A Marathon Weekend...3 years later

Seeing as it's been 3 years, I thought I should finish a post I started about a lucky break I had at work, going to Walt Disney World in Florida. I printed my blog book on a whim and forgot that I was still working on the post. So we'll celebrate the three year anniversary of my favourite work trip :)
Despite all my complaining, there were a few perks to working for Team In Training. The only one that comes to mind currently is going to cool places, but I may be able to think of something else down the road.

My manager and I both have an appreciation for Disney, and she very graciously allowed me to go to Orlando for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, and she opted to attend the shorter Disney Princess Half Marathon in March. In a word: awesome. Marathon weekends are already the best part of my job, and you throw in the Disney aspect and I couldn't believe I was getting paid. Granted, my salary is laughable when you factor in my hours, but still! This was by far my favourite work weekend.

It was different than others in that it was spread out over a Saturday and Sunday instead of just Saturday. The half marathon took place on Saturday and the full on Sunday. It meant for two incredibly early mornings (we're talking 2:30 AM early) but twice the fun as well. It was beyond freezing all day - chilled to the bone. We jumped, we cheered, we froze. We were lucky enough to be positioned near stilt walkers who kept us entertained when things got slow. I've never had an interest in running a marathon, in spite of the fact that a major part of my job was recruiting other people to run them, but this event got me the closest. The Fab Five: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto were all waiting at the finish line to congratulate people on finishing. Most people ran straight past them, I'm sure eager to finish and sit down, and maybe that's what I would have done. But I related more to the people walking along, not caring how much time they were taking, giving the characters great big hugs and then crawling across the finish line. That would have been me. When I saw the "See you in 2011" sign, I was almost convinced. Almost.

As a non-profit organization, we were offered majorly discounted tickets to attend the parks if we wanted to. It took me all of a nanosecond to purchase mine. While we usually don't have much down time on event weekends, we were staying in a Disney World hotel with shuttles running to the parks every few minutes, so I thought it would be worth it. I got more than my money's worth. The races started at 3:00 in the morning, before the parks opened, so the rest of our day was free to enjoy the park, until I had meetings or other responsibilities to fill. Whenever I wasn't needed, I was running amok from The Animal Kingdom to Epcot. And loving every minute. While of course I missed Brandon immensely, there was something wonderful about being on my own and doing whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. I saw the Monsters, Inc. Monsters of Comedy routine at least three time sin a row, it was was so funny. I waited in line to meet characters (heaven bless Turk, they were about to turn me away so she could go on a break and instead let me be the last person to take a photo with her). I joined the line to meet Mickey and Minnie only to be told that they'd be back in 15 minutes and normally I would have continued on my merry way, but because it was just me and I wasn't holding anyone else back from riding rides, I stuck it out and got a great picture (it would have been nice if Mickey was looking at the right camera) with them in front of the castle. So worth it. I was in awe of the castle and took entirely too many photos of it. Wow.

 

After both events were complete, Team In Training held an exclusive Victory Party after hours at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I hung out with the members of my team and they even talked (read: forced) me into riding the Tower of Terror - decidedly the worst ride ever invented. I got to meet more of the characters and even enjoyed doing The Cupid Shuffle with Pocahontas, Snow White and Jasmine. Had I thought to put that on my Bucket List (funnily enough, it hadn't occurred to me) I could scratch it off.

What a wonderful weekend to enjoy the best of Disney and at the same time see people accomplish incredible athletic goals and support an amazing cause. I just added Disney World with Brandon to my Bucket List.

Sleepless Nights + Lost Voices = Jobs Well Done

Last month marked a year since I quit my job. While I much prefer my current occupation (and there are lots of similarities) I sat and reminisced today during nap time...
For two years I recruited participants to complete endurance events (like half marathons, marathons, triathlons and century rides) and raise money for blood cancer research and patient support. So after spending 4 months with a team of people, training every weekend and fundraising throughout the week, I had the honour and privilege of accompanying them to their event to see them cross the finish line. Seeing people progress from nervously sitting at an information meeting, debating whether or not to sign up for the program to raising thousands of dollars for blood cancer and crossing the finish line of an endurance event was indescribably rewarding. It always gave me an emotional boost (I was physically exhausted at the end) and kept me going.

