Chemo Is Harder Journal

My Return to Normalcy

2008-05-24T09:46:00.003-07:00

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---

2008-05-13T19:32:00.005-07:00

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)

2008-05-10T07:01:00.004-07:00

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

2008-05-08T15:18:00.011-07:00

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!

2008-05-07T18:38:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-07T18:08:00.006-07:00

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

2008-05-06T12:12:00.009-07:00

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

2008-05-05T13:28:00.011-07:00

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

2008-05-04T18:32:00.005-07:00

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"

Day 8: Mobridge to Bowdle

2008-05-03T18:42:00.007-07:00

Hello Folks!!

Boy- Today was an extremely long day for everyone... I have to first thank Jason Peterson (Nolan's cousin) for hookin' us up at his place for the night. By the way, thanks for bringing us the the Jammer (Windjammer resteraunt) for the great food. Also, thanks for introducing us to Matt, he is a good guy.

We started out the morning (0400 wakeup) with some eggs, toast and oatmeal and it hit the spot. The morning started out great for us because guess why? (small test for you):

A) Blizzard conditions
B) 40 mph winds in our face

C) Rain coming down in sheets

D) Sky was clear with winds from NW

E) Blisters were more manageable

F) All of the above

** If you chose A you are incorrect. D is the correct answer and it was our first nice day!! Thanks for all the prayers, because they must have been answered after yesterday's debacle.

It was great to have my Mom, sister Erin and her boyfriend Shawn stay in Selby to come and cheer us on for our long day into Bowdle. The great thing about that is when I called Erin to see where they were, it turned out that they were 1 mile down the road in Selby! I ran down the hill and there they were! It was a wonderful site--- Thanks to Mom, Erin & Shawn for being here and driving all the way from Minneapolis! WOW-

Today I decided I was not going to run a marathon distance...so I told Nolan this & he laughed because of the mileage thing... Well, I told him I was just going to go out and run 3x 5K's with a cool down, then go after a couple of easy 10K's before gearing up for the half-marathon! I then would cool down with another 10K followed by 2x more 5K's. After that, it was an easy stroll into the finish! Life is all how you look at it. Make it hard, and it will be. Be positive, and things will be much easier for you!! That's how I tackle it-

This was a 45 mile day today, so we needed all the encouragement we could muster up...and between my family, the Kaup's from Hoven, like my sisters-in-law Jill (who also brought her two boys, Tyler & Dawson-who ran too) I am sorry Jill could not ride with us and her horse, due to the blizzard in Rapid City, but it worked out just as well with you running with us!

Jason & Kay Kaup also came out with Connor & Riley to wish us well. Also thanks to Jodi (and Sunny), and Jackie. It was great to see Gladys & Elaine, Wayne Stuwe, Tim H. & Mr. K (who ran a long way), Shannon Stuwe & family and ...(well others too, and thank to all) they came out in fine fashion to graciously be a part of our adventure.

I want to thank each of you that came out today to walk and run with us! That was not only inspiring to us, helping us gut through that last several miles, but it made me realize that there are so many people out that that truly care about what we are doing and that means everything to us both--- Thanks to Kim and all of the folks from Bowdle that came to greet us at the end!!!

I cannot believe how many people came out at the Hoven turn-off and Tubbies in Bowdle (our ending spot) to cheer us on and be there while we mashed through the last of the grueling miles.

I just thought it was important to share with all of you that today was particularly special to me in that my Mom walked with me...To remind you all that she is part of why I am doing this whole thing!! She is a uterine cancer survivor of 31 years and she walked with me to show her support---I am speechless. Just so you all know, my Mom is one of my all-time favorites and she is also a source of strength for me, so you can imagine what a moment we had together!! Thanks Mom-

I never imagined this journey would take on the life it has. I am extremely elated that it has turned into an outpouring of support, but it is a very humbling experience. We are in the presence of such great people and when people like Linda Kaup met us on the road with her grandaughters holding up "Chemo IS Harder" signs, it choked me up. Linda a a very strong lady who has also battled cancer and has a wonderful outlook on life!! And she should, she has a wonderful family--- Thanks Linda

I also wanted to thank my mother-in-law Mary Jo Kaup for coming out today to take the fantastic pictures of our experience today. They are remarkable and we will cherish those forever! We cannot possibly capture those moments, so thank you MJ---

We also wanted to thank Heather Vanwell for coming back over to Jason & Kay's for the leg massages...I think it will help immensely on the 30 miler we have to look forward to tomorrow-

Thanks again to everyone that came out today- you certainly made our day brighter!!!!

Brendan~

"The Journey is the Reward"

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*** Nolan is sleeping...so my post will have to do for now until he re-edits this later.***

Day 7 - Glencross to Mobridge

2008-05-02T13:38:00.003-07:00

Alrighty...let me start this post by saying Moms, Mother Hens, people who worry excessivly, or folks with weak stomachs should probally skip this one and wait for the Day 8 post. It's also a LONG post so go to the bathroom, get a snack and settle in for the long haul!

So we woke up this morning to the nice surpise of no snow on the ground. Cold and windy and rainy but no snow. We had a good breakfast with our hosts, Frank & Judy Schwietzer, and by 6:30 AM we were being dropped off at the same spot we were picked up at the next day.

We hit the road in full rain gear with B.O.B. covers on. To put things in perspective this morning when we left the weather channel showed a temprature of 30 degrees, sustained 33 MPH winds from the east with gusts to 50 MPH, and heavy soaking rain. We knew things would be tough, however, the forecast wasn't showing any relief throughout the day so we could go now or sit around and wait and still have the same conditions later on. We figured we should hit the road just the same and get this done with as soon as possible.

It seems like instantly after stepping our of the vehichle at our drop off point our rain gear was already soaked. We cinched down our coat hoods and look out of a roughly 3 inch hole for the next few miles. Being that the highway was so wet, nearly freezing water was coming off the tires and hitting our shoes, soaking our shoes and socks instantly. As if the sideways rain, wind and cold temps wern't enough, every car that drove by threw road scum and a "power washing" of water on us. Rain gear is great and water proof sounds nice, but let me tell you...THERE IS NO SUCH THINGS AS WATERPROOF...only water resistant to a certain point, then your goinjg to get wet regardless. The "water-proof" thing lasted about 45 minutes then I was soaked to the bone. It was somewhere within this first 45 minutes that Mother Nature started to make things even more far out by throwing a gust of wind my way that literally threw B.O.B. into the ditch. The contents of my cart were scattered and blowing around in the ditch and B.O.B. was laying down on his side, begging me to call it a day.

