Tutus for Tanner - Let's Do Some Good, People

I may have mentioned, in passing, at some point, that I'm running a 5k in August while I'm at the BlogHer conference.

Did I mention I'm doing it in a Tutu?

My good friend Heather got me all excited about running a 5k the morning before the conference.   She had all kinds of very sound arguments - it's for a good cause, raises money and awareness for Muscular Dystrophy, it's a great way to top off your weight loss, it will be a great ice breaker to run with the other bloggers.

I'm not a runner.   I'll run if you chase me with an axe, but my preferred method of exercise is to walk as quickly as I can, uphill, on a treadmill.  Or outside, where I do that ridiculous marching-duck-walk kind of thing - walking as fast I can without actually running.   I really hate running.

But I'm not one to say no to, well, anything.    It's something I'm working on, this "NO" thing.    Besides, it does sound like fun, and who knows?   I'll weigh about 35 lbs less than I did four months ago, so maybe I won't need to hire an axe murderer to get my butt in gear.

After she got my consent, she had one more tidbit to add.   "Oh, yeah," she said, like she just remembered.   "And you have to wear a Tutu."

That, my friends, totally sealed the deal for me.   I'm fairly sure I will not get the opportunity to run down the middle of the street in New York wearing a Tutu again in my lifetime.   That is, if I manage to stay sober.

But - really, truly, in all seriousness - it IS for a good cause.    To learn more about Tanner, go to Her Bad Mother's blog and read all about him.      He is an 8 year old boy with a huge heart and even more courage.   I can't do it justice here, so please go find out more.

I don't even know when the phenomenon of wearing Tutus to honor Tanner started - but I know it happens all over the country, raising money and awareness to fight Muscular Dystrophy.

One of my all time favorite bad-ass bloggers, Black Hockey Jesus, is putting his own unique spin on the 5k in New York.    Anyone who reads BHJ knows that he wouldn't just run this race any old way.    

He is going to run the 5k as many times as he can, over and over, and he's accepting pledges of any denomination on his blog - each donatation is good toward one 5k.   For example, if you donate $5 and he runs the 5k four times, your donation would be $20.  

He's inspired me in my weight loss journey, BHJ has, although he isn't one to want the recognition or praise.   If you don't know about the 365 BHJ Fitness Regime already, I'll explain it to you.   It's quite simple - on New Year's Day this year he decided he'd had enough of his gut hanging over his belt and decided to run at least a mile every single day this year.   Did I mention he likes to do things in his own unique way?

Since New Year's day he has run way more than a mile a day - although it started out that way - in any weather, at any time of day, no matter what.     He's lost a boatload of weight, but that was only kind of the point, I think.   He writes about liking to push his limits, challenge himself, find out what he's made of.

I understand that.

Now, I'm not crazy enough to run at ALL, let alone every day, but I admired his determination and spirit.   He's collected quite a few fellow runners along the way, kind of like a virtual Forrest Gump.   If Forrest Gump swore a lot.   As far as I'm concerned they're all nuts, but as I munched on my Doritos and read about his fitness journey, I was inspired despite myself.    

So BHJ running the 5k as many times as he can to raise money for Tutus for Tanner is the perfect fit - crazy, but with heart.   Because he has a heart, even though you have to sift through a lot of  F-bombs to find it.    It's a big part of why I love his blog so much.   He pushes limits, does things with language that boggle my mind, says so many things that ping around in my head and my heart but I don't have the guts to say them.   And he helps people.   He pisses off as many people as he helps, but by my way of thinking the people he pisses off are allergic to the truth.

All the blabbering on is leading to my point - please donate what you can to raise money for this worthy cause.  If you don't want to pledge on his blog, I've put the widget on the right hand side of my blog where you can make a one-time donation. Any amount helps.

I'm not going to try and raise money myself - it will be a miracle if I finish the damn race.   But I'll be out there in a Tutu and a smile.    And I'll post pictures, I think.  

And BHJ will be wearing a Tutu as well.  A black one.   Because that is so, like, edgy.