Getting ready for Wyoming! Giddy-up Cowboy!!!

Hello Guys and Gals,

Wishing everyone a happy and safe summer!!! Kids are getting out of school today and the games truly begin!

I have some very exciting runs coming up that I am looking forward to. My run in Wyoming is on June 6th. This is just the tip of the iceberg....Maybe literally?....In October I will meet my brother and some friend in Athens, Greece. We will run the original Marathon route form Marathon, Greece to Athens. At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26.2 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, with the 2.2 miles added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box. This added two miles to the course, and is the origin of the Marathon tradition of shouting "God save the Queen!" (or other words relating to the Queen) as mile post 24 is passed. The run in Greece will be an unbelievable trip and certainly a historic one particularly for someone who is a "Marathon Runner!"

Everyone keep that exercising up. You don't need to run marathons to stay healthy but try at least to do something 3-4 times a week that gets that blood pumping!

I also am looking forward to my run in Antarctica which will take place in 2011!! Who said that running isn't a lot of fun!! This trip will be a long one and much preparation will need to be done for the climate and the travel. I can't wait!

I hope to chat soon!

Come run with me!

Kurt

Let's get Lucky in Vegas!!!

Hello Sports fan's,

How's everyone doing? I successfully completed the Oklahoma Marathon a week and a half ago and it certainly was eventful!!! On my way to Tulsa I was rear-ended by a semi. Yes, an 18 wheeler. I am very happy that I am typing this message because many people that have a run in(no pun intended):) with a semi; don't make it out safely to talk about it. Good news is, I am okay. Bad news is; my car looks like someone stepped on a aluminum can! I did finally make it to Tulsa, a little sore, but was able to run the marathon the next day. I met a lady who had been struck by lightning 3 months before while training in Colorado and this was her 2nd marathon since the incident. She still has tingling in her body and her legs were partially numb, but she continues to run. I also met a man who was running his 428th marathon. WOW!!! Isn't it amazing how so very quickly my little accident seems like such a minor thing and there is so much encouragement out there without having to look very far.

This weekend I travel to Vegas! Love that city! Lot's of things to do! Only bad story I ever heard that came out of Vegas is I once new a woman who got trapped at the pool at the Bellagio under a roof for 6 hours while it was raining and storming...I'm sure that will never happen again!!!

I am looking forward to running the Vegas Marathon. This is their inaugural Rock and Roll Marathon so it should be a blow-out! This will also be my last marathon of the year. This will be my 15th marathon and my 14th state. I have been very fortunate this year to have run 7 marathons, counting this weekend, without injury. I thank God for his blessings he has bestowed upon me. I also thank my family who has given me the support and encouragement and patience throughout this year. It truly makes a world of difference when you have such incredible support at home.

The holidays are upon us and I am blessed to have children to share them with. My son, Trent, asked the other day how well Mom and Dad actually new Santa Claus? The response, "We know him better than you think." "We do have his phone number on the rare occasion we need to talk to him." :) I hope your holidays are blessed with love and laughter!!!

Maybe, just maybe, I can pull off a PR in Vegas! That would be a nice way to end the year. I look forward to reporting back...

Come run with me...

KB

Get your kicks...off of Route 66!

Hello peeps, what up?

Seems like life gets crazier and crazier everyday. This Sunday I will run the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, OK. I love the fall weather and by the look of the forecast the temperature should be perfect. Somewhere between 45 and 65 degrees. AHHH....now that's good marathon weather.

Unfortunately life and death happens....My cousin Blaze passed away on Monday. At the age of 47 he was found in his home by himself deceased. I grew up with him and he was always quick with a joke and could make you smile. He also is part of the reason I like to hunt. He was one of the few people who introduced this exceptional sport to me when I was very young. No one knows why the good Lord calls us when he does; but I am certain God has an exceptional plan for Blaze and also for those of us who have been left behind to learn from Blaze's life here on earth. We will miss you Blaze!

This Saturday after the funeral I will get in my car and drive 6 hours to Tulsa. Some think I'm nuts, some think I'm crazy. Running marathons is just what I do. Running keeps me sane and provides a positive outlet for me to make everyday a better day. I thank God that I am blessed that I can run!!! Things in life seem to change so much everyday. People you meet, work that needs to be done, activities that you attend, hurdles and obstacles that arise in ever day life. My running is one thing that remains constant. Some days it is very hard to get my run in. I struggle with it but when I am finished with my run at the end of the day it seems as though God has given me just a little more peace to take into the next day.

