The sun will come out, tomorrow....

Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow -  There'll be sun!

So won't you come out tomorrow?  and drink beers with me in the sunny beer garden of Happy Village for a good cause?

Ok, the truth is, i can't promise you sun (although it looks hopeful!)  but i can promise you $3 cans of New Belgium with 100% of the proceeds going to the Huntington's Disease Society of America.  And a ping pong tournament.  With awesome prizes.  So lets multi-task - drinking in beers, drinking in sun, and promoting a very worthy cause!  Even if you think me and my cause are stupid, its $3 New Belgium cans.  You can come and drink and tell me how lame I am.  It's totally cool with me. 

So BE THERE!!!

Tomorrow (Thursday) June 27th 6-9 at Happy Village in Chicago's Ukranian Village neighborhood.  (1059 N. Wolcott.  (near Damen and Division, or the Division blue line stop) 

Tell your friends!  Tell your enemies! For one night only, don't drink responsibly because you are drinking for a cure!

***ok, drink somewhat responsibly.  There has to be a happy medium.

Pulling. it. off.

WE DID IT!

The fundraiser gala was a success!  And to be honest, after all this work and stress (and carrying 20 lb bags of ice down Milwaukee Ave), running a little old half marathon seems like a walk in the park! 

It was a lot of worrying, but the weather ended up being perfect, we had more than enough booze, and we had a great crowd.  All of this was made possible by the tireless efforts of my best friend Rachel!

I don't know if HDSA will ever understand what an amazing resource she is!  I know i try to seem like i have it all together, but on most occasions, i am totally winging it and just scraping by, and the only reason anything i attempt ever succeeds is because of her!  She works harder than anyone i have ever met - and any one running the Chicago Half Marathon this weekend can get the chance to meet her this weekend as she will be at our tent in the charity village all morning!!

Some pics from the night:

Our amazing door men!

Now its time to gear up for this weekend!

Arlo & Me

I do not know where the heck this weekend went, all i know is that i am more tired than when the weekend started, and that i plan to be at HAPPY VILLAGE tonight drinking for a cure, so please stop by if your in the neighborhood!!

I actually managed to stay on track with running this weekend.  I couldn't deal with the thought of trying to park anywhere along the lakefront with the Air and Water show going on all weekend (I have so many talents, but parking is admittedly not one of them.) So instead, i skipped the CARA training run, and went and ran with the Zooma race series ambassadors!

It was the most perfect day for running, and i had a blast.  Even though Zooma did not choose me to be an ambassador *tiny violin playing* I can still tag along, and this is a super fun group to run with!  Plus we got to run in Busse woods - i have only run there once before, and it was when i had my complete breakdown at the Schaumburg Turkey Trot half marathon, so i had been too busy crying to notice they have real live elk there!!

Good times.

On Sunday, Rachel and I got to go to Ravinia on behalf of Team Run for HD!  Arlo Guthrie was playing for the Woody Guthrie centennial, and they let us set up a table and fundraise.

I know i have been extra grouchy lately about the whole fundraising thing.  And i think we all know how hard fundraising is.  And trying to direct a group of fundraisers is like herding cats.  But while we were out there, a woman came up and said her sister in law died of huntingtons disease, and that she had never known any one else with it, or how to access resources/information.  I told her i sympathized with what she had gone through, and she started tearing up, and telling me how awful it had been.  I just asked her if i could giver her a hug, and told her this is why we were here.

And then it hit me.  This is why we were there.  No matter how much the day to day logistics annoy me, it's important for me to be out there.  And i was really glad i was there.

And, as a bonus, Rachel and I got to meet Arlo Guthrie!!

He is the nicest guy ever, especially considering Rachel and I just walked onto his bus and said hello.  Unfortunately, no one under 50 knows who Arlo Guthrie is apparently, so my bragging isn't getting me very far at all.  

Anyone else have a celebrity sighting this weekend??

Do you like ping pong?

I bet you do!

I would like to first and foremost extend an invite to everyone in the Greater Chicago area to a charity event on monday night!  Team run for HD is taking over Happy Village in Ukrainian Village.  They are graciously donating the proceeds from every Amstel light sold, and we will be having a very intense ping pong competition (with prizes)  And by intense, i mean i generally need to tape the paddle to my hand to avoid injuring people with my awfulness.

Its sure to be a good evening, so if your in the area, please stop by, and invite your friends!!
http://www.facebook.com/events/477962985555831/

.........

