Here are more details about why I’m jumping out of a plane and how you can help. Individual and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available and appreciated!

Click the Play button (triangle) to advance the slides.

Operation Freefall raises funds for:

-Speaking Out Against Rape (SOAR)
-Crisis Center of Tampa Bay

And raises awareness for:

-Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

Sponsorship Levels:

-Gold Sponsor: >$500
-Silver Sponsor: $250-$499
-Bronze Sponsor: $100-$249

What you could get for your generosity:

-Your company name on the sidebar of my website
-I’ll wear your organization’s t-shirt during the dive (t-shirts will be visible in before and after pictures)
-You will receive special kudos on the video for your generous donation (all jumps are video recorded)
-Local press release(s)
-Twitter and Facebook announcements
-Videos will be published on several YouTube accounts and on my blog
-The knowledge and bragging rights that your organization supports an amazing cause!

To Donate

Visit my donation page on FirstGiving.com.

For additional details, visit: I’m Going Skydiving! Operation Freefall®.

Operation Freefall® is a skydiving event designed to raise awareness about sexual violence. Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the U.S., it’s only fitting to hold Operation Freefall® on April 28, 2012. I’ll be raising funds and awareness for Speaking Out About Rape (SOAR), the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), and Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.

I’ll be joining thousands of people who will take to the sky and jump at skydive centers across the country to raise awareness and money for sexual assault. I’ve agreed to raise at least $850 before April 1, 2012, so I could use your help. Please click on the badge below or in the upper right side of the page, or visit my donation page on FirstGiving.com.

This is a cause that I’m passionate about, so I would greatly appreciate your help. According to SOAR, in the past eleven years, Operation Freefall has raised over $1,200,000. These funds are used to:

• Increase local support and outreach services for survivors of sexual violence.
• Provide recovery, risk-reduction, and prosecution information to tens of millions of people, including many in your local community, each year.
• Enhance SOAR’s programs to help victims of sexual violence throughout the healing process.
• Educate lawmakers, police officers, students, the public, and the media about sexual violence.

We spent Friday night CouchSurfing in Lakeland on our way to the race. We signed up for the 11:30 AM wave on Saturday, so we arrived with plenty of time to pick up our race packet and watch the first few waves begin. We were, of course, sporting our Vibram Sprints, which are perfect for mud runs (and reusable). After the final runner of the 11:00 AM wave took off, we made our way to the Start Line. Eric was sporting a Go Pro HD helmet camera, so we captured this year’s Warrior Dash experience.

Eric had a rough go of the course this year, so our times are quite unimpressive (we completed the race together). We learned a few days after the race that his lack of speed and energy was due to the respiratory infection that his body was fighting (which I caught a few days later). I finished 2355/4941 overall (153/424 in my age group) and Eric finished 2376/4941 overall (328/553 in his age group).

Entirely unimpressive, but no doubt fun, which is why we signed up for the North Florida race on March 31, 2012! Yes, mud runs are addictive.

I don’t want to wake up in 20 years disillusioned, wishing I had lived my life differently, regretting missed opportunities, full of disappointment or nostalgia.

My Bucket List

Travel – International

Bike along the Danube
Argentina
Australia
Bahamas
Belize
Brazil
Cambodia
Canada
Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
India
Israel
Laos
Mexico
Myanmar
Nepal
The Netherlands
Nicaragua
Peru
Sri Lanka
Tahiti
Thailand
Turkey [archaeological dig]
Vietnam
New Zealand

Travel – U.S.

Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Washington

Remaining 50 states, but priority:

Alaska
Hawaii
Illinois
New Mexico
Oregon
Tennessee
Vermont
Wisconsin

Adventure

Hang-gliding
Hot air balloon
Parasailing
Paddleboarding
Ragnar Relay
Rapelling
Rock climbing
Skydiving
Wind-surfing
Ziplining

Sports – Running

Race – 5K
Race – 8K
Race – 10K
Race – 15K
Race – Half Marathon
Race – Marathon
Race – Ultrathon
Race – Duathalon
Race – Triathalon
Race – Mud Run
Race – Tough Mudder

Sports – Martial Arts

Try Capoeira
Try Karate [ongoing]
Try Kung Fu [ongoing]
Try Tang Soo Do

Education/Professional

ACRP Certification
Bachelors degree
Masters degree [in progress]
PhD
Project Management Certification
SoCRA Certification

Miscellaneous

Move to a new city
Travel to a new country by myself
Buy a house
Get married
Have children
Read as many classic books as possible [ongoing]
Learn to knit
Learn to change a car tire
Present at a large conference
Publish in a medical journal
Quit smoking
Learn to write website code [completed but considered ongoing]
Inspire someone [completed but considered ongoing]
For as little money as I have, make up for it in volunteering OR for as much money as I have, make up for it in giving (depending on where I am in my life) [completed but considered ongoing]

My list has continued to evolve throughout the years and I expect it to continue to do so, but I’m always taking suggestions. Most challenges are fair game.

