The Journey Begins

I started training this week for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon that will take place on July 21st. More importantly, I began my training for this 13.1 mile race with Team Challenge - an endurance and fundraising program to benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) in supporting affected families and finding a cure.

This will be my first half marathon ever, and every week of my training will set a precedent for the longest distance I've run to date (which is currently 7 miles).

It has been a few weeks since I've been out running (the blizzard set me back a bit), but I laced up again this week and started my training. This week I took it a bit easy to help myself get back into the swing of things - I did 3 runs just under 3 miles for about 30 mins each. You can see my progress on my twitter feed in the right sidebar, or you can view my RunKeeper profile by clicking my weekly mileage total in the top right corner of my sidebar.

This morning I was supposed to join the rest of the team for our first group run, but it was a bit too far for me to travel, so I ran on my own for 30 mins.

I have set a goal of raising $4,500 to support the CCFA and would like to reach $3,000 before April 15th - please support me to reach this goal! You can make a secure online donation on my Team Challenge fundraising page, or you can send cash/checks directly to me. Please message/comment for offline donation information. Also, please ask about whether your company provides matching gifts.

I plan to use this blog to track my training, share about what a vegan eats while training for a half marathon, and to share my experiences about this physically and emotionally challenging experience. I hope you will continue to read my posts and follow me through this journey to Run for a Cure!

Thank you for your support in this incredible challenge!

xoxo
ashley

Crossing the finish line at the Tufts 10K for Women 2012 - my longest race yet!