Thrown into the Fire!

Believe it, or not, I used to run the 3200 meter race for my Jr High Track and Field team. I mainly did it to get in shape for football, but I also had a sense of accomplishment after each race. Not because I won, because that never happened. Although, there was one race that I did not finish last. I finished almost a full lap ahead of a kid at Rose Hill Jr High. (But now that I think back, he may have been a special needs kid.) The 3200 was a race that not that many Jr High kids wanted to run. The mile run in PE class was dreaded enough. Why would anyone want to run two miles when they didn't have to?

Like I said, I wanted to get in shape for football and with each race, my times improved. I started out with a monstrous 19 minutes and 30-something seconds. By season's end, my personal record was 14 minutes and 12 seconds. Shaving over 5 minutes off my time felt great! I did not continue running for the track team in high school, but I did run often to stay in shape for football. After my football playing days were through, I did not find much use for running. I ran three 5k's for the CCFA (Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America) in support of my brother Chris, who has suffered from Crohn's since we were young. I never matched my 7+ minute mile pace, but I was proud of my 27 minute - 30 second time.

Running a half-marathon is not something I have ever considered attempting. I don't even like to drive 13.1 miles, let alone run them. My brother Chris has run 9 of them. That's right, 9! Nine! As in, one more than eight, 9! Chris has done so much to promote the CCFA's Team Challenge Half-Marathons that the CCFA has created an annual award for the person making the greatest impact on the Team Challenge program, in which he was the first recipient, and is now named after him. This year, Chris will be the one giving this award to someone else.

This weekend he is running his 10th half-marathon in Las Vegas, and my mother and I will be there to cheer him to the finish line. And as proud as I am of my brother's accomplishments, I can't help but to worry about my personal challenge of being healthy and losing weight.

I fly out Thursday night on the 1st. The day I start my challenge! So the first 4 days of this life style change will be in Las Vegas. Home to buffet after buffet, and cocktail after cocktail. I threw myself into the fire! The fire of temptation! The fire of a town that sucks your will-power to say no. The fire of everything I want to change.

This morning, I received my 113th pledge. A good friend pledged $2 per pound to give me a total of $151.50 per pound! Now that is the fire hose needed to douse the fiery temptation of Las Vegas!

Run baby run!