It's Time to Bring in the $$$

OK! It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Your first opportunity to give to Race for the Kid.

As you know, Daniel and I are running the California International Marathon to raise money for our friends Mark and Becky's adoption. They are currently in the process of bringing home a baby boy from Ethiopia. To read more about their story check out our first post, The Scoop, or check out Becky's blog.

We're offering a little incentive right now. Mark and Becky designed some reusable shopping bags a while back. The first 15 people to make a $25 donation to Race for the Kid will receive a bag for free. If you do make a donation and do not life in the Rocklin/Roseville, please include a shipping address for the bag.

So let's do this! Checks can be made out to Stephanie Murrow and be mailed to the following address:

Stephanie Murrow

333 Sunset Blvd #369

Rocklin, CA 95765

Racing for the Kid,

Steph

Today's Piece of Humble Pie

Readers,

When I decided to train for the CIM, I was excited for the way it would affect my body. Honestly, I was excited to get... tiny. You've seen marathon runners. They are muscular little sticks! I envisioned these women:

In the interest of modesty, I won't go into too much detail about how these women's bodies are not like mine, but I'll tell you that training for one marathon does not make you look like them. All it has really done to me has made my quadriceps HUGE! HUGE! And because of this, I can only wear like 3 out of my 6 pairs of jeans. I am training for a marathon and I cannot fit into half of my jeans because my thighs are huge! Doesn't that sound ridiculous. I thought so too.

So I'm humbled. I'm not doing this for my own vanity.

I'm happy and thankful for what my body does for me. I ran 10 miles last saturday! TEN! And if all goes well, I'll be a marathon finisher in in 2 month and 6 days and hopefully we'll have raised some money to bring a little guy home to his new parents. I guess I can handle only being able to wear half of my pairs of pants for the next few months.

Racing for the kid,

Stephanie

Long distance relationships.

I know that Steph posted yesterday, but I think that two posts to celebrate the first success of a Saturday is well deserved.

Our run yesterday, which was supposed to be 4-5 miles, ended up being the best run yet. Recently our runs begins with a text message from the other person saying something like, "Morning! We're running (insert number of miles). Love you." Usually, its Steph that texts me and usually she has already finished her run. Which means that I'm in bed and have to make a decision: to get up and run or sleep in.

Usually its an internal struggle to decide.

Yesterday, however, was different. Steph sent me another text that read, "Morning! I ran four miles and didn't stop once. I don't remember the last time I did that!" Who wouldn't want to run with that kind of achievement?

That text message did it. I got my butt of out bed: put on my running get up, tied my shoes, headbanded my head and started my iPod. I ran, successfully, I might add 4 1/2 miles and only stopped to stretch twice. I know, this doesn't seem like very much in retrospect to the 26.2 miles that we have to run December. But like any important cliche says, a journey starts with a step and you can't run a race sitting down.

There are always going to be personal achievements in the training. It starts with the decision, the registration, the training, the marathoning and finally that sticker that you can put on your car. Within this arc are the little things that make it worth the struggle, and at times, misery. For me its every morning getting a text Message from Steph telling me what we're running, because we're doing it together. There is distance in this training that I haven't really realized. Steph and I registered together 400 miles apart on Skype. We started training separately. Even who and what we're running for involves state and continental distances. This is who you know when something important is happening, when you are able to struggle through the long distances because you that there is a relationship vibrating from yourself, to your running partner, to your new friends in Colorado and that special baby boy in Africa.

Its simple, but not easy. We just have to run, but it takes a lot of work.

Daniel

Up and Running

Hey!

We have officially started training! We are a week into our running schedule. This is a link to the schedule we choose if you are interested.

This week was... good. It was hard sometimes, but it was really good sometimes too.

It's crazy to think that, if all goes well, in less than four months I will be done with this and be a marathon finisher. It's crazy to think that running four miles this morning is the start of what is going to get me to the finish life. I think about crossing the finish line probably at least five times per run. I keep imagining what it will feel like. I cannot imagine. I cannot wait!

This morning, I had a particularly awesome run. When I woke up, the sun was still low on the horizon and the clouds were beautiful. As the sun rose it became more and more magnificent. I love being outside. I love running outside. Mmm...

I don't really know what to write. I feel a little scattered. But I wanted to give everyone a wee update since it's been a while. We're still here. We're still running.

Racing for the Kid,

Stephanie

The Scoop

This is our story (by Steph):

It's January 1, 2010. I am home in Colorado for winter break. Daniel is home in California. From more than a thousand miles away we come up with the same New Year's resolution: to run a marathon. We got off to a slow start. I was running a little, but Daniel didn't have any running shoes. I eventually convinced him that it was high time he finally invest in some shoes and start running with me. It worked because he likes spending time with me... and wanted to run a marathon.

On Tuesday, July 13th at 2:30pm, Daniel and I officially paid and registered for the California International Marathon. It was a big moment and it was really scary. I think the only thing that would be harder for me than finishing a marathon would be NOT finishing. Once you commit, you either succeed or fail; there is no in between. We can't even get a refund!

Daniel and I not only decided to run a marathon, we also decided to use the marathon to raise money for a worthy cause. It took a lot of though and prayer--there are a LOT of needs and worthy causes out there. One cause though, rose to the surface in my mind.

This is their story (by Becky):

Mark and I met in high school, dated for five years, and got married in March of 2003. We spent the next 6 years LOVING marriage...and constantly answering the question "So when are you going to have a baby?"

Meanwhile, a passion was growing in our hearts.

Sometime in late 2008, we began to agree that it was time to start a family. However, our hearts were not intent on having a baby. After years of dreaming, praying, researching, and learning, we knew that our first child would be adopted.

In May of 2009, we began the process of pursuing a baby boy from Ethiopia. We also began answering the question, "Why adoption?"

This is a tough question for us to answer. But you see, there are children, all over the world, living with no parents. NO PARENTS. What must life be like as an infant, a two-year-old, a 10-year-old, with no one to call "mom." What is it like when no one rocks you to sleep...or brushes your hair...or bakes you a birthday cake?

None of us can even begin to imagine what these children, and their communities, are facing. The obstacles. The grief. The hopelessness. The extreme challenges of being a child with no family. Of being a community with no parenting adults.

So, perhaps, the easiest answer that we can give is that we can't imagine NOT adopting. We are compelled and called and MUST do it.

In April 2010, we completed the last piece of paperwork and are now waiting to be matched with a child - the child that God has already chosen for us.

Thank you so much for supporting Stephanie and Daniel - and for supporting us. We will not ever be able to fully express our gratitude for them and for you.

This is how our stories crossed paths:

I got to know Becky when she coached my volleyball team when I was in eighth grade. Her sister, Emily, played with me. Our families went to the same school and church for a while when I was younger.

One day about a year-and-a-half ago, my mom told me that Becky and Mark were adopting and had a blog about it. I read about their story and was very inspired. I have been following the story ever since via Becky's blog.

Racing for the Kid,

Steph