Orange City Lights...Big City

Orange City Lights…Big City

I’ve always loved to travel….just say the word and I’m working on a way to make it happen J  Team Fox Hosts a MVP Dinner each year in the city that never sleeps….the big apple…you know..New York City!!!! 

With the help of everyone last year and our fundraising level we achieved (which may I remind you was $10,801) we received an invite to this event to be held at Gotham Hall.  At first I was hesitant at going (only because I felt it might be “irresponsible” due to the Vancouver trip coming up quickly)….. BUT….I told mom if she would go I would go (and the help of peer pressure from some of her friends)….  I think it’s important to stay surrounded by this group that have become more like an extended family to us over the past year and surrounded by others who care as much about Parkinsons Disease as we do.

We leave bright and early tomorrow morning to arrive hopefully in time to make the Research Round Table they host with the dinner tomorrow evening at 6:30 (with Yes Michael J. Fox himself there) for those who have asked me J  I watched a video of last year’s dinner (Primarily because I was having a slight girl moment realizing I need to know “what to wear”)  He ended his speech with something that quite frankly brings a few tears to my eyes….  “When leaving tonight look up at the Empire State Building you’ll see our colors up there….and I’ll always keep looking up”…..  For many of you…you may realize that is the title of one of his books….but to many always looking up means so much to where this foundation has gotten all of us.

Here is a link to the video if you'd like to see click... MVP Dinner

You see, in honor of Michael J Fox Foundation and the City of New York (which I’m assuming and hoping it will be the same) the Empire State Building shines “orange” honoring the colors of the foundation…..and it serves as a good reason for us all to keep looking up…..

I hope so much not only for my dad but for so many others we find a cure for this disease, we find a reason, and we find understanding…because there will be a room full of people there that I know now will make that happen and I can’t wait to share the night with them and my mom who has been the biggest fighter for my dad….So NYC watch out…you’ve got a amazing group coming to town!

 

What are you doing March 16th?

I’m going to avoid apologizing for not keeping up blogging very well J 

..........You’ve heard all my excuses J 

 

I’ve got lots to share so I’ll try to break it down by each activity so nothing gets lost in the mix…I don’t want this blog entry to be  a sequel to my many novels I’ve previously written…. And it gives me something to talk about (as if that’s ever been a problem) J

I wanted to share a little “Team Spangler” event we are joining in on to help out.  A new found Parkinson’s friend of mine from Charleston in hosting a Walk on March 16^th at Charleston’s Capital Market starting at 10am.  I am working on pulling together anyone who would love to join us for this (it’s a 5K) Dogs are welcome (I’m still debating if Smokes will behave)….  But we’d love to have you there!!!  We are asking for $15 a person, $25 if you’d need/want a Team Spangler shirt.  I will handle the registration for our team.. any excess money we may raise I will contribute via our Team Fox Team webpage. 

We’d LOVE to have you join us….he has worked really hard on this event and it’s looking to be great!  Capital Market hosts a Chili event afterwards as well. You can find more detailed information here: Fox Trot (just click on the link)…  If you’d like to join us it will be a great day!!!  Just Email me: MissySpangler22@yahoo.com  I look forward to hearing & seeing you there J

 

 

And in case anyone would like to freak out with me about where I should be training wise and my grumpiness towards this winter weather to run in…..

Vancouver is 61 days away….we’ve got this J

Where in the World is Team Spangler?

COLUMBUS!!!

 

We had some support for Team Spangler in the Columbus Half Marathon this past weekend J  Shaun Snodgrass and friends sported Team Spangler shirts for the run! 

If anyone ever needs to know a sports fact, ask this guy J  I think he kept me straight about statistics most days when I couldn’t remember numbers from specific games.  Of course Shaun had to move to Columbus about right after I moved back to WV for me to have a WV friend nearby J  I think Dad and Shaun spent MANY conversations on reflecting about sports, memories, strategies, and opinions J 

Thank you Shaun for helping us in this journey J

Where in the World is Team Spangler?

This weekend?

 

Idaho J

Former Cross Country Runner for Dad, Alex Owings (and his wife Courtney) ran a 5K Race this past weekend at the Idaho Mountain Home Air Force Base sporting their Team Spangler Shirts! 

