Friendships made

You make some great friends during Capital Challenge Walk.  Some you talk with the entire two days.  Some you have as teammates and email throughout the year.  And some become lasting friends who, despite moving to TN (aHEM), will remain part of your life and memories forever.  BillieAnne is one of these lasting friends.

(Photo taken at the finish line of Challenge Walk 2009)

BillieAnne was the event coordinator for the first three events I participated in.  Before that, she was one of the people I worked closely with during my internship at the Chapter.  Probably the person with whom I worked the closest and who I've stayed in touch with the best.  Through that summer, we became good friends, and once I moved to DC after college, we made a point of seeing each other for coffee dates and happy hours.  She moved to Tennessee recently, and while I miss her terribly (and don't know what I'm going to do without her smiling face at the finish line this year), I am so happy for her, and so glad we are still in touch.

In my first Challenge Walk, I started fndraising while I was still an intern at the Chapter.  Every time I hit a big milestone (ok, maybe not eve big ones--first $100, then $500, then $1000), I would leave a post-it note on BillieAnne's computer.  And whether or not she was actually excited about it (although I am sure she was), she made me feel like she was excited about it.  She is exactly the type of person you would want planning an event like this and interacting with participants: cheerful, encouraging, and endlessly helpful.

Hmmmm, maybe I can recruit her to walk on Team Snappy Feet with me...

Thank you!

Thank you to the people (listed below) who have already donated this year to support my efforts in fighting this disease.  Together we have raised $330 - 22% of the $1500 minimum!  Join them by donating at my personal page and helping end MS.

My wonderful 2011 donors:

Christy MacGregor

Jennifer Aronica

Topher Rinek

Rachel Bonds

Nichole Hill

Dawn Gunderson Taylor

Jessica Shyu

Joaquin Hernandez

Sara Murray

Rachel Van Wert

Scott Castro

Amanda Sims

Kristy Johnson

Crystal Carpenter

Rea Harrison

News and around the interwebs

March is MS Awareness Month in Ohio.  Read this letter to the editor of the Lancaster Eagle Gazette.

There will be a Zumbathon in Henderson County, KY on March 26.  Proceeds will go to the Tr-State Multiple Sclerosis Association.

A new Multiple Sclerosis Center has opened in Oklahoma City.

This past week (ending tomorrow) was MS Awareness Week.  What does MS= to you?

A new molecular mechanism for MS was identified and published last week.

German Company Merck Serono has launched a competition to find innovative ideas for products (physical or software applications) which can improve the lives of MS patients.

Fundraising

Fundraising is probably one of the most difficult parts of the Challenge Walk for me.  I don't particularly enjoy asking people to give me money.  But as hard as it is for me to ask one of my friends for money, it is even harder for me not to ask them.  This is the one small thing that I feel like I can do to make a difference--the one small thing I can do to help end multiple sclerosis.

For the past three years, my first email has been to my sorority sisters.  From there, I would send emails to coworkers and everyone in my personal address book and post the link to my personal page on my facebook and in my gchat status.  After a while though, people begin to be tapped out.  Asking the same people each year means fewer of them respond each time.  So I need to find new ways to raise money and different networks I can tap.  I'll still use facebook events, gchat statuses, and personal emails, but I think it's going to take more than that this year.

Any ideas for fundraising?  I keep meaning to email the Greene Turtle in Chinatown to set up a fundraiser there, but after that I'm out of ideas.  I'd love any ideas you all may have.  And if you feel inclined to give yourself, you can do so here (http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/sarahmw).

Training

I have a confession to make: I haven't trained for the last three Challenge Walks.  Not one bit.  And every year, I have regretted that five miles into the first day.  So this year, I plan to train--maybe not to the point where I walk a full 21 miles in a single go, but at least half that.

The problems with this plan are: 1) other than just straight up running, I'm not sure what the best ways to train are.  I know I'm capable of doing 6 mile runs.  I know I'm capable of doing 70 pushups per day for a month.  I know I can do 8 minute abs (gotta love this video).  And, as I just learned today, I am capable of doing 30 minutes on an elliptical without realizing how long I've been on it if I have a good enough book (thank you Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter).

And 2) I'm not great about making myself stick to a training schedule when it isn't fun.  I've always been better about group classes or when I have someone doing the same practice/push-ups/8 minute abs/runs with me.  So if  any of you have any suggestions for fun (and inexpensive!) workouts, please let me know!  Two of my coworkers are currently working through their New Year's resolution of working out for 36.5 days, and their blog has suggested a few things--including jump roping (found my jump rope in my trunk!) and the benefits of a treadmill vs. elliptical--but if anyone else has any ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments.

I suppose for now I'll just be a very good patron of the DC Public Library.  It's the easy reads that are easiest to do on the treadmill/elliptical/bike.  Let me know if you have suggestions for that type of book too!

Team Snappy Feet

I've been lucky enough to walk with a great team of people the last two years: Team Snappy Feet--Amy, Bridgette, Dennis, Nicole, Heather, Jen, Gilly, Rick, and little Ryan.  Nicole, Gilly, and Ryan drive a SAG (Support and Gear) vehicle, and Rick drives a support motorcycle.  The rest of us walk.

The picture above is Bridgette, me, Heather, Dennis, Amy, and Jen with the "Critters for a cause" at one of the rest stops last year.  Walking over 20 miles in a day is no picnic, but it is much, much, much easier when you have amazing people like my team walking with you.