Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Today I made a commitment to spend my birthday inside the Washington State Prison System. I’ll travel to the state prison in Aberdeen to attend a graduation ceremony for the first graduating class of the Straight-A Guide. The adult offenders wrote some really encouraging words about how the program influenced them to begin preparing for success. I received an invitation from one of the counselors at the state prison, and I agreed to make the trip at my own expense. I’ll have a small speaking role at the ceremony, and of course I’ll respond to any questions that the men have for me. People in prison need to see living, breathing evidence that success can follow a prison journey. I take advantage of every opportunity available to inspire others to work toward success. One of my mentors told me that once I achieved a truly high level of success I would have a much better chance of influencing better outcomes from our nation’s prison system. I agree, but I don’t know how long it will take me to achieve a truly “high level of success.” When I walked out of prison, my wife and I set a five-year goal. We agreed to work very hard during the first five years of my liberty. If we stayed true to that commitment, we expected that we would catch up to our peers. We’re on schedule, perhaps even ahead of schedule. This story that we’re building will show others that regardless of where they are now, if they can visualize a better outcome they can create a workable plan. And if they execute the plan, they can succeed. That is the vision that continues to drive Carole and me, and I look forward to inspiring others to follow the same deliberate pursuit of success.
Days since my release from prison: 491
Miles that I ran today: 0
Miles that I ran so far this week: 13.1
Miles that I’ve run during the month of December: 86.97
Miles that I ran so far in 2014: 2,317.96
Miles that I need to run in order to reach my annual goal of 2,400 miles: 82.04
Miles I’m ahead of schedule to reach my 2,400-mile goal by the end of 2014: 18.46
My weight for today: 168