 

Where else has Team Spangler been lately?  Be sure to send us your pictures to share where you are taking Team Spangler.

We Would Never Win a Spelling Bee......

I’ve decided dad and I possibly should have our own sit-com when it comes to us partnering together using his “Spell Chart” Sophie made for him.  For many of you that know, dad can’t actually “speak” anymore to where we can understand him (it is a condition over time with the loss of muscle control that is a side effects of some Parkinson’s patients), so…. there is a Letter chart Sophie made him for him to spell things to us.  Well….for those of you who know dad….spelling isn't one of his best traits (and I think I’ve touched on it before)….  Well if you’ve also picked up from my blog or communicated via Email much with me….spelling isn’t one of my best traits either J  I’m not even sure which words came first in our massive case of laughter during the day…but I fixed dad tomato soup…I was feeding it to him and towards the end of the bowl he kept trying to say something….I thought he was telling me he was sick and tired of it J…..I then got the letter chart…..he started to spell out letters…. C….R…..A…..C….K (well either I interrupted him or he kinda had a paused moment to get his fingers going again…another Parkinson’s effect)…but I kept saying DAD…I don’t have any Crack…what in the world… (laughing of course, knowing well enough I’m certain he didn’t actually mean CRACK) J….but my brain was stuck on CRACK…he was laughing to where he couldn’t spell anymore….then I finally realized he was trying to spell CRACK….ERS….  Oh of course…who doesn’t want crackers in their soup!?

This happened several times throughout the day……it tends to be dad and I’s biggest struggle when we are on schedule together J  I suppose it could always be worse…..you just never know how we may TRY to spell things between the 2 of us, but you’d think we’d be on the same level of bad spellers and it be easier…..  I’m just glad he doesn’t’ have to dictate what is capitalized or not….for those who have received notes/announcements from dad via him being a “coach to athletes” before where everything was in CAPS LOCK…… 

So after dad got his crack…..I mean his crackers…we did what 98% (that statistic is estimated…but probably suitable) of West Virginian’s were doing at Noon on Saturday…..watching the WVU/Baylor football game…our fist big game of the Big 12 conference…..  I will highlight the game in my blog…because we won J  See…. Let’s go back a few years…well…SEVERAL years J…… dad actually went and played his freshmen year at WVU….  He had gotten a scholarship graduating from Sherman High School in southern WV (which is a very small town)….and got noticed by WVU for his athletic talents.  I suppose he’s got some bragging rights…but let’s not get him started  J  Dad discovered though it just wasn’t “him” (And I think he missed playing multiple sports) and transferred later to play at Glenville State where he ended up taking over the record books...and of course the best thing…..he met my mom….therefore allowing me to be here today (and mom to help him with his homework) J  I’ve grown up answering the question MANY times… “Are you Terry Spangler’s Kid?”  When I answered with a “yeap”….it was usually responded very quickly “Ohhhh Man…I remember one time when he…….” (Sports related story)……   We use to tease dad we didn’t believe his stories, and now we have some random person justifying them to us…..   There are very few times we could top dad’s stories that started out...”When I was your age….”

The running continues to go well….I’m just lovin’ this time of year…. This past weekend’s long run was “only” 2 hours….it was funny how my approach to the run was feeling like it was such a short little thing compared to the 3 hours the weekend before….And it will be 3 hours this coming weekend.  Being out at the farm has helped a lot with the mental approach to a change of scenery and being further out where I have the road to myself most of the time.  I had some fun pictures I took to share (and of course have seemed to misplace my camera cord somewhere).  On Sunday I laced my shoes up and got my run in and had them pick me up on their way leaving the farm.    Last night’s run was nice…the sky was beautiful when I returned home, but the picture doesn’t seem to really do much justice. 

 

I’m booking our train tickets today….so NYC Watch out! J  We decided to make it a fun adventure up, driving to DC and visiting a few friends and then taking the train to the city. I’ve never taken a train in the US before (always Europe…but now feel bad not here)…so this will be a fun adventure all around J

We keep pushing towards our goal…..and I finished the flyer for our upcoming event on the 24^th of this Month….so if you’re interested…We’d LOVE to see you there…and make a little party before the trip to NYC.  Sponsorships for the event are available, tickets on sale….and we’ll see you there

AND....today marks the 30 days out.....AHHHHH :)

Parkersburg Half Marathon Race Day :)

What a weekend!  Apparently I needed an extra day of recovery to update the blog J 

What a successful and fun Team Spangler Event.  I underestimated how helpful the shirts would be!  Not only for awareness of Team Spangler but also finding each other in the mass of 1000’s of people on race day between the 2 mile and half marathon activities. 

