Manic-Depressive England

I've run two half marathons in England.

My first, the OFFICIAL London Marathon half-marathon at Silverstone, consisted of me freezing to death, being pelted by ice (twice) and climbing... beaten... back onto a bus with the smallest medal I've ever owned and a t-shirt three times larger than I am.

My second, the Sony Run to the Beat, got temperatures close to my homeland of Texas and got me a men's shaving set as a thank you gift.

Apparently, I need to be taller and male.

I actually have nothing against running in England. I have nothing against the odd swag (the Silverstone Half Marathon was the only time I saw men lining up in queues to go to the bathroom and women zooming in and out of the loos.) I can go a lot further when the temperature isn't close to boiling eggs. But for some odd, odd reason when it comes to the actual race day I've experienced the most extremes in climate.

Yes, yes, I know - I'm on an island. But this is an island that can't decide. It was cold but mild this morning, then suddenly, a snow blizzard, then suddenly ... sun. It's like riding some wild weather roller coaster that I never chose to be a part of.

Times like these I miss home with it's consistent HOT setting. But then again, I'd have nothing to blog about, now would I?

Properly Planning a Perfectly Proportionate... Fundraiser

So I've babbled on and on about hosting all sorts of events. But what I've never done is tell you the best way to go about planning. Here's the skinny:

Your event should never cost more than 10% of what you think you can fundraise.
Read this twice: YOUR EVENT SHOULD NEVER COST MORE THAN 10% OF WHAT YOU THINK YOU CAN FUNDRAISE. If you plan to spend £100, then you should shoot to raise £1,000. Even if your not concerned about what you spend, you'll find yourself rather disappointed if that £500 you spent on salmon cakes only equaled £100 in donations.

Have a list of guests. Invite them. Invite them again. Call and remind them to come.
Send invites. Email them. Call them. To have a good event you just need a bit of persistence. Don't harass, plan. Let people know a month or two out, then send an invite, then call or email to see if they are coming (if they haven't said yes or no.) Sometimes contacting them will bring a donation or two more even if they can't attend but want to support you.

Stay away from the drippy or messy foods.
Really, you need to be focusing on your guests not scrubbing the carpet. Ideas are:

• Cheese + Crackers + Fruit
• Pre-Packaged, Pre-Cooked items you can pop on a nice plate or in a stove
• Self-Contained themes like: Pasta Party, Pizza, Taco Bowls, or and evening of Desserts

This may not apply in dinner party situations but to reduce your clean-up, it may do best as a course. Speaking of which:

Get paper, plastic, or rent your dishes (there are places that will take them back dirty - really).
Again, focus on your guests not the mess. You can find high-end things that can hit the recycle bin without you crying over them. Alternatively, there are party stores that will provide all sorts of pretty things at a reasonable rental cost. Or you can ditch the plates altogether and get yourself some nice serving items.

Have a donation bowl, tin, or something right where they walk in.
This is for your charity, and you should be proud of it. Wandering around after people have had a few glasses of wine for money may work against you, so just have people "check-in" and drop their donation right at the door. (PS - See if your charity will send along balloons, stickers, or little give-aways like badges or pens. It makes it look a bit more professional.)

Be sure that you gather everyone to thank them and give a donation pitch.
They've come for you and your cause. Make sure you take a moment to stand up and tell them how much it means for them to be supporting you and your charity.

Have fun.
This isn't supposed to be stressful. So pick and plan an event that you can handle and enjoy!

Target. Diversify. Cultivate.

If there is one thing I hate, it's asking the ether to donate.

"But," you say, "I have 542,371 followers on Twitter! If everyone donated £1.00 to my cause I would have £542,371.00!"

And it would work, if you were an uber-celebrity or you had a major amount of media behind you.

Chances are you don't have close personal relationships with 542,371 people. Chances are even further that if you got a hold of 542,371 email addresses and sent them an impassioned plea for them you would be seen as... wait for it... wait for it... a SPAMMER.

So chunk the idea that volume = instant goal. What you need is a targeted plan that covers a variety of ideas and cultivates your donors.

And by cultivation I mean "builds a relationship." You're not selling wrenches, you're promoting a cause that you have an emotional attachment to and are actively doing something for.

Let's play pretend!

You've sat down like a good girl/boy and made out your list of potential donors. It looks like this:
1. The affluent group (affluent in my world can give £50 or more).
2. Your work colleagues who you see almost every day.
3. Your friends who you gather with on Fridays.
4. Your friends from overseas.
5. Your Facebook/Twitter friends.

