Lions Bears and Giants

Lions, Bears, and Giants 

The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. 
1 Samuel 17:37 

"Hey, you guys. Don't be afraid. I'll fight this Philistine giant." 

But David was young. David was not even a warrior, and certainly not an experienced warrior. Saul felt it necessary to mention these things after David had so fearlessly declared that he himself would fight Goliath. 

But David persisted. "When I am taking care of my fathers sheep, and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If it turns on me I catch it by the jaw and club it to death" (1 Samuel 17:34,35 tlb). 

If David had not experienced lions and bears, he would not have been prepared for his confrontation with Goliath. 

And as he watched the round stone find its mark, and felt the earth shake when Goliath fell, it was etched indelibly on David's mind and heart that his God was able. 

This morning I struggle with defeat. Questioning why. Why when I try so hard to do the right thing I face so much opposition? What have I done wrong? 

Not knowing (at this time) the extent of my trials or what I am about to face, I realize it isn't my battle. The battle belongs to the Lord. I will trust in him, not myself. Maybe...just maybe....he felt my battle wasn't big enough. Maybe he plans on using me in a different manner. Maybe he is giving me another lion or bear to fight before I get to Goliath.......but I know this......I will fight Goliath......and he will fall.

Eugene Thompson

ET This I Believe

Marathon Runner.....soon again.

A Dopey Start to 2016

So it has been a long time coming.....the running of the Dopey. Yet another bucket list item. I put the Dopey Challenge on my list only after I had already finished the Goofy Challenge last year. You actually get the Goofy medal when you run the Dopey.....I didn't realize that! So for some of you that are unaware of what the heck I'm talking about, here is the explanation. Disney has a marathon challenge every year in January in Orlando. I first ran the half in 2008 and then didn't run a lick for nearly five years after. Each race is a character......of course....you would expect anything less from Disney!

5k (3.1 miles) - Thursday - Pluto

10k (6.2 miles) - Friday - Minni Mouse

Half Marathon (13.1 miles) - Saturday - Donald Duck

Full Marathon (26.2 miles) - Sunday - Mickey Mouse

Now if you are crazy enough you can double up on these races and do the half and the full back to back. That challenge has a name: The Goofy Challenge and you get three medals. One for the half, one for the full and an extra for the goofy inside of you. I did this in 2015.....a bucket list goal.

Now if you are really really crazy you can run all four and then you will have entered the Dopey Challenge. Yes, all the races....waking up at 3:30AM for four mornings in a row (5 if you are flying back the following morning) may be biggest challenge. So yes, you guessed it, a medal for each of the four races plus the Goofy medal for doing the half and full and of course the Dopey medal for doing all four. Needless to say there are challenges far more than the running to overcome as well.

The cost of the races, the flight there, the stay there, the waking up each day really really early, the crowds and the time off to do such a ridiculous task. But it's fun.

So let me first say that my wife and I had a blast. It's always fun. Running together in our INCREDIBLES outfits was hilarious. Lots of fun comments from people. And of course we made it on the RunDisney post video. That's right.....because we're goofy......er Dopey. It was a nice surprise and a bonus to continue marketing Run Eugene Run.

We ran our own 10k races in the rain. I was soaked. It wasn't that bad though.

Together we did the 13.1 taking the opportunity to create a plethora of "selfies" along the race. I never stop for pictures but this was all about having fun......besides.....at mile .75 (yes you read correctly) I had to pee. We were pretty much in the back of the race. The last 50 or so runners......lol there's an experience.

Regardless of how we finished in the race, we finished together. It was a fun run to encourage each other and share in the adventure. We reminded ourselves that this half marathon was just a warm up for the full marathon the next day. My wife took an ice bath to ......errr....celebrate!

The next day was déjà vu all over again. Early morning again but great weather was expected. Super crowded with an expected 26,000 runners. As always I get to share my story while sitting in the corrals in the morning waiting. Met several people and chatted about why we were there and what we intended to accomplish. Some I would never see again after the race starts but others have become my Facebook friends. FLASHFORWARD:   I passed one guy  (forgot this name....I hate that) back and forth during the course of the 26.2 miles.

I actually had my best marathon ever. Not my best time.....second best....but my strongest finish. I kept really close to the pace I wanted to maintain throughout the entire race. During the course I knew I had to figure out how to refuel.....I haven't been good at that. This time I was able to rehydrate easily and eat two  bananas without getting sick. I think that was an accomplishment in itself.

