Annual Birthday Challenge for Charity 45k Run!

Yes, it is that time of year again!  Please support three great charities as I celebrate my birthday with my fourth annual Birthday Challenge for Charity. This year, I will be running 45 kilometers (almost 28 miles) and gratefully accepting donations on behalf of Doctors Without Borders, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the PKD Foundation.  One hundred percent of donations go straight to these organizations, and we also personally make a donation.  No donation is too small (or too big;), last year we raised almost $1600 with donations from $5 to $500! Usually, I divide the donations equally but if you feel strongly about one organization, just let me know.  And, if you need a receipt for tax purposes, again, just let me know.   Please use the PayPal donation button below (you don't need to have a PayPal account). And, if you happen to be wary of online donations, we also accept cash or checks!  Message me if you need my NEW address. 

Celebrate for a Cause 43 kilometer run

How "Celebrate for a Cause" was born:

June  of 2012 marked my daughter Casidy's first birthday and my 42nd birthday.  This seemed momentous to me--not only that my baby was a year old but that everyone in our house had survived that first year.   At the same time, I was looking for a way to reduce the amount of "stuff" in my life.  Babies add a whole 'nother layer to consumerism---they allegedly need all sorts of accoutrements like cribs, changing tables, diaper warmers, etc.  In short, my "minimalistic" lifestyle was being threatened, big time!  In honor of Casidy's first year of good health, I decided to donate all my birthday gifts to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  And, that might have been it, if not for Cameron Lane.  A few months before our birthdays, Cameron was celebrating her own milestone birthday by soliciting donations for several charities and then walking 60K to earn those donations.  I loved the idea and stole it outright but added my own wrinkle (Casidy would also "run" a kilometer, and I'd attempt to run my entire route).  Everything went perfectly, and we raised $1080, mostly just through word of mouth.  So, in 2013, no less thankful for good health, we found ourselves ready to do it all over again!

My 43k Run:

I spent the night before my big 43 kilometer run listening to the rain pound relentlessly on the roof.  Although I had vowed to complete the run regardless of weather, the rain reminded me that running in the rain is no fun, no fun at all.  A light mist is great, especially in hot weather, but driving rain gets old in a hurry--the water runs down your forehead, right into your eyes and mouth.  Your clothes get waterlogged, your shoes slosh with each footfall, your toes marinate, and everything you carry is in jeopardy.

Luckily, when I awoke at 5 a.m., the rain had petered out, and The Weather Channel claimed that rain wasn't expected again until 1 p.m.  I was hoping to get out the door quickly but it was nearly six a.m. by the time I got myself together.  I decided to start the run without listening to my Ipod because it was still dark, and the birds were singing like crazy.  Seemed like a good time to commune with nature.  On a side-note, Georgia reminds me of Central America this summer--just so jungular (is that a word?  If not, I like it and just made it up) with lushness and humidity.  And, speaking of communing with nature, please note that it started raining seven minutes into my run: take that Weather Channel.

The first part of the run was a loop that would put me back at my house shortly after the ten mile (17ish K) mark.  Basically, I considered this portion of the run a litmus test.  If it wasn't effortless, I was going to be hurting big time later on.  Luckily, this portion went really well.  Mostly flat, few cars on the street and cool temps.  Perfect.  The only complaining was from my feet.  My freebie Nikes were just not doing their cushioning job, and I could feel the pavement with each step--pound, pound, pound. I knew from years of experience trail running and backpacking that nothing will stop you more quickly than unremedied foot issues.

I expected the support crew to be up at home to great me but everyone was still asleep.  This actually worked to my advantage, as there were no distractions while I changed my shoes, used the restroom, ate a quick snack (vanilla wafer cookies), and added some fluids to my Camelbak.  I tried to take a selfie at this point but my camera wasn't working so it remains undocumented.

After a quick 15-minute stop, I was out the door.  The first song on my Ipod was "Touch of Grey" by the Grateful Dead."  I figured it was a pretty apropos song which could be taken either literally (the weather) or figuratively (my potential state of mind).  In any case, I felt like it bode well for the trip ahead.  After working my way down toward the university, I decided to go ahead and tackle part of the last section of my run on the way out rather than the return trip.  I then headed the whole way up past the university towards the green way.  

Then it was the whole way out to Sandy Creek Nature Center, and back down the green way.  Casidy and Pat meet me at about the 33k point, and they brought me two things (besides their companionship) that saved the day: a third pair of shoes and a 16 ounce Coke.  I'm not a big soda drinker but nothing has ever tasted quite a wonderful as that Coke.  I'm sure the sugar and caffeine provided a boost, too. We took a quick picture, and I was off again.

Now, it was just five more miles.  My feet had stopped hurting (thanks to Asics, a true runner's shoe), and I was living on the confidence that I could do it.  It didn't hurt that Pat and Casidy kept popping up unexpectedly to shout encouragements (or in one case, taunts as Casidy's CD played "its great to be crazy, it great to be crazy" and Pat pointed at me).

Before I knew it I was literally sprinting (would pay for that brilliant idea later) the last .5k uphill to my house! Was it worth it to raise$1200 for two great non-profit organizations?  No doubt.

And, now, a few last thoughts on the whole thing:

When people hear about this endeavor, the first question they ask is "how do you train for it?"  The answer is, in truth, I don't.  For most of the past year, I've been running four miles at a time, usually about five times a week.  However, since Casidy staged her big "I refuse to get in the jogging stroller revolt," it has been a lot harder to get out the door because I have to leave her at home.  As a result, I pretty much didn't run at all in June (Pat was out of town a lot) but I did at least go to the gym regularly.  So, how did I do it?  It is a mystery, really.  But, of course, I do love me a good theory so, yes, I do have some.  In one sense, I am sure that muscle memory is a factor.  I've run long distances before, and my body knows what to do.  And, on the physical side, going really, really slowly (10:30ish per mile?) helps, too. We'd also better acknowledge the role of pride--I would be terribly embarrassed if I didn't make it. But, you know, I also believe there is a metaphysical component to it, too.  I believe this simply because there is no other explanation.  This run is a song of thanks and prayer and my own version of poetry.

Now, it is your turn!  I challenge you, my friends and family, to pick up where I have left off and mount your own "Celebrate for a Cause."   There is no need to run a kilometer for each year of your life--simply pick an organization or two you believe in, and find a challenge for yourself.  It should be something that will represent a genuine challenge for you but is also entirely doable.  

The lyrics to Alice's Restaurant come to mind: "If one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, They may think they're both gay. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out? They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day? Fifty people a day walking in singing a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out? And friends they may thinks it's a movement."

So, let's make Celebrate for a Cause" a movement!  I'll be your first donation!

Thanks to everyone.  Hope to see you next year!