Can We Do More? Thank You to all my Friends

"We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Can We Do More?

I do not think people truly understand that we have freedom. We are a culture that can do almost anything and go almost anywhere, yet many fear what is beyond the walls! As someone who has taken care of his children, graduated from college, and now attending grad school, I know we can do more! Everyday I hear someone say, "Oh the economy is the problem...I can't do anything because of the economy!" To you I say that is an excuse. It is an excuse not to have to do anything about the problem at hand. Running/walking is the same thing. It is an investment in yourself.

Heck I am poorer that most, I have opted in the last 4 years to give my life for the cause of saving the lives of children. The battles my own children fought enlightened me to change the world. I have learned to live a simple life and not needing the next biggest and best thing. The best thing for me is giving children a chance to make it to the classroom. Let us not worry about the economy. I have learned you can always do more with what you have. Heck we have put on many events in the last year alone without spending much and without making one cent. You remember who and why you are doing it. So as my first probably controversial post, I say there is more we can do! I always believe there is a little super-hero inside us each and everyday.

I want to spend today being thankful for all of the kind emails and letters. For each and every cent that a handful of you donated to saving lives and believing in me. I will be running for each and everyone of you in the Boston Marathon 2009! I want to give a special thanks to my good friend Steve in Florida. This is a man who has leapt into my family and into my cause. For him I am thankful. He has supported me as a family member would over the last year. I would also like to thank Jodi Saurini for letting me run in honor of your son Zack. He is a fighter and a true inspiration. I want to thank Abby Fitzgerald Mosher for giving me the opportunity to run in memory of her son Austin Mosher. May he be running, high upon the clouds! I am also very thankful for the health of my two children and for running for my 18 year old brother with autism. It has been a joy to hang out with him more of late. Thank you each and every one for the support and donations!






Read About The Story

You may go to http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon09/pfp/?ID=GV0003 for further details. You can read about why I am running and who I am running for. You can also go to http://www.therun4life.org to read about our story.

Steve's Cause

I would also like to take this time to look at a cause that Steve holds near and dear to him. "Western South Dakota is basically under a no-travel advisory." The storm already has dropped 45.7 inches of snow near Deadwood, in the northern Black Hills. Reports of 10 inches to 2 feet of snow were received from many West River counties. In some towns, residents reported drifts were blocking their doorways.

In Shannon County, in the southwestern corner of the state, 20-foot snowdrifts were reported on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The snow fell at a rate of 3 inches an hour early Thursday, the weather service said, and downtown Rapid City reported a 78-mph wind gust late Wednesday.

If interested contact jbaker@nativeprogress.org for more information
http://www.nativeprogress.org

Wind Beneath My Wings

Many ask me why I run? How did I start? I ran a bit when I was 21. I would run to and from my job. I developed an illness and running was no more as well as the knee surgery when I was 18! So when my kids were sick and bed ridden in the hospital, I needed a release. I started running by fishing actually. My wife would tell me I was working way too many hours and on an off day I needed to take some mornings for me. IN 2004, we moved back to NY from Maryland and moved in with my uncle because we had nothing left after a bad deal in Baltimore. The surgeries, the hospitals and life itself just were stacking up on me. I started fishing the first week. I would take two loaded coolers and run up the piers at Emerson Park. The next week I decided I hated fishing and I put the coolers down and just started running up and down the piers. Most weeks I can still be found there. Not fishing mind you!

2005 was really my first year of running. I started running to train with my sister who was running on 8th grade modified cross country. I was awful. My first ever race, I tore my IT band. I bandaged it and went and worked an 8 hour shift on my feet. I was thinking running wasn't for me. I kept going. In Fall 2005 I was feeling better and I entered a race and came in 9th overall. It was the first bit of confidence I had. Then it progressed over time. I increased my mileage. I started doing more races. 2006 I fell in a race and tore out my right knee. I heard a man say, "Ah that must suck!" So I stood up got next to him and said, "yeah it does!" Then I beat about 100 other runners to finish in the top 10. Stupid but it showed me I was about more. It wasn't until 2007 that I got a ton better. I entered a race in the summer and I was sick and ended up winning the race by over a minute. That's when I knew that not only was I a better runner but that it was fun. Along the way I decided that I was going to run for sick children all over the place. My main target area is CNY but I have run in other places as well. 2008 was a tough one with the car accident. I gave up. I quit running. Then came back for one race in July to only get injured during a rain storm and was shelved again. I was thinking, "AM I CURSED!"

