Wow, Less than 2 Months Away!

It has been a while since my last post, but we have been keeping busy. The most exciting news is the status of our fundraising. We are getting very close to our official deadline of Dec. 3rd and we are within $200 of our goal of $5000. For a couple of weeks we were sitting around $4500 and Dave and I didn't think we would go much higher. But in the last two or three weeks some additional donations have rolled in and inched us closer to our goal. As of today, we have $4856. Dave made one more plea at work with plenty of doughnut bribes and I sent a letter out at my school. Many of the teachers knew about my plans to run in Disney, but I had not formally asked for donations. (Another teacher is also planning to run the marathon at Disney too. We have been trading secrets about gels and running gear sales. Many have asked if we will run together, but sadly she will probably finish about an hour or more before me, ah youth!) I think these final efforts will push us over the top. The kids now have their sights on Dave winning top fundraiser, so he can get a TNT jacket. The kids have been a major factor in our success because their letters to their teachers were so productive. We have been really touched by the support and good wishes that have come from their school. It is truly an amazing place and we are proud to be part of it!

Dave and I have reached 16 miles in our training. We did a couple of long runs alone, but last weekend we had a babysitter and were able to do our 16 miler together. I have mastered taking a gel without squirting it all over myself and finally found a flavor I like-raspberry creme. I am finding that I reach a point in the run when something hurts and I don't want to continue. The good news is that each week that point comes further along in the run. Last weekend I felt terrible around mile 13, but was able to rally and finish pretty strong. There was a very strong wind and the last several miles of our run we were headed straight into it. I made it the last half mile by counting down to every telephone pole we passed. If you wondered, there were 16 poles in the last half mile. I like running with Dave, but in those tough stretches I miss my Broadway showtunes. There are times when he will sing but never the tunes I like. He is not as big of a "Wicked" fan as I am.

I've also been thinking about the shirt and hat I plan to wear in the race. I want us to wear matching hats, maybe Mickey ears or Daisy and Donald Duck heads, I'm not sure yet. Dave will be wearing his TNT shirt, so I get to pick what shirt I want to wear. I'll probably design a shirt with a mickey and a cool slogan. When I run alone I try to think up clever ideas. I like one I saw on an old Disney marathon T-shirt: "A world of fantasy becomes 26.2 miles of reality" or something like "Its all pure magic wrapped up in pixie dust" (I can't even type that without humming and dancing along). I'm also considering putting a message to the kids on the shirt, but I'm sure I'll be running too fast for them to read it. This week as we got close to reaching our fundraising goal, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of our donors and thought about listing all the donors names or initials on the back of my shirt. That way you will all be with us as we run....If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment!

This week we are heading into a 17 miler on Saturday and the big 18 over Thanksgiving weekend. Have a great holiday and know that we are thankful for having you all in our lives and thankful that we have this chance to do such an amazing thing!