Snowshoe #7 - Horse Hill - 2.20.10

I got lost. I missed a left turn on the power line road and continued on ahead. One of the racers in the pack with me finally said "hey, i don't see any tracks ahead of us." An extremely disappointing moment, eclipsed only by turning around to see a dozen other racers bang the left and take the lead we had built on them. More on this later. Michael and the crew from 3c Race Productions put together another great event by shoveling snow onto the thin parts of the trail and supplying plenty of cornbread and kale soup after the fact. This was a GSSS event and the leader thus far held his own. Jim Johnson (1st/27:07) was in attendance so the outcome was somewhat predictable as it became a battle for second place among the high seeds. Acidotic teammates Ann Rasmussen (women's winner/33:59),Steve Wolfe, Richie Blake and Michael Amarello rounded out our contingent amongst the 46 that showed for the event. I was able to recover some ground after my mishap in the woods and finished a dismal 32nd in 40:40. After the race it was back to the house to shower, stretch and grab a quick nap before the nightcap. Next up the Kingman Farm 5K in Madbury.

Timmy & Team Cameron

S(no)wshoe #6 - Frosty's Dash - 2.14.10

No snow. No good. After other postponements I was happy just to be racing again. Frosty's Dash for a Cure to benefit Cystic Fibrosis turned out to be a road race in the end. The course which would have normally taken us up and down and around the fairways of the Atkinson Country Club gave way to a traditional asphalt surface of cart paths and roadways. Set to be a 5K or 3.1 miles it reportedly came a little short 2.9 miles I am told by those who ran with gps watches. Jim Johnson was among the few snowshoers who still came out for the race as this was part of the GSSS. He took the tape at 15:29 and was followed by my Acidotic Racing teammates Ann Rasmussen placing 8th at 19:29, Richie Blake 11th at 20:16 and Gary Rueter 43rd at 25:18. I pulled in at 21:59 for 17th place out of the 120 racers that showed for the converted snowshoe event. As always Michael from 3C Race Productions directed a nice event and Deb Fudge and her crew put together a nice pre and post party for all those that attended. Next up is a double on Saturday. If the projected snow holds up we should be shoeing at both Horse Hill 7k in Merrimack on Saturday morning and then Kingman Farm 5K in Madbury on Saturday night. It will be a long hard day. We'll see how it goes. Wish us all luck and remember we are always thankful for your $upport of JDRF during this entire snowshoe series.

Timmy & Team Cameron

Snowshoe #5 - Sidehiller - 1.30.10

This was slated to be a 4 mile race. That has been the distance in the past. Due to the rain we experienced last week race director Paul Kirsch was forced to change the route and the length. Rather than leaving the fairgrounds and crossing the street for some bushwhacking, we stayed on campus and did 3 delightful loops around the grounds in Center Sandwich, NH. Thank God - it was a dry cold. The temperature at the start of the race was set to be right around zero degrees and factoring in the bit of wind we had i am betting it might have been a tad below that mark. The Sidehiller was race #4 in the GSSS and also a part of the WMAC series. In addition to that it was the only qualifier for the US Snowshoe Championship to be run in NH. So all the stars came out to play. The front row of the starting line had the likes of Jim Johnson, Kevin Tilton, Ben Nephew, Dave Dunham, Josh Ferenc, Jim Pawlicki, Charlie Therriault and Chris Dunn. The nice thing about a loop course is after the first lap you know what you're in for on the second lap. Although when you are making the second loop and you realize you still have another one to go...well, at least we were warm at that point. Congratulations to Kevin Tilton from Team CMS/Inov8 he took the tape with a speedy finish of 31:08. Josh Ferenc grabbed 2nd and Jim Johnson "took the day off" and grabbed third snapping his undefeated streak this winter which had grown to 7 races until Saturday. Mind you he was running hurt. Still the man to beat at any race in any weather and a great competitor. My team Acidotic Racing was unfortunately without our best bet Geoff Cunningham sidelined with tendonitis. Here is hoping we get him back for the upcoming Exeter Snowshoe Hullabaloo at Fort Rock. It is a gnarly course and extremely technical, so I have been told. Acidotic was well represented in the top twenty by teammates Charlie Therriault, Tim Cox, Danny Ferriera, Steve Wolfe, Ri Fahnestock and Chris Dunn. I pulled in at 46:55 to grab 52nd place out of 91 ice cold racers. Still thawing out and getting ready to hit a training run right now. Fort Rock is going to be a test and I need to get ready. Thanks for checking out the blog and for helping my snowshoe races $upport the good work at JDRF all in the names of my son Cameron. See you in the powder.

