Today I made it all the way through the challenge!

I’m very tired, so today’s update is going to be short. I’ll have more of a detailed description of today’s run in the next day or so. I don’t know what the donations made at Camp Sunshine today were, but thanks to the online donations today from Linda Davis, Maureen Sproul, Zak Wieluns, Martin Donlon, Gregory Lull, Mitchell Wilson and Ray Charbonneau!

There was a very short segment on channel 8 news, I’ll include a link if it comes online.

There were 27 runners (and 1 dog) that took part today, and not everybody started at 8:00 this morning, but here’s the results:

5 Loop Finishers (30.5 Miles)
=============================
Jeremy   	58:00	1:58:00	2:54:00	3:41:35	4:30:40
Zak     	59:00	1:57:40	2:53:59	3:44:00	4:41:00
gIANt   	58:00	1:5(:11	2:52:00	3:49:00	4:45:00
Blaine    	58:50	1:57:40	2:53:59	4:01:06	5:15:00	(31 Miles)
David    	58:00	1:54:00	2:55:00	3:57:00	5:32:00

4 Loop Finishers (24.4 Miles)
=============================
Bob P   	1:09:00	1:58:00	2:55:00	3:57:00
Sean    	59:00	2:05:00	3:12:00	4:19:00
Brett   	59:00	2:05:00	3:12:00	4:19:00
Martin   	59:00	2:05:00	3:12:00	4:19:00
Nathan  	58:47	1:57:00	3:18:23	4:22:25 

3 Loop Finishers (18.3 Miles)
=============================
Ashley   	58:00	1:55:00	3:03:00
Laura   	59:00	2:05:00	3:12:00
Christine	xx:xx	2:38:00	4:38:00	(20 Miles)
Brenda  	xx:xx	2:38:00	4:38:00	(20 Miles)
Bob Mc  	xx:xx	2:38:00	4:20:00
Alosaurus	3:02:00	3:50:00	4:32:00

2 Loop Finishers (12.2 Miles)
=============================
Sara    	xx:xx	2:38:00
Kate    	xx:xx	2:38:00
Alan T   	1:57:40	2:37:49
Shauna  	2:27:00	3:32:00
Jim     	2:27:00	3:32:00
Mary    	xx:xx	4:35:00

1 Loop Finishers  (6.1 Miles)
=============================
Jamie   	58:50
Morgan  	2:25:00
Erin + 1  	4:23:00
Karen    	5:24:00
Erik    	xx:xx	(10-11 Miles)

Day #31 – Results of 1 More Mile is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Today’s update will be pretty short. I needed 30 miles today (preferably 30.52) so I decided to go out with each run intending to run 10 miles and then trick myself into running more. That worked great for the first run (12.8 miles) and on the second run had almost convinced myself to just do the full 17.2 remaining…but things didn’t feel that great. So, I went back home after 13 miles and then hit the roads for the last few miles.

The course map for tomorrow’s run is online as is turn by turn directions. Check out the facebook page for details.

Donations have been coming in fast over the last few days, and we’ve raised enough to send one family to Camp Sunshine and are over 10% of the way towards sending a second family. Today’s donors are David & Carol Fuller, Kathy Gardner, Mary Costigan, Mark Grandonico, Margaritt McNulty, Jay P Wilson, Roger Morse, Olga Frenkel, Jeremy Bonnett, Linda Douglass, Dina Jellison, James Farr, and Brenda Murphy.

Day #30 – Only 1 Day Left is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Thanks to today’s donors! They’re really starting to come in now. Today we received donations from Maine Running Company, Sarah Hassey, Nathan Augustine, Joshua Novack and Theresa Withee. Don’t forget to click Donate Now to add your own donation to the list.

Today didn’t really go as planned. The original plan was I’d have a light breakfast, run for an hour, then have a more substantial breakfast and run a bit longer, then finish up in town this afternoon/evening. I wound up having to be on a conference call though, so I didn’t get out the door until 11:15 this morning, so I wound up running around 12 miles. Technically, I ran more, but with the cloud cover and hail coming down I couldn’t get good satellite reception so the watch underreported how far I went. Oh well.

