June 23 Update: Beaches, Directions and Speed Bumps

Ok, quick update here... I told you I was going to attempt to travel from my home to the beach in Porter County on foot, hopefully on the trot, and yesterday that small goal was met.  Never before in my life have I gone so far in one outing, and, I must say, I was pretty pleased with myself.  Just under 17 miles from front door to the shore.  I didn't set any land speed records - I hit the sand in a little less than 3 hours - but, I did it.  The first twelve miles were pretty steady and not too bad.  The last five were more of a challenge.

A few lessons were learned along the way: 1) sunscreen should be applied everywhere (even the little hard to reach spot just under your shoulders near your back), 2) write down the directions given to you (especially when they are provided by your wife!) before setting out on a long run, and 3) the Xavier Rudd cover of "No Woman No Cry" is a great tune.

Not only are many of you paying for the run in pledges, but you'll be happy to know that I am paying for the run today too.  I am sore and my niggling calf injury has flared up.  I have a great training staff at VU so I am sure they will keep me upright and mobile, but I do fear I will be forced into some shorter, slower outings for a few days while the calf sorts itself out.  Injury is part of athletics, as we all know, and the key to healing is a positive outlook... so I will choose to view this as merely a speed bump rather than a road block.  I now have great excuse for a massage, so it isn't all bad!

Gotta run (walk, limp, crawl),

Mike

The Extra Mile Update 2 (Subs, Ironmen, Villagers and Alchemists)

Hi everyone... it has been a while, I know. I hope you have been well.

Things here have been moving right along, and despite some scheduling challenges, the miles have been adding up. I do have to admit that I enlisted the help of a friend this month, and the move turned out to be one of tactical genius for the coach - kind of like the striker who comes on late to score a golazo in his first touch of the game! I'll get to that story in a minute...

... but first, the mileage:

June 2: 7 miles
June 3: 7 miles
June 4: 6 miles
June 5: 7 miles
June 6: 6.5 miles
June 7: 10 miles
June 8: off
June 9: 7 miles
June 10: 3 miles
June 11: 6 miles
June 12: 7 miles
June 13: 7 miles
June 14: 8 miles
June 15: 3 miles
June 16: 3 miles
June 17: off
June 18: off
June 19: 8 miles
June 20: 3 miles
June 21: 20 miles * sub (Mark "Ironman" Johnson)
June 22: 6 miles

The total so far is 127.5 miles. Only 872.5 miles to go!

Remember, I have to hit about 200 miles per month to get this thing done. June is a short month, but I have 9 days to get 72.5 miles in, or about 8 miles per day. I have developed a little bit of a calf strain in my right leg, but I think we will be able to work through it. I still have one substitute left for the month of June (2 per month is the rule) and I will try to use that sub wisely.

Speaking of super subs - my first one turned out to be a huge boost to the effort. As I explained in my last update, June 16-18 were the dates of our first VIP camp for 2008. The camp is an important event for us in a lot of ways, and it takes a lot of time in planning and implementation - which means there was not a lot of time for running during those days. I had been pretty consistently hitting 6 or 7 miles a day with a longer Saturday run, but during the VIP I had to scale back. Sunday through Friday of that VIP week I only squeezed out 20 miles on the road, which meant that the weekend needed to be a BIG day.

Enter Mark Johnson.

Mark has no real connection to our program other than the fact that he lives two doors down from us here in Valparaiso.

Carin, Alex and I really hit the jackpot when we landed in the neighborhood we did here in Valparaiso. We live on a cul de sac in a sub-division near campus, and we couldn't ask for a nicer place to live. They say it takes a village to raise your family, and if true, Alex is in good hands because of the villagers we live by - including Mark and Barbie Johnson. Friendly, sharing, helpful people that take an interest in each other is a relative rarity today, but we have found it on Potato Creek Court.

A few times a week you will find the neighbors sitting out in a driveway, enjoying each other's company, a few adult beverages, and the beautiful summer weather. During one of these evenings, my running and the Extra Mile came up in conversation, and Mark told me immediately he'd like to be a substitute runner one day and donate some mileage. Late last week I told him I needed some help, and he said he'd be glad to hit the road for us on Saturday morning. Mark is an intense competitor and fitness fanatic that trains and competes in triathalons - I believe he has twice tackled the Ironman Triathalon - so I knew we'd be in good hands on Saturday. Little did I know....

