Houston Marathon: Round 2

It has been almost 2 years since my dear friend's son, Grant, experienced his first seizure and shortly after received a diagnosis of Epilepsy. It has been a learning experience not only for Grant but for the entire family. Grant's Gang started when I went to my friend (Jessica Watkins) and said "you wanna run Houston Marathon" and fund raise for epilepsy?"   Both charity runners already it seemed like the natural thing to do...Jessica needed to focus on something positive and I wanted to help her!  So there we were...Jessica, myself and Tony (Grant's grandfather) ran the  Houston Marathon in January 2013 and were the TOP FUNDRAISERS for the Epilepsy Foundation.  

This year more of our friends are joining Grant's Gang. Please welcome Robin Strong, Will Bacon, Andy Rose, Serene Simmons, Talya Sapienza, and Frank Payne! We are excited to have them training and running along side us. Granted it is nothing new...we are all long time TNT friends and you've probably seen their names mentioned in many of the previous posts on this blog.

Current statistics show that roughly 500 patients are diagnosed EVERY DAY with some form of epilepsy - 30% of those are children.  In addition to providing medical care, education, and therapy to epilepsy patients in Texas, The Epilepsy Foundation provides the largest residential epilepsy camping experience in the country! 


Grant attended The Epilepsy Foundation's Camp Spike N Wave last summer and will attend Camp Neuron this summer. It changed his entire perspective on his diagnosis Jessica said.  He was able to spend a week with kids just like him. Never having to be worried or embarassed that he might have a seizure. It was life changing! Jessica promised that moment that she would give back to the organization that has given so much to her son. 


Please consider a tax deductible donation today in honor of Grant. You may click on the donation link or the image on the right side under "DONATE".  Any amount will help us reach our goal and hopefully exceed it. We want to be the top fundraisers again!  

With love and gratitude!

Grant's Gang
Jessica Watkins, Dianna & Will Bacon, Robin Strong, Serene Simmons, Andy Rose, Talya Sapienza, Frank Payne and Tony Collins

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MILEstones

My last few blog posts have talked about moments but this one is gonna hit on milestones.

Some might ask what is the difference?  To me a moment is a very clear, defined point in time.  When I have a "moment" I feel I can scoop up that exact point in my life..it is perfectly carved out. I remember every detail - positive or negative.  A milestone is an event...something that I've usually worked hard to attain. In most cases it has taken some form of effort or change on my part.  When I have a "milestone" I recall feeling proud because in most cases it wasn't easy to get there. 

Runners talk about miles A LOT...

"How many miles did you run this morning/evening?"

"How many miles are we running this weekend?"

"How many miles did you run this week/month/year?"  

We also get the crazy questions about miles from our non-running friends...

"How many miles is a marathon?"

"You ran HOW many miles this weekend?"  

"Why would you do that...I don't even drive that far?"

And to be honest, three years ago that was me and I absolutely love it when someone asks me those questions because it gives me a chance to tell my story and how I began my journey...it allows me to tell them about my MILEstones...and how running (in a way) changed my life!  While at the same time encouraging them to start a journey of their own!

Dallas - Houston-Austin
Marathons of Texas | 2012-2013

This weekend was a MILEstone for me...it completed the Marathons of Texas races - Dallas, Houston and Austin!  I find it interesting that if you add up the mileage from Dallas to Houston to Austin and back to Dallas it is approximately 598 miles.  I began training for these races in June 2012 and I use a Garmin to track most of my runs. I don't track runs I do on a treadmill and occasionally the Garmin dies during a run or I forget it, but when I ran a report to see my training miles from mid June to end of January it showed 459.3 miles.  I then did a calculation of what I thought my mileage should be during this time and it came to approximately 640 miles.  Here's my POINT...my training for Dallas full, Houston full and Austin half...pretty much equaled the distance to travel to those races...I thought it was pretty ironic ; )

Austin half also marked my 12th half marathon and it was where I ran my VERY FIRST half marathon 3 years ago!  Take a look at this blog post from 2010.  MILEstone!

What made Austin even more special is that I was with two dear friends...Jessica and Kalee.  It was a quick trip but boy we had some laughs especially on the course...and some tears...and every single hill was worth it.  I love these ladies and I loved running next to them! 