Timmy & Team Cameron

Snowshoe #4 - Pooh Hill Scramble - 1.23.10

"If nothing else this is beautiful!" I shouted to a guy out on the trail today, he laughed and we trotted along. This was race #4 for the season and race #3 in the Granite State Snowshoe Series. My team captain Chris Dunn of Acidotic Racing was not on the trail today as this was his baby and he did us proud. What a great event. I had never even heard of King Pine in East Madison, NH our hosts for the day. There is lots to do and see up there. Ski, ride, cross country ski and SNOWSHOE! It was a winding 8K course that lead us through some beautiful scenery and kept you busy on what seemed to be an endless roller coaster of mini hills. Chris took the liberty of creating some winding virgin single track in fields we could have clearly just run straight across, I'll have to ask him about that? :) As we neared the finish others let us know this was the last big hill. Excellent. Nothing better than cruising a downhill into the tape. Of course the tape was gone because Jim Johnson had already broken it minutes before finishing in 34:02. Congrats to Jim and the crew from Central Mass Striders for the log jam of racers in the top 5 - official results pending. I pulled in at 51:41 which put me in 42nd overall out of a field of 80. Again a great race and after party thrown by my team captain Chris, his wife Karen and their family. Lots of great food and beer from our team sponsors at Redhook Brewery. A killer a grand prize in the post race raffle of some Kahtoola flightdecks that Scott Mason made off with in the end. Next up for the series is the Sidehiller 4 Miler in Center Sandwich, NH this coming Saturday. As always I am running to benefit children like my son Cameron with autism and juvenile diabetes. Thank you for your $upport.

Timmy & Team Cameron

Snowshoe #3 - Feel Good Farm - 1.16.10

No throwing up and no falling down. Two goals that I achieved without necessarily setting out to do so. The Feel Good Farm Snowshoe race is aptly named, as I was certainly feeling good when we finally left the farm. This was race #3 for the season and race #2 in the GSSS that myself and my teammates from Acidotic Racing are competing in and it was a test. Feel Good Farm in Lyndeborough, NH were our gracious hosts and both the setting and weather were great. Michael Amarello and his crew from 3C Race Productions knocked out another seamless event and made the grueling race a little more bearable.

This race was roughly an 8.5K comprised of 2 laps up and down Moose Mountain. The way up was steep and slow as the running was so difficult at times crawling on all fours might have been more effective. I had the pleasure of passing a few racers that decided to "lighten their load" on the way up - delicious! As for the way down, calling the terrain treacherous would be a gross disservice to the word treacherous. Many competitors met the ground with more than just the bottoms of their cleats. I was thankful to have my Dion 121's with the deep cleats in play, thanks Bob. If you have never snowshoed before I can only explain descending a trail like this as "organized confusion." You are throwing your feet so your tips don't drag while trying to center your balance all the while concentrating on your footing and maintaining a good pace. It is a relative pounding on the lower extremities and luckily I did not tweak anything until (left ankle) the second descent. Acidotic Racing had a great showing in numbers and we were lucky enough to have Geoff Cunningham take a step on the podium when it was all said and done placing 2nd. The overall results are here. Check out the view from the shoes of Scotty Graham , Steve Wolfe who raced with a heavy heart (RIP Molly) and our captain Chris Dunn in their respective blogs.

