Sadly, the much vaunted "100km in 24 hours" went poorly.  I only made it 22km and had to stop after averaging a blister every 2km (when they get as big as silver dollars, there's a problem) and when my feet started bleeding in four places.  That all sounds like complaining, and it partly is - a lot of it is indeed my fault.  I'm thinking mostly of my choice of footwear, namely, why I thought that hiking sandals were a good idea to start the walk in.  Don't get me wrong, I love my sandals, and they've carried me up to 15km at a stretch with no problems.  Darkness and unsure footing conspired against me though, and when my feet started to slide and a hot spot developed, the game was over.  Since I'm not a complete idiot, I did pack other shoes - but I couldn't get to them until station 3, at km 30 (just 8km too far!). 

I won't be so bold to say that if I didn't have foot problems I could have made the whole walk - shortly after I threw in the towel it started to rain, and it kept raining for the next 6 hours - not exactly ideal conditions.  And while I wasn't sore from the walk, I had only made it to slightly over 1/5 of the total and trying to extrapolate from the first part (always the easiest) is just an exercise in futility.  I am, however, proud that I made the first 22km in slightly under 4'30" - not bad, and assuming (note that that is the operative word there) that I could have kept that pace up I would have been ok.  While it didn't go as well as I'd hoped, it was still a great experience - watching the sun come up over a deserted mountain valley in silence was amazing - and given the possibility, I'd like to try it again - this time with real shoes. 

My attempt (that being the operative word) to run/walk 100km in 24 hours starts in slightly less than 36 hours (more information here).  I'm lucky enough to have three generous donors, and if I complete the challenge a total of $57.00 (an even $60.00 if I complete it in less than 23 hours and 30 minutes) will go to PROCEDI - an organization that helps the less fortunate in Guatemala.  Each month, a poor family in Guatemala sponsored by PROCEDI recieves 32 Euros - it doesn't sound like a lot but it makes a huge difference in their lives.  Right now, completing the walk will help one family for a month, but being the hypercompetitive person that I am, I'd like to do more.  So, if you are interested at all, please contact me (or use the form here).  Thanks for your help, and be sure to check back to see how it went!

Disclaimer:  it was more of a walk, but that title didn't sound nearly as catchy.  My attempt to run 100km in 24 hours is rapidly approaching - as of today, I only have 13 days until it begins.  More information can be found here).  Although I've been running at least three times a week, only going 4-5 km at a time isn't really the best practice in the world for trying to run/walk 100km in one stretch.  To see if we even had a chance, Erica and I did a test walk this Saturday.  Our goal was the small town of Nierstein, one of the many wine villages along the Rhine, which had the advantage of being only 18km south of Mainz.  With high spirits, we loaded up the backpack with water and sandwiches and headed down the nice trail, keeping the Rhine in sight for most of the way. 

To be honest, after about 1 hour, walking gets pretty boring.  We were the only walkers out that day - we almost got run over by bikes, but that's another story - and while the weather was perfect, it was also just a bit warm.  Ten kilometers later we happened upon some shade, and to our luck this shade was right under a cherry tree.  Needless to say, we stopped there for a bit, filled up our now-empty sandwich bags with delicious (made more so by the fact that they were free!) cherries and kept on going.  After a total of 4 hours we had made it to just outside of Neirstein, and as it wasn't the prettiest of towns we decided to turn around there and head back.  After another hour we decided that our test was completed - 5 hours is a loooooong time to walk, especially as we were unaccustomed to the long-distance thing.     

Now for the stats: in 4' 58.92" we made it 16.01 miles (26.68 km), so assuming that we can keep up this pace, we *should* be able to complete the walk in 24 hours or less, even with some time saved for breaks.  In addition, I plan to run at least some of it, so I would say that my chances of finishing the race are at least decent.  That having been said, I still need sponsors!  Remember, all of the money that I raise will go to help orphans and children in Guatemala (you don't hate children, do you?) and that every little bit helps.  Only want to give $0.01 per kilometer that I complete?  I'll still take it.  It's for a good cause, and now that I've shown that I should be able to do it I just need your support.  To let me know if you're interested, please use the contact form or email me here.  Thanks in advance, and Think of the Children!

I officially registered for the "Run of the Crazed" today (see one of my posts from a while ago for more info on that), but there's a small catch:  the sponsoring organization would very much like us to find sponsors.  All proceeds will (at least theoretically) go to the project PROCEEDI in Guatemala, which gives financial support to children of poor families so that they can attend school, have shoes, not starve, and all of these wonderful things that people everywhere tend to like.  And since I think it's safe to assume that none of you hate poor children (or do you...), I will have to ask that you consider sponsoring me.

What then, does this mean?  Anything you want.  If you want to give me $0.01 per kilometer that I run, that's fine.  If you want to further complicate matters by imposing conditions, like giving me $0.01 per kilometer if I can complete at least 50km, that's fine too.  You can even bribe with offers of a whole dollar (slow down, cowboys!) if and only if I complete the whole thing.  Really, any offer will be accepted, no matter how ridiculously low or the insanity of the attached conditions.  Remember, all of the money is going to a good cause and I will see none of it.  You don't hate children, do you?  Do you?

As further incentive, I'll keep this post updated with any and all sponsorship offers that I receive, including name, location, and amount (which can of course be anonymized should you so choose).  If that's not enough, then you'll have my thanks and the thanks of the children.  (Think of the children!). 

To make an offer, please send me an email at this address.  If that doesn't work, you can also use the Contact Page.  Thanks in advance for your support!