What's Next?

I believe that I mentioned in a previous post that I won't be updating the blog as much since I'm not in a traditional training cycle right now. I didn't do an update on Extra-Life yet so I will say that it went pretty well. I was disappointed that I didn't make my fundraising goal, but I know that overall over 2-million dollars was raised for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals nationally. I don't yet have results for our specific hospital, but I know it was at least $686.

Even though I don't have any major track and field events coming up it's still a good time to look toward the future so I can plan my training and recovery accordingly. I did my cycle of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset a couple of months ago now and that went extremely well. I'll even have some exciting news about that coming up soon, but I can't share it quite yet.

Since I finished the Reset cleanse I have been working out to Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire program. It's mainly a cardio program, but not as insane as Insanity. It's been keeping me in shape without breaking me down which is what I need right now. It has also given me a chance to work out with my wife for the first time ever since I started working out at home. The new Insanity: Asylum Volume 2 program came out earlier this month and I had planned to start it, but I'm enjoying the workout time with my wife and it's nice to be able to accomplish our workouts at the same time. If I switched programs right now I would probably have to go to an evening workout schedule if my wife keeps the morning. It's not worth it for me at the moment as long as I'm still getting a good workout with Turbo Fire.

I did pick up a special deal on Rev Abs, which is a total-body and core strengthening program with Brett Hoebel. He was one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser. They had a one-day deal where the entire program was only $22 for coaches with free shipping so I thought I should at least pick it up and add it to the collection. I started doing some of the workouts on days where my wife was running or working out later than me. I've really been enjoying it so far. The core training is one of those things that is very important for injury prevention in sprinters. I would love to do the 90 days straight through sometime, but for now I am working it in when I can with Turbo Fire. Kind of like my own little hybrid program.

So looking forward. I know that my plans always seem to change, but I am not currently planning to run in the USA Track & Field Indoor Masters Championships this year. It's just too far away and I'm not sure it would be worth it. I have a series of Charities Challenge indoor meets that I plan to run this winter and I'll probably try to make it to the Minnesota Indoor Championships as well. So the only National Championships this year that I plan to run is outdoor. It is in Olathe, KS which is probably about a seven hour drive. My buddy lives in Kansas City so I have a place to stay and hopefully we can get a relay together. It's also my birthday weekend so it should be a good time.

Extra Life Marathon

I'm participating in a marathon this weekend. Not the kind where you run 26.2 miles and then can't move for a day. I will be attempting to play video games for 24-hours straight to raise money for my local Children's Miracle Network Hospital, which also happens to be the place where I work. I've seen first-hand the heartwarming stories from the families who have benefited from Children's Miracle Network. I've also had a chance to meet the kids who we call Heroes. Kids who have been through more in their young lives than many of us could ever imagine.

Kids like Jonas, who at three years-old was diagnosed with a type of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. He's already been through surgery and chemotherapy. Even with all he has been through his smile and energy are contagious. He says he wants to be a pilot, train engineer, astronaut, archeologist, paleontologist, and maybe a doctor when he grows up.

This year I am playing in the Extra Life video game marathon in honor of Jonas. I have had the opportunity to work with many of the children like Jonas who benefit from the money that Children's Miracle Network raises. These kids just want the opportunity to grow up and play and live normal lives. Just spend a couple of minutes with any of these Heroes and you'll know why I am so passionate about helping them and their families.

Both of our children were born premature. We received meal vouchers from Children's Miracle Network that allowed us to spend as much time as possible with them while they were in the hospital. We're fortunate that both of our kids are doing well and we didn't need further assistance, but there are many families in the area that need your help.

This will be my second time playing for Extra Life. The last time was a couple of years ago when I used to regularly play video games. Since I have started working out at home my video game playing has dropped significantly. It's just hard to justify spending time playing video games when there are so many other things I should be doing. That's what's great about this event. I'm able to play video games, but it's for a very positive reason and a lot of families will benefit from the money raised.

So here's my plan. I will get up and start playing at 6am on Saturday morning. I'm mostly planning to play on the Xbox 360, but I will also play some tablet games. We have a halloween family event in the afternoon for work so I will bring a Nintendo DS and some games with me so I can continue playing. I plan to dress up as a video game player. When we get home I plan to play with friends online and at the house. I will continue to play until 6am Sunday morning. I'll send out a quick update to all of my sponsors letting them know I survived and then go to bed.

If you would like to support me and the children and families that benefit, you can donate by going to www.extra-life.org. I am currently about 70% on my way to reaching my fundraising goal. This link should take you directly to my fundraising page where you can learn more about Jonas and make a donation

http://www.extra-life.org/participant/PeteHaack

Thank you.