I had set one goal for myself in this race, simply to finish strong. I figured based on distance and difficulty the leaders would be in around the 35 minute mark. Sure enough 1st place went to Kevin Tilton from team CMS with a time of 37:19. I said to Gianina before heading to the starting line that she could expect me no later than 59:00 unless of course the first lap took me 55 minutes then she could adjust accordingly. When we finished our first lap I came out of the woods trailing Scott Mitchell from Team Blazing Turtles. He commented as we headed back in and up that we were horrifically far from done, I checked my watch for the first time to see that we were at the 29 minute mark and told him that we might want to pick it up. Not wanting to get much more conversational with him I made my move to pass and continue to push forward as we once again hit the delightful climb up Moose Mountain. The only benefit about lap 2 was we now had the knowledge of what was ahead of us. I hit the summit for the 2nd time at the 53 minute mark and knew that I had only 6 minutes to "get off" the mountain to maintain my personal goal. As I cleared the trees and the trail continued to wind towards the crowd and the finish we leveled out. A flat surface - what a treat! As we neared the parking lot I heard my son Aidan yelling GO DADDY! (audible on this video at the 5:52 mark) It really doesn't get any better than that.

I pulled in at 58:12 which gave me 53rd out of the 104 that toed the line. Four runners finished that first lap and figured that was enough. We have enjoyed more $upport from family and friends and thank you for visiting our donation site to benefit JDRF this winter. Next up on the schedule is the Pooh Hill Snowshoe Scramble at King Pine in East Madison, NH. I am not sure of the distance on this one, but it doesn't really matter after this week I now know I can handle anything that is thrown my way. Thanks again to my amazing family and friends for all of your encouragement and my teammates for helping me in my training.

Timmy & Team Cameron
$upport JDRF here Thank$

Snowshoe #2 - Olde Salem Greens - 1.09.10

My wife is amazing. Have you met her? She is the woman at all of our races corralling two young boys and trying to take photos at the same time. She is the one that works all week and then on her "days off" drives me and the boys all over New Hampshire and New England for that matter so Daddy can go run another race. When I write these blogs I always refer to "Team Cameron." Although there is only one runner on the team, it certainly takes a group effort to pull off the endeavor of getting to and from all these events. This week we had a very special member of the family team with us as my mother braved the early hour and the cold to cheer me on. As always we are hoping through these races to bring an awareness of Juvenile Diabetes and Autism to light as well. Thanks in advance from the Cameron Lindsey Foundation for all your $upport. I would be remiss if I continued to blog about "Team Cameron" and our efforts without tipping my cap to my spectacular wife of 13 lucky years.

So onto the race. The Olde Salem Greens 5K Snowshoe Classic in Salem, Ma. This was a non Granite State Snowshoe Series event although it did count for team scoring purposes for the season. The good news, Jim Johnson was busy winning another race in Pittsfield. He most likely will contend to win both the Western Mass Athletic Club Series and the GSSS. An amazing athlete. So it was wide open, well, not for me but some other favorites in the field. The CMS Polar Bears were well represented by the winner Ben Nephew with a time of 22:41. Team Acidotic was fortunate enough to grab two spots on the podium thanks to my teammates Geoff Cunningham(2)and Charles Therriault(3) and our captain Chris Dunn rounded out the top five. The guys continue to remind me that as long as I finish I am helping the team. Not bad for my 2nd race ever. I pulled in at 36:27 which was good enough for 63rd place out of the eventual 191 souls that braved the cold temperatures.

Race Director Eileen Dunn and Race Producer Michael Amarello from 3C Race Productions put together a great event. Michael is also an aR teammate, a busy guy that brings it on and off the course every week. We definitely got some cool shwag for entering early. Most races do the standard t-shirt or water bottle. Eileen Dunn and the guys from Dungeon Rock Racing put together some event specific wool socks and some DRR running gloves. Once again Bob Dion had his people on hand with loaner shoes which is such a gracious thing to do. You could potentially walk in that morning sign up for the race and if early enough score some shoes as well. I am excited to report that "Team Cameron" has some new Dion Snowshoe 121's on the way. I am looking forward to getting them cold and wet this coming week at GSSS #2 in Lyndeborough, NH at the Feel Good Farm 9K. Thanks again to my wife and my boys for inspiring me each week to just finish!