The race is very crowded, almost entirely, except when we were on the highway portions. Other times we are squeezed into small paths or walkways. Often I found myself behind slower runners and could not pass them. I'm sure that hurt my time. At the half way point I was only 3 minutes off of my overall time. I didn't think that was too bad. I knew I still needed to conserve energy at this point in the race to push past my wall. It was beginning to get really warm out there too. When was that dreaded wall going to show up?

Mile 20 came and is always right near the Wide World of Sports. Yes I ran around the ball field and at the right field wall I once again pretended to jump up and catch a fly ball from going over the fence saving a home run and in effect winning the World Series......everyone always looks at me strangely! Well I felt great at that point.....everyone around me looked dogged. However my time has now slipped to 6 minutes off of my desired time......so I kicked it in gear!

That never has been an option for me at this point in a marathon. I've been way too tired. I'm just trying to maintain a pace to finish. This last six miles is also the most crowded due to the tight sections  while we are running through the parks or resorts. I am often able  to push a 8 min/mile pace until having to slow down until I can get around the crowds. I have to pass in the grass, on the median wherever and however to keep pushing. I have my eyes set on a goal. Despite my efforts I can't really gain enough time. It's a great effort if I say so myself. I finished in 5:20:15 which is about 11 minutes slower than my best time which was here in Virginia Beach during the Shamrock.

Now that I'm done, I collect my medals and get my photograph taken and head to pick up my gear bag. I knew my wife would be a while and I needed to get out of this nasty sticky wet clothes. I sit and wait and chat with a few people. Congratulating them on their completion. That is always so awesome to see others finish and happy of meeting their goals. Especially the first timers.

Finally my wife came through.....she was exhausted but SHE DID IT! Grandma ran the Dopey! She said she struggled with keeping the pace up ahead of who she called "The Balloon Ladies". They were the pacers at th end of the pack. If you fell behind them at any point you were picked up and escorted off the course. She said they were right over her shoulder at one point. She has a great story as well. I'll let her tell it. I'm so proud of her.......she said she has now officially retired from marathons!

Don't care where you finish in a race.....just finish. That is the reward. As competitive as I am I know I am not an elite runner. I will never finish in first place.....not even in my age group. Just a fact. But I can run against myself and push myself to be better than I was before. Running a marathon allows you to find yourself. Find something down deep where you can draw amazing energy from. It's real....and its powerful!

Until next time my friends.....see you out on the course.....and remember.....HAVE A FUN RUN!

Eugene Thompson

RUN EUGENE RUN

Savannah Rock N Roll #10 - The " * "Race

What in the world are you talking about now Eugene? An asterisk race? Just wait....you'll see.

I can tell you that after running so many marathons I've got a system down. However that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't worry. Savannah is probably one of the closest races to our own climate, terrain and general feel of home. With that said I am really wanting to have a PR. With the races stacking up afterwards I not sure I'll have a better chance than here.

I've been told that the course is one of the best in scenery, support and friendliness. We have never really spent time in Savannah before so it would be great to spend a few days here and see the sites.....unfortunately I'm on a fast pace schedule. No time to Lolly-gag around.....we fly out Friday morning and will fly back Saturday right after the race......literally within a few hours afterwards. Bummer.

We did arrive early enough on Friday to see a few sites and visit downtown area. Found out how hard it was to find a parking place in the historic area off the river. That should have been a signal that we weren't going to be able to find a spot for the race......duh, it didn't. Parked all the way down at one end and then walked back along the river. Not really what I wanted to do the day before a race but I was fine.

We had a nice lunch and then enjoyed the sites around town. Looked like there was a lot to see in a very short period of time. Figures.....I packed these trips in too tight and we won't be able to enjoy like we hoped. My wife wanted to be back for church that Sunday so we intended on flying back right after the race.....I mean RIGHT AFTER. A few hours after. I should be fine.

We stopped at a brewhouse downtown and enjoyed a cold one. I really wanted to be careful because I wanted to push tomorrow for a best PR. It was fun.....maybe we can return some day.

