A Reason to Run

This June, I am doing something I never thought possible. In fact, it’s something I used to see other people do and think, “Why on Earth would anyone ever, EVER want to do that!?! They’re nuts!!!” I am going to run a marathon.

Yes, after taking up running 2 years ago, I am now officially nuts too.

Seriously, I never thought I’d be capable of doing this. Ever. EVER. If you want to understand why, read my running story or about my 15 year journey.

But… The marathon is in my hometown. It’s the 40th anniversary of the marathon. I figured if there was ever, EVER a marathon to do, it would be this one and this year.

Last year, my running goal was all about me (complete a race each month for a year). This year, I want to do more. I certainly could run the marathon just for me. Some people might say, “Damn right you should do it for you!” However, I want it to mean more. When I am hitting a wall on a run, I tell myself, “You’re doing this for those who can’t.”

With that in mind, I’ve decided to do a fundraiser for the James Valvano (Jimmy V) Foundation for Cancer Research. Why Jimmy V’s organization? The short version is, I’ve lost too many people to cancer – including my Dad and Step-Dad. I know too many people currently dealing with it. My Mom survived breast cancer. My husband is a cancer survivor. My son got was given his name in honor of all of this.

Here’s what I am asking and what I am offering:

You can honor someone with a mile of the marathon. You pay the amount for that mile (mile 1 = $1, mile 20 = $20…you get the picture). You can send me the name of someone you’d like to honor and I will run that mile for that person. If you’d like, you can submit a song request, and I will play that song while I run that mile. Since my mile pace is currently about 12 minutes, up to 3 people can request the same mile (3 songs about cover that pace). My goal is to raise $500.

I am going to buy part of mile 4 for #LizzyStong. I ran the Lizzy Strong 411 Run this spring. What an inspiring run. After learning Lizzy’s story, I registered to run 411 miles between now and 4.11.2017. You can too: LizzyStrong Challenge

I am also going to reserve all of mile 15 to honor of my Dad who lost his battle with cancer on September 15, 1988, and to celebrate August 15, 2001, the day I had the surgery that changed my life and made it possible for me to run this marathon.

If you are interested in honoring someone you know and helping the Jimmy V Foundation, please go to my fundraising page. You can pay through the site or send me your donation. Be sure to send me the names and song requests.

I hope this gives back, in some small way, for everything I have been blessed with.

Thank you!