Here is the email I got from Mark last night:
Hi Mike,

I am officially giving you 20 miles that I ran on Saturday. Hope you had a good weekend.

Mark

That was a great email, and a great donation! I should point out that Mark and his wife Barbie (Mark and I have one thing in common at least - we are both over-achievers in the marriage category) have also donated financially to our cause. I should also note that it was recently discovered that Mark has a tear in his rotator cuff - a chronic and painful shoulder injury likely stemming from his swimming, biking and lifting - and he will head into surgery on Wednesday. Just before going on the shelf for a while, he knocked out a really long run for our program. Thank you Mark!

I am inspired by Mark, and by the many others that have donated to our efforts. As a tribute, I am going to attempt my own "really long run" this afternoon. Not quite 20 miles, and very certainly not at the pace Mark can glide through them, I will still get up around 16-18 miles today as I run/walk from my home in Valparaiso to the beach in Porter County. Carin will be there playing volleyball (my wife plays professionally on the beach in the summers and trains in the afternoons near Lake Michigan) and she can then drag my sorry rear end home if I make it.

I did download one of my favorite books, "The Alchemist", for the trip today. The audio version is about three hours long, so hopefully I can see the shore before it ends. If you have not read this book - you should! It is a great tale about chasing your dreams.

That is all for now. I will update you again soon. Many miles to go before we rest, so gotta run...

Mike

The Extra Mile - Update 1 (VIPs, 'Bama, Amos, Two Foot Tackles, & Freedom)

Hello everyone,

Well, we are one week into the running and I am happy to report that I am still on my two feet and (very slowly) churning out the mileage.

The greatest challenge - other than the obvious physical challenge - has been simply finding the time to run as this is a very busy part of the summer. On Monday we play host to the second annual VIP camp, and as you can imagine a lot of time and preparation goes into the planning stages of the event. Rick is doing the heavy lifting for that with some help from "'Bama" Leroy (sounds familiar - I know, we are very lucky to have these guys on our team) but it is a time consuming project. The Valparaiso Identification Program (VIP) is a high end recruiting camp that will bring over 70 talented high school players to campus June 16-18. Last year's camp was very successful for us in terms of identifying recruits. Six of our incoming freshmen for 2008 are alums of last summer's VIP and our hope is that following the two sessions of the 2008 VIP (we have another in July), we will identify another group of recruits that are a fit for what we are building here. The camp is critical to our continued recruiting success, and the list of players attending looks to be very promising. Grant us some good weather, and we are in business for another great VIP week.

Sorry, I have camp on the brain, and this is about the running, so back to the point. My mileage is slowly but surely adding up. Here is what week one looked like for me:

Monday, June 2 - 7 miles
Tuesday, June 3 - 7 miles
Wednesday, June 4 - 6 miles
Thursday, June 5 - 7 miles
Friday, June 6 - 6.5 miles
Saturday, June 7 - 10 miles
Sunday, June 8 - off

Week one finished with a total of 43.5 miles. I am about one mile off the pace of 44.5 miles per week, but I think I can get back on track this week. I have had many of you ask about times and how fast I am running, and I have to say that I don't honestly know. I have purposely left the watch behind and have focused only on the distance and how I feel. When I feel well, I run a bit faster, and when I struggle, I slow down and maybe even walk a few hundred yards. This Extra Mile campaign is certainly more of a marathon than a sprint, so I am trying to be careful to make sure I can make it through to the end. I will add that there is something very nice about the "not caring" part of the approach. I certainly operate in a results oriented world, and I do most things in my life at a dead sprint with little patience or appreciation for the journey, and I think this crazy run may even help me grow a bit in this area of my life.

My competitive juices do rise up and get the best of me at times... I have taken to running at a local park where many others are also out on the trot. There are runners and walkers of all shapes and sizes and fitness levels in the mix, and I like having at least a few others out suffering with me. The young fit runners - you know these guys...Prefontaine hair, short running shorts, no fat on a shirtless body, running easily by you with a smirk - well, these guys can get to me. I often end up racing them for a half of lap or so until I die off and then dream of two foot tackling them as they speed away. I am much more former athlete than athlete these days, but I still love a good fight, and if the running referees at the park need to give me a card now and again, I guess I can live with that!

