Sweet Day

What a day!  I got up this morning and hit the bike for 1 1/2 hours and some core work.  Tonight, ran the last leg of the Tussey Mountainback in reverse and parts of legs 10 and 11 as well.  The road was pretty snowy, but I saw absolutely no one and the footing was like running a trail.  That is a good thing. I felt great and am certain to be tired tomorrow.  For those not familiar with the Mountainback, the last leg is 4.2 miles downhill if run frontwards, so it was completely uphill.  Tough going up, but it was awesome coming back :)

I am going to be on WRXV, Rev FM on Saturday night at 8:30 PM.  The show is called Centre Topic.  You can find Rev FM at 89.9, 99.9, or 102.7 depending on your location.  Check out the website for exciting news about upcoming expansions.
I got an encouraging email from Anna Hughes at Ultra Running Insights.  She is based in Switzerland and her website is a great resource.  

With more days like this (just longer), things will be as good as they can be.  It's really going to be a good time.  

Don't be bashful, get involved!

3 months

Three months to go!  I am getting really excited!  The actual event just around the corner.  When I think about the taper at the end so that I am not too tired at the start of the run, I am getting down to the edge of my preparation.  I had a really nice day on Saturday.  I got in about 2 1/2 hours on my own and then Pat joined me for another hour or so.  I then ran another 20 minutes to finish up.   It was the perfect pace for me and I felt better and better as the run went on.  I still have to get in runs more than twice as long - which is pretty ominous - but I feel good about how things are coming along.
I'm sleeping really well and waking up ready to go, I just have to get my butt out of bed and go.  The weather is actually getting better.  Not quite so cold and the snow is plowed back away from the road edges.  I feel a lot safer than a couple of weeks ago.

Thanks to all of the donors! I am over $2000 !  Some days things seem to be moving slowly, and then folks come through with more donations for JDRF and I feel good about what I am trying to do all over again.  I really appreciate the support so many of you have shown me over the past few months.  What am I saying (typing)?  I have had huge amounts of support all of my life.  I like to dream and I haven't been any reason not to do so.  I'm so blessed to have great people around me who believe in me and are not afraid to help me make my dreams come true.

I've had two runners come forth through the Nittany Valley Running Club that would like to run with me.  Coincidentally, both are named Steve.  My hesitancy in asking asking others to join me is that I will not be going fast enough for those folks.  Runner friends keep telling me that speed is not what I am to be worried about, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it.  I have strayed away from any sort of speed at all, but have enjoyed going further and further.  I suppose it is just another stage of life.

Oh well, I'm going to watch the team nordic combined and then hit the sack.  It would be good to get in a couple of hours in the morning.  God Bless you all.

Olympics and Inspiration

Wow! I can not even imagine the dedication of these olympic athletes.  The ones who are at least close to being amateurs, anyway.  They put in years of practice, hours a day, sticking to the plan.  I just shake my head when I think of it.  Honestly, there was a day, long ago, that I can remember considering that I might be able to dedicate myself to a goal like that.  I think I took the easy way out, always finding an excuse to avoid the long term commitment.  I had a couple of coaches in high school that seemed to be able to get me to push.  Thanks, Coach Smith and Coach Murdock.  I wish I could find the guts now to do the things that you got out of me during the early part of track season.

Thanks to my latest donors - April, Bobbi Jo, and Amy.  Amy makes this awesome fudge and had a sale that she donated a portion of each sale to donate to JDRF. Cool!

I spoke with a writer from the Centre Daily Times for about a half hour last night.  She asked me some good questions that really got me thinking.  I know I am doing this thing to try and make a difference with financial donations, but I think the understanding of type 1 diabetes is at least as important to me if not more so.  I watch Molly and others try to deal with the day to day fluctuations in blood sugars, trying to figure out the reason it is good one hour and bad a few hours later with what seems like the proper insulin dosing and physical efforts.  The endocrinologist sent a letter to the insurance company today explaining to the powers that be how proper monitoring and treating of blood sugars now avoids costly treatments and results later.  I would have to say that a CGM now is really cheap compared to the cost, monetarily, physically and mentally of blindness, amputation, heart disease, kidney failure.  Seems an easy call to make, but that's probably why I am not in charge.
I had a nice couple of hours on the treadmill this morning and hope to get something similar tomorrow.  I usually like running outside in the winter, but the amount of snow we've had makes it too dangerous.  I have been really happy to be able to do some long efforts on the treadmill.  It has to be good for the mental training as well.
Thanks to everyone for the kindness, donations, and words of inspiration.
More again soon!