Dinner was an adventure.....I was really tired and didn't want to go all the way back downtown and struggle with parking. I looked over the fence right next door to the hotel and saw a restaurant.....a bit of a ghetto looking venue. I asked my wife if she was adventurous. Note to self: probably not a great idea to eat at a questionable place before a marathon. Although the place was ghetto, the chef only having a few teeth, the waitress appearing like a vulture as we were the only customers, the dessert being a piece of cake left over from the wanna-be major campaign party the previous night and the owner (self named The Lady) wearing outrageous body covering spandex.....the food wasn't half bad!

The morning of the race I grab the hotel shuttle since we found out there wasn't going to be parking. My wife took Uber a few hours later since I was leaving early. One of the guys in our van was probably going to be in the top 25. Pretty cool. We get to the race and I settle into my normal routine of preparing. Preparing my mind and my physical being. I eat my breakfast and wait the wait. The weather was warm so I decided to wear my tank top.....a departure from my normal gear. It promised to be warm today. In the high 70's to start the race.

Race time begins and I chat with several people. Everything is feeling really good. For some reason I'm in corral 17...... Really? That se ms really far back. I wonder what I put on my entry form. For that matter I wonder how many people lied on their entry form. I realize this quickly as the race starts and I'm having to zig and zag around everyone. This really hurts my time. I really like the fact that people are encouraged to run a marathon.....don't get me wrong.....but if you plan on walking the race within the first five minutes you should not be in corral 12!

My pace is great. I'm feeling great. I'm feeling strong. It's hot! People are dropping by the wayside quickly. Temperature hits 84 degrees and water is a nessecity. However cups are in short supply! Really? We haven't even got to the half way point and you are running out?! People with garden hoses are out as we run through the neighborhood. We grab a swallow and soak out head......not like I'm not already soaked with sweat. I've never been so wet except when I ran in the rain. I find out layer the humidity was 99%!

I was pushing good despite the temperature. My pace was set at 4:50 finish time and I was only 2 minutes off of that time due to the quick bathroom breaks......I peed in the bushes! I wanted a PR and didn't want to waste time! BAM mile 14.5 or so the state police was turning runners around. The heat was too extreme and they were shortening the race. No! No! I tired running around the officer but no doing, he stopped me. Crap!

At this point with a PR in my grasp I was deflated. I slow my pace and relax. Chat with a few other runners and met a new friend from Atlanta. Mike and I enjoy the run back which adds up to maybe 18-20..,..I'm not really counting at this point. Sure I got a PR.....my official finish was 3:30.....NOT! Oh well I get to listen to rascal Flats the headline band and chill out waiting for my wife. She was set up at mile 20 to cheer me on......I never reached that mark due to the shortened route.

So I finished the race (what there was of it), got my finisher metal, got my heavy metal for number six Rock n Roll, my jacket (like I needed that today!) but marathon number 10 will go down in the record books with a big asterisk (*). Just like the record holders for the baseball cheats......I didn't really do 26.2.

Dinner downtown after a baby wipe bath and we head to the airport.....mark through this journey and note that we need to return to Savannah again some time to enjoy the city. Rock n roll set me a free sign up for another race due to the race being cut short. Two people had died during or shortly after the race and over 17 more taken to the hospital. Countless others suffered. I won't complain......I live to run another day!

Have a great day my friends. Have a Fun Run

Eugene Thompson

Run Eugene Run

#RUNEugeneRUN

#RER26.2

It's More Than Just Diabetes

I found this list online while I was reading an article about diabetes. It didn't really give a whole lot of information about of the OTHER issues that come up because of diabetes but it did at least mention them. So many people think that diabetes is just because you eat too many sweets.....NOT! That dialog is for another post. At least this will give you an idea of WHATELSE can be added to your plate if you suffer from diabetes. You'll be surprised on the last one.....I added it because the list didn't even include it.

21.  Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the worst symptoms of diabetes. 

20.  Frequent Urination

To deal with high blood sugar levels, your body will attempt to use your kidneys to flush out the extra sugar, this causes a person to drink a lot more water. 

19.  Lack of Sleep

A side effect of frequent urination is that it interrupts sleep patterns. 

18.  Dry Mouth

As your kidney uses more water, it can also cause dry mouth. 

17.  Vision Changes

Another side effect of high blood sugar, is that fluid will be pulled from all parts of your body. 

16.  Sudden Weight Loss

Because diabetics can't produce enough insulin to process the carbohydrates in their blood stream, their bodies will turn to fat and protein energy. 

