Why I’m Running Boston 2017
Eleven years ago, I moved to Cambridge knowing maybe 3 people in the entire Boston metro area. I gave myself 12 months to figure out if it was a place I could stick with. At the time, my entire running career consisted of a few seasons coming in last on the middle-school cross-country team, doing an activity I hated because it would supposedly look good on college applications. Some people are born athletes. I am not one of those people.
Readers Digest Condensed Version of A Decade of My Life:
I met a boy. He liked cycling. I was not as good at cycling as he was and because I am competitive, I wanted a sport that I was better at than him. I started the Couch to 5K Running Program in 2007. I remember seeing “run for 10 minutes straight” and laughing out loud. I ran my first 5K at a 12:30 pace. I married that boy. I had a baby. I decided to run a longer race — a 5 miler. I ran faster. I ran a 10K. I had another baby. I ran a half marathon. I worked, I ran, I mommed. I still wanted more. I ran my first marathon in 2013 and another 3 after that. Still, every time I mention that I run marathons, the first question I get is, “have you run Boston?” Boston is the pinnacle. Boston is the best. I want to run this marathon.
Why Charity. By supporting the 2016 Lasell College Boston Marathon Team, you are providing scholarships to deserving students through the John Hancock Scholarship Program and the Dennis “DJ” Simmonds ’08 Memorial Scholarship Fund.
When I married that boy, I married his family. Usually this is a bad thing, but in my case, I’ve been incredibly lucky. I have good people. Through my brother in law, I met his nephew, DJ Simmonds, Lasell Class of 2008. While I cannot say that I “knew” DJ well, I would do anything for his uncle and by extension the rest of his family.
DJ was one of the officers involved in the Watertown shootout after the 2013 Boston Marathon, where he was injured. He passed away a year later. He was a highly decorated police officer and was awarded a Top Cop award in Washington, DC, the Schroeder Brothers Memorial Medal as well as many commendations for his work with gang activity. The Simmonds Family has raised thousands of dollars over the past few years in DJ’s memory to provide scholarships for students to attend Lasell College, and by being part of the team, I can too.
