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

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

Cost Saving Tips for Your Next Disney Trip.

Cinderella's Castle. Photo by Daryl Mitchell

We have all heard the familiar interview after the Super Bowl.

“You just won the Super Bowl! What are you going to do next?”
“I’m going to Disney World!”

In that moment, a chorus of little voices all across the country shout, “I want to go to Disney World too!” And in that same moment, visions of burning money fill every parent’s mind with dread…

Disney can be expensive.  But if you plan ahead, you can reduce the cost of visiting the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Making the trip around Marathon Weekend is a great start to saving money at Disney. See the tips below for great ideas on how to make Disney World Marathon Weekend with NF Endurance fit within your budget.

MARATHON WEEKEND DEALS:

Let us register for you. Take a charity slot with NF Endurance and raise money to cure neurofibromatosis! We will give you an entry into the 5K, half marathon, full marathon, or Goofy Challenge. Fundraising minimums apply.

Stay at Port Orleans Riverside Resort with the team. NF Endurance has special group pricing for hotel rooms which sleep up to four.

Free Pasta Dinner. Join us for the free team pasta dinner at Planet Hollywood on Saturday afternoon of Marathon Weekend.

Special Fundraising Incentives. Fundraise with a friend to raise $2500 through two half, full or Goofy charity slots and we will pay for two nights in a shared room at Port Orleans Riverside resort! Or, raise $2500 with a family of four using four 5K charity slots and we will pay for a shared hotel room at Port Orleans Riverside resort for two nights.

Specially Priced Park Tickets. Participants have access to specially priced park tickets for themselves and their families after signing up. (Marathoners and Goofy Challengers:  Click here for details on free park admission.)

FOOD:

Port Orleans Riverside Resort. Photo by TF Duesing

Food prices vary by time of year. Food prices at Disney increase by an average of $4 for adults and $2 per child during the summer and holidays. Marathon Weekend is the first weekend prices go back down after the holiday season.

Pack your own food and snacks in your luggage. It takes some planning, but you can also ship a box of food to the resort if you are flying in on an airline that charges excessive bag fees. Disney will hold it for you at your resort free of charge. Breakfast bars, pop tarts, oatmeal, cereal, granola bars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can save a family of four (or someone who eats as much as a family of four) several hundred dollars over the course of a trip. Milk can be purchased at the General Store at the resort and every room contains a mini fridge. Also, there is no rule against bringing food items with you into the parks.

Bring a water bottle. Every park has water fountains where you can fill your bottle. Bring kool-aid single serving packs if your kids or kid at heart want something sugary.

Let them eat fruit! Every park has at least one fruit stand. Apples, pears, bananas, and oranges cost around $1 each.

Order the pasta bowl. The food court at Port Orleans Riverside Resort has a pasta bowl for $10.49. There is easily enough pasta for two adults.

TRANSPORTATION:

Disney Magical Express. Photo by MR Kathika

Fly Southwest Airlines. Southwest flies into Orlando and offers two free checked bags for every ticketed passenger. They are usually cheaper than other airlines, and when you consider bag fees they are almost always cheaper. They are also more family friendly than most other airlines.

Magical and free! If you are flying into Orlando (MCO) and are staying at the team resort, Disney provides free transportation to Port Orleans Riverside on the Disney Magical Express Buses.

Free if by land, free if by sea. All bus, monorail, and boat transportation on Disney property is free! This includes a free ferry from our resort to Downtown Disney and Planet Hollywood where we will have our team pasta dinner.

Questions? Email Trish Hardy (Enable Javascript to see the email address) or Tracy Draper (Enable Javascript to see the email address) for more info. You can also visit http://nfendurance.org/disney to sign up.

For even more ideas on how to save money, visit http://mousesavers.com where many of these cost saving ideas originated.