Tara Got This Picture at the Starting Line for the 2 Miler and Half Marathon

I have joked but I’d really like to find the person who built that brick wall right in the middle of the course route around mile 9, because I ran straight into it J  I was so happy to see Holli and Melanie with their blue shirts waiting on me to run a little bit with me.    It was so nice to see the smiles and such effort from everyone.  I really wanted to weave over and give Carter and Sophie a high 5 by Tara’s house but at the time it almost seemed so far away on the other side of the road J  I finished in 1 hour and 47 minutes…I was really hoping to be in the lower 1:40’s as a mental goal…but it a was a great first back to it race to get back into the running race pace and see what I need to do from here. (Which is more miles and better adjusting my approach and race strategies).  I won’t admit out loud what I thought to myself after crossing the finish line knowing in the NYC Marathon I’ll have to do that “race” again since it was a ½ marathon….but let’s just say I’ll depend a lot on ‘heart’ that day of the race, because my legs won’t be agreeing. J 

 I teased Sophie she was NOT allowed to walk in the 2 mile (that is what papaw would tell her) J….and she didn’t and she ran a pretty impressive time, don’t tell her mom and dad but we may have to steal her and her long legs and make her a runner.  We ran into Tracie prior to the race who made our shirts and was sporting them with her friend J 

Sophie in the 2 Mile with Troy running with her...along with Tracie and her friend sporting Team Spangler Shirts :) 

We then easily found the Stavrakis clan with their shirts and was able to catch up a bit before the start. 

Us with Some of the Stavrakis Clan before the Race :)  Thanks Lora for taking the picture :)

Johnny Hogue finished 4^th overall in the 2 mile race, he’s one of the XC runners for Ritchie County this season and we are looking forward to a big season for him.  (No Pressure Johnny) J  “Coach Holli” even rounded out 3^rd place in her age group for the 2 mile (Apparently they went by birthday registered and not appearance, I like to admit we were asked several times what high school we went to) J  We had the Stavrakis clan in the 2 mile, mom, Tara, Bob Nelson, Drew Nelson, Sophie, Troy, along with Tracie and her Friend.   We had several spectators (Kathy) too sporting our shirts to help us along the way.

The half marathon went GREAT!   John was our strong man to finish for us.  Sharon Headley ran her best half marathon time!   She told me at the finish she had to run fast so there were people behind her to read her shirt J  Loved all the cheering for “Team Spangler”  We were so excited to have Betsy finish her first half marathon and hopefully more to come (Also Note…we love your competitive spirit of not allowing the girl to pass you)!  Aunt Becki was our true inspiration of not giving up for the day.  She was the highlight to my day of not giving up when the going got tough, and her motivation was for Dad and Team Spangler.  No matter the blisters and the ups and downs of the race she crossed that finish line running.  Becki, you are such an inspirational person and see the positive in so much, please know how much we all love you!

I took Sunday off from running but went for a walk with mom and smokes for maybe almost 3 miles.  Yesterday I was still walking rather funny so tried to stay in hiding at work.   When I got home I went for a 45 minute “shake out run” to try and get the soreness out a bit, plus it was a BEAUTIFUL evening to run and what a perfect temperature, too nice to not run!  I’m not wishing time away, but I sure do love the fall!  Today is a little bit better so looking forward to hopefully a normal run again J  Going to look into a few more possible races to sneak in before the marathon.

Just remember….

“We run for those who can no longer run themselves”

Team Spangler Wednesday Highlight

Be on the lookout for Sharon Headley running the Half Marathon for Team Spangler on Saturday too! :)  We are so excited to have you :)  I remember Melanie always letting me tag along as a little kid with her when she was in high school :) 

"Learn to run when feeling the pain: then push harder." William Sigei

I’m choosing to be positive today because being grumpy about my foot won’t do any of us any good :) It has felt A LOT better today so maybe we are onto something…  I’m just NOT good at this “give it a rest” crap they tell me.  (Yes…it’s crap in my book because I need to be logging some miles not dealing with this stupid pain in my foot)…

Now that I got that off my chest (blogging is funny…I question if any of you really care about my inner thoughts such as that at times) :)

Now Bring on the week of the Parkersburg Homecoming Running Festivities: Parkersburg 2 Miler and Half Marathon!!!



