#fallenpatriots

For week 5 viral post I have chosen to do the #DropAndGiveMe10 challenge. I am not going to lie, I struggled a good amount on this assignment. I originally picked the mannequin challenge but as I was researching it it seemed so superficial and dumb it is where people freeze randomly in groups, it did not promote anything or any change in the world. I wanted to find a challenge that truly was making a difference in people's lives, as the ALS challenge has. So I started searching for a different challenge to report on and at first I came across the give them 20 challenge which is around the same idea as the drop and give me 10 challenge but you do not donate money and it is to help find jobs for veterans and is suppose to show people the challenge veterans face trying to find jobs when they are back home. Which I also think is a wonderful idea. But feel the challenge is poorly executed so I moved on and continued searching. Eventually I came across the drop and give me 10 challenge and I have dedicated to chose it for my assignment. I really liked the idea of a challenge giving children scholarships and educational opportunities that they may not have gotten to experience otherwise.

As I began to researching the drop and give me 10 challenge I have learned that it was founded by the Fallen Patriots, which is a 100% non profit organization that uses all of the donations(direct quote from the websites mission statement) “to provide college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who have last a parent in the line of duty.”  Something else that I really like about this foundation is the fact that on their main page you can see their financial audits for the year which I think is really cool and shows they are not hiding things. All in all I think the Fallen Patriots is a wonderful foundation and I hope that the drop and give me 10 challenge resurrects and goes even more viral than it had in the past.  

How to:

The drop and give me 10 challenge was created by the Fallen Patriots. There are four steps to completing the challenge.

Step one: Decide how much money you are going to pledge for each push up you can do.

Step two: Film yourself completing the challenge. In the video also challenge three of your friends to complete the challenge also.

Step three: Post your video online on different social media sites such as; Youtube, Facebook, twitter, or Tumblr. Use the hashtag #DropAndGiveMe10 challenge.

Step four: Make your donation.

Here is a video example of someone doing the drop and give me 10 challenge. He pledged $2 a push up and did 10 push ups so he will donate $20 then he challenged 5 people to also do the challenge instead of the regular three.

History:

The Fallen Patriots Foundation was founded in 2002 by David Kim, who had served next to Sergeant William Delaney Gibbs from the 7th infantry division in Panama, who was killed just 5 five days before Christmas in 1989. He had left behind a wife and unborn daughter. David Kim was inspired by Sargent Gibb’s sacrifice and that is why he founded the Fallen Patriots foundation in 2002 when David Kim returned to the United States.  

Facts:

Research conducted by The Lucas Group has found that an estimated 20,000 dependents have been left behind by troops killed in the line of duty over the past 35 years needs some financial assistance.

97% of casualties are mean, leaving single mothers to care for their families. 63% of surviving spouses make less than 50,000 a year.

The Fallen Patriots foundation has helped almost 800 kids go to college. The Fallen Patriots Foundation has also donated over sixteen million dollars financial aid and educational opportunities since being founded in 2002.

But does it have a viral SPARK(T)?

I had actually never heard of the drop and give me 10 challenge until I was looking for charitable challenges on Google. It did go viral, just not as viral as the ice bucket challenge had. I believe that the drop and give me 10 challenge has the potential to go as big as the ALS Ice bucket challenge did.

If we think about SPARK(T) the drop and give me 10 challenge has it.

It is Sharable. You do the challenge in a video form and challenge three of your friends to do the challenge also. ( it has the same snowball effect aspect that the als challenge had)

It is Participatory. Everyone can be challenged to do the video and everyone can share it.

It is Authentic. It challenges you to do push ups, and sponsor yourself. How many other challenges do you know that has you do push ups then donate for each push up you can do?

It is Relatable. Everyone knows how high college is and most people deeply appreciate people in the military.

It has a Kick. It has a hashtag ,people can watch it. It does not have a wikipedia page, yet but the Fallen Patriots have a Twitter page for the drop and give me 10 challenge.

It also has the Time aspect. Because there is no other viral trend or challenge going on right now that I know of. There is a lot going on in the world right now, but I do not believe it is anything everyone is talking about like crazy so right now would be the time for a mass viral challenge like the drop and give me 10 challenge to happen.

Sources:

It was actually kind of hard to find information on the #DropAndGiveMe10 challenge because apparently there is also a drop and give me 10 exercise challenge and information on that popped up a lot. So if you would like to do some more research into the #DropAndGiveMe10 challenge I would suggest always using the hashtag because that is where I had most of my luck finding information on the challenge. Most of the information in the post if from the Fallen Patriots website.

