Running for Walking

One day I will remember to bring my camera with me I promise. Today I went for a really awesome long bike ride. I biked down to Kiawah Island from James Island. The route looks something like this.

In total it was about 63 miles. I will tell no lie, I was hurting on the way back, but it was great. Kiawah is nice. It’s pretty much as upscale as a gated community can get. I think $500,000 homes is what passes for the poverty stricken area. Right outside of the island, where most of the houses and the Kiawah community is located, is this pseudo downtown area. It’s a little area that resembles a quaint little coastal downtown area with some shops, a bank, a restaurant or two, and a place that makes homemade soups called Ladles.

I road out to the very tip of the island where the ocean golf course is. I could actually see James Island from where I was and thought about just swimming across with my bike but after some thought decided against it. While I was enjoying the view at the golf course I met the manager whose name was Clyde. He came rolling up to me on his golf cart, I think he was just making sure I wasn’t about to go tearing off down the fairway, and we actually started up a 20 minute conversation about everything from politics, to food, to hurricanes.

Oh poor poor New Orleans.

About to get wiped out again by yet another monster hurricane. Actually we here in Charelston have a little storm pointed towards us at the moment. It seems thought that Gustav is kinda of interfering with it’s grove. I think it’s Tropical Storm Hannah. Anyhow it is projected to move along the east coast so we might see a little action. Nothing like Gustav though I’m sure. One can only hope that the federal government’s response to this storm will be a little…..better i suppose is the word.

So I think I missed last week’s blog. Kathryne (girlfriend for those not in the know) has been here for the past week.

She is a oil painted and came down to check out the area to see if it was for her. It turns out that it is. The art scene down here is really incredible. There are something like 32 galleries in just a small section of downtown alone (ahhhhh victory, just killed a mosquito that’s been flying around here annoying the daylights out of me, seriously the mosquitos around here are vicious) So yes she loves it down here. She had an interview for an art teaching gig, and I think she will be able to make a name for herself here. She’s very talented, far more so than I am.

She is actually moving into the house where I am at right now, which has it’s advantages and disadvantages. We really did want our “own place” so as not to have to share it with two other people, but I can’t get out and leave my current roomies high and dry, so there was still a room available so she took it. The room is bigger than mine and we think we are just going to turn my room into an office area, where both of our Imac’s can hang out. Cute enough to make you throw up in your mouth a little isn’t it? Her are some photos of our rooms and around the house.

She also has a really nice space to paint. Since she usues oils mainly she needed a well ventilated area and there just so happens to be a huge screened in porch on the back of the house where there is a ceiling fan, lots windows, plenty of light etc…

Brian is also thinking of turning the garage into a studio space, so she has loads of room to do her thing. So overall not a bad situation at all. We really aren’t paying anymore than living in our place either. Our roommates are nice, so I guess I really don’t have any complaints, other than that It would be nice to have somewhere to call our own, but that will come eventually. This seems like a good transition move. It might help smooth things over with her parents, who are completely and uterly against her coming down here. Actually they seem to be completely and utterly against her doing anything that they don’t feel is right for her. I’m not going to go into it anymore than that, and I don’t mean to sound like I’m trashing her parents b/c I’m really not. I just wish they would be behind her a little more b/c she is really stressing out trying to make them happy, while at the same time doing what she thinks is best for her. I’m sure they think she is moving down here “for the guy” which is really not the case at all. Anyhow I could go on, I won’t. Her parent’s are really nice, I think it’s just mostly fear. They are afraid of her making a mistake, or just having her so far away…..I dunno. Combination of things I suppose. It will all sort it’s self out.

Alright I’ll be back in a few days with actual photos of place outside.

thanks
-g

A couple of days ago I went out with some of the crew from Army Wives to a little mexican restaurant called Santis. Pitchers upon pitchers of margaritas were ordered, which I did not per-take in, seeings how I was on my bike and I thought that might be a bad combination. Anyhow when we got there, there was this huge group of cyclists, at least 15 or 20. They were riding around from one mexican joint to the next, celebrating one the of the riders 31st birthday. They had deemed the event “Taco Tuesday” Anyhow when I headed out at about 7:30 to head back home they were getting ready to leave too and asked if I wanted to ride with them. It was awesome. Just 20 of us riding through downtown owning the road. Everyone had really nice bikes too, completely tricked out with lights and racks. One guy had a rack with two speakers attached to it and a cd or mp3 player in the middle and he was blasting out pop mexican tunes. Awesome. Anyhow it turns out they ride together frequently, so I gave one of the guys my e-mail and hopefully I’ll be able to hook up with those people again. It would be great to have some people to go riding with.

