If you're reading this and you've supported me in any way (financial, emotional, or otherwise) - THANK YOU!! This is a big thing I'm doing here, and it's challenging in just about every way imaginable. Your support, and the stories I hear about peoples' personal experience with cancer, get me out the door every day and doing things I never thought I could do. (See the rambling post below.)
As of right now, I've raised $925 - 22% of my goal! Awesome progress so far, but I know we can all do more! Some ideas coming up include two big events:
1. A "Playing for the Cure" party at our house in New Hampshire (drop me a line if you want more info!)
2. A "Gadgets for the Cure" drive - you get to get rid of old unwanted electronics, we send them to be reused or recycled, they give us money toward the cause!
Any other fundraising ideas are welcome--what's worked for you?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Time Flies...And So Do I!
So much training (and fundraising), so little time. Good news, though: I've definitely turned a corner with my training, and I'm feeling REALLY good about where I'm at. I'm consistently getting faster and stronger, and on Saturday, we got thisclose to 10 miles. Our TNT coach is always looking for a way to challenge the small group of marathoners on our team--this week, the method was "creative rounding". On the schedule for Saturday's long run: 9 miles. We're ramping up the mileage about a mile a week, and since my race is three weeks after everyone else's (San Diego at the beginning of June), I'm actually ahead of my own training schedule by a week. Our coach planned a great route around Manchester--down by the minor-league baseball stadium, over a footbridge across the Merrimack River, around some of the more historic areas of the Queen City (I'm still not sure why it's called that - ideas are welcome). It felt a little long, but we kept going, and I even picked up the pace a bit for the last two miles or so. When we got back, the GPS read 9.91 miles! (I should have run around the college campus where we meet to make it an even ten!)
Today FINALLY brought the weather we can expect during spring (one of my favorite times of year in New England) - sunny, low 50's, beautiful. Especially after the washout last weekend, I was ready to get outside and go hard. My goal was to run 800-meter repeats (2 laps on a track) in about 3:40 - which, according to various race calculators I've found, gets me to a three-and-a-half-hour marathon (my current goal). I went under that and then some: 3:25, 3:33, 3:28, 3:21! That and a jog to and from the track, and I logged a little over 5 miles--a good day indeed!
Stay tuned for a fundraising update!
Today FINALLY brought the weather we can expect during spring (one of my favorite times of year in New England) - sunny, low 50's, beautiful. Especially after the washout last weekend, I was ready to get outside and go hard. My goal was to run 800-meter repeats (2 laps on a track) in about 3:40 - which, according to various race calculators I've found, gets me to a three-and-a-half-hour marathon (my current goal). I went under that and then some: 3:25, 3:33, 3:28, 3:21! That and a jog to and from the track, and I logged a little over 5 miles--a good day indeed!
Stay tuned for a fundraising update!
Monday, March 1, 2010
GOALS!!
In school recently, we've been working with our advisory groups to help them set goals for their high school career. (As a brand-new high school, we're emphasizing a small-group approach from day one--really good to build comfort with a new situation.) It's gotten me thinking about what I hope to get out of this whole running thing. So here goes......
MY GOALS!
- A 3:30 marathon (8 minute miles? Stranger things have happened)
- A half-marathon PR (under 1:41 - my next chance is in May!)
- Run races for fun and charity (read: don't take myself so seriously)
- Maintain my weight around 150 lbs (I'm down 5 from my post-holiday high of 165)
- Get more energy to do my job better than I do now
- Make staying healthy a priority
- Make new friends through running (already started on that!)
What are you hoping to get out of running (or whatever it is you find important)?
MY GOALS!
- A 3:30 marathon (8 minute miles? Stranger things have happened)
- A half-marathon PR (under 1:41 - my next chance is in May!)
- Run races for fun and charity (read: don't take myself so seriously)
- Maintain my weight around 150 lbs (I'm down 5 from my post-holiday high of 165)
- Get more energy to do my job better than I do now
- Make staying healthy a priority
- Make new friends through running (already started on that!)
What are you hoping to get out of running (or whatever it is you find important)?
With Both Feet (and One Slightly Gimpy Hip)
Last week's running: 21 miles
Fundraising total as of 3/1: $600 (and holding--my massive letter-writing campaign kicks into gear next week!)
So if you know me (and you do), you know that I have a hard time doing anything halfway. I leave the country for the first time and live in Africa for two years. I have a tender moment with a baby chick and give up meat for 2.5 years. I meet a girl and move to Memphis with her (and marry her, obviously). You get the idea.