Alrighty...so at this point we are a few miles into our walk; soaked, cold, and battling some serious headwind. Then things changed for the worst. Brendan was about 1/4 mile ahead trying to convince a passing motorist who stopped to make sure we were OK that yes, we actually are of sound mind and yes we agree this is crazy and rediculaous but the show must go on. AT this point I'm not sure we are qualified to consider outselfs "of sound mind" but thats beside the point! After the car pulled away we talked had a chance to catch up with each other on how the first 6 miles had gone. Brendan's toes were in tough shape, as he could not feel a couple of them. I agreed that if we continued in this situation we were bound to have feet that looked more like hamburger than feet. Things were seriously desperate as far as cold and wet was concerned and we decided to needed to come up with a plan. We knew if we didn't do something soon someone was going to be hypothermic or frostbitten...we needed make a decision and commit to it.

Realizing that Brendan and I are proablly the only 2 people in the world that really care about being "self-supported" we needed to swallow our pride and do something to better the situation. We were going to end the day and flag down a vehicle to Mobridge. Right after stopping our body stopped producing heat leaving us more vulnerable to the elements. There we were standing on the side of the road, Brendan hiding behind a telephone pole, me squating behind my cart, both trying to get out of the wind anyway we could.

I've been an some crazy adventures all over North and South America and have run into some situations while mountaineering where I knew my safety was in jeopardy. This situation was no different. Squating behind the cart, shivering uncontrolably, our options were to wait and flag doen a car or throw up a tent, change into dry clothes (that were in drybags in the carts), and waiting the storm.

Not knowing when the storm would run out of steam we flagged down a truck. I introduced myself to the driver as "Freezing and willing to pay for his diesel to Mobridge...in fact...if you let us ride we will ride in the back with our carts". I got all this in before he had a chance to say no and drive away. Before we knew it we were riding in the back of a truck, at 80 MPH, down a SD highway in a fierce storm. Both of us were shivering like crazy, sitting in the back of this truck starring at our B.O.B.s covered in ice.

So...we had to swallow our pride a little bit, accept help, and get a ride for about 24 miles. WHAT WEINIES HUH!?! However, by making the right decision now we didn't jeopardize the rest of the trip, we get to hit the road another day and get to hit the road tomorrow with all of our toes and fingers we started with (me with 10 and Brendan with 9 1/2)!

Tomorrow we get back on the horse and do it all over again!

Nolan

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OK, now that you heard from old "Six Toes" on our AWESOME day, here's a bit from me---

Frank and Judy Schwietzer are wonderful folks near Glen Cross who put us up in their hunting lodge, called the "Howdy House"...a must go if you ever need a great getaway for hunting or to get a break from city life. Frank is a great story teller and knows a million jokes! I think Judy has heard them all---many times, but we sure thought he was a card!

I knew today would stink when I walked out of the lodge and felt the "pelting" of rain as we walked to the house for breakfast. It is amazing to think that we skirted the "blizzard" that nailed Rapid City and the Northern Hills when we watched the news reports this morning. If we would have started a week later, we may have never made it! Can't think about that now-

As I ran with my head facing the ground, not really looking up often (due to the freezing rain & crazy wind), I focused on the white line because then I knew I was OK. I would look back once in awhile to make sure Six Toes was OK. I have been running ahead of Nolan because my blisters now are having offspring and that is nice! I have to run because that causes the least amount of pain and even though they are squishy, I have to try and focus on positive thoughts---a challenge for sure.

I became concerned today when I could no longer feel my toes or fingers. I thought for awhile that if I kept running into the sheets of icy rain that blood would certainly be sent to my extremities when the body feels threatened or in danger. Then I remembered that my brain must have gotten frost-bite, because when people start freezing, the body protects the core...not the extremities. Boy, I am sure glad I snapped out of that stupid train of thought! It could have proven to be a major mistake and one that could have been costly.

I started to feel a bit despirate after we decided we should not continue on. With no more heat being generated by our running, our core temps were dropping quickly and so too was our IQ. There are very few times in my life that I can honestly say I thought I may be in a serious situation in which I thought I may be in dire straights...and this was one of them. Here we were- on a lonely road, not well traveled, and we needed to get out quickly.

Then came the Dale's from Timber Lake (Bill, Jesse, and Tucker) and picked us up in their pickup. We road in the back of the truck bed for a few miles, and I noticed that Nolan was shaking uncontrollably!! He could no longer feel his fingers and I was growing more concerened. They did stop in Trail City and shoved us in there to warm up...I don't think we could have possibly made it all the way to Mobridge. Thanks guys for saving our bacon!!! We owe you BIG-

We got dropped off at the ALCO store and tried to warm our bodies. The cappacino was UNBELIEVABLE! Then, to my amazement, SSG Mike Mullen, from the Army National Guard introduced himself and came to get us and bring us to the Armory to get a warm shower and put on some dry clothes...how AMAZING IS THE GUARD---HOOAH!!!! Mike basically is the MAN because he also loaned us his pickup (even though it's a Chevy...) We also met up with SFC Dan Heil, who grabbed my extra "stuff" when I had to make Chuck lose some weight on the road. I also want to thank Mike and Dan personally for helping out!!

We had two interviews when we pulled into town from the local radio station (KOLY AM 1300) from Nate and the Mobride Tribune from Katie. We had an enjoyable time with them and was glad to share our adventure with them...

We are now at Jason Peterson's house, Six Toes cousin, and are catching up on some things. We both feel bad for not doing all of the miles, but don't regret the decision to stop- and that decision may have proven to save some digits...

My family (Mama Murph, Erin my younger sis, and Shawny- Erin's man!) is driving here from Minneapolis to be with us for the next couple of days We have a really long day tomorrow anyway (43 miles of joyful bliss). Maybe the weather will turn around and as our clothes dry, we hope you all continue to follow our progress...

Brendan~
"Find your inspiration...and do something about it"

Day 6 - Isabel to Glencross

2008-05-01T18:12:00.001-07:00

3 MPH...3 stinkin' miles per hour!

Today it was everything we had to try and maintain 3 miles per hour due to an insane headwind. From the time we left Isabel there was a east / northeast wind blowing at a crazy speed. No kidding, it took everything I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and not sit down and cry! To add to the weather element it started raining pretty much from the get go...sometimes sprinkling, sometimes soaking! We ran the entire run today in raingear. The B.O.B.'s also had their weather shield on which helped make them less than streamlined in the wind. For sure the most interesting weather day we have had yet. I am writing this from Judy and Frank Schweitzer's hunting lodge and as I type this the rain is coming down sideways followed by an actually scary and intimidating wind and thunder and lightning! If this turns to snow tonight I have no idea what we will do in the AM. Although that is my biggest worry right now lets not think of that now and cross that bridge when!
we get to it.

