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 :) 

Team Spangler Runner Tuesday Highlight :)

It's official, our Aunt Becki has signed up to run/walk the half marathon :)  We'll be sneaking her a Team Spangler T-shirt to wear.  Be sure to be on the lookout and cheer a little louder for our folks! :) We are excited for them!  If you ever need positive thoughts, look this lady up!  She is always smiling!  Good Luck Aunt Becki!

Aunt Becki in the Half Marathon in 2010 (I think) :)

"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 :)

"Running is like mouthwash; if you can feel the burn, it's working." **Brian Tackett

So…I’m sitting here partly consumed by my foot….  It’s nothing major I’ve assured myself, but the slight bit of panic that consumed me 2 days ago as I finally realized, “wow this hurts” than seeing the swelling after I took my shoe off just scared me a bit (ok I won’t lie I thought/feared the worst).  I had to do what seems so hard to do at times….take 2 days back to back off..and I’m already almost anxious out of my mind.  I’ve went through the vicious cycle in my head…Great now I won’t be ready to run this marathon; I’m going to die at mile 20 and be a failure at this.    (I know drama right…)  I’m just not certain I’ve wanted anything else more then to prove this journey.

You know they always say don’t “Google” injuries (or sicknesses for that matter), it might sound like a good idea at the time but you’ll have yourself convinced the worst in about 3 seconds.  Do they put the worst case scenario results at the top of a search engine for their own laughs?  To be honest, I think it’s a mild cause of tendentious…  I should have seen it coming just because of the mileage increases from not running for so long.  It’s probably a little reminder I need another pair of shoes too.  I should have gotten 2 pairs to alternate anyway in the beginning. 

So…I may try to run just a tiny bit tonight just to ease my mind, and then determine the best route for the long run this weekend.  Then next weekend we have the Parkersburg Half Marathon, but… don’t forget about the 2 miler.  (That’s what mom tells me every time I bring up the Half Marathon) J 

If anyone is running the half marathon be sure to drop me a note so we can do a little “notice” about it with some of the “Team Spangler” runners.  A few of you better be careful as I have my own little thing already planned up J  I hope to get a little blog spotlight done every day next week just to change it up a bit.

I’ve been a little consumed by the T-shirt orders and REALLY excited at the response.  Some may be confused so just in case, the August 8^th deadline wasn’t a “DEADLINE” for orders…it was just our goal to make sure we got them before the Parkersburg Homecoming activities for those who wanted them for that.  I’ve ordered several extras and will continue to be putting orders in, so don’t fear if you were afraid you missed ordering, just let me know! 

We got a few donations this week, and mailed some in that’s helping us creep back up on the Team Fox NYC Marathon chart!  I’ve been working on getting some specifics finalized too for a coupe other fundraisers including the Happy Hours/After Hours Event to be hosted in Parkersburg, as well as the Scrapbooking crop to be held in Charleston.  I’ve already gotten some really great promising silent auction items so stayed tuned for more details J 

As far as the running earlier this week…I ran about 35 minutes on Monday….then followed by Tuesday running 33 minutes at a pretty good pace (I suppose I’ll call it my tempo run)….darkness does wanders for making you run faster J  I did however take Wednesday and last evening off to ice and try to make sure this foot thing isn’t to serious.  I’ve convinced my foot I don’t have time for this J  I still feel like I should be sneaking more miles in somehow…so I need to focus on that.

I wanted to share this with you today as my sister Kelly sent it to me.  All of us out there running for a cause, a specific reason…..this explains the “pain” so much.

Now….it’s a beautiful evening…and it’s FRIDAY…. Get out there and do something J

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

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!