A little about Brad

For those of you who don't know me, I will take this time to share a little about my running past.

I grew up in small town Iowa, in the Amana Colonies area, and loved football, baseball and basketball. Now, I say that I loved them, but I was never really ever good in any of them. I have always been a "bigger" guy. I was a lineman in football, a center in basketball and a catcher in baseball. Your typical places to put the "chubby kid" :)

After graduation I did what every one else does when they go off to college. I watched TV, stayed up too late, and basically didn't do much. I started to discover these wonderful restaurants that served food until 3 am. Who knew? Then there was this thing called alcohol. For some reason I think that it has a component in it that makes you think your hungry even though you just ate 2 hours ago.

I wasn't your typical college freshman. I didn't just put on the "Freshman 15", oh no, I far exceeded that (one of the few things that I passed with flying colors in college). I gained the "College 100". I loved food and hated exercise even more.

After college it didn't get much easier to exercise. It was so easy to eat a box of macaroni & cheese by yourself while watching MTV. I wasn't happy. I was depressed all of the time. Stressed out, primarily because of the way I looked and lacked any sort of motivation to do anything.

In August 2004, my wonderful wife and I went to the Iowa State Fair (the greatest fair in the world) and I ate my normal food when going. Anything and everything on a stick. The final tipping point was on the last day of the fair when I ate 2 of the biggest turkey legs in the entire world. We went back to our apartment and I was ashamed. Ashamed of how much I just ate and ashamed of the way I looked. I had to do something about it.

The next day I went to work, weighed my self and about had another stroke (different story for a different time). I looked at the scale and about started to cry. 292 lbs!!!! What was I doing weighing this much at 24??? That night we went to Barnes & Noble so that I could find a book on weight loss. At first it hurt to give up these huge portions of pizza, fried food, chocolate...............mmmmmm. But I knew that if I just did it, I would feel so much better.

I took out my old shoes, went out with the wifey and made a commitment to get healthy. We lived in Ankeny at the time and lived next to a park that has a 1/2 mile track around it. She had always been a runner and she took off without me. I ran 1/2 a lap around the track (if you can't keep up that is 1/4 mile) and threw up. I was violently ill for about 3 days. I started to think this running thing wasn't for me.

After that though, running seemed to get a little easier. I made the goal to run a 5k the following May. As I kept going, the miles seemed to get a little faster. As I found my "happy pace" I started to add more miles. I ran my first 5k in May of 2005 during the Dam-To-Dam with a good friend Jessica. A couple of months later I ran a 10k. My next goal was to run the full 20k Dam-To-Dam (12.4 miles). I really didn't know what had come over me. It is hard to explain when you start to see the pounds come off and stay off. It was almost euphoric.

Fast forward 4 years since my first race, we are now embarking on this run to benefit these children. I have run 2 marathons, a few 20k's, a few 10k's, a couple of awesome trail runs and countless 5k's. It has been a crazy ride and look to my ultimate goal of running the Western States 100 . Click on the name to find out what this is. Trust me, it is bad.

As we get trained for this run, if you are on the fence, just think about the story you just read. In a little over 3 years I was able to shed almost 80 lbs and run 2 marathons. I was comfortable sitting on the couch, but feel so much better about myself and about life now that I get up every day knowing that I don't have to worry as much about my cholesterol, about diabetes, about blood pressure, about not being able to walk up a flight of stairs. I just encourage you that if you are reading this and concerned or not happy with the way you look or feel, do something about it. Get up and put one foot in front of the other. Not everyone enjoys running as much as I do. Find something active that you enjoy and do it. You won't even believe how your life can change.

In closing, if you have any questions about how I did it, feel free to shoot me an email. I am glad to tell everyone my story. God Bless

Stay Strong, Run Long
Brad

This is the reason why we are doing this

This was taken from the blog of Louis & Amber O'Tool who are just a few of the people that God has placed at The Pines, helping to meet the needs of so many kids that need our help. This is part of the reason why we are doing this to begin with

The Life & Times of Louis & Amber - Bad News/Good News

Normally on the blog I try to get a good mix of lighthearted anecdotes along with stories of the more serious aspects of our ministry. While I hate to throw such heavy reading on you twice in a row, that’s the reality of life here; you never know when you will receive news that can rock your world. Following is a story that may break your heart. I know it does mine.

The Pines capacity is currently 24 children. We had 22 until one of our boys went to live with his father in December. Some quick math will tell you this left us with 3 open spaces. This is not common, as normally we are forced to turn people away. We decided a couple weeks ago that we should pray for God to fill us to capacity while bringing just the right children whom we could serve best.

Warning: Prayer can be a dangerous thing. Within 24 hours, Lois received requests to take in 7 children. There were three children in one family, whose mother and father had both been admitted to the hospital for undisclosed care. Another set of three came from a family in Hani Park. From previous updates you may remember Hani Park as one of the roughest places to live. The mother of these children is in hospice care, meaning her outlook seems grim. The last child was needing care, but we are not sure what the reason was.

After some discussion, we determined we could handle these, as most of them would only be here on a temporary basis. That afternoon the first three arrived. These kids stayed only for a few days, when a relative from another province arrived to care for them while the parents remained hospitalized.

