2011 Summary

In 2011 I decided to do a year-long running fundraiser for Gracehaven House. It was basically a win-win situation. I got to raise money for a cause I’m passionate about, raise awareness about the issue and an awesome organization that’s doing something about it, and have motivation to race more and train more! And, of course, got a sweet shirt designed =).

Here’s what came of Running With Grace, 2011:

• Raised a total of $2,172.20
• Raced 124 miles
• Ran 21 races (including putting on my own race for my birthday)
• 46 sponsors (including participants at said birthday race)
• 4 new personal bests; 5K – 25:03, 5mi – 46:57, 10K – 54:03, Half marathon – 2:03:11
• The satisfaction of having an outlet for my frustration. The injustices in this broken world can often be frustrating or overwhelming. I felt like instead of standing there helpless, wondering what to do, I could run. Because it’s one thing I do know how to do. My desire to run drove this, and this drove my desire to run.

I have been so blessed to have the support of so many of you. I could not have done this without you, and every amount makes a difference! The house is finished, and so close to being open. Just a few i’s left to be dotted and t’s crossed. I just want to leave you with a picture I took at the house this summer, which I realized I hadn’t posted before.

"The Pink Room"... 1 of 5 bedrooms at the house, and the one I worked extensively in during a deconstruction workday

Marathon Fundraising Update

So I completed the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 5, 2011. I realize it’s been almost a month since then, but forgive me as I’ve been super busy and haven’t gotten a chance to give you an update. The race was fun and the fundraising was phenomenal! I asked for a suggested donation of $10 per mile, but so many of you went above and beyond. And then more of you continued to give donations even after I had all of my miles sponsored. In total, I raised $661.20 for Gracehaven!

The shirt I wore in the marathon boasted the names of my sponsors on the back. It also mentioned that I was running for Gracehaven, which sparked a few conversations with fellow runners and I got to talk about my cause =).

The back of my shirt that I wore in my race

With my fellow marathon/half-marathon friends after the race

So I’m in my last month of my Running With Grace fundraiser. Can’t believe it’s been so long! It’s not too late to sponsor me for December guys =). I have run one 5K this month and am trying to get in another – although it might be tricky with traveling. We’ll see!

Please consider supporting me as I run a Monumental Marathon for Gracehaven!

So I’m training for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 5th, with my running partners Beth and Sharon. “Monumental” not because it’s a big deal, but because it goes through downtown Indianapolis and there are apparently a lot of monuments there =). However, we wanted to make it more of a big deal. This will be more than just a race for us. More than our personal accomplishments of running 26.2 miles. We have each chosen to raise money for a cause that we care deeply about.

Here’s how you can help – I would love if you would sponsor one of those 26.2 miles. The suggested donation is $10 per mile, and as always, all of the money will go directly to Gracehaven. And other than the warm fuzzy feeling you will get in your heart from contributing to a great cause and supporting your friend, you will also get your name printed on the back of the shirt I’ll be wearing in the race!

If you would like to support me, you can give me either cash or a check made out to me or Gracehaven. If you would like to sponsor a specific mile number, let me know that too. We’d like to get the shirts ordered by October 15, so please let me know your intent to pledge by then.

Thanks!

Running with Grace: Mid-year Update

So in February I started this year-long fundraiser for Gracehaven, raising money based on how much I run. I didn’t know if it would work. I didn’t know if I was going to have tons of sponsors or if it would just be my mom. I didn’t know how significant a difference I could make in helping Gracehaven open its doors. But I decided to do it. Because I know I can run. And I know I can give them something.

I had no concept of how much money I would raise, or how much I would need to to consider this a “success.” But from February to June I raised $1,035 – including $270 from my birthday race. I don’t know what $1,035 really means in the grand scheme of things, but it’s $1,035 more than they would’ve had if I hadn’t done this. And that’s good enough for me. So I am very thankful to all of you who have chosen to sponsor me, whether it was a one-time donation, or a several-month or all-year pledge.

