Race Results - Colemans Run, part 2

Got some more results from Coleman's Run:
There were 230 runners who raised over $10,900 for autism research

Donations raised will go to:

• Funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatment and cure for autism.
• Providing support to help families living with autism.
• Raising public awareness about autism.
• Supporting advocacy efforts for both state and federal initiatives.

Today, 1 in 88 children are affected by autism (compared to just 5 years ago when 1 in 150 were diagnosed)! With this increasing rate, the importance of continuing to raise funds has also increased. Every dollar raised means we are one step closer to finding the answers.

Please send donations to:

Autism Speaks
Attn: Autism Speaks U: Liberty
1 East 33^rd Street, 4^th Floor
New York, NY 10016

and here are two pictures of me, coming in 25th.

Race Results - Coleman's Run

      Coleman's Run is an annual fundraiser race in our area. from the website: Coleman’s Run is a benefit 5k event with the intention to increase autism awareness and support local charities. The eponymous Coleman was there, and he ran, and while I did not get to meet him personally, I did meet some nice dogs that also joined in the run.
   I was encouraged by a friend to get involved and as it happens I have a nephew who is autistic. Besides, I don't need much encouragement to run in a race. Unlike some I've participated in, this was not a very competitive race, as its primary purpose is fundraising.Check out the links above, and consider how you might be able to support autism research.
     So on a sunny and breezy Saturday morning I and about 150 other people ran, walked and rode in strollers along a country lane and over some wooden train bridges. I must make a point of going back and walking along that road, so I can appreciate the scenery, which was beautiful from what I glimpsed while panting along. I finished 25th out of the pack, with a time of 25:12. For my first race of the year, and coming off a long cold wet winter, I'm very pleased. As a bonus I won a pair of "compression leg sleeves" which are a new running 'technology' to me. They're patterned with American flags.


     Now, how to apply this to gaming? In many RPG's the profit motive is the most common motivation for adventuring, but what about charities? There are enough examples of real-world charities that adapting them to a game world should not be hard. 

• A player character may have or gain some connection to an NPC who is part of a charity organization, or is afflicted with a malady that the charity is trying to cure. 
• A player character may have a religious Duty or Oath to donate a portion of his earnings to a specific charity. If the PC gets in trouble, the GM can raise the percentage owed to the charity as penance.
• A charity organization may ask the PC group for help:

1. The charity needs protection while it transports its collected goods to the home office.
2. The charity has already been robbed, and asks the PCs to recover the donations
3. The charity needs help in locating a Macguffin that will help advance the charity's cause
4.  Competing charities are causing strife in the community, and the officials ask the PCs to mediate
5. Charity A may suspect Charity B of fraudulent activity and asks the PCs to investigate

• A Charity group may be a front for some other activity - espionage, secret society, revolutionaries. Whatever it is, they will accomplish Big Badness if not stopped. Local citizens or the local officials ask the PCs to find out the truth.
• And of course, there's the possibility of setting up challenges like races, obstacle courses or duels for the PCs to take part in directly as a public spectacle to raise money.

Happy charitable gaming!
    

Back on the Track again

     This past weekend, (my, the days have been busy since the peace & quiet of Saturday morning) I went to the local HS track again to run two miles. My younger son accompanied me this time. He tried to keep up with Daddy but at his age, that wasn't going to happen. However, he did manage to complete four laps around for a total of one mile, in about 15 minutes.  Several times he waited for me at the 'finish line' and ran part of the lap around with me until he couldn't keep up. Now what I'm hoping to do is get my older son up there as well. He's started with a local soccer league, and needs to build his wind up. Plus it will keep me honest with doing my own running. I finished two miles in a little over 17 minutes, and if I want to do any races this fall, I should pick up the pace and get that time down.

Back on (the) Track

  I'm back to running again. For the last few weeks I've been hitting the local high school track once or twice a week to run 2 miles at a pop. During the week, two miles is all I have time for, my mornings are pretty busy getting myself and our two boys up and going in the right direction. 

This morning I really focused on my form: stride, pace, the movement of my arms. It worked, I finished 2 miles in 16:51 today, down from 17 1/2 minutes last week. 

This past weekend, while visiting the in-laws, I had a free morning and some lovely country roads in northern Virginia, so I mapped out at 5 mile out-and-back run, finishing in 46:05. 

I wonder sometimes while I'm running (who am I kidding, it occurs to me every time I run) why I'm doing this. At my age, shouldn't I be ok with slowing down a little?  I know my doctor, and my wife tell me that it's good for my heart, helps lower cholesterol and all those good medical things so I'll still be around to see my grandchildren. The real reason, though, is simpler than that. I run. It's what I do. I would not be happy with myself if I stopped. My mom tells me that at the age of 11 months, I got up on my feet and started running. I haven't really stopped since. Maybe I like the challenge, the difference from my sit-down office job, but mostly I just like to do it. Like reading, I don't always have the time to do as much as I would like, but when I get the chance, I take it. I'm a runner.