Keepin' Track of AR3NF

May was a busy month for Anneliese's Road Racers for Research. We pulled our efforts together to race the Illinois Marathon
in Champaign, IL on May 1st and then conquered the 5k at the Indianapolis Minimarathon a week later. Here are the stories:

Saturday, May 1, 2010, Champaign, IL.

It had been over 5 years since I last stepped foot in Chambana (the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana). Champaign is where Liz and I lived when we were first married. Champaign is where we rescued our dog Lucy from doggy jail. Champaign is where our little NF Hero, Anneliese, was born almost 6 years ago. When my friend Brad mentioned on facebook that he was running a marathon in Champaign I offered to give him advice if needed about getting around, restaurants, or whatever he may have questions about. He replied on facebook to my message by suggesting that I enter the race too.

Lucy

My original plan for spring was to work on speed. I had signed up for the 5k at the Minimarathon (more on that later) and was planning on running shorter, faster workouts. Having just come off of a marathon training cycle in November, however, I decided that I would piggy back the Illinois Marathon on that training and take advantage of the endurance that I had built up. I told Brad that I was in for Illinois.

After packet pickup at the student center I grabbed a quick bite at a restaurant Liz and I used to eat at called Za's. I polished off a plate of spaghetti and some iced tea then headed to the Fairfield Inn where I'd be staying with Brad. As I cruised from place to place in Champaign I realized that not much had changed since we were last there and I was able to get around easily. I got in to the hotel around 9pm CT. Brad and I caught up with each other for a bit then it was lights out for the early wake up call.

The temperature at 6am was 68* with high humidity. I had a pretty good sweat going just walking from the car to the staging area. Brad and I stretched out together and hung out until a few minutes before the start when we went to our starting places. The sky was overcast which kept the start from being a scorcher.

The race course was as flat as I expected. There were plenty of aid stations along the way as well. Fan support was great considering how small the towns are. Many of the 5k runners stayed after to cheer on the 1/2 and full marathoners. Around mile 6 was when the sun broke out for me. It went from muggy to balmy. I ran a good race until the half way point and then I decided to enjoy the course and my visit to Champaign by taking the second half more easily. I finished in 5:19. The race finished at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium, home of the Fighting Illini of the Univeristy of Illinois. I thought about taking an Ohio State flag with me and laying it in the middle of the field but decided better against it. (Illinois and Ohio State are Big Ten rivals). I fully recommend the Illinois Marathon to anyone looking for a good/fast spring race.

Saturday, May 8, 2010, Indianapolis, IN

For the 5th year in a row Anneliese's Road Racers took part in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Minimarathon and 5k events. This time the team included me and a second member-- Austin Yoder. We opted to run the Finish Line 5k instead of the half-marathon. Race morning was not even remotely close to the weather of the previous weekend. We had temperatures, when adjusted for windchill, around 40*. That doesn't tell the whole story...it was COLD.

This year the 5k was scheduled to begin prior to the start of the 1/2. We arrived early for a picture with some of the other NF Endurance team members.


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Photo By: Liz Hahn

There was one other order of business to take care of at the photo op. Our team captain, Joe Gunn, lost a wager with team captains from three other fundraising events. He was one of three team captains who would receive a pie in the face! The pie thrower would be none other than---Anneliese! Video here.

Without much further adieu, Austin and I, along with our new friend and teammate Sandy Liang, made our way to the start line. I was in the preferred start coral based on sending in a previous race time to the Race Director. Somehow I managed to get within a few steps of the starting line. I even ended up being on tv for a few minutes as the WishTV crew broadcasted live from the event. Video here.

The 5k race started and we were off. Joe caught up with me on the course before mile one and we chatted as he took a shot at me:

Photo By: Joe Gunn

Shortly after I passed Joe came across Austin:

Photo By: Joe Gunn

We finished the race in times of 24:15 (Don) and 26:10 (Austin). Sandy came across the finish shortly after and we all grabbed some refreshments before heading for a group picture. Sadly, the group photos taken by Brightroom never showed up on their website. I bet they were really cool though.

