Somewhere past the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

When I was hiking the Grand Canyon this past March, I met several men and women between the ages of 65 and 75 who were making the same journey. In fact, of the seven of us in our bunkhouse, four men were 65 or older. Mark and I hiked out of the canyon with Glenn, 73, and he was pretty much setting the pace for us, including the grueling final 1.5 miles to the edge.

And I decided that if I want to be like those guys, I’d better take whatever training I did for the Grand Canyon hike and keep it going. And take whatever I learned from that experience and use it. Friends asked me, “so, how was the Grand Canyon? Was it life changing” almost as though it wouldn’t have been. My journey with Mark taught me some lessons. One lesson I learned was that once I take my first step on what seems an impossible journey, the rest is only a series of next steps on a well-worn path that’s already been laid out for me. If I prepare myself properly and approach a challenge with a clear perspective, I’m there.

Also, it taught me that if I want to do anything, I’d better do it now. There is no guarantee about what’s to come. So: a marathon. Hey, I never really wanted to run a marathon. But I did always want to be a healthy, active, in-shape adult. And a good way to do that is to surround myself with people who encourage me on the journey. And a better way to do that is to have those people accompany me on my journey. And to to be there with them to encourage them on their way. And if I can raise $3,000 for research into Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma while I’m on the journey, what’s better really?

Yeah. So the other part of this is that I’m asking my friends and family for money so I can run with Team In Training and raise a ton of money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while I overcome my fears, face my challenges and make the best use of my life while doing it. That’s a challenge in itself. But, I believe I’m here to live my life to its fullest and help others to do the same.

And in that spirit, I'd like to ask you to contribute a good portion of what you are considering contributing to me, to my friend, co-worker and team mate Nicole Tamke. You can reach her fundraising page here.

Isn’t that why we’re all here?

I'd like to take a moment to additionally thank all my friends and co-workers who have donated so far. And to acknowledge my corporate sponsor, Anthony's, the best pizza and pasta this side of the Brooklyn Bridge and that's saying a lot, my friends.

Thanks.

6/26/10 Front Runners 5M Pride Race