Dad Running the Parkersburg Half Marathon in 1999.....Yes I went on record to admit he beat me :)



I can’t thank Jim Butta enough for his article he wrote in yesterday’s paper in the Parkersburg News highlighting Team Spangler…I have to say Jim has always been one of the Spangler’s biggest supporters….and I owe a lot to him, but I’ll work on that blog post someday soon…I’m not sure how to write in words about a man who has given so much help to all us Spangler girls in the form of media and try to put into words something that writing in words comes so naturally to him.  He won’t be surprised to know I’ll have to prepare for it; he’s been teasing me about being over-prepared for years now.

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/564025/Spangler-running-in-Half-Marathon-for-a-cause.html?nav=5063#.UCj9HXgZa8U.facebook

Be sure to check it out…..also be sure to cheer for all the Team Spangler T-shirt wearing and supporters in the 2 mile and Half Marathon Race on Saturday!   Together we will make a difference in finding a cure and doing so as a team is only perfect for all of us.

I’ve been emailed a few times asking for the donation link again…so just in case here it is: http://www2.michaeljfox.org/goto/missyspangler

And if you still want a T-shirt, please don’t worry…I ordered extras and will do my best to get it to you before the race if you still need one….. and if you just need a T-shirt… we’ll continue to put orders in so feel free to email me and let me know what you need J  Email: missyspangler22@yahoo.com

I’ve been saving this picture for awhile to highlight the right moment (and slight embarrassment I hope) for our cousin Betsy.  Betsy has been training for this half marathon and she told me several months back she was doing this…and I’m so proud of her for it!  Even if I have given her a little hard time teasing her with her training soreness J    So… Betsy…from the Country Roads Kids Race to the Parkersburg Half Marathon Race….Thank you for helping us with Team Spangler! :)

That's actually Kelly and Betsy (last 2 on the far right) at the Starting Line of the Country Roads Kids Race                         (no idea what year)

Betsy Finishing Strong with some Help :)

Weekend at the Fair...

What a great weekend…between the Ritchie County Fair and another long run in the books it was a weekend highlights of why we’re on this journey.

It was so nice to be back “home”.  There were so many people I hadn’t seen for a long time at the fair and it was a nice opportunity to get the chance to catch up.  We hosted a ring toss game to help us raise money and highlight our project for Team Fox in running the NYC marathon.   We had many people who didn’t know about it and it was such a great chance to just spread the word about what we are doing. Everyone won a prize (don’t tell dad)…so it was fun to just interact with the kids. (Oh..and the adults of course too) J

I think mom was most popular at the tent….I kept hearing “Mrs. Spangler!” exclamations…or after she left asking where she was.  (Apparently 3^rd grade teachers are popular in the summertime) J  Mom was especially touched by one younger boy (who didn’t know dad..he was too young to have ever had him in school) as he asked mom why her husband couldn’t be there when she asked him to sign the poster. Mom mentioned to him that he was really sick and had to stay at home and the little boy without hesitation told mom…”well I’m really sorry…I’m going to keep him in my prayers for you”.  Kindness goes a long way.

We had MANY people stop by to ask questions and it always turned into sharing stories of dad, and them highlighting memories they had about dad.  Hearing that from people we were even too young to remember really spoke for itself as to why we are doing this.  THANK YOU to all that dropped off donations and played the game, and know how much it means to us all.  Just hearing people share stories about dad and the awareness of making a difference for the future with this was our biggest goal for the experience.  Dad loves our community so much, and there isn’t anything else I’m sure he’d rather us be doing then pulling people together for a common goal.

When we got home on Saturday night a little after 11pm he was still a little bit awake….we surprised him with his poster to show him everyone who signed it and stopped to check up on him.  He couldn’t stop smiling and I told him I’d leave it by his side so he could look a little closer tomorrow.  Mom said he’s turned the poster around several times reading closely the notes and names…so thank you everyone!  Keeping dad’s spirits up is the most important thing we want to do. 

