A Fundraising Milestone!

Wow! What can I say?

I am thrilled to announce that as of today, I reached the fundraising minimum set by TNT to participate in the NYC Half Marathon!

Over the past week I have been awestruck by the generosity of so many friends, family members and colleagues. I could not have reached this milestone so quickly without the love and support of each of you. Thank you for the notes of encouragment (even the inspiring, 'what the hell are you doing running in the winter?...you're nuts!'). Thank you for donating so quickly and so much.

But, the work is not over. The big race is just over 2 months away and I'll continue to fundraise until then! Every dollar helps our team reach its fundraising goal and helps LLS fund their cancer research.

So, I'm upping the ante. Starting today, I'm setting a personal fundraising goal of $1000 which I hope to meet before March 1st.

Seventy-five percent of all monies raised goes directly to LLS for research.
This means the more money we raise, the more time families can spend with their loved ones as they battle their disease.

So please, help me reach the next mile marker on this journey!

To find out more about donating, or my training, please visit my Team in Training Fundraising Page.

Much love,

Jules

Tonight's Challenge: Running Hills in the Freezing Rain

Yeah!  Winter!

Tonight should be fun.  The coaches have been warning us for weeks
about the infamous "hill workouts" on Cat Hill (up and down the steep, long incline by the Met).  But what they didn't prepare us for is today's forecast.  Running up and down a steep hill while drenched and shivering is not exactly my idea of how to spend a winter evening.

This morning the 'real temp' is hovering in the low 20s and my windows are being pelted by rain/hail.  The idea of suiting up and getting to the park at 6:30p seems a bit daunting now.   Let's see what the next few hours bring.   Fingers crossed!

I'm motivated by so many friends, colleagues and family members who have generously donated to our cause...so I can't possibly disappoint them.

Bring it on!

Inspired...or just plain nuts?

Fresh off an exhilarating race on Sunday, I decided to apply for a NYRR membership and to register for a few more races before The Big One on March 20th.

Here's what's on the docket for the coming weeks:

February 6th, 9am - NYRR Gridiron (4M)  Central Park
February 26th, 9am  - NYRR Al Gordon (5M)  Prospect Park  
March 6th, 9am - Coogan's Salsa, Blues & Shamrocks (5K)  Washington Heights

 Anyone want to join?  Watch?  Get brunch afterwards??

My First Race!!!

This past Sunday, I ran my first ever foot race...The Fred Lebow Classic, a 5 mile loop through Central Park. 

This race kicks off the 2011 racing season and honors Fred Lebow, co-founder of the NYC Marathon and president of the New York Road Runners, who changed the world through running before his untimely death from brain cancer in 1994. 

Before Sunday, I'd only logged 5 miles twice before (once on New Year's Day - it was balmy) and the other a few days later along the West Side Highway. 
I knew I could run the distance...but the question that lingered over my head in a cartoon bubble was, "can you handle the three Cs?":
     - crowds
     - corrals
and most importantly
     - the COLD

Cold is an understatement!  At 7:15am, it was a numbing 24˚F as Benjamin and I arrived at check-in on E. 102nd Street. 

As race novices, we didn't quite think the whole situation through.  I should have dressed my 'race hubby' like Ralphie from A Christmas Story, minus the Red Ryder BB gun.  We're not that smart.  Poor Benjamin had to stand at the start/finish line and freeze his ass off as I got to run in the glorious chilly morning with my dear friend, Jenn Goldstone.  When we crossed the finish line and reunited with Ben, he was a complete "hubcicle,"  muttering something along the lines of "I missed the shot of you finishing because my hands were frozen to the camera." 

Yes, I might have finished my first 5m race...but I failed in my wifely duties.

Luckily, Jenn told us the golden rule of 'race husbands.'   Seems like Benjamin only has to attend my first race (check!) and then gets a bye until the big race (mine being the NYC 1/2 Marathon on March 20th).  

So, the race was actually fun...and not daunting as I feared.  It was postponed a day due to a huge blizzard that never really hit, so the course was a bit icy. 

I finished in 49:30, not so bad for a newbie.
Onward!

Note for Mom:  they handed out bananas at the finish line.....you'll be happy to know I devoured mine!

New Sport...New Shoes!

One of the upsides of starting a new sport/pursuit is that you get to go shopping!   These are my sneakers....out of the box.
I bought them in early December, but work and the holidays killed any intention I had of keeping up with this new blogging habit.

The nice folks at JackRabbit Sports diagnosed me with over pronation and fitted me with these lovely Acics.   Hopefully they'll keep me on the straight and narrow during training!!  (I'll post more pictures during the months ahead to show how they're holding up.)