Today was actually a day of little scenery. Not because there wasn't any on our route today but because the majority of the day was spent with my rain coat hood up and pulled as low as possible. I had about a 3 inch slot to see out of which was directed at the white line on the highway right in font of me.

The only out of ordinary thing that happed today was the sheriff pulled over and talked to us. Contrary to what you were probally guessing it was not for breaking the speed limit. Actually he said he had recieved several calls from concerned citizens that 2 guys were running on the highway with "baby carriges". He soon realized that there were no babies on board, mentioned somthing along the lines of "and it looks like you'll survive out here today." and drove off.

Motivation suffered for the last 5 miles or so today because of the non-stop wind in our faces. Physically I am feeling pretty decent but Brendan has said that his right leg is "thrashed" and his foot feels "jiggity jacked".

Keep your fingers crossed that we wake up to sunny skies and decent temps. instead of...well...nevermind!

Nolan

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Hey everyone!
Well, "Six Toes" is right about how miserable the day was...and as it pours outside, just lost power in the "Howdy House" at Frank & Judy Schweitzers: scary because there is not only lightening, but was thundering as well.

We are in for a spring storm with snow tomorrow. We will deal with it tomorrow, since we can't do anything about it now!

I did not {actually could not} take many pics due to the rain. just when you think it can't get any worse with wind {35-40 mph sustained}, then the rain came and sleet at times- I could have just "thrown in the towel" throughout the day, but what kept me going is the thought of why Nolan and I are out here---to help change the face of cancer.

A word of advice to you all: Don't ever give up on your dreams...cause it is all too easy to do that when things get tough. Dig deep and drive on- you will not regret it!!

I am so glad day 6 is over, and after tomorrow we will be in Mobridge and halfway through our journey! Days are long, but rewarding. This is an adventure of a lifetime and we are making the most of it! AWESOME-

I hope tomorrow shapes up.

Take care and good night.

Brendan~
"Dream Big"

Day 5 - CoalSprings to Isabel

2008-04-30T18:26:00.009-07:00

Today was the day that really made us take a look at our mission and ourselfs and were forced to recommit ourselfs over and over and over again.

The running day started with Bruce dropping us off at the same spot they picked us up the night before. Dealing with our own personal demons like blisters, hot-spots, aches, pains, soreness, and stiffness we settled into a slow pace into a steady headwind. We battled that headwind until the 18 mile mark of the run; at the point the sun came out and the wind dropped off considerably.

Roughly 20 miles into the run KVEN Black Hills Fox News pulled and and did an interview. Brendan also unloaded some of his cart at this point put I will let him talk more about that in his post.

The pace was slow today as the tone for the day was differant than it has been yet on the journey. From start to finish the run lasted 10 hours! We both struggleed with some feet issues, hot-spots, blisters, aches, pains, and other foot nasties that come from covering 160 miles in 5 days. Nothing big its important to take care of them now while they are little issues before they become big issues.

Just for people to know; we are checking our emails that are sent to nolantaylor@pocketmail.com as often as possible and doing our best to email back to everyone who writes. We are also checking the guestbook often and having fun ready the posts from everyone all over the place! After a long day like today it sure is nice to read all the emails and postings that came in while we were running. It's really exciting for Brendan and I to know that people are actually watching the website and the journey and watching our progress across the state. Chemo Is HAader is starting to reach a pretty large crowd and that is a thrill for both of us! It's a lot of work updating the journal every night but it's totally worth it when we know people are enjoying it.

As rough as today was, we will wake up and and do it all over again in the AM...after all...chemo has GOT to be harder!

Thanks for watching,

Nolan~

__________________________________________

Hey Everyone!

It is really hard to describe what the heck happened today...Started out with 25-30 mph headwinds, cold, nasty and downright demoralizing.

We had been going so strong and doing relatively well as far as injuries and attitude, but today was probably my hardest and most challenging day of running---EVER. I started out with a nasty foot thing from the onset, and I somehow pulled it together over 36 miles of just gutting it out. What else can I do...I have no other option- cause quitting is not an option.

My cart (Chuck) decided to become a jerk today and he decided to start making funny noises. Actually, it is very concerning, and so I called my Brother-In-Law, Dave Trautman (Traut-dog) and he saved my bacon today. He made a few calls and Don Kraemer came out in his miny van (you may have caught that on KEVN tonight...hopefully not!) Thanks Don for helping me out!!

Anyway, Chuck had gained a lot of weight lately (75 lbs) and decided he was not going to go on a diet like Nolan's BoB. Since he decided not to listen to me, I then had to spring into action and downloaded (put Chuck through an immediate crash course diet) his gear. Even though he still makes noises, he is much better off with the diet!

Nolan said it earlier about all of our issues that we encountered today, but he failed to mention that I now have a new nickname for him: "Six Toes"...that's because one of his blisters was so big, I thought when he took off his sock that he was maybe born "special", but it proved to be a Monster Blister that basically looked like a 6th toe.

Strolling into Isabel was such a bitter sweet moment! 36 miles is no joke after walking every mile on blisters, stopping to pop them, hit the road again, stop to pop them again, and do the drill over again. We were tested today- But, just when you think you are down and things get tough, don't give up. We didn't, but don't think for a minute that crawling into a ditch and laying down for the rest of the day didn't cross my mind (many times).

What's crazy about all of this, is 31 miles into the run, I turned on "Move Along" by the All American Rejects (google the lyrics---they keep me going when things get rough) and I was all of a sudden rockin' out a 8 min. pace (on my painfully nasty blisters)!! All you have to do is find your pick-me-up when things don't look so bright. You have to dig deep sometimes...and it all works out.

Gotta go to bed. Just hoping that tomorrow will be better for us both.

Take care and stay tuned!!

Brendan~
"Live every day as though it was your last"

Day 4: Bison to Coalsprings!

2008-04-29T21:29:00.007-07:00

Hey Everyone!!

Nolan and I had a fantastic day to day...We were lucky and fortunate enough to have spent the night at Terry & Mary Haggart's home. They are extremely hospitable and also invited my Uncle John and Uncle Clair to stay as well.

We started out the day by speaking at the Bison School Gymnasium with a wonderfully captive audience. Ages ranged from 6-19yrs. We told the students and faculty why in the world we are running across the ENTIRE STATE for Cancer...and the story is always the same---to help battle Cancer the best way we know how- by running and promoting healthy living while raising money for Cancer research.

