23 days and counting!

Wow! It's only 22 days before I'm in Sioux Falls & 23 days before I am on the South Dakota/Iowa border, ready to run! I talked to my dad last night to continue the planning of this adventure. I've been thinking about the support vehicle (or lack of one!) He told me that he found a topper for the back of his truck and that I could use the truck. Then I found out that he was planning on crewing me with Liz for the first few days! I thought he was only able to see me off on the first day, but he'll be there for additional 2-3 days! He said that he was going to bring his fishing pole and hoped to do some fishing along the way. We'll see how much time he'll have! I'm very excited that my dad will be able to be a part of my journey!

I made the last of the hotel room reservations. It's a good thing that I went with the more expensive 2 queen beds instead of 1 queen bed! There will be three of us now in the room! I have rooms in Sioux Falls, Sibley and Estherville (2 nights). I might be able to drop the last day in Estherville since we'll be close to my parent's house. I just need to let my other relatives that I'll be staying at their homes! ;)

I also started to look at possible paces and daily schedules. If I run around 11 min/mi, then I'll be done ~5:10, 12 min/mi = 5:38, 13 min/mi=6:06. I'm going to have to be careful about going out to fast the first day or two. I think I may make myself run only 12:30 - 13 min/mi the first day. Plus, the weather may be VERY HOT & HUMID!! Yikes! On those hot days, I might start as early as 5am. For the most part I want to start running by 7am. That gives me time in the morning to eat and wake-up before running, while finishing by early afternoon. Just in time to hop into an ice bath, eat and prepare for the next day! I was sort of worried that I would have a lot of time on my hands in between runs, but I have a feeling I'll be plenty busy!

I've been asked a few times if I'm running for charity. Well....I was really worried that none of this would happen and I would never even make it to the start! But, I will be making it to the start (now getting to the finish, that's a whole other story!) and it has been on my mind a lot. There are sooo many causes and great charities out there. Many of my past runs have been to raise money for AIDS & HIV research, I've done cancer walks and numerous entry fees to other races go to support various causes. I've also thought that people in Iowa might not be interested in raising money for people in SF Bay Area and visa versa. So, what is one to do?

There are many issues I would like to bring awareness to: LGBT-issues in Iowa, obesity, suicide, AIDS, cancer, hunger, homelessness, poverty, housing assistance, energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, Marriage Equality, depression...these are only a few that have affected my life and probably yours.

Here's what I came up with...As I'm taking 11 days to run across the state of Iowa, why not take a few days and make a difference in someone's life and your own! Give to a suicide helpline, give a bag full of food to a foodbank, change your incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent, volunteer at your local school, visit the elderly, take a child to the zoo, pick-up trash at your favorite park, pick-up trash at your least favorite park, smile at a stranger, pay someone's bridge toll, hug someone, recycle, print double-sided, walk instead of driving.

These are only a few things that you can do to make the world a better place. One person can make a difference and that one person can be you! I know I've inspired a few people to try and run a 5k, marathon and even 50k's by just telling my simple story. "Never was the "sports"-type, smoked a pack-a-day for 7 years, decided I had enough and went for a run" (that was only two years ago!) We all have stories in us that can make a difference! Share them!

And if you are feeling especially giving, I'm looking for some financial assistance along the way. Fortunately it doesn't cost much to start running, but it does get a bit more expensive when you run 300+ miles! If you are interested in helping me out, whether it's a few packets of Gu, a 20% off coupon, gatorade powder, shirt or cash, send me an email. Anything that is leftover will go the AIDS Marathon Training Program.

I can't wait to get started! I'm getting more excited each day! Oh yeah...training for this weekend. Early start tomorrow morning for a 20+ mile run and then Sunday another 20+ run. Nice & slow!! ;)

Happy Running!