Every New Year's Eve I go back over the things that I have done, should have done, and regret doing. This year I am going to go back over this last year chronologically. Take a trip down Amnesia Lane with me if you will.
JANUARY 2013
I was just getting over a horrible back spasm that left me out of commission for six weeks. I was told by my Chiropractor that I needed to strengthen my core muscles to help prevent future occurrences. So I join Planet Fitness. This also allows me to start running again on the treadmill. I have some bad knee pain so I adjust my running style. It was at this time my good friend Kerri Drees tells me I'm signing up for the Sunshine Fest 5K (if you knew Kerri, this statement makes perfect sense to you).
I sign up but lack motivation to run outside in the cold, subzero temps. So I do a search on Google and find a picture that spoke to me...
I posted this on facebook and my fb friend Michael Wasserman commented on it saying "you can run for me anytime!" Michael is a 52-year-old man who has Down syndrome and is confined to a wheelchair - so this was perfect motivation! I set out to run for Michael.
In a conversation I had with Kerri, she insisted I go on Q-FM and talk about what I was doing. Kerri and I talked about it and we both thought maybe others would love to do this as well. So I started I Run 4 (IR4). I thought how nice it would be to have a group of about 100 people doing this. I felt that number was a big stretch. I completed my first ever 5K and first ever run for Michael in 32:10
FEBRUARY:
I competed in my first ever 10K fittingly called the "Frozen Feat". I completed it in 1:04:25. The temp was a balmy -2. It certainly isn't a fast time but I was tickled pink because I just ran 6.2 miles.
MARCH:
I lose my delivery route with Cass-Clay/Kemps and became a relief driver for them. This was not a high point in my year. I would spend the next four months in a hotel in Rugby, ND (the geographic center of North America). I made a couple friends there but it certainly was not home. By this time I was paying for two gym memberships in Grand Forks, ND that I could not use.
On the bright side to March, I did participate in the Polar Plunge to help raise funds for the Special Olympics (another Kerri suggestion). I raised $250 and jumped into the freezing water. It was brutal but worth it!
APRIL
April was a rocky month. The horrible winter was not letting go. On April 15th (the day before my 41st birthday) we had a snow storm and my delivery truck was hit by a semi-trailer. Thankfully there were no injuries but it sure made for a long day.
The upside to this month was the growth of IR4! We had grown larger than I could have imagined. God really took the reins on this endeavor. We hit 500 members and 50 matches in 5 countries! I thought...
This is getting big - I need a Board of Directors!!!
Without further ado I selected the Board members as well as the Vice President. For VP I selected Amy Courts. She had set the bar for interaction among the runners and the buddies. When people would ask me what they needed to do to be a runner I would say without hesitation "Read all of Amy's posts!"
The IR4 Board of Directors each had their strengths that I felt would best serve the organization. It wasn't who was going to agree with me but who would be likely to challenge me when an issue came up where I was not right. I selected Josh Jones, Yvonne Jones, Mary Morris, Lea Duckstad, Alison Larsen, Lesley Larson.
MAY:
Winter is still hanging on. But it breaks just in time for me to complete my first ever half marathon in Fargo, ND. I completed it in 2:21. It was the best feeling crossing the finish line of a 13.1 mile run for Michael with the crowd cheering inside the Fargodome!
JUNE:
I was looking at becoming a nonprofit organization. I talked with Kerri Drees again (are you seeing a recurring theme here). She put me in contact with Michelle Walters of Vessel Christian Foundation. Michelle and I decided to meet at Starbucks. After an hour and a half she was very excited about the future of IR4. A week later, we are accepted into their umbrella and receive nonprofit status. We also hit 1000 members! Kerri once again puts me on the radio.
JULY:
We have the first two fundraisers as a nonprofit organization. The first is a family fun center in Grand Forks called Northern Air. The second was a concert from my good friends Nine Lashes.
Then without warning, at the end of July, my dad has a stroke and a hemorrhage on his brain and needs emergency surgery. The surgery was on Friday and my dad was home on Sunday. Then came August.
AUGUST:
Sunday August 4th, I was preparing for my last two days as a driver for Cass-Clay. I looked at my phone and saw I had gotten a text from Kerri about a New Year’s Eve concert featuring some of my favorite hardcore Christian metal bands. She sent it at 1:00 pm but I didn't see it until after 8. I sent a response but didn't get one back. She must have gone to bed early.
August 5th, Kerri went in to surgery to have her lap band removed. The doctor had accidentally nicked an artery. Kerri Drees never made it out of surgery. She went home to be with Jesus that day.
Her funeral was the following Saturday. I was honored to be able to play on the worship team that led her memorial service. The following day, my dad landed back in the hospital. He was having mini strokes due to his blood thinners being out of whack. He spent the next 5 days in the hospital.
SEPTEMBER:
I completed the Color Run with my adorable 3 year old daughter. We had such a blast.
OCTOBER:
This is when the craziness starts. The press finally caught wind of IR4. Natalie DiBlasio of USA Today and David Schwab of WDAZ-TV both did some awesome stories. I also completed my second 5K and 10K at the Wild Hog in Grand Forks.
NOVEMBER:
IR4 hit a huge milestone! We hit 10,000 members! I am interviewed by Torrie Greer of the Crookston Daily Times and Kevin Bonham of the Grand Forks Herald. I also did a radio interview with Missy Ohe of the Missy Ohe Show on Q-FM
DECEMBER:
I scheduled three bands to come in 2014 for an IR4 fundraiser! We also have come up with another IR4 project which we will be unveiling in early January. I can't wait to let you all know what it is!
I realize this blog got a little wordy but it was an incredible year. None of which would have been possible without God in my life. He blessed me with a great staff. Thank you to my Board of Directors and VP Amy Courts.
I want to say a special thank you to those who put so many hours a day into IR4... Connection Coordinator Carol Dublin, HR Director Lesley Larson, and the Former Connection Coordinator Kim McGuffey. Without you we would not be who we are today!
Last but not least, thank you Michael. You are the inspiration for 11.8k people! Without you this dream dies. I love you, buddy and thank you for letting me run for you. For those of you reading this - who do YOU run for?
