Life goes on.....sort of. I’m a different person. I’m struggling with the issue of how to make a living and still keep active in the cause. Water issues surround me. I am involved in numerous events and presentations, with schools, rotaries and communities, and recently participated in a special program with the Vermont Natural Resources Council to raise awareness about the water concerns facing Vermont. The issues of water quantity and water quality are clearly global. Just as we did in the Blue Planet Run we move ahead step by step towards the solutions.

I’ve been running and hiking the mountains and countryside of Vermont, enveloped by the beauty of foliage season. This was a big year for apples and gaggles of large wild turkeys. And, even though our rivers and lakes have been low because of a dry summer, we’ve had plenty of rain recently to nourish the environment and bring out the bright red maples. I look at our excesses and wish I could wiggle my nose like Samantha the genie and transport such excesses to the needy.

I think of Lake Baikal. Its concentration of water, one fifth of the world’s fresh water, is enough to provide safe drinking water to all who lack it, but there is no access for those afar. Therein lies the conundrum, one reason why there is such disparity worldwide. There is no balance. Some cultures are inundated with water, while others have none. But every culture needs to take responsibility for our natural resources and, if blessed with enough, cherish them and not waste them. As one dear friend just wrote, "there is always benefit in reducing consumption of a natural resource."

In Vermont there is a perception that the state has plenty of water and thus no crisis. In reality, the quantity of fresh water available to Vermonters is in jeopardy because the supplies are limited and spotty, and there is no regulation of withdrawals and uses based on quantity. Just as it was hard work to get our message out on the Blue Planet Run and be heard, many Vermonters have been deaf to the messages about Vermont’s groundwater. Raised media awareness combined with all of the consequences of global warming hitting the networks will surely bring attention to the issues, and hopefully get the masses to support the solutions and monitor their uses. That’s my hope and that’s why I continue to invest my time, energy and some finances into water events and public relations.

I am excited by the work of others from our BPR team, like Rudy, David and Lansing, who are continuing to spread the word and do great work for the Foundation. I’m looking forward to seeing some of my teammates in New York City next week where the Blue Planet Run team is accepting an award from Runners World as a 2007 Running Hero of the Year. BPR founder Jin Zidell will be there. It will be a marvelous celebration of our commitment to the cause.

My community continues to treat me like a celebrity. Most recently I’ve been tagged a "water warrior." I’ve not yet found a comfort level with all the attention, but am incredibly thankful that my community has paid attention and been so supportive of me and the cause. I hope they will continue to listen to my voice in supporting BPR. There is no need to read further unless you are interested in the answers I’ve found to some of the most asked questions by my interested audiences. Thank you for your ears and your support. Water is life! Pass it on. www.blueplanetrun.org

So, here are my answers to some of the questions from interested audiences:

1. The Great Wall of China was known as a Ten Thousand Li Wall. It’s original length was about 12,700 Li, or over 5,000 kilometers. It was added to during one of its Ming Dynasty renovations to bring it to it reconstructed total length of 6,700 kilometers or over 4,000 miles. Much of it has crumbled and in fact sections are overgrown and difficult to find. The parts of the wall most seen in tourist photos are areas closer to Beijing like Badaling.

2. We visited Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, the circumference of which is 2, 000 kilometers, over 1,000 miles around, and it stands as the largest body of fresh water in the world. If you take the Great Lakes of Ontario, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Superior combined, you may have a larger containment of fresh water although I’ve not been able to find the measurements. What stands out for me in all of this is that the fresh water contained in Lake Baikal is enough to take care of all of the human beings who currently do not have access to safe drinking water, if it were accessible.

3. We traveled over 15,200 miles, at least 3,000 miles more on the Parallel course we took than it would have taken had we circumnavigated the globe further north or further south of its "waist." The girth of the world varies greatly, like human body measurements vary around the head, chest, waist and hips.

4. We ran quite a bit on famous Route 66, starting in San Bernadino County, California and in places like Illinois. The old route is periodically stamped on the pavement with a scenic historic Route 66 logo. Route 66 winds some 2,000 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, or LA to Chicago depending on your orientation. When it was made famous, it was the run from Chicago to LA. Pancake joints and other roadside establishments play up the Route 66 historic connection, relying on it for their economic health, since the road is no longer a main commerce route given our interstate systems. It was fun for me to relate to "bits" like this and, of course, to pig out on super size homemade pancakes and home fries with a good rich cup of hot coffee in diners filled with memorabilia. Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe were hot in those days.

Water is life! Pass it on.