Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen

Yes I'm torturing myself again, but this time it's for a great cause. It's called Team Challenge. I'm training for another half marathon for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation this July 19th in Napa, California.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. One point four million Americans suffer from Crohn's or colitis and as many as 150,000 of them are under the age of 18. My cousin suffers from Crohn's, so this is something that personally affects me.

I'm honored that the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has made me the honorary Chairman for the Napa to Sonoma half marathon. This also means that I have to resume my running and weight lifting workouts. By nature, I am a hockey player. I'm used to quick bursts of energy, resting, more bursts. Running is a different animal all together. Each week until the race, I'll share with you guys my workout routine and how much my body has changed. I just ran the Atlanta ING half marathon in one hour 49 minutes, and I want to beat that time! I'm starting out on a bad note, however, with a slight tear in a muscle in my side. I was told I can run if I can stand the pain. Hey, I'm a tough guy (ha!), so I'll press through it. Plus, my wife is running the race, and she pushes me anyway.

My workout plan this week:
Monday: 3.5 mile run, weights
Tuesday: 35 minute tempo run (gradually build to a sprint for 2 minutes and slide back down to a jog by 35 minutes), weights
Wednesday: 3 mile run, weights
Thursday: 7 mile run, weights
Friday: Rest. Actually, driving to SC beach for vacation.

Next week it gets worse. I'll let you know how this week goes!

More about Team Challenge:

Most people go day-to-day not knowing when their disease will strike again. Team Challenge gives runners and walkers of all levels a chance to help get lives back on track. Participants train for a personally rewarding and exciting endurance event, while raising funds for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis research. For more information, click here.

By Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen

As I sit here in pain, just a few days removed from my half-marathon, I'd like to give you guys some encouragement.

It's been a horrible stretch here with the economy seemingly tanking and jobs being lost. If you are at the end of your rope, here's some advice: Start running. Yes, still do your job search calls in the morning. But when you are done, find a race that is in your local community. It doesn't matter if it's a 5K or a full marathon. Just find something, get your doctor's clearance, and start to train.

The runner's high is such an ego boost it should be banned. Plus, the folks that actually race are the most positive people I know!

This is how it went down for me: I have run a half-marathon twice before. Both times, I ran it in 1 hour, 57 minutes. This time, I promised myself I would beat it. I'm not a small man, about 205 pounds. But if I could run 1:56, I would feel like I have accomplished something.

The ING half marathon started out pretty well for me. I was flying, did the first mile in 7 minutes 45 seconds: That’s a minute faster than the pace I wanted for the whole thing. Then, at mile 12, it all came crashing down. I was sick, tired, wanted to quit. I stopped running and just threw up. I had my hands on my knees, head down, seemingly out of it, dazed. Then, out of nowhere, a hand hit my back and lifted me up. "C'mon man, you can do it ... it's just a quarter-mile left. It's an easy run from here!"

I never saw the guy that picked me up, but it made me strong. I stood up, spit, wiped my face, and ran for all I was worth. As I rounded the corner to the finish line, the clock read 1:49.00. I finished 6 seconds later. I was elated, and dead tired. The pace I set was 8:19 per mile. Never did I think I could pull that off. I wish I could thank the guy that saved me from quitting – it’s encouragement like that that gets you going!

Meanwhile, my brother ran the full marathon. He broke his old marathon record, and ran it in 3 hours 37 minutes. I know he's six years younger, but that may be my next goal. I can't let my little brother beat me, in anything!

Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen

What's up everybody. Just wanted to give you a heads up on Tropical Storm Gustav at 5:38 this morning … Tropical storm Gustav is on the move, just not exactly the direction that was anticipated today.

Louisiana has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Tropical Storm Gustav.

The storm is moving towards the southwest right now, so instead of passing in between Jamaica and Cuba, it will go south of Jamaica today and then head into the Gulf on Sunday.

High pressure that is centered over Florida is pushing the storm southward now, but the high will move and weaken, allowing Gustav to head northwest again tomorrow.

The storm should turn into a hurricane by Saturday morning and rapidly strengthen into a major hurricane, a Category 3 with 115 MPH winds, by Monday. Hot sea-surface temps, no wind shear to blow it apart, and the fact that the track will not take Gustav over land leads me to believe this hurricane has the potential to be a monster. All the models take it to the northern gulf coast by Monday night/Tuesday morning. I’ll blog again tomorrow about the latest on Gustav.