wednesday weigh in

It is a good thing that I love a challenge because yowzer.

We have a lot on our plates.

Between home life and work life and now, training for a marathon life, I'm in a state of mental paralysis at the moment, not quite sure where to begin. If you have written to me with fund raising ideas or just sent notes of support and I haven't responded, please don't take it personally. Rest assured, I'm reading each and every word while drool dribbles off my chin.

Kathleen, I wish that I was able to run without using music and instead use my time on the road as an opportunity to connect with my Higher Power. But this morning when I was out running, within five minutes the battery on my iPod died and I had a difficult time running down a hill without my ABBA. Hopefully, one day soon I'll be able to use my running time as an opportunity to reconnect with my soul. But right now, it's all I can do to not lay down on the road and look up at the sky. You truly give me hope that I'll get to that place, one day.

Anne Marie, t-shirts are an awesome idea. So are bracelets. And so are the various items that generous souls have offered up as "prizes" in a drawing. And so is advertising on my blog to bring in some additional money for our fundraiser, or offset iPod giveaways ... or stock my chocolate stash. I'll be responding to all of you once I have a game plan and/or the shock of what Charlie and I am embarking upon wears off.

The reality of what we are doing really hit me today when I drove home from my consultant's office and checking the odometer before I left their parking lot and again when I pulled in to our driveway, noticed that it was exactly 20 miles.

Twenty miles is a long way.

And twenty six point two miles?

IT'S EVEN LONGER.

Getting my body from point A to point B, a distance separated by 26.2 miles is one challenge.

Fund raising for me and Charlie and Margaret is a whole 'nuther challenge.

Last night I spent several hours contacting various companies that I had hoped would donate products for a raffle. This morning, I woke up and upon checking my e-mail, learned that it's against most companies corporate policies to accept unsolicited grant proposals or donation requests. Which, now that I think about it, I fully understand.

This may be a little more difficult than I expected.

But! I will not be deterred!!

I will find a way to raffle off a new BOB stroller.

And gift certificates to Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn Kids and REI.

And quite possibly ... a new laptop, or a weekend stay at a Marriott Resort.

Because when I dream, I dream BIG.

Of course, within the next few days I am going to send off letters to all of the people that I know and ask for a tax-deductible donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And I'll send e-mails. And if there was a way to put bright flashing lights on the top left corner of my blog to showcase the "Go Deana GO!" with hyperlinks to all of our fund raising pages, I would.

But, I can't so I'll just direct you to the top left corner of my blog. You can't miss it. And I'll tell you that every single penny, peso, loonie, rouble, euro, yuan, yen and rand helps.

And, if I could send a dozen roses to Melissa Koch for being the first person to donate to our cause, before I even posted that our links were active, I would do that, too. But since I can't do that either, just know this: I love you Melissa Koch. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I will finish that marathon. I will, I will!

Charlie and I have alternated running every day this week.

Of course, my husband is also training for the swimming leg of a 1/2 Ironman triathlon in March, so in addition to running, he is in the pool three mornings a week by 6 AM. And while he is swimming, I am sleeping. Usually, I don't wake up until he comes home and stands over me saying, "What? You're STILL in bed?!"

Yes. Well, nursing is exhausting. And, Henry needs me. And this whole "excuse" for sleeping in is probably the number one reason I haven't weaned him, yet. Although it might be a toss up with my ability to eat a 1/4 gallon of ice cream at night and not go up a pant size.

Anyway. Point is, we're in training. And my blessed neighbor, Karen, has told me that Charlie and I can borrow her double jogger and that will make those times when we have to meet with our team and train together, a whole lot easier. Well, not really "easier" since Charlie will be pushing two kids in one of the double strollers and I'll be pushing the other two. But at least we won't have to worry about bringing in sitters first thing Saturday morning.

As it turns out, Karen's mom - like Deana - is also battling lymphoma.

So, beginning today, I'm starting the first of several raffles I hope to hold over the next few months. This is the first segment of "The Amazing Trips Raise As Much Money As They Can To Beat Cancer."

Although it has been my modus operandi to give away an iPod Product Red shuffle at the conclusion of one of these contests, I'm in fund raising mode, now. So in order to enter the drawing for a shuffle, you will need to make a $5.00 donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For every $5.00 that is donated, your name will be entered in to the drawing.

Of course, if you make a tax-deductible donation of $20.00, I'll enter your name four times.

Or, if you donate $100.00, I'll enter you 20 times. (Of course you could buy two for that amount, but then you wouldn't be contributing to a good cause.)

But, if you want to win the Shuffle, you'll need to come back and leave me a comment on this post, that you are entering the drawing. (I'll move this post up to the top of my blog, under Go Deana GO!) In exactly three weeks, on February 25, I will plug all of the names in to an Excel spreadsheet and using a random integer generator, determine the winner.

You can click on any of the three hyperlinks below, or that are provided in the top left corner of the blog, to donate. And if you don't know who is who, here's a profile on the "athletes".

• There's my cousin, Margaret, who needs to raise $4,100.00. Margaret home schools her two boys and will be flying in from South Carolina to run this marathon.

• There's my husband, Charlie, who needs to raise $1,750.00. Charlie gets out of bed to go swimming while his wife sleeps in, he cooks gourmet meals, he can fix almost anything, and he looks hot in a wetsuit.

• And there's me, Jen, who also needs to raise $1,750.00. I love my children, my husband, good wine, chocolate, ice cream and sincerely hope that I don't get taken off the marathon course in an ambulance.

It's also not my modus operandi to ask that you spread the word about my contests far and wide, but if you can, I sure would appreciate it. Because I think I might have already given away an iPod shuffle to almost everyone who reads this blog and actually wanted one.

Not only would I be forever grateful, so would our little mascots.


So please, spread the word.


To Infinity and Beyond!!

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My goal is to run a marathon in 16 weeks. Currently, I can run two miles without falling down. How are you doing with your goals?