To throw marketing/sales speak - These are your target audiences. You need to sit down and think of ways in which to reach them. Ideas can be as such:

1. Affluent: Wine tasting at your home/Asking in person/Taking a group to dinner.
2. Work colleagues: Bake sale/Raffle/Asking in person
3. Friends: Spare change/Pasta party/Give up a beer for your cause
4. Overseas Friends: Email/Blog/Video/Call everyone over a set period
5. Facebook/Twitter: Donation Posts/Videos/Blogs/Fan Group

Once you pick your ideas and set them into motion there is a futher, final step: CULTIVATION. Reality is not everyone is going to pick up on your cause and throw money at you. You need to build relationships and seek engagement. Sometimes people can only provide moral support, and that is just fine, so long as you treat every single person you approach with respect and kindness. They are doing something for you, so always show appreciation - if it's £1.00 up to £1,000.00. Trust me, it makes good personal and good business sense.

So remember: Target. Diversify. Cultivate. Sticking to one thing (or hoping for one big one) won't get you to your goal. Sticking to your cause will.

4 miles.

Today I ran this many: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3458286

The whole time I was much more thirsty than normal. But it was good to be out, I didn't have to wear all my winter gear, and I didn't feel like dying the moment I got home.

I hope this is my only set back as I move forward. Really do.

Withdrawal.

I haven't run since Sunday.

SUNDAY.

I haven't run.

It's turning me crazy.

Well, there's a lot of things that contribute to my crazy, but I would like to highlight one of those: My current lack of running.

I'm sick. Straight up. Had a fever yesterday and everything. Today, I'm on cold meds but feeling antsy. Nothing today made me very happy. I am not myself without my running shoes. Just not. It's part of me and who I am and I hate, hate, hate being sick.

As if to taunt me there are about 20x more runners around. Yes, I know, we've got half marathons and marathons coming. Lots of people in England run. As this is an island, this means we can't spread out - so I see them everywhere. I half expected them to run through my office, chatting about wick-away and if they were wearing enough spandex.

My bright side is that I did get to do a mental dump today on work tasks with a colleague. This, at least, relieved me somewhat. But I feel it. That itch, that ache. That odd need to just go out and sprint for no reason other than I can.

But it won't do me any good if it means I get worse. So I will sit and simmer, and hope I can direct the negative feelings I have about not running into something - anything - positive.

Holy cow! I'm going to run 100 miles ... this month!

So I thought to total up my mileage this morning and it came up at 85+ miles. It's stunning, really, to think of running THAT FAR in a very short period of time. When I started training for my very first half marathon I was thrilled for a 5 mile week. It's a bit different now.

When you make the choice to start running every mile is hard. My first ever training consisted of buying enough different types of running shoes to recycle the rubber into a play park's jogging track. I thought I broke my leg, twisted my calf, or cut off my foot a dozen times (and probably had every bit of my legs scanned at the doctors). I purchased and lost a half dozen of those Nike+ things, and I would stand at the copy machine doing leg balancing exercises because I was so terrified of not having core strength to even go through a 10K.

Now, if it isn't a 10K I have to think about wanting to run it. I cope with 5Ks. My hero, Jill, won't even think about it unless it starts at 6 miles. My 3 mile run-commute to work? Whatever! My only brief annoyance is if I venture out during bus pick-up/drop-off time I have to walk a lot in the city centre. (My life is more important than my marathon training.)

That's not to say that my legs still don't hurt (especially in cold weather - ugh!), that I sometimes don't have the mental will to do it, or that I've poorly planned for how long I'll be gone. I often tell people it's my first 3 miles that I have to spend convincing myself to run the extra 10 or 20 or whatever. Because after you've gone ahead and gone that far, you might as well keep going.

Not to mention that people keep giving me money. That guilts me into running for sure.

And so this month I'll manage 100 of those miles. Quite the accomplishment for me.

Yay me.

12.71 baby!

This is one of those videos you keep around as a damn good reason never to give up.

Today I ran my 12.71 miles. I wasn't fast, as once I hit Port Meadow (which is amazing to run through btw) I found myself pretty much plodding up and down short rolling hills in muck. Granted, one must expect that surprises are all part of the running experience, though I didn't think wading shoe deep through a bit of stream to get to a running trail would be one of them.

This run I tried Roctane - this new GU gel that is supposed to be somewhat similar to Powerthirst by they way they label it. It is, according to the box, "[An] advanced formula [which] amplifies GU's original Energy Gel recipe and adds new ingredients to boost your chances of success."

It comes in a flavor called Blueberry Pomegranate and tastes like a blueberry thing with coffee grounds mixed in. Very gritty. However, when I hit my major hill (always scheduled for the end because that is where sadistic running planners place them anyways) my calves didn't scream in agony. So even though I wasn't thrilled with the gritty part, I couldn't complain about my legs.

