My Return to Normalcy

2 1/2 weeks ago, we our first crazy Chemo Is Harder adventure with. What an adventure it was! Now that the body is healing and I am starting to feel like myself again, it is easier for me to think back and reflect on the whole experience.


Reflection #1: WHAT DAY IS IT AGAIN?
While on the road doing the same thing day after day after day, You start to lose track of what day it really is. More importantly, it doesn't really matter because the only goal for the day is to get to the next stopping point. Soon enough, your brain goes into "migration mode" and nothing really matters except eating, drinking, moving, and resting. It is an amazing thing to not know, not need to know, or care what day it is in this fast paced, hectic world.


Reflection #2: AH...IT FEELS GOOD TO NOT MOVE!
This trip cam down to putting one foot in front of the other over and over and over again. Sometimes there would be an interruption in cadence such as: stopping to add a layer or remove a layer of clothing (usually rain gear), digging into the cart to get some food, changing batteries in your MP3 player, adding sunblock, or using the bathroom...however, all except the latter could still be done on the move. So what you have is 6-10 hours of running and walking for 14 days. Dang, some of those days it just felt good to sit on the side of the highway and not move!


Reflection #3: STOP AND SMELL RUNNING SHOES!
The little things are really what made this run what it was. Guitar Hero in Meadow, ventriloquists in Reva, double cheeseburgers in Bison so big you have to eat them before they eat you, surprise stops from complete strangers giving us cookies and donut holes on the road, Pete...our road killed buddy, farmers spreading manure just on the other side of the fence from us...up wind from us of course...mmmmm, visitors who covered TONS of miles with us on the road, the support from EVERY little town on the way, new friends who traveled 60 miles round trip to deliver us bags of us ice Ipswich, and on, and on, and on, and on.

Reflection #4: MY RETURN TO NORMALCY!
I loved everything about the road. The physical challenge, the isolation, the loneliness of the road, how every now and then a song came up on the MP3 player that IS your song and perfectly explains how you are feeling, the sun beating down, the rain beating down, the feel of the stroller, and the satisfaction of crossing 430 miles, a WHOLE STATE, on foot.

However, as much as I love all of those feelings, there are things in a "normal" lifestyle that I sure did miss and am happy to be back to. There are so many things that got cut out of my life while I was training and getting ready for this run that I am really happy I now have time for again. Sunday morning breakfasts (why does it taste so much better on Sunday morning?), running the dogs, spending time with Kaylee, flying my power kites, going to work in the morning with my brother and dad, finally having time to get into my new whitewater kayak, geocaching with my family, laying on my couch, riding motorcycles with Kaylee and Doug (her dad), and the list could go on forever. I love adventure and everything that goes with it, but after an adventure, I love getting back to normal just as much.

Reflection #5: CHEMO IS HARDER IS EVERYWHERE!
Chemo Is Harder is everywhere! It's not about 2 guys running across a state and spreading a message! It's about the cry you and your wife have when she comes home from the doctor and says she has cancer. It's about the the feeling you get when your mom tells you she IS going to die of cancer. It's about watching 5 of your brothers and sisters all die of cancer. It's about watching your Dad go through something that none of us, unless we have gone through it ourselves, can even comprehend, and you get to stand on the sidelines and watch chemo RIP HIM TO SHREDS! It's about giving an assembly in a public school and watching a very dear new friend openly cry because she truly understands that Chemo is Harder. These (and many more) were all stories or things we saw while on the road.

Chemo Is Harder isn't about strollers, gear, web pages, t-shirts, running, sponsors, money, or any of these things. Chemo Is Harder is about DOING SOMETHING, because something is better than nothing. Truly, for me, it's about putting your life in perspective and enjoying how good you have it, then passing on that idea down to the next person you meet.

Reflection #6: THIS THING JUST STARTED!
We thought the work was on the road, and boy were we wrong. This Chemo Is Harder thing just started. Soon we will be posting on how much money was raised (YOU WILL BE AMAZED) and what foundation or research group we will be partnering up with and contributing to. Last but now least, stayed tuned for word on what the next Chemo Is Harder adventure is going to be.

RUN LONG, RUN STRONG, AND GROW EXTRA TOES...

Nolan

A bit of the Post-Run Blues---

Hello everyone!

It has been a few days now since we ended and I wanted you all to know that even though we are done with our 429 mile journey across the state...do not tune out because we are going to be doing GREAT THINGS here IN THE FUTURE!!! We are just getting STARTED---

As I stated on our last day in Milbank, I am going to be writing a book that will be a tour guide of what Nolan and I experienced in just a two week period!! I think it is truly amazing (you'll see) what the two of us were able to see and do in just 429 miles...yes it may only take several hours in a car, but you will find out just what you are missing and how much more you see when you are traveling at 4-5mph.

I took untold hours of High Definition Video and over 1500+ digital pictures! I filled up nearly 200GB of storage space on my external hard drive (courtesy of two incredible uncles---John & Clair Murphy). THANKS SO MUCH---it saved my bacon!

I have organized all videos and pictures according to each day they were shot. I was also given additional pictures by my Mother-In-Law (Mary Jo Kaup---who owns/operates "Just Horsin Around Photography" in Hoven, SD. Also, Jim Rappe, Nolan's Uncle gave us some of the photos he shot of us while on the road! THANKS SO MUCH Mary Jo and Jim.

