To all of you Pessimists, Realists, Optimists, and Dreamers,
The majority of you, like me, are probably not running sub-3-hour marathons. Many of you may be attempting your first marathon, or like me you may be striving for that Boston Marathon Qualifying time. To qualify for Boston, for me, would be an incredible achievement. My first (and best) marathon time was just over 3:50:00 and to qualify at my age (29) requires a 3:10:59 finish time (that means dropping 40 minutes from my finish time or 90 seconds per mile!). As if that challenge isn't daunting enough, during my most recent marathon (the CIM in December 2009, dubbed "the fastest course in the west"), I finished at 4:00:48. Sheeeesh, now I've really got my work cut out for me, having to shave off 50 minutes and do so on what is likely a tougher course. But I stay optimistic, hopeful, and I'm a believer. And so I've selected my Boston Qualifying Marathon. This Halloween I will be qualifying for Boston by running the Silicon Valley Marathon in some time under 3:10:59. This is my promise to myself. So to you optimists and dreamers, I hope that when I reach my goal, it might inspire you to keep on dreaming.
Now, the purpose of this post is two-fold:
1. I'd like simply to share my perspective on setting and achieving goals. I suggest to you that if you believe you can do something, then you can do that something. And if you don't believe, you won't do it. Simple as that.
and
2. I'd propose that the pessimists who doubt my ability to qualify for Boston on 10/31/2010 should put their money where there mouth is...in the name of charity.
Now, the purpose of this post is two-fold:
1. I'd like simply to share my perspective on setting and achieving goals. I suggest to you that if you believe you can do something, then you can do that something. And if you don't believe, you won't do it. Simple as that.
and
2. I'd propose that the pessimists who doubt my ability to qualify for Boston on 10/31/2010 should put their money where there mouth is...in the name of charity.
Previously I have posted some of my running specific goals, such as to Qualify for the Boston Marathon within the "near" future. I was happy to read responses from a handful of supporters (thank you!) but shocked to see so many pessimistic responses. I even received some pretty rude private messages (you know who you are) that I thought were unwarranted, but whatever, to each his own. So to you pessimists out there, here's the challenge:
I thought it'd be interesting to offer you an opportunity to back up your pessimism with your cold hard cash. No I'm not talking about gambling as in this little game you have nothing personally to gain (at least financially). Any of your "winnings" will be transferred from me to your charity of choice* and any of my "winnings" will be transferred to the charity of my choice (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or similar http://www.pancan.org/index.php).
"Winnings" or Charitable Donations Defined
Because you are presumed to be "pessimists", expecting me to fail in an attempt to accomplish a specifically challenging goal (at least for me), you are betting that I will run the SV marathon slower than 3:10:59. If I do miss my goal, I will donate an amount of money ($X) per minute that equals the amount of money you risk or pledge ($X) per minuteto the charity of your choice*, up to $1000 (sorry, I'm not made of dough). BUT, assuming I beat my goal time, for each minute I undercut my goal time (under 3:10:59), you will pay $20 plus $X to the charity I have chosen, with no limit (obviously my physical ability and overall ability of the human race determines this limit). Also all pledges to my charity will automatically be rounded up to the next $20.
And please understand, this is not an attack on you doubters out there. Just a friendly attempt to turn the jabbing remarks into something more interesting and good overall.
So what do you say? Are you ready to put your money where your mouth is?
My Goal:
To qualify for the Boston Marathon on 10/31/2010 at the Silicon Valley Marathon.
About Me:
I'm a 29yo male at 165lbs, 5'-8", last marathon ran was the CIM and I did it in 4:00:48 in Dec 2009.
I am willing to get a physical this month if there are any serious takers.
About My Lifestyle:
Having finished grad school last year while working full-time, I finally have a little bit of free time. Lately that time has been split 4 ways: Family & Friends, Triathlon training, cofounding my first business, and going out with friends on the weekends. As you can see, two of these activities are rather "neutral" with respect to the goal, while one is conducive to reaching my goal and the other is anything but. Hitting the bars every weekend tends to impact my long runs on the weekend pretty badly.
Why Pacreatic Cancer?
Here's where things get personal, as you might expect. Eight years ago I lost my mother to Pacreatic Cancer. Although I was away at college at the time of her illness, we were still really close. Pacreatic Cancer, as you might have heard, is all but a death sentence. My mother passed pretty young, at 48. The family was all quite devastated when she left us, as were all of her friends. And although I now work for a company developing Oncology systems, the very same type that my mother was treated on, my contributions still aren't enough. Each year my family and I participate in Relay For Life which raises funds for the American Cancer Society, but still I'd like to do more to combat Pancreatic Cancer specifically. Hence this challenge.
So as you can see, the outcome of this "wager" should be a win-win situation. I come one step closer to qualifying for Boston, a charity receives donations, and we get a tax write-off.
Interested in participating? Post a response indicating your interest and how much you think you might wager per minute, then I'll follow up with a private message to you where we can work out the details.
* Because this challenge has the potential to cause me great distress if end up having to donate to hundreds of different charities, only the three charities with the greatest allocation of contributions will be donated to on my part. And of course, this is only if I don't qualify for Boston this Halloween. Also, I will have to approve of the charity you've selected before we enter into "contract". I don't intend to donate to any religious organizations or anything that won't be a tax write off.
I am willing to get a physical this month if there are any serious takers.
About My Lifestyle:
Having finished grad school last year while working full-time, I finally have a little bit of free time. Lately that time has been split 4 ways: Family & Friends, Triathlon training, cofounding my first business, and going out with friends on the weekends. As you can see, two of these activities are rather "neutral" with respect to the goal, while one is conducive to reaching my goal and the other is anything but. Hitting the bars every weekend tends to impact my long runs on the weekend pretty badly.
Why Pacreatic Cancer?
Here's where things get personal, as you might expect. Eight years ago I lost my mother to Pacreatic Cancer. Although I was away at college at the time of her illness, we were still really close. Pacreatic Cancer, as you might have heard, is all but a death sentence. My mother passed pretty young, at 48. The family was all quite devastated when she left us, as were all of her friends. And although I now work for a company developing Oncology systems, the very same type that my mother was treated on, my contributions still aren't enough. Each year my family and I participate in Relay For Life which raises funds for the American Cancer Society, but still I'd like to do more to combat Pancreatic Cancer specifically. Hence this challenge.
So as you can see, the outcome of this "wager" should be a win-win situation. I come one step closer to qualifying for Boston, a charity receives donations, and we get a tax write-off.
Interested in participating? Post a response indicating your interest and how much you think you might wager per minute, then I'll follow up with a private message to you where we can work out the details.
* Because this challenge has the potential to cause me great distress if end up having to donate to hundreds of different charities, only the three charities with the greatest allocation of contributions will be donated to on my part. And of course, this is only if I don't qualify for Boston this Halloween. Also, I will have to approve of the charity you've selected before we enter into "contract". I don't intend to donate to any religious organizations or anything that won't be a tax write off.
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