Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Chris is running? Now I've heard everything.


After voluntarily flying in a jet-copter last weekend (I have serious acrophobia), my friends and family are all asking me the same question: “Who are you and what have you done with Chris?”

They conclude I have been replaced by an imposter not just from the whirlybird incident, but also because I’ve been running. No, I’m not being chased, though that was my standard response for decades…until now. I blame my friend James MacGregor, Publisher of the Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal:

JAMES: Maybe you should set some goals around running.
ME: I hate running. It makes me insane with anger.
JAMES: Nah, you just need to train for something!
ME: Fat chance.
JAMES: Tell ya what – if you run the 2009 Turkey Trot, I’ll run it with you.
ME: James, you could run that race TODAY, twice!

…and so on. Sadly, the more James talked, the more sense he made, so I am training to run the 2009 Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This race is ten kilometers, which is something like 300 miles if my math is correct.

So I started running in August, and guess what? It’s not bad! I’m actually enjoying it, and ready to take on the Turkey Trot. Here’s a thought: Why not run it with me and James? It’s not expensive, so let’s get a VMC Foundation team together…if you’re game, send me an email at echristopher.wilder@hhs.sccgov.org and we’ll join forces.

Here’s the best part: the Turkey Trot raises money for some super organizations, including the Children’s Health Initiative (I serve on their foundation’s board, and their work truly benefits Valley Medical Center’s patients). Let’s start Thanksgiving right, by giving back to our community and doing something good for ourselves too.

Amazing, really. Who am I and what have I done with myself?

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