Tuesday, November 30, 200412:14 AM - ...you mean I have to do it again?On November 13th, I officially completed the National AIDS Marathon Training Program and finished a 26.2-mile training run. The past six months have involved a lot of hard work in running training and in fundraising, but my enthusiasm has been buoyed up by the generosity and feedback that I've experienced from friends, family, other volunteer runners, and even strangers. Now that I am officially a marathon runner, I am poised to complete my first real marathon alongside thousands of other AIDS Marathon runners in Honolulu on December 12th. In participating in this program I have had the chance to hear the stories of other people whose lives have been touched by AIDS, and I am convinced more than ever that I am doing this run for the right reasons. People are still suffering. For me this marathon is no longer about physical achievement; I can already run 26.2 miles. Now, this marathon on December 12th is about doing what I can to help by bringing people together. In trying to understand the urgency and scale of this epicdemic, I have learned that for every step I take in that marathon, there are 395 children in the world who have been orphaned by AIDS. I want to do something to help. My friends, family, and other sponsors have already been enormously generous with their donations, their time, their encouragement, and support. I thank all of you for that. Every little bit has helped to encourage me on the longer and more excruciating runs. I have also been doing what I can to raise money in my community with car washes, flea markets, and by organizing a fundraising evening of performance. Even with all of this effort and generosity, we still need about $900 more to achieve our fundraising commitment of at least $3000. I'm asking that everyone share this letter with other people in your community of friends and family, along with the following link where donations can be made. http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=SF-4819&Year=2004&EventCode=HN04 Mail-in donation forms are also available through me. I know that making a donation can be difficult and involves sacrifice, but any amount will help. Honestly, I would rather see 90 people donate $10 each than to have people feel bad that they can't help with a higher amount of money. All donations go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation which provides HIV services, awareness, and prevention programs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. A portion of the funds will be used to support treatment access in the developing world. Again, I am very proud of how far we have come together, and I want to thank everyone their support and their help. On December 12th, I am confident that we will be reaching our goals together. Thank you, Tony Neal National AIDS Marathon Training Program, San Francisco Runner #4819 Monday, November 15, 200411:42 AM - ow ow owOn Saturday morning I completed my first marathon, which was a training run for the Honolulu marathon on December 12. As most of you already know, I am running to raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation to help people with HIV and AIDS both in the Bay Area and around the world. On Saturday, I had the option to finish my training run at 20 and 23 miles, but I chose to run the full 26.2 mile course and complete my first marathon. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous-- it was a sunny day as we ran along Ocean Beach, around Lake Merced, and through Golden Gate Park. We ran from about 9am until late afternoon. The running itself was ugly. I was in a lot of pain and ended up walking the last half mile or so. I broke the tape at the finish line, surrounded by cheering friends and other runners, simultaneously sobbing and laughing underneath an archway of balloons. They threw a medal around my neck and sent me to directly to the sports therapist, who saw me staggering around and losing my balance and said, "I'm a little concerned about you." I've basically spent my time since then in bed, and am mostly feeling ok this morning except for some pain in my right foot which still makes walking uncomfortable. I missed out on the rest of the weekend, although my landlord still decided to cause trouble. I'm looking forward to moving sometime eventually soon. heh. I'm hoping to get some running pictures or even a medal picture. I know Cyclona has one! Sunday, November 07, 20048:52 PM - blindfolded and spinning: two new trapeze videos on my siteSaturday, November 06, 20041:02 PM - move over, HallmarkBut instead of any of that, I'd just like to share my experience of accidentally unleashing the not-quite-English greeting card industry upon myself. I taught English in China for a year, and usually am pretty resilient to this sort of thing, but... well... these crack me up.  Each one can be delivered with a special icon, too!
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