Endurance

Caitlin H.

February 22, 2010 - 10:26 AM

Life is rarely a sprint.  It is an endurance race.  I'm recognizing this especially as I roll into week 8 of 10 (11 if you count finals week) and near the end of winter term.  But today, I have running on my mind.  As you may know I'm running the Eugene Marathon this spring (or crawling across the finish line as the case may be).  Recently I made something of a pact to continue my training with a friend.

 

Maija is running the Eugene half marathon.  Now I elected to run this race for entirely selfish reasons.  I have a goal to run a marathon at some point in my life, and so I decided it was time to make that goal a reality.  I signed up.  Maija is running for a much bigger cause; she signed up to run through Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program.  She has a fundraising page in an attempt to raise money for people living with or affected by blood cancers.  You could say I have been a little inspired by her efforts.

 

 

Maija, who inspired me to make a difference, and I at a UO baseball game together.

 

Talking with Maija about her fight for a cause sent me thinking about what other students at the UO are doing to fight back against cancer.  And then I remembered the Relay for Life event at the UO coming up May 15-16.  I think I would like to join a team or start a team, and so my mission here is two-fold.  If you're reading and thinking you would like to be a part of a team, please let me know.  Or if you're reading and thinking you would like to donate and join UO students in our fight to find a cure, you can go to the Relay for Life website for the UO event and make a donation.

 

Relay For Life started at the University of Oregon campus in 2007.  I have seen/heard it going on in the past but, I'm sorry to say, I never got involved.  Well not this year.  I am now the captain of Team It Takes Two participating in Relay for Life at the University of Oregon this May.  Feel free to visit my profile for more information or to make a donation, or better yet to join my team!

 

My goal was to create a team and hope to inspire others to join my cause.  As a part of Relay for Life teams of people come out to the event and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.  As a part of "It Takes Two" my vision was for participants to take part in the event with a friend dressed as a twin, a famous duo, as opposites, as a pair that was clear the two people were connected.  Cancer is a battle that shouldn't be fought alone.  And that is why we are in this together.

 

The only requirement to participate in Relay For Life is the $10 registration/commitment fee (per person) that is due upon registration. After that, anything you can raise through individual, team, or online fundraising is graciously accepted. It is recommended that each participant to set a personal goal to raise $100. If you raise more, that's even better. Even if you do not raise $100, you are still welcome to participate.

 

Please check back to my profile and team pages for updates often.  When I started writing this blog this was all just a distant vision, and by the time I finished this blog I had become the captain of a team and started trying to spread the word to others about Relay for Life.  This is only the beginning!