Volunteering at the Shamrock Shuffle Expo

I don't know if I mentioned it here yet, but I'm an ambassador for the 2012 Fort2Base race.

I ran this race last year and really enjoyed it and thought it was a very well done race, plus it's at Great Lakes, where my husband drills for the Navy Reserve, so it has an extra-special place in my heart. And 12 miles the weekend of Sept 23 will fit in well with my training for the Chicago Marathon (I just have to remember not to race this one). And Kelly [from Wednesday's run] is the director of ambassador outreach.

Anyway, what exactly does a race ambassador do? Basically promote the race to their local running community. Today, that meant volunteering at the Shamrock Shuffle expo. I was actually really exited to do this! I like any opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into planning a race. Plus it's a great event, so I was happy to promote it!

Basically, volunteering at a booth = handing out printed material and talking to folks about the race. And telling them it is OK to take some of the candy we have set out. (A lot of people were happy to see actual candy, and not more energy bars/gels/etc.)

It was interesting to talk to the race directors and get more insight into race planning and the race community. Between the two directors I met, they are currently or have been involved with RAM Racing (of the Hot Chocolate race), Rock 'n Roll, Zooma and other non-series races.

But of course a perk of volunteering is the free swag. (I have TONS of American Cancer Society Relay For Life stuff from my three years serving on the planning committee.) As soon as I got to our booth, the race director gave me a headband (my choice of color - I went with the blue camo since that "reminds me of my husband's uniform"). Then, we were talking about last year's race shirts, and I mentioned that I wish I had ordered my husband's in a size I could wear, because he never wears his and the tops are so nice! (Very attractive lightweight quarter-zip pullovers.) The men's was also a different color than the women's. Anyway, she went through her bag of swag and now I have a men's shirt in my size too! Sweet.

Today's swag: on the left, Shamrock Shuffle shirt and bandana, on the right: Fort2Base headband and pullover

Also, as you can see, this year's Shamrock Shuffle shirts are red. Which to me (and so far most of my Facebook friends) is an odd choice. I assume it's red for Bank of America. They were also giving out green bandanas. So at least I'm all set for this year's Christmas Eve Cookie Run???

Finally, the last time I posted pictures of The Bean on my blog, my dad commented "I wonder why almost every picture I ever see of Cloud Gate never has a cloud in it."

Dad, these are for you:

Do you run with fast women? T-shirt fundraiser for the American Cancer Society!

I mentioned awhile back that I was looking into selling shirts to raise money for the American Cancer Society, but I wanted to try them out first.

Bamboo Performance Shirt by Alo. $34. Wearing Size L.
 This shirt is super soft! And fits nicely. I love the long length. 

Performance T-shirt by Champion. $29. Wearing Size M.
Size M is a tad snug on me, but wearable. Also, this shirt is shorter than the one above.
And the material is kind of thin.  But the seaming is a nice touch. 

In the interest of helping you pick the right size, I am 5'7, 145 pounds, and wear a 34D. My dress size is anywhere from 6-10 right now, depending on the brand. You're welcome, internet.

So, do you run with fast women? Click the links above, or check out magmilerunner.spreadshirt.com to buy your own shirt! I also have other shirts in the Mag Mile Runner Shop (such as "Boo Cancer" "Runnerd" and whatever other witty stuff I can come up with).

Let me know what you think! There is no charge for me to create new styles, so if there is something you'd like to see with a different font or font color, different style, etc, let me know! You can change the color of the shirt you order, but that's about it.

Proceeds from all shirts sold will be donated to the American Cancer Society. These shirts are priced so that anywhere from $4-9 for every shirt will be donated.

And if you buy a shirt and like it ... tell your friends! :) 

Special Lunch Date with a Piano Soloist

I mentioned in my Fashion Friday post that I had a very special lunch date on Friday. It was with pianist Meng-Chieh Liu. He's kind of a big deal.

No, I don't have close personal friendships with world-famous piano soloists. I actually "won" this lunch. Last year, I did some volunteer work for the Chicago Chamber Musicians, helping to test out their online music library before it launched publicly. One of the ways they thanked the volunteers was by drawing someone's name at random to have lunch with the CCM performer of their choice. My name was chosen, and I asked if it could be with a pianist or flautist, since those are the instruments I play. (Also, we each got a pair of ticket vouchers for a future CCM concert.)