As far as the running goes..I was a bit aggravated at myself for not sneaking in a few runs….Friday I was at the fair till late right after work, and Saturday I was mad at myself all day for not getting up early and running before we had to leave.  Excuses….Excuses….  However I was going to run laps around the Fair if Brian Morton ran with me, but I couldn’t get him to do it with me J

As for Sunday I swapped long run days, and took to the road for my 1 hour 55 minute run.  It had looked stormy all morning, so to avoid guilt any longer I took off saying if it starts to storm come and get me.  The humidity almost seemed like it was ready to burst just waiting on the storm to hit.  Of course it never did till AFTER I was home J  I had to laugh as I had to run 2 laps around the house to add the additional minute onto the run so I didn’t cheat myself.  I suppose that’s a life of a runner J  I’ve ran many “mini circles” to finish out the clock. 

Spread the Word!

The weeks just fly by sometimes with all these to do lists I have created!  Friday has snuck up and I was hoping I’d had another blog post on here J

I’ve got lots of info to share, so prepare yourself!

Team Spangler Shirts are designed and ready to be printed, so get your order in by August 8th for our first order submission (don't worry if you can't yet...we'll have more)  We need to get the first order in by the 8th so we can have them ready by the Parkersburg Half Marathon comign up and all the Team Spangler runners/walkers who watn them to wear for the big day!

Back Up Close...  "We Run for those who can no longer Run Themselves"
Inside the letters are motivational words dad has encouraged us with through the years

You can order them by E-mailing me at MissySpangler22@yahoo.com , we have order forms at the Ritchei County fair too.  Each Shirt is $15 with all proceeds going towards our fundraising campaign! Also...if we need to mail the shirts...we may need to add $5 to help with shipping...I can cram several in there for that price :) Also..make checks out to "Team Spangler/Missy Spangler" and you can mail them to  Missy Spangler/ Team Spangler P.O. Box 403 Ripley, WV 25271

We’ve had a big week of planning activites for raising money.  Last night, today and tomorrow we have a tent set up at the Ritchie County Fair to spread the word about Team Spangler for Team Fox, we have items of information, donation sheets, T-shirt order forms, cupcakes, Team Fox color Mardi Gras beads, light bracelets, and MORE!  So Stop on by and see us…. 

Don’t forget to sign Dad’s Card for us to take back to him too so we can show him how big Team Spangler is!

As far as the training goes... well I’ve been running J 

Tuesday- Ran around 45 minutes on the road…to the dairy barn and back J

Wednesday- It was a fun run day!  I headed out to Ritchie County and ran with the high school cross country team on the Rails to Trails.  I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve been there!  It seemed in high school we lived on it! J  I didn’t get to the “speed workout” aspect of the workout on Tuesday so I tried to sneak some of it into today and do 6 200’s “faster than usual”.  I won’t call it sprinting because I don’t think my pace was much of a sprint J

Thursday- Got a little run of about 20 minutes snuck in with a little core workout.  My training is a little off of schedule this week, but getting it all in.  My long run will probably have to be on Sunday instead of Saturday as it’s a 2 hour run.

I’m off to the fair this evening and tomorrow, so if anyone is up for doing laps around the 4-H grounds with me let me know! J

"She thinks we're just fishing"

Before I get too involved with this story….

**I did run yesterday evening (A little 5 mile run) while stopping to visit a neighbor I always wave at and wanted to at least check in….long story short….he ended up being from Boone County (where dad is from) and we know some of the same people…go figure….funny what a small world)

I heard this song on my way home last night and it seemed appropriate to blog about.  It kinda brought some tears to my eyes as the personal meaning it means to me.  Also, like many other days, the timing seemed funny after my blog I posted, maybe that’s why it caught my attention as much as it did.

A few trips ago back when I was at home visiting…we all were talking about fishing.  I had showed dad the pictures through the TV from my camera of kids at the reunion fishing and all the fish they caught.  We couldn’t help but tell the story of “the one that got away” at Crystal Lake.  You know we all have “that one” that makes a true fishing story exaggerated enough to think it possibly was the biggest fish you’ve ever seen “around these parts”. 

I meant to go through some pictures last night and try to find some photos of fishing when I was younger, so I may need to come back and update some later. 