I’ve found that Charleston in general, especially around James Island, is not too friendly to the biking and running community. It doesn’t matter how much reflective gear you have on, and how many safety lights you’ve got rigged to you, people are still constantly honking and yelling at you. Even if you’re following all the rules of the road, and even if you are in a designated bike lane. Allow me to give some advice to all of the drivers out there if I may. If you see a cyclist on the road, unless he/she is doing something that is endangering you or someone else please refrain from honking and shouting. We know you’re there, trust me, and honking and sudden loud sounds only startle us and cause us to lose our balance/focus. We have just as much right to be on the road.

It’s strange there are some bike lanes around the island but only in certain parts. For instance when you go down folly rd, a bike lane suddenly appears when you are about 3 miles from the beach. That means when you are coming back from the beach you have a lane, and then it just ends. I guess city officials just assumed that’s all the further bikers would ever want to go.

I miss fleet feet and Mock Orange in Winston. There aren’t too many great bike/running stores around here which frankly surprises me. I would have thought that a coastal town would have a thriving running and biking community. Not so much. Regardless I’m still running and biking everywhere despite the traffic and attitudes of some drivers.

Mid this week Katie, the props assistant on AW, fell ill and wasn’t able to work, so I got a call from Chris, the assistant prop master, asking me if I wanted to fill in for her and work a few days. At the beginning of the week I was back working in the sec dec department. I’m still working as an “intern” with set dec so when I work with them I’m not getting paid, but I don’t mind so much. I feel it’s important that I still show up every day and work, plus I just don’t want to get out of the rythym of working. I mean what would I be doing otherwise? Anyhow I switched back over to props on Wedneday and worked with Chris until the end of the week. It was particuarly nice b/c since Katie was out, I was working under an official union position, which means getting union pay rate, which is to say the least….very good. I will say that working with props is crazy. I mean I love it, but there is just no time to prepare for anything. Everything just hits you all at once, and you kinda just do what you can to get everything done. You always have a million different things on your mind all at once, and it kinda makes your head spin. TV is so so different from film. There is so little prep time, and every new episode is like doing a mini feature. New stuff is just constantly thrown your way, and everything happens so quickly. It feels like you can never stay caught up.

My girlfriend Kathryne is coming down to visit next weekend. She is currently still in Virginia with her folks trying to figure out her next step, and I’m hoping her next step might be down here. We’re doing our best to make things work, but we both have to do whatever is best for our careers, and that unfortunately is keeping us at a distance. But she is coming down to see what she thinks. Hopefully she will able to visit all of the galleries, and maybe meet with a few local artists and chat with them for a bit. I’m trying to use my Army Wives connections to help her in that regard.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll post some photos next time.

So I am now moved into my new place down in Charleston SC. My weekly postings haven’t really been happening, but they will from now on. Though, for the time being they will probably be more about my life in general, until RFW is back in the focus. My hope is that in a few months time I will have a steady stream of work lined up, then I can start working on the logistics of RFW. I’m still running and biking as much as possible. I pretty much work 13 hour days during the week, so that doesn’t leave a lot of time. However, I bike to work most days, which is about 16-20 miles (depending on the route) round trip so I’m at least getting some miles in that way. My weekends are usually free so starting with Friday nights I’ve been loggin short to medium runs. (6-15 miles)

Today I went on a nice little 40 mile bike ride just around Charleston. I just went around areas that I hadn’t been. I stopped off for lunch at this awesome little restaurant called the Majestic.

They name all of their dishes after movie titles and screen movies all day long while you eat, for free. It’s kinda awesome. On that same note there is also a movie theatre down here where you can order food, and drinks while you watch a flick.

Oh yeah, so I am living in a house out on James Island with two other roommates, soon to be 3 probably. Brian, who actually owns the house, is super cool. He’s a massage therapist, and artist. He does everything from surf board art, to bronze sculptures. He’s a really talented guy, and very laid back and has a a great positive view on life. Ashley (other roommate) is also awesome. She gets credit for achieving something I did not think possible. She introduced me to a wine that I actually like. I’m not much of a drinker. I don’t really drink to get drunk, but if it tastes good I’ll enjoy a glass or two. Anyhow I’ve never dug on wine, she had me taste this local peach thing, and it was actually rather delightful. So there you have it. I can now drink wine and not cringe.

