September Update: Checking Boxes

So, it’s been a little while since I first shared my plans to run the 2017 Boston Marathon, raising funds for Granite United Way’s Endowment Fund. While it’s been “all quiet” on this page, my life has been far from dull or serene.

During the months of August and September, I have checked two fairly huge “boxes” on my long “to-do” list leading up to April 17, 2017.

Box #1: On August 29, 2016, my husband and I welcomed our daughter into our family. Gwendolyn Margaret’s arrival was somewhat dramatic and “fashionably late,” brought on by an evening jog/waddle, an act of complete desperation on my part. That said, we are thrilled to have our happy, healthy bundle of wonderfulness who was well worth the wait.

Box #2: September 16 was the first day I was eligible to apply for entry for the 2017 Boston Marathon. Despite my “qualified” status, my official entry wasn’t a “sure thing” until my application to the Boston Athletic Association was processed. The BAA uses the application process to ensure that the race has the fastest field possible. Last year, more than 1,000 qualified runners still weren’t fast enough to run the race. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see my official acceptance email in my email inbox on September 19!

While I’ve been home enjoying leave with Gwen and celebrating my official registration for Boston, my United Way family has been hard at work, raising the first $7,000 of our Going the Distance Challenge. Here’s a list of the incredibly generous people who have joined my journey from Hopkinton to Copley by giving to the GUW Endowment:

• Jared Stidham, my fantastic husband who purchased Mile 11 to celebrate our 11 fantastic years of marriage
• Mark and Susan Primeau, who purchased Mile 15 to celebrate Mark’s year as GUW’s Board Chair in 2015
• Dean and Evangeline Christon, who purchased Mile 16 in recognition of Dean’s service as GUW’s Board Chair in 2016
• Evan and Sae-Im Smith, whose generosity will be inspiring me as I climb Heartbreak Hill
• My GUW colleagues, who will be cheering me on in person and through their philanthropic deeds by sponsoring my Cheering Section
• Charla and David Stevens, whose gift kicked off our community mile

Thank you so much for keeping tabs on my progress!

Meredith

Going the Distance: Meredith's perspective

My journey to April’s Boston Marathon start line began when with a New Year’s resolution. In preparation for an upcoming summer of weddings, I rang in 2008 vowing to run a half marathon, my first road race ever. Little did I know that what would start out as a means to get in shape for a summer of  fun would turn into a lifelong passion that has truly changed my life.

As any experienced runner will tell you, you can’t just step outside and run 13.1 miles; you need to train. With this in mind, I downloaded a free training plan on the internet and squeezed in five runs each week for, all while working full time and attending graduate school at night. It certainly wasn’t easy, but as I crossed the finish line, I knew all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into my training had paid off. From this point on, I was hooked.

Over the next seven years,.I gradually became a student of the sport, reading memoirs, sharing running war stories, and meeting people whose lives had been dramatically changed by a habit I’d once understood as torture. As time went on, I realized that I, too, had picked up the habit, and I muscled out ten full marathons and about a dozen half marathons.

New Year’s Day 2015 signified a new running goal. This year was “Boston or Bust.” I’d always dreamt of qualifying to run the historic Boston Marathon,  but I hadn’t yet  fully embraced the discipline that it would take me to get there. I knew that if I wanted to achieve this goal, I needed a plan . I set my sights using the Hartford Marathon in Connecticut as the race that would help me to qualify for Boston. Then I  went to work . With my husband and toddler nearby, I crossed the finish line nearly 10 minutes faster than my qualifying time, locking in my commitment to run Boston in 2017.

My  journey as a marathoner has, in many ways, paralleled my journey with Granite United Way. I began my career  as a graduate intern in 2010, joining the staff and becoming a donor in 2011. Over the last five years, my passion for and commitment to the organization and its principles have grown. During the summer of 2015, as I prepared for my “Boston or Bust” run in Hartford, my husband and I made the decision to join Granite United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society. We see our gift as an expression of gratitude for the incredible opportunities we’ve had, and as an opportunity to help Granite United Way expand opportunity to all members of our community.

Running the 2017 Boston Marathon as a qualified entrant is a privilege that only about 12% of all marathoners can claim each year. For me, this signifies an entirely new level of dedication to the sport I love. Honoring this opportunity changes my commitment to training; as the running-great Steve Prefontaine noted, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”

During this season of commitment, it seemed altogether fitting to encourage and celebrate an opportunity to ensure that another passion of my life endures. With this in mind, I have dedicated  my journey to  the marathon start line to raise funds for Granite United Way’s endowment fund. Just as I have created training plans to help me meet my personal goals, the endowment helps Granite United Way plan for future needs that may not even exist today. I know that my contribution to this fund ensures that the organization I know and love will continue to create positive change for the Granite State long after I hang up my sneakers. I hope that you will join me in this journey and consider a gift to the endowment as well.