The $500 Mark

Earlier this week - as in yesterday - I passed the $500 mark. A milestone of sorts, but nothing to be too proud of because there isn't a stopping point in mind. If there was, that definitely wouldn't be it. Instead it's just something for me to note and move past.

The bigger milestone ahead is the goal I set myself a few months back: 400 miles in year one. With 22 days remaining, I have 45.5 miles to go. That's a little over two miles per day, but actually more attainable than I thought it to be only a week ago. In the last nine days alone, I've gone from a perfectly even pace to 11.5 miles over. That's 20.5 miles in nine days. Keep that up and 400 should be easy. Now it's just a matter of keeping that up...

An Update...

It has been a very, very long time since I've updated the site, but that doesn't mean the running has stopped. As you can see on the right, I'm still on pace with the first year coming close to its end. The pace has been right around what I initially thought it would be, although it looks like it may be difficult to hit the first year goal of 400 miles I set a few months ago. There are still 30 days to go, so we'll see, but it could be tough. The good news is, I'm not behind the mile-a-day pace and don't plan to be. I'll continue to run and continue to raise what I can to fight leukemia and support the places that took such good care of Mo and so many others.

The 200th Mile

When I started this little quest, I didn’t plan on posting much. However, I also didn’t plan on not posting for over five months.

In those five months, I’ve surpassed 100 miles and then, recently, 200 miles. In recent weeks the pace slowed to the point that I came dangerous close to a 1 mile per day pace. I blame that on a group of friends who convinced me it would be a good idea to participate in a flag football tournament. If I had a prime, I’m well past it. The muscle soreness only took a few days to subside. The pain in my left knee took a few weeks. So not wanting to end up spending more time on the couch than I already do, I took some time off, but was still able to keep ahead of the pace. And I now have a fancy knee brace to keep me from falling over mid run.

That will all go for naught in a few days though as I go on vacation for two weeks. While there will be plenty of walking during my trek with my wife through Italy, there won’t be running. On the itinerary is sightseeing, relaxing, eating lots of pasta, drinking even more wine, and enjoying ourselves. Not that I don’t enjoy running (it’s turned into one of my favorite things to do, which is extremely surprising if you know me well), but there are no plans to work it into the schedule. It will put me briefly off pace, but I’ll have more than enough time to make it up when I return.

As I surpassed 200 miles (and $350 raised), I set a goal for myself for year one. 400 miles. For someone that didn’t run prior to the start of this on November 3, 2010, I’d say that goal is more than reasonable. Since keeping to 1 mile a day early on, I’ve upped that to 1.5 and recently had some 3-mile days thrown in there. Baring another ill-advised jump into a flag football tournament, all signs point to a higher pace during the next few months. For now, I’m off on vacation with a return to the miles in a few weeks.

The $200 Mile

That’s not a typo up there in the progress box. I finished mile #50 yesterday and in doing so was able to turn the first $50 into $200. Pretty cool trick I hope to be able to pull off again in the future. And it wasn’t hard to do.

Basically, I donated $50 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which was generously matched by my company. That $100 then became $200 thanks to a program LLS is currently running with the United Food and Commercial Workers. The UFCW will match $1 million in donations to LLS made between now and December 31, 2010. Definitely glad I could take advantage of that great program.

And I keep running. It took me 42 days to finish the first 50 miles. I’m up to a pace of about one and a half miles per day, so if I keep it up I should get that second 50 miles done quite a bit quicker. Still going strong, feeling sore less and less, battling a period of what I call cold weather in Florida, and feeling good to be able to make a contribution to LLS.

Mo’ Smiles = Mo’s Miles

While my mother (Mo) was battling leukemia a group of her students came up with a wonderful way to raise money to help with the medical bills. They created shirts with a slogan that really defined what she had brought to so many over the years. Smiles. As a mother, teacher, and friend she taught many to never give up and to always laugh. So the shirts said we need “Mo’ Smiles.”

When I decided to embark on this little project (sorry, but I can’t think of a better word for it at the moment), Mo’ Smiles was my first choice for the site’s name. Unfortunately, it was taken by a dentist’s office – which I should have seen coming. So Mo’ Smiles became Mo’s Miles.

Today marks the 25th day since I started running, but also marks a more important anniversary. Acute myeloid leukemia took Mo one year ago today. She passed away the day after Thanksgiving after a courageous battle that lasted over eight months. Today is a sad day for me and my family, but one during which I can be proud. Proud of everything my mother was. And thankful that the fight to find a cure didn’t stop with her.

We all gave thanks for what we had two days ago, but give thanks again today. Thanks for your family and friends. Thanks for the people you know and the people you have known. Thanks for what tomorrow brings. Thanks for Mo.

The Mile and a Half Mile

It took me two weeks, a clicking knee, and a few sore muscles, but I finally got past the one-mile barrier. I’ve been trying not to push myself too hard until my endurance builds up – something to do with that whole lungs of a little girl thing – but it was finally there today as I made it through mile #15 and the first half of mile #16.

