I am currently working out all the details with the official Miles For Macha corporate donor, Snore Stop. They won the eBay auction with a final bid of $9000. I have agreed to run the New York City Marathon in pajamas. Yes, you read correctly...I said pajamas! I know its a little crazy, but it is all for a good cause...MICS!
I will be going to Los Angeles on Thursday to meet with the SnoreStop execs and work out some of the plans. It should be interesting. I will be sure to keep you up to date with everything.
Today was a long run...13 miles. This is my longest of the current training session. It showed me how just much work I will have to put in before marathon day! According to the training schedule, I am supposed to do these runs at a comfortable pace, slower than my expected marathon pace. I was feeling fine until about 10.5 miles and then it got a pretty tough, but I was able to struggle through it. I started at about 6:30 this morning. For the longer runs, I always try to beat the heat and humidity by starting early. As the training goes on, and the runs get longer, I will have to start earlier and earlier.
This unrelated to the marathon, MICS or my new relationship with SnoreStop, but I wanted to mention that I went skydiving today!
I was my 1st time, and it was amazing! Darla and I went with her room mate and a few other friends to Skydive Chicago. It was a long day (mostly waiting) but worth every minute!
I will post some pictures if I can get a hold of any.
I can only describe it as surreal and extremely peaceful. To my surprise, you never really get the whole dropping feeling. It is more like you are floating. I can't wait to go again!
The Auction ended today. I was not really sure what to expect. The company SnoreStop won the auction at a final price of $9000!!
That is $9000 that will be going directly to MICS and will help them purchase a new 4x4 vehicle!
Many things are happening, so I will update with some of the plans as I get the details.
Thank you SnoreStop.com!
There are two days remaining in the corporate donor eBay auction. The bidding is up to $810! There is obviously some interest in this opportunity. I have also been contacted by one company that is interested. They have even taken the time to draw up a letter of agreement between myself and their company. They are making plans in the event that they win the auction. I have to believe that this is a pretty good indication that they are serious about this. 48 hours to go...only time will tell how much money we can raise for the children in Macha!
My eBay listing was not drawing much bidding attention. However, it did catch the eye of James Baker, from southern California. James was impressed with the cause and saw some potential for this project. He contacted me and made some suggestions on how I might be able to draw a little more attention to the auction listing. This has lead to the current auction being canceled, modified, and re-listed on eBay.
The auction will run until next Friday. James has told me that he knows of a few companies that might be interested in this opportunity...so we will have to wait and see!
I've been trying to come up with an idea to raise additional money for the children and the school in Africa. I was thinking that I could find a corporation that would be willing to make a donation to MICS, and exchange, I would be willing to display their logo on the back of my shirts while I train and also while I run the marathon. the problem is, how do I find someone who would be interested in this? More importantly, how do I find a company that is willing to make a donation for it...so I can raise more money for the school! I decided to take a shot in the dark and make an auction listing on eBay. Today I posted this ad. The problem that I face, is how do I make companies aware of this opportunity to get some advertising and help a worthy cause. I will attempt to contact the local media and some companies with inside contacts. Maybe this can get a little buzz going.
Today marks the first day of my official training schedule. I am using the Hal Higdon training schedule. It involves running 5 times a week for the next 18 weeks. To some of you, this might sound crazy (it actually sounds a little crazy to me!), but it is a proven schedule that will allow me to build up the strength and endurance to complete the 26.2 mile race on November 2.
For more info on my training schedule, please visit Hal Higdon's Training Page
My current pair of running shoes took quite a beating with the mc200. Now that I am gearing up to train for the New York Marathon, I decided it was time to invest in a quality new pair of shoes. The good people at Fleet Feet (corner of North and Wells in Chicago) spent quite a bit of time with Darla (my girlfriend) and myself. They analyzed our running gate and then fit us with the best shoe for our feet. It is something that I had heard of before, but never took the time to actually do. I have to say it is something that every runner should do! They fitted us with shoes that we would have never considered, but they fit better and are more comfortable than any pair of running shoes that either of us has ever had. Thanks Fleet Feet!
I have been trying to figure out a way to create awareness and raise support for the school in Macha, Zambia that my parents helping to create. I have decided to create a website with information about the school and hope that people will see the need and be willing to help with this amazing project. Only time will tell how successful this will be.
We finished the MC200! Everyone on our team did an excellent job! We finished in about 32 hours.
Throughout the race, we experienced massive downpours, scorching heat, tornado warnings, blazing sunshine, and lightning storms. Needless to say it was quite an adventure. I had a great time with an amazing group of people! Can't wait to run next year!
Today is the MC200. It is a relay race that starts in Madison, Wisconsin and ends 200+ miles later on the Chicago lakefront.
12 of us have decided to team up and tackle this crazy task. We are not alone...there are 100 teams that we are running with/against.
Each one of us will be running 3 separate times for a total distance of between 15 and 20 miles for each person.
See www.MC200.com for more details.I just received my notice that I have gotten into the New York City Marathon. They have a lottery system, so I have been waiting to see if I made it...and I did!
Now it is time to start training and working out all the details!
I want to dedicate this marathon to the school that my parents are helping to build in Macha, Zambia. Now, I just need to figure out the best way to use this to create awareness and raise support for the children in Macha.
