It's Nothing Serious, Unless You're A Marathoner

Good news: Fundraising minimum met

I have met my minimum fundraising goal. Thank you to everyone who has donated to date. Now, I hope to raise another $1000 by 10/4/00. Please spread the word.

Sad news: Training takes a nose dive

Soon after my triumphantly-toned last blog, my training began to take a steady decline. Then, it took a nose dive.

Post-vacay fatigue

I first noticed the steady decline after 4 nights in Vegas. I ran 2 days while on vacation, which I’d love to say is equal to running 2 marathons, considering the will power it takes to hit the pavement in Vegas while the rest of the crew is lounging on the manmade beach or making runs to Fat Tuesdays, but in reality, those two days of running were nullified by the constant butter-laced-food-eating, sun bathing, and fruity, slushy, alcoholic-beverage-slurping that took place at all other hours of the trip.

Upon my return home, after days of sabotaging my body, I set out on my longest run ever. Mike rode his bike alongside me—he knew I wouldn’t make it far if left to run alone.

Motivator Mike and I took to the beautiful, straight, and flat East Lake Sammamish Trail. I ran almost 8 miles at a good pace, and felt decent. Then I turned back for the second half of the run. Shortly thereafter, for the first time in my marathon-training experience, I believe I experienced fatigue. Throughout the rest of the run, my body was heavy, my muscles vapor. My bones were hollow, and my lungs full of wet sand. I stopped countless times for water, and even walked at intervals. It was an intense 15.5 miles.

In case anyone is mistaking this for badassness, please know that it was really just embarrassing.

Joint funkyness

And the following days’ recovery was slow. My joints, especially my right knee, felt unusable. I had noticed some joint funkyness in my right knee for a couple of weeks prior—so much that I had asked a coach to assess my shoes, who determined that it was time for replacements. I expected the new kicks to bring some relief to my knee, but they didn’t. However, the aching was dull and I dismissed it as normal.

A week later, on Labor Day weekend, I set out to tackle the beautiful, straight, and flat East Lake Sammamish Trail once more. This time I was rested, hydrated, fit, and determined. And after resting my knee the day before, the joint funkyness was at its dullest that week.

I geared up with my new shoes, hydration belt, a fully-loaded mp3 player in my new armband, and 5 Gu packets for electrolyte replacement on the go. (The hydration belt, mp3 player, and Gu would be the topic of this blog, if not for its much more serious point, which I promise to broach shortly. Perhaps a supplemental blog on these fun gear items is in order.) I was accompanied by my sister-in-law, Super NewMom and Super Half-Marathoner Shannon.

The run was a success, except that during the last two miles of the 16.5 mile day, the funkyness in my right knee turned stubborn, stiff, impossible. And the muscles in my upper and lower leg, beginning from the outside of my knee and working away toward my ankle and hip, were cramping and giving out randomly. My leg muscles seemed to be pulling my kneecap apart and like there was nothing left to support my weight over my shin and femur. I felt like my shin was going to shoot straight up into my femur.

I iced, rubbed, and ibuprofened as soon as I made it home. The next day, on Sunday, I did my usual 30-minute jog. Mike joined me. It was pouring rain and a surprising blast. The knee pain was present, but the cramping and giving-out was not. I rested Monday. On Tuesday I ran with Jordan and Sarah-Jane. I took them on one of my favorite hill loops. I felt strong for the first half. Then I went nuts on the downhill, reaching a top speed of 6.25-minute miles, and felt the pain return. It was abrupt and strong. My knee seemed to respond by threatening to give out every step after.

The loop ended with just a few stairs. I held my breath, expecting to collapse with each step up. Something was seriously wrong.

In denial, I set out on a run the following day. I made it two blocks. Then reality exposed itself. The coming Saturday’s run was to be the longest before race day, 180 minutes (18-ish miles) and would be crucial to my training. I knew at once that if I did not rest my knee for the next 3 days, starting that moment, I would not be able to perform at my best that weekend. And if I did not do well on the longest run before the race, how would I do at the race?

I saw a knee doctor as soon as I could.

Friday. The day before the 180-minute run. I lie down on the table with my legs stretched straight out. The doctor places his hands, one crisscrossed over the other, like he’s about to perform CPR on my leg, on top of my left kneecap. He leans his weight into my knee and I feel my leg buckle a bit more into the table below me. Then, while maintaining the pressure on my knee, he asks me to flex my quad so that my kneecap raises and wiggles.

‘Good,’ he says.

