And We Are Off .....

Hi Friends,

I am off to Eugene tomorrow. Just thought I would make a few notes before I re-check all my gear and head from Medford to Eugene early Saturday morning.

Thank you to all the great friends and family that helped reach the goal of $1500.00 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We actually made it past $1600.00 and that is unbelievable. It sure has been a few months of fun and hard work to finally get to Eugene. Well actually I will be there tomorrow.....
I made some new friends and started running with a great group of people that I think will help me be a better runner and a better person to boot.

I ran in a couple fun races in Reno. First chasing leprechaun downtown and then running in the Downtown Reno River Run Half Marathon. Both times I was running with the great folks at Reno Running and Fitness and chatting and laughing the whole way. Thanks gang!

Brenda has really been kind to put up with all my running talk. She is pretty sure that I have a problem but just can't pin it down yet. I am sure that I would be lost without her there to keep me from going off the deep end. Thank you sweetie!

So the countdown is over and I am sure something new will take it's place after Sunday. I would love to do another marathon in December, but I will have to see how that looks in a week or two.

Oh and I almost forgot. I will be meeting some coolio folks that I have been chatting with on Facebook. And it is always great to meet new people, especially when you have something in common.

More in the next couple days...

Don

Raise You Hand if This Ever ....

Hi Friends,

Wow, what a week this has been. Our little guy "Rusty" was having some problems and it required us to travel to Loomis CA on Monday and Tuesday to get him the attention he needed. Combine that with getting the flu and then having a really sore back Saturday and now Sunday and you have all the makings of a surrender.
Raise your hand if you might have just given in and walked away at this point and returned to old habits?
I know that as recent as a couple years back I would have packed it in and just given up. That is one thing I am working so hard to change with running. I am going to stay the course and cross the finish line in Eugene and finish what I started. I have never had much luck following through with things and am fast to give up.
Not any more!

I am really enjoying this process of building up my strength and ability so that I will be able to complete  this first Marathon for me in April. I am pretty sure that when I finish I will feel different because I didn't give up and finished what I started. I will be sharing that excitement with you in photos and stories along the road to Eugene.

Speaking of excitement....
We are almost half way to our goal of $1500.00 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with three more amazing donations coming in in the last couple days. We together have raised $665.00 so far! I think all of you are just amazing. Thank you so much for helping to fund the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's cancer fighters. No sequester here, we are going to work right up until April 28th to do our part. And then maybe we will work beyond as I have signed up for the San Jose Half Marathon and the California International Marathon with maybe a couple more before the end of the year.

So I didn't give up and am now more determined to finish what I started and what all of you have supported. On to Eugene!!

Don't forget a donation of any amount will make a difference. $1.00 or $1,000.00 will help.

Don

Still Running Towards Eugene

Hi Friends,

Thanks for stopping by to see what I am up to today.

I am still excited about the Eugene Marathon even tho it is still more than 2 months away. I want to finish but I also want to finish strong when I go. I know that a lot can go wrong in a 26.2 mile race but am confident that I will run to the finish with a strong kick to celebrate the finish line.

This week I have scaled back my running just a bit too allow some rest for legs and feet that ran around Reno last Sunday. I feel great but am allowing some reduction in miles to let anything that may have been stretched to it's limit to heal and rebuild stronger. I did get a great run in downtown Reno yesterday. 10 miles from downtown to Sparks and back along the Truckee River trails. It is all paved and landscaped nice but still has a few spots where you wonder if you should be running alone there. I had no problems and was mostly met with smiles and encouragement.  Downtown Reno looked great yesterday, I was really impressed with how she seemed to shine. Way to go Reno!

After we finished the McCarran Loop run last weekend, I quickly signed up for next months McLoop so I could get another long run in to start March off on the right foot. I really enjoy running for long distances. It seems to do wonders for my head and I am sure is helping me to stay healthy as a side benefit. Hopefully it helps me be a better person as a bonus. Only those folks that I see all the time will be able to tell you the answer to the latter comment.

We have reached the $300.00 mark in our fundraising so far! I am really amazed at that number and even more amazed by the generosity of the those that have contributed to "Team Run Don Run." We still need to raise $1200.00 (or more) but I am as confident in reaching that goal as I am in being able to finish The Eugene Marathon. You can help me get the word out to more folks by sharing the link to this Blog with all your friends and family. Just mention it in a Facebook post or Tweet. You could even add a link to a signature in your emails ... every little bit helps. Heck if 1200 friends donated just $1.00 each we would be there. That breaks down to 600 friends donating $2.00 each or 120 folks donating just $10.00 each or 48 people donating $25.00 each!

Thanks a bunch for stopping by and even more thanks for sharing this Blog (if you can) so we can reach or exceed our goal and make history out of blood cancer. Some day that last donation will be the one that finally makes a difference. Maybe it will be one of ours!

Don

More Training Adventures

Hi Friends,

I just finished a 23.5 mile training run yesterday (Sunday February 3rd) and wanted to get it written down and shared before it vanishes into my memories.

This was my second time around Reno on the McCarran Blvd loop road with the group from Reno Running and Fitness. They are great group of runners that like to enjoy the miles in training as a group and allow non members to tag along on some of their runs. The entire loop around Reno is 23.5 miles or there about as my Garmin said it was 24.08 but who is counting?