When the day passed without any word on the other children, Lois contacted the social worker to see why the children hadn’t arrived. Social workers here each are assigned to a zone, and then they also work a rotating schedule for “emergency” situations. Lois learned from the social worker that had initially contacted us that it had been determined that the single boy had a place to live, so by providing a food parcel, he would be cared for sufficiently. 

The other three had not come because when the social workers arrived to fetch them, no one was home. Lois queried as to what would be done, as obviously the situation hadn’t just corrected itself. She was told that now another social worker was on the “emergency” list, so word would be passed along. After a couple days and additional calls, it was clear that the case was not proceeding.

Then came one of those days you wish could be forgotten. The Pines received a call from the hospice that was caring for the mother of the three children. They requested that we come help, as tragedy had struck. When Brian & Lois arrived in Hani Park, they learned that the oldest child, a 9 year old girl, had decided that life was no longer worth the struggle. She had committed suicide by laying down on the train tracks. In addition, she had tried to get her 7 year old brother to join her, even to the point of attempting to hold him on the tracks with her. He was able to struggle and escape, but her life was quickly ended.

That day Brian & Lois brought the boy-Ndephewe, along with the 15 month old sister (whose name I can neither spell or pronounce), back to The Pines for care. Thankfully, the mother was in favor of this, and seems grateful for the assistance. The Niehoff’s also assisted with the funeral plans and preparations, as funerals are, or have become, very important to this culture. Ndephewe, as you would imagine, remains traumatized by the event, having witnessed his sister’s suicide, and having narrowly escaped himself. He is willing to talk about what occurred, which seems to be a step in the right direction. We have learned that children can be tremendously resilient, as so many of our kids have seen and experienced more than we can even imagine. He has adjusted to life at The Pines very well. Already he is enrolled in Dunamis, the Christian school our children attend, and appears to be thriving. The kids here do a wonderful job accepting and helping the new kids as they arrive, and he is already assisting in the normal mischief of the boys his age.

The baby arrived malnourished, with sores on her face and body. The sores are already healing and she is showing more strength every day. While she is almost a year and a half old, her development is similar to Drake-our 5 month old. The mothers are doing a great job caring for and nourishing her, and we are confident that God will bless and bring her to full strength quickly.

Last Saturday the funeral for the older sister was held. I attended with several of our older children and one of the mamas, who came along to care for the baby. At first, Ndephewe seemed tentative, even a bit shy. It’s hard to tell whether that was because of the somber event, or because of his return home. After a half hour or so, he warmed up and soon was running and playing with the other children. Oftentimes, funerals become a social event. It seemed as if Ndephewe forgot completely what was going on and just enjoyed being back with the children he knows. Again, tragedy and death have become such a part of the culture that it seems so commonplace. There isn’t a person here that hasn’t experienced the death of a close friend of family member.

As a member of The Pines, and possibly as the only Caucasian, I garnered more than my share of attention. While not on the program to speak, they carved out a few minutes for me to speak. I was not notified of this beforehand, but after spending almost a year here, we’ve learned to be prepared for about anything. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to share the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. I noted that life is full of news, both good and bad. While we were gathered because of bad news, God has given us the best news anyone can ever receive-assurance of eternal life in heaven. Given the impact of death on this culture, it is imperative to make a decision on your eternal destiny today. Regardless of where you live, no one is promised the next breath, let alone another day or year.

As I said, funerals are a social event. The speaking, preaching, and singing went on for several hours, and the crowd continued to grow. Soon it was time to head to the cemetery for the burial. Transportation is at a premium, and we had the biggest vehicle around. I started getting requests for a ride a good hour before we left, and by time I got back to the van, a crowd had gathered and I had to fight my way through to the door. I made sure The Pines children got in first, then there was a free for all. After we got to the cemetery about a mile away, I counted the passengers. In a 12 passenger van 28 adults had packed themselves in, along with the 8 children from The Pines.

After another hour or so of singing and speaking at the gravesite the burial started. I had wanted to get a few photos, but right as the shovels arrived the battery in my camera died. I was quickly handed a shovel and pitched in to help. No one leaves the graveside until its filled. As soon as I started to throw dirt, about 10 people rushed over with their cell phones to get a photo. Apparently it was a novelty for me to be involved in the process. I don’t write this to minimize the tragedy-throughout the whole day I couldn’t forget why we were here, and what circumstances had led us to be burying a child who should have been just starting life. One of the most poignant reminders of life in South Africa came at the gravesite; on one side – a row of empty graves waiting for the next child, on the other – a row of freshly filled graves. And during the entire graveside ceremony there were 4 guys about 50 feet away digging more graves. 

For whatever reason, God blessed me and allowed me to be brought up in a loving home, a home where Christ was preached. I was raised in the richest country the world has ever known. And this girl from the day she was born barely had a chance. Our heart’s cry out to God that we can continue to reach people and restore hope to a society where it is not known. Not just reach people with food, clothing, shelter, and education, but reach them with everlasting hope-the joy of knowing Jesus Christ as a friend and Savior.

