Week 4 Recap

Things are going well overall towards my goal of running the NYC marathon and raising at least $6,000.  4 weeks in and the bar keeps climbing - but I want to make it to the TOP!

RUNNING:
My knee which had been bothering me for the last couple of months is feeling great - yeah I'll say great.  Is there still a little something?  Sure.  But after some of my tougher runs this week my knee is not the part slowing me down.  My lack of conditioning is.

So I managed to get out for 3 runs this week, hopefully I can get it up to 4 runs a week soon, and I had a cross training day where I played ultimate frisbee.  For the first two runs of the week I ran about 5 miles each time.  The first run was in the rain, and I got soaked.  I ran 1/4 mile intervals as fast as I could with a 1/4 mile rest in between.  The next run was a "Tempo" run where I tried to run hard but steady for 3 miles.  I'm working on trying to get some of my speed back.  My weekend long run I wanted to get 90 minutes of running in, which I did, but I was hoping for 10 miles and I came up short at 8 miles.  It was so hot, I just couldn't must up the speed.  Gotta keep working at it.

125 days till the marathon!!

FUNDRAISING:
Another great week!  I made it up over the $1,000 mark with some very generous support form everyone.  In fact, I'm currently 48th in fundraising for Team DetermiNation for the NYC marathon thanks to you all!

As I've said before, this is the first time I've ever run for a charity and might be my only time.  So I really want to make as big a difference as possible!

I mentioned that I played ultimate this weekend, one of the other players there was a woman I hadn't seen for a while.  She was another endurance athlete, in fact I think she's done triathlons, possibly a half iron-man or more! She hadn't played for a while thou so I hadn't seen her.  I figured she was training or just busy.  Turns out she was getting treatment for breast cancer!  In her 30s!!  She told me she found the lump herself, so thanks to the ACS and other organizations to promote awareness.

One of the donations I got this week was from a friend who lost their father at a very young age, as well as one of her uncles.  It makes me sad to think of all the people who are affected by this disease.  Two years ago, I wouldn't have felt the same was as I do today.  I'm embarrassed by that, but I suppose it's part of human nature.  Today, after seeing what Brenda went through and hearing more stories from people...yeah cancer has to be stopped.

It reminded me again of why I chose to support the American Cancer Society, for all the good things they do for not just breast cancer but for all types of cancer.  Click on the link below to donate and (as the ACS says) help bring more birthdays to everyone! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Week 3 Recap

 
RUNNING:

The week of 6/17 to 6/22 didn't involve a lot of running, unless you count my nose.  I had a very annoying cold and it seemed to sap the last bits of energy I had left after work and family responsibilities.

So I didn't run for almost the entire week.  I did however keep up with my PT exercises and stretching so my knee is really feeling pretty good now.

Over the weekend the family took a little mini-vacation to a friends lake house where I was really able to catch up on some sleep and relax with the family.  So when I came back on Sunday I went out for a run and wanted to see how fast I could go.  Not surprisingly, it wasn't very fast :-)  But it's a work in progress.

FUNDRAISING:

Last week I got a very generous donation which REALLY helped a lot keep me on pace to make my goal by November.  I updated my fundraising graph, slowly but surely we are getting there. 

SUMMARY:

Overall it was a good week to relax and recover, and with luck this week I'll be able to hit it harder and put in some good training.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Sidelined by a runny nose

Hard to say what's the toughest part of training for a marathon - but I can tell you for sure what's ONE of the toughest things:

STAYING HEALTHY 

for the last few days I've bad a head cold, really just a running nose and slight cough. But it's been enough to sideline me for most of this week.  After work, and taking care of the kids and house it's just left me exhausted. 

And while I could push through it, with t

the rainy weather we've had I'm afraid this slight cold would get worse and then I'd REALLY be sick. 

So while my nose has been running, I have not. 

I have however felt good about keeping up with my physical therapy exercises for my left knee. This little extra rest may be good for my recovery as well. But I do want to get back to running soon. 

It still seems weird to me though that I was able to run outside during the polar vortex of the Midwest in -20 degree temps and not get sick, but now when it's nice I get a cold. A friend told me it was bedside the cold germs couldn't survive in the freezing temps. I guess that's how tough runners are :-)

The link to my donation page is below. 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Week 2 recap - A 3K race!!