We ruNFor Anneliese, 2010 campaign

We ruNFor Anneliese! This year Anneliese’s Road Racers for Research (AR3) will once again be taking to the road and raising money to support NF Research. Elizabeth and I are very proud of our daughter Anneliese. Anneliese is a smart, beautiful, and caring 5 year old girl who happens to have NF1. NF is the abbreviated form of Neurofibromatosis, a neurological disorder that affects about 1:3000 people. Anneliese has many café-au-lait spots on her body and several small neurofibromas on her head. We have been lucky so far. Anneliese’s recent MRI came back clear and she has not been afflicted by the many symptoms associated with the disorder. I say that we have been lucky so far but we cannot be sure what her future has in store. NF is unpredictable.

Currently there is no cure for NF. There are many clinical trials taking place and progress is being made. The research to solve the NF puzzle is ongoing and needs funding. That is where we come in. We can help the skilled researchers continue to do their jobs by providing them with the funding that is required to continue with their work.

AR3 is back in action this spring. May is NF awareness month! What better way to kick off the month than a marathon? I will be running the Illinois Marathon in Champaign, IL on May 1st. The following weekend I will be joined by Liz’s cousin, Austin Yoder, for the 500 Festival 5k event that takes place just prior to the Indianapolis Minimarathon. These events will be our spring fundraising target events. We hope to raise $1000 for research with your help.

Here is how you can help:

• Donate to Anneliese’s Road Racers for Researchers at ar3nf.blogspot.com by clicking on the “Donate Now” link on the right side of the screen. Donations of all sizes are welcome.
• Join the team! Sign up for an endurance event (run, bike, swim, walk), fundraise, and run an event for AR3. Please note that all Indianapolis 500 Minimarathon events are now sold out.
• Organize an event to raise money for NF Research. Last year we raised $600 for the cause by holding a yard sale. Be creative and help raise awareness and money!


Thanks for your past support.

Don, Liz and the girls

IMM Target Achieved, Thank You

Great news, we met our fundraising goal for the IMM of $262! Thank you to everyone who contributed to our success! We had two successful campaigns this year with donations totaling $1,262 for NF research!

Here is a list of our IMM contributors (in order by donation date):

Mary Dull
Irene Nankey
Jill Nothstine
Laurie Nothstine
Stan & Rose Hahn
Stan Hahn Jr
Lance and Shelley Dirr
David Mlotok


If you would like to participate in an event in 2010 for the NF Endurance team then let us know. We'd love to have you run or walk with Anneliese's Road Racers.

1 week until race day...

Happy Halloween! I started off the fetive holiday with the Trinity Free Clinic 5k race this morning. The local race features a flat course with great volunteers and all proceeds benefit the medical clinic which offers services free of charge to the community. The weather was iffy at best with strong winds and occasional drizzle. Temps were in the 40's unless facing the headwind. I went into the race thinking that I was in 22:30 shape for the distance. My final time was a 23:49 placing me 77/373 overall. The good news is that I felt like I had plenty left in my legs.

One week until IMM. I am as ready as I can imagine that I will be. I look forward to a stong marathon performance followed by 2 weeks of sweet recovery. I've had several 40+ mile weeks and many more 30+ weeks.

Good luck to fellow NF Endurance runners who are participating at NYC tomorrow.

30 days and a wake up

Where did the summer go? Here we are with the first week of October in the books and staring down 30 days until the marathon. Training has stayed close to schedule for the past 12 weeks. I have missed a few runs at various points for various reasons but I am feeling strong overall. So far my longest effort was a 21 miler. I am scheduled for 18 this weekend and 20 next weekend before starting my taper. With those long runs in the bag and the work that I have put in I am confident that I will have a good day on Saturday, November 7.

At different points in the training cycle I have adjusted my time goal in my mind for the race. I have used online finish time calculators like the one on Greg McMillan's website. I have also used the rule of thumb 1/2 marathon time multiplied by 2 plus 10 minutes. And in the end I used the good old fashioned "I want to break four hours." Thus I have set my goal to run 26.2 miles in a time of 3:58:30. That translates to a pace of 9:06 per mile. McMillan predicts a time of 3:45 and the other method predicts a 3:48. I suspect the final time will be between the 3:58 I am shooting for and 4:10.