I came home, had some lunch, did a little work, then went out and ran the same route (this time getting a more accurate distance.) Then I had a bagel with peanut butter and went into town.

Turns out that instead of an extra 2/3 to 3/4 of a mile, I ran a full extra mile. I now need just over ½ mile to get my 4 extra miles to hit the 200 mile week, so I’ll plan on running that tomorrow to maintain my staircase in my training log. Then I can run 31 miles and potentially be done on Saturday.

Saturday is looking to shape up to be a lot of fun! Lots of folks are saying they’ll be there, and lots who can’t be there wish they could be. I hope that you can join us.

My legs are definitely not feeling so great today. Both knees and ankles are definitely sore, so tomorrow’s plan is going to be to run about 10 miles by 3 separate trips out the door tomorrow to try to make it as easy as I can on myself. I’m also going to tape both of my ankles; I bought some more rock tape from Maine Running Company when I went into town tonight.

Day #29 – The Extra Mile is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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My achilles has definitely gotten better since last week, so even though today it was bugging me it’s still not as bad as it was. Hopefully it doesn’t get that bad again…there’s only 3 days left and I can let it heal properly!

I ran twice today, a bit over 13 starting at noon, followed by a meatloaf/pizza/pistachio/almond lunch (not as one dish, those were what I wound up eating…) and then I went out for the last 15 miles. The first 10 of those last 15 were fine, but the last 5 miles today I was dragging, due in large part to not sleeping well this morning thanks to a van idling for a few hours right outside my bedroom window. (My next house will not be so close to the road…)

For some trivia, here are some of the numbers so far:

• Today: 28.76 miles in 3:56:30
• Scheduled: 406 miles
• Cumulative total: 412.58 miles in 2 days 14 hours and 31 minutes
• Forecasted totals: ~504 miles in ~75 hours (almost 2 work weeks!)
• Highest Weekly Mileage: 177.7 miles (200 miles forecasted)

Head to toe damage report:

• Head: No issues other than being a bit tired
• Neck & Shoulders: Pain on day 18 that lasted a few days, gone now (I blame sleeping in a hotel for a week)
• Arms and hands: No issues other than hands going numb if I don’t shake them out while running (wind + lack of blood flow)
• Torso: My abs twinge now and then and are a bit sore, but nothing too bad or that lasts more than a moment or two. I’ve also had a little acid reflux on a few runs, but I’ve traced that to eating swedish fish right before those runs so that’s good to know. (Gummy bears and meatloaf don’t cause that sort of problem thankfully.)
• Upper Legs: No issues other than general soreness, and body glide has taken care of any chafing problems thankfully
• Lower Legs: Right achilles aches, but is taped and not as painful as last week
• Feet: Both ankles are a little swollen, but the left one doesn’t hurt at all and right isn’t too bad. The big toe on both feet has been prone to blisters and blisters on blisters so they’re in shreds at this point and require new skin to start the day each day. They’ll need a good week of low mileage to heal. My right pinky toe is back to looking like it’s broken (it did this last month too) but it isn’t painful at all so I’ve been ignoring it.

So, given that I’ve run so much the past few weeks, I’m actually in pretty good shape. There are some issues to be sure, and I’m keeping an eye on them, but nothing that I can’t run through or that has me too worried. The worst has been the achilles but taping it seems to have helped me run through it.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the facebook event and watch the course preview in yesterday’s update for Saturday’s run which will be a free event at Camp Sunshine. Come join us and run however far you want, between 6 and 31 miles (if you follow our route – any distance if you don’t.)

And don’t forget to leave a donation…we’re doing well but aren’t to our goal yet. Thanks to John Tomac, Julia Kirtland, Mike Brooks, Eric Mauricette, David & Theresa Cornell, Emilio Millan and Don Penta for today’s donations!