Between all of the sponsors providing us with the necessary gear and apparel to make this journey a success, and the joint efforts of places like the Bison School District, Ryan's Station in Great Falls, friends that gathered up donations, to the T-Shirt sales, Free will offering in Milbank, and all of the individual donations from folks just like you---we have been able to raise around $20,000 in our efforts to get CHEMO IS HARDER off the ground!!!! Nolan and I THANK YOU for getting us going in our life-long effort to battle cancer and help find a cure!

We have a ton of shirts, bandanas, and hats available for sale and if you are interested in purchasing any of those items please email us!! info@chemoisharder.com Every bit counts---

I am currently in the works of designing a fundraising campaign to keep our momentum going full force... If you happen to be involved in fundraising activities or have some great ideas for CHEMO IS HARDER, we would love to hear your ideas!!! It intend getting folks like you involved if you are so interested...Once I have a concrete plan in place and Nolan and I have put a sanity check on it, I will roll it out!!!

REMEMBER what I told you on an earlier posting--- Ideas are wonderful things, but if you don't write them down and make a plan, they are just ideas...They mean nothing until you write them down and share them with others!!! So I intend on following my own advice.

Take care for now-

...and remember to THINK BIG and follow-through even BIGGER!!


Brendan~

We DID IT!!! (Our Journey is Complete---for now)

Good Evening Everyone!

I first want to apologize for not posting last night, but I went from the party at Lake Farley to Pizza Hut, to bed--- I was pretty drained after the wonderful day's festivities.

WOW...can you all believe it??!! Nolan and I did complete our 429 mile journey across the state of South Dakota in just 14 days, with the best day (weather wise) saved for last! I think the big guy upstairs was looking out for us since we had to battle through some very trying days in order to finish our journey on a beautiful day- The many prayers that went our way must have helped and we want to thank every one of you for following our chronicles over 14 days...

I honestly don't know where to begin on this posting, since it is a bitter-sweet moment for me. I am elated to have been able to complete such a monumental feat, but I am also very sad to be done in the respect that I love to post my thoughts and insights as I have over these past 2 weeks of my life. I know I may never have the same opportunity to do something so AWESOME, but who knows---for some reason I think Nolan and I will join forces for many other adventures down the road...and hope you all will feel compelled to follow us again-

I want to thank Keith and Diane Grabow once again for their selflessness and generosity for allowing us to stay at their home. You are wonderful people and we are proud to consider your family as a part of ours now. THANKS!

We slept in on our last day and that felt great not having to wake up at 3:30am. We grabbed a bite to eat at the Millstone and set out for the radio station (KMSD) and were on air for 22 minutes! VERY COOL--- My family was there (Mom, Erin, Shawn & my wife GI Joni), along with Roger Anderson, Don Zwart, Todd Grabow, Dave Fischer, and Heather Himler!! We hope a lot of you heard the broadcast, and if not, I will try to get the file uploaded to this website for you to listen to.

After the radio station, we headed to the courthouse where we met up with Chamber of Commerce Reps that presented us with a huge basket of goodies and that was GREATLY APPRECIATED- It was like receiving a royal treatment...THANK YOU for making us feel so welcome in Milbank.

We left from there to begin our remaining 13 miles into the town of Ortonville. We were well received by everyone in the town, some of whom stood outside their stores and cheered us on and clapped as we passed by. HOW COOL... We had the Counter Drug folks fly a helicopter to show Army Guard Support and that was extremely AWESOME. I could see Bob Weaver waving out his window---THANKS guys!

Our family & friends ran and walked with us the whole way and that meant a lot to both Nolan and I as we concluded our quest. We stopped a lot and took pictures, video, and listened to a few stories...it just didn't seem possible that WE WERE ALMOST DONE! I kept thinking to myself--- "What the heck am I gonna do after this?" I kept having to force myself to refocus, however, on the moment and enjoying every bit of what was unfolding before my very own eyes!!

As we made it across the Minnesota border, we stopped to take some pictures by a sign that said; "Welcome to Minnesota". We were not quite done, despite having crossed the border. We still needed to go over 1 mile into the downtown area of Ortonville and ended at the park 1 block off of mainstreet. I remember running pretty fast down the street and I looked at Nolan smiling as we drew nearer and nearer to the end...and then I looked down at my Garmin and was shocked to find out that we were now running a 7:09 minute per mile pace! All of those aches and pains did not exist at that moment---or at least the adrenaline masked them because I felt like a champion at that moment in time!

As the last 200 yards down to the lake approached (signaling our ending of the 429 mile journey) I looked over to Nolan and said: "Hey, anytime you want to do something crazy like this again I would be honored to do it with you anytime, anywhere". He nodded and at that moment I knew that Nolan and I would forever be great friends, adventurers, and champions for the fight against cancer!! He and I have a friendship and understanding unlike no other--- THANK YOU NOLAN for sharing that incredible journey and unforgettable experience with me!!! I am forever grateful to have met you...

I never realized that I had such a large family...every family we had the privilege to stay with (including their immediate family & friends) is now being added to the family tree! HOLY COW- What the heck am I gonna do for Birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, and all the other holidays? (It should be fun especially when it comes to story time cause all I have to do is share stories about Uncle Wally---and the seeing eyed gopher called shorty (that only had one eye), or "Peetie" Nolan's pet pheasant I caught sleeping in the ditch, or ---well I can't share them all right now, or I will spoil the surprise when it comes to the holidays!!

