Boston Marathon Runner Profile: Michael Dolan

MILFORD, MA — Milford has 19 residents running in this year's Boston Marathon.

Milford Patch highlights those runners to find out what makes them tick, what makes them run and how you can donate to their causes. Today, we meet Michael Dolan, who is 44. Good luck, Michael!

Reason for running: Because today I can. Five years ago I required a significant surgical intervention due to my health. Thank you Dr. Kerxhalli, Dr. Allen, Dr. Kelly and the whole UMass team for making any of this possible. Running keeps me honest, grounded and has become a very important part of my life.
My goal is for my boys Andrew and Thomas to see their father finish upright and with a smile. As a parent, I want to model the importance of goal setting and not being afraid to push and challenge yourself.

Marathon experience: None. I am avid triathlete and have run half marathons, but Team Framingham has given me the opportunity to run my first 26.2.

Training tip: Pick a program and be faithful to it. I have religiously followed Hal Higdon's program.

Running tip: Don’t go out too fast! Tragically, that style deteriorates rapidly.

Best music to run to: Creating a playlist for 3 plus hours is hard so I listen to lots of concerts to keep things moving. Of late, my go to's have been Pearl Jam and Radiohead.

Charity: I am running in support of Resiliency for Life, a great program with amazing students in Framingham, MA.

Photo submitted