Timmy & Team Cameron

http://www.irunformyson.com/

Snowshoe #1 - Beaver Brook 5K - 1.02.10

Today was Team Cameron's first ever snowshoe race. Also race #1 for the Granite State Snowshoe Series.We finished 46th out of 87 racers at the Beaver Brook 5K in Hollis, NH. We completed the race in 24:38. Jim Johnson from Team CMS was the winner today with an amazing 15:48 finish. Thanks to Michael Amarello and the crew at 3C Race Productions for putting on a great event. Bob Dion Snowshoes for the great equipment and my team captain Chris Dunn at Acidotic Racing for training with me. To follow our progress and get involved with JDRF awareness this winter go to - I Run For My Son - thank you for your encouragement and $upport. Next up is a non-GSSS event in Salem, MA. The Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic this coming Saturday @ 9am - who needs sleep anyway?

Thank You

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #14 - York 5K Turkey Trot - 11.28.09

Race #13 - Winnekenni Trail Run - 11.07.09

Race #12 - Great Bay 5K - 10.24.09

This one was cold and rainy. You can tell the difference between novice runners and those that expect to place in the top ten. Clothing. I along with most of the field was covered up in compression pants and a light windbreaker. The leaders were in loincloths and flip flops. All kidding aside, this was the final race in the Seacoast Race Series. I did a select few of the race series events this year and they are always well organized and executed. We finished 283rd out of 771 runners in 24:59. This leaves Team Cameron with just two final races for the running season this year, the first of which is next week. Please help us raise awareness and research funding for Autism as our efforts directly effect the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation. If you have the means and willingness to get involved we appreciate all of the help that you have to offer. Join our team here First Giving. Again thank you to all of you that have offered us support. We appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Next up for Team Cameron is the Winnekenni 5K Trail Run on November 7th in Haverhill, MA.

Thank You All

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #11 - Joppa Hill Trail 5K - 10.10.09

What was I thinking? Why would I be running a trail K on my birthday? For Autism research of course. Well it is over thank goodness. This was and probably will be the most difficult trail run of the season crossing over stone walls and streams it was a true test. About a mile in I rolled an ankle and realized what might be the case, I was not shooting for a personal best today. Getting out of the woods on foot was the goal. A very different experience than a regular road race but much more fun and challenging at the same time. I really had a good time on this run. There will be a snowshoe race this winter at this site covering the same course, that should be interesting. Team Cameron will be participating in the Granite State Snowshoe Series as well , stay tuned for details coming soon.

Again a well organized event that only a few braved the morning to compete in as the field was only 22 or so (official numbers still unavailable as of the time of this post). I finished 8th of 22 runners in 28:34 and won my division (males 30-39) which gave the announcer the opportunity to embarrass me by making it known that it was my 38th birthday. For my efforts I was awarded a commemorative cowbell. Priceless! Next up for Team Cameron is the Great Bay 5K in Greenland on October 24th. Thanks for the emotional and monetary support and for spreading our story to your friends for help.

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #10 - Loco Moose Trail 5K - 8.30.09

(Timmy front and center at the start in the green shirt)

This was our first "trail run" and it was pretty low key. It was a mix of road race and cross country with a bit of "trail" in the middle. None the less it will be the last run for a while as Team Cameron takes the entire month of September off for family events as well as important BC and Patriot tailgates (Daddy's decision not Cameron's). Nana Lindsey surprised us by showing up at the house first thing in the morning to make the trip to Concord with us which was nice.

The race took place on the NH Tech campus near the Delta Dental complex. The tunnel we ran through to both start and finish the race was called the "root canal." All in all it was a good run and a great field of competitors. The weather held up and Team Cameron finished 36th out of 149 runners in 23:29.

