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.

January 31

One month in and still going strong. The weather here has been unbelievable with fresh snow coming every time the roads clear up. I'd have running pictures but unfortunately most of my runs have been on the treadmill. The only way I keep my sanity is by having a TV to watch while I run. I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary "The War" and it's an amazing pieve of work. You'd be proud, Molly! Learning about history and running at the same time!!!

The next month should be interesting trying to fit the runs in around a busy travel schedule. I'll be on the road four weeks out of the next six with two International trips. I'm planning to get runs in during very short stops in Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Germany and Spain along with two trips to numerous locations along the west coast. I'll finally get to take some pictures during my runs since pics from the treadmill are far from interesting.

Thanks for all of the support out there!

Week 3

The run is coming along...even through a Palo Alto business trip. I can't wait for 60 degree weather!!!

I finished the week with a great 8+ miler in the foothills with my buddy Eric and his running group today. It was a blast and I met some really nice folks. They are some serious runners with one fella, Steve, running the Coastal challenge 130 mile race next week in Costa Rica. Go Steve!!!

I need to get the camera out this week for runs in San Diego and Houston. Until then I'll just keep posting random pics. I've updated the map and I am in Wendell almost to Twin Falls with three more weeks before I hit the Utah border.

One of my favorite pics. Ben and I did a 5k last year and I was dying trying to keep up with skinny legs.:)

Week 2

So far so good. The weather has been a little dicey but not enough to keep me from getting out although I had to resort to the dreaded treadmill a couple of times due to the ice.

I've had a great response to the run and I am very thanksful for all of those who are sponsoring me and my running partners for helping me get out there every day.

The running program at the school is coming along and I'll have more information on that shortly. Below is a picture of Molly working at the school. I love the "History Teacher" t-shirt. She is amazing!

As you can see from the map, I made it to Smith's Ferry as of today and I should get to Twin Falls in the next week and a half. I'll update this every weekend and give you a status report.

The Start

Hello friends and family and whoever else ends up here. It's that time of year again and everyone is making their New Year's resolutions. I've never really had a New Year's resolution and apparently they rarely amount to much but this past year has provided lots of opportunities to reflect. Maybe it's making a new home with Peggy and the kids or the scare of turning 40 this March or seeing my poised and courageous friend, Pam Parker, fight a battle with cancer. Whatever the reason...this is my wacky idea.

The Goal - Run the distance(not the actual route) from my house in Boise to Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago(1,961 miles) in 2008. The shortest route is shorter but I decided to pass through Casper, WY, Inwood, IA and Sioux City, IA along the way. That translates to 5.38 miles each and every day this year. This might sound like a whole lot to some people or not that much to my running friends but I can tell you that doing it every day will be a challenge. If I only run 5 days a week it means running 7.5 miles on each of those runs and then there is the buffer I need to build in case of illness or injury. I ran 27.64 miles over the first 5 days and I think the short days and cold, wet weather are going to be the biggest challenge to getting out there each day.

Your Pledge - I'm asking you to pledge $.025, $.05 or $.10 per mile for very mile if I don't make it to Chicago and double per mile if I do make it all the way. Your maximum exposure is $100. $200 or $400 depending on which option you choose and with HP matching for employees we can do a lot more with that in terms of providing incoming students with calculators and providing classrooms with cameras and printers. Lindblom is a magnet school on the South side of Chicago that gives kids a chance to escape poverty and crime and prepares them for college and beyond. I'm passionate about it because of my sister's passion for the kids she teaches there and the joy the students and staff bring to her life. I'll post more about the school and pictures during the year. The donations will be made directly to the school so it is tax deductible. The money we raise will make a visible difference at the school. The URL for the school is: http://lmsa.cps.k12.il.us/

Running Partners - I'd appreciate help and encouragement from my running partners both past and present. There will be lots of 5-7 mile runs this year and it would be great to catch up with you along the way. We won't be breaking any speed records this year on these runs.

Students - Molly and I are working with the Principal and Physical Education department to get a running program started at the school as part of this as well. I'll have more information on that as we go through the year.

This is my first attempt at a blog so please be patient while I perfect this over the next few months. I'll be including pics as well as this map charting my progress weekly.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110554127591877232771.000442ac2b781920c6982&ll=43.253205,-115.653076&spn=1.116199,2.427979&z=8&om=0

Please email me at mtmyers68@yahoo.com with your pledge.

Time for a run!!!