Sunday, January 24, 2010

1st update from Team USA running Brazil 135!

8:00 am - Marching band and mayoral send-off. Partly cloudy, not too warm.

18K to first crew meeting point, then on to the highest peak of the race. Crew stopped for lunch and beer in Andradas, then met team for second "pit stop".

Brian out fast and we lose contact with him. Tony, Ken and Jarom solid and steady, looking on pace for the 48 hour goal. Tom close behind.

Weather holds for the daylight hours. Go through miles of coffee and banana fields. Glad we're driving a rental car - bottom out repeatedly on steep, rocky roads.

Before 1st race food and heath checkpoint, Sue and Todd evicted from car as it becomes makeshift ambulance to take an injured runner back down to hospital. Car returns, minus translator.

11:00 pm - Rain begins, gently at first and then steadily. Dirt roads quickly turn to mud. Three support vehicles, with crew speaking English, Spanish and Portugese get lost and stuck in mud in small mountain town. Create biggest happening in years at 1am, with locals digging out car and directing back to correct location. Just in time to meet our 3, who were tired, but looking good. Currently at 20.5 hours (4:30am) and all looking forward to daylight and locating our translator!To be continued.

We all feel your support down here! Thank you!
Ken!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

This is great! The 30-Second Rule

Here is an observation from John Maxwell that I hope you enjoy as much I as will today.


Subject: THE 30-SECOND RULE

When most people meet others, they search for ways to make themselve look good. The key to the 30-Second Rule is reversing this practice. When you make contact with people, instead of focusing on yourself, search for ways to make them look good.
Every day before I meet with people, I pause to think about something encouraging I can tell them. What I say can be one of many things: I might thank them for something they've done for me or for a friend. I might tell others about one of their accomplishments. I might praise them for a personal quality they exhibit. Or a might simply compliment their appearance. The practice isn't complicated, but is does take sometime, effort, and discipline. The reward for practicing it is huge, because it really makes a positive impact on people.
- 25 Ways to Win with People -

TAKE THIRTY SECOND WITH EACH PERSON YOU MEET TODAY TO ADD VALUE TO THEM

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Dreamchasers Women's Camp Featured in Women's Running Magazine

We are so pleased to be featured in the latest edition of Women's Running Magazine. Below is an excerpt from the article Indulge in a Women’s Running Retreat, by Jayme Otto. Check out the January / February 2010 edition of the magazine and their great website at:
www.womensrunning.com


**Interested in attending the Second Annual Dreamchasers Women's Winter Wonderland Camp? Join us in Teton Valley from Tuesday, March 16 through Sunday, March 21st.**



E-mail colleen@dreamchaserevents.com for more details.




Article Excerpt:

Dreamchaser’s Women’s Running Camp
Teton Valley, Idaho
March 2010

Find a dream and chase it down in the Grand Tetons. Dreamchaser’s training camp is committed to helping women of all fitness levels set big goals and achieve them. This camp is for women ready to step outside of their comfort zones, on and off the trail. Endurance athlete and camp founder Lisa Smith-Batchen begins and ends camp with a gait analysis, so each gal has the opportunity to perfect her form. Expect three work-outs per day: one run and two other activities such as core work, yoga, Pilates, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, hiking and aqua running. Certified coaches and experts lead all activities.

Accommodations: Luxuriate at the 780-acre Teton Springs Resort’s located 20 minutes from Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Cuisine: Meals take place at the resort’s Headwaters Grille, serving up mountain-style pub food. Or venture off on a sleigh ride dinner at nearby Grand Targhee Resort, featuring meats and veggies made to order in a yurt.

What to Bring: Gather lots of layers for this Winter Wonderland Camp. Don’t forget a hat and gloves and a bathing suit for the hot springs. Don’t worry about lugging your own equipment because all activity gear will be provided.



Here are some photos of a week’s worth of fun!




Snowshoeing!



Our Friends from Rexburg!





A Sleigh Ride Dinner!



The infamous CORE class!




The tire pull!



Cross-country Skiing!




Katsey & Lisa


Colleen & Liz


Marie & Lisa




Lunch at Julie's Awesome Yurt!

Friday, January 08, 2010

What shoes do you have on? I have my Hope shoes on!

DO YOU HAVE YOUR NIKES ON?
by Darcy Keith

When running in the race of life, what kind of shoes is on your feet? Are they high-heeled stilettos, loafers, house slippers, or tennis shoes? While we may be concerned with what is on our feet and how comfortable they are in the situation, if we don't have the right type of shoes on, we may not succeed.

I mean, a runner doesn't wear a pair of wrestling shoes if he is running a marathon. He wears the most appropriate running shoe that will go the distance. When you prepare to run, one of the first things you do is stretch to warm your muscles. If not, your body isn't prepared for what you are about to do.

But what about the race of life? There are many things, which come up for which we may not be prepared. You may be stressed out, suffering, and not know how to handle the situation. But, there is HOPE.

Hope that you can overcome whatever you are facing and be victorious.

As my pastor, Randy Gilmore, says, "Hope is confidence in present resources and ultimate good."
The word, Nike, is Greek for 'victory' or 'overcoming'. In the race of life, I want to have my Nikes on. For those of you who have heard one of my motivational presentations and me talk about my "shoe issues", when I tried out for the girls' basketball team in eighth grade (I couldn't find shoes big enough to fit me in the women's section, so I had to go the men's shoe area to find a pair), guess what tennis shoes I picked out? A new white pair of Nike hightops with a red swoosh. Though I didn't know if I would make the team, I had hope in wearing my Nike tennis shoes as I was prepared to do my best.
In the middle of life's storms where you may feel stretched, stressed out, are suffering, or something else may be going on in your life, Hope lifts our spirits as we go though the storm. God has generously provided a way to carry you through it. Having hope protects our minds, like a helmet.
Hope provides us a way out of our struggle and shields us, like an umbrella. Hope lifts our spirits from the storms in life, which may be dampened. Hope is having your Nikes on when facing your situation, as we are overcomers and victorious. There is power in hope!
Here are three thoughts to keep in mind when running in the race of life:

1. Look for hope in your present resources.
2. Surround yourself with friends and family who support you.
3. Seek guidance and assistance from others who can help you along your journey to reach the finish line.
Be victorious and have your Nikes on!