You Did It!!!

Thanks to everyone who came out and participated in Tails of Summer!  We were especially excited about the dogs, costumes, and cupcakes.  We ate too many of them.  We haven’t heard the final numbers from DoveLewis yet but we think we raised aroud $600 which is great!  Neither of us have ever done a fundraising event before and it has been a real learning experience.  Now on to next year!

We are thinking of doing doughnuts next year.  It is morning after all.  We really want to get Tshirts and hopefully we can make that happen next year.  Also possibly making the route an even 10k since people are used to that, and we will have a garbage at the far end. 

If anyone has ideas on ways we could improve things let us know.  Thank you for all of your support!

Tails’ News

Tails of Summer is a non-competitive 6 mile run/walk on August 30th 2009 starting at Oaks Park between 8 and 9 a.m.  We are requesting a $20 donation to participate.  To sign up/donate, click on this: http://dovelewis.org/events/Find_Us.aspx .

Visit us here often for updates and forward this blog to anyone you know who might be interested.  Thanks and see you all soon!

We now have an email address!  tailsofsummer@gmail.com

Contact us with questions or whatever.

sauvie island flat half and playlist run-down.

the latest update on the tails of summer run, first off… we got a very positive response from a certain supermarket in regard to donating chico bags for the cause! (they are those bags that fold into themselves so you can put them in your purse or backpack and never have to be mad at yourself again because you got all the way to the check-out and forgot your canvas bags in the car.) which means that there will be something for all the attendees to carry away their loot! more on what that will entail in the next post.

the sauvie island run went really well.  we finished in a respectable time (not the under-two-hours goal keith set for us, but very nearly!) and i learned more than i expected.   things i did right: took the night before off from work to relax and go to bed early; ate properly and drank all the gatorade stuff even though it makes me sick to my stomach (it was pretty hot out); wore a usual running outfit (my ‘lucky shorts’ and a wifebeater. i am hating tech material.  maybe when i run the marathon…); charged up my ipod and had an extra long playlist (3.5 hours) in case i hated parts of it.  things i didn’t do quite right:  consider that there is  only one road onto the island (we were really late despite leaving really early.  this had its advantages, like being able to pass a lot of slower people once we got going and not having the weird nervy feeling i get when surrounded by a swarm of people in race bibs.  the disadvantage was we didn’t have time to stretch or warm up); and plan on my whole body being in the experience — my SHOULDERS cramped up, which has never happened and was super-frustrating.  they are barely even involved in running! how dare they!  

all in all, a great experience.  it’s funny how when people tell you about running longer distances, they will tell you it’s either really hard or exhilirating, although neither description does justice to the experience.  the truth is, it changes for you constantly.  it’s hard one minute and exhilirating the next, and the battle that counts is with your own mind and not so much with your body.  nobody tells you that.

here, too, is a selection from my playlist on this run, in case anyone wants to try them out:

starter songs (low key and sunny feeling) :   cat power — could we.  noisettes — wild young hearts.  phoenix — 1901.  m.i.a. — paper planes.  lily allen — nan you’re a window shopper.

band appearing most often: les savy fav.  (i am considering asking them to send me a t-shirt to wear during the portland marathon.)

song that shouldn’t have made the playlist:  the bran flakes — i am a promise. (thought it would lighten the mood, but it broke my stride instead.)

song that saved the day around mile 11: the mae shi — lamb and the lion.

song i was listening to as we crossed the finish line:  david bowie — queen bitch.

thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who have signed up for the run/walk so far!

xoxo

update!

so, the ball is rolling for certain! we are so excited! and we couldn’t have done it without our lovely sponsors — thanks so much to all of you for helping us with our project.  i am in the process of getting the run/walk paraphenalia together.  i found a source for the tote bags we are planning to hand out, filled with samples of pet food, snacks for people, and surprises, and am figuring out the bottom line cost for the whole she-bang.

in other news…we are having a bbq on sunday the 5th of july which will accomplish two things, we hope:  get people together to eat red velvet cupcakes and play croquet; and encourage friends and family to either register for the run itself, or, for the lazy set, donate a bit of cake toward the cost of the tote bags! 

 there will be live music played by erin’s talented brother*, steve otis, plenty of food, games, and (hopefully) lots of summer sun.  it’s at kenilworth park on se holgate and 32nd around three p.m. til we run out of ice.  come as you are.  or, if you don’t like yourself as of sunday, come as abba.

and two last items: keith and i are going to be running our first half-marathon on saturday the 4th of july on sauvie island! we are nervous as heck, like twittering little birdies.   and i am going to start blogging about the music i am listening to on my runs lately. i would love to compare/share playlists with anyone!

thanks for reading!

smj.

p.s. * = erin only has one brother. as opposed to having two of them, one of whom is talented and one of whom is untalented.  just for the record…

Saved!!!

