Raise money for the kids!

My running buddy (miss Katy McLean)is trying to raise funds to support kids to get into the NYC Marathon. We both entered but we didn't make the lottery, BUT she still wants to go.. So please, if you have and extra cent or two (Her company, WAMU matches any contribution at 100%), please donate to her charity of choice: Team For Kids!

Here are more details in her words:

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Hello Everyone,

Many of you helped me raise money for my very first marathon in 2005, which benefited the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I am now gearing up for the New York City Marathon in November, but I cross the finish line without your help.


The Cause:

I have joined Team for Kids, the New York Road Runners Foundation’s team of volunteers who raise funds for youth fitness programs. I chose this foundation when I read these statistics:

· More than 43 percent of New York City children are overweight or obese, putting them at significant risk for early onset of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic illnesses

· Student-teacher ratios for physical education in New York City elementary schools are estimated to be 730 to 1

· 2 out of every 5 New York City public schools offer no after-school sports or fitness activities

New York Road Runners helps Team for Kids deliver running-based fitness programs to 25,000 at-risk school children each week in New York and a handful of other cities.


How You Can Help:

I will need to raise a minimum of $2500 for Team for Kids to ensure my spot in the New York City Marathon in November. In addition to the fundraising, I will be training for the 26.2 mile race. Here are different ways you can help prepare me for the big race:

· Provide pedicures to keep my feet blister free and my toenails attached throughout my training

· Become a water stop volunteer and meet me along my training routes with motivational cheers and Gatorade

· Run alongside me singing "Eye of the Tiger" on my training runs

Bagels, Gatorade and/or moral support will gladly be accepted
· Make a monetary donation

- $1 per mile for a total of $26

- $50 will ensure you are not invited to run at 8am on Saturday mornings

- $100 will remove you from this email distribution

- $250 will buy you the license to laugh at my inability to walk/sit in the coming weeks

- $500 to be my best friend (offer expires November 4th)



Donations Can Be Made:

Online:

https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/2007/donations.htm


In the Mail:

Donation documents have been attached and can be sent to:
(if you need the pdf, email me)

New York Road Runners Foundation

NYRR Foundation Team for Kids

845 Third Avenue, 11th floor

New York, NY 10022


Be sure to note my Marathon Entry Number 114113 and Last Name (McLean) when submitting a donation. All contributions are tax-deductible and you will receive acknowledgement from NYRRF in the mail. If you have questions about corporate matching policies and processes feel free to let me know.

Thank You!

Self.com three years in a row?

It's pretty predictable that eating a healthy diet, and losing weight will be focuses in my new year's resolutions. In fact, when have they not? Last year I did pretty well.. up until our trip to Vegas during the holidays.

It occurred to me that all this healthy eating has always been brought on by evaluating my diet through self.com. I had no idea that I was ingesting so many carbs and sugars, and I had no idea that I didn't get enough fiber in my diet. AND my portions were out of control. With that realized, do I still need self.com? Or do I need my fiance to start going to the gym again?

Last year, I signed J up for the gym so that I could have a gym partner, and I wouldn't feel bad about going without him. It turned out to be the best investment I've ever made. He became a monger at the gym. Running a solid 3 to 4 miles, and lifting for another 45 minutes to an hour. Even if I wanted to leave early, he wasn't ready, and I'd be forced to add in another half hour of cardio. All in all, it turned out well. Saw a lot more tonage, and I lost more weight than i had in years. Woohoo. Since November though, he started slacking at the gym.. mostly because he was pulling all nighters to complete his master's. Now that he's done (and since this morning, is now EMPLOYED!!!), we will hopefully start our rigorous gym sessions again.

So on to my resolutions..

• Eat well - more fruit, more veggies, more protein, less carbs, less fat. LESS CHOCOLATE (though it is a good anti-oxidant). Drink less coffee, more water.
• Tone arms and back - first dress fitting is coming up this weekend, so I'll know first hand how much toning I'll need.
• Continue Running - just joined up with Nike Run Club again. Hoping to run the Chicago Marathon this year, if time permits. Maybe I'll try and get into the lottery for the NYC Marathon. How crazy would that be?
• Get a handle on my allergies. Take another painful allergy prick test. I'm either psycho-somatic about my allergies, or else I'm allergic to a lot of stuff. J suspects that I'm allergic to glutens and if that's the case, I'll have to see if i can get on a gluten free diet. That sounds like a lot of work.
• Stop scratching.. more to do with getting a handle on my allergies. If anyone has skin allergies, I completely sympathise with you. It sucks. I know it well.
• Save money?? I'm splurging for the wedding, but afterwards, we'll need to start saving. It will be a lot easier with a two person income... and I'm really looking forward to that.
• If all goes well, get a puppy! Mind you, the puppy (yaya) photographed below is my parent's new puppy. It's a white short hair chihuahua that weighs less that one pound. While I do have a mild distaste for small yappy little dogs, yaya makes an exception - she's a dollface. And she's quiet, hyper, but quiet. And she's a face licker.

If I don't run 45 miles in January, then I will...

I have such a love/hate relationship with Nike as you may have read on my yelp review on buying the new Nike Ipod Sportkit. Yesterday I was a lover of Nike. Along with 150 other runners, we marched into an already crowded Niketown to claim our free long sleeve dri-fit resolution t-shirts as we all signed up to be part of the Nike Run Club. So do I feel like a hypocrite? Nah! I do want to run and running in big crowds only motivates me to go further... I also feel safe and I want a pace leader so I don't slack. And I'm also cheap, so I don't want to pay for it, because I don't think it should cost more than a pair of good running shoes to enjoy running. Because of all that, Nike rocks. They rock even more in that they motivate and inspire women to run ( by co-sponsoring the Nike Women's Marathon with Tiffany's and Running World, and providing atleast 6 months of training) and coming up with well groomed trails all around the city for the participants.

So on my long sleeve dri-fit it says 'If I don't run 45 miles, then I will..." and I haven't filled in the rest of my resolution. I thought about giving up chocolate for 2 months, or sweets until my wedding, or running 75 miles in Feb. All of them sound painful don't they? And so goes the rest of my resolutions for 2007. I haven't made up my mind on them yet and I still have a list of to-do's before I turn 30 (which is evidently this year).

When I'm ready to post them, I will. But I wanted to write and say Happy Holidays. I still have yet to see snow (Tahoe trip next week. Woohoo!) so it's hard for me to believe that the holiday season has already come and gone.

Oh and the big news over the holidays. My parents finally got a new pup, named YAYA. I'll post pics later.