One for '08

I just signed up for my first half-marathon of 2008. It takes place Sept. 21 (a Sunday) in Philadelphia and, although it is aimed at runners, the rule is that I have to be off the course in four hours. I'm looking forward to taking a (fast) walking tour of the City of Brotherly Love, and finding other races to keep me focused in the new year.

A Fun Race!

Three hours and 40 seconds. That was my official chip finish time for the Baltimore Half-Marathon on Saturday! I was pretty excited about it, especially since an announcer said my name and time on the loudspeaker as I crossed the finish line. The best part of the race was the people cheering us on. Throughout the course, they lined the streets with cups of beer, gummy bears, Swedish fish and good cheer to encourage us. Seeing that community spirit was a wonderful experience.

A shout-out to Lynn, Sophie, Melanie, Anne and Andrew, who all ran the race! Lynn, Sophie and I carbo-loaded in Baltimore's Little Italy on Friday night, and rewarded ourselves Saturday with a beer sampler at a local pub and then dinner at Oceanaire. It was a very fun weekend, and I'm ready to sign up soon for the next half-marathon! First up, though, the Arlington walking marathon on Saturday -- 10 hours, 27 miles. Bring it on.

A Cute Bag That Also Supports Breast Cancer Research

If you're looking for a stylish little lunch bag, check out Lean Cuisine's three pink, insulated bags that are available for just $9.95 each (including shipping and handling). Five dollars of every purchase goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

More information is available at: https://www.leancuisine.com/Komen2007/Index.aspx

One quick note, though: I ordered a few bags this morning and they don't ship for 8-10 weeks. So you may want to keep that in mind if you're planning to order any as holiday presents.

More about Laurie Bork

One of the first contributions I received for my Avon Walk was in memory of Laurie Bork, whom I never met, but whose name I will be wearing on my shirt when I walk next May. I asked Laurie's sister, Jennifer, who made the contribution, to tell me a little bit about her.

"My sister Laurie was a vibrant person who loved life and all it had to offer and you can see this same love for life in her 8-year-old daughter Emily," she wrote. "Laurie was one person you could count on for support no matter what others thought and she is greatly missed."

Making sure that we find a cure for breast cancer, raise awareness of the disease and offer support to women and men who are undergoing treatment is what this walk is about. I'm proud I'll be walking in Laurie's memory.

Two More Walks

With Baltimore just two days away, I'm getting a little nervous about how I'm going to mentally get through the race (not physically). The race does not allow iPods and, given that it will probably take me 3-1/2 hours to 4 hours to finish, that's a lot of time without some musical motivation! I'm hoping to find someone nice to talk with on the course; otherwise, I expect to have my list of what I'm getting everyone for Christmas all worked out by the time the race ends. :)

I did sign up this morning for two more races next month:

-- The Washington, DC Masonic Lodge Veterans Day 10K on Nov. 11 (I'll be walking around the Tidal Basin)

-- The Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger (otherwise known as the Turkey Trot) on Nov. 22 (my mom will be making Thanksgiving dinner while I walk)

My cousin Nicole is planning to do the Turkey Trot in Boston. This past weekend, she ran the half-marathon there. Congrats, Nicole!

Thank You, Patti!

Thanks to Patti for supporting my Avon Walk! Patti is PRESSTIME's very talented graphic design assistant and also a very thoughtful person, recently bringing back some very yummy chocolate bars for all of us from her trip to Germany. Thanks for your help and your good wishes on the walk!

Thanks, Sheila!

A very big thank you to Sheila Casey for her extremely generous gift to my Avon Walk! Sheila and I met at The Hill in 1997, and she immediately brought a breath of (needed) fresh air to the office. Sheila's warmth, sense of humor and super-organization made her the mom of the office, and I'm so glad we've been able to stay friends in the years since I've left. Thanks for your support for this great cause!

Thank You, Alan and Alison!

Many thanks to Alan and Alison for their support of my Avon Walk! Alan was my mentor (and favorite professor) at Wellesley, and has been a great source of professional guidance while I was there and in the years since. Each January, Alan brings a group of students to Washington for a few weeks to hear from top officials about how the city _really_ works (it's a seminar I wish I could take now). And you can expect to hear a lot more about Alan in the coming year, as he was Hillary Clinton's favorite professor as well. Thanks for your generous gift!

Finished with the 5Ks, and Very Grateful to Everyone

I finished the last of my five 5Ks on Saturday, completing the AIDS Walk in just under 45 minutes. I then walked home via Lee Highway rather than Wilson Blvd. (both for variety and also because I've heard the Baltimore walk contains hills, and I was feeling a little out of practice). The whole walk was somewhere in the 10-11 mile range. Five days now until the half-marathon!

I am so, so grateful to everyone who has contributed to my Avon Walk! In three days, I've raised almost half of my fundraising goal, which is astounding. I appreciate everyone's generosity and am just blown away by all of the support I've received.

On a weight-loss note, I had my annual physical this morning and clocked in at 55 pounds less than what I weighed two years ago, according to the doctor's scale. Yeah!

Thank You, Steve Alexander!

This thank you will take a little longer than most, but it's worth the time.

In 2002, during a dating drought, I came up with the bright idea (after a few drinks, natch) to place a personals ad in The Hill, where I worked at the time. The ad, which was placed both for me and a friend, said we were looking for smart, single, professional men within roughly the 23-to-38-year-old range (we were both 28 at the time).