It was UNBELIEVABLE how AMAZING the town of Bison truly is!! Thanks to Lola Hedstrom, my good friend, she promoted CHEMO IS HARDER and had the school kids donate their Friday jean day and hat money to our cause. Every quarter that accumulated ended up making a significant contribution...THANKS TO EVERY PERSON IN THAT GREAT SCHOOL---

I met several cancer survivors in that school alone and must say that THEY are our inspiration! Speaking with them made us realize WHY it is so important to continue on making our impact on cancer! I got teary again talking about my dad, but it's OK since I won't every be sorry for my love and admiration I have for him. I think people can relate to that, which makes this journey that much more important on so many levels. Thanks for giving me inspiration---

The day was another HORRIBLY windy day and right in our face (actually wind was again coming 25-30 mph from the South East) Traffic was crazy today cause it seemed as if people were sneakin up on us and swerving out from taking out Nolan several times. These two lane roads don't have shoulders, so we seem to be braving not only the elements, but vehicles as well.

3 miles before we ended our 25 mile day- we stopped in at a country school (called the Progress School). There are 10 students total, from Kindergarden age to 7th grade. There are 2 teachers and 1 aid. We took tons of pics and my favorite is with 3 of the youngest girls and two had their front teeth missing, and the littlest one had a tooth on the bottom missing. They assured me that the Tooth Fairy came and was "very generous".

Tonight, our post is late because we are staying with a wonderful and yet another kind family, The Hendrickson's (Bruce, Dana, Lindsay, Logan, and Layton). They have a beautiful home and wonderful kids. We warmed up to them all right away. Dinner was fantastic (Angus steaks, home made rolls, salad, sweet corn and strawberry shortcake...I know Nolan mentioned it, but WOW). Maybe I won't lose any weight out here on the road!

We are having a blast cause the whole crew and Nolan and I ROCKED OUT and played ROCK BAND!!! It is the coolest game and so much fun! I played the drums, guitar, and I sang...yes...I sang "Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi!!!! Man- I was awesome...Nolan was the man on the guitar and jammin' while Lindsey and her mom sang, Layton crushed the drums, and my man Logan sang his way to glory! Bruce was the talent agent making sure we performed to our potential. And, I have it all on video! HOW COOL-

Take care,

Please stay tuned...

We love all the posts and support from you all!!!

Keep em' coming.

Brendan~

"Make the world a better place than you found it"

Feet and Guts

2008-04-29T21:18:00.001-07:00

Feet and guts...probally 2 of the most important things you need to take care of while on the road.

I'll start with feet. Blisters, hot spots, trench foot, mangled toenails, cracks, and other foot nasties try their hardest to take you out of commision when you abusing your bodies like we have and will continue to do on the road. Brendan and I have been sticklers about foot care since the beginning. This may include draining blisters when they occur (in a special way), covering hot spots with an decent covering, applying Mole-skin to open rubs, stopping as soon as we feel a rock in our shoe to prevent issues, etc. So far we have been pretty fortunate with our feet but with all of our preventives and treatments its not by chance happening. These things have to get us another 300+ miles and were doing our best to treat them right!

One of the other most important isues is guts. By this I mean maintaining good nutrition, eating enough on the road to maintain energy without getting sick, and getting inenough calories. The last issue is not something were facing so far in the trip. Thanks to our hosts we are actually eating like kings! Tonight for example we had steak, potatoes, corn, rolls, salad, angel food cake with fruit...were not exactly starving out here folks! Getting enough in on the run is an issue however. After 30+ miles in 1 session everything taste terible and eating becomes a tedious shore. Your senses say "Forget it...were almost there...yuck!" while your mind says "You know you should be eating more...do it or your body will bonk". The best case scenario on this situation is you have something you absolutly LOVE...like junior mints or cinnamon bears. That makes the job a bit easier. Worst case scenario is your stuck eating another cruddy bar!

Anyways...after day 4 our feet and guts are doing fine, its my unlistened to MP3 assortment that is lacking!

Nolan

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Day 3: Reva to Bison

2008-04-28T17:35:00.006-07:00

Hey Everyone!

All is great here and we made it 32 miles today from Reva to Bison. We left Reva from Linda and Rev. Henry Mohagen's home around 6:30am after a stellar breakfast...Thank you Henry and Linda for your wonderful hospitality!! You are wonderful people and Linda, thank you for your "talent show" with your ventriloquist skills. Truly amazing!!

The day started out as a chilly, but gorgeous day. As the day progressed...of course we had to content with the wind, and by the end of the day it got up to somewhere around 20+ mph. That is not only tough physically, but it is very mentally draining! But, all in all- we made it.

We hit an area 20 miles into our run with major road construction. It was crazy and one lane with a pilot car would get you in and out. I tried to stay with that old guy, but he proved too fast for me!! I will tell you that it was like running and pushing our carts through a few inches of sand, or "mashed potatoes" as Nolan describes it...he's not far off on that.

Nolan was a bit a head of me again since I am the videographer & picture guy. Just as I was running up to an approach, I see this white car...they pulled out closer to the road and I thought they were locals so I went up to the car to say hi. It was amazing- I hear "Hey, do you know which way Bison is?" I commented, "I hope it's this way" I am only 2 miles from Bison at that moment. As I approached the car, I see two guys, two video cameras and guess who? It was my Uncles John & Uncle Clair from the Twin Cities (500 mile drive just today). What a GREAT surprise!!! Also, just before we got into town we met Dorina who wanted to be the FIRST to welcome us into Bison...and she baked cookies for us!!! Thanks so much.

Well, then we went into Bison, met up with Terry Haggart and went to his home. We went into town and ate at the Prairie Lounge and you have to order the Bacon double cheeseburger---I guarantee you have never seen anything like it!! (And I finished it...)

What a great day. Thanks for tuning in...

Brendan~

"Be an inspiration"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi guys,

This has been a great and trying day! I just emailed my brother and sister-in-law and told them how everyday it seems you have a wide range of emotions. Sometimes your excited to be on the road, sometimes you wondered how in the heck you got yourself in this situation, other times you hear a good tune on the MP3 player and life is good again. Wild, wild day.

It has been great getting to know Brendan's uncles. What an awesome surprise for both Brendan and I.

I don't to double up on anything Brendan posted so I'll cut this short.

So far so good,

Nolan

PS - Someone put an awesome quote on our guestbook saying "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go". Awesome!