I must admit that I never thought "Chemo Is Harder" would blossom into the incredible experience that it has! That is because of each and every one of you that has supported us along the way- Words cannot describe our gratitude for your generosity along our quest to spread awareness that guys like us are trying to help find a cure for all CANCERS--- We also know now that any one of you out there can do ANYTHING you set your mind to...ANYTHING.

Yesterday was UNBELIEVABLE in every respect. Nolan and I had many family members and friends that took time out of their busy lives to spend a very special day in ours. THANK YOU!

A special THANKS goes out to Todd Grabow, who made everything in Milbank possible!!! I cannot say enough about the kind of guy you are Todd, and can never repay you for what you did for me and Nolan. The massages were incredible and every detail was well thought out and flawlessly executed! YOU DA MAN---

I also want to send a THANKS to my other great friends, Don Zwart and Dave Fischer, who also took personal time off to be there for me and Nolan and for also being so instrumental in getting everything set up and taken care of for the entire Milbank finale!!! YOU GUYS ROCK! I hope you all enjoyed it like I did---and Don, THANKS for going the whole distance with me! You always said you would do a Half-Marathon with me and you did it!!! I think that will be the coolest half-marathon we do together!

We had so many folks running and walking with us and stopping us along the way on our last 13 miles to take pictures with us and give us donations and words of encouragement that it is hard to accurately describe the emotions that filled up inside. I felt honored and very humbled to be in the presence of so many great people that it choked me up most of the way...

We had a chance to be so honored and be aired on KMSD radio in the morning...and those folks are GREAT! We thank you for that experience and Nolan and I had an absolute blast being on your radio broadcast. THANK YOU-

We met the Milbank Chamber of Commerce and the Ortonville Chamber of Commerce members and were so graciously presented with gift baskets of cheeses, sauces, jellies, and cookies---how COOL IS THAT?! THANK YOU for your wonderful support and for welcoming Nolan and I on your Marquee!!! I have never seen my name in lights before and it felt pretty cool!! It was an honor and very humbling.

Nolan also got a huge surprise when his Fiance Kaylee, and her dad, Doug drove over 900 miles to see Nolan complete his journey...it was quite the moment to see those two reunite!! What a great couple and you could tell by Nolan's surprise and jubilation that they have a very loving relationship. Great to see you Kaylee and Doug- THANKS for coming so far to be with us!

A special THANKS to my sisters (Tara & Erin) and my Mom, Theresa for being here too. They came with Patrick, Spencer, Ashley & Shawn too...I was happy to see them all. My Uncle Clair, Aunt Joy, and Cousin Dan (who's birthday was yesterday) also came and I love them dearly! My brother-in-law (Dave Trautman) came with his two sons (Tyler & Dawson) and Jill was unfortunately unable to attend cause she was in Montana for a 55 mile endurance race with her horse--- LOVE THOSE TRAUTMANS! One of my best buds ever, Matt McLeod and his wife Michelle drove out from Rapid City to spend their time with me and celebrate the 429 mile journey. That was GREAT of them to be there and of course much appreciated!!! THANKS to you both Matt & Michelle. Also, my great friend Heather Himler (Giesen), who lives in Chicago, came up to run the remaining 13 miles with me and Nolan. Heather just completed the Boston Marathon and not only is she the sweetest person, but she is also a great inspiration to me and my running! Thanks so much Heather!!! You Rock---I'll run with you anytime...if you slow down for me. (Ha Ha)

I could honestly go on all day...I do want to also thank the Army National Guard for their UNBELIEVABLE support with the signs, tents, food, drink, and grill to make the party happen. The Recruiting Force Kicks Butt--- Thanks MAJ Jacobson, MAJ Oster, Tim Vogl for helping pull this thing off. Hooah! The troops from Milbank are AWESOME!!! Thanks 742nd Transportation Company for bringing out your "Big Rig" and honking at us while we ran. COOL.

THANKS to Roger Anderson for coming out to chronicle part of our journey and taking time to capture our "story". He made me a promise he would come out and he did...I can't thank you enough Roger, but I want you to know that your being out there in the rain, wind, and sunshine meant more than you know!!

Nolan and I would like to also THANK each one of our SPONSORS during this journey!! Without each of them we could not have done this-
-- To B.O.B, we loved the high-performance three wheeled strollers that allowed us to push everything we needed over a two week period across the state. Your product is truly the FINEST out there and impressed a lot of people when they saw what we were doing with them.
-- To Titanium Goat, your tents were a blessing when it came time to use them to get out of the elements and provide a place of sanctity. The lightweight, rugged design and compact nature of the tent is amazing!
-- To Lori Weisz at Interstate Promotions, we thank you for your patience and determination to help us with our products such as the bandanas, hats, and wonderful fliers that you helped me design. People loved them and I know they will continue to be a huge hit well into the future!
-- To John Geiman, our web host and owner of Black Hills Web Hosting, thanks so much for helping us design such a COOL and AWESOME website for others to follow our progress and thoughts as we made our journey across the state. I hope we continue to do great things with our website and look forward to continually working with you! You da MAN!!!
-- To Wendy, from Newton Running, THANKS so much for your incredible support and I thought of you DAD Jerry often on the run! It was our NEWTON shoes that helped us get across 429 miles of road in just 14 days. I will always be your BIGGEST ADVOCATE of Newton Running and hope we continue to grow the Newton Running & Chemo Is Harder TEAM. I see HUGE promise here and look forward to your continued support!!!!