After Tulsa I have one more marathon this year in Vegas. My brother Kyle will join me there but I will be flying solo in Oklahoma. Maybe we will hit a big jackpot in Vegas and can all retire! :) It's good to dream!!!

Don't be afraid to take risk. Don't be afraid to fall. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the ability to dream! Listen to your heart...

Run til it's done! Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for those sparkly ones!

Catch me if you can!

KB

Equip Your Mind!

Good Day Ladies and Gents,

How is it that some people can do the things that they do? How does a CEO get to be CEO? How does a boy from New York who was told by his high school guidance counselor to drop out of school because of his grades, grow up to be Jay Leno? Then let's look on the other hand...How does a bank robber become a bank robber? How does someone you love hurt you worse than you can ever imagine? How does a gang member shoot an innocent victim? The answer...it is by influences. Good influences, bad influences and equipping your mind with the necessary tools to make the right decision or the wrong decisions as the case may be. I once had a hat that read; "No Fear", "Equip your mind." I really didn't understand the full extent of what was the meaning behind this phrase. If we want to be successful; really successful, we must equip our minds with the right tools, get the book, the movie, whatever it takes to get it done. Equip your mind or unequip your mind; whatever the case may be. I had a dream or an epiphany if you will; how do people do what they do? At some point in our life we all have to decide what it is we want and then go after it. Life is short. Chances are you are not going to win the lottery or your psychiatrist is not going to give you that magic pill or formula, so you need to get up on your own 2 feet and make it happen now! It is all you!!! Once you decide what you want to do and what you are good at, then you need to become a master at your craft like Jay Leno has. Spend as much time you can becoming the expert in your field. After that the secret lies in sharing that craft with the world. Don't be afraid to share the gift God gave to you with the masses. Zig Ziglar once said that you will get what you want in life if you help enough people get what they want. Jay Leno found that people wanted to laugh and get life's stress' off their mind. He shares his craft with the world and in return he has become one of the most successful entertainers in the world! He has become a master of his craft and still works harder than anyone to improve and continually find avenues to share with numerous audiences.

We all are born into this world with different opportunities and different gifts. Now it is up to us to decide how and with what we will equip our minds. The tools are there; we need to go get them and use them!

We all make mistakes as we travel along lifes path. It is how we choose to move on after these mistakes that will make the difference in our lives forever. We can't look back or to the side, we must look forward with a new beginning and a new set of tools and experiences to make us better as we proceed.

We all want to be loved. Noone wants to be hurt. May God bestow upon us as much love as we are allowed and help take away any hurt that has happened.

Love with all your heart,

KB

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

It was Charles Dickens who could have summed up my trip every so nicely. Idaho; how beautiful this state really is. From the Grand Tetons to the beautiful waterfalls. I have never run a marathon an experienced so much of natures beauty. I did successfully complete the Mesa Falls Marathon but had pulled my back out and could barely run about half-way through the race. I logged my slowest time ever on this marathon. I have never run with an injury before but I now can appreciate how trying it really is. I was clicking along just great until about mile 15 and then my back gave out. Wow, what a humbling experience. I walked and ran the rest of the course. My back was in some excruciating pain but I wasn't about to give up. I will schedule an appointment today with the doctor so that I can get back on track. My back has had it's share of wear and tear over the years and I need to get some recommendations from the medical profession. I have played 4 years of high school football, 2 years of college rugby, a wrestling injury with a friend and a minor case of scoliosis that was never treated. These are not excuses but activities and genetics that make my back one of the hurdles I deal with everyday.

On to the good stuff!!! The people in Idaho know how to put on a marathon. I just love the small towns. I drove into Ashton, ID Friday evening about 6:30pm from Jackson Hole, WY. I pulled up at the local grade school gym where they were handing out race packets. There were less than 500 participants running the race and ALL of us were treated with care. The race bags that were given out were not bags at all but Idaho potato sacks!!! Very nice touch. The chip that we were given was an ankle bracelet that we velcroed around our ankle. I have never had this type of chip before but it worked well aside from the fact you had something that could potentially annoy you while you run. There was a spaghetti dinner in the high school gym served with, you guessed it, an Idaho potato! When was the last time you had spaghetti with a potato? :) After chatting with some of the locals it was off to my motel. Yes; motel, not hotel. I stayed at the Guesthouse Henry Fork Inn in St. Anthony, ID. This was the only hotel in St. Anthony about 15 minutes from Ashton. The 3 hotels in Ashton were fully booked when I made my reservations. The Guesthouse was clean, good airconditioning and the hot and cold water was just great. If your a fancy girl or boy this hotel would not be for you. You entered your room from the outside and the floor was kinda squeaky. There was a hot tub that was sitting outside in the grass next to the parking lot. Like I said. It was clean, but it wasn't the Hilton. :)