This past week saw some great running from the Kogan family.  It wasn't just me this week, the entire family got in on the fun with a local neighborhood race.

The race was 3K, which is just shy of 2 miles.  The course was just blocks from our house at the local school and was organized to raise money for the neighborhood Private and Public schools, in memory of the Principal that had passed away from cancer earlier in the year.  It was bitter sweet, because on the one hand I was sad to think about the loss of such a great leader in our community, but I was also really excited after the race for how well it went.

I'd been feeling a bit down lately as my wonky runners knee was keeping me from really racing, but that day I'd been feeling good.  So I decided I was gonna try and win!  Well that didn't happen, but I think I came in a very strong 4th place - actually a tie for 4th.

1st place was a 23 year old at 11:50.8 - well if I was 18 years younger...
2nd place was a 44 year old at 12:17.7 - I tip my cap to you sir!
3rd place was the 12 year old older brother of one of my sons friends at 12:42.7...keep running kid - you have some skillz

Towards the finish line,  with about 200 meters to go, I saw a 15 year old kid that I had been trailing maybe 10 feet in front of me.  So I screamed out to him "KID IN FRONT OF ME, I'M COMING UP BEHIND YOU!" and we both took off.  I ran as fast and as hard as I could.  He sped up, I sped up, and it was a battle!  After crossing the finish line I shook his hand, told him "good race," and he probably thought I was nuts.  Turns out we tied!  13 minutes, 7 seconds, and 4/10ths of a second each!  Like I said, I feel pretty stoked about my run.

I also feel really excited about the great photos that were taken, not just of the battle at the finish, but of my two boys who also ran.  The did one lap, so 1.5K - that's a personal best for both of them and they did great!

They both look like they've got some solid form, but my youngest (wearing #330) just seems to be floating!  He's so light on his feet at times.  I think he's gonna be the faster of the two soon, and if I don't keep up with my running he's gonna be able to outrun me sooner rather than later! 

My wife, Brenda, also ran one loop.  Another confirmation that it's not REALLY her thing...but I love that she took part in the day. 

In addition to feeling good about my running that day, I felt really good knowing that I'm raising money to fight the terrible disease that took the life of the Principal.

Speaking of which, as of today I'm at 9% of my goal to at least $6,000 - and I'd like to give some shout outs to those who donated this past week.  To my good friend Andrea (who is one of the most EPIC people I know and totally agrees with me that we should F*CK cancer) and to my very good friends Wes and Kim who I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting from a random game of Ultimate Frisbee over 10 years ago and the honor of being in their bridal party.  Your contributions to my fundraising campaign mean a lot to me, but your friendships both during Brenda's battle last year and always means more.

So THANKS!

A few other quick tid bits to round up last week:

- I went to my first American Cancer Society Team DetermiNATION meeting of the local Chicago chapter.  I get all these emails from the NYC chapter, but I can't take part in those events.  So I found the local chapter to hang out with.  I got some great information, which I plan to share over the next few weeks.

- I ran about 11 miles total last week.  Not a huge amount for me, but it's a good start.  Official training doesn't start for another couple of weeks, so I'm easing back into it.  The good news is I've been really trying hard to keep up with my Physical Therapy exercises and I think it's helping me get over my runners knee.  Fingers crossed!!  

- In addition to running I've been doing the 30 day Abs Challenge with Brenda.  It's tough.  Situps, crunches, leg raises, and planks.  I think we are up to day 12 now. 

Now...if you'd like to help join the fight, and you are able to, PLEASE click below to donate as I continue my training and fundraising for the NEW YORK CITY MARATHON this November! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

A year and 1,100 miles later

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year today since Brenda's last chemo.  I take that as a good thing though. I think it means life is back to normal - normal in the sense there's so much going on we forgot yet another thing :-) 

In fact if my sister in law hadn't posted something on Facebook I wouldn't have even realized it had been a year. 

I can remember the crap from December 2012 through the first 7 months of 2013, and the month or two that followed her last chemo.  But I guess like her hair, slowly but surely, things got better. 

Then one day, sometime late 2013 I started running again.  A lot. In fact these last 12 months I've run over 1,100 miles. More than I've ever done in a 12 month stretch. I ran through the polar vortex. I've run 2 full marathons and 4 half marathons. 

I've had to take a break the last couple months due to some runners knee, but I am getting back at it now with some physical therapy and strength exercises. I've got the New York City marathon in November ahead of me. 