Shortly after the ad ran, I received an e-mail response from a guy named Steve Alexander. He seemed bright, had a good job working for a government agency, and was a real renaissance man, owning an "extensive" wine collection and making his own pasta. What a catch!

I was even able to do a kind of "character reference" on Steve by talking on the phone with a co-worker of his at the same government agency (who I knew through a friend). He checked out. After a number of e-mail exchanges with Steve, he was sounding better and better.

Steve and I finally agreed we would meet up for coffee one afternoon. This was during my week off in August, so on the appointed day, I changed my outfit numerous times, primped (including exfoliating) and thought about what Steve and I would talk about. I was pretty excited.

At the agreed-upon hour, I waited for Steve. All of a sudden, a male friend of mine walked up, and handed me a bag with a bottle of wine inside, and a note. "I'm sorry I'm not Steve Alexander," it said. And the note suggested I not look in the personals section to find dates.

It worked. I haven't placed, or answered, a personals ad since. And I should point out that while this idea was the brainchild of one friend (who shall remain anonymous on this blog), several others played supporting roles. (A more complete version of this story ran in The Hill in October 2002; copies are available upon request. Ideas for practical jokes are also encouraged.)

A good lesson learned. So, Steve, thank you for giving me an amusing story to share, the bottle of wine from your "collection" and for your donation. When I think of you during the walk, I'll have a good laugh about this -- it's worth at least a mile. :)

Thank You, Brian!

Many thanks to Brian for his support of the Avon Walk! Brian and his family own Pacers, a great running store that has branches in Alexandria, Clarendon and now Silver Spring. I can personally attest to how great their stuff is -- I wear Pacers walking shoes and socks each time I walk or work out at the gym. Brian (who is also an amazing karaoke singer) and his staff actually watch you walk before they recommend a shoe for you, so that you get the best fit for your foot and step. Anyway, I know this sounds like an ad, but I really do highly recommend Pacers. You can find more information about the store on the web at www.runpacers.com. Thanks, Brian!

Thanks, John and Marisha!

A hearty thank you to John and Marisha for their donation to the Avon Walk. I first met John about seven years ago; as a superstar intern for The Hill, he had a front-page story in the paper the day after the 2000 election (something most writers at the paper, including me, didn't accomplish). John and Marisha are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Thank you both!

Thanks to My Anonymous Donor!

A big thank you to my latest donor, who is choosing to remain anonymous. I appreciate this person's support of my walk and also the spirit of giving without receiving credit publicly. I'll thank this person privately for his/her help but wanted to acknowledge how grateful I am. Thank you, Anonymous!

Baltimore

The Baltimore half-marathon is just over a week away -- and I want to give a shout-out to my friend Lynn for handling all of the hotel and transportation logistics. It should be a great weekend! I'll post pictures when I return.

Book Fair author change

A non-walk post for the moment: Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) is now participating in The Hill's book fair on Oct. 17, but Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Helen Thomas are no longer able to join us. It should be a great event, with four sitting members of Congress attending, as well as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D-Md.), Christopher Hitchens and many other great authors.

I'm Overwhelmed!

Thank you again to everyone who has donated to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. In two days, I'm almost a third of the way towards reaching my fundraising goal. I've been overwhelmed by your generosity and I can't thank you enough! You'll all be in my thoughts as I train this fall, winter and spring, and walk next May. And save the evening of May 17, 2008 on your calendars for a thank-you party to honor all of your efforts in making my walk a success!

Thanks, Sarita!

Many thanks to Sarita, one of the "Hill ladies," a group of six other fabulously talented and wonderful women who I worked with at The Hill. Sarita is helping newspaper readers to understand the powerful stories of people in Michigan, but we all wish she would come back to Washington because we miss her so much. Thank you so much for your support, Sarita!

Thank You, Becky and Wes!

Many thanks to Becky and Wes Albers for their wonderful donation to the Avon Walk! Becky is my editor at PRESSTIME and my Race for the Cure walking partner for the past two years. She's been incredibly supportive of my weight-loss efforts and this cause as well. Thank you for all of your help!

Thanks to the Denis Family!

A big thank you to Charlotte, Xavier and Aaron Denis for their very kind contribution to the Avon Walk! Charlotte and I went to Wellesley together -- she saw me through the Tower Court Mixer (don't ask), bad MIT frat parties, R.A. meetings and more. Thanks for your continuing friendship and for helping this worthy cause!

Thank You, Kristin!

Thanks to my friend Kristin for a very generous contribution to the Avon Walk! Kristin told me that if I could walk almost 40 miles, making a contribution was the least she could do. But I have the easy job here -- it's donations that will mean the most in finding a cure for the disease. Thanks, fellow Newsie!

Thank You, Moira!

Thanks to my friend Moira, who knew me in the days of bad perms and plaid pants in high school, yet is still my friend today. :) I appreciate your contribution to the Avon Walk!

Thanks, Jeremy!

Thanks to my friend Jeremy, who made a generous contribution to the Avon Walk. I really appreciate it -- and will "walk on!"

A Wonderful Gift

I especially appreciate the contribution to the Avon Walk in memory of Laurie Bork, and will be thinking about her as I walk next spring. It's my hope that the walk, and other efforts to raise awareness of and funds for breast cancer research, will help lead to a cure in the near future.

Thanks Again!

My friend (and race-buddy extraordinaire) Melanie has also contributed to my Avon Walk. Thank you, thank you!

My First Contribution!

Many thanks to my friend Jeff Sigmund for being the first contributor to my Avon Walk! I feel like I'm on my way now to a successful journey.