He does the same to my right kneecap. I flex my quad. I can’t tell you whether my kneecap raised or wiggled. All I felt was a burning, cracking, hole-digging pain shooting through my knee. I bent my knee in defense. I flinched and winced, letting out a choking gasp as I grab at the pain.

‘Uh huh,’ he said. As if he’d been expecting my reaction.

I have a common knee problem—it’s nothing serious, unless you’re a marathoner. Until two weeks ago, I thought I was a marathoner. Would I now ever be one?

The diagnosis

I have patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), or ‘Runner’s Knee.’ The following is what I understand, and partly have imagined, it to mean to have PFPS. I hope all the knee experts reading can forgive any misinformation I am about to convey.

Essentially, I have over-worked my running muscles and under-worked my non-running muscles, which has lead to the uneven pulling of my kneecap by the running v non-running muscles. My kneecap is in a tug of war between the running and non-running muscles, and in what is supposed to be a completely even match, the running muscles are winning out.

With this uneven pulling, my kneecap is subject to mistracking. Now, instead of gliding smoothly between the two knobs in my femur, my kneecap is being drug over them. As the underbelly of my kneecap scrapes over either femur knob, the cartilage under the kneecap becomes rough.

Scraping is bad. Rough stuff scraping is worse.

All of this pulling and scraping and roughing is creating a stressful—and painful—environment for my knee. My knee has responded by telling the muscles around it to stop. Hence the giving-out. The result of PFPS is that I am in terrible pain and that my right leg does not want to run any more.

Now that I’ve finally reached the reason for today’s blog, you may have some questions:

Will I be able to run the marathon?

• I don’t know yet
  

When will I know if I can run the marathon?

• Probably not until the week of
  
  

Can you continue to run until then?

• No. Absolutely no running for the time being
  
  

How do you keep up with training if you can’t run?

• I get my cardio the old-fashioned way—on a stationary bike or an elliptical machine—and I may brave the Speedo and try some aerobic dog-paddling

• I strength train, focusing special attention on the non-running muscles
  
  

How will you get better?

• By resting my knee—this means no impact (no running)

• With physical therapy:
  

o To build the non-running muscles so that they can level the playing field in Kneecap Tug-O-War, and hopefully get my kneecap back in its femur groove track

o To stretch the running muscles so that they start to release some of their grip on my kneecap

o Possibly with a brace or some taping to give the kneecap some guidance

What happens to the money you raised for LLS?

• LLS still gets it

• I’m not positive yet, because I’ve been too afraid to tell them about my PFPS (yes, I’m still in denial), but I’ve heard that I can transfer it to running another TNT marathon
  
  

How are you feeling?

• Disappointed, but no less determined

• Thankful that my insurance covers unlimited physical therapy

• A little puffy, without the almost-daily 500-calorie-burning workouts

I will keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, I need your support now more than ever. Please keep me in your prayers and my blog on your computers over the next two weeks. Check in and wish me well often. Every email, wall post, phone call, and high five takes me one step closer to race day.

Scientifically Proven Badass Running Machine

I have missed blogging these last few weeks--almost entirely because I have felt an incurable need to brag about what a seriously awesome runner I am now. LalaLand and my new Reality have collided. Their superpowered byproduct is me. A commitment to almost-daily running and an overdose of endorphins will do that to you.

Traditionally, this is where I insert a redeeming bit of self-deprecating reality. But not in this post. This is Reality folks, and I am the best runner in it. Relatively speaking. On a good day. Without hills. *ahem.*

The Proof: My Current Scientifically Measured Running Stats*

3 months ago: Fun-Running-Me

• Average pace: 10 to 10.5-minute miles
• Max distance: 4 miles
• Desire to run: 4 on a 10-point scale
• Perceived level of effort: 8.75 on a 10-point scale
• Average elevation gain: Probably not much
• Attire: Amateur

Now: Run-Loving-Me

• Average pace: 9 to 9.5-minute miles
• Max distance: 14.5 miles (Sat 8/15)
• Desire to run: 9 on a 10-point scale
• Perceived level of effort: Dude. Like, maybe 1.5 on a 10-point scale. Woo!
• Average elevation gain: Probably TONS!
• Attire: ANTM-Worthy Professional

*Scientifically measured stats courtesy of my new hardcore Garmin wristwatch, provided by Mike "Skinny" Bolger's Foundation to Support Darci's Running.