15.  Increased Appetite

Not being able to process carbohydrates for energy, your muscles and organs will often become starved. This will trigger intense hunger. 

14.  Fruity Breath Odor

When ketosis occurs chemicals known as ketones will be created. 

13.  Nausea

A build up of ketones from ketosis will make some people feel nauseous and sick. 

12.  Ketones in Urine

Ketones is not only exhaled through the breath, but is also urinated out. 

11.  Difficult Breathing

When your body goes into ketosis because of diabetes, a condition can occur called Kussmaul breathing due to diabetic ketoacidosis. 

10.  Tingling in Hands and Feet

Though, not completely clear why, diabetes and high blood sugar will cause damage to nerves and interfere with nerve signals. 

9.  Foot Sores and Ulcers

Tingling in your hands and feet can be extremely dangerous in diabetics. 

8.  Slow Healing Sores

Because of poor blood circulation any sore will take much longer to heal. 

7.  High Blood Pressure

Another consequence of diabetic damage to blood vessels is high blood pressure. 

6.  Fainting

Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to dehydration and damaged blood vessels.

5.  Frequent Infections

Diabetes can slow down your bodies ability to fight off infections. 

4.  Gum Disease

Also, because of poor blood circulation, dry mouth, infections, and nerve damage, people with unmanaged diabetes are much more susceptible to gum disease and loss of teeth. 

3.  Headaches

Low and high blood sugar will cause headaches. 

2.  PCOS

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is a syndrome that affects women and their menstruation cycle. It is also the most common cause of female infertility. 

1.  Fat and Fat Distribution

You do not have to be overweight to get diabetes. Slim celebrities like Tom Hanks and Halle Berry both developed Type 2 diabetes.

0.  Depression

Certainly not a zero! It didn't even make the list but I've added it. Blood sugar rollercoaster puts diabetics on that same ride. If you are down more than likely you will fall short and eat or drink something that you probably shouldn't.

Many doctors do not even consider that this is an issue......I added as zero....GROUND ZERO! Your emotions can help you overcome much of these trials and if you are struggling emotionally well then you'll struggle with everything else if your not careful.

Let me know if I've missed one....love to hear from my followers.

Remember my friends.....we are here to support one another. Let me know how I can possibly help.

Eugene Thompson 

Run Eugene Run

YMCA Independence Day 5K

Sometimes the little local races are the best runs. We see people,we know and they are small enough that you don't get overwhelmed by crowds. This one is nice because we can support local as well. That is always important. I didn't plan on running a PR today but rather just running along with my wife and encouraging her. She is making a lot of progress on her goal to run her first marathon in November. Supporting her encourages me.

Another thing about these smaller races is the number of people that are just starting running. While 5k is a breeze for me, for some people it is immensely difficult. I was there once too. These folks encourage me watching them overcome their struggles and conquer this race. I love to cheer on the finishers.

If you have a chance this summer, sign up for a little local race. It is really heartwarming and encouraging to others from your community. If you are one of the ones that are just starting out, sign up and run it, walk it......do whatever you can to finish it. You will get overwhelming support from others to help you finish. If you don't know where to look for one.....write me....I'll find one for you. RunEugeneRun26.2@gmail.com

Have a great day my friends and I hope you have enjoyed our Independence Day.

Eugene Thompson

Run Eugene Run

Walk a little. Run a little. Fight a lot!

Bringing awareness about diabetes

Push the RESET Button

So we find ourselves at the half way point in 2015.....how have you done on your goals? Yeah, me too.....not as good as I hoped. That honey-do list.....I don't want to talk about it. But that's okay, don't get all stressed out about what you didn't get accomplished. It won't do you any good. Just hit the reset button and get back out there and start again.

So many things I wanted to better at than I have. If I really worry about it I can get all worked up about wasting the last afternoon, the last week, the entire month of June......or WOW! What have I done all year?! Ok....now I am really depressing myself. STOP IT!

I enact the power of the RESET BUTTON. I vow to start over and give myself the opportunity to succeed with the burden of what I didn't accomplish as baggage. That regret will weigh you down and never give you the opportunity to get a fresh start. It will steal today's JOY.

Today's a brand new day my friends......your future is before you.

I'll celebrate with you at the finish line. Have an awesome day.