So if you are asking yourself how can you help, there are a few things you can do:

• To support me monetarily, please check out my Sponsor Me page.
• To help Gracehaven win a grant for up to $250,000, vote for them (for free) once a day until August 27 on the Vivint Gives Back Project. Plus, if you give to Gracehaven through this site up til Saturday 7/23 at 4pm EST, Vivint will match your donation.
• Come cheer me on in any of my upcoming races!

I’m expecting to raise more in the remainder of the year than the first 5 months, especially as we get into fall marathon season. But even if not, I’m just going to keep running. Even if all I have is loaves and fishes, I’m going to bring it! =)

I run because I’m angry

Some days when I’m upset, there’s nothing better than a good run to take my anger out on. Clearing your head, and thinking about nothing but the rhythm of your stride, and your feet hitting the pavement. Pushing hard til you tire of angering. Feeling it dissipate with each footfall. Some people say they get so mad they want to punch something. When I get that mad, I want to run. That can be very therapeutic for me – but it’s not what this post is about. Not entirely anyway.

I am angry at injustice. It’s the kind of anger that’s maybe good to have rekindled from time to time, as opposed to the kind you want to let cool down. Last weekend I was volunteering at a Gracehaven event. I listened to Theresa Flores (Spokesperson for and Director at Gracehaven) give her testimony about how she became a victim of sex trafficking. I listened to Dr. Jeff Barrows (founder and Executive Director) explain the facts and figures and dispel the myths. He talked about recent cases, weak laws against it, and how our society encourages it to thrive. I’ve heard both of them speak several times. But my stomach turns inside out each time. I get furious. And my heart breaks.

Jeff said something that really stood out to me. He described the three things that shocked him when he first learned about human trafficking. 1) that this sort of heinous evil is still happening (and in America); 2) that it is so prolific (there are currently more people enslaved today than were in the entire transatlantic slave trade); and 3) that so little is being done about it. It stood out because those are the same things that shocked me. One of the things that fuels me the most is that so little is being done. There are only a handful of “Gracehavens” in the entire country, but the need is enormous. People don’t understand it. People don’t recognize it. People don’t know why or how to do something about it. Gracehaven is trying to change that. And I’m trying to help them, in some small way. In the midst of an issue of such enormity that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and not know what to do, I’m doing one thing I know I can do. And that’s run.

I want to say a huge thank you to all those of you who support me in this effort – whether through financial donation, encouragement or cheering me on at races. If you want to help in another way, vote for Gracehaven to win $100,000 through Vivint. Voting runs today through August 27, and you can vote once per day, every day. In the meanwhile, I’ll keep running.

Summer Running

The hardest part of the running season is upon us – summer! Well, I am of course counting the running season as starting in, say, March. That’s when racing season really starts anyway. Let’s not even get to what it’s like running when it’s bitter cold and icy.

Anyway. I’m hoping for some motivation to not slack off just because of the sweltering heat, and keep up the running. So far I’m signed up for 2 5Ks in June for great causes; Race for Ellie (join me on team “Fat kids win at teeter totter”) and MoveMMore (join me on team “Smedlop”). If you have any 5Ks or 10Ks you are planning on doing this summer, or just know of any for a good cause, please send them my way! When I run them for Gracehaven it will be a double-good cause =). Speaking of which, if you’ve been thinking about sponsoring me, what better time to start than now? =)

So send me your races. Even if you are not in Columbus… if you find a cool local one maybe I will come visit you! You just have to promise to come out and run with me/cheer me on =)

Running with Grace… and Style ;-)

So now that it’s warming up to the point that I can run without needing a jacket or long sleeves, I’ve gotten my official race shirt made! It’s designed by the lovely Katie Talbott, a close friend, talented graphic designer and former Gracehaven employee. I debuted it in my 5K last weekend, and plan to wear it in all my races until it gets too cold again to.