Now that I've decided to semi-retire from soccer and get into running a little more seriously, I've jumped in with both feet. I've logged quite a few miles since I got back in the game (75 last month), some at a pretty accelerated pace (got my first run under 8 min/mile last week!) and for the most part my body's responded well--I haven't found that I've lacked energy or had too many injury issues during the runs themselves.
Well, wouldn't you know it, it's caught up to me a little bit. In last week's storm (the one that knocked out power to a good chunk of NH and made Saturday's long run, well, a ton of fun), I figured that my gym would be closed for my usual Friday cross-training, so I decided to go out on a relatively easy run--4 miles, pretty light, no big deal. Later on that day, my hip started to flare up a little bit. I got through Saturday's 7 miles fine, but it's definitely a reminder that (a) running a marathon doesn't happen overnight and (b) I'm not 18 anymore. My 30-something body, as healthy as it seems to be most of the time, doesn't recover like it used to, so I've gotta scale back a little bit if that's what my body's telling me.
So tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll mix it up a bit. We'll start with an easy mile to warmup (on the treadmill--nice, flat surface), then play in the student-faculty basketball game (where I'm at least good for running up and down the court). Then we'll see how it goes from there. This definitely isn't a deal-breaker, but definitely a helpful reminder to chill out a bit.
Fundraising total as of 3/1: $600 (and holding--my massive letter-writing campaign kicks into gear next week!)
So if you know me (and you do), you know that I have a hard time doing anything halfway. I leave the country for the first time and live in Africa for two years. I have a tender moment with a baby chick and give up meat for 2.5 years. I meet a girl and move to Memphis with her (and marry her, obviously). You get the idea.
Now that I've decided to semi-retire from soccer and get into running a little more seriously, I've jumped in with both feet. I've logged quite a few miles since I got back in the game (75 last month), some at a pretty accelerated pace (got my first run under 8 min/mile last week!) and for the most part my body's responded well--I haven't found that I've lacked energy or had too many injury issues during the runs themselves.
Well, wouldn't you know it, it's caught up to me a little bit. In last week's storm (the one that knocked out power to a good chunk of NH and made Saturday's long run, well, a ton of fun), I figured that my gym would be closed for my usual Friday cross-training, so I decided to go out on a relatively easy run--4 miles, pretty light, no big deal. Later on that day, my hip started to flare up a little bit. I got through Saturday's 7 miles fine, but it's definitely a reminder that (a) running a marathon doesn't happen overnight and (b) I'm not 18 anymore. My 30-something body, as healthy as it seems to be most of the time, doesn't recover like it used to, so I've gotta scale back a little bit if that's what my body's telling me.
So tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll mix it up a bit. We'll start with an easy mile to warmup (on the treadmill--nice, flat surface), then play in the student-faculty basketball game (where I'm at least good for running up and down the court). Then we'll see how it goes from there. This definitely isn't a deal-breaker, but definitely a helpful reminder to chill out a bit.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Back in the Saddle
I debated whether or not to actually go through with this blog. Would I have time to keep up with all the training and fundraising? Would anyone care? Well, I decided that, if nothing else, writing a blog entry every so often will keep me motivated and allow me to get the thoughts in my head out on a page.
Since we last met (I'm pretending that someone's actually read the blog since my first posts), I've started training in earnest with TNT. It's gone well so far--so well, in fact, that I'm concerned I might get a little carried away. But I'm able to go almost 7 miles at a pretty decent pace (close to what I want to run in my marathon in June), and everything feels really good. I've dropped four pounds or so, I've got more energy to deal with things at school and at home (most of which are incredibly good), and I'm feeling like I've got a decent shot at fulfilling my goals. Speaking of which:
MY GOALS!!
3:30 marathon (a stretch, but 11 minutes faster than what I ran in my first marathon, when I was a lot dumber and more single)
A bunch of other races, hopefully Personal Records (PRs) - I'm thinking I'd like to beat my 1:41 half-marathon time in May
Drop down to at least 155 pounds (I'm 161-ish now)
Fit in the training and still be good at my job and have a life (probably my biggest challenge)
Have fun! (I'm not worried about this part)
I realized when I got back into running that, more than just about anything, running empowers me, makes me feel like I can actually pull off all the stuff I need to accomplish in my life. My life's been exciting the last few years, but my health's definitely taken a back seat. Now, I'm trying to strike a balance between taking care of others (students, pets, my wife--although, really, she takes care of me--and people fighting blood cancers) and taking care of myself. If anyone figures out exactly how to pull that off, let me know.