In September of this year I decided to come back at week 5 of rehab for my foot. The result was I ran 3 races in 9 days! I had two top 5 finishes and a top 25 finish in a very large race. During this period I started feeling like there was, "WIND BENEATH MY WINGS!" I started feeling like that something was at my back and helping me. I felt this last week on my first 50 mile week run in two years. Then I started meeting people and revisiting myself with old friends. Slowly over time building up good friend bases who had amazing words of encouragement. So today I stand here. Each day I push on, for the children. I run on and I figure even if I get hurt while training to run the prestigious Boston Marathon, then there is always a wheelchair event!

In the words of one of my most favorite mentors, "Don't Give up, Don't Ever Give Up!" I live by those words of the late Jim Valvano everyday. Everyday is a gift. The gift I created is TheRun4life.org. A place that stands for something in a empty world! We have created and changed so many lives on very very little and it makes me very proud to be a part of it with my children. It touches me that your here reading this today!

If anyone is interested in the project go to: http://www.therun4life.org

You can also click on my Boston link there and see who I am running for see a little bit about each person who has sponsored me. Each sponsor is very important to me and I thank you!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving -Vin

Remember What it is Like to Dream?

Follow Your Dream

Do you remember what it was like to grow up and have a dream? Maybe when you were little you dreamed of being a ballerina or a rock star? Maybe you wanted to be a pro football player or the next great lefty for the Yankees? The point is that we all had these dreams at one point. On my long and cold run this morning I started wondering what happened to those dreams for most? Where was the line drawn that we were no longer good enough to give it a shot?

I understand the cynical man will say well heck you have to make a living? Understandable and I used to be that man. I used to work two jobs and over 80 hours per week. I was used to thinking that making more meant I was more. I learned that to be wrong. More hours for me meant more time at the doctors and many times at the hospital. I ended up making more and my children were seeing me less. Yes today as a grad student I don't have the luxuries that I once did but hey I get to see my kids every day and I get to follow a dream.

When I was little I remember watching the Boston Marathon. Always thinking, "Wow that must be way too hard to run!" It was always a thought in my mind. Then a couple years ago I remembered watching a movie called, "St. Ralph." It is about a teen age boy that trains to win the Boston Marathon for his mother who is dying of cancer. Once again Boston was in my head. Then a couple weeks ago when I was told that I have a shot to go I was in shock. I am staying positive in a time where I am the most financially battered in my life. I am not letting it stand in my way. What I am trying to say is that you are never too old to follow a dream. Some come at age 10 and some come in my case at age 34. If you want to be that Ballerina, go get a Tutu! If you want to pitch for the Yankees, well then get off the couch and get a glove! I have always said that I truly believe that there is a little super-hero in all of us each day! It is up to you to use that hero! Dream...Believe...Achieve!!!

TO ALL MY FRIENDS

I want to thank all of my friends for their support in this campaign to Boston. I want to thank the people who barely know me from other states who have sent in their contributions. I want to thank my friends who have had my back given me words of encouragement. I want to thank all of the parents that want me to run for their child in Boston. I want to thank everyone who has sponsored me and offered to send a donation in the coming weeks. To all of you I thank you. It is never too late to follow a dream! For more information go to http://www.Therun4life.org

Best Regards -Vin


I leave you with a quote:

The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; the question is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young man ceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks his conditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stone of a solid and honorable success.

Hamilton Wright Mabie

Thank You All For Support/ News Articles

Well all I am really thankful to have such great coverage of the story. What started out as a concept then grew into a newspaper article, a weekend talk show and a WSTM article. I am very thankful. I am truly hoping that all the publicity gets some funds for these children and the hospital. I am thankful that the hospital is paying for my training, jerseys, events, and marathon day. This is my way to give back. I hope that you all can back me! If only a dollar!

For those of you who didn't see the articles, below are links to the paper and news article!

Citizen Newspaper at http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2008/11/13/sports/sports01.txt

WTVH-5 News VIDEO at http://www.wtvh.com/news/local/34602999.html?video=YHI&t=a

Thank You all for your kind words and support!

For more information go to our home page at http://www.TheRun4life.org

TheRun4Life.org on WTVH-5 Tonight

I am very excited that our story at TheRun4life.org will be on WTVH-5 tonight at 6pm. It has been a long journey for all of us. I am hopeful that with all the good press we will get the sponsors that we seek to raise the money for the children. I would like to thank all of you for all your kind words!

