I Challenge You.......

I challenge you……

I need some help….what’s new right?..... 

I want to truly take advantage of April being Parkinson’s Awareness month….  I feel like I want to slip on my headphones like I use to before a game….a race…click on some crazy fast pace music to round up the motivation and get the blood flowing…. (I think quickly followed though with me was the urge to want to throw up because my nerves would spike….but we’ll leave that part out for this) J  Should I insert a little Rock Theme music here to help get you ready to want to help or can you just play the tune yourself in your head and create the urge to do something?

Ok…just in case you aren’t good at imagining things…..Rocky Theme Music  (Click on the link)

We’ve discussed this many times, but Parkinson’s is a bit of a hidden disease.  Many who have it don’t really know how to talk about, many may live in a quiet world of confusion because they don’t really know where to turn for guidance, help, advice etc. Many “early signs” of Parkinson’s aren't that noticeable so they think it’s ok to hide it for awhile and just “get by”.  I think with us living in a more rural area the diagnoses and cases of Parkinson’s are spread out more…. so the larger cities have that opportunity of support groups or opportunities to seek out for help with the disease a little more with “numbers”.  Many may just need a little info to know they have somewhere to turn to.  This is what I need some help with from you….. Many may work in an office setting, retail location, restaurant, or even have a social media opportunity to help us. 

What if you could just take one day….Just ONE DAY…..and do something just for Parkinson’s Awareness (With the excuse it's Parkinson's Awareness Month)….just to present a connection with Parkinson’s….you know my dad…you know me…you may know someone else.  BUT…… the people I have discovered through this journey who said “I didn’t know anyone else who knew about Parkinson’s so I didn’t know where to turn”….. All because I’ve opened up about it, I’ve talked about it; I’ve made myself visible in the world of Parkinson’s.  That’s what I want us to get out of this….is someone knowing someone else who needs this….needs a reason to fight this…..needs a shoulder to lean on…..needs another Parkinson’s patient to ask questions to…..

                      Needs a reason to NOT GIVE UP….. I’ve met 2 people who said “There isn’t anything I can do….I’ve got Parkinson’s and that’s that”….. You know one of the biggest “side components” of Parkinson’s is depression?..... It’s so easy to be consumed by “what’s coming” it turns into depression….. We’ve been told by so many nurses/doctors etc.  “You’re so lucky your dad is who he is…his sense of humor….his spirit…..so many people turn slightly hateful, bitter, and depressed”….. You know….. I know I’m lucky….very lucky.

If you’re asking….”But what can I do”….. Ohhhhh I love that question! J 

                Here are some suggestions…..but also please know you can Email me personally to help you pull something together, that’s what I LOVE to do, I Just need to know you want to do it :) My email address is: MissySpangler22@Yahoo.com for anyone who has questions!

·         Host a “Wear Orange Day” for Team Fox…..welcome anyone to wear an article of clothing etc that is orange….donate $1-5 to do so for that day(Something totally easy…but that helps a little bit)  It raises money, it gives you a little opportunity to do a mini explanation of Parkinson’s.

·         Have a morning where people donate a cup of coffee mini donation (Even just $1)…the concept is to give them a reason to do SOMETHING towards the cause.  Have a little 5 minute “coffee break” to explain about things

·         Bring a Brown Bag Lunch Day…donate the $5 you would have maybe spent on lunch maybe going out somewhere

·         If you work in a Restaurant Style Setting……Pick a Day/Week where something associated somehow with Parkinson’s (Orange Cupcakes etc) that So much of something Goes towards the restaurants donation towards our Project….I can help provide you with media/information to have available as well

·         Take up Pennies for Parkinson’s or loose change…..have a little sign with info… include a way for anyone needing/wanting information we can have them contact  

***Something as simple as posting it on your Facebook or twitter pages!

Well…see you get the idea…. I’ve got 1000 more of those ideas so if you want….. Pull together your co-workers and make something happen….. Every $1 TRULY makes a difference.

If you host something you can go directly to our Team Fox Website and submit the donation (list your business name or however you’d like)…. And it’s Tax Deductible (Don’t act like it isn’t 2012 tax season deadline so it’s crossing your mind for this tax year) J

 Team Fox Donation Page for Missy

So…. My question is who is up for the challenge?.....  We don’t call ourselves “Team Spangler” for nothing…..    