I also decided to wear my jersey, which was also the decision of various other people out training today. I saw MacMillan Cancer Support and one for the British Heart Foundation. Most people looked at me and nodded, and one lady said thank you. Being that Oxford is a young town with people running all over the place, I will take this as a positive step forward in support from the local townspeople.

So after this the really hard part starts - the 14, 17, and 20. Mileage I've never done before. Am I worried? Yes. But hey, I better be dying of something really good now in order to even consider quitting.

Lookie! Jersey!

It came! It came! My running jersey showed up a few days ago with its letters and I just ironed them on tonight. I briefly considered wearing it everywhere like a kid with the coolest new shoes, but then I was reminded that it is cold, this is a thin overlay, and it would look really strange over a pea coat.

Tomorrow is 12 miles. The last "easy" run for me, though I can say I've done 14. After this we venture into unknown territory. Miles I've never run before, and a continued straining of how to run them all in a town which, now that I've had to plan runs of this magnitude, seems a heck of a lot smaller.

Thankfully it's not entirely like Houston, where you are forced to a park or a roadway (though props to the city for hosting warm-up runs for their marathon). But because this town is so pedestrian friendly it's hard to plan a route that won't, at some point, intersect a major shopping/tourist area.

Nonetheless, no race I've ever been to has been clear sailing with no crowds, back-ups, or odd bottlenecks. So, really, I'm just training for the inevitable.

In my wicked awesome purple NAS jersey. Represent!

Plan A, Plan B

I have to thank Matthew for this. He was the first one to suggest I contact the US Embassy and see if I can apply for an emergency passport because of the length of time the UK could potentially take to process my visa.

Today the official word came back: I can get a short term passport so I do not lose my application for visa renewal. It is a legitimate reason.

This means: I CAN RUN ROME!

Granted, it could all go straight down the toilet, but the one thing it taught me is I have an amazing support structure. Colleagues and friends told me that, if needed, they would go stand on a corner and give me water and gel. You never know, I might very well still need that.

So I have 2 miles tomorrow and 12 on Sunday. And when I go out I go out knowing:

1. I can run anywhere and still make a difference.
2. It's good to have friends who take a moment to give you a Plan A, and a Plan B.

The only downside to this is I have a massive tin of cookies and not a soul was seen at the pub this evening. So, no formal celebration as of yet. So while I'm bursting to be all giddy this will be a happy little night of telly and sleep.

Oh well. Gotta remain positive.

Eh, forget it. I'm positive.

There is a friend of mine from college who decided in his youth to be an optimist. I think I read that in a Facebook survey and it's stuck with me. Because, knowing him, he 100% lived up to his decision. I've never really come across someone who has just remained so upbeat.

Today, I couldn't help but think about choice.

This visa thing could be a bad thing. I could throw my hands up and blame the world. But, that's not productive.

So I will work to get around it. I will ask every person every question under the sun. I will not give up the chance of going. I will do everything to conform and jump through every hoop placed in front of me.

And if I still can't go, then I will run here. I will run the First Annual Cristin Oxford Marathon. It will be called the Cristin Oxford as I am the only entry, and therefore I win and get to name the marathon whatever I want. And because there is ZERO overhead, I can just promote the National Autistic Society.

No weenie wagons or balloon bitches or corrals. I could probably talk people into standing outside with cups of water every few miles and I do know a paramedic.

So it's Rome or it's home grown. I'm still running. Thanks, Chris, for letting me know I have a choice.

My world collapsing.

As of right now, in this very moment, I will not be running the Rome Marathon.

This is not due to injury. This is not due to money. It is due to my visa.

The UK Border Agency has decided to implement biometrics. What that is is even more information that you submit, in person, to prove you are who you are. Because of this, my visa application time has gone from 4-6 weeks to 12 weeks or more.

If I start the process but ask for my passport back, my application is canceled. I can't travel anywhere outside of the UK until it comes back. Period.

I'm hoping for a miracle. I've raised over £800.00 for the National Autistic Society and have been training endlessly for March 21st.

I've already promised myself that no matter where I am I will run a marathon on March 21st regardless. I could find London's map and just run on the sidewalks. I could go to Edinburgh and map out something with my best friend.

But I really, really had my heart set on Rome. Really did.

This hurts a lot.

32 Reasons, 62 Impacts

Right now:

1. I have made a training plan. A real one.
I am using the "Oh ma GAWD I so totally like don't have time to train for a marathon" guide and the aptly named "Beginner's Marathon Training Plan" from the NAS. Special thanks to hero Jill for helping me to think this all the way through.