Bedtime--out for 5.75 in the morning!
Since we last met (I'm pretending that someone's actually read the blog since my first posts), I've started training in earnest with TNT. It's gone well so far--so well, in fact, that I'm concerned I might get a little carried away. But I'm able to go almost 7 miles at a pretty decent pace (close to what I want to run in my marathon in June), and everything feels really good. I've dropped four pounds or so, I've got more energy to deal with things at school and at home (most of which are incredibly good), and I'm feeling like I've got a decent shot at fulfilling my goals. Speaking of which:
MY GOALS!!
3:30 marathon (a stretch, but 11 minutes faster than what I ran in my first marathon, when I was a lot dumber and more single)
A bunch of other races, hopefully Personal Records (PRs) - I'm thinking I'd like to beat my 1:41 half-marathon time in May
Drop down to at least 155 pounds (I'm 161-ish now)
Fit in the training and still be good at my job and have a life (probably my biggest challenge)
Have fun! (I'm not worried about this part)
I realized when I got back into running that, more than just about anything, running empowers me, makes me feel like I can actually pull off all the stuff I need to accomplish in my life. My life's been exciting the last few years, but my health's definitely taken a back seat. Now, I'm trying to strike a balance between taking care of others (students, pets, my wife--although, really, she takes care of me--and people fighting blood cancers) and taking care of myself. If anyone figures out exactly how to pull that off, let me know.
Bedtime--out for 5.75 in the morning!
Monday, February 1, 2010
About the Blog
Just to let you know, there's a bunch of things you can look at here (yay! toys!) on the right side of this page:
- I'm tracking my latest workouts through a GREAT, user-friendly website called runningahead.com--so you can see just how crazy I am. I've also put a link to my online training log in the "Links" section.
- Also, in the Links section, you'll find a link to my fundraising page--that's really the important part of what I'm doing. I'm raising $4300 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and 75% of that money goes directly to research, patient care and the other fantastic things they do. Check it out as time goes on--I'm hoping to blow away that fundraising goal!
- I'm tracking my latest workouts through a GREAT, user-friendly website called runningahead.com--so you can see just how crazy I am. I've also put a link to my online training log in the "Links" section.
- Also, in the Links section, you'll find a link to my fundraising page--that's really the important part of what I'm doing. I'm raising $4300 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and 75% of that money goes directly to research, patient care and the other fantastic things they do. Check it out as time goes on--I'm hoping to blow away that fundraising goal!
Gotta Start Somewhere....
Hey everyone--
If you're reading this, you probably already know me and what I'm about. This blog is one way for me to keep folks updated as I train for the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon on June 26. But first, a little backstory:
Back at the end of 2002, I came back from my stint in Kenya as a Peace Corps Volunteer in fantastic shape physically (a little over 140 lbs., vegetarian, generally in great health), but a lot of friends had moved away and had their own things going. So I decided to sign up to run a marathon in the hopes of meeting people and staying in shape. Both worked pretty well--I finished the marathon in good time (3:41:42), and I met the woman I would later marry.
So here it is, 2010. I'm older, heavier (about 20 lbs., to be exact), a fairly serious carnivore (still no red meat, but it's hard to avoid meat in Memphis), and back at it again. This time, it's mostly just for me--everything else is great in my life, I want to get control back over the physical end of things. But I had such a great experience with Team in Training the first time around that I joined up again--and while I'm training for my marathon, I'll be raising money ($4300, to be exact) to fund the great work done by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So here we go!
If you're reading this, you probably already know me and what I'm about. This blog is one way for me to keep folks updated as I train for the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon on June 26. But first, a little backstory:
Back at the end of 2002, I came back from my stint in Kenya as a Peace Corps Volunteer in fantastic shape physically (a little over 140 lbs., vegetarian, generally in great health), but a lot of friends had moved away and had their own things going. So I decided to sign up to run a marathon in the hopes of meeting people and staying in shape. Both worked pretty well--I finished the marathon in good time (3:41:42), and I met the woman I would later marry.
So here it is, 2010. I'm older, heavier (about 20 lbs., to be exact), a fairly serious carnivore (still no red meat, but it's hard to avoid meat in Memphis), and back at it again. This time, it's mostly just for me--everything else is great in my life, I want to get control back over the physical end of things. But I had such a great experience with Team in Training the first time around that I joined up again--and while I'm training for my marathon, I'll be raising money ($4300, to be exact) to fund the great work done by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So here we go!
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