Day #28 – Definitely Tough Now is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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• The run is free and open to the public. Donations and something to share at the aid station are encouraged.
• The run begins at 8:00 a.m. at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine on Saturday, March 31st.
• The loop will be about 6.2 miles and you can run as many loops as you want, whether that’s 1 loop or all 5, so the run can fit whatever mileage you need this weekend from 6 miles up to 31.
• There is about a mile of pavement (but a soft and runnable shoulder) and a few short sections of sand, one short section of more technical singletrack (which can be avoided if you don’t want to run through there) and the majority of the run is on smooth dirt and gravel trails.
• There will not be any aid except at the start and finish of each loop and the run is self-supported. Some runners will bring something for the aid station that is for everybody to share that you are welcome to use. There will be toilet facilities located throughout the course.
• Showers are available for after the run.
• Tours of Camp Sunshine and their facility will also be available after the run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvATq-A8EzU

Click here to join us on Facebook and then be sure to let all your friends know about it, even if they aren’t from Maine!

Thanks to today’s donors, Annie leister, Laura Tyrrell and Jill Weybrant! Don’t forget to click the Donate Now button and leave your own donation!

Day #27 – Course Preview for Saturday’s Run is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Today can be easily summed up: WAY COLDER THAN I EXPECTED.

Wow.

I knew it was windy, and I knew that my thermometer likes to lie to me, but I figured, “Hey, it says 80, that means it’s probably about 50 degrees out, even with the wind it shouldn’t be too bad.” Yeah, famous last words.

I waited until noon to see if it would calm down at all, but no luck, so I left for Camp Sunshine to check out the course for the run on Saturday. When I got there, the white caps on Sebago Lake helped chill the wind down so I was very uncomfortable and I stuck to one loop. Turns out that what I thought would be a good loop was a great distance, and I had no achilles pain at all, so I went home. Which was good timing since the Portland Press Herald called me about 10 seconds after I got home and I spent 45 minutes talking to them before heading out for the last 20.

The course will be 10k, so 5 loops to 50k. I’m heading out again tomorrow morning to flesh out the final little pieces of it…it’s going to be a lot of fun.

After getting off the phone, I headed out for the last 20 miles of today’s run. You’d think I’d have learned from running by Sebago Lake that lake wind is colder than wind that’s 5 miles away from a lake, but after spending all day in the rain running the same 3 or 4 neighborhoods over and over again I decided to head down to Little Sebago for part of my run. Yeah, it was cold down there. I’m a dummy. Run went well, though. The achilles made itself known, but it does seem to be better each day than it was the day before.

I thought the tape might last one more day, but unfortunately it couldn’t make it past putting on my recovery sock one more time so I took it off. I’ll be replacing it first thing in the morning after I wake up. The recovery socks are a bit of a process to pull on and take off, so that probably contributed to the tape coming up. That, and I’ve run 76 miles over the last 3 days. That might have contributed too.

So, today’s numbers: 26.64 miles which means 162.2 miles for the past 7 days and 356.07 miles this month (versus the 351 miles scheduled by the challenge.) I ran for 3:44:52 today, and have run for 2 days, 6 hours, 6 minutes and 21 seconds so far this month.

As for details for the run on Saturday, I keep pushing it back, but I will get them up tomorrow. The run will be at Camp Sunshine and we’ll start running at 8:00 on Saturday, so those are the important details. You can run between 1 and 5 loops for between 6 and 31 miles. It will also be mostly trails, a small section of fun technical single track, but 90% of the trails are smooth and easy to run and the pavement sections have been limited as much as possible (and for the short section of road there’s a good soft shoulder to run on.)

Day #26 – Lake Winds is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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The original plan for today was to head out to Camp Sunshine and to scout out the course. Waking up to temperatures that were just above freezing and rain didn’t really make me want to drive an extra hour to run, so I decided to run at home and get it all done at once.

Breakfast was an egg sandwich, a dozen and a half pistachios, a handful of mixed nuts, and half a grapefruit. I ran the first 12½ miles in ~1:47 and came back to the house for 15 minutes or so to rehydrate and refuel before heading back out for the the second half of the run.

When I got back to the house, it was at 25 exactly, but I decided to run past the house a short ways to get an extra third of a mile in. It took me 3 hours, 38 minutes and 7 seconds total for today’s run, and the achilles mostly held up pretty well the entire time. There was a dull ache, and early on (miles 2-4 or so) it definitely hurt more, but for the most part it was bearable and I was able to maintain a decent pace.

