The "Honeymoon" Phase is over! My fundraising page is up!

Dear God! Ok, so the "Honeymoon" Phase is over. I've decided that all this training is insane and I am going to need a lot of help and inspiration and support from family and friends to get through this mentally and physically! I must have a reason, so I had been thinking about this long and hard and here is my story but in all essence I need something larger to inspire me through this arduous effort and literally long road ahead!

I need compliments! TONS of freakin compliments from all of you! Even if they are negative compliments like demanding 5-minute miles, it'll make me smile! ;) Ok nuff said. Here is my story. (I had to paste it here after my sister decided to take over my donation page and call us "Kwong Powaaaah!") Hehe. I already feel I won't hear the end of this mantra in the office. ;) Ok seriously, now if you have time, here is my story to the full marathon training!!! :)

Fundraising Page Here!!! And now My Story! :)

If I haven't already spoken to you about how I committed myself to run the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon/26.2 miles in October 2007 and how it all started, I will now but promise to keep it short. :) Basically my sister (who is also participating this October but in the Nike Women's Half Marathon/13.1 miles) tried to convince me to sign up for it too in the beginning of 2007. Those of you that know me well know I'd rather be anywhere else other than running on a treadmill let alone running outside! So I delayed registration for both the early and regular deadlines even with multiple reminders from my sister - sorry Marsha! Well, by the time I got around it was way too late and waaaay too full - like waiting list full. I entered the lottery and luckily won race entry for the Half Marathon. So I started to "train" by making frequent visits to the gym, seeing my personal trainer Rafael more regularly (who can also vouch in the beginning I could barely run for more than ten minutes straight!) and doing a few 3 and 5K races as well as my first 10K race!!! This started back in March or April until now - end of May. Even though I had been working and training very hard, I didn't feel 1000% fulfilled given all the effort involved. Something was missing... I needed a reason more than just completing a marathon and a much needed vacation to beautiful San Francisco...

I realized what was missing was running for a cause larger than life. Even though I had guaranteed race entry, I decided to join Team in Training and raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with a fundraising target of $3900. I also decided to go beyond my original goal of 13.1 miles and train for the *full* 26.2 mile marathon! If you're going to do it, you might as well try to do all of it, right?!? ;) You are a probably asking yourself: "Ok Elaine... so where does my donation go?" About 25% of my goal amount covers team expense stuff like hotel share, air travel, professional guidance with nutrition and physical training from team running coaches 2x/week - soooo important so I don't accidentally hurt myself! Man that would be embarrassing!!! But the totally awesome part is that 75% of the $3900 PLUS any donations beyond $3900 go directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society toward research, patient services, education, advocacy and community service. I know it seems like a lot of dough and reminded me of the Run Lola Run scene when Lola needed to "raise" 100,000 Deutsche Marks in 20 minutes. She starts running through her head all her friends and family that could help her out. That's exaaaactly how I felt as I thought of you guys!!! ;) Well, I will literally be "running" and am confident that my target goal is totally doable with your help! Maybe think of it as the $1 per mile run? That's all I'm asking! I'll be thinking rather "Run Elaine Run"! :)

So what is the cause? All of us gals (and boyz too!) on Team in Training are dedicated to raise funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. Team in Training is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's signature fundraising event. In 2006, 35,000 participants worldwide raised $114 million as they trained for marathons, 100-mile cycle rides and triathlons. Over its history, the number of particpants trained has reached 305,000+! I am excited to be part the New York City Chapter - one of the Society's largest chapters - in this valiant effort.

I would also like to dedicate my *very* first marathon in memory of my dear friend and work colleague Michael Feng who fought extremely strong and hard every step of the way before passing in February 2005 at the very young age of 26. If you knew Mike whether at Bloomberg or personally he kept it healthy going to the gym and running regularly and would have definitely done this run with me! :) I remember Mike and I had a bet once - no pizza of any kind for an entire month before the JP Morgan 5K Corporate Challenge. We both loooooved pizza! So I cheated and never told, and Mike won but never knew! I promise no pizza one month before the marathon! ;)

So please, please, please consider making a donation to support my hard work and participation in Team In Training, help advance the Society's mission for blood cancer research, and honor Mike's courageous living and strength! No worries about the dollar amount! Whatever you can afford is totally fine! And remember all donations are 100% tax deductible! You can write it off! :)

Lastly, for most of you that I've chatted with already, I confess! I am not a runner, unathletic by nature, and seriously could barely run 400 meters without stopping in April, but I've gotten better and promise you incremental improvements as we approach race day!!! As a benchmark for those of you who are suspicious whether I can complete a full marathon, I am doing the NYC Half Marathon in August! I am thinking of the whole thing as a bicoastal run - cool huh? And again, even just a $1 per mile would be great!!! I'll let you all know how I do when I finish. With training and dedication I am sure that I'll be thinking of each and everyone of you during my final 26.2 mile run! ;)

Ok, I hope you'll visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress!

Thank you all again for reading this! I really appreciate your kindness, generosity, and support!

-elaine