5/27/2017
My last 20-mile training run. Light fog hanging in the fir trees. Ravens lining up to catch the first rays of the rising sun. Tanager chorus at full volume. I feel good. Strong. Ready to respect the taper. And then it's on to the race. With your donations you've not only raised the spirits of the kids who will benefit from your heart-swell, but surpassed the goal in raising funds for the Children's Hospital. I will give thanks every step of the way come June 17th running Grandma's.
5/13/2017
This journey started 10 months ago...training for and completing Humbolt (Oct 16), CIM (Dec 3) and Napa marathon (March 5). I'm physically and psychologicaly worn. But my self-induced struggle doesn't compare to the challenges faced each and every day by children who are battling personal afflictions. Your donations ease their pain and inspire me to stay strong! Beautiful 20 mile training run this morning; cool, crisp California morning. Snow still glistening in the foothills. Tanagers singing up a storm. Again, thank-you from the bottom of my heart for your donations to these "amazing people!"
4/29/2017
To all of you who have generously donated with your love and wallets, a heartfelt THANK-YOU for making "Running with Purpose" an ongoing reality. Your giving spirit makes my training runs that much more fulfilling. I had the BEST 20-mile training run this past week! Your donations are making me (and 'our' kids) stronger in spirit!.
Clip from "Generosity in Action"
After giving birth, Jessica Persson learned that her daughter, Berkley, had a congentital heart defect and needed surgery to repair two holes in her heart. Children's Cardiology team monitored her closely, with hopes that Berkley's surgery could take place at 6 months once she had grown stronger. However, little Berkley's heart wasn't able to keep with this plan, and she was scheduled for surgery at just 10 weeks old.
Jessica reflects: "There was always fear in our heads, but the day of the surgery we realized we may not ever bring her home." Berkley's heart was successfully repaired and within days she was eating more than she ever had. Today, Berkley is a spunky, spirited little girl who Jessica describes as a "handful." "You'd never know the journey she went through to get here!"
Running with Purpose
I ran my first marathon in Chiemsee, Germany, in 1977. I was 24 and clueless. Training in ‘loafers’, I lost toenails, had no set training program, had no idea what RIF meant, and thought over-striding was beneficial. It’s not surprising that my quads locked up just prior to the ‘wall’. I stumbled across the finish line at 5 hours and 20 minutes and said, “Never again!”
Fast forward 25 years. I’ve just turned 49. Thanks to a 4-year weight lifting program, I’m in excellent shape, but in the wrong shape for endurance running. My buddy calls me up. Says he’s going to run the New York Marathon. Took him 3 years to get in, by default. Hmm. I take the bait, drop my name into the lottery…and get picked! This year! I’ve got less than 6 months to train, to turn a muscular body into a sleek-running machine. Try as I might I can’t get past the ‘wall’. At 18 miles, my quads consistently lock up. It’s only when my soon-to-be wife – a phys-ed teacher – tells me I must refuel in flight (RIF) do I break through this physical and psychological barrier.
I go on to run NY, Boston, Twin Cities, California International, Napa, Humbolt, and many others. At the age of 64, I will surpass 30 marathons run in 15 years, with many more to come, God willing.
Some will tell you endurance running is an individual sport. It’s not. It takes a team to achieve such lofty goals, from mentors, trainers, sports equipment techs, running partners, family, friends, event organizers, spectators, volunteers, inspirational warriors, and a host of others. Sure, I do the work, run the mileage, suffer the pain. But I have many to thank for helping me cross the finish lines.
‘Brother’ Gary Bonifacius spurred my interest in adopting a physical regimen. ‘Brother’ Bill Fern (re) introduced me to endurance running. As mentioned, Nancy Jessup, my beloved, not only became my mentor, but is the enduring wind beneath my wings. Tim and Stephanie (sister) Cooney have hosted me through 8 Napa marathons. My sisters, Kathy, Mary, Terry, and Louise showed up – en masse – at the Twin Cities Marathon to lend spirit and support; my stepson, Mike, and daughter-in-law, Crystal Jessup cheered me on as I crossed the Chico Marathon finish line while cradling granddaughter Ashlyn in my arms. Jeff Stover and his friendly staff at Chico Sports ensure I have the tools and training to stay fit and strong. Not enough can be said about the rambunctious spectators, the volunteers – from the gator-aid gladiators to the medical staff to the officers and all those who are hidden behind the scenes. And let us not forget those inspirational warriors, who have suffered emotional trauma, loss of limb, or body ravaged by disease, who run with us or stand in support of those who can.
I’m honored to have run marathons with Aubrey Barr, the poster child for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer center, my nephew, Brendan Hinnenkamp, who was nearly killed during triathlon training after being hurled from the road by a wayward vehicle, and my daughter-in-law, Crystal Jessup, who battled thyroid cancer. No greater inspiration is there than a fallen warrior rising and standing tall.
On March 4th, 2017, I crossed the finish line to the Napa Marathon just under 4 and ½ hours. I suffered through a chest cold the preceding week and picked up a stitch as I crested Heartbreak Hill. But neither of these is to blame for my measured run. Throughout the race, I found myself sitting back, not wanting the miles to pass, just looking, savoring, remembering, for I had been here before – 7 times – and on my 8th run I wanted to soak it all in; the Star Spangled Banner start, runners slicing through piercing rays of the rising sun, the undulating, snake-like Silverado Trail road, the kempt vineyards, the spirited spectators, Gatorade swamps, smiling, doting volunteers, blasting music, Heartbreak Hill, the frying pan, and the wall-to-wall people at the finish line. What a glorious run!
I’m excited to be returning to my home state of Minnesota (born and raised in Melrose) to run Grandmas while raising funds for “the most amazing people on earth – kids.”
In year's past, there have been many who have sponsered my runs for charity. To these I give THANKS. Claude & Jean Blenkush, Delia Hart, Kathy Leblanc, Mary Woodford, Terry Super, Joe & Louise Renik, Loretta Manske, Tim & Stephanie Cooney, Marisa Hinnenkamp, Michelle Blenkush, Patricia Van Dyke, Peter Jackson, Paul & Sue Ward, and Mark Williams and many more who aren't listed, but will never be forgotten for their generosity.