And on another note, i feel the need to vent.  About my family (this is your chance to get out while you still can!!!!!!)  I love my family, i really truly do.  But sometimes, SOMETIMES, i want to lock them all up and waterboard them

**(disclaimer: I am not entirely sure what waterboarding even involves, so if it's really bad, i totally take it back.)

The problem is entirely me.  I function at a pretty steady 110%.  I have always been a mover and shaker, and solid type A personality.  But, somehow, i am the only one...

When i embarked on this mission to really make Team Run for HD a huge an awesome entity, everyone was 100% behind me.  I mean, my mom should care, right?  She is going to have to watch her children die if we don't find a cure.  And my brother should care - he is one of those children!  But here we are, 25 days until the event, and every last person has backed out except my cousin Ammanda.  Because she's the greatest.  And now i look like an asshole.  Because i promised all these people would run and fundraise, and volunteer, and now "everyone has to work" or "something is going on."  Matt was kind enough to point out "What did i really expect?"  

But you know what, this one time I expected them to follow through, and NOT make me look like an asshole.  And i am filled with jealousy over any one who will have their family in the crowds for the Chicago Marathon, because all of mine think the hour long trip is just too long to watch something as stupid as running.  And thats fine.  And i stand by my promise that if any one of them ever actually does something, ANYTHING, i will be there in full support.  But for the moment, i am going to be pissed off.  And it's totally fine because none of them read my blog anyway.

Ok, whiney pants are off, big girl pants are on, and i am done.
The end.

Keepin it real.

First and foremost:


Come do yoga with me this weekend!  On Sunday, my favorite yoga studio, Tula Yoga, is doing a donation class at 5pm, and all the proceeds are going to Huntington's Disease!  Come watch me sit in childs pose in a hot room for an hour.

RSVP here, or don't, and just show up and surprise me - i'll be in the back.  In childs pose.




Now, for the serious stuff.


I have gotten a lot of flack for making light of the zombie incident in Miami, and i just want to let people know, i am not joking around about zombies.  Zombies are a real and serious threat, and i don't joke around about it.  


Here are a few fun facts - ways i am currently preparing for what is obviously an inevitable large scale zombie attack.


1. Remember that Machete i got for Christmas?  (and you all laughed...)

It had been hanging out in the hatch of my car, but since i am officially raising the zombie attack threat level from yellow to red, it has been moved up to the back seat for easy access.


2. I can barely fit my cell phone in my purse....

But i can fit a multi-use pocket knife, bandaids, and aspirin.  And gum.  Woe be the soul caught in zombie apocalypse without gum.


3. I am making sure to text this guy everyday.  

Do you have a zombie survival plan with anyone?  My brother and i have had this plan for years.  It also includes my friend Ashley, but she is currently in Europe, making it very hard to get to her in the even of a full scale zombie outbreak.  My brother is a collector of weaponry, and damn good shot in my opinion.  My goal is to get to him, and then pool our resources.  I am the "brains" of this duo.  


4. Carbo-loading.

You think a marathon is hard?  There is no finish line when being chased by zombies.  You just. keep. running.  Better make sure you are properly fueled.


5.  Food hoarding.

Sure, the bags of rice were on sale so it was a financially wise purchase, but my cabinets are currently packed with 15 lbs of Trader Joe's brown rice.  Because its delicious, and an excellent choice for sustained nutrition should i need to barricade myself in my apartment.  We also have a 40lb bag of puppy chow. (For the dog, obviously)  We are set.


6.  Rations deposits.
There is no telling when the zombie apocalypse will reach chicago.  I could be at work, or stuck in traffic, or at home, or walking the dog, or at a bar.  Thats why i am taking great lengths to make sure i am surrounded by food at ALL times.  I have a snack drawer at work, multiple bags of chex mix in my car, and sometimes i grab a clif bar just to go walk the dog. The only problem is, i keep eating all my snacks and depleting the rations...

7. Meticulous scanning of reputable periodicals for clues.  Remember in Men in Black, when "K" said he got all his leads from tabloid covers?  

Just sayin.


8.  When i was little, my dad taught me shoot a bow and arrow.  I wasn't very good then, and am probably even worse now....but it is definitely time to brush up, because if i learned anything from the walking dead, it's be the guy with the arrows. 

It is the single most efficient way to kill zombies.  And to hunt as well.  I figure at some point, my brown rice hoard will run out, and i will be forced to hunt to survive.  I will also need to convince myself to eat deer, as last i checked, free-range frozen yogurt cups were no longer found in the wild.....

One of those weeks.

