ROAD WARRIORS 2010 KICK OFF CONFIRMED FOR MAY 23: PLEASANTON RIDGE PARK

The event is ROAD WARRIORS 2010.

The idea is to have fun and

raise money for our wounded vets.

The tactic is to run, walk, hike, bike

100 miles at your own pace

and

the kick off is on!

So whether you hit the road and the beat the path

on a regular basis or have been looking for a reason to start,

ROAD WARRIORS 2010 is waiting for you.

As a road warrior, your sweat equity will pay off big time

for our wounded warriors and their families through

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT and

FREEDOM ALLIANCE.

Come to the kick off and learn

how your 100 miles can change

the life of a military hero.

May 23rd. 9-30-2:30pm...put it on your calendar.

Because the hills are green, the wildflowers are in bloom and Pleasanton's Ridge Park on Foothill Road has been confirmed by the East Bay Regional Park district as the perfect location for our "informal, informational get your bod going" kick off site. You've gotta be there and find out what ROAD WARRIORS 2010 is all about.

We're working on getting some incredible prizes

to help support your run-walk-hike-bike efforts.

At the park we'll have an info booth, hunky cookies made from great ingredients available at Trader Joe's (so you can keep makin' em at home), fruit, water and those awesome prizes. Here's the deal: the parking lot is sorta big, not huge. So we're encouraging potential road warriors to show up in shifts so to speak, like an open house--drop in anytime between 9:30 and 2:30, check out the info booth, grab your cookie and get to know this beautiful park on foot or mountain bike. Dogs are welcome on leash.

If you're on a road bike,

be sure make us a part of your pit stop.

Look for our ROAD WARRIOR 2010 banner

and stop in,

grab your cookie and head out

towards Sunol and Kilkare or Palomares Canyon

Then become a part of one of the greatest things you've ever done in your life...support our wounded vets and their families and have a blast while you do it.

FINDING THE PARK...

The Pleasanton Ridge Park is located on Foothill Road in Pleasanton. From I-680 Take the Bernal Ave. exit and turn towards the ridge, the turn left onto Foothill. Go about 3 miles to the parking lot and staging area on the right. There are porta potties, water, picnic tables, trail maps and a 1,600 foot elevation gain to the top. It's a huffer for first timers, but take it slow and enjoy the incredible views, wildflowers, and red tailed hawks crying overhead.

Find a trail map and more detailed information on line @ http://www.ebparks.org/parks/pleasanton#about

Here's your chance to make a difference

in the lives of our military heros

& have a blast at the same time....

ROAD WARRIORS 2010

walk, run, ride or hike 100 miles

How to get started?

-invite friends, family, employers to sponsor you

(or be your own sponsor)

-rack up at least 100 miles of road time between

Memorial Day and Veteran's Day 2010.

"Get ready to get sweaty!"

Is launching roadwarriors2010 crazy or inspired? Not sure. Come Veterans Day --11/11/2010-- we'll have our answer. But wouldn't it be incredible, if together, we put in enough miles to be able to deliver a gift of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the wounded warrior project and freedom alliance? Anyway, that's my dream and goal for this project.

But no matter how much we raise, I'm encouraged by your interest in becoming a roadwarrior this summer. I'm impressed with your willingness to make your miles count not just for yourself, but also for the most incredible Americans out there--our wounded and active military men and women.

It is truly impossible for me to comprehend the commitment and mindset of our military men and women. I mean, how do you put your life on the line for people you don't even know? They do. They have. Some have lost it all. Well, I can't let that kind of devotion go unthanked, unnoticed, unheralded. You obviously can't either. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

If you are a cyclist out there on Foothill Road screaming by me, I'm impressed. Really impressed. If you're a high school cross countrymen, I'm jealous. It's watching you that gave me the idea to make our miles count this summer.

When it comes to physical performance, I'm not that hot. I just like to be out there. I fancy myself a runner. I'm not fast, just consistent. But everyday I have the opportunity to feel my legs power up and down Sinbad Trail in Augustine Bernal Park, or the back country of Sycamore Grove, I'm grateful that I have legs to use, grateful that I can see and smell and feel the world around me.

Thousands of our soldiers have lost that ability. They have lost one, two, three limbs. They have suffered life altering burns and brain injuries. They are left to live the rest of their lives with a prosthesis or in a wheel chair with someone else walking along side them. They entered military service willingly, knowing the risk they would face to protect the land and families they love at home. Unbelievable.

The least, the very least we can do is run the race for them. Put our miles to good use for them and build up a treasure chest of money to help them heal. To help send their orphaned kids to college. To help them get back into civilian life successfully. We can do this through the WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT and FREEDOM ALLIANCE. We can make our hours and miles of hiking, cycling, walking and running count for someone other than just ourselves. Make it bigger than ourselves.

....this blog is for you...this is a place to...

• get a sponsorship form
• share roadwarriors 2010 with friends, family and coworkers
• meet and communicate with other roadwarriors
• tell us about your sponsors and their commitment to the project
• document your progress towards personal training and fitness goals
• tell us about cool and inspiring places you've logged your miles
• share your tips about getting sponsors
• link to your own blog, facebook or twitter pages
• announce rides, runs, walks and get togethers you are hosting

most of all...help us keep our eyes on the prize....

• post an entry about the active and wounded military men and women you know, those who have served and sacrificed for us so we can keep their names and stories on our minds and in our prayers all summer.