Everything on Army Wives is also going well. The day after I got back down here I was working, so that’s good. For the past week and a half or so I have been a props PA. I’m really in a terrific position b/c I just keep bouncing around all of the different departments and I’m just learning so much. On top of that I’m actually getting paid. I’m pretty to be where I’m at considering where I started. I just came in as a intern PA, but I just kept up with the cute hungry puppy routine, and it seems to have worked. Apparently I made some good impressions and people have taken note of my work ethic. I will say one thing about my self, (I generally don’t talk my self up a whole lot) but if anything I consider myself to be a very determined and hard worker. I’ll work my self to death, but I enjoy. It’s sick I know. I know that I have a very addictive and obsessive personality, and that applies to nearly everything, including work, running and so on. If I’m in it, I’m in it all or nothing.

Anyhow being a props PA has been great. I will admit that some days have been frustrating simply because I’m still new and learning, and making mistakes. I’m smart enough to realize that with each mistake that I make I learn. Every time I mess something up, I won’t make the same mistake again. But that sure doesn’t make the mistakes any less frustrating. I just want to my job to the best of my ability, and it’s a little frustrating when I can’t deliver on something, simply because I’m new, and not due to any lack of work ethic, etc…. But fortunately the people I’m working with are really good people. They understand that I’m learning and adjusting, but at the same time they also don’t have time for on the job training or mistakes. It’s tricky. But I think the past two weeks have gone by fairly well. Just gonna keep pluggin away.

It looks like Props has a fairly low key week coming up, so I will probably move back over to Set Dec, or talk to Alton (the lead scenic) and see if he needs extra hands.

Charleston is a really great city. My place is pretty much perfectly situated too. I’m about 5-6 miles from downtown and the same from the beach.

Within two miles of my house there are grocery stores, lowes, movie theatre, wachovia, restaurants, post office, and so on. Pretty much everything well within running/walking/biking range. I’m really trying to drive as little as possible. Since I’m still not getting paid I’m trying to cut back on gas as much as possible. I’m waiting for the day when gas becomes so prohibitively expensive that biking and driving switch roles and cycling becomes the norm.

Well it’s a beautiful night. I think the moon is out so I’m going for a run down by the water. I love being by the ocean. Something about it…it’s like a recharging station for the soul.

anyhow hope that all of you are well, and I will be back with more. thanks for reading.

Again, sorry for the lack of updates but I’ve been working pretty much non stop with only two days of rest in the past five weeks. I’ve been in Charleston for a little over a week now. I got into town last Sunday directly after we wrapped on the short film “Jesus Maria”, which I was art directing. Literally 13 hours after wrapping on that film I left for Charleston to start work as an intern on “Army Wives”. Google it and check it out if you’ve never seen it. This marks my first “Major” TV/Film gig…….albeit an unpaid gig. The Film and TV world is the only industry that I can think of where you sort of have to “pay your dues” first. I can’t think of any other professions off the top of my head where you have to work for free for a while before you get paid. Breaking into this industry can be a difficult thing. Each production consists of a crew, and that crew is pretty much a very close family, and to be adopted into that family is not the easiest thing in the world. It really is a matter of who you know. Most jobs seem to come from your peers. The same people tend to work together on various projects. Once you work on on one project and do a good job, chances are someone form that production will hire you to work a future production. It’s like trying to board a fast moving train. Once your on you’re on, but it’s difficult to get on and once you’re off it’s difficult to get back on.

So yes, right now I am paying my dues, but I don’t mind at all. I am staying on the Isle of Palms, at a friend’s (Sam) family’s beach house. IOP is incredibly nice as is the house that I am staying in. I’ll post some pictures soon, but to give you some sort of idea, their kitchen is the size of half of my entire apartment. I can tell no lie, I love big kitchens. I’m so grateful to Sam’s family. They have shown me unprecedented hospitality. Actually I haven’t even met his family yet. They are pretty much letting a total stranger live in their house for a few weeks. The house is also completely stocked with everything you would need to live happily ever after. This is the note that Sam’s Mom Amy left for me. I found it rather humorous.

Of course I’m not going to drink you wine! I should buy you a bottle if anything!

