Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Hello everyone-

Time continues to fly by and for some reason I cannot seem to find out where it has gone. Christmas season is approaching and before you know it, we will all be starting on our New Year's resolutions...

I hope each of you has a wonderful 2008! There are many things to be thankful for and just as many things to look forward to over this next year. I cannot believe that the Chemo Is Harder run across South Dakota will be here in just over 4 months. Nolan and I have a lot to do in preparation for this historic event.

We are excited and honored to run 429 miles for cancer research and hope that each of you that read this can help support our cause in some way. No contribution is too small and everything Nolan and I do is for all those who have had cancer, currently battle cancer, and for those that may have cancer...that research efforts will someday find a cure!!

Please enjoy this time with your family, friends, and all those you love and cherish. Remember that "family is where your home is..." May you and yours be blessed this holiday season!

If you want to laugh or need a bit of cheer, please check out this link: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1414981314

Take care & God Bless~

Brendan

Way too long!

Hi everyone who reads this crazy Chemo Is Harder Journal! Sorry it has been so dang long since our last post. Truth is, both Brendan and I have been really busy with non-Chemo Is Harder stuff. Not only that but we are at a point in the process of making this a big deal that we are needing some outside assistance. Chemo Is Harder is about to come WAY to big for just the two of us to handle.

We have been revamping a few things with Chemo Is Harder as well. We are in the works of trying to get a PayPal account set up on our site so folks can purchase shirts online via a secure site. There have been A LOT of folks who have been asking how they can get shirts and soon it will be easier that trying to catch up with one of us.

Brendan, his wife, and myself actually went on a run tonight and talked a little bit about getting together a no-kidding gear list, talking with a sports nutritionist, etc. I have been focusing for so long on a race that I have this weekend (East Meets West Dryland Challenge - 1 Dog Pro-Class Canicross) it felt great to start thinking about our long cross-state run again.

Anyways, just an apology for the lack of updates in the last 2 months. We WILL be making them more often!

Nolan

PS - The picture on the top is of a Mountain Goat on Harney Peak. This weekend Meg and Susan (from the Heart of the Hills Running Club in Hill City) and myself run up Harney Peak. It turned out to be an awesome run with good company to the highest point in South Dakota.

Letters from a tent...

9-1-2007
11:26 PM

Hey everyone,

I'm writing this from my tent in the middle of the Black Hills National Forest. I'm out on a back-to back long run weekend. My original plan was to do a 60 mile tune-up to test the B.O.B. and all of my differant systems on 2 consecutive long run days, originally planned for 30 mile days. I was also going to do all of this east of Rapid City on flat highways, being that that is about all we will encounter on our cross state run.

I changed my plans before leaving town. It was 96 degrees in Rapid today and to tell you the truth, I wasn't that excited to head out of town, pushing 40 pounds of gear while the rubber off the bottom of my shoes melted to the black-top a little more with each step, so...I waited until it cooled off a bit (7 PMish) and got in about 20. My run home tomarrow is a differant route so I am guessing my weekend test-drive will become a 50 miler or so, whish isn't as wicked as the 60 I had hoped for but still, what's better then 50 miles in a weekend, all totally self-sufficient?

Anyways, if my run tonight was any indication of the heat I will have to run in tomarrow, then it's a good thing I plan and getting on the road between 5AM and 6AM. It's late now and I better get some shut eye.

Run long and sleep hard,

Nolan

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Bigger and better website...

Hey everyone,

Thanks to John from Black Hills Web Hosting, the website has been updated and redone a little bit. A few pictures have been added and some info has been changed. One of the significant differences is the picture of Brendan's Mom and Dad on the "How It Started" page. There is also a picture of Brendan and I on the home page by our contact info, this is something that should have been a done a while ago judging by some of the comments we have received in the past.

Also, our route has been changed a little bit. We will now run a 47 miler on Day 13, ending on Day 14 with a 10 miler. Day 13 should be the true test of the journey. And boy oh boy...10 miles on our last day, if all goes well that should feel like CAKE!

Anyways, things keep changing with the site and getting better and better all the time.

I'll write a journal post this weekend from the road. I (and possibly Brendan) will be doing two 30 mile days, back to back, with the B.O.B.'s. Camping out of our strollers and making a Chemo Is Harder tune-up out of it.

Should be wild!

Nolan

The Lean Horse 50 miler!

Hello Chemo Is Harder Fans!

