Oregon - In Memory of JD

One of the first people that came to mind when I had this idea was Jim Drechsler. I knew him as Kristel's Dad and he loved to run, was good at it too.  He was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma Multiform IV brain tumor which is the most aggressive type in the spring of 2008 and died in December of that same year.  Kristel is a very good friend of mine and I wish I could have done something to help her more during that time.  So this is my way of honoring Kristel and celebrating her dad's life.  His birthday is October 8th and I will be running the Portland Half Marathon in memory of Jim on 10/10/10.  If you would like to help end brain cancer, please donate to the National Brain Tumor Society at http://www.braintumor.org/ and click on the Donate button. Prayers and/or thoughts for their family, friends and people that struggle with this disease are powerful too.  This one is for you, KP and JD.

A Little Bit of History

I am on a new adventure!  I think most of us want to make a difference in the world.  Life goes by so fast and it is easy to forget what is important or lose focus on goals/wishes/dreams.  Someone is probably already doing what I decided to do, but I do not think that should stop me!  The real title of this blog should be "Running Rebel With Causes", but it does not sound as cool to me. Ha! My goal is to complete 50 half marathons before I'm 50 and dedicate each one to people and/or causes that are important to me.  I hope to bring awareness to diseases/conditions and honor people in my life.  If I raise money to end the diseases along the way, that would be awesome.  My main purpose is to celebrate life and people.

I figured that I would start out with a little bit of history.  I started running in 2001.  My first race was a 5K with my friend/coworker LEG and I had a great time.  For some reason, I thought I could then train for a full marathon on my own.  Crazy, right?  It was pretty silly how I trained, but I did my best with a schedule that I downloaded from a website.  I ran on the treadmill and then did my long runs outside in the middle of an ugly AZ summer.  It was pretty brutal.  The marathon was grueling, but I loved it and running became a passion of mine.  At this point, I have completed 2 full marathons and will be doing my 11th half marathon in October.  Half marathons are my favorite.  I am SLOW, but I love it and hope to run throughout my life.

I feel like this is the beginning of a new chapter in my running journey and I am excited about it!