Recognition and Lots More Running.

So, yay, VMGiving is Retweeting me! I may even get a bit of recognition in their fundraising blog! How cool is that?

It's nice to get a little bit of recognition now and again. People can scoff all they want at people tweeting and facebooking away about the miles they run, but we do it for a reason. Running, unlike many sports, isn't team enabled. Your competitor is always you. Yes, I know, people run in groups and for charities, but in the end it's your time. Not your team's time, not your charities time.

Your time.

So that's why loads of people don't run. It's hard, it's monotonous, and it's you against you. Someone is always BOUND to be faster, put in a better PR, and finish looking glorious instead of like they've been run over.

Thus, we runner's go for our little solo happy achievements and use tools to find encouragement to continue to race ourselves. I ran 14.65 miles yesterday through surprisingly good winter weather for England. I tweeted it. Sometimes when I tweet people tweet back "Good going!" or the ever-present English, "Well done!" And I smile and feel good about myself. I'm not out to make people feel bad because they aren't running (I am, matter of fact, a surprisingly terrible runner) but so that people know:

Yes, I'm actually training for a marathon. I'm taking it seriously. I'm raising funds. And my knee feels stiff.

Okay, so the last one might count as TMI *but* I'd rather people know I'm human and not super-human. Though, I think if I became super-human I'd really want to tweet about that.

Moving on.

I did make it through my run yesterday, but with a lovely and surprising stiffness showing up at about the point where my brain said, "Um. So hey and stuff. Did you know you've never actually ran this far?" It's in the knee that got injured in my only car accident - in which my own car hit me. (I was outside of it, swear.) Did I cry? No. I'm still actively working on researching ways to cope with this. It doesn't hurt that much, but I don't want to make it worse. So a rethinking is happening.

In related news I can say that Oxford has AMAZING canal and river walks. Now that the water has gone down I spent quite a lot of my jogging near the river. Peaceful and people happy to move out of your way (unlike running near the shops). I'm trying to see if I can create a run in which 90% of it is out on these paths. Definitely gets me distracted from the fact that I'm running this insane amount of distance.

So this week is going to be a lot of reflection on my current status so I can work on improving. I'm also going to hit the Virgin Money Giving forum and try to motivate people to raise for what they believe in. I encourage anyone who has any ideas to get on as well.

Peace out.

Goal raising and my FARTHEST DISTANCE EVER!

Okay, so I raised my goal.

After being asked to share with VMGiving I realized I needed to. You don't just spend a good chunk of the morning breaking down achieving doable fundraising goals and think, "Yep, and here I am, so super proud of my over-achievement!" Virgin was founded by a guy who doesn't believe in limits, so I had to raise mine.

P.S. - I really like the Virgin Money Giving site. If you are charity raising your life is much, much easier. Back in the days of dinosaurs and green screen mobiles a person spent a huge chunk of time tending to their donors and swearing they wouldn't pass out credit card information.

Anyways.

14.65 miles. That is what is on the register for today. I believe I ran 14.10, in a (now defunct?) Nike+ Half Marathon. The goal of this half, so I was told, was to take your Nike+ out and in 24 hours (which is lovely) run 13.1 miles or more. Seeing as when this happened I was in my final months of living in Houston I decided to run a huge area near my home. I found out that it was hot, carrying enough water/gel without people at rest stops is hard, people build directly into public sidewalks (Hooray for running through shrubs!) , and much of the damage from Hurricane Ike was still around. But I finished and I turned in my time and I never got my tshirt or keychain as I was promised.

Ever.

So I have that run on memory, but nothing further, and sadly, nothing better.

Until now, that is. Glorious Oxford with its glorious sidewalks and trails and bike paths! (And, of course, stupid Oxford with its far to easy to access outdoor running!)

In short, there isn't an excuse.

I did well on my last long run, and even though it wasn't tasty, the ROCTANE will be with me again. I really didn't hurt very much after wards with that in play, so out it will trot again. (Along with nummy chocolate and mint chocolate GU!)

So if you see me in these next few hours (I'll be wearing my jersey!) give me a shout or jump on and donate to my cause.

See you on the other side o' the bloggy.