Another quote on the road came from a friends of mine from Sturgis I called when I got cell recpetion..."Keep Smiling." Man did he give me that advice at the right time today. Thanks Randy

Day 2 - Buffalo to Reva

2008-04-27T16:29:00.003-07:00

I knew that sooner or later Brendan and I would have very differant journeys even though we are running the same route on the same day in the same style. Today our differant journeys started.

This morning I woke up and left Linda and Wally's about an hour before Brendan departed their house. The reason behind that is that I have a nagging ache behind my right knee and knew I would be walking more than Brendan would want to. I felt it starting a little yesterday on the run but its not something that is due to speed, but more prolonged abuse! And as you can assume, 439 miles IS prolonged abuse. Nothing serious but a dull thing that actually has been around for some time. It comes and goes but I decided this morning that if I am going to last 14 days I need to take it easy and play this thing right. In the back of my mind I figured it could be an issue from the get go just didn't know when! One step in front of the other and Minnesota will eventually come!

I ended up walking ALL 24 miles and made pretty good time. I thought Brendan would be coming up on me in no time, within the first 2 hours, however with all his picture taking we ended up keeping almost the same distance apart. Today run, stop, take picture, run, stop, take video, run... actually equaled walking at a fast rate.

Overall this was a pretty good day, we arrived in our destination before 1PM which gave us lots of time to get settled in and get plenty of rest.

Henry and Linda Mohagen have taken us into their home and made was feel like kings today! They have been so kind and cooked us one heck of a meal! It's a long lonely road between here and Baffalo and it feels nice to be in such good company.

The run in the morning should be intersting as there is about 10 miles of contruction. Sounds like both lanes are shut down and the lane to use is a track in the ditch headed up by a pilot car. Hope we can keep up with that pilot car!

Anyways, better stretch some more and get some ice on my knee and hit the hay before long!

Thanks for watching us on the road,

Nolan

PS - Reva is home to the Reva Turtle Races so we actiually fit right in here running with oiur BOBS!

PPS - Brendan will ad his post soon.

Top O' The Morning To YA!! (actually 9:30pm...)

Anyway, I must first give a HUGE thanks to Wally and Linda Stephens in Buffalo...they are truly wonderful and hospitable!

I don't think I've ever seen such a big home and it turns out that they have 3 children and many others- (foster kids, foreign exchange students, they board kids, and also house the biggest kids of all----hunters) Ha Ha

They also own the Nation City News Paper and Wally is a teacher/track coach. I thought it was great when he came to say hi to us on our run and he had Ebony and Abraham (grand kids) and Linda's father (spry 90 year old who by the way, started running late in life- he competed in his first Marathon (Grandma's Marathon at the age of 65!!!) How cool is that?!

My wife was with us again and biked over 35 miles today! Holy Cow Man...and she bucked that nasty wind. She is our hero. We saw beautiful country like the Slim Buttes, which are truly amazing. The Battle of Slim Buttes (check it out in your history books).

Nolan was a bit hurt today and went ahead. We started out the day with an awesome breakfast of fried eggs, great coffee, and pancakes to die for!! Thanks Linda & Wally-

We made it to Reva and are staying with Rev. Mohagen and his wife Linda. They fed us wonder food and visited their friends, Bonnie and Keith Hanson. He has wild turkeys that he feeds in the back yard and you should have seen the Tom that was struttin' around!! He was a monster.

We came back to the Mohagen home and Linda showcased her talents as a vantriloquist!! You better believe it...and she is phenomenal! It was a show for sure- Thanks Linda-

Well, gotta go to bed now, and get up for a 35+ mile day. It's gonna be a long one (probably 7-8 hours) and will arrive to Terry and Mary Haggart's in Bison. I already like Terry cause he is Air Force (I was an old Intel guy once stationed at Ellsworth AFB).

Take care,

...and stay tuned!

Brendan~

Day 1 - Capitol, MT to Buffalo

2008-04-26T17:17:00.004-07:00

WOW...what a day! The morning started with Ruth, Bill, Tom, and Mary cooking us breakfast of homemade biscuits and gravy. Due to nerves I was only able to eat half of one, although I really do think it was awesome that they had such a feast for us. Also hard to eat to many knowing you get to add 40 miles on top of it.

It was a short drive to Capitol, MT from Bill and Ruth's house to start the run. To get a mental picture, Capitol is a town of 2 buildings, both not really in working order anymore and not used. There was actually a pretty nice crowd at the start line for us considering it was COLD and WINDY. Typical Montana wind! Ernie, the mayor of Capitol, MT had us come over and he presented to us the key to the city. We all stood around for a few minutes and laughed at how this is the "only key to this place" and how the key has a striking resemblance to a sardine can or Spam can key. What a memory.

The next 13 miles clicked along pretty uneventfully, which on a run like this uneventful is OK. We both had a friend biking with us the entire run(Tate Latz with me and Mike Bogard with Brendan) as well as Brendan's wife running and biking with us. 5 people on the road today!

Once we make it to roughly the 13 mile mark we turned onto Highway 20 and it was a LONG and WINDY Run all the way to Buffalo. We were SO lucky to have a few people sag wagon for us or wait for us on the road just to say hi are show their support, which was really nice. It was fun to see people on the road and broke the day up nicely!

I arrived in Buffalo at about 12:30 PM about an hour before Brendan who arrived at about 1:30. We decided that with as much support we had on the road today we could spread out today without the situation becoming to unsafe.

Anyways, after arriving we went to the cafe in town and burgers and fried. Made for a nice end the run, only being topped by the shower at our host families house, Linda and Wally Stephens.

So, its now 6:37 PM and I am going to ice and massage a bit and hit the hay before the sun goes down!

Thanks for following and maybe we'll see you on the road!

Nolan

HEY EVERYONE!! (It's me...Brendan)

I wanted to share a few thoughts with you...even though Nolan has a great posting. It was great to start out in a town with a population of 0! Pretty cool when a wonderful showing from the local bandwagon and started out with a bang!

Mike Boggard and I had an awesome day today, even with winds that reached 25-35 mph and gusts well over 40 mph. Thanks to the man upstairs for placing the wind mostly at our back. He is an Optomitrist at Ellsworth AFB and had an awesome adventure in Nicaragua recently...COOL stuff.

I took a ton of pics along the way and video to capture our experience along the way. We came across an area with 100+ buffalo and had the Odell Family help by driving in front and "blocking" us from the wild beasts!

We made it by without incident and didn't try to pet them---I don't think that would be pretty.

My AWESOME wife, GI Joni (Jonette), ran and biked with us, and was a champ against that wind- She is gearing up for first IRONMAN!!! Holy cow- Great training.

