As many of you know,the entire year I been running to collect money to help local charities.
My friend Anastasia and I, collected close to $1500.00 for the Lake in the Hills/ Algonquin Food Pantry from January to the end of May.
From June to the first week of September, I collected money to help the Rotary Club of Carpentersville for Operation Warm. I was able to collect close to $500.00 in money that will buy Winter Jackets for kids from the Boys and Girls Club in the Carpentersville Area.
I am extremely proud that my friends and family have been supportive of my running and specially they have been supportive of helping me with their contributions to these local charities. It is very important to me, to be able to help the community around the areas where I live (Carpentersville) and where I have my Business (Lake in the Hills).
My Company Solstice Technology Solutions has contributed with close to $500.00 to both of these charities. Something that I am also very proud of!!!
http://www.stsorder.com/
I can with all honesty tell you that I am having so much fun running more than I have ever ran before. I have met so many new people in the process, some fantastic people. So I keep thinking what else can I do? How else can I help those in need in our communities. I was thinking I can ask for food and money since Thanksgiving day is coming up in November and that would give me 2 months to collect as much as possible. That's one idea but I wanted to open it to all and see if you my friends can give me other ideas. I can also help my Church, I can also help The Knights of Columbus, I can continue to help the Rotary Club of Carpentersville. Any idea(s) that you have, the only requirement is that it must be for a local charity. Anywhere in the Fox Valley area.
Here are the races I have left until the end of October and I would dedicate these races for whet ever charity we come up with:
Fox Valley Marathon 09/19/10 26.2 miles and at the end I am turning around and running another 6 to 10 miles to make it an ultra marathon. St Charles, IL.
http://www.foxvalleymarathon.com/
Chicago Marathon 10/10/10 26.2 miles I am not sure that my coach will let me run another 6 or 10 miles since it will be getting close to my next race but I will ask. Chicago, IL.
http://www.chicagomarathon.com/cms400min/chicago_marathon/
Javelina Jundred 100 10/23/10 101.4 miles Here is a nice description of the race:
Scottsdale, AZ.
Course Description (Clockwise direction)
The race begins at the Pemberton Trailhead and heads south across the dirt parking lot, quickly narrowing onto a mix of sand and gravel covered, rolling single track. The trail crosses McDowell Mountain Park Drive a few hundred meters later and continues with more undulating hills. In the next mile, the trail crosses several very sandy areas including Pemberton Wash.
Continuing past the Tonto Tank Trail junction and the sandy area, the trail makes a sharp turn to the left at the base of long hill. A short while later, the trail curves to the right and begins to ascend the hill. The next couple of miles are a steady climb up very rocky trail. There are large rocks embedded in the trail and smaller rocks loosely covering the trail. The rocks soon subside and the trail evens out as it turns north approaching the McDowell Mountains. The hills and valleys become more significant at this point. After dipping in and out of several dry washes, you will reach the second junction with the Tonto Tank Trail (where you will turn on the final seventh loop) and the first aid station, Coyote Camp.
After the first aid station, the trail dips in and out of even larger sandy washes and desert drainages as the trail continues to head north. There will be many times where you lose and gain anywhere from 20 to 50 feet of elevation. The trail here is a bit narrow and there are some round logs placed in the trail to prevent erosion which you must run over, but it is mostly clear of the rocks present in the first section.
You will wind through the desert and around some neat boulder formations before the trail flattens out and follows a barbed wire fence line. There are some minor rolling hills through here before making a sharp right turn and entering another sandy wash. The trail becomes significantly more gradual from this point on. This sandy area stretches to the next aid station where the trail joins an old jeep road which is wide enough for vehicles to reach the aid station at Jackass Junction.
This road descends past the aid station to a junction shortly after Cedar Tank where the trail leaves the jeep road and again becomes narrow, dipping in and out of a series of sandy washes that are only a couple of feet high. The trail soon crosses a paved park road and continues in much the same fashion back to the Pemberton Trailhead.
The final loop follows the Pemberton Trail rom Javelina Jeadquarters to Coyote Camp. Just before the aid station, the Tonto Tank Trail departs to the right. Take this very nice, rock free trail downhill until it rejoins with the Pemberton Trail. Turn left and run back to the finish line and you are done!
http://www.javelinajundred.com/page.php?2
As you can see, we have many exciting runs ahead. And I am saying we because it is your words of support that continue to help me move forward. My family has been behind me 100% of the time, we have made some adjustments but overall life has gone on without many big changes. Please give me any ideas you may have to help a local charity but my goal is to have identify the charity by Saturday...
Thanks and God Bless you and your love ones... Here are some pictures of a few people who have done so much to help me this year getting ready to all the running I have done:
There are a million more pictures I can post here with all the wonderful people in my life and all the wonderful Ultra people I have met this year. I will leave you with a picture that is my driving force... My daughters!!! I can move a mountain for them and when my body feels like it can't move any more, all I have to do is close my eyes and think about my Monica and Karla... I love you girls!!!
Juan "the machine" Juarez