Next up is the Joppa Hill "Farm Critter Frolic" 5K Trail Run on October 10th in Bedford, NH. Thank you for well wishes and please send your support along if you can.

Thank you again

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #9 - Thunder Chicken 5K - 8.06.09

This weeks race had a lot of firsts for Team Cameron. It was our first night race and our first race with a personal timing system. Gianina got me a Timex Ironman Solar (just $39 on EBay!) to keep my own split times. The surprise of the day came when we arrived at Strawberry Banke for check-in to find that we were the first entry this year. I had the dubious distinction of wearing #1 on my race bib. Ugh, lots of pressure. Not that I expected to compete for the win, though you certainly don't want to roll in at the 30 minute mark either. I certainly knew that the goal was to improve on our best thus far of 22:56.

It was a single mat race which would provide just your gun time. In these situations if you want your time to be accurate you must toe the line. As the gun sounded and we took off I felt great, continuing to warm up as we crested the first hill and then it happened. I was being passed by what seemed to be everybody and I felt as if I could not even catch first gear. I continued to hold my pace as best I could until we got to the first mile marker. There I could see an official calling out splits, hoping that my watch wasn't off by much he called out 7:15 as my group passed. Excellent, my fastest split to date. So why did I feel so defeated? What seemed to be a constant stream of people passing me got me to thinking what this was all really about.

I could not help but draw the parallel that Cameron must feel like this all the time. He is perfectly capable both physically and mentally to keep up with the others around him, though sometimes his mind and body just don't work well with one another. I had my first real battle of mind over matter. My first split time was great and I let my head put me out of the game. I should have taken a page from my sons playbook and just put my head down and done my own thing. It was a nice reminder about why we are doing all these races - for autism awareness - oddly enough I was the one that got the wake up call this week. The most valuable minutes of running I have put in since I started last summer were logged this past Thursday night on the winding asphalt roads of Portsmouth, NH.

I'll be honest, mile 2 was a blur. I was already writing this blog in my head. The emotion of what I was feeling and the exhaustion of my perception of what was happening took its toll. I finished the next split at 15:30, a full minute off my initial pace. That didn't matter now. I had learned so much about myself and my family through my weight loss, the death of my brother in-law Jay and Cameron's diagnosis with juvenile diabetes and autism. This was just a reminder that it doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down, only that you continually respond by pushing yourself back up to pursue what you believe is right.

My son Cameron and I have yet to engage in a real give and take conversation. Our communication resides on a different level. I sometimes feel closest to him when we are the furthest apart. When he is at the finish line with Gianina and Aidan and I am a mile and a half away. I can relate in a small way to the struggle that he must wrestle with every day. These self imposed challenges that I am participating in every other weekend all summer only last 3.1 miles. After that I can relax. Cameron is unable to shut off his race. He has to keep on running every day all day long, just to keep up. He is the reason I am running. If we can help raise money for autism this year great, but the importance of this endeavor is that Cameron sees his family embracing a challenge and doing something about it. Gianina and I will not ever let our boys see us play the victim card when it comes to Cameron's juvenile diabetes and autism. I am fully confident that first Aidan and then Cameron will soon join me in these races. It stands to reason that sooner than later Cameron and I will share longer runs than talks.

As I said before I feel closer to him when I am running. It will be nice to have him not only in my heart, but also by my side on the road. No conversation, just the rhythm of our hearts beating and our feet moving in unison. Drawing strength from one another to go the distance.

After all that we finished 121st of 399 runners in 23:50. The next race is our first trail run August 30th. Thank you for your support - stay involved and please tell your friends!

Timothy & Team Cameron

First Giving

Race #8 - York Days 5K - 7.26.09

So we headed down to Maine for this weeks race. Wait, did I just say down to Maine? Yup, that is how the locals always say it. Actually as a New Hampshirite I would say up. Anyway we went. It was actually the "26th Annual Amidon Family Dentistry York Days 5K Road Race" - phew! Ironically enough they were aiming for a more convoluted title for the run, but it was unable to be passed by the town fathers after being ratified 3 times in last Falls triumvirate of conclaves. Those Yorkers, they're busy people! None the less, we ran! In the rain!

