on Marathon Monday

Supporting Keep Smilin 4 Abbie has been a life changing experience. I am so proud to have run for Abbie and spread her smile. If you would still like to donate, please visit my fundraising link here. And please continue to follow keepsmilin4abbie.org  to learn about all the amazing, life changing things they are doing in honor of Abbie.

As always,

Keep Smilin

Race Day is Tomorrow!

It's almost here!

Race day is so close and I am SO excited! And even better, in the past week, I have increased my fundraising goal to $6,277- more than THREE TIMES my original goal of two thousand! The outpouring of support for my run has been unbelievable. I want to thank each one of my donors for helping me blow my original fundraising goal out of the water. Your support through prayer, messages, and donations has made my journey to Boston and amazing experience. 

If you would still like to donate, my event page is still available- help me raise as much as possible before I start on Monday!

Donate!

With race day so close, this weekend is full of final race preparation- lots of rest, water, Gatorade, and pasta! 

Today, David and I visited Boston for the Marathon Expo where I picked up my official number- 27999! Before today, I had never been to the finish in Boston. The atmosphere in the city was amazing, with so many international runners roaming the streets. 

At the expo, we explored the vendors and speakers, stocking up on some totally necessary BAA gear from the HUGE adidas store. We even left a mark from Keep Smilin' on a board where runners from around the world sign their names and messages of encouragement.

We also spent some time downtown Hopkinton to check out the set up on the common. I felt like a total tourist, but I wanted a picture on the start line!

Will you be along the marathon route on Monday morning? If you are, keep an eye out for me! I will be wearing a WHITE Keep Smilin' shirt. Here is my race info: 

11:15 am start

Wave 4

Corral 4 

I try my best to look through the crowds and see as many as my supporters as I can! Make sure to remember to wear your own Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie shirts to the race, too!

If you won't be at the race on Monday, but would like to receive updates to your phone about my progress, there are a few tracking option! 

1. You can track my progress on the BAA website: Track Me!

2. Text my bib number, 27999, to 234567 to get texts throughout the race

3. Download the BAA app for updates during the race!

I am proud to be wearing a Keep Smilin' shirt on Monday morning. I am proud to be running for Abbie. When the race gets tough, I know that Abbie will be behind me, pushing me up the hills and helping me finish the race of a lifetime.

Keep Smilin'

Reached my Goal!

Drum-roll Please!

I have reached my $5,000 fundraising goal for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie!

Thanks to my amazing family, friends, and community, I have officially reached my $5,000 fundraising goal. My current total is $5,262!! I cannot put into words how excited I am to have reached my fundraising goal for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie. This picture of Meb winning the Boston Marathon last year pretty much sums up all my emotions!

Now that race day is just within reach, the nerves are setting in- but more than anything, I am just so excited to line up Monday morning and begin the run I have been training for since January. My training has been a long journey. I have learned about how far I can push my body. Each week in my training, I reached a new running milestone. Week after week, these mini celebrations kept my spirits and excitement high for race day.

More than anything, though, my training and fundraising has opened my eyes to the amazing support system that I have behind me. My closest friends and family continue to check in with me every week to hear about my training. Some of my friends have even made two donations to Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie, showing their amazing support through my entire training program.

My boyfriend, David, has been supportive through all of my training. I cannot thank him enough for being strong for me on days where I can't seem to find that strength on my own. This past weekend, David joined me on my training around town. I felt just like Meb again, being paced by a biker! 

(if you ask my sister Veronica, she thinks I have a shot at beating Meb- her prediction is just a little bit out there, but I do feel like him on these bike/run training days!)

Running around Hopkinton so close to race day is exciting. The town is in full swing cleaning up and setting up for the thousands of runners and spectators who will arrive on April 20th. I ran by lots of these signs around town!

Thank you all for reading my blog and supporting my run for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie. Make sure to check in next weekenf for my final blog post before race day! 

Even though I have reached my fundraising goal, it is not too late to make a donation! With a little over a week until the race, I want to challenge myself to raise as much money OVER my goal as I possible can. Please share with your friends and family and donate to Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie!

Donate Here!

Keep Smilin'

It's Almost Race Day!

Only 18 days until the 
start of the Boston Marathon!

BIG fundraising update- I am less that $500 dollars away from my $5,000 goal- I cannot believe it! Thank you to everyone who has reached out and made donations in the past week. Since my last blog post, I have raised almost $800 dollars, bringing my current fundraising total to $4,491. I am so close- if you have not yet donated, please help me reach my goal of $5,000 for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie today!

Donate Here!

This has been a very busy week of training- and the last week of increasing mileage before the race! Over the next two and a half weeks, my program begins to taper off, prepping my body for the final race and keeping me healthy!