I used to receive compliments, saying that it's evident that I love what I do and I have a real ability to make it a fun experience for everyone. Another much-needed boost - one compliment per million complaints was the norm. I got thinking and realized that I may have been successful at this job because of a previous one. Three letters:

Looking back, the things I did for this job are a lot like the things I did in my Especially for Youth days (if you're not sure what that means, it's a week long youth program in the summer led by 20-25 year old counselors...that's where I came in.) Walk with me through the striking (albeit bizarre) parallels...
1. Pimp hats were relied on heavily for both (bet you didn't see THAT one coming!):

2. "Participants". One job had me looking after 14-18 year olds. The other had me looking after adults who revert to age 14-18 when they find out I'm handling everything for them. NO hand holding in one, lots of mandatory hand-holding at the other. What about "meet back here at this very spot at 6:00, exactly 30 minutes from now" did you not understand, woman old enough to be my mother?

3. Dances. The major difference here being the exorbitant amount of alcohol consumed at post-marathon events vs. the stone-cold sober atmosphere of 14-18 year olds at BYU.

4. Gorging myself on pizza. EFY required me to attend one pizza party a week my first summer and more like 2-3 the next. TNT didn't require me to attend a pizza party per se, but let's just say I went the extra mile.

5. Team photos.These events tended to be memorable experiences for everyone involved, so at both jobs I found myself posing for a plethora of pictures. And found myself in the front row more often than not, unable to shake bad memories from every class photo from my formative years.

6. Fulfilling my cheerleading dreams. It may shock you that I was not a cheerleader in high school. The media lead me to believe that the opportunity would present itself to a skinny ditz with long, blonde hair. Alas, no such luck (a pox on made-in-America teen movies!) But EFY & TNT allowed, nay, demanded that I cheer like I'd never cheered before. And I L.O.V.E.D. it! If I didn't finish out the week gasping for air and sounding like a pubescent boy, I hadn't done my job.

And on occasion, I even got to do a lift!
(As the years went by, it took more and more people.)

7. Acronyms. EFY & TNT? Keepin' it simple. Also real. Lesson learned by a colleague:  When flying, it is unwise to carry a "TNT Manual" in your carry-on.

8. Sleepless nights. Being on call 24 hours a day can take its toll. Especially when you're worried about what kinds of trouble teenagers and adults alike are getting into on your watch.

9. Not seeing my husband. We met as EFY counselors the first year, but were never co-counselors. When we worked as BC's (counselors' counselors) the next summer we never worked the same sessions, meaning if we were lucky, we might cross paths running from one building to another on BYU's campus.

 

TNT took me away from home a lot, especially on the weekends (often at 4:00AM) so one might say that between my (unpaid) overtime and Brandon's studying, we passed like ships in the night for the better part of 2 years!

10. Changing and improving lives (mostly my own). Both of these positions gave me the opportunity to meet INCREDIBLE people and make dear friends. I won't make an exhaustive list here, but I think that people like Mark, Mindy & Mike know who they are. Mark (Brandon's BFF) you see a lot on here, Mindy's been featured once - and didn't return the favour and may need to be kicked (I kid, I kid!) - and Mike (I know it's been a while) actually wrote some really sweet things about me on his blog back in 2006 that probably don't apply anymore. He's an amazing guy and I have it on good authority that he is one of the greatest legal minds of our time. We miss ya, Mike! (Please excuse my gum - Mum & Dad, I know you raised me better.)

If given the time, I could probably name 95% of all the TNT participants that I had the privilege of getting to know. I take great pride in my ability to remember names & faces and it's wonderful to be able to keep in touch with some of my favourites via almighty Facebook. I miss my co-workers like crazy, especially since we've all spread out over the last year. While it could have been an awkward situation working with 5 women, Christina, Heidi, Jeanna, Jeannette, Nellie & I genuinely became friends and I feel so lucky to have met them.

