Lot's of stuff...

There's so much going on, I haven't posted in too long, and I'm still very busy... so, I'm gonna give a real quick, bare-bones sort of update... I'll post some 'real' updates early next week once things slow down/I catch up...

• Seattle (and really most of Washington) got hit with a BIG storm on Wednesday 12/17... the roads (along with EVERYTHING else) have been a mess up and were up until Saturday 12/27.
• Saturday 12/20 was Pigtail's Flat Ass 50K - I made it down there, finished in 5:11:10, and was greeted at the finish by my wife and friends, Steve & Johanna, it was a very nice surprise!
• Sunday's Tiger Dumb Ass 50K was canceled due to the weather :-(
• As a make up race, I registered for the Christmas Marathon that was to happen on 12/28... it too ended up getting canceled, something which I found out last minute, second hand (as opposed to being contacted by anyone associated with the race)... there may be a chance that the registration fee can be transferred to the Valentine Marathon on 2/7 which would still fit into the 12 week window, but all that remains to be seen at this point...
  
• There's a plan to do a make up run this Friday (1/2) of the Tiger Dumb Ass, though it will be an unofficial race in the Marathon Maniacs eyes, it will still satisfy THIS '13 in 12' plan ensuring that those who have donated get their monies worth...
• Finally, and most importantly, as of today, we're up to $2940.42!!! Please continue to forward this site address on to your friends and family so that the dollar total will continue to rise!

A few quick pics from Pigtail's Flat Ass...

(Coming in for the finish - and the hot soup!)

(#5 of 13 - displaying the finishers medal!)(At the finish with (from left to right) My wife, Steve, and Johanna)

Birch Bay Ghost Marathon

If you're looking for the full, (kinda) in depth race report shot on over to my other blog and read all about it... if you're looking for a real quick status update, you're in the right spot...

Saturday was race #4 of the 13 race schedule, once again everything went off with out a hitch. It was a well directed race and I was pleased with my second fastest marathon time, 3:40:23 to be precise.

(Post Birch Bay Ghost, all bundled up)

Fund raising also continues to go well, as we have now officially broke the $2000 mark. As much as I hate to sound like a broken record (do people even get that analogy anymore?), let me encourage you to forward on this blog address to your friends and family, the more people who know what we're doing the more cash we can raise!

Next weekend is what I consider to be the hardest of the races on the schedule, the Tiger Dumb Ass. The race has a reputation of being extremely difficult already, that coupled with the fact that I have the Pigtails Flat Ass 50K the day before sorta has me shaking in my trail shoes. At this point I've yet to convince anyone else to run both back to back which sort of tells me something. Never-the-less, I'll be out there, both days, proving just what a dumb ass I am.

Assuming I make it back from Tiger Mountain, I'll post another update come next Monday.

Thanks!

One month in...

...and I feel like I haven't even started :-)

A month ago yesterday I put the first post on this blog. In that time I've run 3 of the 13 marathons (or beyond) but, big deal, that's old news... what really is a big deal is that in this first month $1874.24 have been raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! How awesome is that?!? I know others still plan on donating and I'm sure with your help, spreading the word to friends and family be it through word-of-moth, the web, or otherwise, we can continue to bring in the dough for a worthy cause!

And, while speaking of worthy causes, let me point you in another direction for just a moment...
Over at this address, http://blogmadcity.blogspot.com/2008/12/im-in.html, you can read about a triathlete in training encouraging everyone to get signed up to the National Bone Marrow Registry. The NBMR is essential in helping fight Leukemia along with a plethora or other diseases. If you're not yet registered, I encourage you to do so, it could give you the opportunity to save a person's life some day!

While you do that, I'll start carb loading for Saturday! I'll be sure to post a race report, photos, and fundraising update early next week!

Quick update

As of yesterday $1386.00 have been raised for the LLS, and while, if you look to the right of the page, you'll see that we're nearing the top of the $2K thermometer, it should be noted that there is no set financial goal. I promise you that the thermometer will be adjusted to a higher dollar amount as the money continues to come in. In other words, thank you and keep it coming (tell your friends and family)!