Today, I ran my longest run to date- 20 miles! On the marathon course, this run would get me right to Heartbreak Hill! Spending a few hours outside on such a beautiful day gave me some time to think about all my training and fundraising efforts for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie. The runs have been difficult, but I have seen and felt some amazing physical changes. I feel confident, strong, and prepared for Boston! 

My long run today also gave me some time to think about why this race is hold such great importance. It truly is an honor to run for Abbie. I think about Abbie every day and what joy she has brought to this world. I am constantly amazed at the people she has touched and the success of the foundation. When I feel a burst of strength or confidence on my runs, I send Abbie a little 'thank you' for helping me push through my training.

This past Sunday, I had a moment where I felt this little helping hand from Abbie as I crossed the finish line of my second Half Marathon. I participated in the Westfield Half Marathon with my friend Katie to practice setting my marathon pace. My goal was to finish the race having maintained my pace and feel as if I could keep running. 2 hours and 13 minutes later, I crossed the finish line and reached both my goals. I knew Abbie was there with me during that run and helped make it such a success.

Here are some pictures of Katie and I, 

pre and post 13.1 miles!

The race is creeping closer and my excitment level is quickly growing- keep checking in with my blog as April 20th approaches and please consider supporting Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie!

Keep Smilin'

18 Miles!

18 miles!

This week I ran my longest run to date- 18 miles! It was a very long run- and I took a VERY long nap soon after! Today, a day after my long run, I feel strong and ready for the marathon in just 24 days! 

Race day is creeping up quickly! I have been enjoying the warm weather and the chance to run outside without multiple layers! I am praying that come race day, all the snow in Hopkinton will be gone! 

With just a few weeks left in my training program, I am trying my best to stay healthy. Next week will be my last long run before cutting down my mileage to prepare for the race. It will be my longest run out of the entire program- 20 miles! Please think of me next Wednesday while I am out running this final long run!

My fundraising for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie is going great! Right now, I am at a total of $3,699- I am so close to my $5,000 goal! With 25 short days before the race, I need to do as much fundraising as possible to reach this goal. Please take a moment to make a donation and support my marathon run and Keep Smilin 4 Abbie.

Doante!

Keep Smilin'

One Month!

OMG only one month until the marathon! Time is going by so quickly! So far, I have raised $3,623 towards my $5,000 goal. Thank you to everyone who has donated to this awesome foundation. 

With thirty days left and $1,377 to raise, I need everyone's help. If you know of friends or family that would support my run for Keep Smilin' 4 Abbie, please pass along my fundraising and blog link! Or, make a donation in your name today! 

Donate Today!

I got some very exciting news from the BAA in the past week- my wave position and bib number! For anyone planning on coming out to watch the marathon on Patriots Day, look for me in Wave 4, Corral 4! My number is 27999. On marathon day, if you text my bib number to 234567, you will receive alerts each time I hit a major point on the race course!

Each week of training brings a very long run- this week was 15 miles! I took advantage of the spring-like weather and explored some new streets around Westfield. Who knew there was a river right down the road!

Back in Hopkinton, Mr. Benford recently had an interview on HCAM for Keep Smilin' to tell about their goals for 2015 and long term goals! You can watch his interview here!

Thank you to everyone who is supporting me on my run for Abbie. I can't wait to hit the $5,000 mark!

Keep Smilin'

6 Weeks!

WHAT?! 
Only 42 more days? 

Time is moving so quickly! Before I know it, I will be lining up on the start line in Hopkinton and beginning my journey to Boston. (I hope the snow is gone by then, but at this point I'm not so sure!) My training has me feeling strong and I can't wait to put it all to the test on race day.

I have raised $2,976 towards my $5,000 goal- amazing! I am so thankful for everyone who has donated. If you have been meaning to make a donation, consider donating today and help me get even closer to my goal!

Donate Today!

Over the past few weeks, some friends from home have reached out to me and given the extra support and strength I need to keep working through these tough training runs. 

One of my best friends, Karissa Collins, sent her love and support all the way from Clemson in South Carolina with an amazing Facebook post. Her post describes Abbie perfectly, as "the happiest, bubbliest girl you could ever meet and always wore a the biggest smile on her face" Thank you Karissa for helping spread the word for Keep Smilin' and helping me through my training! Want to read what else Karissa wrote? Check out the right side of my blog with the heading "Words of Encouragement from a Friend".

My other amazing best friend friend Jackie Chirco challenged her Facebook friends in a push-up/donation challenge. For every 'like' she received on her push-up challenge post, not only would she do one push-up, but she would donate one dollar to Keep Smilin'. 83 'likes' meant 83 push-ups and a donation to Keep Smilin'! Jackie completed all her push-ups while on a trip to Disney World with her lacrosse team! My favorite were her 10 push-ups in "Italy"-

My friends are so supportive of my run for Abbie. I want to thank them for always checking in and seeing how my runs are progressing. I love you all!

Keep Smilin'