Running Update:

1/16/2015	5.0 mi	46:45
1/18/2015	7.6 mi	1:14:33
1/19/2015	3.2 mi	32:13
1/21/2015	5.0 mi	48:21
1/23/2015	5.0 mi	46:35
1/25/2015	9.3 mi	1:34:05
1/28/2015	7.6 mi	1:14:47
1/30/2015	5.0 mi	49:21
2/1/2015	10.1 mi	1:39:40
2/4/2015	3.2 mi	31:17
2/6/2015	7.6 mi	1:12:26
2/8/2015	9.2 mi	1:31:55
2/11/2015	5.0 mi	46:00
2/13/2015	7.7 mi	1:12:44

The NYC Half Marathon is one month from tomorrow!  I’ve managed to keep up with my training plan pretty well, despite the nearly continuous snow this month.  It's been a while, but I crossed the "miles-to-degrees" threshold again yesterday:  7.6 miles in 7 degree weather.  Stats like that make geeky runners like me happy :)

Speaking of running in the cold, today thousands of people worldwide helped to raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation through an increasingly popular race called Cupid’s Undie Run.  Participants run a little over a mile in their underwear on Valentine’s Day.  Since it began in 2010, the race has grown to include dozens of cities worldwide and has raised $3.2 million to end NF!  How great is that?

Finally, have to share a video my friend Alice recently sent me.  Stand-up comic-and-runner Liz Miele shares her thoughts on marathons:

Jane Update:

Jane lost her second tooth!  Unfortunately, it came out while she was sledding and got lost in to the snow.  No matter—Jane set things right with the Tooth Fairy:

"Dear Tooth Fairy, I lost my tooth in the snow.  Can I please have money anyway?  Please respond."

NF Update:

Jane and I return to NIH in two days just for an overnight—for blood work and a physical exam with our care team. 

Jane isn’t scheduled for another MRI at NIH until June, but every time she has had an MRI, she has needed to be sedated.  This is because a patient needs to lie perfectly still for the entire length of an MRI scan, which can last over an hour.  Since Jane’s had more than a dozen MRIs (about 18?  I’ve actually lost count…), that means she has had more than a dozen episodes of general anesthesia, and that’s not great for a growing brain!  Once children are old enough to lie still for long periods of time they can start training for a non-sedated MRI.  (The age depends on the child, but many facilities won’t even consider children less than 8 years.)

To that end, we’ve wanted to start Jane’s training.  As luck would have it, we happen to have access to several scanners, thanks to my husband, Todd ;)  Yesterday the kids and I went to visit Todd at work, where we all practiced getting in the MR scanner.  Jane was the only kid who stayed in long enough to have a quick scan!  It only lasted three seconds, but it’s a good first step.