UNTITLED CHAD DARNELL PROJECT

10 Mile Run in Vegas

 

Zen and Chad Run 23 Miles!! (Um... 13 Miles...)

 

Zen and Chad Run 23 Miles!! (Um... 13 Miles...)

 

The End is the Beginning: T2

I did my first AIDS Marathon in 2003.  It was in Honolulu and at mile 24, I turned to my friend Darren Elms and said, "if I ever say I'm doing another marathon again, put a bullet in my head."

I did my second AIDS Marathon again in Honolulu in 2004.  I did it that year, because my dearest Tara Ochs said she wanted to do a marathon, so who was I to tell her no.  To date, that was the easiest experience I ever had.  We did all of our runs per training.  I even stayed back with my friend Rhonda so she could finish her marathon in just under six hours, which was her goal.  (We came in at 5:58)

Again, I said, "I'll never do another marathon."  Then the AIDS Marathon Training Program said they were doing a marathon in Dublin, Ireland.  So in 2004, I did my third.  And it was the worst experience I ever had (next to NY).  It rained.  My legs stopped working.  I crawled for most of mile 25.  There is a picture of my that looks like that 14 year old girl screaming and crying over the dead body of the student at Kent State.  

I will NEVER do another marathon, I said.  And then they announced they were going to Florence, Italy in 2006.  Well, duh.

Florence was amazing.  Shannon, Catie, Ryan and I had an amazing trip.  To date, it's my favorite vacation I've ever had.  One day when I'm very old, I will write about all the things that happened on that trip and our day in Rome, and they will seem tame by the standards of 2056.

But then I really did take off a year.  I was unemployed.  CROSSING JORDAN had wrapped.  I had no idea where I was going to land.  It was not a good year.

I started in early 2008, training with Darren again (and did, up until a week before the ride) for the AIDS Lifecycle to benefit the Gay and Lesbian Center.  HOWEVER... I was in the middle of pitching a pilot and had a network meeting the first day of the ride.  (A WEEK BEFORE!)  They wouldn't allow me to join the ride in progress.  (Claiming I wouldn't have seen the safety video.  DON'T YOU THINK I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE SAFETY VIDEO BEFORE I STARTED TRAINING, AND NOT THE FIRST DAY OF THE RIDE?!)  I was REALLY pissed and will never do the ride again.  That was the worst training of my entire life.  I would run 100 miles before I get on a bike again.  So I opted to start training for the marathon again.

I was producing a documentary.  Ryan was coaching Honolulu and I dove back in.  But for some reason, my group was much faster.  I couldn't keep up.  And on Halloween, I discovered why.  A giant lump on my testicle.  My exhaustion and feelings of being run-down all the time was because I had cancer.  I had the surgery a week before the marathon and didn't get to run.

Then last year, 2009, I decided to run for Livestrong.  Finally running for cancer.  Because I was a cancer survivor, so therefore, I thought, I have to run for the thing that tried to kill me.  (And due to the extra 20 pounds I put on, the job I was in, recovering from major surgery, even eight months later... I just wasn't trained.)  My IT band went out at mile 10.  I never finished.

So this year is a big one.  It's been four years since I crossed a finish line.

And I'm happy to report, this is the last year of the AIDS Marathon Training Program.

Happy?  Because the amazing people who run Los Angeles are no longer part of the corporate company that ran the program for so long.  Without going into those politics, it's an amazing opportunity and they now work DIRECTLY with AIDS Project Los Angeles.  (The transition already started with this marathon.)

Never run a marathon?  Now is the time.

Ask Zen.  Zen had never run a marathon and for years said she never could.  And now she's finished 18 miles and coming up on 20 in two weeks.

ANYBODY can run a marathon.

And the new team is TEAM 2 END AIDS.  They just started training for the Los Angeles Marathon and if you're interested, sign-up here.

Or if you don't want to train for six months, you can click here to donate!  I have just about $900 to go to reach my fundraising goal in two weeks.  Every dollar helps and it's tax-deductible!

10 Mile Run

I keep forgetting I have a blog.

Well, that's not entirely true.  I've just been so busy with writing that this blog tends to be forgotten.  But I'm going to attempt to write everyday for the next month - leading up to my birthday.

Writing this blog is always like checking in with my parents.  "How are things?"  Good.  "How's the writing?"  It's going.

I'm nearly done with the first draft of JOEY STEFANO.  Really super excited about it.  I was in NY two weeks ago interviewing some people who knew Nick Iacona.  I've made some changes in my team that had to happen for me.  I've learned A LOT about what I will take and what I won't over the past year.

THE TELLING is... I honestly have no idea what's going on with it.  We had two actors interested, then lost them because we pushed off from shooting in November (now, possibly February).  We had another actor interested and then he passed.  We are out to several actors right now.  So much of the work is in the fundraising stages right now in Atlanta and I have no idea what's going on.  I'm being told that meetings are happening and I'm grateful to everyone involved, but I feel like I gave birth to a child and the child was sort of taken from me and is being raised by other people.