I have some really fond memories of Crystal Lake (for those of you not from around here, it’s NOT the one from the horror movie Jason)

Dad Being able to fish Shortly after his Brain Surgery procedure (at Crystal Lake).  He was able to get around better for a short while after that.

As kids I was either running laps around the single lane black top path, walking around fishing in all the right spots, laps of riding bike, swimming, in Ryan Jones’s case falling into the lake, soaking up some sun, etc.  It goes without saying as soon as darkness crept up you could find us on the dock setting up camp for a night full of catfishing (don’t forget the chicken liver, my secret hot dog bait, and whatever bait someone mentioned the night before they caught some with).  Sometimes one of us may have taken a break to make a lap around the lake to see how everyone else was doing, but I usually stayed put to show off our catches upon anyone passing by our dock because we had a reputation to keep (ok actually at the time I was too young to drive) J  I think catfishing is a contributor to the lesson of learning patience.  It’s just too tempting to reel a little bit of the line in to see if you just might feel a little tug at the other end, or worry maybe your bait was gone.  Sitting there in our chairs, with our flashlights handy, surrounded by whatever disgusting smell of bait we chose maybe isn’t for everyone, but for me and dad…..it was perfect. 

Now…the one that got away….One day Rick and Isaiah were there for the day visiting (thank goodness they were so I had some witnesses) and I was on the dock casting away.  Upon reeling in one cast I got a bite…a big one…you know one that makes the pole jerk and pull and bend which induces panic and probably a few slight squeals.  Of course quickly followed by the screaming of “DAAAAADDDDDDDD”.  I’m certain those butterflies in my stomach added to the pitch of my voice which created panic to dad and Rick that something bad happened and they came running down the steps.  (Honestly speaking I don’t blame them; we usually were up to something)  This fish jerked, pulled, swam in, swam out…dad kept telling me to let it wear itself out and I kept wanting to reel it in.  We finally fought the fish for what seemed like 3 days….(hence the true fisherman exaggeration here)….  Now…here is where the story goes bad…..  I handed the rod to dad….  Regret #1 (or maybe no regret at all because now I get to place this blame on him).  I was probably driving him nuts upon my way of handling the fish so he decided he better take over.  We finally got the fish close to the dock and dad started to pull it up and it was bending the reel really bad, so Rick decided to reach down and see if he could pull it up.  (It was a bass)  Well Dad thought Rick had a hold of it, so he jerked on the line to do I don’t know what, however that resulted in the hook coming out of the fish and as all big fish stories go….the fish wrestled away and swam off without us getting it out of the water completed to see just how big….But I do promise you it was at least 12-15 inches “halfway” out of the water……  As I type this I feel the disappointment creep back….ohhh thank goodness it was dad holding the pole J

I do think there were a few days of silence between us and I’m almost certain I didn’t allow him to touch my pole after that.  Even though that fish probably would have broken the line far before that if I had been holding the pole, but those are just minor details in the midst of this.

Still Love Fishing :)

Just a little Catch for the Day....notice the 2 chairs sitting on the dock...they always say, try to find a man who reminds you of your dad....(don't worry I reel in my own fish now) :)

Carter's Fish, my nephew, (We may need to stretch the truth on this one when we tell pappaw what we caught in his pond)

Sophie's (my niece) Pretty Fish to tell pappaw About

I treasure all those talks we shared waiting on a pole or bobber to move (even just a little jiggle to stir up some hope) all those nights.  I’m certain that’s where dad and I became best friends. 

Now…I suppose I need to go looking for the next big catch to stir up a good story.  As the saying goes…

“Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.”

Run... Forrest.... Run...

If all of us runners of dad had $1 for every time someone yelled that phrase (Run Forrest Run) to us while running when the movie “Forest Gump” was at its peak, I think we’d be at our fundraising goal by now plus some. (Also it makes me laugh when my cousin Jim signs off his positive emails I look forward to receiving saying Run Missy Run) I was flipping through the channels this weekend and saw this movie on, when I turned to it he was just at the moment of running across the country and I couldn’t help but laugh.  The quote “I just kept running…..” seems to be a response I give sarcastically sometimes when someone asks “How do you do it” during the long distance days.  I’ve yet to develop a group of followers on my little country road, but I have to say at least people wave most days and I’ve learned who’s dog belongs where when I look back and discover I’m being followed.