Don’t waste your life afraid to take chances. If you fear something, that’s all the more reason to try it. Challenge yourself. What do you want to experience? What’s on your bucket list?

Now that we’re running 7+ miles regularly in Florida, we’re trying to play around with hydration and fueling options. I get thirsty at the drop of a hat no matter where I am or what I’m doing so I drink tons of water daily, but I hate carrying water bottles during runs. It seems to help if I drink Gatorade rather than water before a run, but I would prefer to have hydration with me at all times. So, I bought the hydration pack hoping it would be light enough to run with. It looked small and seemed light. However, it proved to be exhausting. Maybe it will just take some getting used to…

Now that we’re running longer distances to train for the half marathon, we’ve been advised to fuel during our runs. So, we bought some GU – both the energy gel and the chomps. I’m still apprehensive about trying the energy gel mid-run, but Eric brought the chomps during last week’s 8 mile run. About 5 miles into our run, he offered me a chomp, which I was more willing to try than the gel. Here’s what I learned: I have a difficult time chewing and breathing at the same time. It completely threw me off. It didn’t taste horrible, but it was larger than I expected. By the time I finished chewing, I had to regain my breathing. I didn’t feel rejuvenated. I actually felt extremely thirsty.

I will eventually give the gel a try and I’ll probably give the hydration pack one more chance on a shorter run, but so far I have not found a decent hydration/fueling process. Between the Nike plus sport kit and the hydration pack, I look like I’m about to launch myself to the moon.

What do you do to stay hydrated and appropriately fueled?

Four weeks ago, we started training for a half marathon. Over the past year, we ran a few 5Ks and one 8K (and Eric ran a 15K last weekend), but, until recently, distance has not been our focus. However, we’ve always wanted to run a half marathon, so this is as good a time as any to begin training for one.

Our “coach” is nikerunning.com. We created an account when we picked up the Nike Plus iPod Sport Kit last year. After each run, we plug our iPods into our computers and each run syncs to nikerunning.com. It’s convenient to track runs and we can get our pace stats and mileage on the go with the push of a button.

The Nike Running website also offers challenges (for example, we’ve run over 211 miles in the year 2011, but not quite 365 miles in 365 days). They also offer training programs, including a half marathon training program for beginners. We’re 4 weeks into a 12 week program.

We signed up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in St. Pete, which is scheduled for February 12, 2012. We plugged that date into nikerunning.com and it gave us our 12-week training program, which we downloaded and synced with our google calendars.

During Week 1 of training, our longest scheduled run was 6 miles. That seemed far, but we had started running that distance at the beginning of 2011 before I broke my toe, so although it seemed to be a considerable distance, it was within the realm of possibility. During the 2nd and 3rd weeks, our longest scheduled runs were 7 miles. While those were more intimidating, once I completed that distance in week 2, I wasn’t particularly worried about week 3. However, Week 4 called for an 8 mile run. I was a bit apprehensive.

We started running with a group on Saturday mornings. People run at their own paces for their chosen distances, but we all meet up at the end if we get separated. Eric and I mapped out our run before meeting the group on Saturday. One thing (of many) that I love about St. Petersburg is that we have so many trails and parks along the water, so the runs never get boring and it’s easy to add mileage.

Completing an 8 mile run feels somehow exponentially more fulfilling than finishing a 7 mile run. I don’t know if it’s because 8 miles is almost 1/4 further than the halfway point to 13.1 miles (yup, I’m pushing it). Or, maybe it’s because 8 miles is 3 miles further than the 5 mile distance I’m relatively comfortable running. Or, maybe it’s because, after running south to the downtown area, we ran several miles north to Coffee Pot Bayou where, as we curved around the bend and looked across the water, we could see the skyline.

That’s when I realized why people run. That’s the key distance – where I can begin to explore the area without worrying how close I am to my start line. Where I can appreciate the city I live in and the smells and scenery along the water and where I can observe the people in this amazing little city, which is packed with walkers, runners, bikers, and outdoor fitness clubs. I love St. Pete and all of its idiosyncrasies. Saddest city? They obviously haven’t taken an 8 mile run around here.

