Running for Anna

On December 12, 2010 our family was devastated by the loss of my niece, Anna Rogotzke, on her fourth birthday, to a rare cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. On December 4, 2011, I ran in the California International Marathon to raise money for the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, a leader in the fight against sarcomas. This blog is created to update those interested in my journey and progress as I train for this event and events thereafter.

....And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A little background

I think most people who follow this will know Anna's story and what led me to running a second marathon.  This is what I will be emailing people when the time comes.  It contains a little background info (here).  The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative was kind enough to email donation forms, which I will also be attaching to my email (they come out looking a little funky when I convert them to html in order to attach them here..they will be in pdf form in the email).  They will also be sending me bracelets, brochures, etc.  On a side note, does anyone have experience with this sort of thing?  I was thinking I could ask to display some of these things at running stores, etc.  Is that an acceptable thing to ask?  I wouldn't define myself as someone skilled in fundraising (or calling any sort of attention to myself whatsoever).  But some things are too important to stay in one's comfort zone...

For those curious as to my training progress, so far it's been going really well.  One of the reasons I picked December to run a marathon is to give me plenty of time for steady running with GRADUAL increases in mileage.  I had a four-month training window for my first marathon, and - for me - it was intense.  I'm following the same type of program (long runs on Saturdays, shorter weekday runs, etc.), but, this time, I'm just taking it slower and am really enjoying myself in the process.  My run this Saturday will be 8 miles, and I am actually looking forward to it.  

One thing I've discovered as I've gotten back into a running routine may not be construed as a positive thing by some.  I find that I am suddenly addicted to shopping for running clothes, gear, shoes, etc.  This is especially true for Under Armour.  I LOVE Under Armour!  It's a little more expensive than other brands, but every item I've bought from them is super comfortable, wears well, and just looks good (in my opinion).  That's my plug for the day!  :)  I should have enough shorts, t shirts, capris, compression shorts, hydration paks, shoes, socks, sunglasses, sports bras, base layers for cold mornings, energy chews, and hats to get me through the summer.  Better start running and stop shopping (until the winter season catalog comes out, anyway)!!!

2 comments:

  1. I love your blog! I saw the link to it on Facebook. What a great thing you're doing! Where is the marathon?

    ReplyDelete