Saturday morning I woke up at 4:00am. Running gear on I drove my sporty Ford Focus over to Ashton to catch the bus. They had breakfast for everyone in the gym. Coolers full of water and power drink, oatmeal, cereal, eggs, sausage and bagels. These folks don't mess around. The course was an out and back and we all loaded on buses. These were tour buses with bathrooms. Did I mention that these people don't mess around! We drove out at least 26.2 miles and went up into the mountains for some of the journey. I believe we were at about 6,ooo ft when we reached the start line. The start line was on a gravel country road and nothing more than the electronic timing strip laid across the road. There were 4 porta-potties and that was it. No fan-fare or music to send us off. You really know that you are at a small race when the race director waits for everyone to finish using the porta-potties before he starts the race. The race was delayed about 10 minutes due to the line for the restroom. :) The race director told us that they saw a lot of bear sign while they were setting up the course. He said we should be fine because of all the noise that the 4-wheelers made while setting up the course and most probably scaring off the bears! He jokingly said that you only had to run as fast as one other person if you saw a bear! I did see some bear tracks along the path as I ran. Kinda fun, kinda scary!! We were out in the wilderness for sure! We ran across 3 cattle guards and dodged many piles of cow, horse and undefined animal droppings! :)

The course was beautiful. Wild flowers, waterfalls, mountains, rivers, horses, cows and very friendly people along the way. This was one of the top rated marathons in 50 states so I met people from all over the country. The people were awesome!

After I finished I was treated to a free Huckleberry Milkshake from the local restaurant. All runners welcomed this very special treat. The volunteers were great before, during and after the race. There were plenty of food and drinks for all. The medal we were awarded for finishing was made out wood and the information was wood burnt into the wood. Very cool. On the back was a wood burning of; bet you can't guess, A BEAR! :) That night I had a great dinner of steak and pasta and had a cold one or two at the Big Star Bar! The locals were having a pig roast and had invited me to join them. They gave me free food and treated me like family.

Although my back gave me problems this trip I will be back again in a few short weeks to tackle the Omaha Marathon in Nebraska. I will do whatever I need to do to get back in the saddle for the next race. This was my 10th state and 11th marathon. I met a lady at the airport in which this marathon was her 136th. Wow!!! How humbling it is every time I go to a marathon and meet the extraordinary people who participate in these events.

On the plane ride to Jackson Hole, WY I met a family from New York. They had a 16 year old daughter who is a type 1 diabetic. I always love to meet other diabetics and share stories with them and their family. The mom is a nurse and is certainly a blessing and a God sent to the little girl. I hope the family has a terrific vacation!!!

The interesting thing as well was the woman I met who had just run her 136th marathon. She has a daughter in her 20's that is a type 1 diabetic as well and who has run several marathons with her mom. She couldn't make this trip because she was in college but I was inspired how her mom said she took the bull by the horns and learned how to manage her diabetes while running. It is amazing how many people out there are affected by diabetes. Sometimes I like it when nobody knows I am a diabetic, but the more people I talk to, we all seem to find comfort in each other and help inspire each other as we continue with this obstacle on life's journey. One thing that hits home with me as I travel around the country... It's important to me to share my journey and the experience with others. I didn't like making this trip alone and will do my best to have my family with me on the next marathon I run. Life is about all the experiences you have and it makes them so much more fulfilling when you have that special someone or some one's there to share it with!

I could keep you all day with stories from my trip but I must get back to making a living! :) Take time on your journey in life to stop and smell the wild flowers. Enjoy the people you meet because you can learn so much from so many people and get an abundance of joy out of sharing your life with them. Be true to yourself and be true to others and love with all your heart!!!

Never give up, never stop running,
KB

Keep trying even when it's not easy!!!

Good Day Everyone!

