Impossible is a typoRunning my pants off and loving myself along the way

How did you start running: I joined the Army National Guard in 2005, 2 miles was the furthest I had ever ran and only because they made me.  I tore my MCL in 2006 and put off getting it fixed until 2009. This was a BIG mistake, listen to your body people! GO SEE A DOCTOR! My MCL repaired itself incorrectly and was getting caught under my meniscus and causing me a ton of pain. I had surgery in March of 2009 and was cleared to run again in August.  I started Couch to 5K as a way to ease back into it.  Well, who woulda thunk that I’d fall in love with it?

Why fund raising: When I got the idea to run a race, I wanted to do something that meant something to me. I chose a race with the Aurora PD(I want to be a cop when I grow up) that benefitted the Special Olympics in my state.  The race atmosphere was incredible.  After I finished, I watched as the police, fire fighters and other runners went and helped pace a boy with Down’s Syndrome across the finish line. I cried.

Why the ACS/Team DetermiNation: When I decided to do a half marathon, I wanted it to be for a BIG cause.  No offense to other organizations but I didn’t want to make one thing seem more important than another. I started to think about what had affected me personally. Cancer. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by some sort of cancer.  Kidney, breast, colon, skin, bone, etc. I couldn’t chose just one, so I chose the American Cancer Society. They have teams to help you train and fund raise, I chose Team DetermiNation. They just spoke to me.

Why the raffle: I wanted to do something big and exciting! I’ll be honest, I was scared that if I just sent e-mails or put a link on Facebook that I wouldn’t raise very much money.  I have to raise a certain amount just to participate on Team DetermiNation and that’s kind of scary.  So, I thought about giveaways that I had seen on blogs.  But how could I get people to donate, sure some might but how could I really motivate them? A raffle! Duh!

How does the raffle work: For every $5 donated on my donation page, 1 you get one raffle ticket.  I will use random.org to select the winners.

What are the prizes: Oh boy, I have a ton! CEP Compression is giving a pair of compression sleeves, Luna sent a whole box of Lemon Zest bars, a friend of mine who is a designer on Etsy is making custom jewelry, better yet, just check it out for yourself.

What made you decide to run in combat boots: I wanted to up the stakes.  I wanted to make this even harder.  The training and race will be nothing of what a cancer patient goes through.  I wanted to show them that I care and I’m trying my best to put myself in their shoes or “Walk a mile in their boots”