It was a nice course with ample police presence and traffic control. An 8 am gun time made for a dismal spectator turnout as we winded through town. There was one great moment as I passed a "gentleman" grabbing his paper from his front walk. He stood in total disbelief that he had just rolled out of bed and 800 people were running passed his house. Punctuated by the butt scratch and belch that he offered as we went by. I let out a fist pump and a hearty "thanks for coming out!" He declined to further the exchange.

Again it was a nice run with a start and finish mat, therefore we had actual net times. Very bumpy at first as some people in the middle of the pack had trouble getting through the narrow start gate. I chose this week to start mid-pack as i find it nicer to run the first leg of the race finding a good spot as the pack begins to thin out. Also for myself as a "newbie" to the sport it is nice to build confidence by passing a lot of others as you pick your spot. All in all I still need to find my kick at the end of the runs. I could have closed faster in my opinion. As I told my wife, I need to treat the last mile as if I just stole something and the authorities are in pursuit. Alas it was a successful day for Team Cameron. The boys toughed out the weather with their Batman toys in the double jogging stroller as they accompanied Gianina at the finish jockeying for photos.

I finished 147th of 785 runners with a time of 22:56 - a new personal record for us! Our next run is Thursday, August 6th in Portsmouth. The 13th Annual (wait for it) Thunder Chicken 5K Road Race & Barbecue! Do you love it or what? Two years ago I know which part of this event I would have been competing in for cash prizes. As always thank you for being involved in our effort to raise awareness and funds for Autism and we appreciate every bit of help anyone can offer us. Please forward to family and friends if you feel compelled. Get involved now - First Giving - Thank you so much!

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #7 Harbour Trail 5K - 7.11.09

This week the travel was light and the leg was weary. Team Cameron headed off Saturday morning for the Portsmouth Harbour Trail 5K, right in our back yard. After a light week of training due to the injured right wheel that I was sporting, I never felt that I hit a rhythm. This week the goal as usual was an improvement on my personal record (23:02). Unfortunately it wasn't my day and we'll have to focus on getting stronger for the next one. I finished 94th of 375 runners with a time of 23:20.

Our next race is the York Days 5K on Sunday, July 26th. Thank you to all of those who have given us words of encouragement and to those who continue to donate to First Giving. Race #7 marks the halfway point of our 5K challenge for the 2009 running season. We still have a ways to go to reach the halfway point for our financial goal. Please get involved if you can we appreciate it, every last dollar makes a difference.

Thanks again

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #6 John Carson Memorial - 7.04.09

Our holiday was red, white and bruised. To say that Team Cameron got off on the wrong foot would be an understatement. We loaded the boys into the family truckster and were just about to head south for Chelmsford when we realized we had forgotten something. As I quickly headed back into the house madness ensued. Hurrying up the front porch my left foot never quite caught any traction with the wet lumber. Ugh! So, the left foot falls off the porch and my right shin (in mid air at this point) grates down the front of the stairs. I left quite a bit of myself on those stairs, it was a fine how do you do at 7:25 am.

We stopped the bleeding (for the time being) and headed to Chelmsford. It was a fun 2 mile run, the most populated course I have ever been on. North Road in Chelmsford is packed with people waiting for the parade that quickly follows. I promised Aidan and Cameron that I would stop and pick them up to do the last 1/8th of a mile together. We did. After all this is what it is all about, Cameron being involved in everyday things and being exposed to "typical" experiences.

Team Cameron (daddy and the boys) finished in 16:42 averaging an 8:21 mile. We'll take it considering the physical circumstances we ran under. The next race is another 5K this Saturday in Portsmouth, NH. We have some healing to do in the meantime. Wish us luck and thank you for all your support thus far. To get involved with Team Cameron go to First Giving - we appreciate all your efforts.

