So this week began the "official" start of my training for "justice", although I think I have been training and working for "justice" for years.
This time though is different as this is about the Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia (BABSEA) Trio for Justice Run that will begin with me running in the New York Marathon on November 1st and then shift back to Thailand for a weekend of social justice awareness raising activities as well as a 10km fun bike ride on November 21st and then a 1/2 Marathon/Relay and 10km run on November 22nd, outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We at BABSEA are using these events to highlight the varied and numerous legal and human rights related activities we are involved in throughout the Southeast Asia region. In addition, we are also hoping to raise some core financial support to permit us to pay our electric bills, daily expenses and the costs for our and our partner projects to keep doing the oh so important work that we do.
Having been consumed with way too much work, too many responsibilities and not enough personal fitness time, I have spent the past month trying to get my self and my body in order and balance to just begin an 18 week concentrated training. I had achieved some level of success and now I have an entire office watching over me, making sure I keep "plugging away" and sticking to my routine.
I am incredibly excited about this challenge. Having run my first marathon 3 years back, in Philadelphia, and living that moment of crossing the finish line, I am now relishing the long coveted experience of participating in the New York Marathon, a city I grew up in, and then bringing back the awareness to Southeast Asia.
I have pledged that the next 18 weeks will be filled with my training and training hard. I also know that this will occur in a multi-tude of countries in this region and internationally. In fact just last week I did some of my preliminary running in Hungary, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. (of course I only stepped 3 feet into Belgium and the Netherlands as I was at the border of where Germany met with these other two countries)
Anyway, I am very hopeful that many of you will follow my training, as I globe trot, and you will fill me with inspiration and work with us at BABSEA to continue to swell the ranks of the supporters, volunteers, interns and key team members who all make up the BABSEA Family.
I thank all of you in advance and "see ya at the start and finish line".
Smiles and hugs