Just keep running . . .

This week was pretty good as far as training goes.  I got in two 3-hour runs and a few shorter ones.  I even hit the weight room and did some reps of various activities.  I did a couple takes of a 10-minute video for the Fuel Up for 60 program at our school.  The plan is that these videos will be shown in the afternoon and teachers who desire to can turn on their tvs and the kids can get some exercise.  It is a product of a grant the school got from the NFL and the National Dairy Council.  It works nicely as well with a grant that I received from Highmark called the Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge.  It has kids looking at the food choices they make and activities they do and trying to establish/maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I can say I don't remember having to think so hard about these things thirty years ago, but we got our first chain restaurant when I was in 11th grade in high school.  That may have something to do with it.
I sent about 70 emails last week looking for support. I'm hoping folks are just waiting for the income tax return before submitting their responses, because I got very few returns.  I am in a constant battle as to whether email is better or worse than traditional, hard copy mail.  At 44 cents a letter, though I feel like I need to try email first.  Thanks to the Shaner Group for their donation and to Appalachian Ski and Outdoors for their contribution.  I've been thinking of the canning idea, standing in traffic with a sandwich sign on hoping folks will be generous.  I hear that it is successful and, I am certainly not bashful, but I need to get the right place and the right permissions.  Maybe my crew can help with this.
I will be on WRXV FM on February 27 at 7:30 PM on a show called Centre Topics.  My wife is speaking at a Penn State Marketing Association event on March 4, and the Centre Daily Times has contacted me about a story and we should do some work on that this week.  Hopefully, with increased attention, more folks will become aware and knowledgeable of the long term effects of diabetes and feel a desire to help out.
Well, time to get ready for church.  Hope this week is as successful as last week.
Thanks for all the kind words of support.

Sign Up Time

Well, it is 4 months until run day and I am getting pretty excited.  Sign up for a time to run (or scooter as the case may  be, Jim) here on this Google Form.  I had a great 3-hour run this morning.  Thanks, Pete for doing a couple hours with me.  It was pretty cold, 18º at the start, but a really beautiful day for a run.  Each week, I am planning to increase by 30 minutes on my long run.  I hope a 10-hour long run will do it for training.  I don't want to overdo it and get injured, but I certainly need to be on my feet and moving forward for a major length of time.  I will be slow, I'm certain, but as long as I average 18 minutes per mile I will make 100 miles.  I really hope that I can surpass that by a fair amount.
Thanks so much to Dr. Scipione for his donation from State College Family Chiropractic.  He's kept me moving for a few years now, and I'm sure I will be seeing lots of him over the coming months.  Kristin and Byron, thanks for your great words of support and your donation to JDRF.  It was super to chat with you last night.  I really enjoyed dinner at the Tavern restaurant with the State College Music Department.  You know when 30 music folks sing Happy Birthday that it is going to sound GOOD!  I don't remember thanking Marla for her gift to JDRF.  If I didn't - thanks!  If I did, thanks, again!  It is great to be so well supported by my friends.
I have a pledge form and information sheet available for those interested in joining me.  Just drop me a line and I will send you a pdf. so you can get started collecting donations.
Four months seems both long and short.  I know the time will go fast so I had better keep working hard.  Logistics are now a real thing to be considered, not just a dream on the edge of the vision.
Let's help find a cure for this nasty disease called diabetes.  I really hate to see the effects it has on people we love.

Thanks, Brooks! and Bass!

Now I can run faster, jump higher, and stomp harder.  I had contacted Brooks running company a month or so ago with a donation request.  They do not do monetary donations, but have a Run B'cause giving program they use to make contributions to worthwhile organizations.  Because I am training a lot and using up shoes in preparation for the JDRF event, I requested a few pairs of shoes through the program.  Yesterday, I got three pairs of Brooks shoes in the mail.  Thanks so much to Brooks!
I have been wearing Brooks shoes since the early '80's.  I still remember my Hugger GT's with fondness.  They went away for a while, but when I returned to running in 2002, there were there for me again.  The Adrenaline ASR is the trail version of the Adrenaline and that is what I requested.  Not having to buy shoes frees up those funds for donations or other costs associated with the run.  Cool!
This morning we had some great basketball games and I got in my speed work.  Lots of thanks to Bass for his donation to JDRF.  If you read the blog early on, you would recognize him as the one who wants to go in front of me and taunt me so that I stay motivated throughout the night.  He will now be known as "Taunt-O."  What a great guy.  If I can be half the man he is, he will be twice the man I am.