****I will also Challenge you.....to Challenge someone else****

 
P.S…..I’ll blog more about this later…but Mom and I are heading to NYC on Friday for the Team Fox MVP Dinner we got invited to with other Team Fox Goers…… and I REALLY want to put in a word we are continuing to make big things happen here!!! 

"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 :)

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

Gold Medal....

Gold Medal…

Yes I know it’s time for the Olympic hopefuls of gold medalsJ, but I’m referring to Gold Medal Cross Country Camp that comes around this time of the year at Cal PA (California University of PA).  For those of you confused, yes we have camps for running in the woods, LOTS of running! J  I’ve been thinking of this camp since my last blog post in reference to me being an over-packer and prepared.

                One year in high school a group of us were heading off to camp and I was riding up with Vearl and Diane Summers (saving my parents a trip to Pennsylvania as group of us went together), I’m assuming I had 2 or 3 bags all packed full of the what if’s.  Upon arrival of camp and the process of checking in, I no longer had the key to my dorm room for the week and here comes dad driving up the street and parked (I’m sure he had just missed me already).  Apparently of all my ‘bags’ I had packed the one I forgot at home in the pile of things was the bag full of my running clothes and shoes; you know, the important stuff. J I actually don’t even know if I remember dad being mad, I think he just wasn’t even surprised.  I hate to admit this story as well because it’s obvious we didn’t have cell phones like today to just call and say turn around J   Hopefully dad enjoyed the scenery of the trip because it was a long one for a single bag J

                There are so many sore memories of Gold Medal Camp J I can remember sliding down hand rails as opposed to actually stepping down the steps so that is wasn’t as painful  There wasn’t a mile we didn’t run at that camp (running 70-80 miles or so).  I remember being overwhelmed at the understanding of training at that level because at that age, we just hopped on the rails to trails and got our run in, all these other details and specifics were completely new to us. It consisted of morning runs, afternoon trainings, evening runs..a half marathon midway through the week….at that age a half marathon almost seemed like a trip around the world!  It was after that camp we realized just how limitless the opportunities of running could be and what it took to be good, self discipline was a whole new level at that point.

                I can remember another year, dad coming to pick Holli and I up at camp, we were talking non-stop about all the stories etc for 10 minutes straight ….dad always said at 10 minutes we must have hit a brick wall.  We crashed into a sleep that I’m almost certain lasted for 48 straight hours J  They always had a 5K race at the end of the week that was an “Open Race” and dad always jumped right in.  Even though he was my dad, I know from others, having a coach that did what he preached and participated within the sport as well made his involvement and ability to get the most out of his athletes so much more.  

Dad Running the Open Race at the end of Gold Medal Camp

I suppose in regards to the training updates.  On Friday we were suppose to take the day off (schedules orders). The excitement of the weekend was I got to go to Glade Springs for a work event for Brock…so while he was in a meeting I got to allow myself to get lost for 1 hour 45 minutes J  It was such a beautiful day for a long run, temperature, and scenery. 

Yesterday I ran the typical route (about 45 minutes), and to my surprise upon my little stop to catch up with my neighbor I got a bag of tomatoes J  Perfect timing on my part! J

We hope to see everyone at the Ritchie County Fair!  There will be one of us working the “Team Spangler” tent there….we are hosting a ring toss games and lots of fun.  Don’t forget to swing by to get some information and sign the poster we’ll take back for dad! 

Stop By and Show your Support for Team Spangler at the Ritchie County Fair!

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day (Belated)

Running Update:

Friday- sadly I slacked this day; I had traveled to Hocking Hills to meet up with some of my friends from OH and didn’t get a run in.

Saturday- I ran a little bit in the morning and then we spent the day canoeing so hopefully that accounts for something J

Sunday- We spent the day visiting dad and the family so I didn’t get home till after dark, which means I have a lot of catching up to do with some miles this week!  One of my next longer runs I hope to do soon is from my “hometown” house to my grandma Nelson’s.  She always hated when I did that in high school because she said it made her worry….so I’ll just not tell her and surprise her one day with arriving all sweaty for a visit J

Monday- I changed my evening run around a little bit, I was still on the road but made a few different loops etc.  I ran for about 45 minutes and the rain didn’t release any of the humid in the air, which caused for a rather hot evening. 