I'm now a little less than 4 days away from the Birch Bay Ghost Marathon and am more than ready to the point that I am feeling a little sad that there's no 50K option and/or no race the next day. Funny, it would seem the more I run/race the more eager I am to (perhaps the double the weekend after will curb those feeling ;-).

Finally, it seems there will be yet another adjustment to the race schedule, it now sounds as though the Yours Truly 50K (Cedar River edition) will happen after all, but that the Lord Hill 50K will not, of course with the First Call to Run 50K now on the schedule, that still keeps me at 13, so while there have been changes, there are no real changes.

U Week

For those of you who don't know me personally, I have a real life too (I now, it's hard to believe ;-), and in that real life I have a real job at the Applied Physic Lab of the University of Washington. Recently, going off a suggestion from a friend (and '13 in 12' financial contributor!), I contacted the UW's weekly online publication U Week about possibly running a story to generate some more donations, they were quick to reply and the result is a nice little piece in the most recent edition... here's the link to the story...

Run, Nic, run! Staffer raising money with 13 marathons in 12 weeks

By Peter Kelley University Week

...already the story has generated interest and, best of all, donations! As of today, 12/5 we're up to $968!

A few things...

First off I want to put out a big thank you to those of you who have already donated, at this point $828 has been raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and there's still 2 full months to go! Please remember to forward this along to friends and family as well, the more folks who see this the more cash we can raise!

Second, I want to bring up one small, edit to the plan. If you glance at the race list on the left you might notice it's now 14 races long, added into the mix is the "First Call to Run Marathon (or 50K)" on January 1st, I've signed up for this race for fear that one of the 3 final races listed may not happen this year (specifically the Yours Truly 50K). Rest assured, one way or another 13 races will get run in 12 weeks ;-)

Finally, I've posted a long winded account of how this past weekend went, if you'd like to read the details click here.

More to come soon! Thanks for your interest!

The first 3

(Wishbone Run / 27.4 Miles / 4:29:45)

(Ghost of Seattle / 50K / 4:57:30 *new PR!*)

(Seattle Marathon / 26.2 Miles / 4:02:43)

I'll give a full update soon, but for now, rest assured, I finished the first 3 and am only feeling slightly worse for wear!

The Start

After 3 years of raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via the Big Climb for Leukemia I've decided to attempt fundraising for them on my own. This idea came to me when a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Leukemia, prior to then I had raised money for the LLS simply because it seemed like that's what you do when involved in an event for charity, but now I see it as personal.

The 13 races in 12 weeks idea was a thought I started batting around in early August of this year. Initially I was interested for 3 reasons, it sounded fun, it sounded difficult, and it would elevate me to Palladium Level in the Marathon Maniacs (silly, I know). As the plan hashed itself out further I recognized it as a potential opportunity to raise money for a good cause and so this begins...

For those unfamiliar, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a national voluntary health agency dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and to improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The LLS supports the following major programs: research, patient services, public and professional education, advocacy and community services.

Leukemia, a cancer of the body’s blood-forming organs, is the leading disease killer of children; yet for every child diagnosed, ten adults face this disease. Thanks to research supported by contributions to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, survival rates in both adult and childhood leukemia have dramatically improved.

Please consider supporting me as I log mile after mile in an effort to fight blood cancers. I will continue to fundraise from now until the 1st of February.

To donate, please see the Paypal "Donate" button on the right column of this blog.

$20 < $.06 cents per mile
$50 < $.13 cents per mile
$100 < $.26 cents per mile
-OR-
...for donations of $388 ($1 per mile) or more I'll do ridiculous things (terms to be discussed via email)... want me to wear a funny hat? Go shirtless in January? Something else even wackier? Email me at nicplemel@yahoo.com and we'll work something out...

I'll keep this blog updated by posting photos, race reports, and fundraising status updates. in the mean time, I have less than 3 weeks 'til my first triple (3 in 3 days), perhaps I should practice being sore now ;-)

Thank You!