A Special THANKS go out to my Mother-In-Law Mary Jo Kaup for taking countless pictures and most of these posted in this blog are from her...I appreciate all of your support and generosity in helping Nolan and I during our journey!!! I LOVE YOU-

Some thoughts to share with you- These come from the many miles I spent on the road and wanted to make sure I captured them down somewhere for others to use if they so choose...

DREAM BIG and COMMIT yourself absolutely to your goals---and trust me, it will happen! I implore each of you to take a moment when you can and do me and Nolan a favor-

Take time this weekend (I know it's Mother's Day tomorrow---so HAPPY Mother's Day to every Mom out there, may it be a special time to be with your loved ones...and all you sons out there---you better do something REALLY NICE for your MOM, cause she deserves it!!!!!!! ) to write out some of your goals on paper. That's right, WRITE THEM DOWN. That will be the first step toward accomplishing something important in your life. Next, prioritize that list and put down time frames of when you wish to complete them by...YES, put an actual date of when you want that goal to be completed. You are doing that, just as Nolan and I did for this journey across the state. It will force you to commit to those goals. Next, you have to visit those goals every day...EVERY DAY. This will make you think of WHY and HOW you are going to accomplish what is important to you. Finally, TELL AS MANY PEOPLE about your intentions as you can!! WHY???!! you ask...........that is to force your committal. It is much harder to quit something if a lot of people know that you are going to do. If you tell no one---who will know if you tried and failed, or if you gave up?? But, if you tell people about it, your WORD IS YOUR BOND. That is the one thing you have that no one can take away from you...

So go out there and DARE TO DREAM & THINK BIG! And COMMIT TODAY---go do something GREAT TOMORROW! I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Take care for now, I will keep updating this website as to how things are going for Chemo Is Harder and the periodic progress of the DVD and book. Understand that the book will take quite some time, but it will happen. I will also let you know when and what we are doing next. Whether it is a race, a public gathering, expo...whatever the case may be so anyone interested can be involved. Nolan and I will continue to spread the awareness about cancer and the need for more research efforts. We hope you join us in our continued effort!!!

Brendan~

Day 13 - Webster to Milbank

Here I sit in the waiting chair at "Mirror Reflections", a modern salon and massage joint in Millbank and I just can't seem to think straight. I have been thinking about sitting "on deck" for my massage for a lot of miles and boy am I ready. What a treat! I've got to thank Todd Grabow for setting this up, what a stud...we owe you man!

Alrighty, lets see if I can pull back my train of thought to the road today and remember what happened!

We woke up at 4:30 AM to rain. Luckily there was no wind and decent temps so it was a little easier to get out and start the run. The rain continued for roughly 20 miles, although within about 1 hour in the rain, I finally broke down, unpacked the B.O.B., and threw on my rain poncho. The poncho is just one of those little throw-away, 99 cent deals, but I will say it again, the only thing that is REALLY "waterproof" is plastic. So there I was laughing hysterically at my situations...running on the side of the highway looking like Forrest Gump in my plastic poncho and running across a portion of the country just like him. Small things impress small minds...but come on...it's late in the game and I am looking for humor where ever I can!

The run was actually pretty uneventful and even though I was wet, it was breezy, and my body had a few issues, I decided IF YOU CAN'T CHANGE A SITUATION, CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT IT! It was that easy. I went from not having much fun to knowing I am relatively warm, healthy, and safe and I should just try and enjoy the rain. That's all it took! IF YOU CAN'T CHANGE A SITUATION, CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT IT. No use dwelling on something if changing it is out of your control.

About 11 miles from the end a bunch of Brendan's friends and showed up and we got to have a little company coming into town.

So 11 miles left tomorrow. 11 miles! It's come down to 11 stinkin' miles. Amazing!

Brendan was right all along, the reward has been the journey. I'm not expecting fireworks or praise or excitement when we finish, just a peaceful feeling of accomplishment and the satisfaction of having the commitment to see this thing through. The reward, praise, and excitement was out there on the road. The rewards was already given to us in the signing birds, the sideways rain, the lonely highway, the running antelope, the blisters, the "kankles", and the people who shared our journey with us. People who go through life's experiences always expecting something more to happen are fools. They get to focused on the results and the rewards rather then the present and it's rewards. Don't miss out man!

I still don't know how tomorrow will play out. I do know it will be emotional but I have no idea what emotion...probably a little of them all. It's been a sweet journey and wild adventure!


Nolan



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Well everyone--

I cannot believe that this wonderful experience is coming to a close. Actually, it is truly just the beginning for "Chemo Is Harder"! I know it seems a bit sad for us too that our journey across this BEAUTIFUL state will end after tomorrow evening...but stayed tuned into this website.

I have painstakingly (but loved every second of it) taken many hours of video and pictures to chronicle this awesome trek! I am going to have a friend of mine produce a DVD that will show our experiences along the 429 miles across the FRIENDLIEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY! I say that despite growing up in Minnesota, and having experienced the "Minnesota Nice".

