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

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"

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...

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...

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...

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!

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

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~