MILES FOR A CAUSE

On Sunday, my daughter, Kelly, and my son-in-law, Mike, will participate in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, a 100-Mile event at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. 

Veteran marathon runners, they have transitioned over to cycling for the past few months in preparation for this endurance ride. The hours of dedication, hard training, and sacrifice are admirable, but that pales in comparison to the real purpose of their effort.

Their real work has manifested itself in egg rolls, chocolate Easter egg creation, hot dog sales in front of the local Wal Mart, pay-per-view televised boxing bouts at their home, jewelry and yard sales. Hours spent on their bikes were matched by hours of fundraising.

Their ride has yet to begin, but their fundraising is complete. Their dedication to the cause has resulted in a donation of $7800 to Team in Training Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Throughout the process, they focused their fundraising on a cause that was very close to home. Mike's mother, Millie Silvestrini, lost her battle to leukemia, so he and Kelly's fundraising was dedicated to 'Miles for Millie.'

Kelly began her marathon training by raising funds for Team in Training at the San Diego Marathon. She and Mike then raised money at the Chicago Marathon. In all, they have spent countless hours raising thousands upon thousands of dollars for a worthy cause. If one cancer patient can be saved, if the money given to research can bring us one step closer to a cure, their training and their fundraising efforts have not been in vain.

Their efforts, their dedication, and their selfless spirit is remarkable, and makes a dad very proud.

GREAT DEALS, GREAT STORIES, GREAT ADVICE

For the next three days,  my publisher, Lulu, www.lulu.com, has a great sale going on. They are offering 30% off all print books.

The cool thing about having written two books about running is that they are two contrasting works.

My first book, Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice for Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes, published in 2011, is a compilation of my experiences as competitive runner for 39 years, but many of these tales reflect experiences YOU have had during your years as a runner. As one of the Amazon reviewers stated, "It will make you laugh and it will make you cry." amazon.com/author/joemuldowney

Traveling the country, promoting my first book, prompted me to write, Personal Best, my second book, published in September 2014.

Runners told me what they wanted in a running book, and I tried to respond by writing a book that is instructive to runners of all ages and abilities.

Personal Best took a tragic turn in April 2013, soon after I crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon. I devoted my first chapter, entitled "Was That Thunder," to the events, and my experiences of that day. I guarantee you, it is worth the read, and it is my fervent hope that I was able to capture the emotions of that fateful day in a manner in which every runner can relate.

If you would like read an electronic version of Personal Best, it is available for only $2.99 at Amazon, Lulu, iBooks, Nook, and Kobo.

You can visit my website: www,muldowneyrunning.com, and I will personally sign and send a book to you. You can go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or take advantage of the sale at Lulu, to purchase running books that will positively influence your future running efforts.

And, it doesn't end there!

Read the books and stay in touch. email me here, look me up on Facebook at: Joe Muldowney Running, or on Twitter at: rdrunnr00. Tell me about your running, ask me questions, discuss training or injury issues.

I love this sport, and I love runners.

Let's get to the finish line together.

RAISING MONEY FOR CHARITY THROUGH RUNNING-HIP CHIX

Runners are, for the most part, a kind, giving group. Today, more than ever, we can do what we love to do, and turn our performances into fundraising events.

My daughter, Kelly, ran her first marathon with the help of, and by raising money for, Team in Training, a funding arm of the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. Since then, she and her husband, Mike, have raised thousands of dollars for this worthy cause.

If you are one of the many runners who have decided to pay it forward by raising funds for a charity, you realize that, in order to do so, takes quite a bit of effort.

Bake sales and garage sales, are sometimes just not enough.

Recently I heard about an excellent fundraising site that makes it easy and profitable for you to raise funds for your next event.

Hip Chix, http://www.hipchixfundraisers.com , is "The Uncommonly Cool Fundraiser."

And it really is!

It's an easy online jewelry fundraiser that's simple to get started. Hip Chix creates a unique link for you to their fundraising site. Using that link you will be able to reach donors near and far. There are no up front costs, no collecting orders, money or delivering product. Hip Chix does it all for you.

Now, here's the good news.

For all fundraisers that have total sales of $2,000 or less, you will receive a minimum of 40%. If you raise more than $2,000 your women's charity receives a minimum of 50% from each order.

I deferred to the real expert, my wife, who went to the site and declared, "I would definitely buy this jewelry."

Check out Hip Chix at: http://www.hipchixfundraisers.com.

They will make your fundraising effort an easy, fun, and profitable experience