Recent workouts have been strong. I ran a 5 miler on Monday and a 7.5 miler on Tuesday at marathon pace which both went well. The remaining runs this week will bring me to about 45 miles and next week I will peak at 52 if all goes well.

The mystique of the marathon is hard to explain. It is both enticing and terrifying. The enticing part is pushing my body to the limit of physical excertion. Challenging myself to put on a pair of shorts, a neon yellow tank top, some 99cent gloves from Menards, and a skull cap and stand in the middle of a pack of people who saw fit to roll out of bed at 4:30 on a Saturday morning and stand in the cold waiting for someone to fire a gun. Going from station to station on the race course and crossing the finish line with that look of joyful anguish. Terrifying for many of the same reasons but mainly because the mind can play tricks on you. What I mean is that the mind can betray the body with what a sales manager of my past called "stinkin' thinkin.'" Try as you might to block them out, sometimes those thoughts creep in. Like say mile 16 when you realize that you have run 16 miles and still have double digits to go. A mantra helps. This training cycle I have been using-- "pace and form." I hope to be lucky enough to keep my mind on other things during the race instead of fatigue, pain, and the like. A great course helps and I think the IMM fits the bill.

Another thing that helps is that I do not run alone. The support of family, friends, fellow runners, and the NF Endurance team is a boost. On race day I will think about all of the NF heroes out there and I will not want to let them down. I will think about my own Anneliese and I will not want to let her down. They will carry me to the finish line.

Thirty days are all that remain.

Vacation is over now it is back to work!

Last week we enjoyed a respite from daily life with a trip to SW Michigan. We visited Holland, Saugatuck, South Haven and Grand Haven. We had a great time and photos of the girls can be seen at dh-thisismylife.blogspot.com. Walking was plentiful, running was sparse. First of all, I forgot to pack my Mizuno Wave Alchemy running shoes. Not much chance of me running in flip flops so we stopped at Shoe Carnival on our way to Michigan Adventure. I picked up a pair of Asics Gel-Kahana 3's. Turns out the Asics are more of an all terrain shoe but the price was right given the circumstances so I pulled the trigger on the purchase. I ended up running in them once during our vacation.

Marathon training officially starts next week. I am looking forward to the rigors of training and the sense of accomplishment that I will get from running another 26.2 for the NF Endurance Team. If you would like to see a video of the course for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (forever more referred to as IMM in this blog) then go to www.monumentalmarathon.com. The video is on the lower right side of the page.

I have set a modest goal of $262.00 to be raised for the IMM in support of NF Research. 26.2 X $10 per mile. Feel free to sponsor me for a mile or a portion of a mile. The donation page can be found here: http://www.active.com/donate/nfraceforresearch09/ar3nf. You will notice that the page is purple this time since that is Anneliese's favorite color.

See you on the roads.

So what's new anyway?

Since we last chatted on this page much has happened/will be happening.

First, we raised $600 for Anneliese's Road Racers for Research through a yard sale held at Liz's aunt's house in Milford. That brought us to nearly $1000 in donations for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Minimarathon campaign. Thanks goes out to family and friends for their support in the forms of items to sell and time. Without help we could not achieve such great results. $1000 more for research to find a cure for NF. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Next, Chasing Down the Cure 5k is on the books for July 11th. Please come out and join us for a morning of walking/running. Also, cast a wide net by inviting family and friends to come out for the race or to sponsor you. Details on the website, click on the link above.

Next, I signed up for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon which takes place Nov. 7. This will be my second crack at 26.2 miles. Training officially starts in 2 weeks. No goal finish time in mind yet.

Last but not least, our NF Endurance friends are undertaking an awe inspiring trek across the country on bikes. 3 teams wearing NF colors will venture from CA to MD in about 8+ days of riding in the Race Across America. All total they have raised nearly $190,000 for this event through fundraising. Unbelievable. Follow their trip here: www.ariangels.org.