Thank you from Team Cameron

Timothy, Gianina, Aidan & Cameron

Race #5 Sea Dogs Father's Day 5K - 6.21.09

Team Cameron (daddy) was able to achieve another personal best this week. Timmy finished 188th of 932 runners with a time of 23:02. That time is a 17 second improvement. Next race, a fun run, just 2 miles in Chelmsford, Ma. The Carson Memorial Road Race is run in honor of CHS Class of 1989 student John Carson who passed away tragically while training with the CHS cross country team over 20 years ago. God Bless him, he'll be in our thoughts as we run this July 4th.

Thank you for all the support and continued well wishes for our success. Join our team and our challenge to raise awareness and funds for Autism. Go to First Giving - thanks.

Team Cameron

Race #4 - Lowell Fire Fighters 5K - 6.07.09

Ok, by now you are thinking is he in the same shirt again? Yes I am! It has not failed me yet. So there I am finishing the Lowell Fire Fighters 5K. While I was devising a plan on what races to run this season my friend and Lowell Fire Fighter Billy "Rubba Shoes" Corey told me about this one. A chance to dodge downtown Lowell traffic and raise money for the "jakes" while benefiting autism...why not? Well, the lucky shirt and shorts and sneakers struck again, another personal best. I finished 32nd out of 215 runners with a time of 23:19. Great weather, great atmosphere and a remarkable dinner afterwards at my parents house in Chelmsford. Life is good. Next up - back to Portland, ME for the 1st Annual Sea Dogs Father's Day 5K. Thanks to everyone for your support. Get involved now with Team Cameron as we run to raise awareness and funds for our friends at the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. First Giving

Timmy & Team Cameron

Cameron's First Day of School - 5.26.09

As I referenced in the last post, this was to be a very emotional week for us in the Lindsey household. Last Thursday was Cameron's final day of in home therapy with our friends from Community Partners as he was aging out of the program. That's right! Friday was Cameron's 3rd Birthday. We had a big family party on Saturday and the Redhook 5K on Sunday along with the departure of Brian (Poppy Rose) Gianina's Dad. If you are scoring at home they live in Sydney, Australia. Take notes, there will be a quiz at the end. Monday a day to relax and prepare for the inevitable. Our little ones first day of school. Wow. Tempus Fugit (time flies) as my old Latin teacher Mrs. Queenan would say. The reason he is off to school so early and at such a late time of year is because of his autism.

The chance of his motor skills and communication trailing off is why the school system folds them into classes so expeditiously. Why waste time and why risk the chance of him losing ground. So he is off to Woodman Park Elementary right here in Dover, NH for the remainder of this school year for three days a week. He has Mondays and Fridays off. Nice schedule huh? Over the Summer he will attend four days a week and next Fall all five. He is doing quite well thus far and we are so happy to have him in such a great program with a remarkable staff. He is not taking the bus just yet though. Cameron also has Juvenile Diabetes so I like to communicate with his teachers each morning as I drop him off as to what kind of a morning He is experiencing. A three year old with diabetes and autism is a bit of a mixed bag guessing game. He keeps us busy. My official diagnosis is that he is "sugartistic." A major milestone in his and our lives is behind us now. We are very proud of his progress.

Timmy & Team Cameron

Race #3 - Red Hook Brewery 5K - 5.24.09

What could be better motivation for finishing a race than ice cold beer? Maybe taking your in-laws to the airport? I'll explain in a bit. For the time being this weeks challenge was the 12th Annual Runner's Alley / Red Hook Brewery 5K. I was able to improve on my time once again and finished 343rd out of 1,959 competitors in just 24:03. Little by little I am making decent progress. Once I finished there was no beer for me though, we were off to the airport to send off my father in-law. The beginning of a very emotional week for our family. Next up on the schedule - The Lowell Fire Fighters 5K. Thanks again to everyone who has helped us along the way with words of encouragement and donations. Get involved here - First Giving

Timmy & Team Cameron