Tuesday, September 30, 2025 – Day 413

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Good morning!

Wow—last day of September, and it’s been wicked hot here in the Midwest.

The Chicago Marathon is just 12 days away. For all you runners out there, the forecast looks much cooler by race weekend—no worries on that front. There will always be other things to worry about, but try to plan for them now. Waiting until race weekend is too late. You want a quiet mind and good rest heading into the race. The hard work is behind you; now it’s all about short, easy runs to stay sharp. It’s going to be a fun day, and I can’t wait to see you out there.

I’m so proud to have four runners hitting the course on my behalf to support the fight against ALS: my two kids, Nicole and Alex; my niece, Meghan; and Michael, Nicole’s friend and training coach. A year ago you said, “We’ve got your back”—and you’ve proven it every day since. Together, you’ve raised an unbelievable $47,872 for ALS United. I think we’ll hit $50,000 by race day. All we need is a little more help. If you can, please click the hamburger icon (three stacked horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of this page, then 🎗️Fundraiser, and donate what you can. Every little bit helps.

Thank you to our runners, and thank you to every one of you who’s supported Andy’s Army.

Yesterday, Cindy got me out of the house for a trip to Costco. It might not sound like much, but leaving the house these days takes a lot of work and energy. There are no easy parts to my day anymore. I move from bed in the morning to the walker, then to a couch or chair, trying to stay off my legs as much as possible…mostly reading. That cycle repeats all day, with bathroom breaks, meals, and naps built in. It’s no wonder why i can finish a moderate size book in a little over a day.

Even getting dressed takes effort—15 to 20 minutes just to pull on clothes. At least I can still do it myself. (God forbid I pick a shirt that doesn’t match my shorts—that’s another 15 minutes.) Once I’m dressed, Cindy adjusts everything so it hangs right on this wilting frame. Add a shower, and the whole routine stretches to 90 minutes. But as the saying goes, better to look good than feel good—especially when leaving the house.

I’ve got some social commitments over the next few days, and I’m grateful I can still do them. I know the day will come when I’ll have to say “no” to things like this, and that will be hard. For me now, I’ll keep taking things one day at a time. Now it’s time for breakfast, bathroom, shower, dress, and a nap before we head out for lunch.

Have a great Tuesday. Love you guys! ❤️

Today’s photo is of Barb and Mark sporting their Andy’s Army shirts as they kayaked in Crystal Lake. Thanks for the fun photo.