Take 2

For those of you to whom I promised, "I just want to run one marathon to say that I did it-- I'm not crazy enough to do that more than once!" I owe an apology. I lied. I just had too much fun the first time around (see my post from a few days after the marathon as evidence... I promise I haven't just put on the rose colored glasses now!). After a fiasco of a registration process, I was lucky enough to "win" an entry to the 2013 Chicago Marathon; I just hope the next time I win a "lottery" it means that I've won money, not that I have to pay a large sum of money (and in order to run 26.2 miles, to boot!).

And as I brace myself for the long runs in the summer heat and humidity, the crack-of-dawn Saturday alarms, and the aches and pains, I am constantly reminded that the over 450 miles of training are well worth it when put in perspective of the cause I'm running for-- Taller de Jose. If you've found this blog then you likely know me or a little bit about Taller de Jose already, so I'll try not to be too repetitive about what I've already written. Just briefly,  Taller De Jose is an agency that offers companionship and personal attention to people who have difficulty finding their way in a complex social system. Rather than duplicate existing services, we seek to collaborate with other agencies to make social services more accessible to a population in need. Each staff member, compenera/o, is trained to listen to clients to assess the services they need and then accompany them in the process of finding those resources. 

Since my last posts, Taller has continued to see record numbers of clients and partner with other agencies in the process of accompanying these clients. Here's a brief snapshot of who Taller serves:

I'm officially a week and half into training and I'm quickly being reminded that I can't do this alone. I have the support of an awesome running partner who will be doing most of the training with me-- despite the fact that she won't actually be running the marathon herself!--but I also need all the additional moral support I can get.  The prayers and encouragement I received from family and friends last year made all the difference. If you are also able to financially support Taller de Jose, you can do so by donating at GiveCentral. My goal this year is $1000 and no amount is too small to help me reach that! Fundraising is a lot like marathon running and accompanying clients-- sometimes the big picture can be overwhelming, but it's all about taking it one step at a time and asking for help along the way. 

I'll be back with more posts about my experiences at Taller, but in the meantime, let me know if you have any questions and thank you again for your support!