Anyhow, I’m right near the beach, isolated from the rest of the world. It’s kind of nice. I really like Charleston. It’s a good soul recharging station. I actually have some tentative plans to go ahead and relocate down here provided that I can find the work. I have been trying to make the best impression that I can on Army Wives, in hopes of possibly securing a permanent position on the show, or at least making some connections and contacts for future work. Working on AW has been a great experience thus far. It’s very interesting to see how a “real” production (one that has loads of money) works. Everything moves very quickly, and everything is on a much larger scale that what I am used to. The sets that I have seen have been very impressive, unfortunately I haven’t gotten the chance to work in the Art Dpt. on AW yet, and that’s driving me a little crazy. Right now I’m just functioning as a PA (production assistant) and it’s just not enough for me. A PA is usually getting coffee, wrangling extras, passing out call sheets, running errands, etc… I’m not trying to knock PA work, at all. The PA’s are a vital part of any production, it’s just not for me. It’s not what I need. There is too much downtime and not nearly enough creativity involved. I love working, and what I do. I will work my heart out, and I know it sounds a little sick but I love being worked to death. It’s just who I am. I go absolutely crazy if I’m not busy all of the time, and thus I’m starting to lose it a little bit being a PA for over a week. I’m glad that I got the experience. Being on set and learning how everything operates has been very educational and helpful, but I’m really really really ready to get my hands dirty. It’s been killing me to see set dressers decorating school rooms, hospitals, kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, etc… and not be in there helping. I’ve been trying to hang around Art Dpt. folk as much as possible, so hopefully in the next day or so I can move away from being a PA and get to where I belong.

Everyone that I’ve met and been working with has been really awesome. One guy, Spencer “Right said Fred” Jarivs, is also an NCSA alum. Also……wow that’s strange to say. He’s a really cool guy as is most everyone else. He actually tipped me off about this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie coming through town, so I’ve been trying to feel out that show and see if I can’t get on board as a set dresser or art dpt. PA. Anyhow, hopefully I’ll be able to find enough reasons to stay in Charleston because I really love it here. I know I’m kind of living the sweet life in an awesome house on the beach but I’ve been to Charleston many times and I always hate it when I have to leave.

I have of course been riding my awesome new Kona bike everywhere down here. This past Saturday I think I logged around 50-60 miles on it. I road from The Isle of Palms over to Folly Beach for the Army Wives Beach base. (I came in at just the right time on this show right?) Anyhow that was around 25 miles there and 25 miles back, but I got a bit turned so I’m sure I logged a few more. The beach bash was pretty cool, despite the monsoon that hit. I actually ended up hitting up this little get together later that night where there was a enormous slip and slide and a room where you could paint on the walls with black light paints. Random.

I will go into more depth and post more photos very soon. I’ve actually had to write this super fast just so I can get my six hours of sleep. Set call for me is 5:12 am. I’ve litterally been putting in between 12-16 hour days. Surprisingly I’ve gotten very efficient at running off of five hours or less sleep. I’m planning on riding my bike to work tomorrow and it’s about a 15 miles ride, which means I’ll have to leave about an hour and a half early, hence why I need to go to sleep now.

More details on the way as well as an update on the status and future of RFW. Just as soon as I get a moment to breathe.

-g

Where in the world have I been? Sorry I know I have been harder to find than Waldo at a Striped Shirt Convention. I don’t even know where to begin, but I guess I will start somewhere relatively near the beginning.

When last we left our hero he was scrambling to get school work done, graduate and “start life” so to speak. Well as I said I was drastically far behind in my work. I scrambled pretty much up until the end to get everything done. It included many sleepless nights. I really didn’t even have time to run. As it stands right now, I am drastically out of shape. Ok well….I guess for me I am drastically out of shape. I went down from running 40-50 miles a week on a regular basis to sneaking in a 5-8 mile run once a week if I was lucky. I wasn’t even able to hit the gym once all thru May! It was insane. I had so so much going on.

If you wan to take a look at everything that has kept me so busy head over to my web site with my portfolio and other fun stuff at www.glennpeison.com

So now as Hillary Clinton might say “The question is Where do we go from here?” Forward.

Again I reiterate, that RFW will not be over until I am standing in my front yard. Now with that said, it’s not going to happen when I want it to. When I first began this project a year ago I had the uber romantic idea of running off the stage at graduation. Sometime in mid February I knew that would not be possible. I had too much going on during that time, (graduation and jobs) and quite frankly I needed more time to train, plan, and fundraise.

Side note* I actually went as a Jedi to graduation, as evident by the photo below.

So, I decided to push the date back to September. This seemed like a good decision for more than one reason. The weather would be better, I wouldn’t be in such a crazy time in my life (hopefully), and I would have the summer to train and prepare.

From February to early April everything was going quite well. RFW was gaining momentum, the pickle pacer was coming together nicely, training was going great, the world was awesome. Then bam, I ran into brick walls, and had the rug pulled from under my feet. I was not able to get around the 501 3c process, nor was I able to make RFW a non profit organization. Then the Pickle Pacer was shut down by school officials. Basically the foundation that I had built for RFW was crumbling. Then school work came down like a hammer.

It was pretty much either Run, or graduate. What’s a Jedi to do?