It has been awhile since I last posted, but I wanted to Let everyone know about how the Lean Horse 50 miler went this past weekend. I met a ton of great folks over the past couple of days and it is amazing how the "Ultra" community bonds together. Many of these people tend to know one another despite that fact that they are scattered all over the country. The one thing I noticed most of all is the genuine concern for one another and people were curious how training went in order to get to that point. No one was "sizing" another person up as I have noticed many runners do for shorter distance races. It's not the speed that counts as much as the ability to endure pain over much longer periods of time. It is truly a race of mind over body.

It seems that Ultra running attracts a fair amount of experienced runners. In fact, it turns out that I was one of the youngest runners in the event. That was a bit surprising, but it did not matter on the course.

One of the coolest surprises was a fellow co-worker that came out to see me on the course! She lives near Pringle and took time out of her day to see how I was doing. Ma, You ROCK!! That made my day and just wanted to thank you so much for being out there for me...

I met folks from Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Canada, and of course South Dakota. Each person I met was truly amazing! Each of them had a unique story and it made my experience one that I will always cherish. I hope to see them all down the road (literally) in future races... Thanks to them all for helping me get through the day.

Mark Forand was my running buddy for the last 10 miles (another Rapid City runner) and he was awesome! It really made the last part of the race an enjoyable one. I know it won't be the last time we "run" into eachother... Great job Mark!!

My wife, Jonette, is my hero! She really made my day by helping me out throughout the race! Her encouragement every step of the way made my experience a positive one. When I crested a hill and saw her (and my dog Tyson) standing there waving and cheering me on, it made my day. Tyson was great too cause he would run to me and tell me that I was doing good!!

Thanks Joni~ You're the best!!! I love you...

Well folks, until the next time-

Brendan~

Late breaking news!

I talked to Brendan last night and found out he finished the Lean Horse 50 Mile Ultramarathon in his goal time of sub-10 hours! When I talked to him he said he felt like a million bucks the entire 50 miles and he thinks he's been bit pretty hard by the ultra bug.

I'll encourage him to post some race commentary here in the next days.

As far the Chemo Is Harder Run is concerned, after Brendan's success with his 50 miler, we are now going to move Day 13's mileage up to 47 miles so we would only be left with 10 or so miles the last day! 47 miles with the Bob and Chuck should be WILD!

Run long and strong (like Brendan),

Nolan

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It's been a while!

Wow...it sure has been a while since I posted on here. So much has happened since the last time I updated the journal I don't know where to start.

Brendan and I have been getting a pretty awesome response to our project so far. The Rapid City Journal did another article on us and KEVN FOX News wants to run a news story on us in late August. The foundation has been laid, now we just need to get the word out!

Everyone from cancer survivors to friends and family to people affected by cancer to folks who heard about our project in the media have been sending little notes, either on the guestbook or on email. AWESOME...keep em coming. I am guessing that at mile 350 or so next May these little notes and words of encouragement will be what keeps us going.

I ran the Elkhorn Hurl Ultra a couple weeks ago. It was a 50K outside Helena, Montana. It was also an INSANE run! I wish I had pics of some of the trail sections. A little word to the wise, when you go to a mandatory race meeting the night before a race and they refer to sections of the trail as "Ridge of Despair" and "5 Mile Mountain" you best believe that they're not fibbing and your in for a fight! It went really well, and I got to meet some really cool folks. I also got to run with some really experienced Ultra "Old Heads". They should feel pretty good about themselves because of imitation is a form of flattery I was doing some serious flirting. When they stopped to eat, I stopped to eat. When they walked a hill, I walked a hill. Some of these guys have run 35 or more Ultras in the last 10 years, up to 100 mile races, so they are the ones to watch! Everyone has told me that the best ultra-marathoners are women 30-40 yrs old and men 40-50 yrs. old. I believe it now...I don't know if it is lack of testosterone, more patience, higher pain threshold, or what but for some of these guys who can't break a 7:00 minute mile they sure do make running 8:00 on wicked trails look really easy!

Since the Elkhorn HURL I haven't run a whole lot this week. I don't really have another race planned until November, so this seemed like the perfect time to let my legs repair themselves a bit. I start the running again at the end of this week as my body feels great, although it never really hurt, a little bit of a recovery never hurt anyone! I have, however, been getting out and doing some kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, swimming, and hiking. The photo of the goat was taken on Harney Peak, the highest point in South Dakota on a hike recently.

Karen Land (A great musher and fantastic author) did a nice article on the race for the Great Falls Tribune. Check her out at http://www.mymusher.com/. I'm sure she will add the HURL article to her "Recent Columns" sections soon.