I’ve now covered 329.43 miles, which is almost 4½ more miles than I’m scheduled for with the 6 days remaining. This March I have run for 2 days, 2 hours, 21 minutes and 30 seconds so far. This is now the furthest I’ve made it in a 1 more mile challenge, and also the most I’ve ever run in a week with the past 7 days’ 154.6 miles. Each day for the next 6 I’ll be setting a new PR for both categories.

Don’t forget to leave a donation – and thanks to Jamie and Kate for theirs!

Day #25 – Setting New PRs is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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This morning, I got my achilles taped by Julia Kirtland before the first half of my run at Bradbury Mountain. I’ve never done anything like that before (normally I just stop running and rest) so I had no idea how well it would work.

For the first 3½ miles, my achilles felt fine and didn’t hurt at all. Then for about 3 miles it hurt, maybe not quite as much as yesterday but a fair bit. After that, it settled into a dull ache that wasn’t nearly as bad as the last few days.

After a trip to Edna & Lucy’s, then heading home for lunch and to ice my other ankle and my knees (the other ankle is a bit stiff at times but doesn’t hurt despite being swollen) I went out for the second half of today’s running. It took about an hour less to cover those 12 miles and my achilles was basically at the “dull ache” level the entire time, a huge improvement. So…thank you Julia!

There were 2 more donations today, one from Christine & Peter and one from Denise. Thank you!

With 1 week left to go in the challenge, I need to make sure people know about it. It would really help out a lot if you would link to the challenge on facebook or twitter, or email your local news station or paper. I’ve got 1 week left and am going to try to run 200 miles in that week. Starting tomorrow, each day will be a new PR for me for how far into a 1 More Mile challenge I can go and for my own weekly mileage…so it’s all new territory from here on out.

Day #24 – Fixing the Achilles is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Today I took a trip out to Camp Sunshine where I got driven around the local roads near there to show off some possible routes for next week’s final run. The first half of today’s mileage was split into 3 different parts. The first was investigating the option of getting onto a nearby trail system with the guys from Camp Sunshine, the next was their suggested 3½ mile route, and the final was my trip through the woods on the trails to see what was available.

I’ll probably head out tomorrow afternoon or Sunday morning to come up with an “official” route through the woods. There will be a lot of different types of terrain from pavement, to dirt road, to sandy beach, to rocks, to single track to double track. Some good views, too, especially when running over a broken down bridge between the lake and a lagoon. I’m looking forward to it.

My final miles came a few hours later after I’d come home and grabbed some lunch. I ran a few miles alone until I saw Erin out on her run, so I ran with her for 3 miles or so and then finished the run alone. In one of the neighborhoods was a little girl selling lemonade for 25 cents, so when Erin and I ran by her I told her that if she gave Erin a cup of lemonade and would be around for a while, then I’d run home and come back with a dollar. She jumped at the chance, and an hour later when I came back with the dollar she was in a great mood.

With the exception of my right achilles, everything felt great on the run. No soreness or aches. Of course, that’s a big exception. My achilles was pretty tight and painful, not so much that I can’t run through it but enough that I’d normally stop and rest it a few weeks to a month. I’m going to get it taped tomorrow morning before my run to see if that provides enough temporary relief to get me through the week.

I did notice throughout the evening that various other parts of my body are pretty sore or swollen tonight. I kept stubbing my toes on my left foot since that ankle was a bit larger than normal and quite stiff, so I iced it for a while along with my right knee. They don’t seem too bad but might as well be proactive about that sort of thing. Hopefully by tomorrow morning they’ll feel fine.

When I wake up in the morning I will update this post with today’s video update. It’s been uploading for a few hours but our slow internet connection isn’t conducive to the full motion video uploads. It was nice when I was visiting my mother, who lives in the middle of nowhere, since she’s got an internet connection that’s 4 times faster than mine and 10 times more reliable, heheh. (Update: As you can see, the video update is now available!)