Have you ever woken up on monday morning and thought "dear god, i cannot deal with life this week."  That was my morning.  While i am slowly feeling better, it hasn't been the miracle recovery i was hoping for, resulting in skipping two runs last week.  I am hungry all the time, but not for reasonable things like dinner, for tortilla chips.  More accurately, a never ending river of tortilla chips flowing into my mouth.  It's looking like and 85 degree day for my marathon.  (SHOCKER.)  I napped with waffles in a super weird position yesterday and now my back hurts (First world problem if i ever heard one.) My family just does not seem to understand the importance of my first marathon this weekend.  And i have a super busy and stressful week at work.


I am obviously demanding pity from all of you.  In all honesty, I just woke up on the whiny side of the bed.  BUT, i am going to suck it up and put on my big girl pants because:


1.  I am running a marathon this weekend, and that is awesome - even if its 85 degrees and takes me 6 hours.


2.  I just spent a whole weekend napping with my puppy and watching x-files, an indulgence i will not get to see again for a year probably


3.  Matt and i have a strategic healthy dinner plan for the entire week, so that i will be in tip top shape


4.  Just because my family doesn't understand , doesn't mean they don't care. 


5. And I have this jar of cookie butter on my desk.  Life is not that bad.

Time for me to stop whining and start rocking the big girl pants.  Today's post is short because i seriously do have a TON of work today, but i wanted to announce the winners of the Pro-compression raffle!  


Winner #1:  Bill F!  (I am assuming you would like the significantly more manly black pair?)


Winner #2:  Erin V! (hopefully you like pink! :) )


If you guys could just email me at Sara.marie.rockwell@gmail.com with a shipping address, i will try to get these in the mail tomorrow!
Thanks so much for everyone who donated - Just a reminder that all donations are tax deductible! I will probably have a couple more raffles this summer as well.  Thanks everyone for making fundraising a little less painful.  


xoxo,
G-Foxxx

Raffle time!

I have a few raffles lined up this summer to help me fundraise for my charity, The Huntington's Disease Society of America. If you haven't read my story, i strongly encourage you to do so, because i am the best. writer. ever. (ha)  HD has killed off a good portion of my dads side of the family (including my dad) but we have decided to fight back.  I ran the chicago half marathon last year, and raised money all summer, and honestly - it sucked. The running was a lot of fun, but i barely met my personal goal in the 11th hour, and basically no one wanted to donate because they had never heard of the disease, didn't emotionally relate to it, and just didn't care.


I am running the Chicago half marathon again this year (as well as the Chicago full Marathon!), only i took over and am leading the entire charity team, because i am a psychopath go-getter.  Rather than just beg for money, we are setting up fun events and raffles. May is actually Huntington's Disease Awareness month (did you know that?  Now you do!) so i thought it was a perfect time to do this awesome raffle.

The amazing folks at Pro-Compression have donated two pairs of their marathon socks to help raise some money for Team Run for HD!  What can i say about Pro-Compression that i haven't already?  You know i love them - i have three pairs (so far...)  I started wearing them as an extra layer during my brutal winter training, but i realized how much they help me run longer and recover faster.  (After i ran my first half marathon i couldn't run for a week.  10 days ago i ran a 20 miler, and the next day went back out for more!)  I have no proof that compression socks make you a better runner - i'm not a doctor.  or a scientist.  Its even debatable if i can really call myself a "runner"  but they do make you look cool, they are WAY easier to get on and off then other compression socks, they have fun colors, and they make me feel like a better runner; thats all that matters to me!**


**It's important that you know Pro-Compression does not sponsor me in anyway.  I actually just really like their products, and they were nice enough to help out with this charity!


So, thanks to Eric at Pro-Compression, i have not one, but TWO pairs of compression socks (which retail for $50.00 each) to raffle off:

Both are size S/M - one is hot pink, one is black.  Personally, i want the black pair!

To enter this raffle, all you have to do is donate to my charity page.  For every $3 you donate to HDSA you get one entry into the raffle! ($3 = 1, $6 = 2, etc.) You can get one additional entry if you blog about this raffle - (just post a link in the comment section)  and another if you go to facebook and like Team Run for HD (and comment below telling me).  


My charity page for donations is HERE.  The two winners will be announced Monday morning, so you have until Sunday night to donate and tell all your friends!!


**Also, if you have any desire to run the Chicago Half Marathon with us, or are curious about what else we are doing to fundraise/raise awareness please visit www.TeamRunforHD.com.  We're kind of a big deal.

I had to add this picture with me wearing my white pro compression socks.  Because i look awesome.

As always, thanks for the support!!


Sara/G-foxxx