This morning I put in 12 miles. It was my intent to go 15 but I ran into some hurdles and decided to stop at 12 instead of perhaps over doing it and hurting myself in the long run. There are things that can certainly go wrong when you are out there running for several hours. Your body not only needs to be in shape from an endurance and physical standpoint; but the nutrition, hydration and food intake at appropriate times needs to all be in sync as well. I will not let this bump in the road discourage me, but get back on that horse on Wednesday and start running again. People sometimes ask why we do what we do when we take on extreme sports. Is it the way it makes us feel, the ability to fit into our favorite blue jeans, the ability to eat almost whatever we want? Maybe it's the thrill of pushing yourself to a point where you know most people have never gone. When we accomplish something great we have a feeling of confidence that allows us to achieve great things in all aspects of our life. We need to remember this: Whatever your extreme sport of choice is; it's not easy. Sometimes we fail, but we continue to try and in the end we will inevitably accomplish our goal. In life: sometimes we fail. It is equally if not more important to push on and make the decisions to accomplish our goals and live the life that we want. We must keep going even when it's not easy. Just because we make a mistake or stumble and fall, we must keep going and that's what it means to go from good to great. It's never giving up and pushing past our hurdles and our fears.

This weekend I observed my children Katie and Trent(11 and 9 years old) climbing rocks, going under water falls, kayaking, swimming, fishing and even playing checkers. It is simply amazing the energy children have and the zest they have for life when doing all these activities. They are not only learning a lot about these sports, but they are learning how to help each other, work through difficult times, overcome their fears, push themselves when they didn't think they couldn't and building character along the way. They are a joy to watch and they give me inspiration and motivation to want to live until I am 100 so that I can be there by their side and share all of life's experiences with them.

Life is tough, get a helmet! Don't give up even when it becomes challenging! Go after what you want and go after it NOW!!!

Make somebody smile today!

KB

Did you let out the Monster today?!!!

Hello AMERICA!

I have dove back into my training and have only 5 weeks before the Mesa Falls Marathon in Ashton, IA. I have never done two marathons this close together so I am anxious to see how my body will perform! This past Sunday I ran Missoula, MT and by Wednesday this week I started out with 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer and 30 minutes of weight lifting. Today I put in a 3 mile run. I truly miss when I go several days without running. Exercise in general for most people gives us a great feeling of accomplishment and provides us with some extra energy along the way. My kids have a saying that they use when I run marathon's. They tell me when I get close to the finish line that I should, "Let the Monster out." They have seen me grit my teeth, clutch my fist and turn up the speed when I get close to the finish. They say I look like a monster coming across the finish line. The "letting out the monster" gives me that extra boost sometimes I need to cross the finish and perhaps pass a few runners who I have been behind the whole race! Everyday we get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to our jobs, come home, eat dinner, go to bed. I don't want to sound mundane, but we can let life become that way if we don't go after what we want ever day with passion and zest!!! My brother says to do something everyday that scares you. You know you are being challenged and taking risk if you do things that scare you. This is also how I found to build character and gain experience. If you do something you are scared to do, but you do it anyway and accomplish the tasks successfully; you have gain experience and more often then not, some character along the way. Make sure you are getting the most out of every day! The compilation of all the days end up to be....guess what? Your life!!! Get the most out of it!! Make sure sometime during the day you "Let out the Monster!" You want to get the most out of your day and certainly in the end the most out of your life!!!!

Love, trust, forgive and live!!!

KB

Happy Birthday Trent!

Hello Everyone,

I want to dedicate this blog to my son Trent. He is 9 years old today and what a wonderful little boy he is. I unfortunately am in a sales training class in California and unable to be with him today. I will call him 9 times today and wish him a Happy Birthday! Trent is one of the amazing people in my life who motivate me to run and to do many things. You will never find a more caring, compassionate, loving little boy. He is always the first person when we sit down at the dinner table to ask me how was my day. I am very hard on him and want him to have the perfect manners, be the most athletic, be a model citizen, best student and on and on. It's funny how we try to live our lives through our children and forget sometimes that they are just kids. They are human and are not perfect just like us. My son Trent is very smart. He gets all A's on his report card and tries hard at everything he does. I am very, very proud of him. I gave him a BB gun for his Birthday before I left for my trip. I told him to go get some of Daddy's bags out of the trunk and when he opened it up; there was the BB gun. The look on his face was worth millions! It's not about the BB gun or any money in the world. It's all about that precious smile!

We all try to teach our children as much as we possibly can. Sometimes we need to take a step back and realize how much we can learn from them. Their sincerity, their innocence, their patience, their love. Someone once told me to lead by example and say very little at all. Be a good person and live a good life and your children will grow up just fine. Give them all the love you can and if your lucky when you get older, they will give it back to you ten fold.