Details will go up by the end of the weekend about next weekend’s run. It will be free, it will be at Camp Sunshine, it will be a loop course, and it will be a lot of fun. Can’t wait to see some of you there!

Day #23 – Routes for Day 31 is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Today was a good day company wise. Nathan joined me for the first 75 minutes, and as we got back to the cars Christine and Bob were just starting their run so they waited for me to refill my water bottle and then ran a few miles with me until I had to turn back and head back to the store. From there I went around the Back Cove with John and only had a bit over 3 miles left, the last mile or so joining up with another person just enjoying the beautiful evening. So, only 3 or 4 miles by myself.

No bonking today. I felt much better at the end of the run (in that respect) than I did the past few days. Whether that’s because I tried Nuun for the first time (didn’t taste that good) or because I ate a grilled pizza an hour to an hour and a half before the run (tasted very good) I don’t know, but the combination seemed to work for me.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s run left me with a some small blisters and I forgot to put New Skin on before the run. They didn’t seem that bad while running but now I have a couple of big puss balls on my toes. I’ve been trying to decide if I should lance them tonight or wait for the morning but I don’t think they’ll leak on their own so I’ll probably wait until tomorrow morning.

I don’t know if my gait changed from the blisters or my shoes (which have 595 miles on them, so not that many) just need to go, but my right achilles was bugging me about halfway through the run and didn’t really stop which has me worried. I iced it pretty well this evening and will probably ice it again tomorrow morning before heading to Camp Sunshine to check out the options for the run at the end of the month.

At the very least, I’m giving up the singles and will split tomorrow’s mileage in an effort to not overstress the achilles. If it doesn’t get worse, I’ll keep on that route. If it doesn’t improve, I’ll give up the idea of the ultra-extreme bradbury bad ass since that will add around 3 hours to that run next week and I’ll want to minimize my time on my feet that I’m not working. If it does get worse, then I’ll be doing a lot of walking for the next week.

I’ve officially crossed the halfway point! With 8 days left, I’ve now run 256.95 miles this month, and only have about 243 to go. My rolling average over the last 7 days is 133.7 miles, only about 15 miles less than the most I’ve ever run in a single week. Not so coincidentally, I’ll reach that mileage on Saturday.

Thanks to Kartika Wright, Kristin Barry and David Gureasko-Moore for today’s donations! It is much appreciated. If you want to donate, just click the big “Donate Now” button in the upper right corner…

Day #22 – Back Cove and Blisters is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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First off, a big thank you to today’s donators! Chandra, Randa, Michael and Eileen!

This morning I went to Bradbury Mountain to run with some Trail Monsters. Danielle, Nathan, Mindy and I got in a good 10½ miles in 2 hours 3 minutes and other than wildlife and each other only saw one other person, a mountain biker who shouldn’t have been out there since the soil is saturated and closed to biking and horses. Thanks all for the early miles, they were fun!

I then started to repeat the loop, and this time only saw a couple walking their dog in the 8 miles it took me to get back. I decided to cut the loop a little short so I could grab my camera and record myself as I ran, but then I remembered that a few Summers ago I split my head open after a fall on these trails so I decided instead that I’d run to the summit and record from up there.

Not really my best idea, but way better than trying to record myself as I ran on gnarly single track and was already exhausted. Jersey Dave was in the parking lot when I got back, so he ran with me to the summit and provided some good company. I was dragging and very tired but I made it up and recorded the update. We then got in the last few miles I needed and he continued on his run while I sat at a park bench to enjoy some food I’d brought with me, namely a Generation UCAN shake and a banana.

The idea may change between now and next week depending on how much rain we get between now and then, but I think I might try running all 3 races from the Bradbury Dirt series back to back to back next Wednesday. I haven’t done it before and while it means I’ll be on my feet a few hours longer than I would be if I ran easier trails or on the roads it’d be one more thing I can knock off my list of things to do before the baby comes. I said I wanted to make this a challenge, right? So what’s a little bit more of a challenge than I’d originally planned on…

So far, all of my runs have been singles. I’ve run over 127 miles in the past 7 days, and have 175+ miles scheduled for the next 7. I updated the Crow Athletics Streak-100 spreadsheet to include the last 11 days of running since I’d last updated and my daily average for the year increased from 7.29 to 8.53 miles per day. I’ve now run all 81 days this year, and my streak is up to 94 days total. Today’s run was 21 miles exactly, which took me 3 hours, 52 minutes and 42 seconds. So far, I’ve run 234.86 miles this month in 1 day, 10 hours, 3 minutes and 34 seconds. Only 9 days left, but mileage-wise I’m not even half-way there yet.

