letter-writing

Two fundraising letters written, 98 to go. Yes, I plan to write them all by hand, by Saturday. :)

Why did I choose to run?

Last weekend I went to a Team in Training informational meeting. I'm generally the type of person who likes to think things over for awhile, especially things that involve either a big time commitment or a large sum of money. This decision, despite involving both, however, was made rather impulsively. It was one of those "Why not?" decisions. I've known enough people affected by many different forms of cancer. This is my way to help. The bonus is getting into better shape and (hopefully) checking "running a marathon" off of my lifetime achievement wish list :)

Honestly, the whole running idea started from watching the Biggest Loser. Out of the blue, I told my friend Kristen that I wanted to run a marathon. Then, I decided I should probably start with a half-marathon first. It seems more comfortable. She suggested that I visit her and run the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, which also benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So, I signed up. That was the first impulsive decision. I'm running that "race" - my only goal is to finish - in 5 weeks. I decided that I would want bigger and better goals after finishing this race. (It's the whole self-efficacy portion of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory - most people, after reaching one goal, set a higher goal for themselves). That desire for a bigger goal is what took me to the Team in Training Meeting in the first place.

This morning, I found myself at my first Team in Training group run and fundraising clinic prepping for the San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon on June 6 of this year. I'll be honest, I've been a treadmill runner. I like flat, temperature controlled environments with something under my feet to keep me going. When we started our run in the freezing cold in Salt Lake City up a hill towards the University of Utah, I thought I was going to die. I had to keep remind me of the lives that could be saved by my running in order to keep myself going. Lesson #1 (which I really did already know, I just tried to ignore it), running outside is completely different than running on a treadmill. Sure, I can run 7 or 8 miles on the treadmill, but that doesn't mean I can run 2 outside in the cold. I learned that I have a long road ahead of me. This is a road I'm willing to take. I have two miles down, and 24.2 to go. 24.2 more that I'm ready to run if you'll be in this race with me. Can you help me cross the finish line at $4,500 by March 15th for cancer research? Can you donate $26.20 (one dollar for every mile) to help save lives from a growing medical concern? Help me race for the Sheri Brunners, for the Julia Swartz, for the Allie Specks, and for the Glenn Mitchell's of this world (all Perry County, PA people who did battle or are currently battling some type of cancer), and those many others fighting cancer, their own daily marathons.