Hi everybody,
As I write this, I’m sitting on a bag of ice trying to ward off any thoughts of discouragement about my race next weekend. (I apologize in advance for the lengthy email.. I got carried away : ) )
Now I know there are many things that I’m thankful for, such as my and my family’s general health and our fortunate circumstances of having our home and jobs to sustain us. Just the other day it was asked of me, what was my favorite thing to do. I didn’t get to think too long about it, but the first answer that came to mind was running… running on trails in the fall when the air is crisp and the sun is out. It was also asked of me what three things could I not imagine life without. Many of the material things we have didn’t seem to come to mind, or if they did I had a strong sense that I would be just fine with out them. I didn’t answer right away, but today’s run made a least one of those things come to mind. If I weren’t able to be physically active, incapacitated in some way from being able to have the release a run brings and the strength that comes from the result of consistency in training and accomplishing goals, it was hard to envision what life would be like or that I’d like it.
Now you might think I’d been running and racing for most of my life. Running in fact was the last thing I thought I’d been doing, let alone marathons. But after many years of discovering the sport… it’s meditative like enjoyment in the middle of a busy day or start of a new one… the efficient nature of strapping on your shoes, stepping out your front door and gaining a whole body exertion was especially appreciated during the early years of having and raising babies… and finally power I found the day I joined a group of runners that were training for their own marathons and just went out to ‘try’ to see if I could complete their training run. When I not only completed the run, but felt great the next day and the day after, a curiosity was born that day of what exactly I could accomplish if I just put my mind to it. So I set my sights on my first marathon.
When my good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at about this time, it only seemed natural that I could use the approaching first marathon as a way to share this huge accomplishment for myself with those I loved, while doing something amazing for someone else I loved. When I crossed that finish line along side my husband and with family there to cheer me one, it was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever felt. And I guess knowing that committing to something bigger than myself and seeing it through to the end was a strength I knew I’d be able to draw on in the future.
Many of you I’ve been part of my fundraising efforts in the past, and as you can imagine I’m writing you again with a similar request. The reason I shared the story above with you today, is that this self discovery and ability to strengthen yourself by simply putting my mind and body into it, is something I try to each week of the fall and spring bring to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade girls through the amazing Girls on the Run program I’m a part of. I, along with many women mentors in this program, wish we had this sort of experience to draw from when we were young. We fortunately all have experience it though since then, many in our adult life. So we all strive to bring the self discovery of running, along with the self-esteem building topics, to girls in an impressionable stage of life.
If I hadn’t committed this season to being a ‘Solemate’ team member, committed the effort of participating in my most exciting race yet to raising money and awareness for Girls on the Run, I might just bow out due to all the circumstances that seemed to weigh this racing season down for me. I won’t bore you with all the details of my challenge of figuring out some health issues that were causing my energy level to not be anywhere near where I needed it to be to be adequately training in the beginning of the season. Or the bad decision making ability I had when I decided to try water skiing after all these years and proceeded to do a number to my hamstring mid-peak training runs this summer. And how a simple taper week run this afternoon could be upset by a simple stumble on the trail that has seemed to aggravate my still healing hamstring.
Okay… I guess I just did bore you with the details! But the point is, I’m nervous and anxious for my race next weekend… but at the same time committed and excited about the potential my completing it will bring to the Girls on the Run program. So this is where I ask you to come along with me, and help me make a difference for the girls in the program. We’ve had an outstanding year of participation, in a year where I though the financial strain many families were feeling would cause them to look at this opportunity for the daughters as something they might have to do without. As the director of the program I made a commitment to these girls to make it known that I didn’t care if they paid $5 or $95, I wanted them there! As a result we went from serving about 40-50 girls in a season to serving 60-70. This season alone, 50% of our participation fees are covered by scholarships, and as much as 80% at one site. This has increase from the normal year of 15-20% of scholarships fulfilled.
So with all that said, your donation of any size (whether it’s $5 or $95 :)) is so greatly appreciated and will go along way in making the program available to any girls that walks onto that field! I will be thinking of each and every one of them when I hit the streets of San Francisco for the Nike Women’s Marathon on October 18.
Below is a link to an online donation form. Or feel free to mail a check to GOTR PO Box 7016, Ketchum, ID 83340.
http://www.active.com/dona
Thanks for reading/listening!! In girl spirit,
Mary
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