For more information go to http://www.wtvh.com

To Donate to our Boston Cause you can go to http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon09/pfp/?ID=GV0003

Further details are at http://www.TheRun4Life.org

Thanks to you all

-Vin

Auburn Ties at Boston Childrens Hospital

I first learned of the local ties at Boston Childrens Hospital by reading the blog of the Saurini family of Auburn, NY. Their son Zack is age 5 and has had numerous surgeries at Boston Childrens Hospital. He also has another visit to the hospital coming up this Thursday! I wish you guys all the best. Upon reading their story, I felt the need to try and do something. Eventually we would like to do a benefit for Zack as well.

Go to their Blog: http://www.myitaliandarlings.blogspot.com/

Right now I need all of your help in reaching my goal for kids like Zack. There was also another Auburn Family who had a child at Boston Childrens and they wanted to remain anonymous. I want this run to be special. It is not about competition, it is about overcoming the odds to beat a goal. It is about perseverance and doing what your told by doctors that is not possible. Children like my son and daughter that made that hard journey through illness. It is about the journey.

If interested in my Boston Goal go to: http://www.TheRun4life.org

Enjoy your wonderful Sunday!

Thank You to WSTM Channel 3

I want to take this time and thank everyone at Wstm Channel 3 for their hospitality. We arrived early and we were greeted and received a wonderful tour of the studio. My children had an experience they will never forget and they loved, "Doppler" the cat. Thank you again for everything! Sorry I was a deer in headlights up there, that was a first for me in bright lights! I enjoyed being on "Weekend Today in CNY!" Thank you again!

Here is a link to their online story

http://www.wstm.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=222645

Thanks again for believing in us....

Dream...Believe...Achieve...

Vin

TV/NEWS Coverage Donation Link

I want to thank all of you for the kind words and emails that I have been sent. An article broke yesterday in the local newspaper and for those of you who haven't seen it go to:

http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2008/11/13/sports/sports01.txt

For those of you who want to donate to the cause for the Boston Marathon run go to:

https://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon09/pfp/Default.asp?ID=GV0003

Also there will be an airing of an article on local WTVH 5 news tonight. I would like to thank them for all of their help and support of what we do! Go to http:www.wtvh.com for more details soon!

I will also be on Today in CNY on Saturday Morning 9:15am! Thank you all so much! Please help us reach our fundraiser goal!

What Makes Me Tick?

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."
- Jim Rohn


What Makes Me Tick?

Well I have had many emails lately asking me why do I run or what makes me want to run for other people? I will tell you that it is a deep down desire to help the kids, families or hospitals that I serve. We cannot change the world we live in if we say, "Yes I am going to do that", and then sell ourselves short by not doing so. So I have become a man of my word. I push through injury, pouring rain, snow, and whatever else is thrown my way. Call it crazy, I call it discipline. I wasn't blessed with the athletes body so I make due. Since I started running I have pushed through an IT band injury, two hurt knees, and stress fractures. All times keeping the eye on the prize. I am not telling you to go out and run hurt. I am saying that most Americans can do more. All you need is 20 minutes a day to get in shape and it will increase overtime! Don't sell yourself short, You Can DO It!

You Don't Need to be Rich To Run

I think the common misconception is that you need the next best gear to run well and get in shape. I have found that is a myth. If you are racing you will need new gear if not then it's not that bad. I actually went almost a year with the same pair of sneakers because I didn't have the money to buy new ones, as well as this year. I find whatever gear is safe, and keeps me warm and dry. It doesn't have to be fancy, just practical and do the job! When it rains, or snows I cheat and wear zip-lock or bread bags around my socks. It is better than 2 pairs of wet socks out on a long run. In this upcoming weather just dress to what makes you comfortable. Style doesn't keep you warm and safe. So today I look out my window and see pouring rain, looks like I better get out the bags!!!

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Thank you for all your support and help this year!

Charlie Old Goat 10 Miler Fun

Well today I ran the Charlie Old Goat 10 Miler in Victor,NY. The race was run at Dryer Park. This was a fun race and well put together. I ran to pace a friend of mine. It was very fun even though I feel twice. Once time I actually tripped and did a dive roll and kept going into my run without losing a step. It felt like some sort of ninja move. Though I still cut myself open. These hilly cross country courses do not seem to be my friend. I will say it was great. You got a little bottle of champagne when crossing the finish line. Then the post race food was great. I don't think I have seen so much food at a race ever. they had everything imaginable. I even won a door prize and gave it to Rick because I don't live in the area. It's a race I'll be back to next year but again not racing!