The first race Eric and I ever ran together was the Barefoot Fun Run in November of 2010 [blog post here]. At the time of the 2010 race, Eric had been running for about 6 months and I had been running less than 3 months. We continued to race and train regularly through March of 2011, but I broke my toe during a 5K trail race in April and I’ve been in and out (mostly out) of running since then. It was a good 4 months before I even tried running again, but I overcompensated for the continuous throbbing of the healing broken toe and sprained my foot. I finally began running regularly again about a month ago.

We were excited when we heard news of a 2nd annual Barefoot Fun Run. We were hesitant to sign up because of my injuries, but we wanted this race to be our “anniversary” race, so we were determined to participate, even if we had to walk. While it does frustrate me a bit to participate in a race I don’t feel I’ve appropriately prepared for, we had a blast and we hope to make this a regular event for years to come.

2nd Annual Barefoot Fun Run

In 2010, the course was at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, FL. This year, the course was at Seminole State Forest Trail Head in Sorrento, FL. Both races were organized by TravelCountry and proceeds went to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Orlando. Since Michael Sandler held a barefoot running clinic before the race, we each scored ourselves a signed Barefoot Running book.

The start line was a bit more official this year, but there were no chip times and the distance was not a true 5K (last year it was short of a 5K, this year it was a little longer). No worries – I still prefer trail races to road races, but the terrain this year was brutal. We began on packed shell sand, which I usually like, but there were grooves in the sand which made for an annoyingly uneven landing. We turned onto soft sand and spent most of the race sinking into the sand before returning to the packed shells. Navigating through the soft sand was exhausting and sandspurs plagued those who ran completely barefoot. For this race, Eric ran in Vibram Bikilas and I ran in Merrell Pace Gloves (I’m trying to avoid future broken toes while maintaining the minimalist qualities). I haven’t written much about the Merrell’s, but I’ve been running in them throughout the past month and I highly recommend them. Once I’m confident that my toe has appropriately healed, I will probably switch back to Vibrams on the road and continue running trail races in the Merrells.

The Finish

Since neither Eric nor I have been training to run lately, I had a view of Eric during the entire race (he usually takes off within the first few minutes). Sometime during the final 1K stretch, he saw me behind him and slowed so I could catch up. We crossed the finish line together (we were still running when we actually crossed it).

My timed results were 30:54 (for a course a bit longer than a 5K), but my Nike+ iPod sensor clocked my 5K finish at 29:11. Not a PR, but not too shabby for little training and brutal sand. There were 89 participants. Eric and I came in 43rd and 44th overall [eh], and I finished 14th out of 43 females.

Next week, we begin training for our first half marathon.

This was taken pre-race...

Michele pre-race - not quite as tired as Eric.

Post-race with Michele's parents

Michael Sandler's Barefoot Running Clinic

I want to sincerely thank everyone who voted for my SxSW submission Social Media: Fear and Loathing in Health Care. Several people have asked me how the voting went, so I wanted to give you a quick update. Public voting ended on September 2nd. All will be quiet in the SXSW Interactive world while the Staff (30% of the vote) and the Advisory Board (40% of the vote) deliberate. At the end of October, they will announce the first round of picks. By December 19th, everyone should know the fate of their proposals.

So, for now, we wait, but I truly appreciate your support!

I want to go to SXSW 2012. Specifically, I want to present in the Health Track of SXSW Interactive on barriers to social media adoption within the healthcare community. It would be an incredible opportunity to attend and an inexpressible honor to present at such an extraordinary event.

I could use your help!

What is SXSW?

SXSW began as a music festival in 1987 and, in 1994, a film festival and interactive track were added. It is an exciting and innovative conference drawing almost 50,000 registrants, so it’s kind of a big deal.

More about SXSW Interactive here.

How To Vote

The proposal process is a lengthy and intricate process, but the public has a 30% say in which proposals are accepted, so I would greatly appreciate your vote.

The voting process is easy:

1. Visit my proposal: “Social Media: Fear and Loathing in Health Care”
2. Click the “thumbs up” button
3. You will be prompted to either login or create an account
4. They will not spam you – don’t worry!
5. When you’re redirected to the page after you login, make sure the “thumbs up” button is green.

To peruse all SXSW Interactive proposals for 2012, visit the Ideas page here.

Thank you so much for your vote. If you have any questions about SXSW or about the proposal, please don’t hesitate to ask!

