Moonshot 7

Running is a state of mind. This is a story of a small idea snowballing into a community event for a great cause. I can't thank West Cook YMCA enough for supporting me in this event. A huge thanks to all the supporters who cheered in person and virtually, and donated to Sarah's Inn to help the victims and families impacted by domestic violence. A special thanks to my wife, Amy, who did everything to ensure I had was in the best mental and physical state throughout the event.   Dreadmill Challenge: I signed up to run a 100 miles on a treadmill called the Dreadmill Challenge early in the year. The challenge is to run a 100 miles within 48 hours in the month of December, all on a treadmill. I had almost forgotten about this until the Race Director sent a reminder email a few weeks before December. West Cook YMCA : I visited the West Cook YMCA near my home and asked if they would mind I use one of the treadmills at the Y for a couple of days without interfering in their operat...

An athletic store in my village conducts a fun challenge every November, called GOvember. The residents are encouraged to run or walk every street of the village. Since this will be my first year living here, I thought it would be a fun way to see my neighborhood. It will also give me a chance to get out and train in November when the weather usually turns cold.  On day-1, I almost gave up before starting. It was 16F windchill on November 1st, so when I woke up I decided not to do the GOvember. My running friend, Jung, messaged me that there are various challenges within the GOvember challenge like running the entire length of one of the busiest streets, completing all north/south streets, all east/west streets, etc. I can do any of those or all of them. Though I didn't want any of the fun prizes, I thought it would be a fun challenge.  I ended up running 133 miles. Though the entire village is only 110-ish miles, I had to go back and forth on many streets. And as luck would h...

One day last week, I woke up with a thought that I can run a marathon distance of 26.2 miles on Halloween day and just call it the New York City marathon as it was canceled this year due to COVID-19.  Virtual Finish Line Pic The NYC marathon was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday November 1st 2020. NYC marathon is one of the six world major marathons. The others are Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, Paris and Berlin. A little about New York City marathon: Not everyone who can run or who has a credit card can run the NYC marathon. Since it is a popular international marathon and due to the course size limits, there are a few ways to get to run the NYC marathon: You can qualify if you are a really fast runner, like elite level.  You can run as part of a charity to raise money. The dollar limit has increased over the years. I don't know the latest requirement but it used to be $500 for a charity. I think it is over $3000 or $5000 now. You can get to run if you are part of the New Yo...