Over $5000 !

Hooray to all those who have generously donated to JDRF in support of the 30-hour run!  Together, we have put together over $5000 in contributions.  Thank you all so very much!
This last weekend was pretty exciting in Ridgway.  A smaller crowd than usual gathered downtown for the start of the run.  We set out on the roads on an absolutely perfect day for running.  Cool air, not too sunny or windy, and low key for most of us.  The people of Ridgway came out to cheer and support friends and strangers alike.  The road portion of the course is nice because of the varied terrain, but the real joy comes in the second half while running the rail-trail that follows the Clarion River.  Back in town, we made the transition to bikes and headed back out along the same route as the run, just farther South.
I had a really strange thing happen on the ride.  I was going up an incline and kept going faster!  I upshifted and went faster!  I felt great!  This happened in the first and second halves of the ride.  I had never experienced this before.  I guess maybe it resulted from TRAINING - a new concept!
So, both my run and ride were super.  Both happened faster than expected and felt good as well.  Then the canoe happened.  Thanks to Howard for lending me his boat again this year.  It is way nice to paddle a solo boat.  I had another offer of a kevlar boat, but with the low water, didn't want to take a chance of trashing Pat's baby. About 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in, I passed through a little riffle and hit a low water spot.  I thought it would be better to run with the canoe than push it along in a few inches of water, so I jumped out and ran pulling the boat behind me.  All was good until the water got deep enough and I pulled the boat hard to allow it to pass me.  As it came by, I thought that I would save time and just jump in.  MISTAKE !  You know, the Clarion River in April is a bit chilly.  The water quickly got deep enough that it almost became a run-bike-swim triathlon.  Fortunately for me, the weather was nice enough that my paddling and the wind dried me off and kept me cozy warm.  As chance would have it Doc and Thundercloud were right behind me and got to witness the whole episode.  Since they are kind, they only laughed a lot and passed on by with few disparaging comments.  It actually did feel good, but was very embarrassing.
I was so happy to see my cousin Corey and his son, Zach participating again this year.  Zach is a great runner and Corey an excellent cyclist.  Paddling is fun for them and they get lots of bonding time.  I am thinking of doing the event with my older son next year.  John, Brenda, Pat, Linda, Jonathon, Ken, Barbara, as well as Molly the boys and I went to supper together.  The food was good, the company great, and a fine way to finish the day.  Someone at the restaurant even approached me to ask if I was the one doing the diabetes run.  They offered kind words of support and buoyed my spirits even more.
Thanks to Jacob, Andy, Scott and Doreen for their donations.  You have been so kind.  Dick's Sporting Goods has donated a $20 gift card and the Steelers sent an autographed photo of Troy Polamalu as raffle prizes.  Thanks to them for their support!
I have several radio spots coming up soon.  Thursday night , I will be at Jabco-Maggi Mitsubishi for a remote broadcast with Froggy 101.  I have had several excellent transactions with John Jabco and really respect him a lot.  I believe that he tries to do the best for each person he works with.  I can remember in 1990 talking with him and he said that he didn't want to sell me this car, he wanted to sell me several cars over many years.  He has done that and has stood by every one.  I like the service after the sale.
I am going to do somewhere between 11 and 14 miles this afternoon.  I don't know how much because I enjoy meandering through the forest so much.  It's just nice to be out.
See you along the way!