World Wide Half Marathon
A man's wife and young child just left Yokosuka to visit family in the States for a few weeks, so what does the guy do? He signs up for a half marathon.
Yup. I just registered for the 2nd Annual Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon, to be held on or around the weekend of 13-14 October 2007. As Nicki mentioned in the last post, we've really taken a likin' to Steve Runner's weekly podcast called Phedippidations. I've enjoyed listening during my workouts so much that I've found myself just jogging for ridiculous numbers of miles without even knowing it. With Nicki and Josh away, I figured that I needed something to do to occupy my time and keep me out of trouble, so I'll be training for a 13.1 mile (or 21.1 kilometer, as they measure here in Japan) run around the Miura Peninsula.
This race is fairly unusual, since it's being undertaken by folks from all over the world at various times in all kinds of different locations. It's completely free to register (at http://www.worldwidehalf.com/), you can choose your own path, and you can choose to raise money for whatever charity strikes your fancy.
Most of you don't know, but the reason Nicki and Josh are heading back to the States is to be with family following a death in the family. Nicki's grandmother, Marcia, passed away last month. Nicki's pretty private about such things and to be honest, I'm not sure how much (if anything) she wants me to say about it, but I've decided to dedicate the run to Marcia's memory. As such, I've found a charity that I think she would have been proud to support. In the little time that I had the privilege of knowing her, I learned that Marcia had a big heart and cared deeply for children. As such, I've decided to start a donation campaign for the Hole In The Wall Camps, which you can read about by clicking through the link in the organization's name. I'm going to start the campaigning by pledging $50 from our own bank account.
If you're interested in contributing, please consider doing so. You have my word that 100% of all donations will go to the Hole In The Wall Camps and I'll try to get a receipt from them to post online as a thanks to all contributors. I'm planning to keep a running total of contributions and a list of supporter's names (unless you'd prefer to remain anonymous). Thanks in advance for everyone's support, be it financially or by cheering me on.
Wish me luck!
Update: I set up a separate blog to track my experiences and stories from training and to keep a running total of contributions for the Hole In The Wall Camps charity. Check it out at: http://japanyearsrunning.blogspot.com.
Yup. I just registered for the 2nd Annual Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon, to be held on or around the weekend of 13-14 October 2007. As Nicki mentioned in the last post, we've really taken a likin' to Steve Runner's weekly podcast called Phedippidations. I've enjoyed listening during my workouts so much that I've found myself just jogging for ridiculous numbers of miles without even knowing it. With Nicki and Josh away, I figured that I needed something to do to occupy my time and keep me out of trouble, so I'll be training for a 13.1 mile (or 21.1 kilometer, as they measure here in Japan) run around the Miura Peninsula.
This race is fairly unusual, since it's being undertaken by folks from all over the world at various times in all kinds of different locations. It's completely free to register (at http://www.worldwidehalf.com/), you can choose your own path, and you can choose to raise money for whatever charity strikes your fancy.
Most of you don't know, but the reason Nicki and Josh are heading back to the States is to be with family following a death in the family. Nicki's grandmother, Marcia, passed away last month. Nicki's pretty private about such things and to be honest, I'm not sure how much (if anything) she wants me to say about it, but I've decided to dedicate the run to Marcia's memory. As such, I've found a charity that I think she would have been proud to support. In the little time that I had the privilege of knowing her, I learned that Marcia had a big heart and cared deeply for children. As such, I've decided to start a donation campaign for the Hole In The Wall Camps, which you can read about by clicking through the link in the organization's name. I'm going to start the campaigning by pledging $50 from our own bank account.
If you're interested in contributing, please consider doing so. You have my word that 100% of all donations will go to the Hole In The Wall Camps and I'll try to get a receipt from them to post online as a thanks to all contributors. I'm planning to keep a running total of contributions and a list of supporter's names (unless you'd prefer to remain anonymous). Thanks in advance for everyone's support, be it financially or by cheering me on.
Wish me luck!
Update: I set up a separate blog to track my experiences and stories from training and to keep a running total of contributions for the Hole In The Wall Camps charity. Check it out at: http://japanyearsrunning.blogspot.com.
posted by Unknown | 2:27 PM
9 Comments:
Mike,
Sounds like a good cause, but I want to motivate you further. I'll give 100 yen per mile if your time is under 1hr 40min, 50 yen per mile for anthing under 2hr and 10 yen for anything over that.
If my times are not realistic, let me know and I'll tweak them.
I would invite you over for a beer while Nicki is away, but you're in training:-) Give me a call if you need a night off training.
Pete
North Carolina has a camp, also. Check out http://www.victoryjunction.org/aa_home/index.html
Hey guys, thanks for the comments.
Pete, in all likelihood, I'll be aiming for a two and a half hour race total. If I'm feeling really good and the stars are aligned properly, I may be able to knock it as low as 2:15. I appreciate the support and any contribution will be much appreciated.
Anon (who I assume with the NC reference is David), thanks for shedding more light on the camp program. I've updated the original post so that the donation proceeds go towards "Hole In The Wall Camps". That way the money will support each of the several similar camps throughout the world.
Good luck! I, as a neophyte, am just hoping to do one of the 5K's here on base.
Pouncy, thanks for the luck. The on-base 5K's are really well managed and a lot of fun. I highly recommend them. In fact, I hear there's one on Labor Day here on Yokosuka that I may sign up for, though it is on a rest day for my training.
Actually, the group that's "sponsoring" the 1/2 marathon that I'm running is also coordinating a world wide 5K during the same time. Check out:
http://www.worldwidehalf.com
Good tips on running are abound!
Congrats with the new challenge, Mike!
And Nicki, I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you find some comfort at home with your family.
Kris
So, hot stuff.....your wife's away....want to get together? Love, your wife :)
So sorry to hear about the loss of Nicki's grandmother! I hope her visit to the states is both comforting and healing.
Good luck with your run! It is quite an undertaking! I poop out after about 4 miles, so I can definitely appreciate the work and effort going into this endeavor! You are also doing it for a great cause!
We hope that Nicki's trip back home is a time of family healing....it's so hard to be away from home during times like this and it's our greatest hope that her presence (and that of your adorable little boy) is healing for everyone. We wish you a loving family experience filled with great memories of a wonderful woman!
I am currently listening to Phedippidations 9/2 and it's an amazing show! I've been rolling around the concepts of working out in my head for the last few years, and each of my workouts usually fall into two categories: "The Carrot" or "The Shadow".
Some days I run and weight train because my brain sees "the carrot" in front of me (a great goal) and some days (especially during deployments) I'm training because I'm running from "the shadow"....the stuff too scary to think about.
What an amazing way to look at the human body, amazing muscle functions and what we're capable of. Thank you for this link!
P.S....I loved this quote I'm hearing now..."I'm about the do this intense run"....answer: "It's not intense! It's left foot/right foot!"
Post a Comment
<< Home