Friday was the lunch, and honestly, I was nervous going into it. What would I possibly talk about with such an accomplished musician? Sure, I know a little bit about music, but it pales in comparison to what someone like him would know. But, I knew this was a great opportunity that doesn't come along often, and I would be stupid to pass it up.

It ended up being a very delightful lunch. Surprisingly enough, at first our conversation was about what I do, as he seemed genuinely interested. (I "do" online marketing, by the way.) Among other things, we also talked about what he is currently rehearsing, when he started playing and why, teaching music, the less-glamorous side of being a professional artist, the local orchestral music scene. (What? I'm sure it's a scene.)

According to his bio, I am now two degrees from Mikhail Baryshnikov. In case you are also interested, I am also two degrees from Barak Obama, thanks to a co-worker.

I took the Metra, since I do enough driving the other four days of the week, and with the mid-day schedule of trains only once an hour, I had some time to kill before lunch. Since my Metra line ends under Millennium Park, and it was a beautiful day, I went there.

View of the skyline from Pritzer Pavilion 

Willis Tower still doesn't sound right

I remember when I first heard about Cloud Gate, aka The Bean,
I thought it sounded like some wacky modern art idea.
Clearly, what do I know? 

My favorite picture ever taken in The Bean. This was in 2004, right after we started dating.
We went on a date to the Art Institute.
The Bean was still so new, they hadn't buffed out the seams. 

Fighting Back: Running the 2012 Chicago Marathon on behalf of the ACS

Last year, I watched my cousin run the Chicago Marathon. It was truly inspiring. I thought to myself, "I should run this."

But then reality set in, and I realized 26.2 miles is a long way to go, and I need to get more comfortable with the half marathon distance before tackling a full.

Well, this year, I ran two half marathons (and 10mi and 11.5mi races), and felt great at all of them. So I started thinking, what next? Obviously try to improve my half marathon time, but what else? Am I ready to train for a marathon?

My Uncle Tom, a career soldier in the Army, passed away in 2003 after a battle with cancer. I'm pretty sure it broke all of our hearts - his siblings (my mom, her sister and two brothers), his nieces and nephews (my cousins) and all of those who married into the family. He was a wonderful person. He loved rough housing with his nieces/nephews, loved to play jokes on us and tell us silly stories. He would dress us as Santa on Christmas when we were little.

Chicago Marathon 1988.
Uncle Tom is #5232.

He was also a very private person. After he passed away, my mom and her siblings were going through his things, lots and lots of Army stuff, but they also discovered all of his "running stuff." Race bibs. Pictures. Marathons. The Army National Guard Running Team.

My mom and I went through his running stuff together recently. He ran the Chicago Marathon quite a few times. Including the very first Chicago Marathon in 1977. Running is in my blood, from both sides! (I have many cousins on my Dad's side who run, including one who is a triathlon coach - hi Judie!)

My uncle isn't the only one in my bloodline who has battled cancer. His mom (my Grandma) lost her fight in 1990. His dad (my Grandpa) survived cancer in the 1950s.

A few years ago, I got involved with the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life program. Personally, I've probably raised around $2,000 for the ACS. As a team captain, we've probably raised an additional $2,000. As an Event Co-Chair/committee member, I've helped my event raise over $400,000 for the fight against cancer. I even promised to cut my hair if I reached my fundraising goal. Why? I want to fight back against this terrible disease. I'm not a scientist, so this is how I can do that.

I participate in these events in memory of Tom and Grandma, but really, I run for this person:

the one in the middle

I run for my mom. I thank my stars that she has never had a cancer diagnosis. But I understand math. I know the risk. Both of her parents had cancer. Her brother had cancer. Sure, they were all different types of cancer, but it's still f-ing cancer.

So I've decided to run the 2012 Chicago Marathon for the American Cancer Society, because of this (from their web site):

As the largest non-governmental funder of cancer research, having spent more than $3.6 billion on cancer research since 1946, we’ve played a role in nearly every cancer breakthrough in recent history.

I can sit around wondering "Will my mom get cancer someday? Will my kids lose their Grandma when they are 8 years old, like I did?"

Or, I can run. And use my running to raise money. I can fight back. So I am.

Stay tuned ... I'm planning to do some raffles for those who donate to the ACS on my behalf. I'm trying to find stuff that I can get to give away - I just ordered some ActiveBands on clearance with a discount code, so that will probably be my first giveaway. I'm also trying to hit up my friends who have something to donate - a photography session, free ballet classes, art, crafts, knitted goods, etc. Stay tuned! And if you would like to donate something to be raffled off to raise money for the ACS, send me an email. Thanks!