Both positions required me to do what I could to help people better themselves by accomplishing personal goals and focusing outward in service. I didn't realize that when all was said and done, I would be the one bettering myself (a work in progress) and growing spiritually and emotionally and I'm forever grateful for the chance.

So there you have it! A tad mushy, I know. But summertime always makes us miss EFY and I wanted to celebrate the landmark of a year post-employment. And while I'm glad to have been able to serve as counselor and co-ordinator, I'm thrilled to bits with my current position. While I have to do a lot of kissing up...

...and my boss can be a bit of a diva at times...

...but a face like this makes all the unpaid overtime a little easier.

Showering Us with Love

Few things make you feel quite as loved as baby showers. I had two lovely sets of friends throw me baby showers here in Las Vegas. One caught me completely by surprise...until I ruined the surprise, that is. Before I left LLS, I was slated to attend two events with two of my favourite teams of marathon runners and triathletes. I spent Memorial Day weekend in Austin, TX at the Capital of Texas Triathlon, screaming myself horse and jumping as high as my expectant body would allow me to cheer on our participants who'd raised money for blood cancer. I did such a good job supporting them that I landed myself in bed with a terrible cold. The next night I helped with the Send Off for the next team heading for San Diego for the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon. Until the day before the flight, I was insistent that I attend to support the last team I had the privilege of recruiting and helping train and raise money. But I was sick as a dog and concerned for my health and the health of our baby, my manager insisted I stay. Heart. Broken. Adding insult to injury, I found out after the fact that the team had planned a surprise baby shower while we were there. Meaning, they had lugged presents, favours and supplies for decorating bibs - after Angie stayed up until the wee hours painstakingly applying TNT iron ons. Shoot. Talk about missing out.

A few weeks later I got a message from Angie asking me to lunch. She's amazing, so of course I wanted to meet up! That is, until things came up and got in the way and I asked her if we could move it.

"Well, we could, but I should let you know that 6 other participants (from L to R: Susan, Loree, Donni, Angie, Tami, Nikka & Jen) are coming to surprise you with the shower you missed out on," she told me, tentatively.

"I'll be there." And I was. It was SO sweet and I appreciated it SO much, even if I did nearly ruin everything.

 

My wonderful church friends, Hilary, Amy and Anna threw me a shower (not a surprise, so I didn't ruin it) on September 23rd, and it was gorgeous! 

Fall colours, which also happened to be my wedding colours - down to the food. We played games, I opened a plethora of presents and was so grateful for my friends who were so generous, despite being invited to baby showers every week. After attending so many, it was so nice to be the recipient.

 THANK YOU! From Michelle & Baby

I helped Light The Night!

Thank you so much to those who donated to my cause and helped me Light The Night yesterday. As a group, we raised over $100,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to continue researching to find cures for blood cancer and supporting those currently battling.
It was a great event, and all hands were on deck to keep Kristi (in charge of the WHOLE THING) breathing. We had a few episodes, but for the most part everything went smoothly.
One thing about working for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is that I have some of the best co-workers & friends a girl could ask for. They don't come sassier than this crew:
I got to chat with Brennen, one of our Honored Heroes for the event and learn all about Bakugan. He is one awesome kid, and among hundreds of thousands of children doing what they can to beat leukemia.
I did get a chance to have a little fun and took the tagline "Taking steps toward cures" literally and took my steps before everyone else there.
I was in charge of collecting on-site donations and running them between Registration and the Money Counting RV down the street. Fearing I wasn't tough enough to defend myself, I was paired with two security guards to accompany me on my journeys back & forth. Two retired cops from NY & NJ + Me = quite a few laughs. They let Jeanna & I take some pictures with them, but they refused to let us hold their guns, so we had to make do.
More than 1000 people came and walked 1.5 miles holding balloons: red for supporters, white for survivors and gold for those we've lost. What a sight!I got a balloon of my very own!
The Staff Team called ourselves The Cure Chasers. Day in and day out, no matter which program we run, we're fighting to find cures for blood cancer and after this weekend, we're $100,000 closer. Thanks for your help!
You may have noticed the intense editing on these pictures. I discovered a neat little program that will revolutionize the way I post pictures. Sorry to those of you with actual training enhancing pictures (ahem, Caroline) probably cringing at the overuse of effects. I had a little fun :)

I can talk the talk, but can I walk the walk?