That’s right, we have sponsors!  Fabulous people who have made this event possible.  They are:

Vanity Junkie- www.vanityjunkie.com- where its good to be vain.  They are awesome girls who can totally remake your look. 

 

 

 

 

Kush Carpets- www.kushcarpets.com- hand-knotted carpets.  These two have a beautiful store filled with incredible carpets. 

 

Iorio Restaurant- www.ioriorestaurant.com – southern italian dining.  Voted most romantic restaurant in Portland, as well as best calamari, it is one to not be missed! 

These kind people have made Tails of Summer possible and we are endlessly appreciative of their generosity.  Check out their sites and businesses.  Well worth it!  We promise.

snags…

funny how when you get that initial buzz about doing something big, you don’t consider the many pitfalls that await you. (i suppose if you DID imagine them, nobody would ever do anything bigger than make a grilled cheese sandwich.. and even then! what if you imagined the butter wasn’t soft enough and you tore big holes in your bread when you tried to spread it? well, you would just starve.) 

the big deals right now seem to be funding the initial costs of the run  — insurance, etc. — and finding someone to donate shirts for the runners plus the silk screening of the shirts.  if there is no way to get them for free, are we going to have to pay ourselves? or hold a fund-raiser for our fund-raiser?  shirts are sort of expected at runs, but i am wondering if we should have thought a little outside of the box and given out homemade pins and donuts instead, as everyone likes a nice glazed.  proof positive: less donuts wind up donated to the goodwill than do race t-shirts.

gigi

there’s no way that a photo can do justice to the hugeness of gigi’s personality.  she is half border collie and half flat-coated retriever, and she is everything i want to be: always ready for adventure, enthusiastic in her pursuits (mostly of squirrels), loyal, hilarious and tenacious.  we adopted her from the humane society about three years ago (after several years of me ogling dogs but unable to have one since we lived in an apartment) and she has been my running partner ever since.  she’s also a really good dancer.   

my inspiration

How I Learned to Run

Mom

My parents and I started running in 1984.  I was in the 2nd grade in The Dalles, Or.  My best friend Heather’s dad was a recovering body builder who decided running was the best sport ever and everyone should do it.  As a result, our families spent many weekends over the next few years driving to Portland or Bend for races.  Every time we hung out, Heather’s mom would poke our calves and say, “Too soft.  You girls need to train more,” and then take us to the high school track to run wind sprints.    We idolized Greta Weitz even though she had diarrhea during the marathon.  She was just so tough- ran right through it. 

There have been periods when I haven’t run at all but it has always been, at least, something I need to do when I am frustrated, confused, or angry.  There is something about running which makes problems seem clear and feasible. 

The person who has inspired me most to run is my mom.  She has done the Portland Marathon, Hood to Coast, and zillion other runs around here.  She has found friendship, self-fulfillment, and health through running and now I hope to set the same example for my own daughter. 

More Information

Last weekend we went out to the Helvetia Half Marathon and Drop Top 5K.  We got kicked out for handing out flyers.  We weren’t sure what the offense was but just moved on to giving flyers out to running and pet food stores.  So, since more people will be checking here for information, I decided to give the people what they want. 

Tails of Summer is a non-competitive run/walk starting at Oaks Park 8-9am. 

It will go north on Springwater Corridor, turn around near OMSI and return to Oaks Park.  This total distance is 6 miles.   

The $20 donation to DoveLewis can be made through their link below- which gets you a T-shirt with the super cute Tails of Summer logo!

 

http://dovelewis.org/events/Find_Us.aspx

 

Dust Bunnies

We have officially begun making Tails of Summer happen!  I have started filling out the pdx parks application.  The only unexpected part so far is insuring the event (how do two girls go about insuring an unknown number of costumed strangers on a public walkway?) I’m sure there is a way.

And, yes!  We want people to wear costumes.  It may be warm, so just ears and a tail added onto your regular work-out wear is fine although more elaborate get-ups will receive whistles and applause. 

Dove Lewis Animal Hospital is on board with us now and registration for the event will be through their site.  (A link will be posted here as soon as they have the payment option up and running!)

We hope that this event will be the first of many so if you know anyone who likes animals, walking, running, or wearing costumes, send them our way!