I just finished a 6 mile run today and really wish I was with my son. Don't ever take your children for granted; they are the best gift that God has given you!

Happy Birthday Trent! Thank you for loving me unconditionally and being my inspiration!

Love Daddy

California is great this time of year!

Hello everyone,

I am happy to report I successfully completed the Avia OC Marathon in New Port Beach, CA this past Sunday! The weather was absolutely beautiful. Approximate 68 degrees at the finish and not a cloud in site. How beautiful it was to run by the Ocean and have palm trees along the route. The course was mostly flat and had a lot of gorgeous scenery. I would recommend this race to anyone wanting to run a race in California. The snacks at the end were a little hurried and scarce but that is nit picking.

Every time I finish a marathon I remember how really tough it is to run 26.2 miles. It does take some training and I have NEVER over trained for a race. :) Mile 20 through 26 makes you reach down deep to places that you never thought you would go to make yourself endure the pain and never give up. How exhilarating it is when you cross that finish line!

I also wanted to mention the support I have behind the scenes. Without the words of encouragement from my friends and family I don't know how easy it would be to keep getting out there marathon after marathon. I would like to say thank you to all my family and friends for their e-mails, cards, care packages and words of encouragement that are the wind beneath my wings. This makes all the difference and continues to motivate me to keep running more marathons and setting new goals for myself. Thanks everyone!

The next marathon on the schedule is on July 12th in Montana. I hope to see some of you there.
Keep getting out there and feeling great about what your doing. For those of you who want to fit well into those swimsuits, there is no better way to lose weight!

Run til it's done!

Kurt

It's great to be able to run!!

Hello Everyone,

I just found out that business may take me to Newport Beach, CA the first week in May. I scanned the marathons for this time frame and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Avia OC Marathon will be taking place on May 3rd! How bout that! I can accomplish a Marathon in California and do some business at the same time. I am very excited. I understand that the weather there is absolutely beautiful. I am looking very forward to experiencing the marathon and also the gorgeous geography.

I am in the 15th week of Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1 training schedule. I am proud of myself that I have been very diligent about getting in the daily runs. This weekend I get to do a big one; 20 miles!!! After this one I will start to taper my distances and rest my legs getting ready for the marathon. I love having goals to shoot for. I am very motivated when I have a purpose and I get very excited when the end result is in sight and you can see the figurative "finish line."

Happy trails runners!

Kurt

Welcome to the Kurt Bauman Blog!

In July of 2002, I had the shock of a lifetime. At the age of 35 I learned that I had Type 1 Diabetes and would face a regimen of blood testing and insulin injections for the rest of my life. The diagnosis changed me... I wondered what my life would be like with this chronic disease and what my limitations as a diabetic truly were.

I was never an avid athlete or runner. In fact, I had run one marathon in 1997 and vowed to never do it again - the experience was simply too difficult to face a second time. In a spontaneous effort to push back at my diagnosis, I entered my name in the lottery for the New York City marathon and (surprisingly enough) received a bib number. After 18 weeks of rigorous training, I ran the marathon with an insulin pump and food reserves, checking my blood sugar every 5 miles.

The accomplishment I felt as I crossed the finish line was incredible! In that moment my mission was born. I wanted diabetics everywhere to find the strength to rise above their illness and lead happy, healthy, active lives. I wanted to motivate people facing challenges to overcome adversity and live their dreams.

So, I have committed to running 50 marathons in all 50 United States. So far, I've completed marathons in six states - New York, Minnesota, Missouri, Arizona, Colorado and Tennessee. In 2009 I'm already scheduled to run in Arkansas, Montana and Illinois.

I know that this quest won't be accomplished overnight. My plan is to run a marathon every quarter until I finish all 50 races. I'm well aware that it will take me 10 years and many tens of thousands of dollars to accomplish my goal. In the meantime, I am a professional motivational speaker and look for any opportunity to share my story with audiences nationwide. My message is threefold:

1. To increase awareness of Diabetes and reach out to the 6 million Americans who unknowingly suffer with this disease without treatment,
2. To inspire others to push past their fears and strive to accomplish their goals,
3. To prevent Type 2 Diabetes and other chronic illnesses by encouraging people to be the cure through diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

I hope that you will follow my blog and join me on my amazing journey. Whatever you face in life, I hope that you will find the strength and power and overcome obstacles and be proactive in changing the world for the better.