Running from Redhook to Redmond

I am probably particularly excited during this post because Saturday's run, my longest run to date, was the most gratifying and successful of all. The Team started at Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, ran down the Burke-Gilman Trail to Marymoore Park in Redmond, through Marymoore, out the park entrance off of East Lake Sammamish Parkway, and back to Redhook again. As opposed to running in Seattle or Renton, running this stretch of the Eastside provided me with a relevant frame of reference for the distance traveled, facilitating my strong and rewarding sense of accomplishment.

My total distance on Saturday was 14.5 miles over 2 hours and 20 minutes, keeping an average pace of 9.5 minutes per mile (including 4 hydration breaks and 2 potty breaks). Not only did I produce these hardcore numbers that day, I then followed up my run with an overnight backpacking trip to Mirror Lake (thanks 100% to the motivation of hanging out w/the Greens and the Baranicks. Ouw ouw!).

Words cannot express how impressed with myself I am. But I could take a moment to be gracious enough to acknowledge that I owe my current status as a seriously crazy running woman to the coaching provided by Team in Training. The philosophy, training, and people are all top-notch. They've mastered the art of transforming non-runners like me into run-lovers.

The Real Reason for Running

The transformation into a certified hardcore running machine has been gratifying, but surprisingly not as gratifying as raising money for the Team's cause. As some of you know, the real reason for participating in a marathon with Team in Training is to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

LSS's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Working with TNT has given me the special opportunity to meet people living with and affected by blood cancers. I've been fortunate enough to hear their stories first-hand. I am honored to be raising money for an organization that gives so much support and hope to a population of people living with blood cancer--a population that is so much bigger than I had ever known.

Accomplishment in Contribution

Every time someone donates to LLS through my page, I feel as accomplished as if I'd just soared through another 10+ miles of gratifying terrain. But in reality, it's the donor--you--who should feel this soaring feeling of accomplishment. Thank you to all of you who have donated to LLS through my page. If you have not done so already, please take a moment to feel really good about your donation.

If you have not done so already (or would like to do so again!), please join in the effort to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma and enjoy the strong and rewarding sense of accomplishment that contributing to such a relevant and productive organization brings. You may donate through my fundraising page.

Too Much Running and Not Enough Funding

Too Much Running (Who Knew?!)

I found out last week that I've been running too far. I'd mistakenly been following the wrong training schedule, but trusty coach Glen noticed my error and got me back on track just in time.

Just before learning that I was running too far, the scheduled run times started to increase at a surprisingly fast rate. I caught myself beginning to question my mental and physical stamina during the quickly-increasing longer runs. I was having a hard time keeping up with the program.

As I struggled, I began to realize how far I was setting out to run. I began to see a gap growing between LalaLand and MarathonHell. I saw myself, trotting blissfully, sincere but naive, through the green fields of my imaginary motivators. A chorus of harps and butterflies following in perfect rhythm with my feet. I was running perfectly fine, dumb and happy, when in the distance the invisible bystander sees the gorge of reality waiting. And as I approach reality, I'm unprepared and surprised. The distance, the pain, the exhaustion--all coming to my consciousness before I'm ready.

That's what a 90-minute run in Pleasanton, CA felt like a few weeks ago. If not for the angelic presence of fitness guru, running machine, and dancing queen Erin Thekkedom (shoutout number 2! ouw ouw!), I would have given up that day. But she kept me running during that first encounter with MarathonHell.

And then coach Glen rescued me. He scooped me up and told me that there's no such thing as MarathonHell, as long as you follow the correct training schedule. He put me back on track, pointed me toward the correct, shorter running times, and helped me understand that I could just forget about MarathonHell, because I'll never have to go there again.

I've since returned to LalaLand and am loving life there once again. The runs have been 80 minutes at the longest on Saturdays and 40 or 50 minutes during the week. My average per-mile pace has increased by almost a full minute and I am now looking forward to revisiting the 90-minute mark this weekend. I expect the perspective to be much more positive than my last premature attempt.

Not Enough Funding

So far, several of you have made my fundraising easy--you've come to me without my asking, offered to throw fundraising parties without my thinking, and given generously and graciously to an impactful cause. Thank you, thank you, thank you. But I've realized recently that I am going to have to work a little harder to meet my fundraising goal.

I imagine most people don't know that as part of the marathon training process, I am raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). In exchange for the excellent training and support of Team in Training, I have committed to raising $2800. A small portion of this pays for my travel and race expenses, the rest helps fund cancer research and patient/family services, such as financial aid for medications, as well as other practical support like transportation to and from treatment. LLS is there to find a cure for cancer, and to help those living with it now to experience life with the best work-fun balance possible.

