Chicago in December

Happy New Year!!!

I am very glad to tell you that I reached my goal and arrived virtually at Lindblom High School in Chicago on December 31st. It has been a great year and a fun goal but I must admit that I am very, very ready for a break before getting back to running 3 times a week instead of 6-7 days a week. This 40 year old 6'5" body wasn't going to keep chugging along much longer.

I want to thank a few people for helping me get through the year and get this done. Peggy has been very supportive and helped me get out for an hour a day all year by keeping our house running efficiently. Wayne Welter got me out for weekend runs all year and helped me get through a 17 mile day on New Years Eve. I had to go 17 that day due to a small miscalculation of the mileage needed to get there on the google map. Wayne also got me out for a special postworkout rueben, fries and a beer that afternoon which is just what I needed. I'd like to thank Michael Joyce for getting me outside for weekday runs from the HP site. I would also like to thank those that sponsored me. I will be getting in touch with you soon on how to make your donation.

I also want to thanks the folks at Lindblom that followed my journey. It was an honor to run every day in support of what they do every day for the kids. I had wanted to finish the run at the school in December but couldn't get it done and I am now planning a trip to Chicago to see the school and sit in on a few classes.

Thanks again and happy new year!!!

Here is the final map of my route:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110554127591877232771.000442ac2b781920c6982&z=5

October in Iowa

Between work, kids and running all the time I have done a poor job of maintaining this blog. I'll do better here as we get closer to the end of the year and the end of this crazy run. :)

I have done a good job of getting out and keeping the running going this fall. My good friends, Wayne Welter and Michael Joyce, make it much easier to get out on a cool weekend morning or over a busy lunch hour.

I have had the pleasure of running through my mom's home town of Inwood, Iowa and my dad's hometown of Sioux City, Iowa. My dedication to this run is undoubtedly influenced by the midwest work ethic passed down from my parents.

My grandfather's house in Sioux City

My mom's Methodist church in Inwood

I also have some pictures to share from Molly's school. I haven't had the opportunity to attend the school but am planning to finish the run in Chicago in December and attending a few classes. I am constantly impressed by Molly's unselfish dedication to her students.

August in....Nebraska

It's August and I am still running and on track with a couple more weeks in Nebraska before hitting Iowa for runs through my parents' hometowns. I'll be very ahpy to get there and will definitely be sharing a view of the small farm town and the big city of Iowa.

Molly starts school tomorrow and our kids are just very glad it is not them starting tomorrow. She works year-round to prepare and grow as a teacher and each class benefits from her hard work. Here is an article from the school's website on a team Molly taught last year.

Three Eagles sophomores win History Fair
Everett Murrell, Jonathan Parnell and Lea Starling participated in the Chicago Metro History Fair through the Museumology Colloquium taught by Molly Myers. Their board entitled “Lindblom 1968” was unanimously chosen 1st place in the Illinois and was selected 14th in the nation at the National History Day Finals in College Park, Maryland. Each student won $5000 which was sponsored by the Association for the Student of African-American Life and History. The students’ project details the transformation that occurred in their school in the 1960s as the Supreme Court pressured the Chicago Public Schools to become more integrated in the wake of the 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education decision. Racial conflict broke out at Lindblom as increasing numbers of black students began to attend the predominantly-white school. Lindblom and the surrounding West Englewood neighborhood quickly shifted from predominantly white to predominantly black due to white flight. This year is Lindblom’s first participation in the History Fair.

June in Nebraska

I've neglected my duties in maintaining the blog but have kept up the running and entered Nebraska this week. I had the pleasure of running the Sawtooth Relay with 5 old and new friends and we had a great time. We ran 60 miles in just under 8 hours including a 1,300 ft climb over Galena Summit. It was just so nice spending the weekend with Peggy and the kids in the mountains. I really apprecaite everyone's support and will keep on running this week from Malaysia and San Diego.

April 5, 2008

I am 3 months along and 1/4 of the way to Chicago and have managed to stay on track through the most challenging winter months. Eric and Wayne are two of my running buddies that help pull me along on Saturday mornings. These two are training for Robie Creek which is the toughest half marathon oin the US according to Runner's World. They have had me out doing 12 milers with them the last two Saturdays and they really keep me going. I might be cursing them in the car on the way to meet for a run but it's great having good friends to run and celebrate milestones.

For those friends not in Boise, you can see how spoiled we are here in Boise with these foothills at our grasp on the outskirts of town. The picture below are the hills we enjoy each Saturday and they are full of accessible trails for biking, running and hiking. You can see them in the background of our Christmas picture here. We are very lucky in lots of ways!



Clare had an opportunity to spend Spring Break with Molly and shadow some of Molly's students in class. She had a great time getting to know some of the kids and just seeing the world through a different pair of goggles. They went to see the play "Wicked" and also took Clare to the top of the Sears Tower. She had a blast and has been talking about her aunt and Janey ever since. Below is a pic from that trip.


Thanks to all of you for your support in this endeavor. This old body turned 40 in March but somehow I can still keep running even when it hurts to get out of bed in the morning.


Updated map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110554127591877232771.000442ac2b781920c6982&z=5

March 15th

It's great to finally be in Wyoming but the constant hangovers and wind-blown snow have made the running difficult. I had no idea just being virtually in Wyoming was enough to fill my fridge with Keystone Light like in my Laramie days. Just kidding. So far everything is on track. Daylight savings time has been a huge help in letting me get outside for runs. I am in Denver this weekend with Peggy's sister Holly and her family but getting some great runs in around Lakewood.

Molly is working with the PE department to get a program where the kids run stairs and each step is a mile in a journey. It's great exercise and means going up 200 flights of stairs over the semester. I'm hoping to get pictures here soon of Molly and her students.

Here is a map of my progress as of this Saturday. I need to be in Casper by the end of April and I should be there if I can get in 40 miles per week this month and next. Join me for a run?

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110554127591877232771.000442ac2b781920c6982&z=7

California

Finally able to get off the treadmill and add a pic of me actually running. I was in Sacramento, Palo Alto and San Diego this week and made it out for some great runs around the Stanford campus. If I had ever visited the campus in high school it might have been enough to push me hard enough to get the grades to go there. Well...likely not but it's an idea for all you parents out there. I had a great week and got in some excellent runs on a 6 mile loop around campus. This picture was taken on a trail that winds through the hills just above the main part of campus. I did a few miles on their track as well but I love the vibe there with the great architecture, lots of diversity around campus and a very green feel with bikes and hybrids everywhere.

I'm almost to Salt Lake City and will be in Wyoming in early March(updated map at the bottom of the blog). I can't wait to get done with travel and starte enjoying my runs in Boise with friends again. Next week it's Singapore and Malaysia so I'll try to get some pics from there.