Raising money for Arthritis Research doesn’t get more fun than this!  M2M co-star, Sarah Hyde, picks up the pink bandanna and gets down.

But wait-before I post the video here’s a pop-up insider-tidbit for ya: I put the call out to all the community dancers to meet at a specific time at a specific place. As the date drew closer I got worried: it seemed like no one could make it.

Did I have enough guts to dance alone?

The morning of the big meet-up, I put on my sweats and carried my flourescent posters to the beach. I got some songs cued on my ipod and tried to psyche myself up.

I waited. 45 minutes went by.

I vacillated between worry and wonder, marveling at all the dogs and do-gooders jogging by and worrying about the task at hand. The potential-solo dance routine.  I contemplated asking a group of drunk beach-goers if they’d be interested in dancing in a video with me (it was the first summery-sunny day of the year, I don’t blame them one ounce for being tipsy and loud by noon) but figured that wouldn’t look good for The Arthritis Society if someone barfed during the running man or worse, fell over. When I was about to conclude that maybe dancing for change wasn’t the best fundraising tactic,  bike wheels flashed by and stopped to my right. A familiar voice, said, “hey, I’m here”.  Radio personality, volunteer extraordinaire, playwrite and regular karokee’r Sarah Hyde came in from Merritt. She was in her sweats and ready to rock. She had to leave in exactly one hour to lead a youth camp. She didn’t ask where everyone else was. She just danced.

We didn’t raise any money that day (I think we could have danced naked and people would have been too interested in chilling out with the sun, it was such a nice day) but I got a gift worth more than uranium in New Brunswick, I got a friend’s kindness.

(And also to see a funny little pug named Mason run free as a bird down the beach, snort-chortling, his little paws like wings).

In the elusive pursuit of the marathon conquest, Jordan and I are somewhere between ‘is-that-a-glimmer-of-light-on-the-dark-dark-horizon-or-is-that-a-drop-of-sweat-on-my-eye-glasses?’ and ‘we’re-doing-this-and-it’s-going-to-be-awesome.’

Jordan is closer to the latter sentiment and I’m kinda checking out my sweaty glasses.

But as of today, we are now running 12 minutes at time/walk 1 minute/4xs in a row. This is huge. Although, it doesn’t quite measure 10km on a roadway, (and yup, we’re signed up to run 42km continuously),  it measures miles upon miles of progress in our 8 months of heaving our butts of our butt-enticing couch, putting our books down and getting outside. There were times when I thought I was going to have an asthma attack after running 2 minutes. And I’m only being half-dramatic. I literally would cough & cough and feel my throat turn into the size of a cocktail straw and who the heck can drink out of those things anyway? I remember asking Jordan tersely, “time?” every 5 seconds, not having the breath or gusto to say out loud a full polite sentence such as: “Jordan, could you please tell me the time we have left on the stopwatch, thanks, baby!”

Nope!  He’d get an angry or breathless or tired or tense one word command: “time?” I thought that by willing the 2.5 minutes to be over, it would be.

It really doesn’t work that way.

And I’m so grateful to find that out.

I really really hoped training for a marathon would increase my lung capacity and help me drop a few pounds from my huggable hips but I had no idea I’d be growing some patience, and heck, even compassion for my annoying non-running running self. I now try to challenge myself not to ask Jordan what time is left on the stopwatch anymore, unless of course we’re going up hill, then I ask every 2 seconds-  I mean, I’m not superhuman.

The fact that we’re running 12 minutes at a time feels like a great accomplishment. One I wouldn’t think was possible 8 months ago. So, maybe other things are possible too, like completing 5 hours of running, even if it’s 12 minutes at a time.

And of course with committing to run 42km, we’ve also committed to raise $13 000 for the Arthritis Society. And we’re at 23% of our goal right now! Thanks largely to friends, family members and workplace families. (I can’t say how many times I feel like Michael Scott as I learn to run and fundraise) haha.  But we definitely need help raising the last 10-grand.

And holy crap, $10 000 seems like a HUGE number, (did someone say recession?) but so did the number 12 (did someone say never-been-able-to-run-in-my-life?) when it came to running it in minutes. And the number 12 is not that bad, then maybe the number 10 000 ain’t either especially if you’ve got some fun events planned.

And we do!

Thanks to the White Stripes and B-side entertainment!

Our first *big* fundraiser is on March 27th (1:30pm) at Pacific Cinematheque theatre on 1131 Howe Street in Vancouver… a screening of the White Stripes Under The Great White Northern Lights documentary. Expect 100% rock n roll with a good chance of a of scissor kick or two.

We’ve even got a PG rating from Consumer Protection BC ready to post, some swirly candy and tickets!  You can get a ticket or three for 10 bucks a pop at Zulu Records on West 4th Ave.

The event is set to rock.

All we need is you.

Alright, with all the baking talk I fear you may think I have ditched Jordan and I’s Fundraising and training goals and pulled up a permanent seat at the oven.

While it’s true I’m mowing down a lot of goodies lately it is also true that I’m still keeping up the running.

And am starting to look forward to running longer periods of time….maybe even the marathon we plan on running in October.

We start the 8-minute trials this week, running for eight, walking one minute, repeat six times.

But today was the last of our run for 7-minutes, walk for 2, six times. Here are a few pictures from our jog at lunch.

(Notice Jordan has a very stylin’ runner’s jacket and new sneakers. Since getting the new sneakers his right hip feels less like 90 years old and more like 50. But when it’s this gorgeous outside a 50 year old hip feels a lot like 10).

It’s a tough sell to get up two hours early when it’s pitch black outside and icy.  But every time we do it, we see people in full regalia spandex cheerfully puffing along with dogs, with headphones or  just with their sweet sweet breath making clouds of exhaust in front of them.

And as the saying goes, if they can do it, so can we.

What the heck am I talking about? Well, Jordan and I are training for a marathon.

We are raising cashola for arthritis research as a part of the BC/Yukon Joints in Motion team. We plan on running 42k Halloween 2010 in Greece. (You’d think that would be enough motivation right there to get off the couch. Well, it was enough motivation in August!) Now that it’s a bit more bleak outside, it’s way easier to think of Greece while dreaming…in bed…

So, the update:  right now we’re three months into lifting our heavy butts off the couch and jogging 7km 3x’s a week. We’ve also raised a brand new total of $1747.28!!! Woohoo!

Only $11 252.72 and 35 km to go! haha.

I know at some point it’s going to get easier. I’m really looking forward to that runner’s high!

But  before I make it all sound tough, there have been a few break-through moments. I’m going to put my journalistic prowess at work and grill Jordan, my- better-running-half, on the positives he’s noticed so far.