Nike Women's Half Marathon

It's that time of year again.  Time to sign up for the Nike Half Marathon in San Francisco.  I would love a second chance at that race.  Without a broken foot.  I'd love to visit that city again.  I'd love to get another Tiffany necklace.  I'd love to see the views.  I'd love to take a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge.  The boot and the overwhelming pain the day after the race prevented that.  Well, that and I didn't know about it until the day after. 

As an alumni I would only have to raise $2950.  Not exactly a good deal for me since last time I only had to raise $2500.  But certainly cheaper than $3500 all the newbies have to raise.  But....I can't fund raise again.  You all don't want me to.  My friends, neighbors, and family don't want me to.  All the people I've ever known in my life that have an address I can find don't want me to.  I know people are tired of seeing my letters in their mailbox, and inbox, and seeing me in person.  Fund raising twice in a little over two years is a bit too much.  I know.  But to those of you who gave me money for either one, I am so eternally grateful.  I loved doing my part to help find a cure.

But I don't feel like I'm done with these organizations.  Since I lost my mom and grandma to breast cancer my loyalties lie there.  So I will continue to run the Race for the Cure every year.  But someone questioned me when they heard I was doing so much for leukemia research and asked why I didn't do that for breast cancer research.  I really didn't know what to say to that.  Then I found out that a drug that was funded by a LLS grant by TNT raised money is being used for breast cancer.  There you go, it's all working together.  That made me feel so much better. 

But, I still can't fund raise again.  So when I got an e-mail asking if I'd help plan the kick-off program, I was all for it.  After two meetings picking themes, colors, decorations, and food, last night it all came together.  I was in charge of pictures.  Fitting, don't you think?  I took pictures from previous races, turned them black and white, and then re-colored in one or two colors.  Since we run in purple singlets, it was an easy choice.  I then had them printed and matted them on colorful scrapbook paper.  I'd love to show you pictures of this...but I didn't take any.  Want to know why?

Because I was taking pictures of, and eating, these.

Holy calorie load Batman, they were fabulous.  The amazing Ruth made them.  She is a leukemia survivor and an award winning baker, cake decorator, and sugar artist.  Click here to read more about her.  The last paragraph is my favorite.  She's done 5 of the last 7 Nike races.  So her necklace collection?  Amazing.  She wears them all on one chain with spacers between them.  So to entice people to sign up, she put a edible silver charm that exactly matched each necklace on a cookie, on top of the amazing parfait.  Why she weighs about 70 pounds I'll never understand.  She must not eat anything that she eats.

I ate this one.  It has my necklace on top.  It.  Was.  A. Maz. Ing. 

So I ate the parfait, and quite a bit of pita chips from the snack table, and didn't sign up.  It was hard not to.  The kick-off meetings are so inspirational.  But I didn't.  But I did sign up to be an assistant coach for the fall season.  So I still get to be apart and don't have to raise money.  The best of both worlds!

And I still get to spend time with amazing people like Ruth. 

How can you say no to that??