FAIR Miles

What do you do when two women who can kick your butt in Tae Kwon Do threaten you?  RUN!

First, I should be clear what I mean by ‘threaten.’  Forcing me to exercise outdoors in below-freezing weather before noon, for example, is definitely threatening behavior.  And, to clarify again, where I use the term ‘force,’ some people might choose the word ‘encourage.’

Which is why, on Friday morning at 6:30, as I was tying my running shoes and putting on my gloves and windbreaker, I received a text that said, “Happy running” from two women from Tae Kwon Do class. Although I wasn’t able to join them at the same location for their weekly Friday morning run, I’d decided I would at least get up and run at the same time.  It’s interesting how even the idea of accountability can motivate people.

Also motivating me is St. Patrick’s Day. In three weeks, I’ll be running a St. Patrick’s Day 10K race – my first 10K race since my senior year of college. Thus, the cram session has begun.

But I want to make it more fun. And more meaningful.

One suggestion given to me for my 40 before 40 List: raise $1,000 USD for a charity to which I have no connection. I chose FAIR Girls. The U.S.-based organization FAIR Girls (Free Aware Inspired Restored) helps to prevent the (often sexual) exploitation of girls in the U.S. and abroad. (You can read about FAIR Girls in the news here.)

My prepping for the 10K + YOU = $1,000 for a great cause. Here’s how:

1. Please consider donating to FAIR Girls. Read about this organization. Find out what they do and why. If you want to donate, go to Step #2.
2. Think of an amount to donate per mile that I run in the next 3 weeks while training for the race.
3. Consider that I am no longer a 22-year-old competitive long-distance runner but am nearing 40 with a bad knee and a more-than-full-time job. Oh, and I hate running in winter.
4. I will track my mileage for the next three weeks and announce my total three-week mileage after the race on March 16^th.
5. Multiply the amount you decided to donate per mile by my total mileage.
6. Donate that total amount to FAIR Girls here and tell me the total you donated.
7. My goal is to raise $1,000 for FAIR Girls!
8. Everyone wins! (Perhaps with the exception of my right knee.)