Go Greek or Go Home: Help a Teacher
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I started running when I was 25 years old. I was three years into my teaching career and working full time and juggling a Master's Program and an additional part time job. While I was sturggling to make ends meet, I realized that if I didn't start making some time for myself, I was going to lose my mind. At the time, I couldn't afford a gym membership and pop-up work out groups hadn't really become a "thing" yet. So I started running. Because it was free.
And I sucked. I trodded along at a 14-minute pace, struggling through a 2-mile loop that wound me around the San Diego State University campus. Realizing that there was probably some sort of training "strategy" that I was missing out on, I did my research and started using a Couch-to-5k app. Running still sucked, but I could feel myself getting better at it.
Flashfoward about a year, and when my friend learned that I was running, in the dark, at night, alone, she insisted that she join me. The two of us began a routine, running as a way to stay active, but also to keep our friendship going. The day that we realized we could run eight minutes without stopping, we felt invincible. So we set a goal--we were going to run a 5k a month for a year.
We quickly realized that 5ks were not very long, nor were they very hard. They had actually become a shorter distance than we were used to running in an average workout. So, we took the next logical step. After a year of 5ks, we did a 10k. And we lived. Next, we took the plunge. We signed up for a half marathon.
And--shocker--we survived that, too. Since our first half marathon, we have run more than ten 13.1 mile races together. And that brings me to my next goal. My go-big-or-go-home, let's-get-serious-and-do-this-goal.
I turn 30 in November. Saying goodbye to my 20s will be tough, but I have accomplished an incredible amount in the last decade. I finished college, started a career that I love, became active in professional organizations, discovered new passions, found new friends, fell in love, lost 100 pounds and gained so much more.
Ten years ago, I couldn't run a mile. On my 30th birthday, I want to run 26.2. I want to complete a full marathon. I want to celebrate all that I have accomplished by checking something off of my bucket list.
When I started researching marathons, I discovered the Original Marathon in Athens, Greece. When I looked at the dates, and realized they coincided with my big 3-0, it was a done deal. I have wanted to travel to Greece since I was 12 years old. I want to prove to myself that I can last for 26.2 miles.
As a teacher, I am not exactly rolling in cash. I didn't become a teacher because I wanted to get rich. I started teaching because I felt like I could make a difference for high school kids. And I am phenomenally lucky, because that is what I do every day. I not only get to teach them within my content area, but I teach them about life, health, motivation and goal setting. My classroom is decorated with race bibs from each race I've completed and my students have watched me set goals and run them down. Every day, I show them what motivation and dedication looks like.
Unfortunately, I don't get paid extra for being a good role model. This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I am determined to get there. But I need help. The cost of the travel, race entries and hotels clocks in at over $3,000. That's more than I bring home in an average month.
But that's where you come in. You can help me get there. You can help me rock this personal milestone. You can help me show my students that no obstacle is insurmountable.
And I sucked. I trodded along at a 14-minute pace, struggling through a 2-mile loop that wound me around the San Diego State University campus. Realizing that there was probably some sort of training "strategy" that I was missing out on, I did my research and started using a Couch-to-5k app. Running still sucked, but I could feel myself getting better at it.
Flashfoward about a year, and when my friend learned that I was running, in the dark, at night, alone, she insisted that she join me. The two of us began a routine, running as a way to stay active, but also to keep our friendship going. The day that we realized we could run eight minutes without stopping, we felt invincible. So we set a goal--we were going to run a 5k a month for a year.
We quickly realized that 5ks were not very long, nor were they very hard. They had actually become a shorter distance than we were used to running in an average workout. So, we took the next logical step. After a year of 5ks, we did a 10k. And we lived. Next, we took the plunge. We signed up for a half marathon.
And--shocker--we survived that, too. Since our first half marathon, we have run more than ten 13.1 mile races together. And that brings me to my next goal. My go-big-or-go-home, let's-get-serious-and-do-this-goal.
I turn 30 in November. Saying goodbye to my 20s will be tough, but I have accomplished an incredible amount in the last decade. I finished college, started a career that I love, became active in professional organizations, discovered new passions, found new friends, fell in love, lost 100 pounds and gained so much more.
Ten years ago, I couldn't run a mile. On my 30th birthday, I want to run 26.2. I want to complete a full marathon. I want to celebrate all that I have accomplished by checking something off of my bucket list.
When I started researching marathons, I discovered the Original Marathon in Athens, Greece. When I looked at the dates, and realized they coincided with my big 3-0, it was a done deal. I have wanted to travel to Greece since I was 12 years old. I want to prove to myself that I can last for 26.2 miles.
As a teacher, I am not exactly rolling in cash. I didn't become a teacher because I wanted to get rich. I started teaching because I felt like I could make a difference for high school kids. And I am phenomenally lucky, because that is what I do every day. I not only get to teach them within my content area, but I teach them about life, health, motivation and goal setting. My classroom is decorated with race bibs from each race I've completed and my students have watched me set goals and run them down. Every day, I show them what motivation and dedication looks like.
Unfortunately, I don't get paid extra for being a good role model. This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I am determined to get there. But I need help. The cost of the travel, race entries and hotels clocks in at over $3,000. That's more than I bring home in an average month.
But that's where you come in. You can help me get there. You can help me rock this personal milestone. You can help me show my students that no obstacle is insurmountable.
Organizer
Jessica Young
Organizer
San Diego, CA