The other task I am undertaking is to write a book on our experiences and share stories, pictures, road humor, and much much more!!!!! I wanted to let you all know this now so I can get as many of you to look forward to getting our DVD & Book...and of course all proceeds will go through Chemo Is Harder and directly to cancer research efforts. We talk about getting the awareness out there and these are two media that I know will have a profound effect on fundrasing efforts --- to find a cure!!

I will keep you all posted on the progress of these two projects and cannot wait until they get released!

Well, running can be so funny-
I felt so incredible yesterday-really, but today was very challenging for me. Good, bad, good, bad. That is sometimes how the ball bounces. I figure I am due a good day tomorrow and that would be very fitting since it is our finale!

Despite the rainy conditions today, my beautiful wife Jonette drove into Webster last night from Rapid City and drove Noly (Six Toes...actually back to normal now, but I still like calling him Six Toes) to our starting point 3 miles east of Waubay. It was pretty uneventful, although I saw yet another great sun rise!

Then Roger Anderson came from Camp Rapid (the Army National Guard Camp in Rapid City) and was basically operating on fumes and many cups o' coffee to get to the Ortley area at the beginning of our day. THANKS so much for coming out here Roger...your word is your bond and we both appreciate you!


As the day progressed, I also had three great friends join us out on the road--- Todd Grabow (from Milbank), Don Zwart, and Dave Fischer. They are all three from the military and I served with them on the 82nd Civil Support Team (CST) (WMD). They took off time from their families to be with me and Nolan and that was incredibly kind of each one of them to do so. THANKS GENTS!!! You all rock-


We are staying at Keith and Diane Grabow's home and they are tremendously kind to take a couple of rag-bags like us into their beautiful home. We did the ice thing and then the hot tub thing right away as we got into Milbank. Actually, scarfed down some "za" at the Pizza Ranch (thanks Todd)...You are da man! I appreciate all your hard work and dedication to make so much happen for us and Chemo Is Harder--- we are eternally grateful...Murph-


Tonight will be alot of nothing but laying around and chillin out with the peeps (Mom, sister E-, GI Joni, My buds, and Keith and Diane). I look forward to hanging out and gearing up for the AM. Check out KELO at 10pm... they are running our story.


We are also going to KMSD radio station in the morning (9am ish) and will spend quality time there to talk about our journey and then we will begin our last and final leg of the journey! We are going to leave from the courthouse park at 10:00am (or close to that timeframe).



The public is encouraged to attend and join us on our last leg. Hope to see you in the AM.

Also, remember the party from 5:30-8:30 at Lake Farley. Food & Beverage and good times!!!
T-Shirts, bandanas and hats will be available for sale as well. Proceeds are going to cancer research efforts.

**A special THANKS to LTC Someson for stoping out in Webster at the Galley Hotel to drop off an envelope of donations that he collected at Dakota Care!!! You are all AWESOME in our book!
We appreciate your support---

OK,
Tomorrow---
Be there or be square----- Can't wait to see you all.





Brendan!

Friday's Events!

Friday is right around the corner, which means the end of the run is right around the corner as well!
There has been a lot of interest in knowing what our plan is for Friday. Here is our itinerary. Lots of really dedicated friends have worked hard to make this a fun day and Brendan and I are both really looking forward to it!

Thursday:
5 PM - Professional massage for Brendan (Todd Grabow lined these up for us...THANKS MAN...WE CAN'TWAIT!)
6 PM - Professional massage for Nolan

Friday:
9 AM - Interview with Milbank radio station
10 AM - Depart Milbank for Ortonville (pace depends on if anyone wishes to join us; runners, bikers, walkers, etc.
12:30 - Aprox. finish in Ortonville, again, this depends on if anyone is going to be joining us. Our run will end at the south end of Big Stone Lake.

After our finish we are hoping to get lots of pictures, video, etc.

5:30 PM - Celebration BAR-B-Q. at lake farley. This is a free, public welcome event and EVERYONE is encouraged to come out and enjoy the evening! It sounds like there will be lots of folks there, including several Relay For Life teams. We are all going to be there for the same reason; fun, good company, and support for cancer research. The event will last until 8:30 PM.

Hopefully see you at the finish line or after run celebration,

Nolan

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Allow us to help those in need, sell back your spare PocketMail and make some extra pocket money.

Day 12: Groton to Webster

WOW!!!

Can you believe how far "Chemo IS Harder" has come even over the past month? I must applaud each one of you out there checking in to visit our website because we had nearly 1000 people check the site today alone...

That is how the "awareness" part of our journey has skyrocketed out of control (in a great way of course). We have been stopped many times on the road from individuals reading about us in the local newspaper, to photo journalists trying to catch us on the road, to news station crews coming out to meet us on the lonely road. And it has been a wonderful experience!! THANK YOU-

If you read last evenings post, then you probably chuckled at the "kankles" story I shared, but I must admit, it was scary because if we had a medical doctor with us, I bet we would be grounded!

Thank goodness for Nolan's mountianeering experience and of course my expert medical knowledge all gained through my observations of my lovely wife (who is attending Nurse Anesthetist school) and I think I have picked up enough knowledge to self-medicate on a trip like this. If I had a bit of "Lido" or "Eppe", it may take the edge off just enough for us not to care about the aches & pains. Personally, my faves are "Ketamine" and "Propofol" since they are fast acting...since I don't have them at the ready, I guess I am just out of luck.