Run with Me!

Don't blame me, it's his idea.  I can't say that about the time or money goals that I have set for the JDRF 30 for 30 event, but I can say it for the following idea.  Why don't YOU run WITH me ??  No, not for the whole time, but for a while.  An hour?  A half hour?  A few hours?  Whatever distance or time you'd like would be fine.  I will ask for one thing in return.  Collect $100 in contributions for JDRF and join me.  Is this a win-win, or what?  You get a t-shirt commemorating the run - these are in development right now, you have some fun, have a reason to get in better shape AND help JDRF find a cure !  What a bargain!  Besides, you know you made that new year's resolution to lose a few pounds or move more.  Trust me, I won't be moving that fast.  It is going to be a long day+.
Consider it, and climb on board.  You can pick the time of day or night.  It could be worth it just to laugh at me !

No CGM

We got news today that Molly's request for a new insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor has been denied by the insurance.  Strangely enough, her diligence in controlling blood sugars is the reason she is not eligible.  If she had been hospitalized or treated by emergency personnel, she would be eligible for the new technology.
I talked with several folks today about fundraising.  I am going to need to get things in gear soon with regard to publicity.  If you read this and can share the effort with anyone, I know I would appreciate it.  That six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing is bound to work, somehow.  I've just got to make the connection with the right folks to set things in motion.
I have had a great start to the year for consistency.  I have run each day this year :D   It has been pretty cold and especially windy, but the 16º temps didn't cool my enthusiasm.  In fact, I really enjoy the nasty conditions.  I'm not Bob F., Jon D., or Jeremy F. who can carry a cement block for the 5K, but I am at least inspired by them to get my butt out the door.  I can only strive to accomplish "Feats of Strength" such as theirs.  100 miles seems pretty doable when I think about how hard others work.  It seems totally possible when I think about the daily ordeal that Molly and Mary Ellen deal with everyday controlling blood sugars.  I really admire them.
More soon. . . .

Happy New Year!

Well it is 2010;  is that two-thousand ten or twenty ten?  I don't know which way I will go, whichever I fall into the habit of saying, I'm sure.
We are watching Chariots of Fire and talking to the kids about dedication and the tough decisions people make.  "I believe that God made me for a purpose . . . When I run I feel his presence." Eric Lydell just said.    I know just how he feels.  I would love to have the sort of commitment he had.  I need to try to overcome my knack for avoiding the hard work and losing focus on the goal I am attempting to achieve.  Just like many other resolutions, I must work to complete the task I've chosen.  No one has forced it upon me.
My friend, Bob, has quite a drive in this way.  He and his friend, Jeremy, set out Feats of Strength for themselves.  I was honored when he emailed me to say he was excited about my "Feat."  I will use this as inspiration when things get tough.  Last night, Bob and Jeremy ran the First Night 5K carrying cinder blocks.  I'm certain they still ran faster than I would have running empty-handed.
141 days to go until the 30 hour run.  I got in a short run today.  I can remember when 40 minutes was unfathomable.  Now it is barely a start to what I need to do.  Strange to think that the Megatransect will not be toughest thing I do this year.  I registered for it today, just after noon.  In the first 8 hours, over 200 signed up.  The field is limited to 850.  I anticipate that it will fill in the next few weeks.  It is amazingly well run and I hope to keep this tradition gong for a long time.
Let me know fundraising ideas you've got.  I'm only 5% of the way to my goal, but a lot of good things are going to happen this spring.
All the best in the new year!  Let's go running!

Merry Christmas!

Well, I am a couple of days late, but Merry Christmas to you all!
I am so incredibly blessed and this time of year, when I celebrate the birth of my Lord and my Savior I am especially reminded of this.  I hear the carols and think of what they say and mean, it just makes me so very thankful for the promise of things to come, even when things seem so bleak in this world we are living in.

