Friday, August 26, 2011

Sibling Pressure

I think that I had written some time ago that my brother, Bradley, was planning to do the Mega with me.  I figured that this was going to be really motivating, and it has been lately, but not so much for the first half of the year.  A couple of months ago, Brad said he had reconsidered and was probably not going to do the Mega after all, and I was pretty bummed.  I didn't want to pressure him to do something he didn't want to do, but upon further consideration . . .  I did.
I'm thinking that it worked, or maybe he was just trying to throw me off.  I figure we're going to be hiking a lot more than running which is going to be a whole different experience for me.  I must say that I am really excited about it.  Not only will I get the opportunity to enjoy the views more and get some photos, but I will get to spend the whole day with my brother.  That just doesn't happen very often.  We've been trying to plan a weekend to get together with my other brother as well, but with Kelly's illness it will probably be tough.  The Mega looks like a great chance for Bradley and I to get away from the daily pressures of life and go through a physically challenging adventure together.  I'm looking forward to it.
Get out and enjoy the fall.  School starts next week with the students and I'm excited to get into the trees and leaves unit.  It is fun watching the kids see the big and little differences in the same trees that they have been around every day.
Watch out for Hurricane Irene.  She looks to be nasty all along the east coast of the US.

Friday, August 19, 2011

I'm in

I've been having a great couple of weeks of running.  Last night's run was the best I've had in quite a while.    I found new trails in the game lands and they took me through some new burn areas.  I felt like I could run forever, okay maybe 40 or 50 K.
I've been getting excited about the MegaTransect and I've been trying to shame my brother into doing with me.  He signed up back in January, but isn't feeling like he is prepared, now.  I've told him that he will be challenged, but that it is certainly doable.  He is turning 35 this year and so he is feeling old.  AS I look back to when I returned to running it was 10 years ago.  I can't remember if I wrote this before or not, but I started with about a half-mile run and then turned around and walked home.  Each day, I added just a hundred yards or so until I an for 10 minutes.  Then I was able to add a minute a day.  That fall I did the Nittany Valley Half-Marathon in under 2 hours.  I will say that I don't I would break 2 hours today, but I still think I have it in me to do so.  I've been enjoying the longer distances so I don't (usually) miss my speed too much.
My sister-in-law, Kelly, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  She turned 40 and went for the recommended mammogram.  They found the cancer and were able to remove it.  She is having chemotherapy to try to make sure everything is gone.  Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.  A friend was also diagnosed while she was pregnant.  The baby was born healthy and she is undergoing chemo as well.  Cancer is a strange disease and seems to be becoming so much more common.  There are a lot of ideas about why that could be , but no one has a definitive answer.
School starts here for teachers next week with three days of inservice.  I am excited to begin the year with a new set of kids.  I really feel blessed to be able to do a job I love, with great people around me, and be compensated reasonably well.  I began teaching at the time when the state mandated a minimum salary for teachers.  Prior to that, things were not so good for people who have such an important role in society.
Ray Zahab is headed for Death Valley in preparation to run across the Rub Khali in Saudi Arabia.  Hmm, Death Valley in August, sounds reasonable.  NOT!  Ray's i2P crew is preparing for an expedition to India from October 2-15.  If you are a teacher, check it out.  The conferencing with the expedition members is a great experience for your students.  Also, uploading images of your kids to the impossible2Possible web site really raises their enthusiasm and helps them to feel a part of things bigger than themselves.  My students had a great experience in the spring Bolivia expedition.
We're getting a great thunderstorm here now, so I am going to watch the lightning and play a game with my son.  Hope to be back soon.

I just visited a site that I have not seen in a while.  If you are an athlete with diabetes, or have a loved one who is, check out runsweet.com.  It is a site from the UK dedicated to helping diabetic athletes manage their diabetes and training.

Deuteronomy 31:8

New International Version (NIV)
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Long time, no posts

It has been quite a while since I've posted, and the nice thing is that I've had a lot of visitors to the blog since the spring run.  I'm back into training and it is becoming more consistent than it was just a few weeks ago.  I have always been pretty blessed to be able to run sporadically in preparation for upcoming events and still perform reasonably well.  Age must be beginning to catch up with me, because the return has been much more difficult this time.  Even the approach of my favorite organized event was not been enough to get my act together.  Fortunately, I seem to have turned the corner and have been getting past the worst of it.  I've had some nice runs in the woods this week and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Molly and I had the great opportunity to speak with a diabetes support group in Petersburg.  It was a very nice group of people and they were wonderful hosts.  One of the attendees was a young woman who has become pen pals with my niece.  I am so glad that they will both have a peer to chat with as they have new experiences with their diabetes.

The school year is nearly upon us and I am really excited for the new group of kids.  I have been getting back into planning mode and I'm really looking forward to getting into the groove.

I've not yet decided what my endeavor will be to raise money for JDRF.  I am going to start in October, since it is National Diabetes month.  The megatransect will be a great kickoff for the project.  I love being able to chat with so many people during the run.

More soon, see you on the trails.