I started running because I was unhealthy and headed down a dangerous road. I had a physical, and when I stepped on the scale, as my friend Will says, I hit a "personal best." It was a little daunting. We have a treadmill; my wife was training for her first half marathon; I figured I could be a bit more disciplined. It was torture.
I had always believed that runners were crazy (they are). I saw guys like Dean Karnazes, Ryan Hall, and bare footers and was certain that these people were certifiable. But I needed to do something. I hated it. For nearly six months. I'm not sure what clicked, but, as some of you can attest, I'm now nearly obsessed with this sport.
But I have to offer a confession: while I have noted in the past that running can be terribly selfish, it's still a temptation for me to focus on myself. Even with this fantastic fundraising campaign, one that benefits a mission I truly believe in and support. As you may remember from a previous update, you helped achieve the original $1000 goal in less than three days. Amazing. But what happened was I got distracted by that little green bar graph at the bottom of the donor page (www.active.com/donate/rb4runwater). In fact, I'll confess that when some of you sent checks for Mentor Leaders (www.mentorleaders.org) rather that giving on the donor site, I was disappointed. Frankly, that's baloney! I'm embarrassed to admit that, but it's true. I lost sight of the real goal of raising this money: changing the lives of the people of Gbentchal, Togo.
Before I get to this week's workouts, a note about the photos. The first is the bar graph as it appeared before I began this email. $2865 that you raised for RUNWATER. That's 115% of the $2500 goal. Thank you. I am sincerely honored and humbled by your response, and I love you all dearly for it. The second is as it appears now: 82% of a $3500 goal. I dare you to spread the word this week.
Monday, 11/14: 5.48 miles; 8:18/mile
Wednesday, 11/16: 5.26 miles; 7:36/mile
Thursday, 11/17: 5 miles; 8:10/mile
Saturday, 11/19: 22.25 miles; 8:54/mile (personal best for distance!)
With deepest gratitude,
RB
No comments:
Post a Comment