Monday, April 16, 2012

Help me Make Her Dream Come True

This weekend Natalie ran her second race (the first was a one mile run last September), and she was super excited about the fact that she got her OWN race bib.  A few weeks ago Skirt Sports was running a great sale so I scored Natalie a running outfit and then I decided that every little girl needs her very own running shoes so we bought those too.  She was one well dressed little girl for her race!  It seems like the combination of her own running outfit and her first race bib lit the "running fire" within her (at least temporarily).



After her race, she decided that she wanted to do a "birthday run."  So, what's a Mommy with a blog to do?  I decided I would set up a virtual, very unorganized, and last minute race for my favorite little girl!  So, my bloggy buddies - I have a favor to ask of all of you.  Natalie's birthday is on Saturday, my big girl will be turning FIVE (where has the time gone?) and I would LOVE it if you could run your mileage in honor of her!  And, in return Natalie will draw a picture for each person who shares a photo of themselves before/after/during their run.

I am not very crafty, but I made a cheesy race bib.  I asked her to draw a picture, and she drew the heart on the bib - hearts are her favorite thing to draw right now.  Of course, I asked her to write the "Happy Birthday" on it but I think she did a fantastic job.  


One thing I love about running is that it has opened up the world of raising money for charity to me, and therefore my children.  Prior to running I didn't feel like I had anything to offer so to speak, I felt like I would fail if I tried so I just avoided it.  When I decided I was going to run my first marathon in Memphis this December as a Hero for St Jude, I discussed it with Natalie and told her all about how I was raising money for sick kids.  I didn't expect her to really get it - but she wanted to help.  She went on a scavenger hunt that night looking for any spare change she could find to put in the piggy bank to donate.  I was touched, when did my little girl grow up and become so selfless?  

I share this story because today I took the plunge and signed up to run my first marathon for St Jude as a Hero - a commitment to not only run 26.2 miles, but also a commitment to raise $2500.   Personally though, I would like to raise at least $2,620 - $100 for each mile that I will be running.  I haven't been able to set up a fundraising page yet, but I would love your support on this endeavor.  I will share the link as soon as I get it up.  

Because of my daughter's desire to help the cause, I do plan to do a special giveaway for those who both participate in the virtual run as well as donate to the fundraiser by April 30.  Obviously, the giveaway will be delayed due to the delay in getting the fundraising site up, but I wanted to tie it in with this run.  The prize is yet to be determined, but will have a value of at least $25! 
 The details of the "Birthday Run"
 - The virtual run can be a run and/or walk of ANY distance, time does NOT matter
 - Natalie would LOVE to see photos of you wearing your bib (feel free to fill in your name or blog address) - you can either link them here, or email them to Natalie at harningn at gmail dot com
 - If you share a photo of you with your bib, Natalie will draw a picture and it will be mailed to you as soon as we can confirm your address.
To participate in the giveaway: 
 - complete the "birthday run" 
 - make a donation of at least $5 to St Jude (once I get the site up!) by April 30, 2012
 - winners will be announced on my blog on May 3, 2012

If you know any friends who run and/or walk, please share this with them, I would love to make my little girl's wish of a "Birthday Run" come true. 

*Disclaimer: If the fundraising site is not set up by April 23, I will extend the deadline to donate to 7 days from the date of set up and winners will be announced on my blog no more than 3 days after the donation deadline!

**Disclaimer 2:  This is my first attempt at trying to organize something like this, so please let me know if I missed something.

ETA:  Finally got my fundraising site log-in info, its not totally customized yet, but I can accept donations now!  Thanks in advance for any donations you may make! Every dollar helps, please donate if you can... visit my donation page.


10 comments:

  1. Since Natalie is turning FIVE, I will dedicate mile 5 of my 26 on Saturday to HER! :) I will try to get a couple fun pictures of things for her...I really hope I can print this out before I leave. FUN!

    P.S. I have a super cute (almost) 6 year old for her to meet in about 12 years when her daddy lets her start meeting boys. ;)

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  2. You have made a difference..not only in your life and now in Natalie's(as well as your son's as he observes mom) but also in those who benefit from the proceeds of your runs. Even though you may not make the milestones in those races you desire, be assured you are making a difference. You also inspire me!
    Not much, but I will donate $10 to the St. Jude run. Will be anxious to see the page come up. Luci

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  3. So cute! I love that you have a little philanthropist on your hands!

    I'm running a 5k that morning, but I think that both Des and I will be signing up. Perhaps we'll do a half mile together afterwards while Nora is napping.

    When the pledge page does get up, if you could provide any matching gift information that would be super. I know that my company does matching gifts. If St. Jude's doesn't provide the data up front I can check and let you know what I need.

    Thanks for setting this up! Now we have something else to look forward to this weekend! :)

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  4. Cute! Great job Natalie!!!
    I thought Natalie ran 2 races last year - one with your husband and one with you. She's going to need her own page on your blog to capture her awesomeness!

    Cute cute cute!

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  5. I'll be walking a 4.2 mile race with a friend Saturday for the Pat Tillman Foundation so I'm not sure if I can fit her bib in, but I will do my best and try to send a photo of it.

    Congratulations on your committment of a full marathon and supporting charity as well. Look forward to getting your donation page information.

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  6. Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it very much! For those who were interested, I have edited my post above to add the donation page information(its still a work in progress, but I can accept donations now).

    "L" - you are actually correct, the one mile race I mentioned she did with her daddy. I didn't count the other one she did because it was seriously like a 50 yard dash with no preregistration, it was just "show up and run." But, thanks for reminding me because I almost forgot about that one!

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  7. How sweet! I will have to make my lazy self run on Saturday or at least take the dogs on a jog to celebrate Natalie's birthday. I'm just pooped after the half this past weekend. I love Natalie's running outfit. You two look so cute running together!

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    1. Allan's birthday festivities completely took over the weekend so I didn't log a single mile but I did think about you guys and I hope it was a very special day for the birthday girl!

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  8. You are in NO WAY lazy!!! You are running 3 halves in one month! That's far from lazy! You deserve some rest - but yes, even a walk with the dogs counts! Natalie loves dogs, so feel free to include them in your picture! ;)

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  9. We did it!! We all got out today. Sent the photos to Natalie's email.

    Thanks for setting this up!!

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