My favorite side benefit of this has been the opportunity to unplug from work for a few hours each day and plug into my ipod. Seriously, the ipod may be one of the greatest inventions ever! I've told you before that music plays an important role in my personal life - not in any way as a performer, but just as a fan and as one who is inspired by great songs and song writing. There is a great hook in an Amos Lee song that goes "freedom is seldom found, by beating someone to the ground..." and it got me to thinking. Not about the obvious political undertones, but more personally, about my own life. First about being a dad and how I handle parenting a four year old son, then about being a coach and how I handle a team of college age kids, then about me and how I can sometime treat myself.

I am out of shape and mad I myself for letting it happen. If I focus on becoming fit instead of focusing on what I used to be, or unfit, and really just give myself a break, maybe I can find some of the freedom Amos sings about and some of the freedom we all want in our lives. We all need to quit "beating ourselves to the ground" and enjoy the freedom life has to offer.

Thanks to Leah Gates, mom of current player Jon Obial, for sending me that Amos Lee cd!

I need to tell you that the pledges that have come in since the start of this endeavor have been fantastic. THANK YOU! Alums, families, friends, co-workers, and even a few people I have yet the pleasure of meeting face to face have jumped on board. This is going to be a very successful effort to raise funds for our teams, and we will be in a position to make significant improvements. This incoming team will see the benefit, as will the program for the foreseeable future. Pledges keep coming in on a daily basis, and I have so far been successful in a personal goal I have set to secure at least one new pledge per day for the first two months of the campaign. Even if it is one pledge for one cent per mile, the accumulation of little things at the end of the day is no longer a little thing.

I have also had the wonderful offers of mileage from willing substitute runners. There is a marathon coming in July and even a rumor of an extreme 100 mile run sometime later this summer. If I can get that kind of milage donated, wow, I might get a few weeks off! There has been further offers of support in prayer, running shoes, babysitting (so I can get the run in on a weekend day), therapy (physical - not mental!), and many other thoughtful gestures. Again, to everyone involved...

THANK YOU!

Last two things very quick, I am still putting together a pledge form so you can get to work signing up your friends to join us. I will email that to you in the next day or so. I am also nearly finished with the creation of a blog site. This will be a site devoted to the Extra Mile campaign and will allow me to daily update those interested on how the running is going.

That is all for now, gotta run...

Mike

The Extra Mile - Introduction

Okay, this may take some time to read, so let's get right to it...

Those of you who know me, you understand that I am extremely passionate about the Valparaiso Soccer program. I have spoken to you in person, on the phone, or via email regarding this team and where we are heading.

You have heard me talk about the potential of this team to accomplish remarkable things, to make history, to do things nobody thought before was possible. All of those things are happening within our program.
It is exciting, extremely rewarding, and a lot of fun. We are daily getting closer to our goals, and now we need your help with a little push over the edge.

I am asking you to go "the extra mile" for this program.

This morning, June 2, I took the first steps of a ridiculous adventure to raise much needed support for the Valparaiso men's soccer team. I am going to foolishly attempt to run (jog, walk, maybe even crawl now and again) 1000 miles between June 2, 2008 and November 2, 2008.

That is a 1000 miles in a period of five months, or 200 miles per month.

That is about 22 weeks, or 45.5 miles per week. That is exactly 153 days, which breaks down to an average of just a few steps over 6.5 miles per day.

Remember, this is coming from a coach that has not run 10 miles combined in the past year. I will hit 40 years old during this challenge, and, quite honestly, I have seen better days. Years of playing and training have left me with some creaky joints. Four years of parenting and fruit snacks and the Disney Channel has turned me soft around the edges. To run 1000 miles, though maybe not in the superhuman category, is certainly going to require some commitment (and a lot of ibuprofen and ice!) to complete.

The point is, I am willing to physically go the extra mile for our program.

