The Perfect Storm AND More Races Booked!

Let's begin with a quote from the movie, The Perfect Storm (courtesy of IMDB.com):


Todd Gross, TV Meteorologist: Look, look at this. We got Hurricane Grace moving north off the Atlantic seaboard. Huge... getting massive. Two, this low south of Sable Island, ready to explode. Look at this. Three, a fresh cold front swooping down from Canada. But it's caught a ride on the jet stream... and is motoring hell-bent towards the Atlantic. What if Hurricane Grace runs smack into it? Add to the scenario this baby off Sable Island, scrounging for energy. She'll start feeding off both the Canadian cold front... and Hurricane Grace. You could be a meteorologist all your life... and never see something like this. It would be a disaster of epic proportions. It would be... the perfect storm. 


Why am I posting this quote on this blog?  Well, my official time for the World Race for Hope 5K was 20:17, a time I honestly didn't think I'd reach for another 2 months.  Like the storm in the movie, I can only attribute my time to a series of events all coming together right at the same time (perfect weather conditions, a strong week of training, the course setup, etc.).  I'm not sure if I can duplicate that day but I'll try.

I also booked my 9th and 10th races.  On April 28, I will run The Roadrunner Run 5K in Hilliard, OH (here is the link).  On May 5, my wife and I will both run the Commit To Be Fit 5K in downtown Columbus (here are the details - link).


My first out of town race is this Saturday in Dayton.  I hope I don't get lost driving there.  Until next time...

Race 3 Results AND 8th Race On The Books

After 2 straight race weeks of 32 degree temperatures, Mother Nature took pity on me.  The weather was perfect for the St. Patrick's Day 5K!  I didn't check the temp but it felt like it was in the 50's (it may have been even warmer).  My official time of 23:00 almost matched my first race.  I'm hoping I can break through this week with a better time.

I also booked my 8th race today, the Path for Peace 5K.  This race will take place on April 21, 2012 at Griggs Reservoir here in Columbus.  Here is the link.  This race supports the Solly and Sammy's Foundation for Peace, a non-profit organization committed to supporting community organizations working to prevent child abuse and family violence.  My wife and I personally know the person responsible for starting this foundation so this is a special race for us.

In The News!

The 31 Initiative was featured in Dublin's local community newspaper.  Check out the link here.  Thanks for the article Jennifer!  I appreciate you helping to get the word out there.  My thought is the more we can spread the word, the more money we can raise for the The Jay Holdgreve Endowment for Testicular Cancer Research.

I also registered for my 7th race, Amy's Fight Against Lymphoma 5K.  This race will take place on April 14 in Marysville, Ohio.  If you are interested in learning more, here is a link.

Finally, my official time for the Pi Day 5K was 23:50, 7 seconds faster than my unofficial time.  It's not much but I'll take it.

I run in Dublin, Ohio this Saturday at the St. Patrick's Day 5K.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the race temperature is higher than 32 degrees.

Pi Day 5K Results

Another cold day (32 degrees) and a lingering cold contributed to a drop off in my time today.  The unofficial result was 23:57, almost a minute longer than last week.  Bummer.

Despite this, I'm still upbeat.  The sun was shining and the Pi Day 5K race organizers did a great job putting on their first race.

Next week, The 31 Initiative heads to Dublin, OH.  My wife is running the race too so it should be fun.

2 down, 29 to go...

6th Race Booked!

I've booked the 6th race in The 31 Initiative, the Habitat Home Run 5K.  This event will take place April 7 at Alum Creek State Park in the Columbus metropolitan area.  A link to the site is here.

By the way, I run my 2nd race tomorrow morning, the inaugural Pi Day 5K.  Despite being a little under the weather, I look forward to the event.  The weather is supposed to be nice as well.  I will have a report on how it went after the race.

Official Time and 5th Race Booked!

It appears my unofficial time of 22 minutes 59 seconds in the Arnold 5K is the same as my official time.  Talk about anti-climactic.  OK, moving on...

The bigger news is that I have booked my 5th race, the Project Congo 5K in Dayton, Ohio.  This race (here is the link) will be run on March 31st and is the first race I will run outside of the Columbus area.  Luckily, Dayton is only about a 1-hour drive.

I've changed the presentation of my blog as well.  I've added my 5K races in the left hand column.  To make room for this, I moved the TCARE.org and Jay Holdgreve Endowment for Testicular Cancer Research links to the top of the page where they can be displayed more prominently.

1st Race Down, 30 To Go!

The Arnold 5K is complete.  It was a cold day (32 degrees on my car temperature gauge) but my spirits were high.  Jay even came down to root me on (thanks Jay!).

My unofficial time was 22 minutes 59 seconds.  Honestly, I was hoping to be around 24 minutes so I am thrilled with the result (especially for my first race).

My next race in The 31 Initiative is this Saturday March 10, the Pi Day 5K.

The 31 Initiative 1st Race Is Here!

The moment is finally upon us.  The start of The 31 Initiative begins this Sunday March 4 with my first race, the Arnold 5K.  I'm very excited to finally kick off this endeavor.

In order to remind everyone what this is all about and why I am doing it, it seems appropriate to re-post my first blog entry below.  Again, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has already donated in support of The 31 Initiative.  Your support is greatly appreciated.  I'll be back Sunday with a recap of the race.  And now, a trip down memory lane, my first blog entry...

What is The 31 Initiative? Here is the gist.

But first, a quote:

"They are able because they think they are able."  Virgil

OK, now back to the point of this blog:

• What is The 31 Initiative?  I plan on running 31 races for 31 straight weeks.
• What kind of races are you talking about?  A 5K which is 3.1 miles (get it?).
• Why do this?  I'm trying to raise money for a noble cause, the fight against testicular cancer.
• Why testicular cancer?  A friend of mine was afflicted by this disease.  Rather than sit back, he's paying it forward by starting a website, TCARE.org and an endowment.
• How can I donate money?  This link gives you all the details.
• How much should I give?  I'd love for each person to give at least $31 ($1/race) but no one would complain if you gave more.  Honestly, every dollar helps so ANY donation is appreciated.
• What is your charitable goal?  $3,100 would be appropriate but I'm aiming higher => $5,000.
• When does this Initiative start?  Due to Ohio's frosty January and February, I'll start running in March (I want to make sure there is a race available).  I'll let everyone know the exact date when it gets closer.
• What do you plan to blog about?  The race I participated in, my time (which will hopefully improve over this 31-race stretch), and any other tidbits I find interesting.
• How often will you post information?  At least weekly.
• What if you can't find a race in Ohio?  Then I'll go out of state.
• What makes you think you can do this tough guy?  Please see Virgil quote at the beginning.
• Anything else you want to add?  Yes, please spread the word via email, Facebook, Twitter, and any other form of social media out there.
• Are you finished?  We've only just begun.