Glittery bling and purple butterflies.... Virtual medal earned!

I had written a little about the virtual I had signed up for HERE.  It was a virtual to help raise money for research and to help raise awareness for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation.  And I joined to help a very special little girl named Anna.  

Well, yesterday I received the beautiful medal in the mail!  According to the Dravet Run for Research facebook page, just over $10,599 has been raised for research on this rare form of epilepsy.  

I am proud to have been a part of this project!  

It is not too late to help contribute in some way to the cause and help them find treatment options to manage this difficult syndrome and hopefully one day to find a cure for it.  

Have you ever ran in honor of someone?  Do you do virtual races?

Race Review: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (May 11, 2013)

May 11, 2013

     I spent the morning at a different kind of race than most might see in a review.  This one wasn't about weeks of training for the miles, it was about weeks of fundraising.  This wasn't a race to get a PR, it was about helping "create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays".  My family, friends and some of the members of my local Moms RUN this town joined together to make a team for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.   We went for a pirate themed team and called ourselves the "Treasured Chests".

For the Portland, Oregon location, we had a leisurely stroll of 2 miles and it took us about 40 minutes.  Along the way we had cheerleaders and a large water station to help people stay hydrated with the warmer temperatures.  It was a little unfortunate that the event was held at a racetrack, so instead of trees and some of the natural beauty available in the pacific northwest, we had asphalt and an enclosed oval of ads targeted for race car fans.   Was it a drag (pun intended)?  Was it something not worth doing again, even if it is at the same venue?  NO!  It was fun!  Even if people were a little shy and it was the volunteers dancing to the music and having the most fun...  :)  I can't complain about that, despite dressing up as a pirate and having a pirate in a sparkly pink bra on the back of my shirt, I'm actually a bit of a wall flower.  You wouldn't see me over there dancing at the stage, even if the whole event was rocking out.  Well, maybe if I was the only one standing still, but that is yet to be determined.  

ANYWAY!  The event was a huge success and one team raised over $100,000!!  They even had a car given away at a raffle and gift cards galore for a local sporting goods store.  The grand total is still being calculated, but it gives me hope that my Bug-a-boo and  Squeakers will grow up in a world where cancer isn't such a nasty word to strike terror in the heart.  Just a "bump in the road".  Especially since the average is 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime and the odds go against her as she gets older.  So, with my daughters in mind, I hope to fight for a world with less breast cancer, and more birthdays.