As a fund raiser, the way this works is very simple. The team, staff, and I will secure donations per mile, and all the money raised will go directly to the men's soccer program. If you sponsored me at .01$ per mile, you'd be committing up to $10.00 total (assuming I hit 1000
miles). If you sponsored me at a level of $.25 per mile, $250.00 would be your maximum contribution. If you were very generous and sponsored us at $1 per mile, you'd be giving $1000.00 directly to the program.

Whether you are in for a penny, a dollar, or anywhere in between or beyond, your support will enable us to further push this program along and to help the young men in our program achieve their potential both on and off the field.

Just so you know, we are invested in this thing financially as well. The first two pledges received were from the King family (my assistant Rick and his lovely wife, Nina) and from the Avery family (my beautiful wife, Carin and son A-Rod), and each family is sponsoring the effort at
$1 per mile. Hitting the goal of 1000 miles, that would be $2,000 toward the program right off the bat.

We are also willing to financially go the extra mile for our program.

Why this cause? This is a legitimate question when we live in a world that has great need, and where a Division 1 college athlete is a relatively privileged individual. I can only tell you that I believe with all my heart that the work we are doing with this soccer program will have lasting implications on the young men that are involved, and as we improve our resources we will be able to serve the players even better.

Greater resources will certainly allow us to be more competitive on the field, but in and of itself, the competitive results are not what this program is all about. What it is all about is creating an environment that helps produce and nurture young men with the character, intelligence and inspiration to go out and change the world. Changing the world is a pretty tall order, I know, but I also think it is possible.

In practical terms, the money raised will go to items like video editing equipment, locker room enhancements, office and meeting space improvements, marketing and promotion of the program, and continued improvements to our game and training environments at Eastgate. Each of these areas will have an immediate impact on our current team, and a lasting impact on the future of the program. Competitive results will improve due to these enhancements, as will our ability to teach the life lessons that go hand in hand with our sport.

I have been coaching in college for 16 years, and I have to tell you that this is the first time I have ever attempted anything like this. It is also the first time that I have gone to my personal friends and immediate family in an attempt to raise money for a program I was coaching. I don't mind sharing that I have already received anotherdollar per mile combined from my brother, David, and my mother Cricket. That's another 1,000 dollars to our program. "Side note- I just
went to get the mail and found another 11 cents per mile from two co-workers - Candy Jessen our recruiting secretary, and Bob Brooks, our strength and conditioning coach. $110 dollars to the program here and there adds up to the ability for us to make significant changes.
Thanks you two!"

What can you do? Three things pop to mind immediately: 1) pray for my health and sanity!, 2) consider a donation per mile, and 3) help us secure donations from others. Could you find ten friends or co-workers or neighbors to each go in for a penny? This whole program is about
"team" and I like the idea of you forming your own team to help us with this effort. Between now and November 2, 2008 (the date of our last regular season home game in 2008), it will be fun to see just how big our dreams really are, and what we are collectively willing to do to achieve those dreams. When ordinary people like you and I get together, I am convinced we can accomplish some extraordinary things.

Will you help us and go "the extra mile"?

If you are interested in getting involved, just send me an email and we will take care of all the rest. In the next few days I will send out a sign up form for you to use in creating a team of donors. Also, if you choose to just send a flat fee donation, please send it to my office and
I will make sure it then gets to the right place and into the right account. If you'd like me to contact anyone personally because you think they may be interested to get on board, please pass me their name and contact information.

I will update you regularly through our normal email list on the progress I am making towards the goal of 1,000 miles. It should be a lot of fun. I know we are bound to meet some interesting people along the way and have a story or two to share. I did start the running this morning with 3 miles before breakfast. I am heading off to do a few more during lunch, and then will save my
favorite mile for this evening when I take my four year old, Alex for a quick loop around our neighborhood. I hope that last mile becomes an integral part of this experience. At the end of day 1 we should have 7 down and "only" 993 to go! Heck, this should be a piece of cake!

I should also point out that as the head coach, I am allowed to make up to two substitutions per month. If you are a runner or a walker and want to be my sub for a day, let me know. If you are running any marathons this summer, really let me know!

1000 miles in 5 months. Are you with me?

I look forward to hearing from you. Gotta run,


Mike