Friday I did the usual 5 ½ mile up and back loop up and back…but I tried to challenge myself a little bit to struggle at breathing for this run (meaning I’m pushing myself effort wise).  I’ve been very timid on any sort of speed to avoid being discouraged at “where” I’m at training wise, and it felt nice to not feel like I was going to die every step of the way.  I’m sure when I decided to do this going down a hill helped with the turnover of my stride but it felt good to push myself a little bit. 

Saturday:  We spend the day running around working on some projects without a lot of time to run because of the weather.  Our little youth basketball team had their season celebration party, and I’m proud to say Blue Thunder took home first place trophies.  I didn’t realize they would give out places for the league, so I was happy though to go home with 1^st place honors.  (To think I was all worried about being to competitive…well finishing 1^st probably doesn’t help my argument  I wasn’t too competitive)  for those who know me J  It was a fun filled evening, the gym was filled with inflatable party kits and the cafeteria was filled with pizza and team themed chocolate chip cookie cakes along with homemade ice cream.  It was good to see the kids again too and a few of them hear they miss basketball. 

Sunday:  I was off to get a long run in and enjoy the weather and make up for not running yesterday.  I ran for about 10 miles (I think/hope) going a little further then the last long distance run I ran on this road, and clocking time around an hour 15 minutes.  I really felt like I could just keep on running after I started back up the hill to head home, but I guess I better not get to wild too soon.  I pretty much talked to mom the entire run this day.  

Kelly shared a picture yesterday that I wanted to share on this blog.  You hear me speak about my sisters and mom a lot.  We have a “not technically” adopted brother, Andy, who has fit in well with the family over the last few years and has helped a lot with dad (him being a nursing major has been a blessing).  If he fits in well I suppose that must mean he’s crazy too J  I love that dad is laughing in this picture with Andy because those who know dad know he’s usually cracking up about something (or giving someone else a hard time).  So for those who are getting to know dad through this blog you can see what we all mean.  When we met with Dad’s Parkinson’s Support group, we had spoken about humor many times and to make the best of a situation by laughing.  I mentioned to Larry how a previous blog I noted “laughter is the best medicine”.  Dad has always been a jokester. 

Dad has his good days and bad days with this fight against Parkinson’s.  The last few days I’ve found myself “friending” a few other Parkinson’s advocates and reading their story, and how they are in this race against Parkinson’s as well.  It’s amazing how many people approach this  battle to make a bad situation positive by fighting together towards finding a cure.  Prior to dad’s progression with Parkinson’s he was one of the most mobile people anyone had ever seen, I’m not even sure if he even knew that a chair was used for sitting down because he was always on the go.  Rather it be standing on the sideline (because if he was sitting it probably meant trouble), Walking up and down the sidelines of a football game, running our normal training route along Route 50 to the Ellenboro bridge and back, running circles in gym class with the kids, or trekking through the woods hunting.  Dad was always “doing something”.  The longest he’s probably ever actually sat down was when he was cutting grass on the riding lawn mower, where he’d enjoy mowing for hours at a time.  I guess I try to touch on the positives so much because that’s what I want to think about.  However, to keep this blog “real” I suppose I need to focus on the negatives as well to educate others many of the reasons to find a cure. 

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When Michael J. Fox started his foundation, he made a comment about hoping to write an unsuccessful business plan, because if his plan failed it means they found a cure.  There are different advances and stages of Parkinson’s and through that there are still so many things to research and discover.  Some effects are faster than others, some stages are more progressive then others, some tremors are more noticeable, some are more active…some medicines have been the hardest to overcome where you have to see if the risks and side effects of the medicine are worth the benefits.  That is a struggle dad discovered all too well.  From falling asleep randomly during everyday events, to swollen muscles that created broken bones, to impaired decision making effects and more, it was all about determining if the slower tremors or the assistance in being able to speak was worth the change due to the side effects.  Parkinson’s isn’t just about a shaking hand or fingers…it consumes so much more than that. 

For today though, we’ll smile about what we do have as opposed to what we don’t or wish were different and embrace the moments we are blessed with.  We all have become better people from it and others have been influenced by who dad is.  I challenge everyone to do something to make a difference today either in your own life or someone else’s because there isn’t really a reason not to.