Now school is over and I’m planning my next step. Right now I’m working on a really cool project for Habitat for Humanity. They are doing a 5 home building blitz in town and myself and Josh (again supporter of all of my crazy ideas) are working on doing a really nice documentary for them, complete with time lapse footage. That’s going really well. The footage looks awesome We’ve shot dozens of hours, and we are cutting together daily blogs, and one finished cut that they will be able to use for promotion later on. It’s going to look really professional, and hopefully it will gain us some notoriety, as well as Habitat gain support for future builds like this.

It has been crazy to watch 5 homes go up side side in 5 days. Truth be told they were really up in less than 24 hours. The footage will be posted on Habitat’s site soon and I will direct you to it when it is up. Cool.

I am also working on Art Directing a short film for Caroline Kava. IMDB her. She’s a well known actress and a faculty member at the school of Drama, at that school I used to go to in Winston Salem…..yeah…..

So I have both of those projects going, then on the 15th of June I am leaving for Charleston SC to work on Army Wives. Google it. It’s a lifetime series. I’m just an intern/PA but I’m really excited. I think it’s going to be an excellent opportunity to learn about TV production and hopefully I’ll make a good impression and work my way into the Art Department. I would not mind hanging around Charleston at all. It’s a beautfiul area, right on the coast. Great area for running and biking as well.

Ahh, speaking of bikes. Bam!

This is my sweet new Kona hybrid bike that I am getting from Mock Orange Bicycles. It’s the Kona Dew Plus. It’s a really nice mid range bike. It’s got disc brakes, pretty decent components, and a rock solid aluminum frame. I’m really happy with it. I’m looking it as a huge investment. With gas prices the way they and the way they are going (don’t kid yourself $5.00 gas will be very very real very very soon) I’m going to make my money back on this thing in a few months. I’m taking it with me to Charleston. I’m staying at a friend’s beach house, and from what he has told me, it’s about a 30 minute drive into downtown Charleston. So, I figure it can’t be more than 30 miles, and I can totally bike that every day to work. That will save me at least an hour of driving every day. That adds up to a ton of fuel, (especially with my gas guzzling truck) and many dollars.

So yes, Im busy as always. It’s how I live. Now where does Running for Walking go from here? Here are my thoughts.

I need to get my self settled first. I need to figure out where I’m going and find steady work and then start building up my base again. I’ve learned a lot over the past year and I know what to do and what not to do. I have some options for help with legal matters and I am going to follow up on all of those. I have put far far far too much work into this to let it fade away. I just have to get grounded first. I realize I’m going to be facing new challenges with not being in school.

It’s strange. Starting this project when I did, it was a bit of a catch 22. It was the best time to do it, and the worst time. On one hand I had the support of the school (sort of) I should say I had the support of some of the school. I did have trainers who worked with me, and I had an athletic center at my disposal, and just a lot of support in general, from faculty, staff, and friends alike.

On the other hand, I was in school! That meant I was going to be busy, and graduating no less. I am glad that I ptu as much work into it as I did. I made a huge amount of progess, and when I look back on everything I accomplished, I’m pretty proud of it, especially considering that this had been for the most part a one man show.

When I attack this thing again, it can’t be a one man show. I have to have a full dedicated team with me. Like I said I have a lot more planning to do, and this going to be harder than I ever thought it would be. At the same time, it’s going to be grander, and more rewarding that I ever thought possible. I will do this run, all 500 miles of it. My route might have to change depending on where I end up at, but I will be running to Ohio.

I will be updating the site on a more regular basis now, but not with the frequency of when RFW was in full swing and so much was happening. I will most likely post a blog per week. And as things progress and I get my life figured out, RFW will rise again, and I will be more determined than ever to see this happen.

That’s where I’m at. That’s where I’m going. I thank everyone for their support and I promise I will not let you or myself down.

Sorry that there haven’t been any updates on the goings on with RFW. I am very wrapped up with school stuff. I have to have everything done in less than two weeks so I’m in a mad dash for the finish line. I just want to assure everyone that this project is not over. It won’t be over until I am standing at in my front yard in Ohio, exhausted and exhilerated. I don’t do failure, and I don’t quit. I will see this through absolutely. I have a great deal of re planning and re strategizing to do, which I will get on top of immediately following completion of my school work. Thank you so much for everyone’s continuing support toward RFW. I will be back with more in about a week or so.

Thank you to everyone who has responded to my call for help and advice. I’ve had a lot of good and promising suggestions come my way and I will be following up on all of them. I hadn’t really realized how much running was taking away from my school work but it suddenly hit me a few days ago that I am way behind in what I need to have done in the coming weeks. No worries, I’m very resilient and I will be able to catch up quickly I think. I’m already well on my way.