Brendan is getting ready for his 50 Mile Lean Horse Ultra that will take place in less than 2 weeks now. I haven't gotten to run with him in a while due to both of our busy schedules but it sounds like he is in the best shape of his life. I considered helping pace this run as there is a 100 Mile option as well, and in the dead of night, about 2:00 AM, those 100 Mile folks feel pretty alone and exhausted so there looking for folks to help keep them awake and sane on the trail by running and pacing them. Could be a cool adventure to volunteer for.

Anyways, I better cut this short and get on with the day. Sorry for the long gap in entries, now that I am back in town and have my Ultra done with I'll have a little more time to post at least once or twice a week.

Run long and strong,

Nolan

Rope Swings and Curious Bikers

Yesterday Brendan and I got in 20 miles with the B.O.B.'s and Chucks. This was Brendan's first long run with the stroller and although I can't speak for him, I think he was impressed by how easy they are to push and maneuver.

The highlight of the run for both of us I think was the rope swing over Rapid Creek at mile 14. The temperature was starting to get hot and taking a wild swing into Rapid Creek is just what the doctor ordered.

We also had a chance to meet a really nice guy on the trail, Ken. Ken stopped us and asked what the deal is...us pushing big strollers along, loaded with drybags, tents, water, etc. Even though we get a lot of looks on runs or can hear people say, "There's no baby in the stroller!", this is the first time someone has stopped us on the run and asked what we are up to. Ken was in somewhat of a hurry because his daughter was on bike ahead of him and was waiting for him to across the street, but he said he would check out the website. Ken, thanks for the questions and thanks for checking out the site.

Better run,

Nolan

A Sight To See...


This morning I ran to work, 17.1 mile from my front door to my office door. I left at 4:30AM long before the sun came up. About 4 miles into the run I looked behind me, back towards Rapid City, and was surprised by the sight I saw. No wonder why so many people are pulled towards ultra-running! What else gets you on the road at 4:30AM to see something like this besides long-hual trucking?

Thanks for everyones posts on the Guestbook, it is fun to see people are following this Chemo Is Harder Journey and are now part of this adventure with us. If you haven't signed in yet, what are you waiting for?

Run long and strong,

Nolan

Relay for Life

Hello folks~

I wanted to share with you our experience with the Relay for Life that was held on the 8th of June. Nolan and I were extremely excited about this opportunity because it was ouf first of many speaking engagements. We were also quite nervous because we did not know what to expect for a crowd and we needed to look legitimate for our first appearance! We went over some topics each of us would cover and kept it short and sweet.

Another hurdle to overcome was the fact we did not have any shirts made up, so I went to a friend that owns Master Awards & Embroidery in town and she only had a couple of hours to get some cool shirts and our logo embroidered on the shirts for our first event. I was a nervous wreck since I knew these shirts would be key to help launching "Chemo IS Harder" in the public eye. I was extremely impressed by the quality of work and the timeliness. Thank you Marilynn!!

Nolan and I met with Patty Neumiller, the regional coordinator for the American Cancer Society and she got us on stage for folks to see. All went very well and people did ask us about our run and me, my wife Jonette, Nolan, and his fiancee Kaylee walked around the track to check out all of the hundreds of luminaries that were out on the inner part of the track to honor those people that have battled cancer or are currently battling it! It really puts things into perspective...

Those of us that don't have cancer cannot imagine what it must be like, and both Nolan and I have seen what cancer can do to a person and is why the "Chemo IS Harder" slogan is so perfect!! Even when you may be in the dumps, having a bad hair day, cannot seem to do anything right, just got into a fender-bender, or whatever misfortune that may have occured, CHEMO IS HARDER no matter how you look at it.

Cancer is a terrible monster that seems to affect everyone we come across in some manner. That is why Nolan and I are on a crusade to pour our hearts and souls into this cancer research campaign, and why we know it is going to be a huge success!! We cannot do it without you... Your help will be vital to our success. So please, do what you can. Visit our "How can I help?" page and send in your tax deductable donation to the address listed. Together we all can fight this!!!

Thank you,

Take care and happy running!!

BRENDAN~

A short-long run!

This 4th of July morning I went out for a 20 miler with the B.O.B. and had a blast. I loaded the stroller with everything I thought I would be using on the actual across the state run (minus a few little things) and it was a really cool feeling knowing how self-sufficient you really can be. It's the same feeling I get on every mountaineering trip or backpacking trip I do!


With me I had my sleeping bag, a tent, cloths, 1 gallon of water, first-aid kit, food, digital camera, water bottles, mp3 player, GPS unit, and a small portable ham radio (in case the "stuff" hit the fan...still cell phone-less and loving it!) .