Front:

Back:

Running, motivation and travel adventures

I’m excited about finishing month #2 of my fundraiser. It’s exciting to get new sponsors and to get Gracehaven‘s name out to people who had previously ever heard of them. Running for Gracehaven is motivating me to race. And racing, in turn, always motivates me to run – as in, to train leading up for a race. I just signed up for the Cap City Half, so this means for the next 5 or so weeks, I’m not going to be able to get away with just sporadically running a couple times a week. I’m going to actually have to relearn consistency and dedication. It’ll be good for me =)

Speaking of motivation… I’ve been thinking about travel recently. Mainly because I’ve been doing a lot of it this past month. On the one hand, I am a little less motivated to run when I’m traveling. Because it means either I’m on vacation, and would be more inclined to be sleeping in or hanging out with whoever I’m visiting/traveling with, or I’m on a work trip, which means I’m really busy. But on the other hand, it’s always fun to run an unfamiliar route and explore a new city. There is something pretty sweet about the fact that I was in 4 states last month and ran in all of them.

The other fun thing about travel is racing in different cities. My last race was in Cedarville, OH. My next race is in Atlanta. The one after that will be in Miami, OH. Sometimes I’ve already planned a trip and decide to find a race while there, but other times I travel specifically for a race. Then the race is no longer just an 30 min or 1hr event. It’s a road trip. It’s a weekend. It’s a story =)

1 month down… 10 to go!

So here ends my first month of the Running With Grace fundraiser. I greatly appreciate the five sponsorships I received for February. I’m sure the girls you’re helping through Gracehaven appreciate it too! But it was a short month (in that I only got this started half-way through the month) and I only got to do one race. I’ll be more active in March and I hope to get more sponsors again!

As for the race itself, it really wasn’t bad for late February; there was no snow or ice on the ground. Not super-thrilled with my time, but it was just the first race of the season. And for right now it’s the miles that count more =).

Running with Grace

In 2011 I’ll be doing a year-long personal fund-raising effort for Gracehaven, a local non-profit organization fighting human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking often feel like they are trapped; like they have nowhere to run. I want to run for them.

Why I’m running:

Human Trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. In other words, trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. The total number of human trafficking victims today is estimated to be 27 million. In the US alone, there are about 325,000 children involved in or are at high risk of being involved in sex trafficking. However, there are only 49 beds available in shelters across the country for rescued victims. Gracehaven provides a safe home, hope and healing for girls who have been forced into commercial sexual exploitation. When their doors open this year, they will add 10 beds. They also work to raise awareness and provide training for health care professionals, children’s services and other social agencies.
(Learn more at Gracehaven’s official site)

How you can help:

Per-mile Sponsorship
Each month this year, you can sponsor me a fixed dollar amount per mile I race. E.g. “I’ll donate $3 for every mile you race in February.” You can do this for 1 month, several months, or all year.

Challenge Money
For any race I run (whether you are sponsoring me per-mile or not) you can issue me a challenge for an additional donation. E.g. “I’ll donate $20 if you place in the top 3 in your age group” or “I’ll donate $10 if you beat your personal best time at that distance.” Or anything else you can think of!

Simple One-time Donations
Maybe you think this running business is all too complex, but you would like to just outright donate to the cause and support my efforts. Those are welcome too!

Go to my Sponsor Me page to support me in one of these ways.

Some Expectation Setting:

Last year I ran 1 race each month. I’m aiming to do at least two a month this year, where possible.

Most of the  races I do are 5K (about 3 miles) with the occasional 10K (about 6 miles). I will let you know ahead of time if/when I plan to do any longer distances like a half marathon (about 13 miles) or a marathon (about 26 miles).

I will publicly post my races as I sign up, and my results when I’m done. At the end of each month I will let my sponsors know what they owe.

Any donation amount is welcome. The ones above are just some examples.