Runner Insight

Couple bits of news for you today.

First off, on Thursday (tomorrow) we’re doing a 24-hour Twitter event for our fundraising project for the “Guide Dogs for the Blind” organization. So if you’re on Twitter, we’re going to tweet and re-tweet all day long to get everyone to donate at least $1 in the name of their pet (or themselves) to Guide Dogs for the Blind.  So be on the lookout for that. Be sure to re-tweet to all your friends and followers to get them to donate if they haven’t yet! You can follow me, my Twitter id is @RunnerInsight

And secondly:

Hey the Missoula Marathon is almost here again!  I’m running in the half marathon this year.  I thought about doing the full marathon, but after coming off my back injury this winter, I just didn’t feel I had the proper time to prepare for a full 26.2 mile race. 

Although I have been running an average of 50 miles a week since April for my 1,222.25 mile virtual run over to the Ellen tv show in Burbank, most of the runs have been in the 8 to 13 mile range.  I did do a 16 mile run the other week, but I really had not planned on running that far; we just missed the turn-around point and when I checked the time, we had gone 8 miles one way, so we turned around. But it made for an intensely long run: one that took me several days to recover from.  So I have tapered off my mileage this week to give my body the proper rest it needs to run a good 13.1 mile half-marathon race on Sunday.

This year I will be taking along my white cane.  In previous race events I have relied on fellow runners to pace me, but last year there were a handful of places along the route that I felt my white cane could have come in handy. For example, coming over McClay’s bridge, the sun just hit me right in the eyes and I couldn’t see a thing, stopping me dead in my tracks! 

I’m not too concerned with my time, as I know my vision loss has slowed me down considerably over the years.  I’m just excited to be a part of such a great day…and of course looking forward to all the wonderful goodies at the finish line!

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

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2008 brought some pretty amazing changes. We had been attending a series of weekly meetings that revolved around the concept of the Law of Attraction and manifesting the best for your life.  One of the main themes that kept popping up throughout the meetings was “What is your passion in life?”  And people would talk about this or that, and be so enthusiastic about their passions: there were a handful of real estate investors, and there were people in the community social working type professions. And beauticians and nail techs, and people involved with multi-level marketing and direct sales and various other things. And everyone was full of inspiration and ideas.  

I however would sit in silence, not knowing how to participate. I was 44 years old, soon to be 45 and while I had a wonderful, comfortable life, I couldn’t really verbalize what my passion was.

Well okay, I did know what my passion was; it was running, but how in the world could I serve others while monetizing my passion for running? Eventually the drip effect did its work on me during all those meetings along with the CD’s I had been listening to. 

 After many months and some unexpected spiritual growth, I had an epiphany of sorts.  I’m legally blind, and even though it’s much harder for me to run, I still manage to do it routinely, because it is my passion.  One evening a truly inspired thought came to me: VisionRunner.com – I could start a blog about being a blind runner.  It would be about my life as a blind runner, and about overcoming obstacles and how it’s not so much what happens to you as what you do with it that defines your success in the world. Hopefully it would be an inspiration to others overcoming difficulties in their lives since we all have them in one way, shape or form.

Eventually it turned into this blog: www.RunnerInsight.com, and I went with Vision Runner as my tag name.  I am now using my unique set of circumstances and my passion for running to inspire others.  I started my blog in September of 2008, and this spring I have embarked on a new mission in conjunction with my blog. It’s called Run Over to Ellen’s and it’s a 1,222 mile virtual run to the Ellen TV Show in Burbank, CA to raise $30,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind.  (www.RunOverToEllens.com)

I guess it’s true that as we grow and mature, we become more about “What can I do to serve others?” rather than “How can I help myself?”  Using my passion for running to help others is the most rewarding gift the Universe has given me.  By going deep within myself, I was able to find my passion, make it uniquely mine and change my reality.

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

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If you’ve donated and been following the video blog daily updates on my Run Over To Ellen’s fundraising project, you know that I’ve been dealing with a bunch of heavy equipment and construction machinery and closed roads on my running path this past month. Well, now the construction project has been completed, and my running trail has open and easy access again.

I wanted to let the crew know how much I appreciated everything they did to help me out this past month, so I wrote a letter to the Editor of our local newspaper, and am also mailing a copy to the construction company that they work for.

Here’s the letter to the Editor that I sent this week:

 Editor:

I just wanted to give a big shout out to the crew at Jensen Construction Co. for being so helpful and kind to me during the road work out on South Ave. the past few weeks.

I’m legally blind, and I’d just started my virtual Run Over To Ellen’s (www.RunOverToEllens.com ) 1,222.25 mile fundraising run for Guide Dogs for the Blind.  (See Missoulian article: Wednesday June 3, 2009.) Since my vision is limited, I have been running on South Ave. as it’s a controlled path that is easy for me to navigate with my white cane. 

When I was told that South Ave. was going to be closed, I became concerned.  How was I going to get the mileage in that I needed each week to meet my goal? So not knowing what to expect, I ventured out the first day construction was to begin. With my white cane in hand and running clothes on, I made my way slowly and cautiously to the “Sidewalk Closed” sign.  After waiting less than a minute, one of the workers approached me.  I explained to him about my dilemma and he was more than willing to accommodate me.  He put his elbow out, and escorted me around the enormous construction equipment and mounds of gravel until we were on smooth sidewalk again. 

He told me it was no problem, just wait for one of them each day, and they would be glad to help me around.

So for this past month, that’s just what I did.  I know Brad helped me several times, and Tom a few times. And while I can’t remember the names of all the other great folks that served as my eyes for me, I really want them ALL to know how much I sincerely appreciate their kindness and willingness to help me run my 36 miles a week on the path I can navigate.

I’m sure that construction crews don’t get enough recognition for a job well done, but in this case, it goes well beyond an “Atta boy” and “Job well-done”. You folks at Jensen on the South Avenue crew all made what could have been a major setback for me, a huge success! So a monstrously huge Thanks!

How ’bout it?

- Vision Runner 

 www.RunOverToEllens.com

www.RunnerInsight.com

www.FirstGiving.com/VisionRunner

P.S. If you donated and can’t find (should be in the FirstGiving email response you got when you donated) or remember the private access link to follow the daily video blog updates, email us at admin at RunnerInsight dot com and we’ll be happy to shoot you the access website link again.

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