Well, I turned 42 a few weeks back and had publicly stated that I was going to run 42 miles (to Seattle and back) for my birthday. Well, I sort of did it.
Here is the story:
One day while on a 4 mile run (those are easy now), I couldn't shake the email I got from a friend about a little girl with cancer who had passed away earlier that week. Here I was celebrating one year remission while a little girl didn't get to celebrate her fourth birthday. I was going to be turning 42 in just weeks. That more than 10 times longer than that little girl got to live. I also was (still am) having a hard time raising money for my next run. I had to do something. I made up my mind to run the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail for my birthday. It had to be close to 20 miles there and back. I've run almost every part of it, except the top part and I would like to do it from Marymoor (home) to the end (Gasworks). (I know it isn't the "end" but that is a good "end" in my mind.) That would make 42 or so miles.
Without talking to my husband I posted it. Now it was public and I wasstupid ambitious. My husband of course read about it (I didn't want say those words to him) and he told me I was silly. He didn't say much else (I think he knows better) and just let me go about thinking I was going to pull it off. He didn't even offer to help me (no water stop etc), but pick me up when I died. We sort of talked about it, but for the most part he just shrugged it off and never really offered any support.
When it came time to put rubber to the trail, things changed. The day before my long run we held a family council. (Yes, we hold weekly family council; we have to, we have kids going every which way and if we don't...well, hell breaks loose anyway, I just don't want to see what it would be without it) and the kids brought up a few good points on why I shouldn't run 42 miles the next day.
1. No medical tent at the end of the race.
2. No water stops.
3. No coaches or teammates to push me (or stop me).
4. It was the last day before Kray went off to college and he didn't want to spend it in the ER with his mom.
5. We had promised the kids a day on the town and still hadn't paid it and it had been about three summers.
6. No one wanted to cheer me on or help me.
7. I had already run 26.2 miles and was going to add another 26.2 miles during the year I turn 42 and that added up to MORE than 42 miles.
So I compromised.
I got up at 5 and ran until I hit the detour on the trail. My fear of getting lost (I have a HUGE fear of getting lost) over came me and I called Steve to come get me. I had spent 2 hours and 30 minutes running and covered 14.3 miles that morning. I truly felt like I could have run another two hours. I was home before the kids were all up, showered and ready for our day at the EMP.
As I thought about it I decided that during my birthday month, September, I was going to run those 42 miles. So, here is my log so far (and I'm only counting my Saturday long runs):
Sept 5th 14.3 miles
Sept 10th 12.2 miles
Sept 14th 12.2 miles
So I have logged 38 miles already and this Saturday will probably get in another12 miles. So I'll be well over my 42 miles for my birthday month.
But the whole reason I did this was to raise funds for my run in November. I don't want to beg or plead, because I'm awesome and can run so far, do it because of that girl who didn't get to see her fourth birthday. That's why you should donate, not because I can run, but because she won't ever.
Doreen's donation page
PS: just for fun my log books says that for the year of 2011 I've run over 575 miles!
Here is the story:
One day while on a 4 mile run (those are easy now), I couldn't shake the email I got from a friend about a little girl with cancer who had passed away earlier that week. Here I was celebrating one year remission while a little girl didn't get to celebrate her fourth birthday. I was going to be turning 42 in just weeks. That more than 10 times longer than that little girl got to live. I also was (still am) having a hard time raising money for my next run. I had to do something. I made up my mind to run the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail for my birthday. It had to be close to 20 miles there and back. I've run almost every part of it, except the top part and I would like to do it from Marymoor (home) to the end (Gasworks). (I know it isn't the "end" but that is a good "end" in my mind.) That would make 42 or so miles.
Without talking to my husband I posted it. Now it was public and I was
When it came time to put rubber to the trail, things changed. The day before my long run we held a family council. (Yes, we hold weekly family council; we have to, we have kids going every which way and if we don't...well, hell breaks loose anyway, I just don't want to see what it would be without it) and the kids brought up a few good points on why I shouldn't run 42 miles the next day.
1. No medical tent at the end of the race.
2. No water stops.
3. No coaches or teammates to push me (or stop me).
4. It was the last day before Kray went off to college and he didn't want to spend it in the ER with his mom.
5. We had promised the kids a day on the town and still hadn't paid it and it had been about three summers.
6. No one wanted to cheer me on or help me.
7. I had already run 26.2 miles and was going to add another 26.2 miles during the year I turn 42 and that added up to MORE than 42 miles.
So I compromised.
I got up at 5 and ran until I hit the detour on the trail. My fear of getting lost (I have a HUGE fear of getting lost) over came me and I called Steve to come get me. I had spent 2 hours and 30 minutes running and covered 14.3 miles that morning. I truly felt like I could have run another two hours. I was home before the kids were all up, showered and ready for our day at the EMP.
As I thought about it I decided that during my birthday month, September, I was going to run those 42 miles. So, here is my log so far (and I'm only counting my Saturday long runs):
Sept 5th 14.3 miles
Sept 10th 12.2 miles
Sept 14th 12.2 miles
So I have logged 38 miles already and this Saturday will probably get in another12 miles. So I'll be well over my 42 miles for my birthday month.
But the whole reason I did this was to raise funds for my run in November. I don't want to beg or plead, because I'm awesome and can run so far, do it because of that girl who didn't get to see her fourth birthday. That's why you should donate, not because I can run, but because she won't ever.
Doreen's donation page
PS: just for fun my log books says that for the year of 2011 I've run over 575 miles!