I think I may have given the impression that I was just about ready to throw in the towel with RFW. The thought has entered my head and I’ve certainly felt like doing so, but I will not do that. Not ever. I will make this work. It’s obviously going to take even more work and planning and re planning than I thought even after doing this for nearly a year. It’s all a part of the process. I will not let challenges, barriers and obstacles stand in my way. I will find a way. Like I said though, school is intense at the moment so if you have offered advice and I haven’t gotten back to you, that is why.

I also heard some news from my mother’s church in Ohio. It seems that St Jacobs is all about supporting RFW but their insurance company is preventing them from doing so. Apparently their insurance company has an issue with my corporate sponsors. They are concerned that if a corporation makes a donation and I do something with the money that company does not like (like buying crack cocaine and ak 47’s) that they come back on St. Jacobs. Is this ludicrous? It doesn’t make sense at all, especially since I know this type of thing has been done before. I will be getting in touch with the reverend at the church to discuss this further but this is nuts isn’t it? Fear, fear fear. My mother is also pursuing another church in town. We’ll see what happens.

On a completely unrelated note, a few days ago the coordinator for the internship program at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences called me to tell me that I had been selected as a finalist for the Art Direction internship program. That’s wicked cool. Google the ATAS if you haven’t heard of it. In short, it’s one of the more prestigious programs you can get accepted to. I have go through an interview process next, but I should have final word in a couple weeks on whether or not I’ve been accepted.

Alright, again thank you for the encouragement and suggestions. Keep them coming.

The following e-mail is the exact same post from the most recent blog entry on the RFW site, just in case you have already been to the site and read it.

For the first time, in a very long time, I find my self at a total loss. I honestly don’t know which direction to go or what actions to take. That said, I’m turning to you for counsel and advice. There is much to blog about so take a deep breath and stretch a bit before you start. In all seriousness I would really appreciate any words of wisdom or suggestions that you could share with me.

Over the past week I have run into several more brick walls. Now, I am all for meeting challenges that arise. After all, that’s been what this project has been all about from the beginning. When I started Running for Walking nearly a year ago I knew there would be obstacles to over come, but I’m human, contrary to what some may believe, and I can only run into brick walls so many times before it hurts to much to do it again. Over the past two weeks I, and Running for Walking, have been dealt serious blows, to which I am unable to find a solution for.

The latest of these blows deals with, yet again, obtaining 501 3c status. In the simplest of terms having this status makes your organization an official non profit entity, complete with a tax ID number, thus making contributions tax exempt. This is pretty much a necessity if you are approaching, as I am, businesses and corporations for financial support. As is true with nearly anything involving paper work and the government, the 501 3c process is vastly complex, expensive, and lengthy. Going through this process is not something the average person, who is not learned in non profit matters, could handle. It more or less requires having a lawyer type person to handle everything, and the process can drag on for months at a time. Clearly you can see why Running for Walking was not able to obtain this status, though I did try. I actually spoke with a not for profit professor at Salem College here in Winston, and he actually advised me to steer away from becoming an official non profit organization. So what is one to do? Well, one tries to get around it of course.

A few weeks ago, someone, who I will leave anonymous, offered up a brilliant suggestion. Run the money through a church. Any church, by default, is a non profit organization. By filtering the money through a church I would be able to pull on larger corporate sponsors in addition to individual donors. Others, including this person have had success by doing this, so it’s proven to work.

I immediately jumped on this idea and had my mother get in touch with her church in Ohio, St Jacobs United Church of Christ. I attended this church in my youth as well. After a few weeks and a few phone conversations things looked to be moving along. Two days ago my mother called me to inform me that the church was not going to be able to do as other churches had done. This was really going to solve quite a few problems. I already have a few corporate sponsors lined up, and I was just waiting on getting an account set up through the church. It seems that’s not going to happen now, and I am at a loss as to what to do next. I’m mentally exhausted, and I feel like I’ve exasperated all options. I’m frustrated beyond anything. The wind was been taken out of my sails. My mom made a comment the other day that she was worried about me because she has never heard such utter total defeat and disappointment in my voice before.