OK, so the sun has fried my brain, what's new? I will do my best with the remaining 3 brain cells, cause I think I lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000,000,000 per day along with a few inches of skin from my feet. But now that I am healing up (relative term here), I ran most of the day because it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as when I walked. Who could have guessed that running is actually good for you?!

Nolan and I ran into the only other condition we had not yet seen to this point (think & hazy fog). I was a bit on edge running on the shoulder during this four mile stretch west of Bristol. Visibility was down to 100 yards...literally. I was videoing during the fog experience and I could hear a car coming so I wanted to capture it on video. I saw the car going at blazing speeds and by the time I turned it around to see it disappear out of site---it was already gone. It reminded me of an Alfred Hitchcock movie or something Michael Jackson might use in a Thriller sequal.

We got stopped by a couple of journalists & a KELO reporter around Webster & they were great. Very friendly and polite. That is why I love this part of the country & South Dakota in particular---the people are down to earth, friendly, & so inviting!! It is amazing that there are few places like Northern South Dakota that have some of the greatest people on earth!

I also got stopped by Ben Anderson, an 80 yr old gentleman today just outside of Webster, from where he is from. We had a great conversation and I wanted to share with you all something that resonated with me, he stated: "I'm the richest man in the world...and I'm not talking about money, cause I don't have much, but what I lack in that I make up with my great health". He stills rides horses everyday of his life and also said: "It doesn't matter if I did have all the money in the world, because without my health, I truly have nothing". AMAZING in my book!

So, for all of you out there, I learned something new today---health is everything, without it you have nothing! So what did you learn today?? I challege each of you to seek out just one thing you did not know before today, and try to gear it toward your "own health". I think you will be amazed at what you can find! Who knows, it may even motivate you to do something positive for your health. (and it may be contagious...the good kind)

Well, we have 33 miles remaining tomorrow, and as I run thinking of you all that share with us your wonderful stories, insights, and motivation for us to keep going, I will also be thinking about Ben, the 80 yr old man who put some things in a new light for me. This journey has been such a blessing for Nolan and I and it is OUR HONOR to be doing this small act to show our love for life. No matter what the future holds, it will always incorporate "healthy living" in my motto. I hope you will consider incorporating the same into your life. Your family, friends, & loved ones will thank you for it...because you will be around longer to share "life" with them.

Plus, I got to see another sunrise today (as seen in the photo above)---did you get your chance yet? Seize that opportunity, you won't be sorry. Grab a cup of coffee and it will even be better!

See you in Milbank tomorrow!

Take care

Brendan~

Day 11 - Aberdeen to Groton

Two long days and an easy one to go!

Today we went from Aberdeen to Andover, SD. Andover is a town of 99 people about 10 miles on the East side of Groton.

The miles seem to be coming a little easier lately. I think a lot of it is that there is light at the end of this long tunnel.

Also, my body is feeling as good the last couple days as it has all trip. Today I felt great for the first 20 miles and only had to keep re-committing myself for the last 10 miles, every couple of miles I had to try and find a song or a funny memory that would make me push on a few more miles. By the time I got to Andover, I had a chance to lay down in the ditch and wait for a few minutes for Brendan (he had a rough day today). That smidgen of recovery made a world of difference and I got back up feeling pretty good.

Another reason is that with my body feeling "decent" (which is a relative term...lets not get crazy here!) I have really been thinking about enjoying every moment; the birds, the smells, the sounds, etc.

We were spoiled at our pick-up when Aunt Fritz and Mom brought us sub sandwich's and lemonade as well as bags of ice. We have been getting seriously spoiled!

We were lucky enough to have an article in the Aberdeen newspaper today as well as do an interview with the Ipswich newspaper, which is awesome because that is our whole point with this...get some awareness out about cancer research hopefully get some people talking! We are also calling into a radio sports talk show here in a few minutes to do an on-the-air interview.



See you down the road,


Nolan

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Hello All-

Nolan was right...I had an extremely difficult day today. For some reason, my ankles don't look quite right. I now have "kankles", that is where you cannot distinguish between where your ankles and calf muscles start or end...so now I have "kankles". I am icing and sitting in the bath as we did in the hot tub the other day. I have to do something to fix the problem because every step today led me to wince in pain---no fun over 30 miles! I even tried running to help the pain and for the first time it actually made it much worse.

We nearly encountered a storm today. Actually, the morning was beautiful and you won't believe it, but it was official as of today- we have now felt the wind come from every possible direction! This storm that was going to hit was coming from the Huron area, but we lucked out and all we had was a strong 15-20mph from the South. Glad we didn't have to battle the rain too.


Nolan was doing great and was striding out with a solid pace. I just could not get any sort of pace and kept trying to re-commit myself as Nolan calls it, and he is exactly right on there. I just keep telling myself that we have two hard days left---and an easy stroll. I look forward to staying at the Galley in Webster, and in fact, we ran into Keith and Jane Bryant, and their son Kyle on the road and was nice to hear they are excited to have us join them at their establishment.

I am going to get back to 20 min. of ice, 20 min. of hot bath (and repeat all night). I hope it works. I will be going to bed earlier tonight and looking to put on a brighter face in the AM. I just want to be able to end this amazing journey with smile on my face and I know I can find it in myself to do that---because of people like you all that are following us and encouraging our continued progress as we inch across the state. THANK YOU for that!!!

