Getting Started

So it's been made official. I've bought my plane ticket to Memphis. I've filled out the registration & signed up. Now, all I have to do is train to run 13.1 miles and fundraise $750. In a matter of 6 months. Piece of cake...right!?

I'd rather eat a piece of cake...or the whole cake...than bug people for donations for anything. Or, go outside on a hot Louisiana day and run.

But I've signed up & bought the plane ticket. I'm pretty much committed to this thing, come hell or high water.

I've signed up to run the St. Jude's Memphis (half) Marathon December 3, 2011. It's such a great fundraiser for a great organization. This year's goal for the marathon is to raise $3 million for St. Jude's Hospital. I've set a goal to raise $750 over the next 6 months. I really don't know what's going to be more challenging: training to run the 13.1 miles or raising the $750. I'm up for the challenge.

For nearly the last year and a half, I've taken up running. I've run regularly for a few months, get out of the habit of running for a month or so, then jump back into it. I've really wanted to make running part of my lifestyle, though. I began thinking of ways to improve my commitment to running as well as setting goals. It's also been heavy on my mind that I'm turning 25 this year and wanted to do something meaningful. The race is the Saturday before my birthday on Monday, December 5th. When I found that out, I was hooked. The more I started reading about the St. Judes Marathon and Half Marathon, I found out you could not only sign up to run the race, but run it as a St. Jude Hero. Running as a St. Jude Hero means you've committed to setting a fundraising goal for the hospital. There are incentives to raise different levels of money. I'm not sure how much I'll actually raise, but I know any amount is a blessing for the hospital. And I'm so used to getting gifts for my birthday, I just wanted to be able to give back...and maybe make a difference in someone else's life.

St. Jude provides each St. Jude Hero with a fundraising page. Click here to visit my page, track my progress, or make a donation.