I hope this gives you a little insight into the reason why we are looking to punish ourselves over the course of a few months to help these kids

Stay Strong, Run Long

Brad

A little note on recovery

Today's post is going to be about how important it is for recovery when preparing for a run like we are doing.

I knew that Sunday was going to be the only chance during the weekend that I could get a good quality run in so I laced 'em up and took off. Dennis and I went 4 miles before he had to back off. He is kind of fighting an injury that he didn't want to aggrivate, which I really don't blame him. I had some gas left in the tank so I wanted to go a few more. After all was said and done I got in a good quality 9 miles. It was a mixture of hills and some speed stuff on the flat areas of town. I felt pretty good afterward and we headed off to more Easter celebrations. I felt pretty good for the rest of the day and I think the one thing that attributed to my comfort was my post-run "routine".

I have always read a lot about ways to better running performance and efficiency but I think the biggest benefit to be able to run well, and most importantly recover well, is the ice bath. I know that it doesn't sound too appealing, but hear me out. What you do is basically take a bath or shower (baths work better) in the coldest water you can. I am not talking about the coldest water that you can stand, I mean the coldest water you CAN. Some people will sit in a stream or even in tubs filled with ice water. I have found that just soaking in a tub with really cold water works fine. You put just enough water in the tub to go up to your hips when you sit down. You soak there for 10 minutes or so. Don't worry, you go numb after a while and you can't even feel your legs. Guys, this is going to suck the first few times you do it, but it does work.

When a tub of ice or tub of cold water isn't available, I turn the shower on the coldest it will go and just let the water run on my legs for about 5 minutes each. I am not a medical person, but I think that the coldness does something to your blood to wash out the lactic acid buildup that collects in your legs after a long or fast run.

After that, shower off or rinse off with warm water like normal and get something to eat. Protein is very important post-run and you need to eat some good protein and carbs within the first hour. New research has shown that a big glass of chocolate milk has great benefits when recovering from a run. I also like to have a peanut butter sandwich. Your recovery should start within the first hour of your run or bike.

The rest of my day I was pain free and have had no discomfort since. Coming up with a recovery routine is very important. Not only will it help you on the day that you do the run it will also help you stay comfortable days after.

Stay Strong, Run Long,
Brad

Welcome

Welcome to the very first post on the new Run For The Pines website. My name is Brad and I am the "brains" behind this crazy adventure. I will be having my team post their thoughts, training updates and needed information on here from time to time to give you an update about fundraising, training and whatever we are thinking on that particular day.

I will start.

I have been a runner for the better part of 5 years. I have run 2 marathons (completed 1 and was told to stop at Chicago 2007), a bunch of 10-20k's and a number of local 5k's. I got the idea to run this when I was listening to a podcast on an EndurancePlanet.com podcast. It was all about a woman who was running an adventure race, solo, to raise money for cancer. I thought it was a great idea, but never really had made a commitment to a specific charity to run for.

We had just begun a couple of things at Point of Grace in the Fall 2008. We were starting our capital campaign called WhyI and I had just begun another phase of Men's Fraternity called "The Great Adventure." When we were discussing where resources would be spent from our campaign, I had the idea to run a race to raise money for the orphanage The Pines that we were proud supporters of. Needless to say the idea didn't really go anywhere until one of our sessions of MF when we were talking about some of the things that we wanted to do, be, and leave before we die. It really made me think of what I could do for others that would use my love of running, my love of children and be able to pass on a message of hope to others around the world. BANG!!! There came the idea of running across the state of Iowa with a team of great people from POG to be able to raise money for The Pines.

And here we are today. I have assembled an incredible team of people who love God, love these kids, love the church and truly love to run (we are strange people :-) )

I am including the route below for you to take a look at. We are asking you to first consider running a segment of the run with us. During this expedition we would love your support and companionship. We will be asking for donations that will be dependant on the amount of miles you are willing to participate in. All money taken as donations privately and by way of sponsorship will be 100% tax deductible. Keep watching for updates to price for entrance fees.

If running is not your thing, we are going to allow people to join us by walking, biking, rollerblading, skipping, walking on your hands or whatever you choose. The same rates will apply for these "alternate" options.

If the above are not for you and you would still like to make a contribution, please click on the donate button on the side. You will be directed to the Point of Grace website where you will need to "create an account" by simply filling out your name, address, and answer some brief questions. We ask that you create an account so that you will be able to receive your receipt and simplify the process if you wish to make another contribution at a later date.

Also, if you are business owner, know a business or owner or would like to get a particular business owner involved in our cause, we are seeking out sponsorship for our run. All participating sponsors will have their name and logo on our shirts and possibly our support vehicle. As with any fundraising event, the more money donated, the bigger the logo. If you are a business owner and would like to be involved in our cause, please use the email address below to contact us. Myself, or a member of the team will contact you to discuss more in depth details and how we plan to recognize all contributing sponsors.

Thank you so much for your support of our adventure. It is going to be a long process but I think with God watching over us and you standing by us we will be able to save so many lives.

If you have any questions or comments, please take the time to email us at runforthepines@gmail.com

Thank you so much. God Bless.
Brad