The only way that I will meet my $2800 goal is through the continued donations of friends, family, and coworkers. In 10 weeks of my passive fundraising approach, 18 wonderful friends, family, and coworkers have contributed a combined total of $1095. That's an average of $60 per person so far (with a difference of $240 between the largest and smallest amounts). Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I've got about 10 more weeks to raise another $1705. I'm not sure how to be polite about this, so I'll be direct: Please visit my fundraising page and donate: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/portland09/dbolger. And if you've been putting your donation off, please go for it now.

Reasons to donate:

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a good thing
  
• Every donation is worth it, no matter the amount
  
• I literally give a little squeal of glee--a cheer almost--every time someone donates
• All donors to date have had miraculous and infinite fun since their donation experience
  
• In return for your donation, I promise to give enthusiastic, detailed reports of my progress whenever you ask, including the triumphant and the terrible, regardless of the time or place. Consider me your personal marathon puppet. And upon donor request, I will even describe my nasty callous/blister toe thing
• My social exchanges with you will only become increasingly more awkward over the next 10 weeks if you don't donate

If you have any questions about the marathon, Team in Training, or LLS, please let me know. I'd love to have a conversation with you and then try to spin it into a donation solicitation attempt. :)

Much love and respect to my homies,
Darci

A commendable demonstration of maturity and determination

My apologies for the lapse in updates. Trust that I have been having lots of fun since my last post. Bachelorette parties, weddings, barbecues, woodland vacations, birthday parties, the return of the rain, and reading. And still almost-daily running.

The last two weeks have been a satisfying opportunity to test my willingness to keep up with TNT's running schedule, despite the aforementioned other very important priorities. Over the last two weeks, I've gone to the following lengths to keep running:

• Running in Lakewood - This may seem like small potatoes, but given that there was a shooting nearby the week prior and that there were many more fun activities to distract me while there for the Mitchell-Sparkman wedding, this accomplishment was actually huge french fries.
  


• Running the Day After - It is social/celebration city up in here lately. I have been staying up past my bedtime, dancing like a 6-year-old on Redbull (throwing some elbows, if you will), filling my skin and bones with decadently salty, fatty party foods, and nursing my favorite adult beverages. Yet, with a commendable demonstration of maturity and determination, I still run it like it's hot the next day. Fo shizzle.
  


• Running on Staycation - Our exclusive vacation club (Pantiiiiiies!!!!) decided to stay-cation this year--an affordable and creative alternative to our usual high-rolling luxury vacation. We rented a charming cabin near Mount Rainier National Park and supported our vacation habit almost entirely with board games, a cooler of cheap beer, great conversation, and a commitment to mentally blocking all responsibility for the weekend. I blocked all responsibility except for that to my training. I was a nerd and brought running to the staycation. And although the club should have been firmly against such responsibility, they were actually very supportive. Mike ran with me one day and Nicole & Sarah-Jane ran with me another. It made me feel very loved and supported to have them join in my endeavor for the weekend (thanks guys!!!).
  


• Running in the Rain - It finally happened. It rained again, and I had to run in it. I feel the power of being a real runner growing in me now as I recount the exhibition of talent and coolness. Running in the rain is hard core, man.... In all honesty though, I ran no more than 5 minutes in a refreshing and well-timed mist. But I was prepared for and committed to running in the worst. When I set out on that partly sunny trek, I knew I was walking into a potential grade 1 storm. And that mental attitude is an achievement in itself. Baby steps. And next thing you know, I'm awesome. Woo!

And now I will close with a very important FAQ: It seems everyone wants to know how far and how often I've been running.

• How often: If you read my blog enough (*ahem*), you know that I run almost-daily. In case that's not concrete enough for all of you, I shall break it down: I run 5 days a week, taking Monday and Friday off to rest my marathon muscles.
  


• How far: I actually don't blame anyone for asking this. It's a very normal question. And I love that my answer is basically that I don't really know.
  
  TNT is focused on the duration of the run, not the distance. They started us at 30 minutes 5 days a week. Right now we're up to 40 minutes 3 days a week (the normal run), 75 minutes once a week (the long run), and 30 minutes once a week (the short run). My pace is about 10 minutes per mile, so I'm running about 4 miles on normal days and 7.5 miles on long days.
  
  The time for each long run changes each week - it will increase and decrease in a way that lets us build and heal our marathon muscles in perfect preparation for race day. Most runners don't actually run the full marathon distance during training, not until race day that is. My longest pre-marathon run is scheduled for Saturday 9/12, when I'm set to run 270 minutes. Ouch. (Something tells me they expect my pace to slow quite a bit that day.)