I wanted to re-post what my good friend Todd Grabow placed on our guestbook:

There will be a finish line celebration held at Lake Farley on the North Side of Milbank on Friday night,, May 9th, from 5:30PM - 8:30PM.

We will be having a BBQ with Hamburgers/Hotdogs, Chips, and Soda. It will be free of charge and a free will offering will take place, with a portion of the proceeds going to the local community's relay for life efforts. It is going to be a great celebration of life and a chance for people to share with others their "stories"... We really look forward to seeing you all FRIDAY NIGHT in MILBANK---

Brendan~
"Cancer can do many things...but one thing it cannot do is take away your drive to make a difference in this world"

Day 10 - Ipswitch to Aberdeen

What a day...and I can actually say that with a smile on my face. I'm not wanting to jinx anything but today I actually felt as good as I have in a while. Don't get me wrong, something on my body hurt almost the whole time, but the miles just seemed to melt away for a good piece of today. It turned out to be a 30 mile run.

Brendan and I were lucky enough to have some company on the road today. We left Ipswich at 4:30 AM with my cousins Jessica Rappe and Melissa Rappe riding bike with us. 7 miles into the run Jessica decided she better save some juice for her track meet tomarrow and called back to Ipsiwch for a ride back. It was Brendan, myself, and Melissa for only a short time before Lynae Petersen joined us on bike and did about 5-6 miles with us. It was awesome having company on the road and it sure helped to get your mind off the miles and pains! Melissa made it 26 miles on bike and then ran the last 3.5 with us! Way to go Melissa!

We made it into town early because of our early morning departure which was good for a couple reasons:

1) We are able to get a nap, rest, and recovery time in during the day and
2) Running in the dark almost feels like free miles. Since you can't see the scenery going by, when the sun comes up you are already several miles into it, which makes it feel like it was free. Hard to explain but it sure is a nice feeling.

Anyways, better hit the hay and get some ice on!

Nolan

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Hello All-

Waking up at 3:30am is no easy task...Especially when you are still working on recovering from the previous days shenanigans. We did it however, and I want to THANK Chuck & Lisa Rappe and family for having us at their home! The hot tub was amazing---

Nolan and I iced for 20 minutes, went in the hot tub for 20, and kept doing that routine for a couple of hours. The goal there was to reduce swelling and then get our blood flowing into those sore areas so they could recover. Repeating that process promotes healing and actually worked wonders for the 30 miler we did today into Aberdeen.

We had 3 of Nolan's cousins on the run today (Jessica, Melissa, and Lynae)...great job girls and thanks a bunch for spending time with us out there!! Hope you enjoyed the trek.

We got up so early this morning because we wanted to get a jump on the day and also avoid the mid-day sun. It was beautiful out and it was a good thing we started when we did. It was great to have almost 9 miles done before the sun rose in the sky. Speaking of which, I got yet another chance to see the sun come up...and for those of you that have ever taken the time to do that, it starts out like a thin orange-red line on the horizon and slowly rises- revealing a distorted looking circle of reddish hue. It is WONDERFUL.

I am usually not up that early, nor do I take the time to enjoy the beauty of the sun...This is something I would like to change and invite you to do the same. I know life gets busy, but it is those small things we can't afford to miss---we only have so many sun rises to see, so try and see every one you can!!

As the day went on and Nolan spent a lot of time with his cousins, I had a chance to run into one of Nolan's friends on the road..."Peetie" the Pheasant. I happened to catch him napping on the side of the road in anticipation of Nolan's arrival up the road, so I caught him on video wishing us well and telling us how excited he was that we were running across the state for "Chemo Is Harder". I did get a picture with him in case you were wondering. **By the way, a tidbit of trivia on Peetie---he had a second cousin twice removed star in a movie you may have seen, called: "Dumb & Dumber". Check it out.

We had a good day today, great weather...and the hurts, aches, blisters, chaffing, itching, scratching, and any other ailments didn't seem to be so bad, nor did they matter so much. We are now roughly 117 miles from Minnesota!!! That feels pretty good, and cannot wait to see as many of you at the finish and Milbank on the 9th of May in the park starting at 5:30pm! It is truly going to be a celebration of life and we are going to be able to say we didn't just sit around waiting for someone else to make a difference. Even if that means to go get your moles checked out for skin cancer, get a breast exam, prostate exam, or anything that ensures that you remain healthy before it is too late...be proactive.

I just hope that you all can take even just one thing we have shared with you and apply that to your life...If we have made any positive influence in you lives---we just ask that you pass that along to others so they too can benefit!! It is because of all of you that have supported us that we keep going and will keep going long after this two week run. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING for "Chemo Is Harder". See you on MAY 9th in Milbank!!! All details will be published on the website.

*Please visit our previous posting, we will have pictures loaded on that one too. It was too late and the computer I was on did not recognize my USB device...so check it out.

Brendan~

Day 9 - Bowdle to Ipswich

I don't even know where to start, I missed my post yesterday because I feel asleep before posting and now I am a couple days behind.

We woke up this morning feeling the affects of 45 miles yesterday. Erin put it well in the guestbook, it's tough knowing you have to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next. Today I was actually in a bit of a funk right from the start. Keeping a smile on your face can become a chore when you feet feel like raw hamburger!

