The Madison Half

I did better than I thought I would. When the folks at Orange Shoe convinced me to participate in the half marathon, I was skeptical that I would be able to do very well. The last time that I ran any significant distance was in 2001 when I ran the Chicago Marathon. But I thought it would be a great prep for triathlon training. And I find it hard to say no to the good people at Orange Shoe Gym who have helped me get ready for my upcoming race.

So, I put in my time, running the escalating weekly get togethers. I found myself sticking to a very comfortable pace of 10 minute miles. As the race day approached, my competitive spirit kicked in and I started setting a goal for myself to shave off 10 minutes of time so as to finish in under 2 hours. Race day, the adrenaline kicked in with all of the people there, and I found myself pushing faster and harder to slice off those precious ten minutes. When I handed in my chip and awaited my time, I was shocked to see that I came in at 1 hour and 52 minutes - smashing my goal time by 8 minutes and my expected time by nearly 20 minutes!

It got me thinking of a few things. The first is that it is easy to think of ourselves as one thing, to expect something from ourselves when we are complacent. I was happy to be a 10 minute miler. I was happy just to get out there and represent for Orange Shoe. And perhaps, on a daily basis, it is easier or better just to put our heads down and plod through, especially when nobody expects anything more from us. But there is more in us than sometimes we even know. The second thing is how the collective spirit of those around us can affect us or inspire us to be more, to push harder, to run faster, to dig deeper. Even though I was running alone, I was in effect connected to all of those other runners. Perhaps I needed them to be an 8.5 minute miler. And perhaps they needed me to do the same.

But just like the collective spirit of others can be inspiring, sometimes the collective presence of others can be destructive. I am talking about the affect that bullying has on kids at school. As an adult, I can view my competition and those jockeying to get in front of me as an impetus to be more, to be someone that I didn't know that I could be. But for kids, it's tougher. Bullying makes kids think they can only be the names that they are called, they can never be more than who they are, and eventually even less than what they think they can be.

That's why I am running this triathlon and raising money for GLSEN. I want to make sure that the only collective voice kids hear at school is a positive one. And you can help me. Clicking here or on the link in the sidebar will help make you part of the collective spirit that allows GLSEN to make schools a safe place for kids to learn and grow.

The Mission

I'm doing my first ever Olympic distance triathlon this summer. It is by far the greatest physical challenge I have ever attempted - a 3/4 mile swim, a 25 mile bike, and a 10K run. Especially considering that all of my life I've never considered myself to be much of an athlete.

So, why the blog? It's because it's not about the race. I need your help. Recently, a young man I've never met decided to take his own life. One of the major factors in his decision to commit suicide was the relentless and sometimes daily bullying he suffered at school. Among other things, this young man endured constant taunts directed at his sexual orientation. The boy was 11. He was a good student, was involved in extracurricular activities like football, had friends and a supportive family. And yet he came to believe that anything, anything would be better than another day of bullying. anything. even death. That's what bullying can do. It can make kids forget all of the positive things in their lives because all of the negative things they hear slowly take away their own positive self image. And this young man isn't alone. More than two thirds of middle school students reported being assaulted or harrassed at school in the previous year. Only 41% of students said they felt very safe in school. I was once a bullied kid.

That's why I'm teaming up with GLSEN, a national organization dedicated to eradicating bullying in schools. They believe, like I do, that school should be a safe place for kids to learn, explore, and grow. And whether a kid is gay or straight, expresses gender in a different way than everyone is used to, or hasn't even given stuff like sexual orientation a second thought, that kid should never have to endure bullying about it.

So, I'm raising money to help GLSEN achieve their goal. I'm committed to running an Olympic distance triathlon by the end of the summer with a couple of baby steps along the way. I need you to donate to my fundraising page through GLSEN's main website page by clicking here. Any amount helps. And if you don't feel comfortable donating on line, feel free to mail a check into GLSEN at the address listed on their webpage www.glsen.org. Just make sure that you list that it's for my triathlon challenge. And feel free to return to this blog for regular updates on my progress - words and pictures as I take this challenge head on.

I had the opportunity to grow up to be all of the things that I ever dreamed I could be. And all of the things that I never thought I could - like being an athlete. Help me help GLSEN make that a reality for another generation of kids.


Donate now.