Until next time, fellow fun-lovers, much love and respect to you. Peace out!

Running Hills to Boost Fun

Week three is long gone and I'm halfway through week 4. Time flies when you're having fun.

Over the last two weekends, at various social gatherings (ouw ouw!!), several of you have commended the determination and training that must go into preparing to run a marathon. Your comments and questions have really gone to my head--I should say I feel like a pretty badass running machine.

And although I thank you for the support, I must take this time to iterate that I am not a badass running machine. Sure, I can hide behind my blog and sound like a real racer, or dress up in my custom fit running shoes and hardcore running clothes and look like a marathon woman, but in person, while running, I'm pretty pathetic. Legs jarring, feet scuffing along, hardly clearing the ground, my kitchen timer tied to my shoes in lieu of a stopwatch, face exuding sweaty discomfort--I'm less than an inspiring image.

But somehow, my perception of my running experience is always that I am having fun.

At our last practice (along the beautiful Kirkland waterfront), the TNT coaches encouraged us to start adding hills to our workouts. At 8 am on a Saturday, this does not sound necessary. And at 5 pm on a Tuesday, it still does not sound necessary. And then Fitness Guru/Teacher/Master Erin Thekkedom enlightened me. She helped me understand that hills help make the flat parts easier.

If you can run a hill, you can run a faster flat. The hill adds natural resistance to the original running motion. When you remove the resistance, the original motion seems easier, either because the hill strengthens the running muscles or because it simply provides a beneficially painful contrast to the following flats.

Subjecting myself to hills means I'll enjoy the flats more. If I push through the hills, I'll have more fun on the flats. If I work hard a little, I'll have a lot more fun.

So I've added a hill to every day since. I'll let you know next week how much more fun the flats have become.

And perhaps this marathon training (and fundraising--yes, I'm still asking for donations!) experience is my present life's metaphorical hill. I'm adding to my life the resistance of almost-daily runs, dietary changes, constantly soliciting donations, weekly blogs (holla!), and weekly team practices. And I'm honestly having fun. By training to enjoy life with this much resistance, I'm training to automatically experience more fun on the flats, in the everyday life.

The benefits of running in LalaLand

I've been marathon-bound for just over two weeks now. Two weeks with Team in Training has transformed me. I've been baptized in sweat and pavement, reborn as Hardcore Runner, Labor Rights Activist, Hilarious Autobiojournalist, Outdoor Photojournalist, Motivational Typer, Footwear Guru, Nature Enthusiast, Mega Philanthropist. To the max. For reals. Over night.

I exaggerate. But in the quiet of my almost-daily runs, these are the fun self-indulgent fantasies with which I entertain me. Such fun this daydreaming is.

Here are some benefits of daydreaming, particularly of the while-running-almost-daily brand:

1. a.) Being forced (by the necessary avoidance of the looming boredom that would, if given the chance, overwhelm my body's physical ability to run at all) to watch my mind wander down imaginative thoughtful trails, and
   b.) Allowing myself the time to notice and enjoy what my mind finds along its way.
   In other words, spending time in my imagination, uninterrupted by multitasking or email.
   


2. The meditative practice of acknowledging the surprise cognitive appearance of a stressor but still allowing myself to choose not to solve the stressor at the moment it comes to mind. I enjoy seeing myself learn to just breath and run, and accept that stressors will exist whether I run or not. I am learning that I may as well enjoy my run.
   
   
3. The rejuvenating affects of creative and imaginative thought. Given the freedom of time, peace, and distance from a computer that almost-daily running affords, I've come to recognize how creative, and even childlike, my thoughts are. Childlike. Younger. My brain feels younger after spending time in LalaLand.
   
   
4. The deepened appreciation for relationships that comes from spending extended time thinking about them. Before I venture into LalaLand, I usually spend some time thinking about Mike, the Baylys, the soon-to-be Spatchellmans and Johnsons, my family. And I always discover another reason to love them in the process.

Some other fun non-running things that I am appreciating this week:

1. The wildflowers around the pond in my neighborhood, Issaquah Highlands


2. The wooded running trails through my neighborhood


3. The SUNSHINE!!! (Not a single day run in the rain so far)


4. Spandex (or Compression Running Tights for the other pros out there). I've crossed the line from afraid of it to loving it. Oh - and my running skirt too--so cute


5. Eating lots of carbs

And I owe the motivation to run almost-daily to all of the people who have been supportive already. Your overnight support has fueled my overnight enthusiasm. Thank you for your donations, blog visits, emails, and conversations. Thank you. I am running for you--together, we will have more fun!!