The weather has warmed up and will probably be tolerable for quite a while. This is Florida after all and despite it almost being Thanksgiving, we’re still reaching the 80s easily. With weather like that, I’m starting to think I started this quest at the right time. If I had started in July or August, I might have quit by now. Hopefully by then I’ll be far enough into it that, well, heat be damned.

I’m glad I was able to get further than just one mile. For me, it means my body is tolerating running more and more. My mind still hates it, with a passion, but my body is dealing with it so far. More importantly, it means more money raised for the fight against leukemia, for cancer research, and for Hospice. Not a lot more, but I’ll end that with what I always do in my mind when I change the numbers to the right…yet.

The Tenth Mile

The miles get easier with each one I run. My time has gone down dramatically. I only have minimal muscle soreness, in weird places I didn’t know existed. And I feel pretty good afterwards. I’m not in shape yet, still working on that, and I have developed a cough from running in the chill of the devastating Florida winter, but I’m getting there.

Mile #10 wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t ideal. I tried a new route which wasn’t the typical loop I run. Because of that I ended up further from home than I expected and walked slowly back out of breath and wondering why I didn’t think “run a circle!”

It was a also on a Friday afternoon. I don’t like running on Fridays. I don’t like doing much on Fridays. Anything on a Friday is an inconvenience. Luckily, it’s just a mile (for now) and is over pretty quickly and I’ve definitely learned my lesson about ending closer to home.

It’s still not much, but it’s good to see the dollar amount in double digits. It keeps rising and should start to build up pretty quickly. And I’m about THISCLOSE to pushing past a mile a day.

Give & Get Gives 5% to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

If you shop at Gap, Banana Republic, or Old Navy, now’s the time to do it. From Thursday, November 11 through Sunday, November 14, not only do you get 30% off with this coupon, but 5% of your purchase goes to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A great deal for you and those in need.

The Frozen Miles

It’s almost laughable to call them the frozen miles.  I live in Florida.  The conditions during miles #3, #4, and #5 were nowhere near as bad as the picture to the left.  It was actually probably fairly tropic in comparison.  But to me, a Canadian who has lived in the sun for the last 29+ years, it was cold.  Not too cold to sit on the couch and watch football for most of the day on Saturday and Sunday (it’s never that cold), but too cold to run.

But I did.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Even though it was 45 degrees on Saturday morning and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get enough air into my lungs to make it even one mile, I ran.  I may seem dramatic at times, but this has yet to be easy.  Rewarding, yes.  Easy, no.  For someone who considered himself moderately athletic (not incredibly, just moderately), I wasn’t in very good shape.

Miles #3 and #4 could probably be alternatively called the sore miles.  During mille #3 it was every muscle in the top half of my legs and during mile #4 it was the bottom half.  The pain in my knee had gone away for the most part.  It had its moments when it would flair up for no apparently reason, but it mostly kept quiet.  For a moment during mile #2, I thought it might do me in.  Now it seems to have surrendered.

The good thing is that I could definitely tell my body was acclimating itself to the fact that I don’t plan on stopping this new motivational form of exercise.  Recovery time has decreased and I only had a headache for about 15 minutes following mile #5.  I’d imagine one day I’ll even finish and feel refreshed, but not until the temperature creeps back up.  Luckily, this is Florida and any “winter” we have last three or four days at the most and then we’re back in the 80s.

Five days down and five miles done.  A milestone of sorts.  $5 seems like nothing, but it will only build and one day soon I’m sure I’ll make it further than one mile.

The Wet Mile

It was only mile #2, but I think I enjoy running in the rain. If anything, it masks a good amount of sweat. And I’m a sweater. During mile #1 a gnat died on my forehead. Not because of the sheer speed at which I was running (yes, that’s a joke), but because it drowned. The rain was a nice, welcome change.

There will be an environmental shift for mile #3 too. It’s about 20 degrees cooler than it was yesterday. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. For the sweating, it seems like a plus. For the labored breathing, I’m not looking forward to it. I remember growing up playing soccer in this weather. It takes its toll on the lungs.

Mile #2 wasn’t as bad as a thought it would be. It was still a struggle and I was more than exhausted when I crossed the imaginary finish line, but the exhaustion didn’t last as long. Not long after, my body regained equilibrium and my face returned to its normal, non-fire-engine-red color. I’m not saying I’m suddenly good to go after only two days, but there was noticeable improvement.

What is interesting is the sensation I’ve begun to feel in my right knee. Sensation is a nice way of saying pain. I’ve had problems with my knees in the past so the feeling was nothing new, but it came back about halfway through mile #2. Good to know it’s still there and kicking. My hope is that it’s just adjusting to the fact that I’m not immediately retiring to the couch after work anymore.

The first two days weren’t easy, but I got through them in one piece (even if my thighs are screaming at me). Between breaths, I think about Mo when I run. $2 isn’t much, but it’s a start and I’m sure she’s somewhere smiling.