This time, I’ll be running for kids who can’t

Charity fundraising benefits everyone!

I am always inspired by runners who chose to run for charitable causes. Whether it’s their mission, or whether it,s the only way to secure a bib, charity dollars raised always go to organizations in desperate need of funding and help to change lives. And there are many of runDisney runners who have raised thousands and thousands of dollars.

The premise is fairly simple. Certain approved charities have contracted with race organizers for a set number of bibs that are withheld from general registration. The bibs are then made available to individuals who commit to fundraising a certain amount of dollars for the charity. Usually, if a runner misses their fundraising goal, they are on the hook to cover the gap themselves.

Once a race has sold out, this is pretty much the only way to get a bib.

I was not sucessful in getting a Disneyland 5K bib during general registration (thank you, form error), and that’s been sitting in the back of my mind for months. I already have my reservations and my Anaheim trip planned for Dumbo Double Dare, and right now the Disneyland 5K is the only thing standing between me and a perfect season. That being said, there’s still a chance, even with my Club runDisney membership that I could miss out on a Princess Weekend race – a perfect season is still not guaranteed.

So… I set out to find a charity bib for Disneyland 5K, way, way, way late. A quick Google search found a list of participating charities, and one-by-by one I found their dreaded “sold out” messages. I got onto a few waiting lists, but there’s certianly no guarantee there. I had just one left to check, and dwindling optimism that I could make this happen. I could hardly believe my eyes when I found availability with the A-T Children’s Project. I grabbed the bib as fast as I could, and then I took a deep breath. I need to raise $750 for this organization.

Now I’d never heard of A-T before, but I am getting educated! According to their website, “Ataxia-telangiectasia, or A-T, is a rare genetic disease that attacks children, causing progressive loss of muscle control, immune system problems, and a high rate of cancer.” It sounds like a particularly awful disease, confining children to wheelchairs, and, sadly, robbing these kids of a chance to grow up. Most kids with this disease don’t live past their teens.

Reading about how the A-T Children’s Project is helping has inspired me to help this organization raise funds to find therapies for these children and look towards a cure. Truly, this time, I’ll be running for kids who can’t.

If you would like to support my fundraising efforts, please click the link. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you so much for your support!

Medal Monday: Surprise Double-Header!

When I was planning out my weekend I certainly didn’t think I’d have two medals in hand at the end of it. I was thinking more like zero. I haven’t been running much lately, for which I squarely blame my Garmin watch, which suffered a cracked screen, but also, I had big plans to see Lizzo over the weekend.

Everyone knows that miles run without a GPS watch don’t count, so why bother, right? When I notified Garmin of my beloved Venu2S’s imminent demise, they were fairly acommodating. While the watch was out of warranty, they offered me a refurbished one at a reduced cost. Great, but the process has been painfully slow. I shipped my broken watch back to them immediately, but two weeks later I still don’t have a watch. The agony!!!

For the runDisney addict, May is a disappointing month. The in-person season has ended and the Virtual Series technically doesn’t start for another month. But I found a solution for this dismal time of year! I purchased a set of Virtual Series medals from 2021 – a year I missed and instantly regretted.

I decided to take on the first of The Lion King-themed virtual 5Ks on a beautiful Saturday morning. Making motivation harder, I use my Garmin watch to hold all my music. So no watch means no tracking, no pacing, and no music. Ugh. Yes I do have several old iPods, but finding and charging them was too much of an effort.

I set out on said beautiful Saturday morning to the sounds of birds and a babbling brook –delightful music! I tried to play The Lion King sountrack in my head. But even as a musician, that’s easier said than done. It’s so easy to loop around on an earworm or start to think about dinner, that I didn’t even make it to the end of “The Circle of Life”. Oh well. I ran around my neighborhood for what I was sure was 5K + a little extra, and headed home to get ready for what was supposed to be the weekend’s headlining event, Lizzo in concert! I bought the tickets months and months ago, and it was hard to fathom the day was finally here.

Except it wasn’t. Poor Lizzo contracted strep throat and definitely was not in singing form. What could she do? So. What could I do? Earlier, I decided to skip a favorite race, the Burlington to Collinsville 10K Classic on Sunday due to my big plans for Saturday night. So Lizzo’s bad luck left me open for a last-minute registration.

Thus, with pretty much no preparation , I headed out on yet another gorgeous spring morning to join some fellow runners on an amazingly beautiful run on a rail-trail beside the Farmington River in Connecticut. I downloaded an intervals app on my phone and hoped for the best –yes I also rely on my Garmin for my interval timing. The phone app worked, except when my phone was in my pocket, so I had to carry it the whole time (annoying).

Tragically, I forgot my fuel in my rush to pick up my bib and by the time I was at mile 5 of 6, I was totally out of gas. I knew I could make it, but I walked a bit more of that last mile than I would have liked to. Just when I was pushing for the finish line, my calf started spasming. So weird, because that’s never happened to me before. It was a decidedly inglorious finish, but it was a finish nonetheless, and I earned the weekend’s second surprise medal. Yay. My calf is totally fine now. No clue what happened, but I’ll blame my lack of fuel.

Anyway, I guess my point is that I had all kinds of excuses to stay home on the couch this weekend, but I decided to grab the opportunities presented and I don’t regret my decisions one bit! Here’s to keeping a positive outlook!