Feeling Discouraged

I am feeling very discouraged about my participation in this years Breast Cancer 3-Day. This is an event that I really love and this will be my 5th year participating in some way. This year I decided to walk despite my health concerns. I have been training with a personal trainer and that has been going well. My walking isn't quite up to the mileage it needs to be but I will get there. It seems like I take one step forward only for something to come up and knock me back ten steps. I have had a few recent illnesses that have interferred with my training and that has been discouraging.

My main feelings of discontent surround fundraising. It's darn hard to raise $2300.00. In order to walk I have to raise a minimum of $2300.00. If I don't raise it I either don't walk or pay the difference myself. I started out pretty strong but things have really died off. I know the current state of the economy has impacted charitable giving and I am really feeling the pinch, it's hard when family member don't donate. I also feel badly for asking more than once. I hate asking for money even if it is for a good cause. I know that I hate getting bombarded by several requests for donations so I won't do that to people that I know. I feel like if someone wants to donate and I ask once then they will.

I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will be paying the majority of my participation fee myself this year and that this will be the last year that I walk. This is the choice that I made by not having a lot of joint fundraisers and by not participating with a large team that can handle pulling off large fundraisers. I am happy with my team size of 2. I feel badly that I have considered dropping out. I feel badly that I have not been as successful with my fundraising as I was the past few years. It actually makes me feel like a failure.