My very first donations to AIDS MARATHON came from the least expected way.

I went to the two-days workshop on non-profit fundraising.
8 participants came close through interaction in the class, sharing our own experience, beliefs and fears about the fundraising activities.

So on second day, I brought all the participants and a lecturere personalized letters.
I planed to give them at the end of the day, but the opportunity came earliere as the topic of the workshop fell on fundraising letters and return envelop. Some participant asked how it looks like so I said I have a sample, and gave letters to everyone. Amazing part is one of the participant wrote me a check right after that, and so as other two people.

This experience also proves the lessons I learned thourgh this workshop, which are;

1. Fundraising is building relationship
2. Never prejudge before asking- ask everybody

Anyway, I was really happy about this and grateful to the donors.
It was a relly memorable start, and I have a long way to go.

I did two-sets of run and walk this morning.
It is a combination of running and walking, and according to my training manual, I am supposed to keep the ratio of run and walk in 5 to 1. we had a So I did two sets of 10- mintues-run+2- mintues-walk.

This ratio depends on your pace. I never knew what pace I have per mile until we did a run last weekend. We had a three miles run and it was my first three miles run in last ten years, believe it or not! I manged to finish without stopping, because I had a running bady, Leslie, and I tried to keep up with her. I was bit surprised because I did better than I though I would, but honestly, I I felt like I just finished a marathon, by running just 3 miles. I just can't imagin myself running more than 20 miles!

In addition to this group training on weekends, we are supposed to do our own training on weekdays. We are expected to run 30-40 minutes twice a week, and I decided to do that on Tuesday and Thursday. I run about 30 mintutes on Tuesday and planning to extend it a little bit to 40 mintues run today, but when I woke up I was so sleepy and could not get up early enought to do 40 minutes run.

I was hopeing maybe I could run in the evening, but today I went to see the movie
"Inconvinient truth", and got home too late to run outside.

It is a very straighforward movie on environment, and Al Gore is the leading actor. Maybe he does not regard himself acting, because this film is basically his lecture on environment, with some side personal stories of Mr. Gore.

His slides were magnificent! It was well structured, had good attention- getting-components.
When I was in Japan I often had to give lecture or workshop, so I had made some- probably more than 20 times in last two years, maybe more- presentation on child labor etc. So, from my experience I could tell how hard he had worked on constructing all the slides. He also said in the movie that whenever he finds any obstacle that seems to hindering understanding of the audience, he trys to resolve it. I think that is a very correct attitude as a presenter to the general public, especially when you are trying to get the message across.

I better stop here- good night!

I made a big decision last month.

I deceided to take part in the AIDS MARATHON program!

I had been seeing the ADs in the Metro and was wondering what this program was about.
As I talked with some frineds it seems that many people have noticed the ADs, but have
not figure out what it really is about, and so was I.

So, I did not know it was meant to fundraise for AIDS until I picked up the flyer at CD shop
and read the whole thing.

Oh! I have to funderaise $3400 by August 25 in order to take part in the Honolulu Marathon?
Would it be possible for me to do that? I am rather disadvantaged considering most of my friends and family being in Japan, and don't have much friends here! It seems just impossible!

Anyway, I went to the information meeting to find out more about this program.
The deadline for entering the program was June 2nd and the meeting took place on May 31.

Beth from AIDS MARATHON was there to tell us about the program, fundraising, and how great you feel when you finish the marathon. She said she even quit her job to work for AIDS MARATHON! Her smile and spirit told me that this should be a good program.

But I was still not sure if I can raise enough funds, but the decisive moment came as I was blagging wether I should register or not, when Beth said " Some people do this to comemorate when they become 30, some do because they are getting married, and.."

Then, the word getting married struck me.

In my mind I thought, "I am suppose to get married next year. This might be the last chance I can try for marathon if I get pregnant after geeting married! Completeing the marathon had been in my '100 wish-to-do in my life list' , and if I miss this chance, I may not have another chane to accomplish my wish!"

And I was actually saying something like this to Beth as I think.

You never know what can push you.

Thus, I paid the registration fee (I got $20 discount by registering at the site), and here I am!

Getting started to get fit for marathon, but still don't know what to do for fundraise.