Hi!

Two years ago I moved down to Austin, TX and decided, for the first time in my life, to start running.  You may wonder who decides to become a "runner" in this kind of heat - there are plenty of days where I wonder the same thing!  I remember the day in October 2008 when I first ran more than 5 miles.  This sticks in my head, because it was only a short month before the first half marathon that I ran, the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll in November, 2008.  I was able to finish that first half with a reasonable time, good for my first try.  In January 2009 I picked up my training again and was able to shave 15 minutes off my time in my second half marathon, the Austin Half in February 2009.  I'm currently training for my third half, with a goal of finishing closer to 2 hours than 2-and-a-half.  I still feel like a novice, but I truly enjoy running - and Austin provides some wonderful trails and scenary to do so.

Now that I've proven to myself that I can do this, I've decided to commit my efforts to a greater cause.  I will be running in the 2nd annual San Antonio Rock 'n Roll half marathon on November 15th, 2009 and will be raising money for the Huntington's Disease Society of America.  Recently, Huntington's disease has become an important cause for me - it's been affecting the family of a very close friend of mine for many generations.  Huntington's is an inherited, progressively degenerative brain disorder that is currently affecting an estimated 30,000 Americans.  There are an additional 250,000 people at risk of inheriting the HD gene from a parent.  Symptoms for Huntington's disease generally present between the ages of 30 and 50, and progress for the next 10 to 25 years.  The disease results in a loss of both mental faculties and physical control, affecting the person's ability to think, speak and walk.  There is currently no cure for Huntington's, but research continues an attempt to uncover the causes so that we can conquer or slow it's progression.  Beyond just the patients, this is truly a disease that takes its toll on the entire family, as well.

As a graduate student my focus is on neuroimaging research in healthy aging, which I feel is important to be able to distinguish the differences due to pathological aging.  Being in this field I've had the opportunity to see first hand some of the research that goes into Huntington's work, and I truly believe that we can make great strides towards managing the symptoms of this heart-breaking disorder, and perhaps, one day, a cure.  The Huntington's Disease Society of America is a wonderful health agency that provides support and services to patients with HD and their families; your donatations will be going to a great organization. My fundraising goal is $1,000, and especially in these tougher economic times, every small bit really does help.  If you are unable to donate financially, please keep me (and my feet) in your thoughts as we try and complete race number three.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone's extreme generosity I was able to reach my initial goal of $1000 quite a bit earlier than expected.  I've upped the goal a little, in hopes of being able to raise even more for such a good cause.  Thank you to everyone who has made a difference, it means a lot to me!

Thank you for your continued support!

Jenni Pacheco