About Me
10/22/2013: Update -- my third and final goal! Now I'm simply in it to win it -- including the grand prize of a jogging stroller package, which I will give to a momma who I think really needs it. Scroll down for details.
9/8/2013: Scroll down for update -- I'm challenging those who have followed my journey to help me raise double the money -- and I'll do another 5K on November 9 if that happens!
I am not an athlete. I spend a huge amount of my spare time helping mothers breastfeed and volunteering for Breastfeeding USA to train more Breastfeeding Counselors to help mothers breasteed. I'd MUCH rather help mothers breastfeed than exercise.
I am generally healthy, but overweight and sedentary. This year for the first time, the bloodwork at my annual physical had some potentially concerning numbers. It has dawned on me that if I want to be around another 44+ years to continue doing all the things I love, I need to take better care of myself.
This is where you, gentle reader, come in.
For every donation in my name, received here or off-line, I will get out and move for at least 30 minutes before October 31, 2013. You have the power to make me walk. Maybe even jog. When I do the training session that your donation has "purchased," I'll post on Facebook or email you directly to acknowledge your generosity and let you know that I've fulfilled my commitment.
I've got new running shoes, good workout bras, and time to train for a local 5K in early September. Give me a reason to use them.
9/8/13 update: So I competed in a local 5K yesterday morning, and I completed it. And then I posted on my Facebook wall the photo you now see at the top of this page.
A day and a half later, the photo had 78 likes. SEVENTY-EIGHT LIKES. Let's stop and think about this.
Seventy-eight of you were so happy that I completed a 5K that ... you clicked "like" on a photo of a middle-aged overweight woman in spandex shorts.
Granted, I'm wearing a really rockin' t-shirt, but still, people! LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!
There is only one logical conclusion. I must raise MORE funds for breastfeeding support, and then I must do ANOTHER 5K. So here's the deal:
I raised $460 in less than four weeks this summer, from just 19 generous donations.
So ... If I raise another $460 by October 31 when the WGYBB campaign ends, I'll do the 3-2-1 Dash for Down Syndrome in Charlotte on November 9.
That is my birthday, people, and I'll have to drive 40 miles clear across Charlotte at the crack of dawn to do this. But if you like me to do 5Ks, and if you're willing to cough up a few bucks to make this happen, I'll do it.
And yes, I'll post another photo of me in the awesome shirt and the spandex shorts. Count on it.
10/22/13 update: So I met my first goal, and then I met my second goal. You might think I'd be satisfied -- after all, I've raised more than three times my original goal of $300! This is already an awesome accomplishment, made possible by the generous donations of over 30 friends and loved ones and messages of encouragement from many, many more people. But there are nine days left in this campaign, and I think we can do a little more. Here is my vision.
As of this writing, I'm in third place on the list of top fundraisers in this year's WGYBB campaign. I am only $155 behind the first-place fundraiser! With one final push, I really think I can win it all.
I'm after more than bragging rights, though. The top fundraiser wins the grand prize of a B.O.B. jogging stroller package, and I want that stroller. It's not for me -- my baby days are long over, whew! It's for a friend whom I think you'll want to cheer on, too.
I happen to know an expectant momma who is embarking on motherhood quite a bit earlier than she had originally planned. In a few short weeks, midway through her third trimester, she will relocate to a new city to join her partner, and together they will welcome their baby and undertake parenting without the benefit of an established community or any nearby family.
They have chosen a home in a walkable neighborhood so that the momma can get outdoors and exercise with their baby while daddy is at his graduate classes all day. She is wise enough to know that fresh air and physical activity will help her recover from childbirth as well as protect her physical and mental health during a stressful and isolating time. A good jogging stroller will make this much easier and more fun; I see it as an investment in this new family's health and happiness.
With this WGYBB campaign ending on October 31, I know there will be a big push to the finish line by a lot of participants. I don't know how much I'll have to raise to finish first and win the grand prize for my friend. But I'm too close not to try! Please help me chase this last, icing-on-the-cake dream.
I will post daily updates (if life permits) on my Facebook timeline to keep my friends and followers informed of my standing. We may or may not pull this off. But every dollar that we all raise goes to a fabulous cause, and so no matter who takes that stroller out for a spin in the end, all breastfeeding mothers and their nurslings are going to win!