I have to admit, I’ve started this blog post a couple times and been at a point where I’m not sure where to go with it.  Being as it’s a day to focus on our fathers….as you’ve read I focus on my dad a lot.  We visited dad and dropped off some Amish Country Cheese that brought a smile to his face which made the day for me.  (Brock proudly displayed his pictures that showed his catch of frogs from the opening weekend of Frog Gigging knowing well that dad would appreciate it)… Dad was having a bit of a rough day and seemed extremely tired and struggled at being able to respond much.  However a smile and his eyes lighting up makes it a little better.  We had a cookout at my grandparent’s (Nelson) so being surrounded by a family, laugher, sunshine and food of course made for a great day. 

I’m blessed to be able to call my inspiration in life, my favorite coach, and my best friend…”dad”.  Over the years we’ve had ups and downs in regards to learning experiences and perspectives on “life”.  I’d folded up my basketball uniform a few times in high school and set it on his bed saying I quit to prove a point J  I’ve even pretended to be asleep on a few occasions to avoid talks about what I needed to practice on, or should have done differently upon follow up game nights. (He may not actually know that, but I’ve admitted to mom) J  There have even been some life moments where I know he may not have agreed with me on what I chose to do, but he knew enough to let me figure it out on my own, and for that I’m the stronger person I am today for it. 

Dad receiving award at LKC Night of Champions

People always laughed about me never being but a few steps away from dad growing up.  There were always jokes about dad’s big blue truck he use to drive, and he’d be behind the driving wheel and I’d be standing up in the middle seat right next to him.  (Apparently that displays my age as seat belts weren’t required at that time nor the exposure of importance yet)  My number was always #7 from T-ball to Little League because that was dad’s football number. 

I always knew if dad didn’t fully agree with something because he’d ask “are you sure” at least 5 times.  If anyone knows me, I’m never SURE…..I’d rather make business decisions all day and leave the easy everyday decisions to someone else :)  I’m certain I’ve rolled my eyes several times in my lifetime of speeches J  I’m certain I didn’t always agree at that point and time whatever dad was trying to teach me if it really was going to teach me anything….but even if I don’t remember exactly what it was that particular taught me, I’m certain when I look back at specifics it lead me to understanding somehow the place that I’m at.  Dad knows how stubborn I can be, I mean to this day I’ve never been wrong (and if I was trust me I have a justified reason as to how I’m not 100% wrong) J  I was a perfectionist, (still am to a point but I’ve learned to loosen up a little)  Dad even tried to talk me into missing a day of school once for no reason, just to learn to lighten up a little but I couldn’t stand the fact of not having 100% attendance.  I remember being so sick during Cross Country one time dad literally made me go to the vehicle to sleep followed by a visit to the ER because I never really admitted to much pain which meant something really was wrong.  Dad would sometimes ask me why I was so stubborn but I think I usually just stared at me as if he’d asked a rhetorical question that deep down he knew the answer was looking right back at him. 

I suppose that stubborn gene is why dad has put up such a battle with his fight against Parkinson’s.  He’s never let any of us give up at anything.  All the right people who embrace his guidance will learn from all this and take everything they possibly can from it and be a better person because of it. 

Like I’ve said before, I’m not always the best around dad on his bad days.  It’s hard for me to see the strongest man I’ve ever known to struggle.  This journey is helping me deal with some of all this to feel like I’m fighting this with dad in some way.   I asked him on Sunday….”Dad I’m getting beat by 2 people in fundraising that’s on the NYC marathon Team with me…I know I’m not suppose to look at it like that because it’s all for a great cause….but it’s your fault I’m so competitive and can’t stand to lose…is it alright if I make this a competition?”  He shook his head yes and I’m certain he knows it was going to turn into that…and like I said….it’s his fault J

Dad with his 3 Girls

Dad isn’t just my dad....he’s a father to 3 outspoken and loud girls J; he’s a grandfather to Sophie and Carter,  He’s a “dad” to all of “Terry’s kids” from his involvement with coaching…. So for Father’s Day and Everyday…. Thank you dad…just doesn’t seem to justify the level of appreciation for all you’ve done.

Dad and Sophie

Dad with Carter (2009)

Fathers Day 2009 at Mammaw & Pappaw Nelson's

Sorry Dad...no grandkids from me yet...so your stuck with the dog as a grandkid for awhile :)