Mission Accomplished

5.9 miles, 2,200 vertical foot climb (from 6,200 feet to 8,430 feet), in 80 minutes.

This one is for all our WWII vets. God bless them all.

Successful 6-mile run Sunday

Readers, come visit me and you can see this scene. I live 90 miles from the Grand Tetons, shown above.

I completed a six mile run yesterday with minimal pain. Think I'll need that cortisone shot the day before I climb Teton Pass, though.

I got a very nice donation from one of my old Medicine Bow, Wyoming students Saturday. Thanks, Lisa!

Training for a race while fighting a painful injury is not fun, but only a couple more weeks and I can rest the ligament.

Going for a Run on a Beautiful Day...Taking my Camera

I'm still a bit crippled. I took the whole week off from running to heal, so we'll see how the run goes today. Going up in the foothills to see some spring green, I hope.

3-mile Run today with minimal pain. All is good

Looking down at Wilson and Jackson, Wyoming, from the summit of Teton Pass on a clear summer day.

Lovely day in Southeast Idaho today. I have been doing the stretches that my knee doc prescribed, and decided to test out the old knee today. There was some pain, but I finished a three miler okay. Even had enough left over to mow the lawn and then play in the park with my grandson for a couple hours, getting a bit of sunburn. If the knee is not a lot better a week before the run, a cortisone shot into the inflamed area will be the next step.

Thanks to the recent contributors to the Leonard Herman fund. I am very grateful, and I'm sure Lenny's family will be grateful as well.

Click on the Youtube link below for a great video of a man-made avalanche back in December that covered the road in 45' of snow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X53Jc7N3MM

Paypal Account Set Up for Donations

Due to request, I have set up a Paypal site where you can donate to the Teton Pass Run for Leonard Herman.

Just log on to Paypal.com and create an account (it's free). Then go to send money and enter my email address of geriamor@msn.com. You may then donate to the run via the internet. This is a quick and secure way to donate, and also converts currency from any other currency to American.

Thanks for your consideration in this cause.

Knee Okay, Training on Schedule

Near the start of the run in Wilson, Wyoming.

Five miles and 2,200 feet later, the summit!

A trip to the knee doctor confirmed nothing that would keep me from running Teton Pass on June 6. Training continues. Please consider donating to help me raise funds for my late friend Leonard Herman's gravestone. Email me for info and thanks to all those who have already donated.

Training Update: Blown Knee?

Lyle Shafer, 390th BG B-17 pilot and former POW at Stalag Luft I, Barth, and I finish the run together, with the WWII Memorial Banner. June 6, 2002. I am confident that a painful knee injury today will not prevent me doing the Pass this year on June 6.

I took a long run back during Spring Break in early April--a run that included some serious hill-climbing. When I got home, I noticed that my tendon/muscle/ligament on the outside of my left knee was sore and stiff. It almost felt like the outside of my knee was going into full cramp mode, but with just a hint of something more serious going on. The next time I ran, it was worse, but I have a high pain threshhold and worked through it. I use the Galloway running method, which means that every eight minutes, I walk for one and a half to let me muscles and joints recover. This has extended my running career, which by all accounts should be over. Now 50, I have had three knee surgeries since 1991, two on my right knee and one on my left knee. The main culprit behind most of the knee problems is a car wreck in '91, but considering I've been running since age 18, it is also likely that the body just ain't what it used to be.

I have kept running in the ensuing month, most of it in pain, but I've noticed that the pain never gets above a certain level, and that the knee seems to recover overnight to the point where I can run the next day with no more pain than the day before. If I was not training for the Teton Pass, I'd take some time off, but it all hangs on making that Pass on June 6--just a little over a month from today.

Today, I ran out to Iona, a round-trip of roughly 8.5 miles. There was more pain than usual, but I finished up, stretched, and went inside. An hour later, when I attempted to walk, I found I could not lift the leg off the floor. Pain was nearly unbearable. I'm writing this propped up on some pillows with ice, and more certain than ever to make that run on June 6, no matter what.

I do ask for your prayers as I try to keep in condition for the run. Remember, the funds will go to pay for my late friend's tombstone on his grave. This World War Two hero passed away in October and there is no money to honor him with a stone. Please consider contacting me and donating to honor Leonard Herman. Even a dollar or two would help, if enough people did so.

God bless and pray that my old bones don't rebel too much.

By the way, this will be the fourth time I've run the Pass, so I know I can do it. Be part of the dream, friends.

~Rob