I have not been training the way I should be, but have been getting in some nice 1-hour + runs on a consistent basis.  I have even spent some time in the weight room at school trying to get a little stronger in the middle.  Now, THAT would be really something to accomplish :)

Molly is investigating the possibility of a continuous glucose monitor.  The increase in information available and, therefore, the control possible is exponentially beneficial to the long-term success in avoiding complications from abnormal blood sugar levels.  I know that I have been very fortunate that Molly is so dedicated and attentive to her diet  and glucose levels over the past years.  Her personality allows her to do this, but she still gets frustrated when her readings are not what they should be.  I can't, or don't, always give her the credit and attention she deserves.  I think I am doing this run to try and show her how important she is to me.  I would love to see an artificial pancreas or even a cure in her lifetime.

Thanks so much to Pat H., Randy, and Peggy for your contributions !  I am mailing the checks tomorrow and we will see the new total in few days.  I will be hitting 5% of the total.  Getting there !

Time to hit it hard;  the training and the fundraising.  Once again, I need your help.  Please tell your friends, put it on your facebook, contact all those celebrities, professional athletes, and generous relatives you have and sell, sell, sell!

Thanks and God bless!

Oh, Deer!

Well, I got in a pretty good workout on Monday. It was the first day of deer season here in Pennsylvania and the weather was variable to say the least.  We hiked up Brush Mountain at about 5:30 AM.  THe temp was in the high 40's.  Many in our group wore shorts and t-shirts for the climb and still produced a ton of sweat.  I have really enjoyed the last couple of years climbing in one set of clothes and changing completely once we get to our spots.  This year I was really glad to have brought shorts and not just a different pair of pants. As the day wore on, we got wet and cold and then, as the pushing of deer began, the coldness disappeared - at least to us.  Late in the day we saw a few brief snow squalls, but nothing lay on the ground.
John, our host at BMSA, shot a fine 10-point about mid afternoon.  The mountain man that he is, he skinned and quartered it there in right there in the  woods and packed the meat, hide and head out in his backpack.  Having dragged a deer from the same general area last year, I can tell you I can not imagine how he did it.  John's pack weighed 99 pounds  - he weighed it when he got back home.  Congratulations, John.  You got a fine trophy, meat for the freezer, a huge story to share, and props from all of us who got to see you out there.
I know, what should we expect.  John is a Marine.  Ooh Rah!
So Monday was pretty rough on the feet and legs.  By the end of the day, the backs of my legs were letting me know I have a lot of work to do to prepare for any of the Grand Slam of PA Trail running events.  However, it did motivate me to get into the weight room yesterday and do a series of circuits that I am certain will improve my condition.
Checks have come in from several individuals including the mother and the great-grandmother of one my former students. Thanks, Mrs. Groves and Mrs. Schneider!  Also in the mix of contributors are present and former colleagues.  Thanks to Suzie, Kathy, and Mrs. Keily!  The Way Fruit Farm sent a check that I received today.  I am so grateful for their support.  Thanks to you all so much!  I've been talking with some other corporate representatives about donations of product and/or funds, and I am pleased with the progress that we've been making.  Watch for Jabco-Maggi in the new year.  We are working on a special deal to bring in the funds for JDRF.  I'm excited!
Well, time to move the kids forward in the homework challenge of the evening.  Thanks to all and send me more mail. It really helps me stay motivated.  Stay warm.

Happy Thanksgiving

Yesterday I met with Senator Jake Corman to discuss the run.  It was a nice meeting in which I asked him for ideas about fundraising and publicity for the event.  He stated that he would be very happy to put his name with the effort because of the great cause that it is supporting.  I am looking forward to January when we begin to push for some media attention for the event.
I have been looking at insulin pump/continuous glucose monitors (cgm) recently.  The idea of having a data point every 5 minutes instead of every few hours is great.  People using the cgm can see exactly how different activities affect their body's use of of insulin and glucose.  Highs and lows can be treated immediately, before they are even noticeable in physical symptoms.  The cgm brings us one step closer to an artificial pancreas.  Although not a cure, the lessening of abnormal glucose levels decreases the long term effects of diabetes.  Animas is beginning a partnerships with DexCom to join their two devices and MedTronic looks to have a great product in existence as well.  Competition in the field is good for motivation to improve, and patients reap the benefits.
Over the weekend I had a great 2-hour run through the gamelands.  With 6 months to go before the JDRF event it is time to begin extending these long runs.  I will be out in the woods next week for deer season and, hopefully, pulling some weight through the woods to add strength training!
Huge thanks to Matt and Stefanie, Kathy, and Ann for their contributions.  We are moving forward!
Have a great Thanksgiving!