Meeting Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary

Peter and me (and another volunteer)

Tonight I volunteered at WTTW Channel 11, answering phones during their pledge drive. (Anyone can volunteer.) One of the shows that aired during my shift was a Sing Along with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. And wouldn't you know, Peter Yarrow was live in the studio while we were taking pledges! (click for video!)

before the chopping

I said if I raised at least $1,000 for the American Cancer Society via Relay For Life, I would cut my hair and donate it. Well I raised $1,110. So this evening I will chop my hair and donate it to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths.

One last look:

Goodbye, hair (eventually)

This past Friday was my third Relay For Life event.



First Lap: (Cancer) Survivors Lap



With my best friend Gennie, who lost her Dad to cancer. And she's not my only teammate who lost her Dad to cancer. And we didn't have a very big team (5 of us total).



The event was a success!! Overall, the event raised over $160,000 for the American Cancer Society. My team (one of 68), raised over $2,500 and I personally raised $1,100.

Which means I reached my goal of raising $1,000 ... which means I have to cut off my hair and donate it to Locks of Love.

I think I'm going to let it grow just a little more before I cut it ... more to donate, right???

Donating My Hair For Cancer

Every year, I participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life event in my town to support the fight against cancer. This is also my second year serving as Event Co-Chair of the event.

This year, I've decided to make things a little more interesting. If I reach my goal of raising $1,000, I promise to cut my hair and donate it to Locks of Love. Meaning, I'll have to cut at least 10 inches. But I may go shorter.



The (Cancer) Survivor Lap at the 2009 Relay



The youngest cancer survivor at our event last year. Her dad is holding her and her mom and sister are in the background.



That's me at the podium during the opening ceremony.

Relay For Life

Last night was Relay For Life (annual American Cancer Society fundraiser). It was a lot of fun, but I am so glad it is over. I was one of the Event Co-Chairs this year, so it was a lot of work, time, energy, etc. I was also a team captain, and I feel like I didn't get to spend nearly as much time with my team as I would like, but it seemed like they had fun.

Also, as event co-chair, I spoke during the opening ceremony. In front of lots of people (we had 700+ registered), as well as two mayors and one Illinois State Representative. But, I told myself that considering how many cancer survivors were there, if speaking in front of a large group is the hardest thing I had to do that day, I should consider myself very lucky (which I do, every day).

Some photos:

My team:


Gennie's 8 months pregnant and still participated! What a trooper!




Luminaria Ceremony


My Dad participated in the Miss Relay contest (he's wearing the hat)


All of the Miss Relay contestants


Around 4am, I took a nap in the jumpy


Sunrise (I stayed until 5:30am, which was pretty much the end)


The rest of my pics are on Flickr (link above).

Overall, the event was a success! It rained a little bit, but not too hard, and only for an hour. My team raised $1,802 and overall the event raised $158,000+ for the American Cancer Society.

mail!!

Yesterday I got Rob's address!! Yay!!! I promptly mailed him the many letters I've written in the 12 days he has been gone. I hope he has time to read them.


Anyway ... something not related to Rob (imagine that!) So this year, I'm very involved in the Relay For Life in my town - I'm a team captain, I'm the publicity chair, and I'm the event co-chair. Whew! Luckily, we have a great committee that makes it all very easy for me, and we had our last meeting last night before the big event! (June 12.) It was a great meeting! We all have so much excitement and energy, I'm sure it will be a great event next weekend!

First weekend

This morning I woke up and realized this is what my life will be like until October. I can take it day by day ... but it's going to last like this until at least October (maybe longer). Ugh. I need to forget about that and continue to focus on day by day. I will get to see him again in 9 weeks, and then when he's in a-school, we can talk on the phone, and I can visit him.

One hard thing about staying behind is all the reminders of him. There's the big stuff - photographs, all his books, the empty other half of the bed - but then there are the little daily things that make it seem like he should be here - his set of keys, his mp3 player, his soap and shampoo in the shower, CDs still in the stereo in his car.

In other news, my friends and I had a party last night to raise money for our Relay For Life team (to raise money for the American Cancer Society). We raised over $200! Not bad considering we started planning this party last Tuesday.