Link to the fallen patriots website: http://www.fallenpatriots.org/#home

Link to Fallen Patriots mission, history, and financial audits: http://www.fallenpatriots.org/who-we-are  

Link to #DropAndGiveMe10 page: http://www.dropandgiveme10.net/

Link to #DropAndGiveMe10 Twitter: https://twitter.com/dropandgiveme10

Link to more YouTube videos of the Challenge the first 7 are of the challenge: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=drop+and+give+me+10+challenge

Well that was definitely an interesting race today.  I got there early for packet pickup and warm up.  I probably got there a little too early but I remember what happened a few weeks ago at the Frostbite 15K where the line to use the restroom was insanely long and took forever.  I didn’t want to risk that situation again.  Plus I always like to get the race venue early because it helps keep me calm and focused.  I started my warm up with a few laps around the track and then some dynamic stretches. It felt good to get in a decent warm up. I have always been really bad about doing that.  My coach has been working with me to develop a regular routine before runs and races to ensure my muscles are loose and ready to go.  About 30 minutes before race kick off, it started to rain and it was more than just a sprinkle.  I knew then it was going to be an interesting run but I wasn’t too worried too much about it. I just sipped on my GQ6 and listened to music while I waited for the race to start.  My weight is actually started to drop and I am feeling leaner and lighter.  I don’t know what my actual weight is and that is probably a good thing.  I am trying to put more focus on how I feel rather than actual hard data.  Numbers are numbers, but I want to put more emphasis on how I feel.  I have really been focusing on what I eat.  I know my weight doesn’t make my race season “successful” but being leaner and lighter makes me feel more confident and reduces my changes of injury.  Plus wearing spandex is not flattering and is difficult for anyone to wear regardless of body type.  I still have a long way to go to get down the weight I really want to be at by October, but I will continue to be patient and keep my eyes forward.  

My coach said to just go out and give it a good effort but nothing hard.  My desire was to go out fairly easy during the first mile and then progressively build pace throughout.  I seeded myself in the back to limit the pressure on me to go out with too much pace.  That seemed to work fairly well.  I still got caught up in the crowd because the first part of the race was on a sidewalk along a major road.  So there really wasn’t much room to get around slower runners which was frustrating. Couple the congestion with my legs feeling fresh and the cool temperatures, I think that drove me to push my pace a little more than I had planned.  Rather than build pace throughout, my pacing actually declined.  It was really slippery out there and some of the route was on crushed rock trails which was really muddy with all the rain.  Then there were a few patches where it is just all mud, no crushed rocks.  Just leaves and mud.  That is where my pace really suffered as I was fighting for footing.  But I finished strong and I wasn’t worn out when I crossed the finish line.  That is how I know I executed my coach’s plan.  The issue was my internal desire wasn’t consistent with my coach’s plan and I always need to go with his plan.  I finished the race in 31:25 (average pace of 9:57 per mile and mile 3 is what really screwed up my overall average pace with muddy and slippery trails).

I was disappointed I didn’t execute my pacing “desire” (I call it a desire because it is what I wanted and wasn’t really a plan), but given the conditions, I am slowing becoming ok with that.  I think this is why sometimes we shouldn’t enter a race with a pacing plan.  Mainly because there are so many factors that can influence the execution of that plan.  I did however, execute my effort plan.  I felt good throughout the run and didn’t feel I was putting more into the run than I should have.  So I am calling this race a success.   The proceeds from today’s race go to the Intrepid Fallen Hero’s Fund (@FallenPatriots) and is a wonderful cause where the provide college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.  I want to thank all of the amazing volunteers for being out there in the less than favorable conditions.  I want to thank my coach Kevin Burcham (@KSquared_Racing) for keeping me on track and focused on the “bigger picture”.  I want to thank my kids Mason and Braeden for coming out this morning (and most races for that matter) and dealing with the rain on a Saturday morning. They are my reason for anything and everything I do.  Thank you to Kim Buehler Burcham at Great Harvest Bread Company in Midlothian, VA (@RVABread) for being one of the sponsors to the race and for blessing me with a race registration.  Her bakery’s grand opening is Feb 23rd and promises to be one of the best places in town for fresh bread and sandwiches.  Thank you to GQ-6 (www.gq-6.com) for making such a great hydration product. Yes you do sweat in the rain and cold and because of this product, I will be ready to race again tomorrow.