Bill & Ruth Rosencranz along with daughter Mary and husband Tom Riley were a GREAT support crew!! It really helped having folks cheer us on. THANKS to you all and for such a WONDERFUL night at your ranch!! You are family now, so we will be staying in touch and having you over for supper--- Hope you are ready to come over to the Murphy Household!

My picture taking and video making slowed me down, but it was worth it. When I am all done my friend Russ Miller is going to help me edit and make a phenom video of our journey---

We will also have thousands of pictures to chronicle this wonderful experience. We may not have as many pics and videos on our posts as we go because it takes so long to download anything, but will definately have a DVD and CD produced for not only a historical account, but also for entertainment & informational purposes...

Stay tuned and THANKS for YOUR POSTS on our guestbook. Keep em' coming---it really helps us get through these long days. We read every word you place on our website.

Take care,

"The Journey...is definately the REWARD"

Brendan~

Longer then we thought...

2008-04-25T17:04:00.002-07:00

Turns out that the first day of our journey is going to be a little longer then were bargaining for. We were planning on the running roughly 34 miles to Buffalo tomorrow but that was measured from the state line. We will actually run from Capitol which is going to add about 6 miles.

So...long story short, we will start this journey with a 40 miler. More than we wanted but I guess you have roll with the punches out here.

Roughly our run to buffalo tomorrow will take about 8 hours. We hope to be done by 2:00 PM if we start at 6:00 AM

Talking to Ruth and Bill Rosencranz who are hosting us tonight on a ranch 10 miles from Capitol, MT it was easy to remember why we are doing this run. Bill himself has lost 5 brothers and sisters to cancer. Amazing and sad!

I'll be posting again tomorrow night after our run. I better get going for now, it seems that the more I write the more nervous I get so I'm going to cut this of for now.

Nolan

PS - We had a blast today talking to the Sky Boys Ranch about our adventure! The 23 guys seemed really excited about what were doing and really seemed to grasp the idea of how and why we are doing this! Thanks for having us guys!

Post on the road...

2008-04-25T11:08:00.002-07:00

Here's our first post from the road...but I'm cheating and driving. We are driving up to our starting point in Capitol, MT. Some long days are our on our horizon!

READY OR NOT HERE WE COME!

With well over 3000 miles in prep miles for this thing it still feels like I am diving into the deep end with this thing! In about 18 hours we will be on the road and the rest will be history. The weather right now is about 33 degrees and WINDY! Could be a COLD and WET next couple of days but it looks like by Monday or so we should be getting a better round of weather.

OLD FRIENDS

Before leaving Rapid City I went out to the Black Hills Children's Home got to see all of my old friends and kids. It felt great to see everyone there and I am still proud to say I got to be part of what they have going on out there! I know there are a few teachers and kids out there following our journey so to them a big thanks. Enjoy the journal postings and DONT FORGET...EMAIL US ON THE ROAD at nolantaylor@pocketmail.com. I miss those guys a ton and think of them often, it was great seeing everyone. Also, I know a couple of the kids will be watching this journal and are wanting a shout-out so hello to them and I'll be thinking of you guys on the road!

MR TECKY!

Ah man...I can already tell trying to cross the state with MR. TECKY is going to be rediculous! Brendan has been pulling out a camera of some sort every 10 minutes wanting to get video, pics, or video and pics. Good thing I'm not in charge of the technology portion of the trip because I would be tying a note to a pigeons foot and sending them off.. instead we have a laptop for updating our web page, an HD video camera, 2 digital cameras, and more cables for recharging and uploading all of that info then NASA carries on their shuttle missions!

ONE THE ROAD!

We just turned on to Highway 20 for the first time right now and I tell you what, you plan and dream, and think about it for so long, its a wild thing to actually be on the road and look at the shoulder and imagine yourself out there.

KEEP YOUR EYES HERE!

Watch the web page for updates and videos and pictures from our adventure...TRUST ME...were not carrying all this equipment for nothing!

See on the road,

Nolan

Rapid City Mayor names 25 April - Chemo Is Harder Day!!

2008-04-24T22:27:00.009-07:00

Hello everyone!

Today was unbelievable...in many ways. It was my last day of work for 3 weeks, I finalized packing, the National Guard hooked me up with a loaner laptop so I can upload info from the days' journey to our website, I met with Rapid City Mayor, Alan Hanks, who is not only very cool, but his family was also affected deeply by cancer, Nolan drove into town (haven't seen him for months-great to have my buddy back),

...and the COOLEST THING TODAY...occurred when Mayor Hanks proclaimed Friday, April 25th as "CHEMO IS HARDER DAY" in Rapid City!!! Can you believe that?? WOW- We are both speechless and grateful!

And yes, I will be framing my Executive Proclamation signed by the Mayor- You can bet on that!

Nolan and I caught up some while we drove around town getting a few more things for the trip. We both got a new toy and will make the miles we endure more bearable.

My sister-in-law, Jill Trautman and her two boys, Tyler & Dawson came over to check things out and get the new "Hot off the press" Chemo Is Harder bandanas--- Just so you all know, Jill rides horse and is going to be joining us with her horse while we run. AWESOME!!! Tyler is going to ride his bike with us too. It's a family event I tell you---

Keep posted- It is late, can't sleep tonight either...but am heading to bed soon. It is almost midnight and therefore it is almost "CHEMO IS HARDER DAY!!!" Can't get any better than that.

Brendan~
"Be a part of the Dream"

Nursing Class - It's a "Calling, not a career"

2008-04-23T20:36:00.008-07:00

Hello CIH (Chemo Is Harder) fans!!! I know some out there love acronyms...

Anyway, things are happening and days are long, but not long enough! It is extremely challenging to balance a job and trying to organize and prepare for the biggest event in my life- (besides getting married) Don't recommend it if you stress out easily and you tend to get ulcers. Cause you'll get em' if you don't already have them.

I wanted to let you know I was afforded an AWESOME opportunity to speak to a nursing class of 36 students (those who didn't skip to watch Oprah) - Ha Ha - just two days ago (21 Apr 08) on 11th Street in Rapid City, South Dakota. I LOVED IT... I just hope they did too.

It's not often that a person gets such a cool chance to share THEIR story with others. Well, I got to share mine, and it proved to be very hard (emotionally) for me! As I spoke to them, I stirred up heart-felt emotions of my dad and made it clear (I hope) that it is that emotion that fuels my deep-rooted desire to run across an entire state for cancer and to help find a cure!!

I also found out that everyone in that room raised their hand when asked if they were affected by cancer in some way (family, friends, co-workers, aquaintances, etc...) I believe most of you that read this would have also raised your hand in that classroom that day.

