I just got home this week from a vacation in Greece, and it was a really good time.
I got to run barefoot in the stadium at Ancient Olympia, did a lot of hiking through Athens to visit all the ruins, and relaxed for the last few days at the beach on the island of Sifnos. No running, but I still managed to get quite a lot of walking in and my foot seems completely healed. Since then, I’ve run for the past 5 days straight with no problems.
So I got home late on Sunday evening, and had a few voicemails waiting for me from one of my best friends, John Tomac.
I ran with John in college and we’ve remained good friends since. In 2006, I paced him through his first marathon. That’s us to the right around mile 8 on route to his 2:55 finish.
John’s an ever positive individual, a great runner, and a talented illustrator (he designed my logo, as well as the cover for the first version of my book on marathoning.) He’s also in need of some help.
In the past, he has raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society in honor of his fiance’s Uncle, who died a few years ago. This year, he’s raising money on his own behalf.
2 weeks ago, John noticed some problems with his retina and went to see his doctor. A few days and many tests later, he discovered his white blood cell count was 40 times what it normally should be. He’s pretty lucky that he caught it as early as he did, and what would have been a death sentence 20 years ago is now treatable and won’t affect him any more than having high blood pressure might bother a sedentary person.
On October 15th, John will be taking part in the “Light the Night” walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s evening walk and fundraising event. It is the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of people battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost.
You can learn more about the walk at John’s fundraising page:
http://r2w.us/JohnsWalk
I would consider it a personal favor if you would be willing to help John in his fund-raising efforts, and here is what I’ll do:
- If you donate at least $25, I’ll send you the call in details for a live coaching call next Wednesday night (10/14) where John and I will discuss our experiences with running and racing and we’ll answer any questions that you may have. I’ll also send you a recording that you can download and listen to on your iPod, so don’t worry if you can’t make the call.
- If you donate at least $50, then not only will you be invited to the coaching session, but I will also include a downloadable version of my latest coaching CD that isn’t even available for sale yet. This coaching CD details the nuts and bolts of how to raise money for non-profit organizations through your running, and has a retail value of $19.95. (It seemed an appropriate gift under the circumstances.)
- If you at least match my donation of $100, then you will get your invitation to the live coaching session, a copy of my coaching CD, and a downloadable copy of my book, Marathons Don’t Have to Hurt, which people have paid as much as $27 for. The book details the nuts and bolts about every step on how to prepare for, run, and recover from your marathon.
After you have made your donation, just copy and paste the “Organization Information” section from your confirmation into an email to me (make sure the confirmation number is displayed!) You can email me by clicking here for my contact page.
Later this weekend, I will confirm your donation and will tell you where you can sign up for the coaching session and will send you the coaching CD and a copy of my book if appropriate. I’ll try to do that as soon as possible, but please give me a day or two to respond.
I don’t personally get anything from your donation past the good feeling of helping out a friend in need, and John and I both appreciate your good thoughts whether you are able to donate or not.
By the way, John’s always an optimist, and he’s got a pretty humorous look at how Philadelphia has ruined September for him for the past 3 years running and his story on how he discovered he has Leukemia on his blog, if you’d like to read it: http://r2w.us/philadelphia
There’s a link at the bottom of his blog post to his donation page, or you can just go straight to: http://r2w.us/JohnsWalk
Thanks again! I’m looking forward to talking with you on the coaching call.
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