Inspired

My friend Alisha is such an inspiration to me.  She is dedicated to everything she puts her mind to.

Her Family:
She has two boys that adore her that she encourages to play sports, be active and be loving.  She's supportive of her husband and they work so well together as a team.

Her Church:
Alisha is involved in her church's orchestra, playing violin.  She puts countless hours in during Christmas for the huge Festival of Lights program.  Not only that she has practices during the week and plays every Sunday in the services.

Her Health:
This is where I am most inspired by Alisha.  This year she is running the Fifth Third River Bank Run.  Its the 35th year for the marathon and her 2nd time running it.  This year she was chosen to be a Road Warrior.  A Road Warrior is a representative of the race.  They not only train hard, but also spend many hours promoting it.  This is Alisha's application for becoming a Road Warrior:

I want to be a Fifth Third River Bank Road Warrior because I want to inspire.  I have been on a 13-year journey of health and wellness and I want to show others that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.  In 1998 I joined a weight loss program, tired of being the person I was, overweight and unhealthy and only 22 years old.  I weighed 240 pounds and over the course of 1 year I was able to lose 112 pounds with diet and exercise.  In the fall of 2009 I had a co-worker challenge me to run my first 5k.  And I thought to myself - run?  Are you kidding me?  I was still hanging on to baby weight that had me so out of shape there is no way I could do that.  I was never much of an avid exerciser, walking was pretty much all I was willing to do.  Hesitant at first, I started training for the 5K.  I'm proud to say that I successfully completed the Irish Jig 5k in 2009 and from that point on, I was hooked.  I instantly noticed changes in my physical health and wanted to keep pushing myself to new challenges.  Since then I have completed many 5K, 10ks, 2 half marathons, and in May of 2011, I ran the River Bank 25K!  Why choose me?  I want more!  Accomplishing the RBR 25k last year gave me more determination and motivation to reach higher.  Can I be faster?  Can I train harder?  Can I raise more money than last year for my charity?  Not only will this experience allow me the opportunity to achieve personal bests but also be an example for others.  I would be honored to represent the Fifth Third River Bank Run as a Road Warrior and lead others to achieve their goals.  

I am completely inspired by her dedication, her family's support and her positive attitude throughout this whole thing.  In fact, she has inspired me to set a goal for myself: 75 miles in 30 days.  Why am I telling you about this?

The charity Alisha is supporting is Gilda's Club of Grand Rapids.  Gilda's club is a free cancer support center. It was started by Gilda Radner, from Saturday Night Live, who faced cancer and joined a support group.  Her goal in starting Gilda's club was to give a place for everyone to find the support she had while facing cancer.

Alisha is almost to her goal of raising $1000.  I'm asking that you consider helping by clicking HERE then clicking on 'donate'.  You can give any amount you desire from $1 to the $210 needed to meet her goal.  Your donation is tax deductible.  Let's help Alisha support Gilda's Club and continue to inspire others to greatness.  

Me and Alisha at the
2012 Aveda Institutes' Pamper Yourself event
for the Fifth Third Riverbank Run.