The Pyramid

So I was asked by VMGiving (follow them) that if I had any fundraising tips I should pass them on.

Get the opportunity for an extra bit of promotion for the National Autistic Society and help others? No problem.

I actually spent three years in grassroots fundraising for local candidates in Houston, Texas. (If you think charity fundraising is hard try politics!) Every year we would go through a training day of understanding how to break apart a fundraising goal and achieve it.

All fundraising starts with a goal. The goal for me is to run a marathon, and in doing so raise £1,250.00 for the National Autistic Society. £1,250.00 is a lot of money to me, almost an entire months salary. I've also got a time limit - my marathon is March 21st. So I've got seven weeks. Plus I've got to train.

Does this sound familiar?

Wanting to do two things very badly - run a marathon AND bring attention and funds to a personal cause - can cause a mental breakdown on one or both sides of your goal. This is why you should, right now, get a sheet of paper out and a pencil. Draw this:

This is your fundraising pyramid. It is designed for you to see your goal not as a large and daunting challenge, but as a means to an end.

Time to think.

• Who are the kind of people you can ask for support? Friends? Family? Colleagues? Wealthy socialite pals? Who are they? List them out on the paper. If you run out of room go to another sheet, but list them out. These people are what we call a Fundraising Pool. They are the people who will determine the most and least amount of donations you can feasibly achieve.

• Find the person you think can afford the most to donate, and the persons (plural!) you think can afford the least to donate. Be realistic and put yourselves in their shoes. During our training we would often role play to try to understand what it would be like to be them. That way you can set your range.

For example:
I have a business friend who has known about my running for years. He's really supportive and has run a marathon himself. I feel confident I can ask him to donate £100.00 to my cause. On the flip side I have a ton of friends getting their college degrees. They don't have lots of money but I bet if I ask, they'll give up a pint or two for my cause. I could collect £5.00 from them, no problem.

So draw in your pyramid:
The top is now the highest goal you wish to get in donations, the bottom is what you hope to collect as your smallest donations. Because the £5.00 is on the bottom, and makes up the majority of what you hope to get, this is called your Fundraising Base.

Now think about your middle. Can you:

• Collect £5 a week from some friends leading up to your marathon?
• Get larger sponsorships like £1.00/mile = £26.20 or even higher?
• Hold a bake sale, a raffle, or sell off old furniture or equipment?
• Ask your company if they will match your fundraising goals, contribute, or help promote you?
  
• Have a house party - where you make spaghetti and garlic bread (a la carbo loading) for all your friends for a suggested donation?
• Bag groceries or help out in local businesses for tips to your cause?

A mixture of these can mean in my world anywhere from £10 - 50 in extra donations (plus some change to boot). So draw:

Now that you've gotten your amounts down you can start to break the weeks leading up to your marathon with achievable goals. Here are mine:

• Hold a weekly baking raffle at £1/ticket. But ... I let people know that if they sponsor me for £20.00 online, I will give them a coupon to have cookies baked for them whenever they ask plus 20 chances to win more baked goods! (This has worked well for me.)
  
• My company lets me keep my collection tin out whenever I'm at work, plus they are letting me sell old chairs and desks we no longer use to directly fund the National Autistic Society. (See my largest donor - My awesome friends & colleagues)
  
• I had a few business associates and friends that have no problem in giving large donations of £50 - 100. Thankfully many of them have done endurance races, so they know what I'm going through!
  
• A week before my marathon I'm having a pasta party for £5/each. My desert is a much-loved brownie recipe and I'll have more baked goods to give away. Overall a cheap night out for most of my friends.

Through a weekly no-fuss event (raffle), asking and keeping my collection tin at hand, and a pre-marathon spaghetti party I feel I can reach my goal and not feel overwhelmed by everything else. I'm not focused on the £1,250.00 - but the £1 that are often £5 in raffle tickets, the occasional desk or chair sale, and those individuals who step up and give £20 because they love my brownies and cookies.

They often say that when you train you should break up your mileage and build to your goal. The same is true for fundraising. Be flexible, creative, and play to your strengths. Don't let a big number or big mileage get you down. Break it down and make it doable.