Running is boring and pointless. Running 26 miles is just insane.” For most of my life, I did not consider running a sport. Sports was a throwing a ball, making plays, scoring and most importantly- winning. Running was a cardio warm-up to get out of the way. Then, I injured my knee. Begrudgingly, I started running to stay fit, to rehab my knee, to counter self-pity taco binges, and when I fully recover- to be ready to play real sports. What I did not expect to find was solitude, mindfulness, and joy. When self-doubt and laziness are the enemies that say it’s too cold, too wet, too tiring to lace up, the reward at the end of each run is a grain of confidence and tenacity. Every time I beat back uncertainty and said “f*%& it, let’s go”, it was practice being comfortable with the uncomfortable. That ethos pushed me to take risks and led me to some of my favorite people (you know who you are), places (waterfalls in the desert) and stories (coyotes as running partners). I will always be grateful for how running transformed me and this spring, at the 2023 Boston Marathon, will be my love letter to this beautiful sport.

Thank you so much to Beth Isreal Lahey Hospital-Needham not just for taking a chance and supporting this dream but mostly for serving, protecting and healing our community. Please help me reach my fundraising goal for Beth Israel Deaconess Needham; supporting nurses, pharmacist,   physicians, therapists, and staff. It is because they hold the frontline in times of need and crisis that we can come together every third Monday in April.