2. Found out my bestie and his wife will be, at worst, at the finish line of said marathon.
And they've never, ever, ever been to the most awesomest city ever. Which means that I need to follow said training plan combo thingy above so that I can take them around to everything cool and super in Rome.

3. Nearly hit my fundraising goal two weeks after starting it.
Thanks to GMC (not the car company) for teaching me all about grassroots fundraising and finding passionate and creative ways to reach out to people.

Which means that as of right now...

• I've funded 50 people in a gardening program for adults.
• Helped professionals assess 2 children with autism
• Given 10 people access to the Autism Helpline.

And that means the big #4:
I've gotten the support of over 32 individuals who believe in my cause and believe I can finish that marathon, whose training program is planned, who will have two people there for me who have never been to Rome, who have both supported the National Autistic Society

Which means that even though it will be me on that course getting a medal, we've impacted 62 lives no matter the outcome.

As they would say in England, "WELL DONE!"

Little Changes.

Obligatory push for sponsorship. You know you can donate a £1, right? It's the little things that matter.

My Mommy taught me that. Wrap a present with a nicer bow, remember how someone takes their coffee, randomly send a card to a friend.

It's the little things.

When people want to change they want to change, BIG. BIG RISK. BIG REWARD! Right? Sometimes, but really, I'd give it a lower percentage (10%). The only way to make the permanent change is to tweak bits.

Remove a sugar from your coffee, walk to the grocer once a week, always say thank you... Little things you can implement in your life that can make a big impact over time. Right now I'm out jogging through snow. I'm not setting land speed records, but I've committed to my slow increase in mileage come hell or frozen fluffy water. I've not signed up for an ultra or tried to race down icy slopes. Slow and steady. Be the tortoise. It took me 6 years to feel ready for a marathon, no need to rush and injure myself.

On the same note, I know I'm reaching the hard part of the fundraising. So I've got to remember, little things.

For the Twitterfolk.

I am being sponsored by people I, by all accounts, don't even know.

I am receiving encouragement, praise, retweets, everything from a silly little social community where I only know them by their handles and the 140 character updates.

Somewhere it was written that 2010 is the Decade of Change and Hope. Times when we stop living in fear and start working as a community regardless of where were currently reside. And while I believe firmly that we need to work to balance the technological community with the actual community, I also believe that the technological community is more real and alive then some people I see walking down the street everyday.

Yes, people call it silly, a place of publishing TMI ... but it's also a place where thoughtful, talented people can actually make little waves and ripples towards some more positive love in this world.

So here's to the Twitterfolk, the Tweeps, the ones who give me peeps. This big old round thing called Earth is much better because of you.

The Rest Day.

It's 1:54 PM. I've been up since about 12:00 PM. After briefly reviewing my New Year's post I realize there isn't much I can do to get rid of it... as I posted it to everything thinking it was incredible.

Don't drink and blog.

Today is my rest day. I get Monday and Friday off from running. When you read the 6.2 billion training plans (all of which contradict each other) one thing they don't argue about is rest. You need it. You need your muscles to go, "Hooray! Thank you for letting me knit myself back together and get super strong!"

So, besides the healing of my shame from last post, today will be spent in various stages of slippers and socks, resting - reading - cleaning - and overall attempting not to leave the house.

And, other than those who have decided "Today is the day I (action verb)..." I would like to say:

ppppppppppppppffffffffffffffffffffffffffffttttttttt (including hand gestures)

But, in a desperate bid to also be a bit inspirational I will also say this:

New Year's has this tendency for people to think "New Beginning." In fact, I'm certain that one of the reasons New Year's became such a big deal is because people have the chance - as a group - to start over fresh. What most don't realize is, you can start fresh on any day ... all you have to do is stick to it. So if you are making a change, or committing to a challenge, or promising to sponsor me (shameless yes) you have to realize:

Every day is New Year's.

Every day you get up and want to do something more, better, faster, you have to face it eyes open. If you are a marathoner in training like me, you have to put one foot in front of the other - and also remember to put the feet up. It's a balance, it's hard. It's super easy to fall back.

Don't.

If you have to pop a confetti cannon, cover yourself in glitter, or make a toast every night (with something nonalcoholic or that will be a really bad habit) - do it. Don't make any excuses.

Don't place something arbitrary in your way.

These people don't: Achilles International

So, while I'm slumming it in my jammies today, if you are starting something ... GO! DO! START! BE! DREAM! Anything is possible.

Goal #1 = 6 miles in one go = DONE.

This is the easy part.

Man, how incredibly wacky nuts is it for me to type that?

This is the easy part.