But, hey, at least I appeared in the Bangor Daily News! That headline was much more flattering than the one I got 2 years ago.

For the final run of the month, I’ve almost got things set. The run will be on Saturday, March 31, at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine. It will be a free run and you are welcome to run anywhere between 5 and 31 miles. I should be checking out the available options later this week and will have a better idea of what the course will be then.

Day #21 – Bradbury Mountain is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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I was doing some brainstorming for a software project I’m working on with my brother before my run, and within a couple miles had had some much better ideas so I decided to run back to the house and take some notes which accounted for the first 3 miles of the run. While inside, my watch downloaded my workout automatically, which is why it’s split between 3 miles and 17 miles.

Around 15 miles into the run (12 miles into the second part of the run) I heard some kids yelling for Cooper, who turned out to be a black lab puppy that thought running down the street with me would be a lot of fun even if he was too young to keep up. Eventually it became clear he wasn’t going to turn around so I turned back and ran to him and he came and took his spot beside me. Apparently, the salt on my knee was tasty because he kept sneaking in licks whenever he could.

Similar to yesterday, I felt good when I started and was pretty exhausted when I finished. I didn’t get around to taking a nap today, though. So far, I’ve pretty much done a single run every day this month. Sure, my warmup and cooldown were separate from my half marathon on Sunday, and I’ve had some runs where I stopped to wait for a group or to chat with a group after a run, or a couple circumstances like today where my run got split. But basically, it’s been done all within one period of time with no real “rest” time in between.

I’m not sure that this will continue. Not only am I getting pretty tired by the end of the runs, but finding 3 hours to fit the run in at once gets more and more difficult. I am going to guess that on Thursday I’ll have my first real double, since I’ll be coaching on Thursday evening and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get into town a few hours early to get mileage in and I’m not interested in getting all my mileage in after the group run. But, we’ll see.

I have had a thought for the last week, but I’m going to wait until that week comes around to publicly state it in case I come to my senses between now and then. It’s only a few days away anyway. There are 10 days left to the challenge, and between now and the end of the month I will basically be averaging a marathon a day.

Day #20 – Running is Good For Ideas is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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This past week was a lot of fun, but I am happy to be home. The problem with traveling alone is that I inevitably wind up sleeping in a wifeless hotel bed with a soft mattress and thick pillows, which are 3 situations that I’m just not used to and don’t care for. As a completely unrelated update, my wife’s belly looks like it got quite a bit bigger when I went 5 days without seeing it grow! Can’t wait to meet our little one in a few months.

It was a great trip, I felt a little cheesy since I was in self-promotion mode to tell people about the fund-raiser the entire time, but it got a lot of attention at the convention which will hopefully translate into people flying home and spreading the word about Camp Sunshine (and the crazy guy running all those miles.)

Speaking of which, here are some stats for while I was gone. In 5 days, I had 2 long days of travelling, both of which included a pair of flights and a long layover, I ran each day for a total that exceeded 81 miles in almost 11 hours, including a half marathon that I ran fast enough to win my age division in and to come in 17th overall. I also managed to get on TV once to talk about the 1 More Mile Challenge, so if any of you reading this overcame the incorrect website that was given and found us here, welcome! Here’s the spot:

I want to send out a great big thank you to everybody at the Road Runners’ Club of America for a great weekend, especially the folks that came out and ran with me outside the group runs and made it easier for me to complete the challenge (K2, Randy and Russ.) I’m looking forward to attending the convention next year in Albuquerque and I bet I can convince Erin to visit Spokane for the 2014 edition.