ET This I Believe

Eugene Thompson

Run Eugene Run

The Last Push in June

What a fantastic morning. Really slept well last night....I'm old and don't stay late much any more. Woke up refreshed pretty much my normal early morning time and enjoyed several cups of coffee in bed chatting with my wife. The run with TNT was cancelled due to the impending rain. So my wife and I had an enjoyable talk about our future and plans for the next steps in our business adventures. She is my best friend so our conversations are always wonderful. I think we encourage each other to do better every day.

She had a busy day selling real estate with some transactions and an open house that was taking her away on our Saturday afternoon. So I decided to get up and go for a run around the neighborhood. I wants again did my 6 1/2 mile route that I've been doing earlier this week. I amaze myself once again by setting another personal record in this distance. The third time in a week. Last Saturday I did my 10th best pace. And then on Monday I did the eighth best pace. This morning I accomplished my seventh best pace and I really didn't feel like I was doing that well. I love it when a plan comes together!

I stepped on the scales when I got back and weighed in at 191.2 pounds. Another record low.

Well I'm worn out now and it's not even noon on Saturday. I really want to get up and do some chores. So I will talk to you all later! Have a fantastic day.

ET this I believe

Eugene Thompson

Run Eugene Run

Flying Pirate Half Marathon

So I'm playing a whole lot of catch up here on my blogging. Sorry about that my friends I really did plan on doing a better job. Sometimes life.....and running just get in the way.

So my lovely wife and I decided to take a short break and go down to the outer banks in North Carolina for the weekend. She had asked me ......... long ago to sign her up for some of the races when I was signing up myself. Unfortunately she didn't realize that she had agreed to the half marathon in Raleigh that we ran last week (her first half in since 2008) as well as this one here in the OBX. Back to back half marathons! I was the only one that was supposed to be on this crazy rollercoaster running thing!

We both were sign up for the 5K on the Saturday morning as well. Yep, we're crazy....but you already knew that if you were reading this didn't you? We had hoped to head out of work early on Friday and spend a little time.......of course you know how that goes......it doesn't. We got out of town by 3PM and it was roughly a two hour drive. Fortunately the drive is pretty peaceful and nice. Regardless, we had to race (no pun intended.....yes it was) to the expo to pick up our bags and stuff. I couldn't wait until my wife got her bid that I registered for her.......this was going to be hilarious. You should have seen her face when when she saw it......priceless. 

In case you had to ask, my bib was 4225 and hers was 4697. My intentions were to have a nice run with her......and not leave her in the dust. I know.....I'm nice like that. Especially since we had these bibs.....lol.

So we check into our hotel which is on the beach and nice enough that our room faced the beach. Wasn't planned at all. I tried to spend as little as possible on this one. Too much traveling and expenses were adding up. Funny though that as we are walking up to the registration, so are two bus loads of teenagers........ah great!

We dump our bags and quickly head out to the restaurant for a bite to eat. It has been our plan to find someplace special to eat beforehand. This time we went to the Outer Banks Brewing Station for some tasty scallops. A bit pricey though. We didn't hang around long as we wanted to get back to the room and rest.

But even better was to run down to the waters edge and stick our toes in the water.......yep it was freezing cold! My wife elected not to get cold, but it was still fun.

So we got up early Saturday.....like every race day.....and like every race day I freak out making sure we get to a parking space to get to the start line. Never fails. However as we walk out in the hallway of the hotel we noticed that in front of every door on the floor was either the phone or the phone's receiver from the room. Looks like the chaperones took care of those teenagers. We slept great and didn't hear a peep.

Got to the starting line and was set to do the first run. Pretty much a piece of cake. Nice three mile run with a medal to boot. We ran along a few ladies who chatted with mile wife. They were doing a walk/run combination routine while my wife was just running. I figured the real test would be tomorrow. Anyway, we finished, cleaned up and then headed off to the Weaping Radish to meet our kids. They wanted to celebrate my wife's birthday (a few days late) cause our schedules never really aligned. A fun place and then off to some wine tasting.

After we bid our goodbyes we heading back to the beach area to meet one of my clients. Yep, business and pleasure. He wanted us to do some timeshare work at several of the key tourist spots......like 12 spots! After three hours of driving around we completed this task and headed out for another fun meal before this race.......tradition you know. 