When I first started running, 6+ years ago, I couldn't make it around a block without wanting to die. The security guard at my complex used to watch me as I slapped the side of the gate to count my turns. Sometimes I would get a thumbs up.

I remember coming back from 3 miles and my shins feeling like they were going to explode. Mornings of getting up and not being able to walk to the bathroom without the feeling that I just may not make it.

There was a picture, one I should've purchased, from my first 20K. I was part of a knot of injured and run/walkers - there were ... maybe... 5 of us total. The toned and tough group had passed us and I was there in my red running gear (still my favorite) in the heat of Houston sick and tired and scared out of my wits. When I saw the finish I worked my legs up a little and tried to be positive. Around me they were taking down the timing signs and picking up the cones. Just then I saw a photographer and tried, in vain, to smile and give a double thumbs up. What came back was a pained expression, nearly beat red with exhaustion, and thumbs pointing halfway down, as if at any moment I would drop.

I didn't, though. Somehow, I have managed to get better at it.

So much so I can write that 6 miles for running is, in fact, the easy part. So much so I can write that all the way up the half marathon point is, in fact, easy-peas-y (as they would say here). But I know that there is the darkness up ahead. The 17 miles, the 20 miles - who knows?

I guess I won't know until I do it.

Oh yes, and while you're here - Sponsor me.

Two things:

1. I got 15 miles completed this week. Yay.

2. I didn't know that Christmas Eve = Male Liberation to Pubs. As I was jogging up Queens Street at 5:00 PM a drunken man vomited right onto the bike racks while about 10 of his buddies cheered on. Turning to go to George Street I had to dodge incredibly happy groups of testosterone as they crammed the last bits of bitter down their throats.

Almost made me feel slightly jealous to be estrogen-based. Almost.

Happy Christmas, everyone. Traditions (some more interesting than others) abound but the one constant is love. If only for today, forgive your enemies and pardon those who have caused you grief. Life is short, live it fully.

Eating shortbread, signing up for marathons...

So, I did it.

I'm running this: Rome Marathon 2010.

I'm doing it for this: NAS.

Which makes me this: crazy.

I have 90 days from today to get ready. I've never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever run a marathon before. Ever.

Ever, ever.

But, I've committed. I'm doing this.

Oh.

Ma.

Gawd.

On the eve of another running thingy.

It's been awhile I realized, so I deeply apologize to the two of you who so avidly subscribe to my blog.

I'm running a half marathon tomorrow. I think this will be my tenth. It's my second overseas, and my very first in the city of London.

When I started running 6 years ago I really didn't think that I would complete one, let alone ten half marathons. People look at me like I'm a crazy person since I willingly run commute to work and willingly placed myself for consideration to run London's marathon.

I will tell you this now: I suck at running.

Seriously, I'm awful. My technique is crap. I keep a water belt fixed around my waist. I walk, most likely, 50% of it. I have yet to crack 2 hours 45 minutes.

But I will only give up on it if my legs are physically removed from my body. It's been the constant, and in this world you need constants. (Though I wish everyone's constants were as cool as Desmond and Penny constants.) I hope, before I turn in to fertilizer, to have run on every continent and gotten medals from a host of incredibly odd and far fetched races.

And I will do it poorly. I will do it knowing that I might have a chance to qualify to run the Boston Marathon when I'm 105 and they don't have time limits because no one that old has ever run it before.

I am the poster child for people doing things they aren't good at with joy and happiness.

So tomorrow, at 9:45 AM GMT I will trot off knowing that 80% of the people I started with will finish well before me, and I will be glad. Because even though those 80% went before me, there are lots of people who are going to be in their beds or sitting around thinking, "I could do that."... and don't.

But I do, even though I'm crap. And if you find something you're crap at and you love it, then I say to you go... go and be happy.

Because tomorrow is my day for happy.

Pedometer Fixation

I think I may have found something to help me with this whole purpose running deal. My company is nice enough to supplement me with private health insurance, which is good for when things need to go beyond the GP. They have this whole points program for if you go to a certain gym or get certain screenings done - and the rewards include the almighty British Pound.

So I've gotten their pedometer and have to reach the goal of 12,500 steps at least 4 days a week. It's been a bit of a curiosity for me to see just about how much energy I expend living in a town where a car is not horribly necessary... and here it's not all that hard to hit the goals. My running helps, but just walking to center of town and back gives great results. I've learned in a short span that I do take good care of myself, and that I do a lot more than most.

So hopefully I'll get the points and the cash and the discounts in time. Still I realize it's the long term benefits of healthy living that are much more important. That, and I have a massive chocolate addiction that has to be counterbalanced by something.