Donation Challenge

I am challenging you to be the next person to donate.  As your reward, I will take you to see the movie of your choice.  You can go with me, or I'll set you up with a pair of tickets to go see the movie of your choice with the person of your choice.  There are so many good movies out there, so act quick to get your chance at an excuse to go see He's Just Not That Into You, Slumdog Millionaire, or (in the spirit of running) The Spirit of the Marathon (Portland only).

Get to it folks, we can't do it without you!  Donate (click)!

Jessica - Honored Teammate

Saturday's run really brought all the running and fundraising I've been doing together.  I joined Team in Training to help me complete a half marathon and meet other runners in the area, all while helping a great organization and individuals by asking my friends and family to donate to LLS.  

Before we started our run, we got a little pep talk from one of our team's honored teammates, Jessica.  She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has been in remission for 14 years.  Her story of survivorship is one that truly demonstrates the power of this organization and the funds that are raised.  After a round of chemotherapy that put her in remission long enough, she received a bone marrow transplant.  The chemotherapy treatment she received had only been out for a month and was still considered experimental.  She feels very strongly that her being here today is a result of the funds that go to research and she is extremely grateful for her team.

We have four honored teammates:  Jessica, Barbara, Evan, and Emily.  I am looking forward to meeting each one and sharing their stories with you.

Thanks!

13.1 Reasons I Run

1.  I like to run.  I am especially drawn to this half marathon because of what I am running for and I can't think of a better reason to run so many miles...maybe I should be running more.

2.  Running gives me a chance to listen to albums in their entirety.  My drive to work is about half an hour and I usually listen to the news.  An average run is about 40 plus minutes, just about the length of my favorite running album...Dying to Say This to You, The Sounds.

3.  Completing a half marathon has been a goal of mine for a while.  I finally got serious at the turn of the new year and decided that I would make it something I want to complete before I am 25. 

4.  Running is amazing meditation.  There's a rhythm to a run that clears my head and keeps me grounded afterwards.  

5.  I went to school in the running capital of the world, Eugene.  I guess the inspiration took a little time, but I am in awe of what has been achieved in Track Town.  

6.  I like to sweat.  Sure, it might take a little prodding to get me to actually do it, but truth be told, I like hard work.  And there's nothing better than a hot shower after a cold run in the rain.

7.  I like shoes.  I love running shoes.  The sooner I wear through my current shoes, the sooner I can get a new pair!  That means more miles.

8.  I want a dog, but I know that I can't have a dog until I am a little more settled and know I can make time to take it for long walks...or runs.  If I can go on long runs most days of the week, I can justify owning a dog.

9.  Have you ever ran in Portland?  There's the waterfront to run along, there's Forest Park to get lost in; running in Portland is beautiful.  I haven't figured out a better way to spend my Saturday morning than getting up and running along the river, that is when it's nice out of course.

10.  Long distance runners are a special group of people, and I love them.  

11.  If I can complete a half marathon, I can complete one third of a triathlon.  All I need is a bike and to learn how to swim competitively.  It's unfortunate they don't have a floating portion to the triathlon.  

12.  I really enjoy eating.  Pasta and meatballs, pad thai, sushi, hamburgers, curried chicken, cornbread and chili, mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, hummus, pears, popcorn, shrimp, you get the idea.  After a run, I feel like I deserve a good hearty meal.  A run is all the more reason to eat.

13.  I'm not a fan of walking.  The whole speed-walking thing has its place and its person, but it is definitely not me.  Have you seen a speed-walker lately, it looks so uncomfortable.  So I run, because running down hills is liberating, winding paths are like roller coasters, running in the rain eliminates showers :)  Running is great.

0.1  Why not?

Donate

Mile One

"Mile One" is done. Well, it was really my first three mile run with the Team in Training group. After a half an hour of shoe talk, we were told "this is going to be tough, you're going to hurt, you will be uncomfortable, and yes, you will get blisters. Deal with it.” Lovely. The run was nice and easy. With fifty other teammates, you can find someone who runs your pace and spend the run chatting.

That’s the running part, and to me the "easy" part. I’m still working on getting my fundraising up off the ground. I met with a fundraising mentor and she gave me hope (because honestly, raising $1,200 seems like a daunting task). In my twenty-four years of life I’ve met a lot of people, and although I have been fortunate enough not to have leukemia or lymphoma affect my immediate family or my close circle of friends, it is VERY possible that a friend hasn't been so fortunate. In my first meeting I found out that 894,235 Americans are living with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Talking with my mentor, I also expressed a concern that I haven’t been personally affected and I felt a little odd fundraising for something that I don’t have an immediate connection too. My family has been affected by cancer and Alzheimer’s – shouldn’t I be involved in the search for the cure for those? My thought, and her thought too, was that all the medical research funded by LLS is beneficial to all cancers and all diseases. You never know what they might stumble upon.

I feel that this is a great cause and one that fits me well (running to raise money). Please pass around my blog and fundraising page to your friends and family. I would love to see how far this could go...who knows, maybe I’ll run a full marathon! Keep checking back here to keep tabs on my progress and my fundraising page to donate. Thank you for stopping by!

The Starting Line

Friends and Family!

Welcome to the blog that will follow me mile by mile through my multi-mile journey to run one 13.1 mile race and raise $100 dollars per mile for a good cause.

To achieve my goal of running a half-marathon this year, I've joined an organization and team called Team in Training. In exchange for a team experience complete with coaches, teammates, and support, I will be fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

On April 5, 2009, after just a few months of training, I will be running in the Portland Race for the Roses Half-Marathon. Mark your calendars and come watch! And keep checking back for all the muscle-aching, blistering details of training. I hope that with your support I can complete both my goals in this race to end a disease. THANKS!!