My Story.

In October of 2008, I visited the doctor for a sinus infection. When I stepped on the scale, I got a wake up call -- I was at my heaviest weight in my adult life.

Now, I knew I was heavy, and I knew it made me unhappy. In the past, I had tried to remedy that but was unsuccessful in the long term. So when I decided in January of 2009 that I wanted to be a LOSER and get healthy, I was not quite sure I could actually accomplish my goal.

Slowly but surely, I have gotten much healthier and happier! :)

I started out mainly doing some Billy Blanks Tae Bo. Then, I moved over to the 30 Day Shred for a while. In May 2009, the seed was planted, and I decided to become a runner.

I ran my first documented run on May 16, 2009. It was 0.92 miles of pain, and I completed it in a 13:02 min/mile pace. I stared the Couch 2 5k program a few days later (the podcast). And a day after that... I officially lost my mind!

I completed my first 5k race on July 18, 2009 -- Columbian Park's 7th Annual Zoo Run Run! I had set a goal of something like a 9:30 min/mile pace, and I completely smashed that with a 8:50 min/mile pace (27:21.79)!!! And then... I admitted it. I was ADDICTED!

When October rolled around, I was ready for my first half marathon (13.1 miles) with my friend Allison! Despite major side stitch and a minor asthma attack at mile 10 and some walking between miles 10 and 12, we completed the race in 2 hours 15 minutes and 1 second (10:19 min/mile pace)! Crossing that finish line was one of the best feelings I have ever had. It was as if all of my hard work had finally paid off. And then... I got even crazier!

While training for my second half marathon, I decided to sign up for the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon on October 17, 2010! This is going to be one of those "life time achievement" moments that people typically only dream of. Besides, I believe that if you can do something then you should. And so... I will run this marathon BECAUSE I CAN!

And this is where you (and your friends!) come in...

As you might imagine, running 26.2 miles is not a simple task. In fact, it is down right daunting! To get me through it and to make a difference along the way, I am asking you to help support my run by donating to Northview Church: West Lafayette and Lafayette Transitional Housing Center! Both organizations mean a lot to me and have majorly shaped my character!

I did a lot of research regarding ways to donate online, and I found out that most sites charge a large fee for donations and even have minimum amounts required. That was all except for one...

ChipIn.com is a fabulous site that some friends of mine use, and they do not charge a fee! Plus, the donations securely go through PayPal.com! Unless specified to me directly via email or otherwise, the money raised will then be divided 50/50.

In honor of the 26.2 miles I will be running, I am setting out to raise $2,620! I know that with your help, this goal can be achieved! Please, consider donating and tell your friends about my journey and my goal! I LOVE knowing that I have inspired others, and that will definitely keep me going as the training gets harder! And as I run toward the finish line!

I have also created a blog where you can follow my training and find other tidbits related to my thoughts on running: http://becauseican262.blogspot.com/


Will you donate to my cause?





Will you share this link with your friends so that the inspiration may spread?