Just back from Arizona. Figure I'll be cooled down by Wednesday or so. Jesus H. Christ. How do people freaking survive - literally - in weather like that? Crazy Mama, care to shed some light on this for us???
Joking aside, it was a nice trip and always fun to hang with the family. Highlights included one 24 hour span which featured:
1. Summer getting crapped on by a bird at breakfast in full view of the entire restaurant (she was a great sport about it)
2. Summer running full steam into a glass sliding door (fortunately, uninjured)
3. Summer falling out of bed in the middle of the night (monster fat lip but no blood or missing teeth).
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I was thinking this past weekend about what Lance calls the "obligation of the cured." Even though I am not cured quite yet I still haven't really done much to help further "the cause." Unfortunately, I really don't have the time right now to do "real work" (i.e. fundraising, advocacy, events, PR, etc.) though I will absolutely make the the time at some point in my lifetime. What I can do, though, is give money. Even though this is the easy route, it's better than nothing and at the end of the day, moneythis is what most cancer organizations need most.
So, I was thinking about a fun way of raising money. I am loath to hit you all up for money ala many other well-intentioned organizations. That's not my style. Instead, I'd rather get you all running.
Here's what I am proposing:
I invite you all to "virtually" join me on September 7th when I ran the Big Kahuna Half Ironman in Santa Cruz. For all of you who run between three and ten miles on the same day I do the half ironman, I will donate 25 dollars in your name to Thyca (see the link to the right to learn more). If you run between 10 and 20 I will donate $50 in your respective names. If you run over 20, I will donate $100. Note the use of "I". The financial part is all on me; all you have to do is run. However, if you want to donate direct, thats fine by me too, but I'm not asking you to do so.
While this is by no means the world's largest or popular blog, there's enough of you out there reading this that we (I) can make a fairly substantial contribution. It will also provide further motivation and inspiration for me personally when I do Big Kahuna, knowing that you're out there with me in body and spirit.
So, what say ye? Who is in? Let's make this even more fun and don't email me privately -- state your goal on the comments section. And it's all good by me -- if you simply want to run three, that is awesome in my book. The goal is simply to get us all running.
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Speaking of comments section, my father is kind of bummed out (an understatement) that there was so few comments to his guest blog, so give him some love people, otherwise it will be hard to cajole another article out of him.
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Happy Father's Day, all you fathers. Hoope you had a great day.
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Tomorrow's commentary will focus on the Dauphine Libere bike race, the final tuneup to the Tour de France, which wrapped up yesterday. With the Tour coming up I warn you in advance that you are about to see a LOT of bike related posts. I recognize that this might turn some of you off, but try to hang with me if you can. Despite the recent doping scandal, pro cycling is really a beautiful sport and I will do my best to make it interesting.
Ou tof rnow; off to watch Entourage.
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13 comments:
on the AZ heat? anyone that lives here tells you they go from one air conditioned place to another. house -car,car-store, car-house, Movies, mall,etc. and if you hang out outside, you are in a pool or at the lake. otherwise it is after sundown or before 9am. and believe it or not the drive in movie gets kind of chilly, (below 75) after 11pm, from lack of asphalt. Asphalt continues to radiate heat well into the night.
Count me in, Howard. I'm good for up to 10 miles. Still not ready to go bigger distance.
GS. I DID post a reply the day of your guest blog, but it never showed up. What I basically said is that my co-workers now think I'm a little strange as I was literally laughing out loud when I read your post. Perhaps folks are intimidated by your sarcastic wit and eloquence?!?! Fret, not.
I've never run 10 miles.
Then again, I never ran 3.2 miles before getting motivated by you. Consider my training starting today.
10 miles... how far is that... Hmmm... my house to Lake Michigan and back.... seems almost too convenient.
9/7 run. hm. "if i'm here". ha! hope you enjoyed those extra 5 min of entourage-i'm hoping that continues this season (that translates to a whole extra episode). happy to see debi mazar gone from the creds, and ari's scene-stealing wife added. no comment on the heat. who goes to arizona for vacation in the summer??
Atta boy Greedo and Toddie; very nice. 10 miles is awesome. Laurie - you're buddy my wife, that's who. Talk to her on that topic, please, before she does it again enxt year. ANd regardless of where you are living, you are running, amiga! Just a matter of how long.....
"Same day". I assume I have 24 hours. I'll make the 20.
Remember, everyone, in 24 hours a person can go a lot of miles. As a well-known ultra runner said, "everyone can go 100 miles, it's just how long it will take you"
i can only commit to three miles, for fear that i would die before seeing your contribution go to good use.
but count me in, and know that even the bare minimum will be quite difficult for me.
now if we open this up to cycling, it's a different story...
change run to nap and miles to hours and i,m in. and i,ll pay my own way.gs
Michael B -- I am touched and honored. You the man.
Good on the rest of you but there's lot of you missing. Schultz -- I expect 20 miles. Wife -- give me five (after all, Laurie has committed to 10) Scooter, you got three in you, right? DaveM can't run so how about 15 mile bike for you is equivalent of three miles run? Brothers of mine who I'm not sure even read this thing -- what say ye? Scottie my boy -- three miles and you are my hero. Jenny F -- you're a marathoner. Can I put you down for ten?
Come on peeps!
What about Hope G.? Who will watch our kids? Love, The Wife
Gary, William, and I are in for a total of 10 miles. Gary, you better start training, so I don't have to run all 10 by myself.
Love the blog, Howard. Hope we get to see you and the rest of the Solomons sometime soon.
September 7 (a friday) seems like a crazy day for a tri or ultra, but I am in for 11 miles that day, putting me squarely into the $50 category. Nice. I will have to squeeze the long run from sat in fri, but I love seeing donations in my name without the personal dip, don't you know. And HS, if you want to double my donation, I will personally verify Beno's miles. A tricky task, to be sure.
Howard should double the donation for any runner over 200 lbs. Subject to those terms, I am in for 3 miles.
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