Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Follow Up

In the days following this year's event, I am so pleased to report that there have been no ill effects of going sunrise to sunset.  I really had little soreness and no lasting pain at all.  The rolling pin effect on the quads did the trick and the wonderful support from everyone made this a true team success.
I'm pasting the new text from my JDRF page below because I think it sums up my feelings pretty well.

The next thing on the horizon is the MegaTransect in October with perhaps another event or two in between.  I am really looking forward to doing this year's Mega with my brother, Brad.  It is going to be a great day.  I must say that I truly hope that he is challenged by the course and the distance and that I can be positive and supporting the whole way.

What a great day May 20th was!  Molly and her sister, Alice, met me at several places along the run on a rainy morning.  They met me at Jabco-Maggi Mitsubishi where we all said hello to John Jabco and thanked him for the tremendous support he and the dealership have provided the past couple of years.
Next, WTAJ and WJAC met us at Boalsburg Elementary School for some precious press coverage for JDRF.  It is so neat to see how far reaching the television coverage goes in spreading the word about the effects of diabetes.  Even yesterday, 2 weeks after the event, people are stopping along the road to tell me that they saw the story on TV.  I think the only way to show people what can be done is to try what many won't.  Fear of not reaching the goal is often the major limiting factor to what we will try.

This year was definitely more difficult than last year because I did not train well enough.  However, with the support of friends, we were able to do big things and make it through tough times.  This was a very appropriate analogy of the diabetic's daily life.  God is good and allows us to do wonderful things to bring Glory to Him. 

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Whew and Yahoo!

What a great day yesterday was!  The run went really well.  The weather changed dramatically throughout the day to keep things interesting.  Many wonderful people encouraged and supported me through some low points and shared in the joy and accomplishment.  God is good, all the time!

I truly could not have done the day without Molly's help.  She and Alice met me several times throughout the rainy morning feeding, watering, and pushing just the right buttons to get me moving forward.  I want to thank both WTAJ and WJAC for the coverage they provided for the run and JDRF.  Many people, including present and former students and parents saw the run on the news and stopped to offer encouragement.  All of the folks on Cogan Circle provided a huge lift as the end neared.  What a wonderful surprise!  Thanks especially to the Ritchey family for rousting the troops.   We even got a rainbow to make the visit and the run complete!

Students and staff at Park Forest Middle School, thanks for the attention and respect you show, for your contributions to JDRF, and for your kindness and your encouragement! It is wonderful working with you all.

One of my favorite places to visit is Jabco-Maggi Mitsubishi.  Yes, it is fun to look at the cars, but chatting with John is a pleasure.  I appreciate his friendship as well as the support for many great organizations.

I really appreciate the reception I got at the high school south building from Nell Herrmann  and her students.  I  miss working daily with Nell, but the kids at the South building are reaping the rewards.

HUGE props to the students and staff at Nittany Christian School.  Our family has been so incredibly blessed that you have worked with our children.  As I explained about insulin, the pancreas, glucose, and blood sugars the kids were so attentive.  And they asked such good questions!

Thanks John Donoughe, John McCullough, Pat Gallagher, and Pete Coray for running and walking alongside me.  John says I could do it without you all, but I'm not certain that is true.  Special thanks to Pat for the miracle working with that water bottle.  You worked out the knots and cleared out the gunk that was making any thought of running painful.

This whole project has been incredibly blessing to me.  So many people have stepped up to offer contributions, kind words, and MUCH prayer.  I was so pleased to have so many people asking the Lord to bless this effort.  He truly has done so.

Well, the JDRF walk steps off in about 4 hours.  I am so glad to work with the dedicated people who make this happen.  It is going to be a beautiful day to walk, to share challenges and successes, and to support JDRF as they assist in the search for a cure.  See you at the walk!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Final Prep

Just a few days to go and I am so excited.  I had a great run tonight after school and it made me feel really good and ready.  I am certainly not as prepared as I would like to be, but I feel that nobody is ever ready to hear that they have been diagnosed with diabetes, either.  I remember the day that Molly was told that her pancreas wasn't functioning properly and that she would be insulin dependent for the remainder of her life. What we weren't prepared for was the frustration of doing everything right and still not getting good results.
I think about the pain, hassle, and the complications of what might happen.  It makes moving forward for this little project seem pretty simple.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
               How cool is that?

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Spring in the Step

Spring is certainly in the air and I feel a spring in my step as well.  After a super wet April, we really haven't seen much moisture since.  For the last couple of days, I was expecting to see some rain, but nothing yet.  We've got lots of plants in the garden as well as extending the rhubarb patch - if you want some, call we have plenty.  I also put in 6 blueberry bushes and the raspberries are coming up nicely.  I put fences around everything, so the deer shouldn't be a problem, we just have to watch for the rabbits and groundhogs.  I love eating food that we've grown.  It may or may not taste better, but it is satisfying.
Bruce asked me yesterday if we could put up a honeybee hive.  I told him that we would work on it, but that it takes a lot of work in the beginning.  I am going to check around to try and find some boxes second hand and then we will see where it takes us.

I had a really enjoyable run this morning.  Gray skies and 60 degrees.  It looks as though it should feel terribly humid, but I didn't have any trouble.  Thanks to all who have supported the run so far.  I haven't been listing them as they've come in.  It's just that I'm lazy, not ungrateful.  Thanks to the Babcock family, the Bastress family, Dolores, Bill, Pat W., Pete, and Marc.  It is a tough time for people to be giving money away, I really can't say thank you enough.  Just remember that it isn't going to be wasted.  Well over 80% of the money goes to fund research that will save lives and make lives better.

I heard from a long lost friend this week.  Denny sent photos of a wildfire in North Carolina.  It is amazing.  Molly, Bruce and I were fortunate to spend some time with Denny and Lynn at Stumpy Point several years ago.  What a great community of people!  The coconut pie at the church picnic was incredible, too!  Molly still makes it for us once in a while.  I'll always remember Hooper's Store (Major Hooper not Mr. Hooper for you Sesame Street fans of yesteryear ).

I'm looking forward to the week of getting things organized for the run and just seeing how the Lord works through this project.  I am immensely blessed to be able to serve Him this way.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Time is short

Well, I have to apologize for not keeping up with this blog.  I had written earlier that if I didn't run, I wouldn't post.  The idea was, of course, that I would put pressure on myself to get out the door.  I must admit that I am getting out more, mostly for runs of 3 to 6 miles.  Last weekend I had a couple that were a bit longer, but not a lot.

I have been sending emails for fundraising and have begun to get some nice responses.  Not only am I asking for monetary donations, but also for prayer.  Prayer for me, for researchers, for those afflicted with diabetes, and for their families and loved ones as well.  I have been hearing a lot about people struggling with blood sugar control and they are frustrated because things are not combining the way they seem that they should.  It is very disconcerting to do everything by the book and still end up with a reading in the 200s and 300s.  This is why we must move forward in the search for a cure.

Nine days to go and I have resigned myself to the fact that this year is going to be much more challenging than last year.  Even though the distance is much shorter, the difference in my fitness is vast.  I am beginning to look at this as a positive, though.  It will certainly be a greater struggle to run/walk for over 14 hours and to try to get past the 62 mile mark.  That will make me appreciate the struggles those with diabetes have EVERY DAY.

Thanks for stopping by.  To God be the glory.  It is awesome to know He is in charge.