I do not understand why it is so hard to do something so good. Like I said I’m all for meeting challenges, but when it starts feeling like people are working in direct opposition to what I’m trying to achieve…. I mean… I don’t know. I quite frankly don’t understand why this could not go through with the church. Apparently I am getting a letter from the church explaining everything. Actually, let me go check my mail box real quick…..brb…..nope nothing. I should mention, well actually I think I did, that it was my mother who informed me of the disappointing news from the church, and not anyone from the church itself. I’m interested in finding out the reasons behind the decision, but my initial reaction is that whatever reasons they are, they are nothing more than excuses. My experiences over the past two weeks have lead me to believe that people are very willing to help out a good cause, so long as it is easy to do so and requires no extra effort on their part. Does that sound cynical? I’m really not a negative cynical person, but I can’t help but feel that way when it feels like I’m surrounded by it. I know I’m generalizing, I’m just trying to make a point. It just sounds like the same thing I heard from those at NCSA who shut down the pickle pacer. No. Nope. It can’t be done. Nothing can be done. It’s impossible. Eh? Of course it’s not impossible! That’s absurd. These kinds of things have been done before. Races are held on campuses across the globe every year. True maybe we didn’t follow ALL of the protocols, but we certainly weren’t underground about it. It’s a learning process and we put an unbelievable amount of hard work and energy into this event and instead of trying to make it work they just shut it down? What kind of attitude is that? Is that the kind of attitude they want to promote to the students at NCSA? Sorry I know I’m going off on a tangent. Again I think it all comes down to what is easier. In this case no was an easier answer than yes. Yes, in both situations (the church and the Pickle Pacer), would require extra effort. Phone calls would have to be made, new paperwork filed, perhaps even a few favors called in. In short more work. People are afraid. Afraid of more work, afraid of being sued, scared, scared, scared.

I understand that NCSA, St, Jacobs, and any organization for that matter has to be protected. Unfortunately we live in a world where being brought to court on the most miniscule of matters is a very real possibility and so multiple levels of protection have to be in place. But that’s why there are waivers. It makes zero sense, especially in the case of St Jacobs. They are at no risk. All they would be doing is accepting a few checks from low to mid sized corporations and writing me 2-4 checks when it comes time for me to purchase everything that I will need for the run. What is the problem? I don’t see how they could be held accountable for anything. Besides, I’m the one who is running! Why in the world would I take any legal action against them? Even if this were a possibility, WAIVER! WAIVER WAIVER WAIVER! You mean to tell me that nothing like this has been done? That the answer is simply no? I doubt it. No was the easier of the two answers. I say this because I know people who have done this before. Thus I know it is possible.

I’m venting I know, but at the same time I’m being honest. I’m plain frustrated, and this is where I turn to you.

I do not want to accept No, like so many other have, but without a tax ID number I can not bring on corporate sponsors, thus I would have rely on individual donors to cover the cost of the actual journey. This number would be around $4,000 dollars. I want to be able to donate as much as possible to the Cleveland Clinic of course, which is why I need corporate sponsors to cover expenses, and that is why I need to be connected to a non profit entity.

So what should I do? I’ve put a year of my life into this. It’s very difficult to put into simple terms what it has taken to get to this point, so I will not even attempt to. I can’t simply call it quits, but it seems like this has to be re worked from the ground up. My only other option is to look elsewhere (where I don’t know) to become affiliated with a non profit organization such as another church. This doesn’t seem likely, since I have no connections to any churches in the area. I’ve said this before, I’m not a religious person. Though I feel the overall aim and goal of the church is to good, and spread hope. This is exactly what I am trying to do, thus we are on the same path. The only other option that I see before me is to press on. I will have to push harder to raise enough money to cover expenses and still be able to make a substantial donation to the Cleveland Clinic. I can continue to solicit businesses, but it is very unlikely that they will be able to make a financial contribution without RFW being 501 3c.

I’m truly stuck. I know I can’t just stop. That would kill me. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. So what’s next? It’s obvious this most likely won’t be happening in September at the very least. I just wasn’t able to secure the support I need fast enough. This is not a project that I can do on my own. I’m not giving up, nor will I ever, as it would be easier than moving forward. But I am at a loss as to what to do next?

S.O.S.

Please leave me a comment, write me an e-mail, give me a call, write me a letter, send me a message through morse code, send up smoke signals, whatever you prefer. I know there are many many people who are behind this %100. Truth be told, there are far more supportive people and organizations than not. How can I can get over the hurdle of 501 3c?

Thank you
-glenn
runningforwalking@gmail.com
(330) 881 9416

Sorry for the lack of posts, but the past week has been too crazy. Here’s a snipet from my Icalendar as proof.

Lots has happened, in the past week, a lot of which, I’m sorry to report has been negative. I will elaborate on everything when I have time to do a complete post this weekend.

Just wanted to post a quick line to let you know that new stuff is on the way.