In the video, I’ve chosen last week’s winner, but as of this moment I don’t have a prize pack set up for this week. I’ll have something put together probably by Wednesday, but if you have a product that is relevant for runners and would like a little exposure then please get in touch with me because I’m looking for sponsors for the next two weeks!

Day #19 – RRCA and Germantown Recap is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Today’s update is very short – I recorded it while I was at the airport this afternoon but had no way to get it online until I got home tonight at around 11:30 p.m.

It’ll be great to sleep in my own bed again, but I enjoyed my trip to Memphis and the hospitality that was shown to all of us at the RRCA convention. A big thanks to the Memphis Runners Track Club and Germantown Race organizers, and I’ll have a more detailed update tomorrow. (YouTube still isn’t working for me, so once again had to upload to Blip.)

In the meantime, you only have until I create tomorrow’s update to enter the contest for this week’s prize (last reminder):
http://www.1moremileforsunshine.com/497/week-3-contest-what-would-you-do

Day #18 – Almost an Update is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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This morning I had company at 5:00 a.m. for my the first part of my run! Russ Fleming from Wisconsin was on his way outside so we ran together until the group run started, and mostly ran together during the group run too. After we got back, I had 3.75 to go but Chris McDougall had apparently been running with us too and was holding court outside the hotel so I chatted with him a bit before getting the final miles in.

He gave an excellent presentation at lunch time…if you haven’t read Born to Run yet then you should pick up a copy. He mostly talked about how happy running can make you and how it can solve a lot of society’s woes. I’d love to see that.

Once again, YouTube isn’t working for me, so sorry for using a Blip video for today’s update. I need to head downstairs for the final banquet, and then get some sleep before tomorrow morning’s Germantown Half Marathon!

If you haven’t entered yet, don’t forget about this week’s contest:
http://www.1moremileforsunshine.com/497/week-3-contest-what-would-you-do

Day #17 – Meeting Chris McDougall is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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I was up and out the door before 5:00 this morning. Not that that meant much since I never sleep well away from home. Nobody joined me at 5, so I went out for 6-7 miles on my own and then came back to join the group at 6:15. We ran a 10k course through the local streets, and then I needed about 3 more.

When I started this morning, I could see lightning off in the distance and feel the humidity. When I got to the hotel before the group run, the guys that were going to lead us were checking out the storm on their iPhones and it was about 30 miles north of us. It held off, although shortly after the sky lightened up from the sun rising it got dark again from the threatening clouds.

When I got back to the hotel for the final time, I had a bit over a tenth of a mile until I hit 16 miles. Normally, I’d just stop and call it good; GPS watches aren’t 100% accurate and really, will that extra minute make much of a difference? Well, this month, I don’t have a choice. I ran around the parking lot until I hit 16 miles exactly in 2 hours 22 minutes and 22 seconds.

That brings my total up to 20 hours, 2 minutes and 7 seconds of running for 139.26 miles this month.

After coming back in to the RRCA Convention, I got cleaned up and then went downstairs and found William Dyson, our programs coordinator. I tried uploading to YouTube but it isn’t working right now, so that’s why we’ve got the quick change to blip.tv today.

I did have the brilliant idea that I wish I’d had a few weeks ago during my run this morning, which is to contact the local news stations here in Memphis to get some coverage on the 1 More Mile for Sunshine challenge. If any of you know somebody that works at any of the local news stations, get them in touch with me! Thankfully, I was able to get in touch with Mike at Camp Sunshine, and he put together a new press release talking about how the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital Kids have benefited from Camp Sunshine in the past. It’s short notice with me flying out soon, but maybe something will happen.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest – entries close at the end of the weekend!

Day #16 – RRCA Convention is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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I managed to safely get to Memphis last night (despite a little turbulence) and took a cab ride over to Beale Street with some other state representatives.