And as you know I'm raising money for the American Cancer Society. 

Why?  Because the war on cancer is bit over. 

Quick story. About 18 months ago when Brenda was first diagnosed with breast cancer I told a work associate, Bob, and he was always so nice and would ask how Brenda was doing. I hadn't seen Bob for about 6 months, but today I was going to. I was excited to tell him about the anniversary when he hit me with the news his wife has Stage 3 uterine cancer. She has already had surgery but will now be going through chemo. 

We talked for a bit, I shared a few tips that might help, told him to call me anytime. It brought back to the surface some of the memories that had started to sink into my subconscious. 

I truly hope things work out well for Bob's wife. I'll be keeping them in my thoughts as I train for NYC. It also makes me proud to be part of team DetermiNation, working towards an end to this terrible disease. 

If you are able, please make a donation to my campaign, so together maybe someday NOBODY will have to deal with cancer. 

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/DetermiNation/DNFY11National?px=36402506&pg=personal&fr_id=62209

First Week Recap

I'm off to a good start for the NYC marathon. 

My knee is feeling good, I ran about 19 miles last week including 13.1 for my 12th half marathon even on the south side of Chicago.  My time was not the fastest, but the fact that I could run the whole time made me feel good.  I've got to keep up with my PT exercises and stay healthy!

My fundraising is off to a good start as well.  Thanks to some generous donations from some really great friends and family this week including:  My sister Jill and her husband Michael, my Cousins Barry and Cheryl, Mike and Erin, and friends Neil and Paul - thank you all for your generous contributions.  I really, REALLY appreciate it.

I've attached a quick graph of my progress, I thought it might be fun to see how I'm doing towards my goal of raising at least $6,000 for the American Cancer Society. 

Tonight is a local meeting of the ACS's Team DetermiNation runners - I going to try and make it.  I'm sure there will be a lot inspiring and fun people.

146 days until the marathon! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Rain run - feeling the pressure

So today was my first day of running 2 days in a row in two months. But it's national running day, and I felt the added pressure to run a bit today. I've been rehabbing a sore knee from the Thousand miles I've run the last 12 months - so it was time to push a little and I felt good. It even rained a little, and I like a drizzle rain run now and then even if it makes it harder to see with my glasses.

More of what I wanted to talk about was about the fund raising aspect of the NYC marathon. 

The running I think I've got under control. I've done 3 marathons now, so I think I know what's in store for my physical training. 

Maybe that's the problem. I know what the long months ahead will bring. And now that I have friend and family who are putting up the cash to allow me to gain an entry into the marathon - it's just upped the ante. 

One of the toughest parts of the marathon training is to stay injury free. Which means I have to stretch and strengthen and cross train. All the things I'd like to do, but somehow never make time for. 

Well I better make time for then now. Because in 151 days from today I WILL be running the NYC MARATHON!  

Having my friends and family support me does add a bit of pressure to make sure I stay injury free, but at the same time it gives me more motivation to make sure I stay healthy. It kind of makes me feel like we are all on a team now. 

So please if you can make a donation to my page. I can always use extra teammates!  

You can try this link to get to my fundraising page: 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

IT STARTS TODAY!

It starts today.

My training for the 2014 NYC marathon.

But not just that, I'm also going to try and raise $6,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society in support of not just what my wife went through last year battling breast cancer, but for everyone else out there still fighting it.

I plan blogging away these next 5 months, letting you all know how my journey is going.  I really REALLY want to get a time under 4 hours for the marathon.  So this training will be a struggle for me.  Physically I'm still dealing with some runners knee.  I'm heading into a busy time of work, and also training in the summer heat can be a real pain.  However, none of those things compare for what it was like to see Brenda, or anyone, have to deal with cancer.  So you won't hear me complaining and I'm going to use that as my inspiration to take a bite out of the big apple.

So won't you join me?  Obviously I'm looking for your dollars here, but more than that I'd be honored if you would take the time every so often to check on my progress, if your local maybe go for a run with me.  Anything and everything would be most appreciated.

I hope to have lots of fun raising money, and I've even got a few goofy ideas in mind over the coming months.  It'll be like a telethon, sorta.  Except it's a MARATHON!  Get it :-)

So come on!  Together I think we can do something really great!

Please help.

Thanks so much,
Ben

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