But, I also shared my love and passion for life!!! I hope, just as many others, like the Team Hoyt's or Terry Fox's of the world (Google them...they are MY HEROES!) Nolan and I can inspire even just one person to think BIG and do something selfless in the name of something that they too find passion in...My passion is not only running, but it is the quest to find a cure for all cancers.
We won't wake up one day with headlines reading; "CURE FOR CANCER FOUND!" It will really be won by one clinical trial and one type of cancer at a time. But we have to keep searching! Nolan and I will run many thousands of miles for cancer in our lifetime.

Our legacy will be Chemo Is Harder...a crazy idea that will hopefully spark the nation!

* What will you be remembered for after you're gone? (this is the last question I left my class of nursing students to ponder). I hope you do too...

-- A Very Special Thanks goes out to Edna Knutson. Thank you so much for making this happen and for helping spread the word about Chemo Is Harder! You're the BEST.
- Thank you too Mrs. Mary Minton for your support and for allowing me time to speak to your class. I hope to have another opportunity for other classes.
- And class...thank you for listening and tearing up with me...it is why this run is so important for me and so many others. You can never say "I love you Dad..." too many times~~

Brendan-
"The Journey is the reward"

2008-04-21T23:16:00.003-07:00

Hey Everyone!!

Just a few more days around the corner until we begin! I want to THANK every person that has helped along the way to make this possible---

The support and kindness we have received is a blessing and I know it is that kindness that will make this journey a very memorable and special to us all.

We are extremely busy right now...as you can probably imagine. Making the final touches is proving more difficult than I thought, but all the details we have put into this Cancer Research Run will definitely be worth it in the end. We would rather have a little too much than not enough gear/food in case something happens.

We ask that you spread the word about what it is we are doing and remember that even the smallest acts of kindness make great impact on those around you...

I included a clip I took while running a 5K this past Sunday, 20 Apr 08 with my friend Rick Miller of the SD Highway Patrol, and proceeds went to M.A.D.D. It was great weather & tons of people! FUN---
** You can see my Joni and two dogs (about halfway on the video clip...on the left hand side). She had already finished!!! What a stud-ette!!!

Stay tuned for more to come---

Brendan~
"The Journey is the Reward"

Video debut for Chemo Is Harder...

2008-04-16T20:03:00.007-07:00

Hello Everyone--

We are just over 1 week away from our journey of a lifetime!!! Things are really just happening at lightening speed now and hope you too are ready to follow us along our 429 miles...

I bought a sport camera because it will help us chronicle parts of our adventure, and even though the quality is not professional in nature...I think it adds a bit of a "raw edge" to the time we will spend on the road in South Dakota. Kind of fitting I think-

I truly believe there is a lot of possibility and promise for this camera. It is shockproof, water resistant (good for when we get those 50 mile an hour windy/rainy days), and dummy proof---so even guys like me can operate without too much hastle!!!

We are continually working our packing list and specific gear to bring. I will take pictures of all the gadgets laid out and another one with everything packed on our "Bobs" ---or--- "Chuck" in my case. I hope it all fits...and if not, I guess it's staying home.

Keep checking out our website please...we will be updating often and hope you enjoy what you see and read. I hope this camera thing works because I will try to upload video from the small SD card I can insert into the back portion of camera. It seems to be taking a long time to upload onto our blogger site, so I will keep my fingers crossed. Pretty cool stuff!!

Take care,

Brendan~
"The journey is the reward"

Spending the night with a goat...

2008-04-14T10:36:00.004-07:00

This weekend our Titanium Goat tents arrived. What a piece of gear! I thought there was no way possible I was going to fit into this lightweight, packable tent based upon how small you can crush it and how light it was. Boy was I pleasantly surprised.

Let me explain for a second. I'm far from a pro but have spent my fair share of time in tents. I have slept in everything from CHEAP Walmart tents, to Kelty's, to Mountain Hardwear, to homemade tents, to improvised poncho shelters, to tarps, to bivy bags. I have slept in all of these from sea level to 20,000 feet and everything in between. I have abused my tents in everything from blizzards, hurricane force winds, to 90 degree stagnant summer nights, to Pennsylvania mosquito infestations that make you go CRAZY!

So when I pulled out my Titanium Goat Vertex 5 I knew right from the start that this thing was going to be different!

It went up fast, easy, and was amazingly tight (no flapping walls). The inside is SO spacious that you start to wonder what "creature comforts" you could have brought to help take up the space. Myself and the BOB will fit in this thing just fine! From stuff sack to pitched the process took me alone no more than 4 minutes, and that was ready the very short but detailed enough instructions.

Kudos to Titanium Goat for there great support and participation with the Chemo Is Harder cancer research run. 429 miles over 14 days should not only show how tough these tents are but also make us grateful for their weatherproof weight savings.

Thanks Titanium Goat (http://www.titaniumgoat.com/)!

Nolan

HOW TO EMAIL US ON THE ROAD...

2008-04-11T10:39:00.002-07:00

While we are on the road PLEASE use this email to get a hold of us:

nolantaylor@pocketmail.com

This will be the only access Brendan and I will have to email for the majority of the trip. If you send an email to this account we will be able to recieve and send email from anywhere along our route. The only thing is is that this email machine cannot receive pictures or attachments.

On that note, I am going to put in my beg and plead now! EMAIL US, TALK TO US, SEND JOKES, SEND STORIES, SEND ANYTHING VIA EMAIL THAT YOU THINK WILL HELP US GET THROUGH 500 MILES OF RUNNING! EMAIL US!

There will be nothing like finishing another 30-35 mile day and checking our email and having a funny message from home, an encouraging word from a stranger, or a motivational note from a friend. EMAIL US ON THE ROAD!

Run long and EMAIL US!

Nolan

On The Phone And On The Road!

2008-04-08T12:32:00.007-07:00

Wow, yesterday was a crazy day in the Chemo Is Harder world!

We got word from a friend who is helping us find lodging sponsors that it looks like we can count on a lodging sponsor EVERY NIGHT for the first week. Combine that with the 2nd week we already had commitments from and it looks like we may have a roof over our head more than we planned on! We can rest a little easier now knowing this ( both literally and figuratively).

I spent a good part of last night talking to folks who will be housing us the first night and I tell what, I am amazed and humbled by the kindness of strangers! One of my favorite books of all time is a book called, "The Kindness Of Strangers, Penniless Across America". It's about a road-trip of self-discovery; to discover himself and America all over again! Without any cash, credit cards, or checks he sets out from San Fransisco with the task of walking across the country to North Carolina, accepting only the "kindness from strangers" in the form of rides, a place to stay, and a meal to eat. The book chronicles the "ordinary people" every mile of the way that turn his trip into an extraordinary experience.

