Hi, friends! So, first things first: I've decided to run the 2011 New York City Marathon, on November 6, 2011, and I've decided to do it with Team for Kids, a charity organization that raises funds for low-income schools and community centers around the world to combat childhood obesity, foster youth development, and build character.
So, most importantly, here is the link to my fund-raising page. Right now, the amount raised is a very sad $0.00, but it's only Day 1, so that's okay!
Today is my first OFFICIAL day of fund-raising, simply because it is the first day I posted the link on Facebook and Gmail and sent it around the office. However, today is a big deal, because it is the first day of what I anticipate to be an excellent and life-changing adventure! And what better way to document such an adventure than to write about it from start to finish?
Now, although this is Day 1 of fund-raising, it is not Day 1 of my NYC marathon experience. My sister Melissa and I tried to register for the 2010 race via the lottery system last January, but neither of us was selected. This year, my sister qualified through the New York Road Runners by running at least nine NYRR qualifying races. I was determined to get in so that I could run with my sister! On November 8, 2010, I attempted to get in via the early-bird lottery and even posted a silly photo of myself eating a power bar on the NYC Marathon's Facebook page, but...I was not selected. Therefore, my final option to get into 2011 was to either start running a hell of a lot faster in order to meet the qualifying time of 3:23:00 or to qualify by raising money for a charity. The charity option makes me feel like I'm running for something bigger than myself, which is great!
I selected Team for Kids as my charity because I love kids, I think their health and education is immensely important, and it breaks my heart to hear about the growing percentages of obese children and other similar effects of too many inactive kids eating unhealthy food. I genuinely believe that if I can make even a small improvement to the lives of some kids, a marathon is no big deal next to that.
So, here I am! It's day one. I get to run a marathon with my sister in one of the most wonderful cities in the world in just over 11 months!
AND in the time it took me to write this post, I got my first donation! Sweet!
