Let's get this blogging started right

Hi all, my name is Andy, and I've just begun training for the 2009 Boston Marathon which is something that I'm pretty excited about.  I'm blogging about it as a way for my family and friends to keep track of where I am in training and in my fundraising goals - both of which are critical and difficult things to undertake.  26 miles is a long way to run, and then they throw that last .2 miles in for good measure and it just about crushes any strength that you had left in your legs.  The Boston Marathon is an especially exclusive race to run, and if you don't qualify (which I haven't) then you have to enter as part of a charity team and raise money as your entry fee.

Running is hard, and training for a marathon is one of the hardest things I've ever done.  But if you're going to do something hard you might as well be doing it for some sort of good cause.  I'll be honest, I do get a good feeling out of running, but some days when it's cold, raining or snowing, that's not enough.  What makes it enough is that I'm doing it as part of a group of other runners like me all dedicated to the goals of finishing the race and raising money and awareness for the American Liver Foundation.  Liver disease is pretty scary and despite what many of us think, isn't limited to people who drink heavily, there are other forms of liver disease that can strike people who have never drank before.  In future posts I'll be telling you about a girl who got sick at age 7.  So, at this point if you're reading this you should consider yourself asked to make a donation to an important organization with the goal of curing all forms of liver disease, an organization that is well enough organized that it has a really good chance of succeeding in that goal, provided the correct support.  

So, in the future you'll be hearing more about the ALF, and I don't mean the puppet from the 80s TV show, and my training.  We're having an introduction to our long run program this saturday so look for an update about that.  

Thanks for reading this far, and I hope that you'll follow me on this long journey, and help me by making a donation, there's a link in the side bar.