Back to the hotel to get some sleep.......not! We had a bunch of drunks who was yelling up and down the hotel all night long. I even called the front desk and they were sending security. Did no good. Finally I had enough and went out in the hall and yelled back at them. Pretty sure I scared the crap out of them. Oh yeah, I did make sure to put my pants on before I went out in the hall. That might have scarred them for life. I so wanted to know their room number so I could pound on their door at 5AM with a wake up call. Oh well. Soon that was gone and we were getting ready to run the race. We ran across a few familiar faces. Saw some people who ran in the Newport News race. Also (I don't know his name) saw retired military guy who has ran in all the local races. It is a small community.

Nice slow run with my wife but that was my mission.....to help her get thru this run. The second in a week. Third this year. It looked like a storm at first but the clouds lifted quickly and all was clear. We did a little walk run along the way to help conserve some energy and push forward. I know it was tough on her but I was so proud.

Funniest thing is when someone sees my bib and calls out to me, "I chase da booty!"......and then I point back at my wife and they see her bib. Lol lol lol "I'm da booty!" I can't help but laugh.....and my wife can't catch me. 

I almost thought I wasn't get to talk extensively with anyone about running/diabetes but amazingly we were back and forth with two ladies (one dragging the other along) when I hear one say (the one being dragged) that she was struggling because she sat at work gaining weight and was a diabetic. There you go! So over the next few miles we share stories and struggles but more importantly our victories. Best to see those winners out there making a difference.

I'll probably never meet those ladies or will they ever read this but it would be great if we connected once again and I could hear about her continued progress. Those are the stories I'd love to hear every day. Encouragement!

My wife and I finished the race, hand in hand as we ran down the hill to the finish line. This was not my day in the sun.....but rather my wife's. Congrats babe!

Run Eugene Run.

Please me know how I can help.

Eugene Thompson

ET This I Believe

Run Eugene Run

For a bit of clarification for those who have asked about Run Eugene Run: many of you who know me well are aware that I have struggled with diabetes and its effects for a number of years. This new venture is in response to my victories and my struggles. 

About three years ago I was frustrated with the continued decline and failure to make positive progress in managing my diabetes. I had gained weight on the medications, felt terrible, lacked energy and more. The frustration finally reached a level that I refused to continue on the same path. So I made a change. 

I began a diet, lost nearly fifty pounds and then began running. In January of 2014 I completed one of my most important bucket items, running a full marathon. My wife and I joke about the first half marathon I did in 2008. Afterwards I was so pleased with myself I granted myself a week of vacation and no training. That vacation lasted over four years. Well I was bound and determined not to repeat that, so I ran five more marathons before the end of the year. A total of 600 miles with all the training. I recently went back to the doctor and she called me her hero. You don't know how good that made me feel. No only was the weight under control but my blood sugars were all in check and I was able to reduce some of my medication.

The last three marathons in 2014 were performed within six weeks of one another and required travel. New York, Colorado and back in Virginia. I finished it but boy was I tired. I wanted to see how my body held up to the running and travel before I made my 2015 goals. The first was to share my story with others. I wanted to encourage others with the same disease that they too can accomplish great things. There just doesn't seem to be as much awareness regarding diabetes as there are with other causes. I began sharing my story on Facebook and Twitter more recently. I write and repost blogs about food, diet, exercise and ways to help reduce some of the effects that diabetes does to your body.

Oh yeah, and the big 2015 goal? I'm pushing to complete 14 marathons this year and a 1000 miles. This last weekend I completed marathon number six and hope to get number seven this weekend in Michigan. That will get me half way to my goal and over 25% of the mileage. At each race I have been able to share my story and encourage others. Sometimes it's been on the jumbo tron at Disney, or talking to others at the expo before hand. I talked with others at the start line and even had a conversation while running down the road. That is the most important goal I can accomplish.

I have a website currently under construction and continue to write in my blog. I'm behind writing right now since I've done three marathons and one half marathon over the last four weeks. (That's if I'm able to finish the one on May 3rd - 1/2 marathons don't count) I appreciate all the encouragement and support everyone has provided. I started a fund to help support these goals that is posted below if you care to contribute. I hope to make this a national charitable cause and bring awareness and cures to all those seeking.

I'm not fast. I'm not spectacular. I'm just regular ol Eugene trying to make a little bit of difference in someone's life. Thanks again to all my friends. I appreciate everything.

