Sunday, October 18, 2009

We did it!

MTV to SF

Come in SF.

Can you hear me?

Over.

We did it!

Yesterday I ran 37 miles to work, and over the past 4 months, we raised enough money to fund another Teach for America teacher in the Bay!  That's over $5,000.  Thank you for all the donations and support!

The run was crazy and amazing.    A recap and lessons learned:

Sometimes it takes a little crazy (This one is dedicated to my sister Amy)

I'll admit, you have to be a little crazy to run 37 miles, but I think a little crazy is a good thing.  Most things that mean anything take a little crazy.  There are some problems that are so big, you can only tackle them with ideas that, at first, seem crazy.  Some problems are caused by the current "sane" way of thinking.  Most of the important ones actually.

Where the hell am I?

So, I've been busy lately, and I didn't really have a chance to review the map in detail before the run.  It was mostly a straight shot down 82, so I thought I would be fine anyway.  Literally the route was 20 miles on El Camino and then a left on Broadway.  What I hadn't accounted for was how common a street name Broadway is!  I spent a good ten minutes arguing with a homeless man over how far it was from Burlingame to Mountain View before I figured it out in fact :P 

But that's OK.  The first time you do anything you get a little lost at times.  Its part of the fun I think.


Things get a little messy

They say everybody poops, and sometimes you have to do what you have to do.  I think that's probably enough said about this one.

A nice stroll through the park

I admit it.  I walked a little.  Sometimes you just need a break.  They say walking a little actually gets you there faster in the end.  I guess the the old Bugs Bunny cartoons were right!

The end?

I finished at 8:40.  6 hours and 10 minutes after I started.  It was just me, just like it had been all morning.  But that was OK too.  I think it reminded me that every end has a start.  It was instantly a new beginning.  Another step towards "One day ..."  So please, if you read this, get out and get involved!  It take a nation of millions.  Whether its to hold us back or move us forward is up to you.

Thanks for listening everyone.  It's been fun.  Pictures coming soon!

2 comments:

  1. Matt,

    Thanks SO much for what you did! What an incredible accomplishment. I scoffed at my sister when she ran a regular old marathon - so 37 miles is pretty inconceivable to me. We were there with you at the end in spirit, even if not in person. A Philadelphia TFA person here just writing to say how INSPIRING you are, and how much we appreciate the magnificence of what you have done.

    Have a foot massage on me...

    Claudia Lewis
    Director of Alumni Affairs, Mid-Atlantic Region

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  2. Congratulations!!
    I admire anymore you puts their head down, ass up and accomplishes their goals! Well done.
    I am jealous of your motivation...

    ReplyDelete