It's more than just running

It seems like it's always non stop with everything that's going on. From work, to
training to play and relax time. March Madness is officially here, maybe that's why
it feels so hectic right now. But it's really not.
This past weekend I was invited to the Detroit Lakes sector Patriot Guard
meet & greet held at the Legion club there. Much like last year, it was another
nice turnout with members from all over the state, including a PG board member
from Minneapolis. My friend Karla who is a ride captain for this area's PGR
(Patriot Guard Riders) invited me down to the event and a couple days prior to
the meet and greet asked if I would speak about my running. I gladly accepted
of course. Any promotion of my friend Corey and all of the fallen will be accepted
as long as it works with my schedule.
I'm not sure how long the actual talk was, it always seems like I'm up there for a lot
longer than it really is. I'd think it was maybe ten minutes. I brought my uniform I
wore the previous year for running so I could show those in attendance what
thousands of spectators and other runners see at all of the events we're part of.
Looking out in the crowd of people, some eating, others finished and just listening,
I could see that all were very attentive as to what I was saying.
When it comes to speaking to a group, I feel more comfortable talking to 100 or
more, honestly. That way, you can pick out the ones who are truly engaged into
the talk and really want to hear what you're saying. I've done one talk where
there was maybe ten people and you see one guy yawning, another not ever
looking at you. You start to wonder why you're even there. But I knew these
individuals would be into it. They honor and respect our fallen, the troops currently
serving and of course the families of those who have.
Following the talk, I had the chance to meet and greet some of these members.
Some I already knew and others I met for the first time. Anywhere from Detroit
Lakes to Brainerd, Hibbing and Minneapolis. One had shaken my hand and
told me "You almost made me cry man, and that takes a lot for this guy..."
You know you've made an impact just by hearing one person say that.
As for training, it's still going great. Learning some new things on the way too with
the help of a couple of trainers. Any advice is good advice, especially when you're
learning and using it to your advantage.
In the next blog, I will be mentioning a letter I recently received from another runner
in regards to teaming up to honor our fallen soldiers. It will fit in great with this month,
as we sprint into March Madness!! People think I'm crazy, so we might as well
spread this craziness/madness on to other people, right?? This will be at a future
run, after the Fargo Marathon, that I was recently selected to be part of.
Adding to that, prior to the Fargo Marathon events in mid-May, we'll be coming to
the west side of the city...to West Fargo to take part in a 5K event on April 30th
put on by the WFHS Student Council where funds will go to benefit Hope, Inc. &
the Zach Gabbard family of Perham, MN. Zach was the basketball player that
collapsed during a basketball game held in Glyndon, MN at D-G-F high school.
He's currently on a long road to recovery at the hospital at the UofM in Minneapolis.
Right after that, we'll be heading right to Eagan, MN for a Tribute to the Troops 5K
event to honor our fallen soldiers on Sunday May 1st.
It's going to be a fun 2011 and we hope you're able to be part of it in some way!

For full details on our run schedule, log on to www.philcosfreedomteam.net