Eugene Thompson

RUN EUGENE RUN gofund.me/idg4vk

Oh HILLS! Raleigh Rick n Roll

Well I just completed my fifth marathon this year. And I must say that it was a little bit rough on the hills of Raleigh North Carolina. I mean there were a lot of hills. They started off immediately but I was prepared. I knew there would be SOME hills but didn't realize the entire course would be full of them. I guess this is the second year for the Rock n Roll here in Raleigh. They changed the course due to the complaints about all the hills. I wonder what last year was like?!

Any way it was a well attended run and of course I got the opportunity to chat with a few people regarding running and diabetes. More about that later. Lots of support along the race from locals. It was a lot of fun hearing all the cheering fans. I intended on pushing up each of the hills. I can usually make some pretty good time by doing that while others mostly walk up the hills. I think running up them is easier.

Unfortunately I began to feel some knee pain earlier on at mile three......yeah, I know mile three. Not good. I thought maybe it would go away after a while and I would run out of it. Not so much, it was there for most of the run. I just gritted my teeth and ran through it. I actually was able to keep up my pace pretty well for the first 20 miles which I somewhat expected I would be able to do. This was not planning on being a PR race. I just intimate on running and having a good time. My wife was running a half marathon at the same time. This was her second of the year.

Over all a decent run. After mile 20 they're just really wasn't a whole lot of energy left in my body to climb anymore hills. I did the best I could and then when I got to mile 23 I decided to push up one of the longer hills that was in front of me. I was determined to beat this particular hill on the race. As I'm chugging up the hill there was a patron sitting in his lawn chair along the side cheering us on. He clapped his hands and yelled out to me telling me that I was doing a great job and keep pushing on and off the top of the hill and leveled off for "a little while". I hollered back, "only a little while?" His response was deflating, "oh yeah dude, you have hills to climb all the way into the finish line."

Well that was just wonderful news. I kept on trucking away. A little running a little walking getting my self a little closer to the finish line with each step. Ultimately that's all that matters anyway. Sure enough I don't think it leveled out until about mile 25.75 maybe. I ran past the Flying Saucer Draft Emporium and as they cheered me on I told them I would be back for a beer, I had my UFO card. That is a whole other story in itself. I turn the last corner and tried to muster up a sprint but there just wasn't that much left inside me. I finished the race in 5 hours 35 minutes. Not my best of course but not bad considering the hills.

Did a little test on this race to check on a few things about how my diabetes was reacting to the running. First of all I checked to see how pasta would do on a pre-race. I don't usually eat pasta and I certainly don't "carb up". I don't react very well to that type of carbs. My blood sugar skyrockets. I was careful not to overdo it the night before but regardless my blood sugar was 147 in the morning before the race. So as soon as I cross the finish line I have my wife bring my glucometer, or to check on my blood sugar. I was 73 at that point. I definitely needed to eat something.

Afterwords I went to grab a quick shower. Took my medicine and then went downstairs to the Jimmy V lounge. It was a neat place and we had a nice late afternoon snack at the bar area. I had burned over 4100 calories during the marathon. I could afford a few bites to eat. However afterwards I really was craving ice cream so we decided to walk around to see if we could find any in downtown Raleigh. No luck but did make it all the way back to the Flying Saucer.

My wife and I were both pretty sore but managed to hobble up-and-down the few streets. We both fell asleep pretty early that evening as I have a morning meeting at a construction site the following day. All in all I was pretty pleased with myself. It wasn't an easy race at all.

Oh yeah, my story about diabetes. It was a couple of guys that I talk to you at the Jimmy V bar that we chatted with regarding diabetes and running. I was pleased that I had the opportunity to share my story and advice. Again that is the reason why I'm doing all of this anyway. To help others. Others so that they can understand the great risk of this disease.

Nothing wild and crazy on this adventure just a pretty decent run and a great success. To all my friends that are out there are you need to do is tell yourself that you can do it. Don't except failure, settle only for success. And in the words of Jimmy V: Don't give up… Don't ever give up!

Till next time my friends, Run Eugene Run.

Please help and support my cause allowing me to continue racing and sharing the word. Here's a link to my funding website. I'm working on a few things that will allow me to expand this past time into more of a foundation agenda. Your support helps this greatly. Thanks again for reading and sharing.