The road to Ipswich was uneventful in many ways, which is good at this point, however very special because a lot of my family from the Ipswich / Aberdeen were there to share it with me. I think at 1 time we had 10+ extra people and a few dogs out there with us. Some went a few miles, some went 11, but everyone there helped me get through one of my more tough days! Thanks to everyone who joined us on the road.

The weather was great today; tail wind, sunny, and warm temps. We are actually hitting the road at 4:30 AM in the morning so we can beat some of the even warmer temps coming, get out before some of the other traffic, and to finish by 11:00 AM so we can spend the day napping, eating, and resting!

2 more on the road donations came in to today, which is amazing to us! We really do feel lucky to be doing this. Every little bit helps.


My aunt told us a story tonight and I though tit was appropriate to share:

A man who was walking along the ocean shore line, throwing starfish back into the ocean after the high tide left the high and dry.

Another man walked up and said, "why in the world are you waisting your time trowing these starfish back into the ocean...you'll never keep up and it will just happen again. It's a waste of time."

The man picked up another one and threw it back into the ocean and said, "Wasn't a waste of time for that one."


That's kind of how I feel about what we are doing here. Guys, I'm well aware we are not saving the world here, but doing something is better that doing nothing. Our $15,000 donation might not find the cure, but it's $15,000 more then they had before and to somebody, it will matter. It mattered to the starfish!

Anyways, health wise I am feeling pretty good. Muscles feel "OK", everything is "OK" except my feet. They really are starting to concern me and I sure hope things stay manageable for another 5 days! The blisters make me a bit nervous and they hurt like heck but so far I have been able to deal with them at least. Brendan's feet are actually OK, however his Achilles are bugging him so to sum things up...both "OK" but our bodies are tired! Nothing serious yet just small worries some pain.

Better hit the hay, tomorrow is another day and I better be ready for it! After tomorrows day we will be over the 100 mile mark in 3 days!

Nolan

PS - I didn't write it yesterday but I have to thank Jason for doing a couple really nice things for us. He put about 150 NEW songs on my MP3 player during our stay in Mobridge which was AWESOME. He also delivered donuts to us on the road at the 25 mile mark. We tried to go to the bakery the night before but it was closed so when it opened in the morning he made a special delivery! Donuts at mile 25...PERFECT!

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Hey Everyone-

We are waking up early so I am going to keep this short tonight. I wanted to say thanks again to my Mom, sister Erin and Shawn for coming out for the weekend and spending time with me on the road! Thanks again to Jason and Kay Kaup & Family for putting us up in their beautiful home!

My blisters are getting much better than Nolan's, but now I have protrusions from my Achilles Heels. Every step is unbelievably painful, and the weird thing is---it feels better to run than to walk! Sounds crazy, but it is true. I had to ice them all night and we will see if it helps tomorrow.

We had a lot of visitors on the road today! That was great-

Cliff & Patti Simon from Hoven came by and they even had a chance to meet my family before they took off. They are great people and their daughter, Shelly Geist, is one of my wife Jonette's best friends in the world! So it is always great to see them.

Then we encountered Nolan's family along various points on the road and they were great! They came out in fine fashion with dogs and all...they walked and ran with us, which does help immensely.

Carol and Randy Simon, neighbors to Rich and Mary Jo Kaup (my in-laws) also stopped by and wanted to wish us some words of encouragement. Thanks for that and don't worry Angela about the bike thing...I will see you sometime down the road!

Just out of Ipswitch (5 Miles or so) I ran into Lance & Crystal Stuwe (my wife's cousin) who ran with me into Ipswitch. That really helped because we just logged 76 miles on our legs in two days! It was not pretty, but Thanks Lance for getting me into town. Sorry we could not get hooked up, but I hope to see you and the family on the 4th in Hoven. Take care-

The greatest thing happened at the end...Kim Oster (Allen Geist's sister...Al is a great friend of mine from the Air Force days at Ellsworth) and her friend brought us 4 bags of ice for our aches & pains of the day!!! What makes it so Great is she drove almost 32 miles from Bowdle to deilver them to us! Can you say AWESOME!! It was exactly what the doctor ordered. THANKS!

Then we met and visited with William (Chuck) & Lisa Rappe and family and had tons of pizza! I learned all kinds of crazy stuff about Nolan and will be prying for more info so I have ammo when I need it. I think his Mom and I will have a chat about her son and I have some questions that need answering too---like where did he get his OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), and why he truly is crazy!!! (Ha Ha... he is sleeping so he doesn't know I wrote this!) He may push me and Chuck over in the ditch tomorrow if he finds out, so don't tell him. I still have to endure 5 more days with him-

Nolan's uncle Jim came by and brought us by his two hangers in which he is in the airplane business. Actually, he is in the restoration of WWII airplanes (fabric wings and fuselage...something you don't ever see anymore). It was amazing and being an old Air Force guy myself, I loved it!! THANKS Jim for sharing-


Well, I will upload pics tomorrow, cause I am getting up at 0400 (five & a half hours from now) to hit the road early, avoid the heat and be able to lick our wounds early tomorrow.


Take care, and please keep coming back!
THANKS for all your encouragement and wonderful posts----keep it up.

Great ending to a hard day on the road. Thanks to the Rappe Family for hosting us and for sharing a bit of what it is like in a day in their lives.


Brendan~
"Find the positive in all you do"