SF2NYC for Malaria No More

August Update: Four Weeks, 85 Miles, $800, 80 Nets!

August Stats

August Mileage: 85 miles

Total Mileage to Date: 85 Miles

Total Raised to Date: $800

Total Nets Raised: 80

People Protected From Malaria: 160

First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has made a gift, checked out Malaria No More's website, or joined the SF2NYC Facebook page!  Your support makes this challenge possible, and I can't thank you enough.

This August in NYC has been the hottest on record, but knowing I have the support of so many people has kept me going.  Right now my training plan focuses on increasing distance as I head toward the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21st, and this week I started adding a bit of speed work in.  I'm looking forward to the cooler temps that September will bring, and a bunch of short races that I have coming up in Central Park.

Most importantly, with your help I've raised $800 toward my $5,810 goal.  The 80 long-lasting insecticide treated bednets donated so far will protect at least 160 people from malaria!  Seriously, this is an amazing and a terrific start, and I can't thank you enough.

Starting this Monday I'll be posting a fact about malaria each Monday on FB, and Twitter, and as my training continues I'll be posting more here.  In the meantime, please consider doing one od these things today:

1. Go to Malaria No More to learn more about its great work, and what you can do in the fight against malaria.
2. Become a fan of SF2NYC on Facebook, and ask your friends to follow as well.  This is a easy way to get the word out that everyone can play a part in swatting malaria.
3. Consider sponsoring my marathon and triathlon journey here.  Each gift goes toward the purchase, transport, and distribution of life saving insecticide treated bednets (and education surrounding their use)!

In the meantime, Check out this new video from the Malaria No More Policy Center, demonstrating the incredible successes that the world has seen from the tremendous efforts against malaria so far:

You Don't Have To Be a Super Hero to Fight Malaria

I've dedicated my first attempt at film making to getting the work out about SF2NYC for Malaria No More.  Like I say in the video, you don't need to be a super hero to fight malaria, you just need to take a stand against a deadly, but preventable disease.  Please take a look, and I hope you'll consider supporting me as I cross the country to raise $5,810, that's $100 or ten bed nets for every mile I'll bike, run, and swim.  I look forward to seeing you at either the SF Marathon on 7/31/11 or at the NYC Triathlon on 8/7/11!

How I Learned to get Out of The House When the TV Calls

First off, here is a link to my current training schedule: Download SR Training Plan. As I talk more about below, my short-term goal is to run the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21st, 2010. As you'll see its a 16 week ramp-up, with week one starting on Monday, August 2, 2010. I'm using a great program designed by Runner's World Magazine as part of the Runner's World Marathon Challenge.

For me the most important thing about marathon and triathlon training is to incorporate fun, short-term goals, long-terms goals, and more fun:

• Fun: Let's face it, depending on the weather, and what you have going on in your life, training can be tough. There are times when getting out the door is tougher than others, but what keeps me going is trying to make it fun. This can be getting a new song on iTunes, creating a brand new Debbie Gibson/Bon Jovi mix, or trying out a new place to run. If you aren't having fun with your training, it just isn't worth doing.

• Short-term goals: While my long-term goal is running the San Francisco Marathon on July 31, 2011, and then the NYC Triathlon a week later, that's a long way away, and I need some intermediate goals to keep me going. Some of these goals are short races with the New York Road Runners, but the one I'm most looking forward to is the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21st, 2010. I'll be running with some great friends, and who could pass up the steps that Mr. Rocky Balboa himself trained on?

• Long-term goals: I love thinking big when it comes to running and other races. It keeps me motivated, happy, and striving for the next big thing. And my long-term goals change often, and thats part of the fun. In a couple of years I'd like to complete the Goofy Challenge. That's running the Disney Half Marathon on a Saturday, and then running the Disney full Marathon on Sunday. You have to dream big, right?

• Fun: See above. Its too important not to list twice.

How I Learned to Love the Net

So why am I running, biking, and swimming 58.1 miles to raise money for Malaria No More? I think the short answer is I can't not (is that a double negative?). From 2006-2008 I worked for Malaria No More, and its founding partner, Millennium Promise.  During this time I traveled to Malawi, and then Ethiopia, to visit program sites for Millennium Promise.  To say it was an eye opening experience is an understatement.

While the United States has areas of terrible urban and rural poverty, nothing really compares to what you see in sub-Sahara Africa.  In these countries millions of people live on the equivalent of less than a dollar a day, with little to no health care.  A major factor holding back sub-Sahara Africa from advancing economically is malaria.  250 malaria cases occur annually. 1 Million people die each year. 3,000 children die each day from malaria.  These statistics are as staggering as they are devastating, especially when you consider that malaria can be prevented with a $10 bed net.

I'll be writing about my experiences in Africa, and with Malaria no More, over the next few months, but I wanted get out up front why I'm so passionate about this project.  Below is Malaria No More's most recent stakeholders report that recaps the work being done.  Take a look, and I think you will be impressed.

Malaria No More 2009 Stakeholder Report

I Was A Husky Bar Mitzvah, And Other Secrets About Malaria

I never dreamed I would be a marathoner.

My Bar Mitzvah suit had a prominent label inside the jacket that said HUSKY (and yes, it was all in caps.)

I have found that a Carvel ice cream cake makes a delicious evening meal.

When I eat nachos my two cats cower in fear, afraid of both the muffled devil sounds coming from my pie hole, and the noxious yellow processed cheese smeared across my face, and then on the couch, and then on the floor.

While my better half has hiked hundreds of miles on the Appalachian Trail, sometimes the hike from the couch to my bed feels like a death march.

However, life is always surprising, and I'm slowly inching, with Lipitor in hand, toward my 10th marathon.  I owe this surprising bout of running fever to my most excellent high school cross country coach, a great teacher who instilled in me a love of speed work and distance when I was still a kid.

But what if you never had the chance to be a kid because a disease that can be prevented for $10 killed you before you could walk?  Well, that's what malaria does.  The big M kills one child in Africa every 30 seconds, and it can be prevented with a $10 long lasting insecticide treated net.

So I'm going to run (which I like), and swim and bike (which I both detest) to raise $5,810 for Malaria No More.  That's $100 for each mile I'll run, bike and swim, and 581 nets.

I'll be running the San Francisco Marathon on July 31, 2011, and competing in the NYC Triathlon seven days later on August 7, 2011.  With your help, I'll have the $5,810 in hand before I finish the tri.  On this blog I'll be chronicling my training, including the horror of wearing a wet suit.  And I'll also talk a lot about my fear of sharks, and how I actually believe Jaws is waiting for me in the Hudson River. So let's get the humiliation ball rolling, shall we? Have a gander at a Bar Mitzvah photo.  And yes, I am wearing a pith helmet - the party had a safari theme.  Oh, like yours didn't.