……That was interesting. I just got back from a long late night “therapy run”. It’s about 5am right now. Over the past few days I’ve been having a very difficult time coming to terms and dealing with the Pickle Pacer being canceled. Though, you may get a different story if you talked to some people around here. I’ve been told by many people that the way I have been handling this unfortunate situation has shown that I have strong character and strength. Debbie actually said here respect for me was taken to a whole new level. I appreciate all those comments but truthfully it’s a facade…..all be it a good one. I’m furious. I’ve been so angry I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m sure I owe a few people apologies for being short with them or snapping at them. I don’t think anyone fully grasps how important this race was to me, and everyone who was supporting it. It’s just unreal how easy it was to end something that took so much effort to create. It was just gone in the blink of an eye. It’s not right. I’ve had to go around and town and collect all of the brochures and posters that were distributed. That’s been very painful. Every where I go people have been so disappointed at the news of the cancellation. We had a great number of people planning to run this thing and now it’s not happening. Actually many of the places I went to were out of brochures! It was going to be a really successful event and would have been nothing but good for RFW and for NCSA. I really appreciate everyone who has been giving me ideas to find a way to make this work, but I can’t hang on to hope. It’s just killing me. Believe me, of anyone, I would fight for this thing to the death if there was at all any chance of it happening. But I know it’s not going to and it’s better for me to just move forward.

Moving forward is exactly what I did tonight. I haven’t had a chance to go on a nice long since I got the news of the race being shut down so I’ve had all this negativity bottled up in me with no way to let it out. I don’t deal with anger well. I’m angry that I’m angry. I don’t scream, and break things. My coping strategy is to take it out on the pavement. There was an ultimate frisbee game tonight which I was thankful for. It was a great way to expell some of that energy. I played hard the entire time, but our team still lost twice. Whatever, it was still a good game. After the game I still didn’t feel like I had done enough. I only had my water bottle with me, so I ran home snagged my camel pack and ipod, headed out the door, and took off towards Ohio. I followed the route I will be taking out of Winston in September.

It was an interesting evening. I knew part of the route leading out of Winston wasn’t in the safest of neighborhoods, but I honestly didn’t care. I’ve run through scary sections of town before at night so away I went. There really weren’t a whole lot of people out and about. I ran past a night road construction crew who gave me some bewildered looks. I waved and kept on going. As I got into the heart of the scariest section a car drove by and someone waved at me. I had no idea who it was but I waved back. Then the car turned around and eventually pulled up next to me. It turns out the guy (Kevin) who was driving actually mistook me for someone else. I guess he must know some people who run with camel packs in shady areas at 2 am on a regular basis. Anyhow we actually struck up a conversation for about 10 minutes and it turns out that he’s a really awesome guy. He’s a physician of sorts at…….duh I forget which hospital. My short term memory sucks. Actually the only reason I remember his name is because he just called me like 30 minutes ago to make sure that I got home safe. He was worried that I had been shot or something. Anyhow, as he talked on the side of the road, I told him that I was taking out some frustrations and let him in on the jist of what was going on. He informed that I was running through a really unsafe area especially at night. I made the joke that I was just waiting for someone to come up and mug me and that I hoped that they stretched. He made the point that it’s more likely that someone would just shoot me. Anyhow he was just expressing some motherly concern, which speaking of mothers, I’m sure mine is picking up the phone right now to lecture me on the dangers of running through high crime areas. Anyhow we chatted for a bit more about RFW, exchanged contact info and went out seperate ways.

It was only just a few minutes after he left that I heard an alarm go off. I looked behind me and I saw a few guys run out of a gas station store and jump into a car and take off. Police sirens soon followed. I just kept running. I did opt to find a different route back home though. So yes, I pretty much beat my self into the ground tonight. Between frisbee and running I think I logged around 20-21 miles. Not sure exactly. I didn’t really look at my watch ever, I just kept running until I felt like I had gotten everything out that I needed to. On the way back home I did take a bad step with my fight food, go figure, so I will be sure to hit the ice bath tomorrow.

In summary, physically this probably wasn’t the best idea. Emotionally, and physcologicaly it was very effective.

On Monday I have a meeting with Suzanne….Mills? Sorry there’s my memory again. I know her first name is Suzzanne. She works in development at NCSA and she is the one that I have been suggested to go to about formulating a plan for a different event to replace the 5k. Really, too much work has gone into this to have it been for nothing. So, I am done being angry and dwelling on the negative. I think I have sufficiently dealt with it. I am focusing on the positive and working to make something else happen on May 17th. I will be back with details on what that something is.