To the blog followers - thank you!!

Michele, Cedric, and the Baylys - you guys just made my day. Just when I was starting to think running this week might be a drag, I saw that you had signed up to follow my blog. I'm new to blogging, so pardon the excitement if it's not quite warranted, but I was SO STOKED to see you signed up to follow.

I've already dedicated tonight's run to Getting Married Near Seattle - she's working hard for the money, planing big for her honey, and needs as much support in her pursuit of stress-fun balance as I can give. But tomorrow - that run's all for you guys. So go ahead - feel free to work through lunch or drive through gridlocked traffic with screaming kids in the backseat tomorrow, and all on too little sleep to boot, because tomorrow, you've got me running for you and together, we will all have more fun.

Thanks for making my run fun today, tomorrow, and until Oct. 4.

Peace out,
Darci

First(marathon+fundraising+blog)=FUN

I'm completing the first week of my pursuit of stress-fun balance and I feel great. I'm having more fun than I know what to do with. Like me, you may be challenged to imagine such fun to be had while training for a marathon. Here are the fun non-running things training for a marathon has given me this week:

Finding new places in Seattle I'd heard of Gas Works Park for years, but had never been there until my first team practice on Saturday, 5/16. I'm so thankful for the practice, even if only for the fact that it took me to Gas Works for the first time. Some fun things about practice at Gas Works:

1. Being away from a computer
   
2. The team's driving directions made the park easy to find
   
3. Parking was close, plentiful, and free
   
4. Weather was great - lots of fresh warm air around that day
   
5. Scenery was surprising, with lots of old rusty big things, but beautiful (the old rusty big things were among, green grass, water, trees, and a few hills)
6. Finding the park (a huge confidence builder for me, even if the directions were easy to follow)

Shopping for new gear Team in Training held a shoe-fitting clinic at Road Runner Sports in Greenlake on Tuesday night, 5/19. Some fun things about Road Runner Sports shoe-fitting:

1. Being away from a computer
   
2. Finding a place in Seattle with Mike on a weeknight!!
3. Shopping
4. Stepping on the high-tech foot/body pressure sensor (measures where you put your weight over your foot when you walk and the shape of your foot/arch)
5. Running barefoot on the treadmill while they film your feet
6. Watching your feet run in slow motion
7. Learning about the different shoe, insole, and sock options for different feet/walking styles
8. Trying on shoes
9. Buying shoes
10. Stopping for dinner with Mike afterward
11. Wearing new shoes to work the next day

Receiving my first donations I had a good time completely reconstructing the form letter TNT suggests sending for donation requests. I knew going into the program that I was running more for myself and all the hard-working, over-stressed peeps in the world - the people who want so badly to not be working or not be busy, but are not able to make a change - even more than I would be running to help support cancer research and patient/family services. I enjoyed drafting my honest, albeit shallow, plea for support.

I hadn't imagined actually receiving donations though. I hadn't even expected any response (which is probably not very responsible of me, if I'm obligated to raise almost $3k). I was hit with surprise and gratitude when I saw two $25 donations within 10 minutes of my email. And that motivated me.

It motivated me to email more people during work for donations more often, especially if it meant I'd get to see more people not-working more often. I was inspired by the donors. I enjoy picturing Jane Doe and John Doe (names have been changed to protect the innocent), sitting at work and probably not working at all--or even being paid to not work at all. I can see them staring calmly at their yahoo or hotmail or gmail in boxes--obviously stress-free and set for life--and when they receive my random email asking for money toward the cause (which, as a reminder, is everyone having more fun and curing blood cancer), they 1) read it and laugh hysterically, 2) recover from laughing hysterically and ask why anyone would need to readjust their stress-fun or work-life balance, 3) decide that it's best to donate large sums of money to things you don't understand, and 4) pull out the platinum charge card and donate.


This is the kind of life I'm running for. I'm not sure how Jane and John Doe achieved such fun-filled greatness, but their donations are motivating me find my own way toward the same state. And don't worry - if you don't have time to pursue this Good Life, just know that I'm doing it for you.


I'll post next week with more fun stuff. Enjoy your week homies.

And if this blog is your only source of fun, then I encourage you to get more of it. Don't wait for me to post again - you can comment on this thing (right?) and have fun with that. And then I will have fun reading anything you have to say, even if you don't have the time to be funny.