To see the announcement on Mack’s blog, visit The three blogs we’ll review at #blogchat tonight are…

Pre-Review

While perusing Twitter last week, I ran into Mack’s call for blogs and I entered SportingTheSmallStuff.com, requesting suggestions on SEO and audience engagement. I have participated in #blogchat in the past and it is one of my favorite chats. It is the largest chat that I know of, having so many participants that it’s sometimes difficult to follow all of the concurrent conversations. For this reason, and due to the caliber of participants, there is never a shortage of excellent ideas and suggestions.

I was ecstatic to learn that my blog was selected as one of the three to be reviewed, but I knew that my blog could be torn apart, so I braced myself. The 20 minutes people spent reviewing my blog turned out to provide me with a wealth of invaluable information.

Review of SportingTheSmallStuff

While the full chat transcript is available here, there are particular comments and suggestions that I want to highlight. If you agree and/or disagree with any of these comments, I would love to hear from you!

Blog Post Titles and Topic Suggestions

On your titles/headlines, try pasting 1st draft into Google to see what comes up. You’ll be amazed – and improve. Keywords at beginning are stronger, but curiosity or a story lead can appeal too. Answer — WIIFM. WIIFM = What’s In It For Me. Why should I read? What’s the benefit to reader? – @pheffernanvt

When writing your blog post titles, stay clear and detailed. Think of phrases potential readers might search for on Google. – @RyanCohn

Consider creating 3-5 ‘topic buckets’ for your blog. These will help with posting as well as SEO – @MackCollier

Look at your Twitter lists and Klout topics – great crowdsourcing for your best topics – @eswayne

Think of a single person (your best friend) and write a post just for him/her – @RisonSimon

Figure out the main 2-3 topics you want to blog about and base SEO keywords/phrases around those topics – @MackCollier

Maybe set aside certain days for certain topics? “Tech Tuesday” for example? – @patricksplace @NicWirtz @MackCollier

You’re influential about Running. Try writing more about it & see how your traffic #’s change. – @RyanCohn @eswayne

Likes

Title and tagline – @patricksplace @vincerobisch

Nice use of images and thumbnails for consistency – @SbuxMel @NickWestergaard @MackCollier

Thank you for not moderating comments – @CollinKromke

Ease of finding links to subscribe and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn – @CollinKromke @LHInsights @patricksplace

Blog layout and look – @NicWirtz @PattiTWG @LHInsights @patricksplace @LovelyLu @JTDabbagian @Canada_armywife @BarryBirkett @deepexistence @maggieci @jeanalawrence

About Page – @swichi293 @azmomofmanyhats

Suggestions and Pet-Peeves

Add videos (vlog) and more pictures – @samfiorella @suzanne_doughty @NicWirtz @maggieci

“16 is the new 14″ = increase font size – @jaypalter @CollinKromke @patricksplace

Don’t truncate posts and use longer excerpts on the homepage – @MackCollier and @CollinKromke

Design looks “technical” rather than sports/adventure – @MissVersatile @maldyj @ToughCookieMom @samfiorella @juliacantor @gingerconsult @RyanCohn @maggieci

Need a logo and/or text style in title – @RisonSimon @ajmanik

Remove the admin login from the footer – @RisonSimon

Blog on a schedule – @kamkansas @patricksplace

Get rid of the category/pages on the page bar. Make it static pages only. – @JTDabbagian

Unsure what the blog is about upon first glance – @vincerobisch @jeanalawrence @Canada_armywife

Link Eric’s name in the sidebar – @VirginiaSquare

Bigger title, more tags, full article views – @dashingly

All active elements could be placed under “Action” all “Adventure” elements there. Categories/sub-categories. – @NicWirtz

For more readers, try posting comments on other popular sports/adventure blogs. – @kamkansas

Remove the First Name/Last Name fields in the sidebar signup – @ajmanik

Debates

Blog on a regular basis – @deepexistence VS posting when there’s something to talk about – @JTDabbagian @vincerobisch

Colors should be more engaging – @swichi293 @deepexistence @dashingly VS Greyscale helps to focus readers – @JTDabbagian

The highlight of my evening:

Top 5 Ways to Improve My Blog

Take home message:
1) Increase font size
2) Modify the color scheme (and/or add a logo and/or image header – anyone have suggestions?)
3) Blog either more often or on a schedule (or both)
4) Give a clearer indication of what the blog is about upon first glance (re-organizing topics and categories may help with this)
5) Include more photos and videos

I am confused about the general “acceptance” of excerpts over truncated posts. At the beginning of #blogchat, I considered them to be the same, but by the end of #blogchat, I was questioning the difference. Care to weigh in on that Mack and Collin?

It appears that I have my work cut out for me! If you have your own suggestions, have at it in the Comments section below!

For more information about #Blogchat, visit What Is #blogchat?