This morning, I had company for the first 7 miles and the next 4 miles, then got some breakfast in the middle of my last 4 (actually 5) miles before heading back to the hotel. This update is quick since I need to get to the state rep training now that the RRCA National Convention is getting started, but here’s today’s stats:

15.71 miles in 2:14:08, which means I’ve been running for 17 hours 39 minutes and 45 seconds. I’m now 3.26 miles over the scheduled 120 miles up to this point.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest, which you can do here:
http://www.1moremileforsunshine.com/497/week-3-contest-what-would-you-do

Day #15 – Memphis! is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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This morning I was in a rush. The beauty of a new job is that I got to choose where and how I’d work and the work is exciting and interesting. The disadvantage, of course, is that sometimes you need to work, and after attending the 9 a.m. company meeting last night (since the company is located in Australia it was 7 p.m. my time) I had a few action tasks to take care of before going to bed and I didn’t get a chance to pack for my trip.

This morning, I was up early to eat some breakfast and take care of a few last minute things for work, and then I was out the door for my 14 miler. It was about 25 degrees cooler than yesterday afternoon, and I cut another half minute plus off my per mile pace so once again I added about a mile to the run while cutting down on how long the overall run took, this time in 1:40:50. That brings my total mileage for the month to triple digits, 107.55 miles, which took me 15 hours, 25 minutes and 36 seconds to run. (The schedule has me at 105 miles today.)

Once I finished up, I came inside and did something that I haven’t done quite possibly since the last time that I ran the 1 More Mile Challenge over 2 years ago…I made myself a protein shake. I cut up some strawberries to go in it and it really hit the spot. My lack of speedwork or anything other than easy runs or marathons for the most part over the last couple of years hasn’t lent itself to needing it but today I was glad to still have some available. After the shake, I had half a grapefruit and went to put together this week’s contest, which you can read about here:
http://www.1moremileforsunshine.com/497/week-3-contest-what-would-you-do

All of the entries for this week will go onto the 1 post, although you’re more than welcome to continue commenting on the daily updates of course. I just need a couple of simple questions answered in order for your entry to count.

I was able to get today’s video update finished and uploaded before leaving for the airport, and thankfully have a few minutes before I board my plane to take advantage of the free wi-fi to get today’s update published. The rest of the day I’ll be sitting on planes or in airports, but since I’m bringing a half dozen books to sell or give away this week, plus my silent auction package of 5 of my products, and my almanacs are far from the lightest books I own…well, I broke down and paid to check a bag. I hate checking baggage (I’d rather be able to just get off the plane and get where I’m going) but I didn’t want to have to cart the bag all over the place today. Hopefully I’ll find new homes for all of the books over the next week so I don’t have to check the bag on the way home.

In the meantime, don’t forget to enter the contest for this week’s prize.

Day #14 – The Streak Continues is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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In order to enter this week’s contest, just leave a comment below answering these 2 questions:

1. Assuming that you decided to raise money through your running, who would you raise money for?
2. How would you go about doing it?

There’s no wrong answer – you don’t have to raise money for the same organizations that I would, and you don’t have to do something as crazy as what I’m doing or Terry Hitchcock or Terry Fox did. It could be, though…

So, what would you do, and who would you do it for, if you were to raise money for another organization by running?

Week #3 Contest: What Would You Do? is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

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Ran out on the trails and side roads along Little Sebago Lake in Windham this afternoon under clear skies with temperatures in the 60s. It was great!

And of course, it being day #13, I ran that extra 0.1 miles to make sure I hit a half marathon. Over the past few days, I keep adding a mile to my run but subtracting time off how long the run takes me. I doubt that trend is going to continue but it’s still kinda neat.

A very generous donation came in today from John S. Rhodes, thank you very much John! His $250 donation is a full eighth of what it costs to send a family to Camp Sunshine, so it is much appreciated! Be sure to click the “Donate Now” button in the corner to leave your own donation.

I’ve announced the winners of the IceSpikes! This week’s contest will be announced in tomorrow’s update and will be a combo-prize.

Today’s mileage was 13.1 miles in 1:42:05, bringing my total mileage up to 93.52 miles (versus the scheduled 91 miles) in 13 hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds.

Day #13 – Half-Marathon #1 of 24 is an update from the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge - Please visit the site for extra content that may not appear here such as video updates.

Click here to support Camp Sunshine and the 1 More Mile for Sunshine Challenge...