I left the house at 4:30AM and for the first 8 miles it felt like I was fighting the B.O.B.. IT would fade one way and I would fight it back over and end up over correcting it and then I'd have t fight it back the other way. Over and over and over this happened. Then, about 8 miles into the run, it just started to click. I was getting the hang of turning the B.O.B. and making it hold a track on a straight line. Miles 8-20 were amazing. There were times when it felt like BOB was running himself, it took almost no energy to maintain its speed and it was staying on the course I desired with almost no help. That is when I started to realize just how cool being this independent on a long run will be (429 miles worth)!


The purpose of the run was just to experiment with how the BOB handles, how hills affect it, how the slope of the highway affects it, etc. After 8 miles all the bugs were worked out for this run and it was almost effortless. I ran the 20 miles in just under 3 hours, averaging just under 9 minute miles, including all the walking/running/screwing around with the BOB/and photos. A far cry from my normal 6:30 training pace for long runs but good practice nonetheless for an ultramarathon I will be running in August and the Chemo Is Harder run in May '08.


Run long and strong,


Nolan

Inaugural B.O.B. Run

Brendan and I got together this morning to take out the strollers for our first runs together with them. Some how we convinced Kaylee to roll out of bed 5:30 AM to get some pics of B.O.B. and CHUCK on the run.

I suppose I better explain. Brendan decided to rename his B.O.B. because everyone calls their B.O.B. strollers BOB so...CHUCK IT IS! For now on when you read about CHUCK, you'll have to know that that is Brendan's term of endearment towards his new stroller. I haven't come up with mine yet but I know Gretta is a good possibility.

It was good to get in a run with Brendan today as he has been out of town for 3 weeks. We ended up putting in 6 miles with the strollers and went out for another 2 strollerless along West Blvd in Rapid City's historic housing district.

Run long and strong,

Nolan

Hey... it's me, Brendan. Yeah, I'm alive and finally got a chance to Blog. The run went very well and it feels great to get up before the sun does, because I feel like I put in a full day by the time most folks get up on a Saturday morning.

By the way, CHUCK has a bit of a temper out on the trail. He tries to get away from me and turns when he is not supposed to when he runs into a crack in the pavement. It will just take some time to train him do what I want him to! I am excited to get out and do some really long runs with Nolan so we can get used to the additional weight.

I want to thank B.O.B for the AWESOME strollers and accessories!!! Their product support is huge for our cause and really allows us to breath more life into our run across the state in May 08'.

Take care and thanks for visiting our site today!

BRENDAN~

First Miles of Thousands!

2 days ago our B.O.B. Ironman Strollers came in the mail. Here's the scoop and my initial thoughts:

*These strollers are very easy to put together and maintain. Quick release everything and most of it is pre-assembled.

*Very lightweight, although because of B.O.B.'s attention to detail they feel incredibly tough and bombproof.

*Slick tires and good looks made it awfully hard not to want to take it out for a test spin within' minutes of having it assembled.

I did take it out yesterday morning and I have to say, I love it. I think it will handle our journey with ease. Also, Brendan and I were talking the night they were assembled and agreed that they sure will open up a whole new world of training possibilities for us.

Keep your eyes posted on the journal here, Brendan will start posting pretty soon as well and we will both keep this thing going with current info on what Chemo Is Harder is up to, how our training runs are going, where we will have appearances and speaking engagements, etc. Also, if you haven't signed our guest book what are you waiting for?

Good News!

Hey everybody,

We got good news this week from a potential sponsor. B.O.B. Trailers and Strollers agreed to help us out with our high performance strollers. Coming this week in the mail will be 2 Ironman Strollers with a bunch of cool accessories.

They are one of the world's leading makers of high performance bike trailers and strollers. You can check them out at http://www.bobgear.com/. We were really wanting to work closely with them on this adventure because of their great reputation of making tough, light, strong, fast, and dependable gear.

While crossing South Dakota, having the right stroller will make or break our journey. We are thrilled to have them with us and can't wait to get out with our new strollers. They are shipping them out on Monday, which we are really excited about because we are hoping to get 1,000-1,500 + miles of training mileage on them before our cross state run. Check back here soon for some updates on how are runs are going with our strollers as well as for pictures of them in action.

Besides that everything is coming along great. We have already had 1 appearance at a Relay For Life event in Rapid City and have a bunch more planned. In the next couple weeks we should be getting shirts, merchandise, and brochures made as well...there are so many things going on right now with the Chemo Is Harder cancer research run.

Brendan has been out of town for the last few weeks but from what I hear he is getting in his highest mileage weeks of his life right now, getting ready for his 50 mile ultra in August. ROCK ON!

Run long and strong,

Nolan