I'm running 13 miles... for the kids!
Readers may remember that my training for the Austin Marathon was way-laid by pneumonia back in October. Well, I've managed to claw my way back to health and a relative level of fitness and am now training to do the half-marathon on Feb. 17th. Only 13 miles instead of 26, but still no joke for me, who hasn't done any serious athletic training since high school.

I'm very happy to be back at training with Team TexFX, the incredible group that Gary Walker put together to do the big run on Feb. 17th. It sucked to be out of comission, coughing and groaning at home while everyone else was busting out 6, 7, 10, 12 mile runs every Saturday. It also sucked because the team was put together not just to build a sense of camaraderie as we all put ourselves through the rigor (and agony) of training, but also to raise money for an amazing organization - the Austin Childrens Shelter. The Shelter provides a safe place for kids of all ages to live while they are moved out of situations where they were abused or neglected and into long-term foster homes. We got to tour the place last year and it was totally heart-breaking to think about the terrible situations these kids were in just days before, but also totally inspiring to see them happy and cared for by the great staff at the Shelter.

So, if you don't mind, please consider sponsoring my run by making a donation to the Austin Children Shelter through their website. Click on the "donate" button, fill out the form, choose "Bryan Poyser" from the drop-down menu of team members. Any amount is appreciated but if you give at least $25, you'll get entered in a raffle to win an iPod Nano and other fun stuff.

If you need any more enticement, check out this video starring the kids of TeamTexFX:



Hard to resist, isn't it? Don't you feel yourself reaching for your digital wallet?