I spoke with someone back in the spring who was interested in THE BODY FARM and we're going to pick those conversations up again this week.

I had lunch with Devon today and apparently HERE'S WHAT WE'LL SAY is picking up some steam again.

I'm working on a script with James Rhine that is based on his idea and I'm writing the script.  It's a thriller.  It's a great idea, but my focus is and has been JOEY STEFANO.  Once I get set to sit down and write, it will happen fast.

I've given up on anything involving THE LIGHTS.  I tried to hook people up and not everyone was sharing information and I'm just the writer.  So I've wiped my hands clean of it until people with money show up and want a rewrite.

We had the first audience screening for AWAY tonight.  I did not attend.  I should have, but I was so angry that one of the pieces was cut from the film and wasn't told to me until Friday night (after the cast had been invited) that I decided it was best for me to sit it out.  I had to inform the cast that it was cut and there were a lot of angry cast members (none, angrier than me).  Ask anyone and they will tell you that the lights could be completely off in a room and you can still know what I'm feeling.  So I thought it best not to ruin anyone else's enjoyment of the piece.  But, I never should have let me deep-seated anger at one person, affect my support for Ryan, who worked so hard on producing the film.

I would love to be in Atlanta for an extended period of timing shooting next year.  I feel like this year has been about me finding my voice.  Over the past few months I've learned a lot and I've learned that if I want something done, I'm going to have to do it myself.  You would have thought I had learned this 10 years ago.

But today was about the 10 mile run.  Shannon opted for the beach and I don't know where Zen was (though she said she wasn't sure when she would run).  Nice easy run.  I worked my chest and arms last night for the first time in weeks, so now my entire body aches.

BUT - I did discover my new favorite food.  18 grams of protein and 120 calories:  Fake Steak Tips.  I bought the Ralph's brand in the veggie frozen foods, but it takes just like the tenderest steak you've ever had.  Sauté for four minutes and it's amazing.  I've been craving steak for months, but still can't do meat.  

I'm now just under $900 from my fundraising goal.  I have two weeks to raise that.  Over the next two weeks, I'm going to use my blog for the purpose that I started it over five years ago... to raise awareness for AIDS Project Los Angeles and what happens to the money raised.

Next weekend is AIDS Walk here in LA.  Pauley will be with the Hollywood United Methodist Church team after she does the grandstand work with the other celebs.  I'm walking, but obviously not fundraising for the walk... because I'm RUNNING THE MARATHON for the same cause.

So if you were planning on donating to someone for the Walk... donate to me, bitches!  I've been training for six months!  These people walking are just traipsing around West Hollywood for 10K!

Click Here to Donate!

Catie, Will and Chad Run 16 Miles - The Movie!

THANK YOU to everyone who has donated.  I'm currently at $1,100 of my $3,200 goal (so just over a third).

PLEASE consider donating, even just ten dollars.  If every single person on my Facebook friends list donated ten bucks, I'd have nearly $12,000!  Or even five bucks.  Every little bit helps.

Do you really need that beer?  That venti soy latte?  That second Big Mac?  For your small donation, you help the thousands of people living with HIV/ AIDS in Los Angeles.

And it's not even like you have to train!  I'm doing all the work!

And it benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE!!

Chad and Zen Run 7 Miles (with Special Guest Star Angelyne)!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE!!  PLEASE!!  EVEN $10!!  EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!!

Chad And Zen Run 11 Miles

Five Mile Recovery Run at Runyon!

Why We Run for AIDS Project Los Angeles

I've been REALLY bad about updating my blog, thanks to Facebook.  But things are good.  Flying to Atlanta Monday night to do a location scout on Tuesday for THE TELLING!

But I wanted to share this story.  Below is one of the inspirational stories that we receive each week in an e-mail from AIDS Marathon, with stories from people and why they are running.

Saturday is "just" a 5 mile run.  (THANK GOD!)

Consider donating!  I'm $885 into my $3,200 goal!  CLICK HERE!

Hi. My name is [REDACTED] and for the past year, it’s been really tough. Not just because I have no money and it’s hard to make some at my age.  A month after turning 20, last year in August, I got a call after I was tested for HIV just for the heck of it, and they said I tested positive…I was in shock and crying for days…I don’t know who I got it from, since I was promiscuous, but fact was I got it.  I had thoughts of suicide…not only did my parents not know I had it they also didn’t know I was gay…I was alone and didn’t have a lot of friends to lean on. I was so fortunate to meet people that were connected to APLA and wanted to make sure that I didn’t die.  Now I go to GLB center and to APLA and use their services, totally for free.  I just want you guys to know that when you donate or get people to donate money to APLA, I am an example of the life you are saving and keeping alive. That’s why this is so important to me.  Without people like you, I wouldn’t be here. I’m pressing on and I will die with the disease, not from it. Thank you.

My motto, "I will die WITH it, not FROM it"!