To Fund Raise or Not...

As my mileage starts getting higher, so does my realization that The Portland Marathon is about to fill up and I've yet to register. I'm not financially in the place I was when I signed up for this program, so I didn't realize I would commit myself and then not be able to reach my goal, not because of not getting myself there, but because of registration costs.

 

While running with my group on Saturday, I was explaining my tough situation to my running buddy, and she suggested writing the marathon itself to see if they had any sponsorships. I thought about it and I decided to do it. So last night I wrote an email to The Portland Marathon explaining my journey here at MM and my personal financial journey the last six months with my fiance losing his job and other factors. They quickly responded this morning and said that they did not have sponsorships but if I ran with an organization and fund raised, that my cost could be covered that way. They sent a list this morning of organizations and I emailed the two I felt most compelled towards: The American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen.

 

I personally feel more drawn towards the American Cancer Society because I personally have had two very close people in my life die of cancer and, although I LOVE the cause of breast cancer awareness and the pink shirts, I've yet (knock on wood) had anyone close to me have breast cancer. To run in memory of my grandpa and uncle that both died of cancer would give me something more to train for and give this random act more meaning.

 

The drawback is that you still have to pay your registration costs and you have to commit to raising a certain amount of money, which in my situation is stressful because if I didn't raise enough, I would have to cover it myself which is NOT in the cards. The Susan G Komen asks you to raise $1,000 and the American Cancer Society asks for $1,200. I would have until September but I'm just afraid it's not do able.

 

When externally processing it this morning, my boss said they would sponsor me and pay for my registration and that I could choose whether or not to fund raise or not. The easy way out would be to just run it. But now my heart is in this a little more. Being able to do something outside of myself, for something besides my craziness to push me towards my goal and for a good cause, it might be a good thing.

 

I just don't know. What are your thoughts?

 

Oh. 8 miles this Saturday was rough but we did it! Seemed like it was at a slight incline we weren't used to but we did it and are looking forward to 9 miles this weekend! That 10 mile landmark is just a week and a half away and I'm excited as it's been a point I've been looking towards as my "I can do this" realization. Plus, Ginger and I are getting Korean food as a celebration after :) Thanks for all of your support. I'm blessed!

My Journey to Spandex

I distinctly remember my mom dragging me to the junior high track when I was younger so she could walk around the track and I could ride my bike or play with the other kids while she was getting her walk in. It was all fun and games until one day my mom busted out the spandex. First of all, I love my mother.. to death! But I think there comes a point in every child's life when being embarrassed of your parents is bound to happen. And for me, it happened that fateful day. I don't remember her looking bad at all, it was just the principle of them being spandex. Period.

Sadly I have to report that I now know why my mother threw her heavy, hot, annoying, cotton sweatpants aside and risked the embarrassment that is bound to come. Yes, I bought spandex pants. Or whatever you want to call them: black-too-forming-elastic-that-shows-E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G running pants.

You see, being nearly at ten miles, something was bound to change. I've been annoyed with my running wardrobe for sometime but wasn't convinced enough yet that I was enough of a runner to invest in special "gear" besides running shoes. But now, I can no longer justify adjusting my pants every thirty seconds. It's been a problem since the beginning of this running journey of mine. My pants would fall down, my shirt would slide up, my underwear is annoying to say the least, my headphone chords bug the crud out of me flopping all around and my hair was always in my face or too heavy on top of my head.

And these little annoyances have really affected my running. When I'm running with the group, I'm fine. I deal with everything in stride as that's when I'm at my best... chatting with my pals getting our long distances in. But when I'm by myself, these annoyances stop me. At first I'll adjust and let it slide. But after that, I let these things stop me dead in my tracks and soon I'm frustrated. I'm not comfortable and I keep stopping my run. Ugh!

I'll be honest, after I got my new pants, I kept the spandex in my workout bag for days, even missed runs all together or ran in my annoying cotton pants, because I couldn't muster up the pride or whatever it was that I needed, to get out and run in them. I was frightened!

Well yesterday it was perfect weather outside and I was itching to get out. Instead of changing at work like I usually do to avoid being publically seen by my co-workers, I slipped myself into my spandex at the bathroom in the park near the trail I run on. Let’s not start the discussion of HOW to get spandex on…but, they got on somehow. I also had my baggy tank top and a jacket tied around my waist to cover up any of my wobbly parts from showing too much. When I got on the trail and started running, I felt like a new woman... I know, you can hear it in your head now, "You make me feel like a natural woman!"

No really, I felt/feel 100% better! Firstly, I was running smoother. I didn’t have to adjust all of the time, I could just focus on my run. There was nothing, besides my annoying headphones, to keep me from running. And I also think that I felt more like a “real” runner and not just one of the for-fakes runners that I’ve categorized myself in for awhile now. This might have amped up my level of seriousness towards running… I’m not sure but whatever it is, I love this change!

So world.. like it or not, I’m going to be running my wobbly parts to and fro in spandex from now on. I’m sorry if you’re offended by my shapely bum outlined just so in elastic goodness, but then again, I’m not because I am finally running comfortably!

Now.. I just need to find a solution to my annoying headphone chords J

Who else has given in to the spandex revolution?