BeRunning! Sponsors Dani Stein in NYC Marathon Effort

eRunning! Welcomes our very first celebrity Marathon BeRunner! – Fox Sports Journalist, Dani Stein.

Dani will BeTraining! for her first Marathon Event at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, 2011.  She’s training to raise awareness and funds for the Road Runners’ cause, Team For Kids which is an international charity dedicated to helping reduce childhood obesity.

Team for Kids is a team of volunteers who raise funds for critical services provided by New York Road Runners Youth Programs. These programs combat childhood obesity and empower youth development via running and character-building programs in low-income schools and community centers in New York City, throughout the country, and in South Africa.  I fully believe in and support their mission and I hope that you do, too!

Making a donation is easy! You can click on the banner below to give through Dani’s secure fundraising site. You can also find information there about where to write a check, or how to get your company to match your gift! All contributions are tax-deductible.

Your giving helps New York Road Runners Youth Programs to:

• Serve over 85,000 children in more than 400 schools and community centers with FREE programs.
• Reach children of all fitness levels and athleticism, with a heightened focus on reaching out-of-shape and overweight kids with little or no athletic experience.
• Prevent overweight or obese children from eventually suffering heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses that lead to health-care costs in excess of $100 billion annually.

Whether you are a runner, have worked with children, have kids yourself, or simply support getting kids everywhere active and healthy, please consider joining Dani in furthering this great cause by clicking the banner below and supporting TfK!

Also, stay tuned to this blog as Dani posts updates along her BeRunning! path.  I’ll be working with Dani personally to help her strengthen her mind/body partnership to run the perfect Marathon.  We’ll be following the program I laid out in my book Jumper Cables for the Marathon Runner’s Soul (www.fantasticrunning.com).

Stay tuned!  See you out there!

GPK

 

Mountaintop, a Zen poem. My first. :-)

‎”Go into the valley.” My mentor instructed me.

I went into the valley.

“Go to the mountaintop.” He told me upon my return.

I went to the mountaintop.

“What did you learn?” My mentor asked me after it all.

I took a deep breath, deep in thought and told my mentor,

“I learned there is a valley. I learned there is a mountaintop.”

Today could be the day…

Today is May 5, 2011.  It doesn’t really matter what the date is.  Today is still today.  Just one day.  Insignificant in the scheme of things…or is it?

Today could be the day that you trudge through your 16 to 19 waking hours and do exactly what you did yesterday.  Today could be the day that you walk past that co-worker who seems upset and avoid making eye contact.  Today could be the day that you suppress yet another negative emotion deeper down inside the hollows of your body, mind and soul further fueling the furnace of discontent, anger and self-loathing.  Today could be the day that you plod through, get home as quickly as you can and retire, once again, in the perceived security of having “survived” another day.  Today could be THAT  day.  Just like any other day.

If you choose THAT day, what will your life be like one year from now?  If you choose THAT day how will your body feel and serve you one year from now?  If you choose THAT day what on earth will your relationships be like?  If you choose THAT day, will you even be here one year from today?

Consider this.  You could choose to make today the day that you charge through the moments you have at your fingertips deciding to embrace every new moment with fascination and curiosity.  Today could be the day that you greet your fellow occupants of this beautiful planet with genuine concern, compassion and interest.  Looking not through them but into them and their version of this world.  Today could be the day you learn a new perspective and – though feeling a bit uncomfortable – enjoy it.

Today could be the day that you share your feelings, opinions and ideas with constructive, self-confident poise and good-humour.  Today could be the day you release all of the negative emotions you may be bottling up, by going for a run, using that gym membership, asking a friend to sit with you while you cry and regroup or just quietly meditating in nature freeing your soul to breathe, to think, to be inspired.  Today could be the day that you dance through, getting home to greet your loved ones or your pets or your mirror with a nice smile and a deep breath reflecting on life’s uncertainties and taking joy in the quirky nature of things.  Today could be the day that gratitude fills your heart to overflowing.  Today could be THAT  day.  Just like every other day for the rest of your life.

Today could be that day.  Today.

What will you choose?

Team iCanSir! Locks up its line-up for Vermont City Marathon.

It’s too late now.  Team iCanSir! has officially registered it’s two man team for this year’s Vermont City Marathon to raise money for Stowe, Weekend of Hope!  George Kansas (Team iCanSir! Founder) and Eric Hornberger (dedicated supporter and runner!) will be splitting the 26.2 mile marathon race, each completing 13.1 miles of the Burlington course.

Please support Team iCanSir! and the Stowe, Weekend of Hope by giving today at…

www.GoTeamiCanSir.org

Thank you!

400 Survivors and Caregivers ROCK Stowe in 2011!

A hearty group of survivors and loved ones joins GPK and Dave Dorfman for a pre-closing ceremonies walk.

I just returned from Stowe, VT where – once again – an amazing group of cancer survivors and caregivers challenged, engaged and dazzled me!  Over 400 people from all over North America were in attendance this year.  One lady – the self  proclaimed Queen of Hope – travelled from the Virgin Islands!

I’ve been involved with this amazing group of people for the past five years.  The Stowe Area Association and amazing Committee work diligently all year long to bring over 100 volunteers, dozens of presenters and workshops covering topics ranging from chemo-therapy to hypnotherapy.  2011 marked the 11th consecutive year for this event.  Area innkeepers donate their inventory for speakers and first time guests and many local retailers donate portions of proceeds from sales during the weekend!  The group that organizes this truly inspires community involvement in a huge way!

I’ll introduce you to more of these wonderful people as I showcase this amazing event over the upcoming year.

For now, take a look at the group I had the pleasure of meeting with this morning (above) and some other shots from the weekend (more to come, too!).  We met up under the early morning sun for a nice stroll around the first few holes of Stowe’s amazing new world-class golf course before enjoying closing ceremonies.

Stay tuned,

GPK

Welcome to Stowe!

Stowe, Weekend of Hope to field teams in Vermont City Marathon

Stowe, Weekend of Hope will once again field as many as four teams of marathon runners in the Vermont City Marathon this year.  Watch this space for opportunities to support these dedicated athletes (yes, I’m one of them)  !

Every dollar – from $5 donations to $500 – counts!  Last year teams succeeded in breaking the $10,000 goal to support programming for cancer survivors and those who love them.  Stowe, Weekend of Hope is an amazing weekend providing programming opportunities, lodging and lots of hope and connection to survivors and their caregivers from as far away as Canada, the Virgin Islands and right nearby in New York and Vermont.

More to come!…

Run to Eat! Run to Meet…Great people!

Met another troupe of great people today at the Delmar Dash!  Stay tuned for another season of great stories, fundraising opportunities for cancer survivors and their caregivers, and other interesting things!

Peace and gratitude,

GPK