TELL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Hi everyone,

This is VERY VERY IMPORTANT.  I went to school with Kelli, who has suffered a tragic accident that has left both her and her family completely dibilitated.  PLEASE read the message below from her boyfriend, Shawn Weaver.  Shawn is an amazing man, and he has set up an event on Facebook to help raise money for his girlfriend.  Everyone read Shawn's message below and support his event on Facebook: Kelli Hawthorne Run For Life.  By all accounts, I myself should not be alive.  It's almost 22 years later, and I'm running marathons.  The only reason I am here is because of the amount of support I had to overcome my own tragedy.

From the bottom of my heart, support this cause.  Kelli deserves that same support I was given.  She deserves that same freedom I was given.  Let's not only help get Kelli to where she deserves to be, but to a point in her life hadn't even dreamed possible...even 2 years ago.  Let's show her how she can get there!!!

Thanks all.

Love,
Greg
______________________________________________________________________

SHAWN'S MESSAGE:

An alumna of McDaniel College and a graduate student in the BEST program (Better Educators of Students Tomorrow), Kelli Hawthorne has long held high hopes of making a difference in the lives of children as an elementary school teacher. But a tragic accident and mounting medical expenses have put the 24-year-old’s dreams on hold. In September, what started out as a quiet stroll along a starlit coastal beach in Oregon after her brother’s wedding ended when Kelli plunged 25 feet head-first into the rocky cliffs below. Rescuers found her wedged between jagged boulders.

With a humorous spirit Kelli has been working hard toward recovery.

Countless hours of surgery to reconstruct Kelli's face, repair her broken wrists, ribs, jaw, teeth and cheekbone, treat her bruised lungs, liver and facial lacerations, and rehabilitate severe brain trauma have resulted in skyrocketing medical bills – 90 percent of which are not being covered by her medical insurance.

To help with the medical expenses, family members and friends are planning several fundraisers throughout the year. This event is supported in part by: EVAPCO, Flying Feet, FrittsCom, McDaniel College, Steffy Printing, Westminster City Parks and Recreation, Westminster Road Runners Club

All proceeds will go directly to the KELLI HAWTHORNE FUND.

For information please contact: Grant Disharoon or Shawn Weaver at: khrunforlife@gmail.com.

Please register to race or walk with us!

I took a rest day yesterday to recover from the 10.5 mile run, but today was right back in motion with a 5.25-mile loop.  Time: 41:22.  Roughly a 7:53-minute per mile pace.  Each run makes me feel better and more prepared for what is coming in 5 weeks. (AAHHHHHH!!!!)

The weather has really improved since the new month has come.  March indeed has been good to the Mid-Atlantic region it seems.  It's having an interesting effect with my running though-- I'm getting very hot while running.

I'm used to running in heat, and I'm used to returning from my run dripping in a pool of sweat.  I'm not sweating near as much as I used to, but my body fat percentage has never been this low before either.  I'm curious if having a larger percentage lean muscle mass causes me to sweat less.  If having a lower body fat percentage means that I sweat less, maybe I'll start my birthday early this year and start consuming boatloads of calories so that I start sweating again.

I'm used to just dripping and getting cooled off while I'm on a run.  I'm not sure what it is, but my body isn't perspiring and the heat continually builds up.  Eventually I forget about it, but it's a tortorous feeling for the first few miles.

In other news, I have decided to look into what is required to compete in the Paralympics.  I want to see if my disability category allows me to run the Marathon event, or if there are any other events I could possibly start training for.  If my dream is to inspire others and help everyone discover their full potential, what better precedent to set than by striving towards my own ultimate potential and become an Olympian?

Training domination, huh?  The weather is turning and it looks like my setbacks are all behind me.  We'll see what happens...and this is becoming a great start.

I've been meaning to post about my 10.5 mile run I ran yesterday...in 84 minutes!!!  It's exactly my 8-minute mile pace.  Honestly, just completing the distance feels great, but to be able to run a timed distance and hit my time exactly is both heartwrenchingly stressful and relieving simultaneously.

Obviously, I wish I was a bit under my pace only being 40% complete of a full marathon.  That would have relieved my stress much further, however, the course I run is not easy at all.

Whenever anyone hears about The Boston Marathon, one of the first comments they will make is about Heartbreak Hill.  Newton, Massachusetts is a series of rolling hills.  For anyone who is trained to run, the only challenges I see in the hills are the fact that they happen 16-19 miles into the race.  Once you get up that last hill, it's more or less a downhill descent to the finish line.

There are maybe 8 hills in the entire race at Boston.  ...I have 8 hills in one 5.25 mile loop of my training course.  In my 10.5 mile run I ran yesterday, I ran 16 hills...and it was tough.  I ran 16 hills and still finished in my goal time.

Finishing that run in my time is a success.  It's the longest timed distance I have charted so far and I'm on my 3:30 pace.  What is there to be disappointed in?  Nothing.

Here's how I see it.  I have 3 things working for me.  First off, I have between now and April 19th to consistently run.  Each run is building my endurance and getting me better prepared for the marathon.  (And the weather is behaving...I got a small sunburn yesterday!) Secondly, to run a marathon on my course, which I have done, means surmounting 40 hills. I only have 8 hills to run in Boston.  (It's an easier run.) And lastly, the adrenaline surge of actually running in the Boston Marathon is going to carry me for a while.  When that surge starts to dwindle, it'll be my endurance and determination that carries me through the finish line.

There's no turning back now. Each day is another step towards Boston. Each day is another day to gain strength and increase my stamina. April 19th is coming, and I'm on pace to run my 3:30 time.