The only reason I started to walk was because I saw a promise of food at the end:Well, now I've got a better reason to walk: the promise of a cure for blood cancers. You may have come here today looking for a laugh, but today I'm asking for your help...

As most of you know, I work for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and everyday I support and encourage participants in my program to raise funds for blood cancer research and patient support. Well, this is my chance to "walk the walk" and participate in our annual walk to raise money in support an amazing cause and I'm asking you to help me, please. Help me Light The Night!

Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's evening walk and fundraising event. It is the nation's night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of people battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost.

You can visit my personal fundraising site and donate online by clicking HERE, or pasting this address into your browser: http://pages.lightthenight.org/snv/LasVegas09/MRichards.

Our National Spokesperson, Tina Fey can tell you more:


The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) funds lifesaving research that has contributed to major advances in the treatment of blood cancers and treatments for other types of cancer, such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. These treatments have helped patients live better, longer lives. New targeted therapies that kill cancer cells without harming normal tissue are providing drugs and procedures that are improving quality of life.

Every 10 minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20*. Every penny counts, and a donation of any size would be appreciated to make sure kids like Kellen, who beat leukemia before his second birthday, have the opportunity to take their first steps.

Again, you can visit my personal fundraising site and donate online by clicking HERE, or pasting this address into your browser: http://pages.lightthenight.org/snv/LasVegas09/MRichards.

Please make a donation to support my participation in the Light The Night Walk and help save lives. Be sure to check my Web site frequently to see my progress.

Thanks for your support!

*Facts and statistics from Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma Facts 2009-2010

My job is killing me.

2:45 AM. That's what time my alarm went off yesterday morning...on purpose. Why, you ask? Because I live to work. My boss "volunteered" her staff to help at the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday (in addition to a regular work week, and after I had a work commitment on Saturday and another this coming Saturday). Having gotten lost more than a few times in a "new" city, I opted to drive my 3 co-workers so they could serve as navigators. However, that meant leaving my house at 3:15 AM. Ouch. We were responsible for the Mile 2 water stop, just in front of Caesar's Palace on The Strip. Let's just say I was slightly scandalized by the escapades witnessed on The Strip that early in the morning.
In keeping with its reputation, the Las Vegas marathon was a mess. All of the supplies were delivered at 4:30. We were told 4:00, but let's not get too nit picky. However, one integral piece of equipment didn't make it: TABLES. So in a scramble, we were emptying boxes and turning them over, forming makeshift tables that were just low enough to leave one's back in excruciating pain after pouring thousands of cups of water.Poor Christina and Kristi finally took to the streets, quite literally.I preferred sweeping garbage. Most of those running are very concerned with the amount of time it takes them to complete the race, so actually disposing of their waste was at the bottom of their list of priorities. Water cups, gel wrappers, gloves, sweaters and everything else was discarded on the street and I was responsible for sweeping, raking and shoveling it into the garbage. We were also conveniently located near a group of Porta Potties, outside which huge lines formed every few minutes. For some reason, no one took kindly to me asking them if they needed water - maybe because I followed it up with "Or is that the problem?" Cheeky monkey. Highlight #1: we were stationed right across from the Flamingo, featuring Donny & Marie. Do you think the rooms behind the legendary teeth cost more?
Highlight #2: working with some of my favourite people. I really do have awesome co-workers. We definitely missed Heidi, although she was on holiday and probably wasn't upset about missing this!
Highlight #3: The happy helpers. Believe it or not, we had more than 30 people volunteer to come and help us. Good people, every one.
The downside: This was me yesterday with 3 layers, 2 blankets and one wicked fever. I was sent home from work today, as my right lung is threatening to be coughed right up and I'm on the brink of exhaustion. I feel crummy!
If anyone knows of any open positions that won't require me to work Monday - Sunday, please let me know! (I'm not kidding.)