THIS BOOK IS BECOMING OUR STORY! THANKS EVERYONE!

Run long,

Nolan

2008-03-30T18:50:00.003-07:00

A Snowy 20 Miler...may be a preview of what's to come

It does seem that at times Nolan and I are up to what may be one of the biggest challenges we may face in our lifetime. A year has passed since our inaugural run, and we are 3 weeks away from what will prove to be a monumental run and the beginning of our quest to help find a cure for cancer. Needless to say, we are excited and we are ready to hit the road!! We hope you follow us---for our journey and for what is to come for Chemo Is Harder.

As our packing list is getting finalized, we continue to run a ton of miles. It is necessary considering the amount of road we will be traveling on.

I just looked at my Garmin that I will be running with on our journey across South Dakota and I wanted to share with you an interesting figure that may blow you away(a bit of a test here)... My last 450 miles logged and guess how many calories I expended?
A) 10,000
B) 20,000
C) 50,000
D) 99,294

You guessed right if you chose D).

So, if you saw Nolan's last posting, he mentions string cheeses, and well, that would mean we would have to eat about 1103 individual string cheeses!!! We will have to keep up our intake of calories or we may just waste away to nothing...and we definitely do not want to do that.

I went on a 20 miler today and it felt pretty good, and guess what? It snowed!! Yesterday I went 13 and I fought 50 mile-an-hour winds and that pretty much stunk!!! I did not enjoy that run, but what I did gain from the last two days is this... Nolan and I may be faced with similar conditions while on the road, and we will have to grin and bear it. I look for such opportunities to train because I will have a mental edge over those type of days---cause I've been there!

I hope you have a great running week yourself-
...and remember,

"The Journey is the Reward"

Brendan~

Food and Rest...

2008-03-26T11:13:00.002-07:00

Food and rest, 2 things it seems like you never get enough of when you add running so many training miles into an already full work week.

This week my goal is to get all of my food lists made, food list items purchased, and food items packed for the trip across the state.

Some folks might get a kick out of what fuels you to run 500 miles in 2 weeks so when I get a concrete list I will post it here...it should probably look something like: 23 gallons of lemonade, 541 Pop-Tarts, and 239 string cheeses.

The other goal this week is to get all of our first week lodging figured out. Were taking tents, sleeping bags, etc. but after so many miles we are hoping for a roof over our head nearly every night! It sounds like everything after Mobridge is almost covered, but besides Capitol, MT, all of our lodging in the first week of the run still needs to be planned! So...........SPREAD THE WORD to everyone you know in northern SD!

Pack lots of food and run long,

Nolan

More than 1 way...

2008-03-22T06:37:00.002-07:00

There's more than one way to skin a cat...errr...opps...wrong blog!

This morning I woke up early and ran 15 miles to work. After work I will have another 15 miles to go to get back home. I ran in that dead piece of time between night and day, when the moon and the sun are on the horizon at the same time, just different horizons and if you are running north or south, you can look way 1 and think night fall is coming and look the other way and get excited for a new day! which brings me to my point...

There's more than one way to run 30 miles in a day!

As our cross state run gets closer now is the time to start experimenting with different foods, drinks, run/rest schedules, hydration systems, electrolyte replenishment, etc. I feel pretty good about my one the run food and drink options. I also feel pretty good about my hydration systems, and electrolyte options. However, one thing I am still toying with is what is the best way to get in an average of 30 miles for 14 days.

There's two runs of 15 miles, three runs of 10, or one big ol' run of 30. There's run 5 walk 1 and run 8 walk 2 or...

Or maybe we'll just have to wait and see what the day brings us. Roll with the punches and see how we feel. It might be smartest to let our bodies tell us which plan is right for the day rather than our watches. As long as we keep putting 1 foot in front of the other we will get to where we need to be!

Now if I could just come up with an easy way to explain to my boss why I showed up to work in running tights, worn out running shoes, and a stretched out sweaty running shirt!

Wake up early and run long,

Nolan

A day in the life...

2008-02-29T11:28:00.003-07:00

Seems like I can't find enough hours in the day to enjoy things other then running like kayaking, geocaching, goofing arounsd with the dogs, unicycling, etc. so I thought I would break it down and see where all my day is going. I thought this might be interesting to folks who are wondering what it takes to get ready for something like this.

A day in the life of this Ultra-runner lately looks something like this...

5:15 - Wake and go for 3-8 miles.
6:00 - 7:30 - Get ready for work.
8:00 - 1:30 - Work
1:30 -2:30 - Go for lunch run. There will be more of these starting next week. 3-8 miles.
2:30 - 6:00 - Work and go home.
6:00 - 7:00 - Go for night run. 5-8 miles.
7:00 - 9:00 - Shower, EAT (and I mean SCARF!), and go to bed.

Fridays are different because those are an optional day, and Sundays are different because those are LONG RUN days, like this weekend is a 20 miler.

AH HA...now I see where all my day is going!

Run long (REALLY LONG) and strong,

Nolan

Braving the COLD!

2008-01-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe the Chemo Is Harder run is right around the corner. Seems like yesterday I was thinking, "Our run date will be here in 10 months!", now I am thinking, "Wow, our run date will be here in 3 months!"

As my mileage starts to add up I have been having to brave some pretty cold morning runs, and with the weather man saying the temperature won't break 10 degrees for the next few day it looks like there is little relief on the horizon. On a positive note though we have gotten lots of snow in the last few days which is is always fun for XC skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, etc.

I am proud to say we have added a couple more sponsors to our adventure!

Newton Shoes has stepped up as our shoe sponsor for our run. I was really excited when I got home from work last week and found a box sitting on my doorstep. When I opened it up, I noticed that these shoes really ARE different from any other shoe on the market! These shoes are designed by runners to mimic barefoot running. Because of how they are built, they encourage you to land on your forefoot and not be a heel-striker. Not only is landing on your forefoot a more healthy way to run, but also more efficient! Check out our sponsors page and click on their link. When you get to their site read the portion that says, "RUN BETTER" and "HOW THEY WORK". We are really excited to have newton teaming up with us and I can't wait to fill my log book full of Newton miles.

Thanks for all the encouraging words about our journey so far, they are so nice to receive as it reaffirms our believe in what we are doing every time we read them.

Run long and strong,

Nolan

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

2007-12-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-11-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-09-02T05:25:00.001-07:00

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...

2007-08-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-08-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-08-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-08-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-07-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-29T05:38:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-06-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-06-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

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