Sunday, August 1, 2010

And So It Begins.......

Ultra Ed?? OK… I will be the first to admit that may be a stretch. Ultra signifies something to the extreme…. I my case it has to do with running. From the running perspective ultra running represents any running event longer than a marathon (26.2 miles). I have never officially run an ultra running event. I have run way more than 26.2 miles during a marathon but they were not ultra marathons, it was a marathon where I ran more than 26.2 miles for one reason or another. And yes, it was on purpose. So why is my blog called Ultra Ed? Well, that is due to my Blog helper extraordinaire, Karen. She felt that was a good name for a blog and what I am trying to chronicle, so that’s the name we chose. Besides, Karen is in public relations and if she thinks that is a good name who am I to argue…..


So why did I establish a blog in the first place??? Well…. The main reason is to get attention. No, it is not because I am an ego freak and want to see things about me in writing and posted for the public to see. The main reason I have set up this blog is to chronicle my efforts to train for and run the Lake Tahoe Super Triple while raising money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and their Team-in-Training program. To digress a little, the Lake Tahoe Super Triple is an event where I will run two marathons (2 - 26.2 runs) and one 72 mile run over the course of three days.

The connection to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was a result of my sister in law, Julie Ashley-Cole passing away from Leukemia in October 2006. Since then my wife Marie and I have been involved with Team-in-Training. Team-in-Training (TNT) is the largest endurance sports training organization in the world. TNT participants, in exchange for receiving professional coaching and support, raise funds to help support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in their efforts to end blood cancers. Over the course of 22 years, over 420,000 participants have raised over $1 billion dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Amazing advances in blood cancer research and treatment have been made but there is still a long way to go.

That is where this blog comes in. Over the last few years I have reached out to family and friends and have asked for donations to support LLS. This year I want to earn your donation by putting in the time, mileage, and effort to successfully complete the Tahoe Super Triple. This effort is the one symbolic gesture I can do to honor those enduring their fight against blood cancer. Over the next few months, I want you to follow my training as I prepare for the Tahoe Super Triple, and if you feel compelled based on my efforts, make a donation or a pledge to help me reach my goal of raising $6,000 for LLS. And if the sweat, pain, chafing, and blisters I am going to endure are not reason enough, I will shave my head if I successfully reach my fundraising goal.

2 comments:

  1. Great post! You are indeed an "ultra" guy in my book - a great person, an awesome coach and loyal friend! GO TEAM...now rock it in TAHOE!!

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  2. I am really looking forward to following your blog. Your dedication is amazing. I can only imagine how many people this will inspire!

    Kristin

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