Pre-event thoughts

So I made it to Auckland. I have a few days here before the first race so I can get adjusted. One immediate observation is that nothing seems to open early here on Sunday mornings. I was about to sit in a park and wait until 8am for Burger King to open for some coffee when I spotted the only open cafe behind the park (which thankfully is fantastic.)

At the risk of sounding all New Agey, which I’m definitely not, I’m going to use this event as a way to learn more about myself. If that doesn’t sound like a midlife crisis then I don’t know what does, but I just looked up the definition and it seems to begin at age 45. Since I am 44, either I’m ahead of the class or this isn’t a real one, in which case that’s all ahead of me. Dammit. 

One thing for sure, the positivity around this from so many people has really had a big impact on me. Stanford Children’s put out the blog on social media and I have had so much buzz from folks, and people whom I don’t know generously donating. I also had a text from an old business school friend (Matt Williams) who offered to use one of his soon expiring airline upgrades. Not sure it will work out, but those examples really make me so positive about humanity. 
I am sure this event will provide something unexpected, but I am feeling relaxed and determined to enjoy the experience rather than stress about it. 

Now to finish my coffee, call my wife and daughter and post pictures of me doing yoga poses with my new New Age-ness. 

Thanks to everyone who donated. I can’t say enough how incredibly supportive this is and feel good that this will help sick kids in an amazing setting. I brought my daughter in before this trip to show her our new hospital and it is so inspiring. 

LPCH Stanford Fundraising Page: https://my.supportlpch.org/BrendanRunsSevenContinentsPlusOne

GoFundMe link (some portion covers expenses): https://www.gofundme.com/f/juh2k2-brendan-runs-eight-marathons-on-7-continents-1