Cooking for the cause...

This evening I find myself in the kitchen baking for the second after-hours work function in two weeks for which no money has been allotted in our budget. Aah, the joys of non-profitness. We've opted to fund cancer research and support rather than buy quality refreshments for our participants, for better or worse. So what, pray tell will our poor participants be dining on tomorrow, courtesy of me? CAKE MIX COOKIES. That's right, cookies made from a cake mix. Here I am back in 2005, again, scrambling for an easy treat. Enter cherry chocolate chip cake mix cookies.

Upon discovering that I didn't have enough butter for something as sophisticated as banana bread or real cookies, and refusing to make a special trip to acquire said butter, I recalled my roommate's recipe for cookies from a cake mix. It changed my life. (1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs & cake mix - it will be pretty stoggy, but don't fear - ball them up and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes). Genius. I even had the foresight to make them from a chocolate cake mix, so you can't tell whether or not they're burnt. Dangerously low on chocolate chips, I proceeded to chop a giant Hershey bar I'd won at a recent church activity and made my own chocolate chunks. Last week I spent my Friday night chopping various vegetables to make my own vegetable trays and had Buddy arranging cracker trays for a Saturday event, as the pre-made ones were outside the confines of our allowances. You're probably thinking I'm pretty low budget. No, ladies and gentlemen. I'm NO budget. But don't start feeling too badly for these people; my manager went to culinary school, so her treats should be more impressive.
**If you'd like to learn more about what I do, please click here, and/or here. Saving lives, one mile (and homemade cookie) at a time.

I'm a 9 to 5er!

It's official. I'm bringing home the bacon...but not the good, expensive bacon. The cheap, discount bacon. That's right, I'm working non-profit. Having graduated in Marketing & Advertising and promptly moving to Sin City, I was justifiably apprehensive to seek out a career in such. (I looked at some "marketing" jobs and they required me to be hot, over 18 and walk around serving drinks and handing out fliers. 4 year degree for this?)So, I am working for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, coordinating their Team in Training Program, the #1 endurance training program in the nation. Nationwide, Team in Training has raised more than $850 million toward blood cancer research and local patient and family support. I am responsible for recruiting and arranging for people to run 1/2 and full marathons, complete triathlons or 100 mile bike rides for our cause. They raise funds and in exchange take advantage of expert coaching and mentoring, training for 4-5 months through our program (not to mention sweet hotel rooms and outrageous parties...I'm not in Utah anymore! I was offered tea, coffee, beer and hard liquor in a matter of seconds). We help them with fundraising too, giving them a website for online donations and pairing them with someone who has done it several times before.
One of the perks of my job (besides being able to go to bed knowing I'm doing something good and getting paid for it) is the travel. I just got back from Lake Tahoe, helping staff a Century Ride. (That's right, two weeks into the job I was on a business trip!) Upcoming destinations include Anchorage, San Francisco, San Antonio and Tucson. Not bad, huh? Here I am with the team the night before they all rode 1oo miles.I take care of logistics and arrangements, and on race day I'm responsible for taking care of any team member emergencies and cheering on the sidelines ("Go Team" comes out of my mouth, but all the while I'm thinking "You're crazy! 100 miles?!). Apparently I was more zealous in my cheering than they had expected, and they ended up laughing at me as they rode past. But I had the attitude that if I went back to work on Tuesday with a voice, I didn't do my job right. Still sounding a little hoarse, but it's all for a good cause, right?So I've been incredibly busy the last little while, taking trips, working 12 hour days and such, so I apologize for the lack of postage. But, please anticipate awesome posts about our recent cruise and our new condo (once it's clean I'll take pictures). Until then, take a look at the Team in Training website...http://www.teamintraining.org/

P.S. Mindy, please take me off your To Be Kicked List. My reasons are legit.