Just Put One Foot In Front of The Other...

I thought it was a great omen yesterday when I looked up from my starting area on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and saw the Kenyan flag gently waving above me.

7AM came, and soon Maria and I were running. We cruised through the historic streets of Philly's Old City, then headed west over the Schuylkill River to UPENN, before heading north past the zoo. Pretty soon we were back on the east side of the river, and spent the remainder of the race on or near Kelly Drive. By mile 20, we were up in Manayunk where a sound system blasting "The Eye of the Tiger" and a thronging crowd cheered us along. Perfect! That's when the going got a little tougher: 5 miles to go, sunshine in our eyes, and a mild head wind - but I didn't let that get the better of me. Instead, I let my mind flood with words and images to drive me forward towards the finish:

"You can totally do this!" - Words of wisdom from a note my friend, Jenny B, gave me years ago when I took a new job.

"Just put one foot in front of the other" - Firm encouragement from my Grandmother Camilla, given to me on a family hike when I was 5. These words later appeared in a song I wrote in Kenya as a 21 year old, and have offered support countless times in my life when I need that little push.

Knowing I had wings on my feet from my Aunt Nawrie and cousin Meriweather that I could put to use when I started to flag.

Thoughts of my smiling friend Silvanos.

The women and children of KIBISOM!

And all of the good wishes from family and friends from your corners of the world.

~~~

And then there was the internal jukebox (no iPod for this race needed!):
Waka Waka
Shosholoza
..and some Rihanna, Madonna, and of course the Rocky Theme song!

~~~

Final Time:
3:39:21

~~~

Thank you to everyone who sent me good thoughts on Sunday morning!
You gave me wings!

Thank you also to those of you who have been able to make a donation to Kibisom!

Donations now stand at $1001.80

Just in case you were waiting to see if I survived before you made a donation ;), you can view the campaign here:
https://www.wepay.com/xs99n5/donate/105138


Thank you for all of your support!

Philly in One Week!

Map of Kenya with the Nyanza Province highlighted in red.
Kibisom is located on Rusinga Island on the shores of Lake Victoria in the Nyanza Province.

Map of Philly, where the Marathon will take place on November 20, 2011.

~~~

Sunshine this morning, but quite a chill in the air, so I decided to let the sun warm the day a bit before braving the streets and the woods for a jog.

Yellow maple leaves decorate my porch, and I know the orange beeches and the red oaks await me in the Town Forest and Borderlands. Time for the last "longish" run!
Warm thoughts of Kibisom will fuel me for the next 10 miles.

~~~

To learn about other important campaigns and projects currently running in the Kajiado District in the Rift Valley Province and Rusinga Island in the Nyanza Province in Kenya, check out the following links:

Nareto Group
&
CanAssist Africa African Relief Trust

Kibisom: Come and Learn

KIBISOM (Kiagasa Breast Feeding Single Mothers/Orphaned Child), translated from the local language, Luo, means “come and learn.”

KIBISOM, a community-based women’s organization on Rusinga Island, Kenya, aims “to mobilize global and grassroot responses to address the needs or orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV/AIDS, and local, neglected, illiterate women. Since 1996, KIBISOM has grown to include 150 members, empowering and educating around healthcare, HIV/AIDS, and water. They have also developed economic activities and are working toward food sufficiency.

One of the main aims of Kibisom is to help increase access to education.

"Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality, improve nutrition and promote health, including the prevention of HIV/AIDS." - Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General

Primary school fees were eradicated in 2003, but some associated costs for uniforms and other school supplies still exist. In addition, when students excel, secondary school fees can be as high as $500/year, and prove to be a substantial obstacle to completing an education.

Esther, the founder of Kibisom, works within the community to support those in need, provides a school for orphans in the area, and also helps increase young young, promising students access to a complete primary and secondary education.

Your donations will help her with this important work.

Small Steps... Big Changes

Post run with our family dog Harken in blustery Millerton, NY today.

It is amazing how far seemingly small steps can take you when you just keep putting one foot in front of the other. When I was studying in Kenya back in 2000, I wrote a song called "Camilla" in honor of my grandmother and also of the people I was meeting and learning from as we traveled around the country.

Here are some of the lyrics that I am sure will be bouncing around in my head as the final miles of the marathon stretch out before me:

"Just put one foot in front of the other

That's the only way to go

And I'll meet you down that long and winding road."

More recently, after the earthquake in Haiti, I wrote a song called "Trust the Sky". In this song I try to identify with holding onto hope when difficult, even desperate situations present themselves.

More often than not, the small steps and small changes end up taking us the farthest and making the biggest differences. I am always reminded of this when I watch videos like Sarah McLachlan's "World is On Fire".

I like this video because it shows how seemingly small amounts of money can really make a big difference.

I am looking forward to running for Kibisom in a few short weeks. I'll be putting one foot in front of the other (if all goes well!) for 26.2 miles, and any donation you can offer will be put to use to help with school fees and associated costs in rural Kenya shortly thereafter.

Running for Kibisom!

Part of training this time of year includes dark, chilly mornings. Today is no exception as I prepare for a long run before the workday begins!

Thank you for visiting this blog and for your support of Kibisom!