The group gathered at Shelly Park in Sparks and ran off clockwise around McCarran Blvd at 6:00 am on Sunday. It was good sized group with 3 people running it for the first time. The pace was confortable made even more relaxing by the conversations between runners as we headed towards the University. I ran the loop by myself the first time afraid to leave with the others because I was intimidated by what I thought would be the speed of the run. I should have waited then and learned that this month. Chalk up another lesson to experience. If you are joining the group in March or any other time this year don't worry about your pace. You will be fine and fit right in. I also learned where all the restrooms were on the route! It may not seem that important when you look at the big picture, but when you get a bit older and especially if you are a Man it matters plenty.

With all the chatting and energy it was not long before the Sun was rising over Reno and we were at North Virginia Street and McCarran. It was a beautiful sunrise! Next we arrived at the North McCarran Blvd Wal-Mart for some refreshment (vending machines) and unse of the facilities (again). We stopped for our group picture next by the McCarran Blvd wall  just before the freeway underpass. Still in good spirits it was on to the hills in the Caughlin Ranch part of town. We walked, we ran and we made it up and over the dreaded hills. It is all down hill to the finish from here.

It really does not seem like we are into this thing 3 hours now and we are nearing Meadowood Mall and the last big stretch before the finish. I felt good not feeling any pains or aches but a bit tired as we entered mile 18 to 20. Wow, we are almost done now and everyone is going to finish. The last mile or half mile seems a bit long maybe because you can see right where it ends but there are a couple street lights and plenty of traffic between you and the park. I tried a couple of times to put on some hero kind of kick at the end to really finish strong but had little luck. Having not been able to finish in a sprint, I was happy to finish with the pack and enjoy some post run chatter with the others.

So another long training run is completed and I am already excited about the March "Loop" run. I think I will probably rest a day before getting back to the street for some more training. Special thanks go out to Reno Running and Fitness for allowing me to tag along with them and partake in the fun.

Things are going great for the Eugene Marathon the last of April. I will have 2 more of these great long runs in by then as well as my other training and am confident I will finish strong in Eugene.

Last ... I am still working on my goal of raising $1500.00 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help find cures for and treat blood cancer. You can help them do their important work by donating any amount via this page. I am running hard (23.5 miles yesterday) and thought about making a difference during the run. You can make a difference too, donate today!

Thanks again for making a difference,

Don

You Totally Rock!

Hi Friends,

I love this ... "Ya got air coming through ya' nose! You got a heartbeat, that means it's time to go do something!" 
You will love it too when you get to the video at the end of this post.

I know I have some of the best friends and family in the World, but this week you even made me more proud of who you are and what you do. I was going thru my emails and see that your donations for the last week were $225.00! I am just blown away by your goodness. Don't you just love the word goodness?

I can't begin to tell you how great that is, but here goes.

Team Townsend ... Your donation was amazing and beautiful. It will make a big difference in the life of someone that has Leukemia or Lymphoma.

Marcus Carlson ... Wow, it was so great to see you had made a donation to my Team in Training this week. How cool and thoughtful are you to want to reach out and help people you (and I) don't even know that have blood cancer and suffer from it's effects. Just too cool!

There were others that made donations, but they have indicated that they didn't want their names listed in the donors list or in this blog. I just want them to know that I and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society appreciate their generosity. You are special and what you have done is making a difference.

I wanted to offer something to all the donors and those that are following my journey that will bring you a smile or offer some encouragement to you this week. I love this little video and hope it motivates you to create something "amazing" this week.

Thanks again to all that visited and donated this week. I will be putting a thank you note in the mail soon, but in the mean time remember, "Boring is easy, everybody can be boring. But your gooder than that."

Don

IPad Mini Raffle!

Hi Friends,

I am still running and training for the Eugene Marathon in April. And I am still raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so that they can find a cure for blood cancer and support those that suffer from it. It has been a blast so far learning about this great organization and all that they do.

I have a great new way for you to help out and maybe win at the same time. You can enter my raffle to win a brand new iPad Mini in the color of your choice just by making a donation to my Team in Training. Here is how this will work.

First this is not a huge raffle that really offers you no chance to win. This raffle is mine and I will award  a brand new iPad mini to the winner from just the donors on my Team in Training page in April. You have a great chance of winning and the more entries you make the better your chances. There really is a great chance that you will win if you donate.

Here are the basics....

You will get 1 entry for every $20.00 you donate from today until Friday April 5th.

If you donate $100.00 you will get 10 entries in the raffle!

On April 5th, I will write all your names down on pieces of paper and throw them into a hat (one for each $20.00 donation or 10 entries for a $100.00). Then I will shake them up real good and draw the winner. It is that easy.

So will you help me make a difference in the lives of others? It is easy and won't cost much and the money will go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so they can get busy finding cures and making lives better.

So go make a donation and help me help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Thank you so much!!

Don

Just 16 Weeks to Go Before Eugene!

Hi Friends,

So I am really studying and concentrating on my training for the Eugene Marathon. I can't believe it is just 16 weeks away. Mostly I am working on staying injury free and starting to increase the distance of my long runs. By the time April 28th arrives, the distance will be no problem at all.

I am totally enjoying the journey so far as well as the challenges it throws my way. This adventure is really helping me get past some walls that I have built in life. Things that really needed to be dealt with. Chief among them is my habit of giving up when things get a bit tough. By the time this journey is finished, I will have taken a chunk out of that bad habit.

You can still help me with one of my other challenges. A donation of any amount will help me meet my goal of raising $1500.00 to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fight blood cancer and make those that suffer with it live a better life. Just click the donate widget to the right if you can help out.

Training and Loving it,

Don