Bob Reflects on Running 50 Marathons

Completing 50 marathons was a goal I set three years ago. I thought this kind of commitment and effort would demonstrate my strong desire to raise money for treatments and a cure for NF. I wanted “to be the change I wish to see in the world.” I have been raising money as a member of the NF Endurance team since 2000. (This was back when we were wearing green running singlets instead of the sporty, sleek, neon yellow ones we have now.) I needed to raise the bar higher to keep my donors attention and interest. I took a cue from Shakespeare, who wrote:

Then marvel not, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax;
Since things in motion sooner catch the eye
Than what not stirs

I decided that I would set a goal of running 50 marathons and raising $50,000 to catch the eye of my donors. I do RUNFOR A REASON. Go to: www.504NF.com (smile here) and you will see several of my reasons.

For every marathon, I paced myself, finished strong, and never forgot that it’s not the speed but the purpose of the journey. This really kept me motivated and helped me to avoid a running injury. I also want to say that for every single marathon I picked up the pace at mile 20 or 22 , felt the warmth of God’s smile, experienced an almost overwhelming sense of freedom and joy, and an intense emotion of feeling alive. I thought I was the happiest person in the world! Yet there were some times during the run when the lives of my NF heroes came to mind. I thought of their struggles and pain living with NF, and I literally cried. If someone asked me my finish time, I would have to say, ”Well, it could have been better, but I stopped a few times to shed some tears.”

Having now achieved my goal, I will candidly say that I’m elated, or let’s say relieved and grateful for the gift of running and the gift of my health. I also find myself thinking, “What’s next?” I certainly want to keep running until a cure is found, and after that will want to raise money to make NF treatments affordable. The answer? My running never ends!

Well, marathon 51 was last weekend at the Surf City Marathon so only 49 to go for 100. Woo Hoo!

Bob Skold
Team Development

Weekend Pacesetter (11/5/2010-11/7/2010)

Women's 1/2 Zip Essential Pullover

NEW BROOKS GEAR PLUS FREE SHIPPING ($50+)

Molly has been working hard this week to get new gear into the team store. The additions include a Brooks Women’s 1/2 Zip Essential Pullover, Brooks Men’s 1/2 Zip Infiniti Pullover, Brooks Spartan Pants, and an “It’s in you. It’s possible” long-sleeve shirt. Also, just in time for the holiday shopping season, the store is now offering FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS ABOVE $50!!!

DID YOU KNOW: Our prices for Brooks products are comparable to the price you would pay at most stores. The only difference is our products have the NF Endurance logo and all profits from our store fund research to cure NF.

Visit http://nfendurance.org/store to check the new products out!

A RACE ALREADY RUN…

Is worth two not run yet. Or something along those lines… As most of you know, this weekend is the NYC Marathon! The NYC Marathon is one of our team’s biggest fundraising successes every year. This year we have over 60 runners racing with us who have already raised over $140,000! That’s quite the achievement! We also have 14 runners doing the Amish Bird in Hand Half Marathon in Lancaster, PA on Saturday. Bruce Rickert was unable to run the Philly RnR Half Marathon in September due to an injury. He challenged his fellow teammates to join him for the Bird in Hand once he had healed. For every runner who signed up with NF Endurance for the race, Bruce is donating $200. Thank you Bruce for your commitment to the team!

World Run Day Logo

WORLD RUN DAY: NOVEMBER 7, 2011

It’s that time of year again! World Run Day is a running event held for over ten years to celebrate the sport and charitable giving. And, another excuse to wear your NF singlet on the course. If you are not already running a race this weekend, find a group celebrating near you by clicking here.

Don’t Forget Your Fans

I write a lot of notes to all of you. This one is actually a shout out to your friends and family. Those who show up at your half marathons or marathons to support you. They cheer you on and congratulate you when you accomplish this life-changing event for which you have been training so long. They wear the neon T-shirts so you can find them, and they help us spread awareness about NF. They bundle up, find a good spot on the course and wait for quite literally hours for you to run or walk by.

I can also attest to the fact that they are, for the most part, just a little unfaithful to you too. I have caught them at almost every race cheering and encouraging thousands of runners who are ahead of you. They shout words of encouragement, ring bells and clap for hours. They even lie by telling these runners they look good, or that they’re almost done. They even cheer for those guys wearing the purple TNT shirts! Can you believe it? You should know this! Your friends and family are actually out there for hours before you get there, and probably cheering for all those people who are ahead of you. People who are going to beat you to the finish. The nerve! I hope that you will forgive them for this, but I thought that it’s my duty as your coach and director of this team to let you know what your friends and family are doing behind your back.

Honestly, I cannot say enough about the army of volunteers that I see nearly every week out there helping us spread the word about NF. Your friends and family are one amazing group of people. We all owe them so much. If you have never stood and watched a marathon waiting for a special someone, you should. It’s hard! I mean really hard. Your feet will hurt. Your hands will hurt. Your back will start to ache. You’ll get cold. Your kids will get cranky. I’m not downplaying the effort you’re putting forth. I know it’s probably the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but please know that your support crew is out there giving up their day to stand in the cold, or rain, or snow, or sometimes when we’re really lucky, sunshine, for you.

Thank them! I can’t tell you how many times I stand with families waiting for one of our teammates to come by so they can holler at the top of their lungs, jump up and down in congratulation, only to see their runner nod at them or quickly wave at them. Or, the runner throws a piece of sweaty clothing at them and then goes on plugging away towards that finish line.

Folks, I’ve got some news for you. You are probably not going to win the event. If you think you have a chance, by all means pass your family by without looking back. Don’t wave, don’t high five them, and don’t even say, “hi.” But for the rest of you, (I’d say the other 99.99% of you) take some time to acknowledge those waiting for you. High five them, stop for a picture, and give ‘em a big old sweaty hug. (Little sisters especially enjoy that big old sweaty hug.) I know you can’t stay long. You shouldn’t. BUT, take a few seconds to acknowledge those heroes who are there for you.

And another thing… You’ve trained a long time for that event. You’ve gotten up when you didn’t want to. You’ve done the long runs in the rain. You’ve done your part to get yourself to a point where you can accomplish something you probably thought you’d never do. ENJOY IT! Don’t fall into the mentality that this is the final exam. Think of it as more of the celebration after the exam is done. Relax, find your happy place and enjoy yourself.

I’ll see you on the course.

Steve