GOAL: to personally raise $10000 for children in the midwest in 2008-2009
This is my second mecca for September. Thought about the MS-150, but I’m going to see how much money I can raise for children in the Ozarks…..winter in 2008 will be harder for most families this year than ever before, due to economic factors. I’m going to train for and race this one to make sure that these kids have shoes, coats and some of the comforts all kids should have…….may require some benefit fundraisers, but it sounds like a great mission for the year.
June 22 Triathlon, July5 50K, July 13 Tornado Alley 110, July 26 Concreteman Tri, July 27 Skydive, August 2 Insbrook Tri, August 23 Republic Tri, September 5 Dances with Dirt (another fundraiser????), September 22 RedMan Tri, Sept 27 Berryman Adventure Race, October 11 Sunshine Run, October 21 Halloween SAFE volunteer night, October 26 Bass Pro 50k run, November 20? Turkey Trot, December 7 Vegas Marathon (final fundraiser for children of the Ozarks???) I know some people to talk to to get this ball rolling…..would like to raise $10,000 at least for Children of the Ozarks…..though that seems so little for such a need that I know exists……
Adventure Number One: Today’s workout.
It’s windy, but I’m going to try to ride out to Rogersville. My time on the MP3 player, listening to Talk Radio and some random indie rock. Thinking about so much! I need to get out there and clear this little head. Will blog later.
Tomorrow’s Adventure: 8:00 a.m. float trip on the Niangua River. I hope a plethora of friends show for this one, and that we can all be equally lobsterized by noon!
The last Sunday in July is reserved for skydiving (again!)
Why are some people stronger and how? Is that all part of DIGGING DEEPER?
I wonder what the moral constants of competition are!
http://www.bonkhardracing.com/races/default.asp
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The spirit of Adventure. Ah, sweet adventure. I like to embark on a weekly escapade of thrill-seeking, be it in thought or in person. Sometimes that involves reading a wildly entertaining book (Robert Louis Stevenson, Joel Rosenberg), but most often it involves satisfying my appetite for a taste of the wild lands that are the surrounding forests and National Parks. I’ve lately been spending my hours before and after work diligently seeking to fill my journal with risky missions and episodic enterprises. It’s starting to take me out of the area, though, and spark an interest in regional weekend jaunts.
This past weekend, I spontaneously became part of a team in the Ozarks Adventure Race up in Ridgeway. The day prior, I had an ideal ho-hum weekend planned, with some heavy training and some upkeep of dwelling premises. So much for that! I got the call and was off.
Saturday morning, I made it to the Gasconade River to meet the team “Mid River Adventures” and embark on ten hours of activity. Hoping for a good sunburn, it was painstaking to search for the sense to slap on the SPF 40. Once all our gear was in place, packs loaded, we trailed the eight mile run, hopped in a canoe and forded the river before biking to our orienteering site. The bushwhacking was a new experience, and only enjoyable insofar as that it was reminiscent of geocaching. We complete the section and polished off a technical trail run, snagged a little poison ivy and whipped the road on our last leg of biking. We grinned ear to ear across the finish line, not as victors but as four individuals that learned to function as one entity and succeed at molding our physical prowess to our hard-fought exhaustion. It was riotous to laugh and catch up to other competitors I haven’t seen since last season, good stories in tow. A rich day, indeed, was had by all.
Now, keeping in mind that this event is behind, I look forward to what is ahead. July 5th, I have made plans to travel to Lenexa to run a fifty kilometer trail race with more common acquaintances, some of whom I train with. Bob, Becky, Richard and myself will all take our stab at the Psycho Psummer 50K, only a slight bit disappointed that we won’t be able to afford San Fransisco’s similar event.
I suppose it’s rightful to explain why one would do such a thing. It’s terror on the human body for a short time, and requires hours of physical training to be able to endure and conquer the trail, the sweat, some blood and a few fierce ultra-athletes with attitude. Initially, I like the core of training. I moreover dig my heels in deep when it gets to the long training sessions, and the inevitable desire to keep pushing when it is preferable to lay down for a nap.
In the course of an event and its preparation, there is a level of human companionship and bonding that cannot be found anywhere else. We run to places you cannot get to by any other means, we talk about life, philosophy, God, politics, current events and, of course, how to be more efficient and effective runners. I like to think we multitask at mile one, prioritize at mile two and for the remainder of the run, we sort and file.
Running really has molded who I am. I wake up excited for every step, every day; relish the chance to set goals and idealize their achievement. Running produces endurance, swift thinking, increased airflow and energy, and running bestows the gifts of contributory effort, confidence and greater health. Bart Yasso said it well in his book “Life on the Run” when he wrote: “Push yourself to discover your limitations, then push past them. Running is one way to do this. Take it a step further and apply this philosophy to life. You know the rewards of hard efforts and perseverance. So, though it may be difficult at first, don’t live life as such that you look back and wish that you’d tried harder, started sooner, pushed farther. Use your courage as a vehicle of introduction and life-affirming efforts to a strong finish.”
I honestly enjoy working hard. It is so rewarding, so enriching. I train hard so that I can work hard. In a little more than a month since I’ve been at Duck Creek, I find a good deal of that same spirit and I do thoroughly enjoy being surrounded by such an impactful and positive group of people. I hope to be able to repay or pay forward the kindness and give more in return. Until then, it is necessary to dig a little deeper, think a little harder and focus a little more clearly.
Happy trails!
funkyspunkypenguin
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