My Uncle Ron taught me how to live my life. Despite being stricken by advanced stages of Parkinson's, he still builds treehouses for his grandkids and works in his shop. He needs a cane to help him walk around, but of course he made his cane himself. For the longest time, Uncle Ron, who always makes sure to shake my right hand when we see each other, was my only hero. A few weeks ago I was introduced to Jordan.

A few years ago I decided to send friend requests to every brain surgery survivor I could find. I took the initiative to be friends with everybody and a lot of people followed suit. We have a large inter-connected chain of close friendships-- friendships that were founded upon our mutual hardship.

This group is not only comprised of survivors, but relatives of survivors. I met my friend Dawn because her mother didn't survive from her brain aneurysm. And I was introduced to Jordan by his mother, Allison. She was one of the hundreds of people I sent friend requests too. She is one of the hundreds I have bonded with and developed a close friendship with.

Allison thinks that what I do is amazing, no matter how many times I tell her that I am simply living my life. Likewise, I feel the same way about her son, Jordan. Jordan suffers from epilepsy and deals with a severe learning disability along with it. Jordan is aged 10, but functions as a 5 year old. His disability greatly impacts his life...but guess what. Jordan, who lives in Canada, can skate on his own.

He can skate by himself, independently. He just recently played in a league hockey game while his mom, Allison, watched on the sidelines. She rooted him on, and all Jordan did was what he religiously taught himself to do: skate-- skate just like anybody else.

I ran my first 10.5-mile run the other day. My last set of hills were extremely tough. Physically, I was getting more tired with each stride. Mentally, I debated about quitting, but I looked up at my last set of hills and only one thought entered my mind: Jordan.

See, this boy is incredible. By all accounts he is 5 years old, but he has the determination that I have learned from my 78 year old uncle. No matter what, that little boy never gave up until he taught himself to skate.

Now I know I can run a marathon. It may be hard, but something being difficult does not warrant a reason to quit. Jordan sure didn't quit and now he is flying on the ice. I may have been tired, but one truth existed. I can fly, too. I've done it before, I can do it again. I haven't lost that ability. I just need to rediscover it. Jordan helped me remember that it isn't just about overcoming odds, it's about reaching for everything you know can be achieved.

Everytime I stare up a hill, there is no doubt in my mind I can run up and mount it. As long as Jordan continues to fly across the ice, I will fly towards my goal 3:30 marathon run.

He's my hero. His determination fuels my own. He's striving beyond the impossible and redefining the word. If he can do that, I can at least duplicate the impossible that I have already redefined once before.

January 1, 2010 marked the beginning of marathon training. My first month would be spent building up to 10 miles. I'd build off that momentum by building to 16 miles by February 28. By March 31, 3 weeks before race day, I'd be ready to polish my training with a 21-mile run. There was only one factor I didn’t consider: the weather. (It wasn't just weather, it was the largest snow season on record.)

Here we are, the first week of March. I could count my # of runs in February on one hand before deciding to visit my aunt in Florida for a solid week of training. I was able to run an hour for 6 of the 8 days I was there.

I was running 7.5 miles a day in Florida. I was feeling great by the end of February. That is supposed to be my 16-mile run, but I’m not ready for it yet. I went out on Thursday and nailed 10.5 miles. I had built my stamina enough during my week in Florida to be able to run the additional 24 minutes it takes me to run 10.5 miles.

As badly as I want to get on training pace, I can’t rush it. That’s an injury waiting to happen. I tried a 15.75-mile run on Saturday, but my legs were tired from taekwondo. I went out today. I just didn’t feel like I had the energy. Also, my shoelaces broke just before heading out this morning. (Perhaps I should have taken that as a sign.)

I was frustrated. I sat down and thought it through. 10.5 miles is my longest mapped run so far. To increase my distance 1.5 times is not realistic. Obviously, anything is possible, but my 15.75-mile run is not the end goal, it’s a checkpoint.

Yeah, I wanted to be working towards my 21-mile run, but I can’t control the weather. My training has been compromised. Instead of getting frustrated over it, I need to make do with what I have.

Am I where I want to be right now? No. Does that mean I give up? It’s never meant that in the past, why is this different? I’ve overcome odds before; this is no different. I know I can run a marathon. This time around, my challenge is how badly I want it.

I may not be where I want to be endurance-wise, but that's no reason to stop trying. That's why I keep trying. If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. The more consistent my runs are, the sooner my endurance comes around. Maybe I’ll get to 16 miles next week, or maybe that will be my long run before Boston.

Whatever happens, I know two things. I won’t injure myself before the marathon, and I’m going to run it. I’m not going to rush myself. Rushing means you aren’t prepared and, foremost, I want my body prepared. Each daily run gets me one step closer to that ultimate distance.

I may not feel as conditioned as I was in 08, but I'll be safe and uninjured. If I remain consistent with my runs until April 19, I can only get stronger than I am today. It’s great if I'm able to run 21 miles in training. If I don’t, however, it just means that I’m uninjured going into Boston. At that point, it’s up to my sustained adrenaline and focused determination to help me finish a 3:30 marathon. In other words, I've already won.

It’s great to feel on that 8-min mile pace in training, but if I don’t do it on race day, all those training days mean zip. Being healthy is most important. Being healthy is the only way I'll run the race I want. How badly I want it only matters on April 19. Be healthy that day. That’s how I approach my training. If I’m healthy, 3:30 is mine. Race day is all about guts, and I’m leaving everything out on that course. I just need to stay consistent in training. It’s all that matters because race day is mine. That's where my 3:30 is won.