We had some special visitors on the course...right after the split where the marathoners go to the left and the half stay to the right there was a water stop that was supported by Superhero Kids.  I was quite thankful we were on the half course this time around : ) Georgia, our friend and honored hero from Austin...her family volunteers for the organization and they were working the water stop.  As we rounded the corner I saw a huge GFORCE sign...and then I saw Ivy (Georgia's sister) passing out water...and then I saw Georgia with a sign for me and her Dad with a sign for Jessica. I simply can't describe the feeling...it was AWESOME!  It was just what we needed for the final two miles and the big ole, steep hill that was hiding around the next corner.  

Side note for the signs:  GFORCE is for Kalee's son (Grayson) who is currently battling leukemia - its their team name and the shirts we wear when we run for Grayson; Jessica's sign said "Go for Grant" as he is adjusting to life with epilepsy and for Houston we fundraised for the Epilepsy Foundation; and my sign said Just Keep Swimming because it is a motto Georgia's used during treatment (from Finding Nemo) and I used it back when I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2011. 

Georgia is 9 months OFF TREATMENT and continues to do well.  She is having some issues with her left ankle and some bone loss that they are keeping a close eye on so please send prayers her way that they determine the right course of treatment for that.  Until then she gets to wear that fancy boot but as you can tell it doesn't slow her down!

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A mile for a moment...

It appears that the theme of my life right now is "moments"...it started with the design of our christmas card and since then I can't get it out of my head.  Maybe it is because I'm finally seeing that I need to live in the moment...to be present in every moment and not worry about what happened yesterday or will happen tomorrow, but truly be present and grateful for each moment that God gives me.  Easier said than done, right?!

This past weekend had a very special moment...crossing the finish line of the Houston Marathon...cold, wet and exhausted...seeing Will, Jeff, Tony and Mary all cheering me in and then as they placed the medal around my neck to see Jessica there waiting.   We had spent the first 21 miles side-by-side...chatting, laughing, crying and parts in silence.

The race started at 7:00am in pouring down rain, cold rain.  That's us in our trash bags...we ran in these till about mile 7.  It helped keep us dry and provide some warmth.

We had some visitors at mile 10...our husbands!  We stopped for a brief kiss and on we went.  We had been keeping a pretty good pace, chatting about all kind of things... and the course had thinned out a bit as the turn around for the half was around mile 8 so things were moving and grooving!  We looked for e-gel packets so we knew Jessica's dad, Tony had passed that way : ) 

When we hit 17 miles we saw Will & Jeff again...which was much needed because I think we were headed over to the dark side (meaning we weren't so peppy at this point).  We briefly stopped...at least I think it was brief.  It was enough time to shed some tears and get a quick pep talk.  At this point...anyone who has run a marathon knows you can start counting down the miles in single digits.  And as we rounded a bend...I heard a lady shout, "only 9 more miles!"

9 MORE MILES!

I was hurting more than normal at this point and needed to focus; it hit me that each mile could be dedicated to how old Grant was.  I told Jessica that at every mile marker I wanted her to tell me what they did for Grant's birthday that year.  We had 9 miles to go so she told me about his 9th birthday....and then we hit 8th, 7th, 6th...and as we approached mile 21 there was a hill and I knew I was struggling. I could see the mile 21 marker so I said, "tell me now because I might need to walk the hill" and I also knew that meant we might separate.   It was a Ben 10 birthday!  As I started to walk all I could think was my 5 year old son LOVES Ben 10...and my heart hurt because it could just as easy be my son battling seizures.  Epilepsy, like cancer, doesn't discriminate and as the statistic states, "approximately 1 in 26 people in the US will develop epilepsy at some point in their lives."  That is simply too many!

At that point we were on our own...I plugged in my music to try to keep my feet moving to the beat. I took walk breaks but kept moving forward....wishing I had made Jessica tell me about the other 4 birthdays before we separated so I could remember them at each mile marker, so instead I tried to remember all the conversations that Jessica and I had about Grant in the past.  I wondered what Jessica was thinking about too.  Miles 24-26 are somewhat of a blur...the wind gusts were awful and there were these mini hills that just seemed huge at that point.  In retrospect I know they weren't but after 4+ hours they were mountains to me.  I remember seeing the final marker that said quarter mile to finish and I knew I was there.

In that moment when Jessica hugged me at the finish...she told me that in her final miles she had counted how many seizures Grant had since his he had been diagnosed with epilepsy on August 30...the total...49 seizures.

My goal for this race was simple...show support to my friend, raise funds for epilepsy and finish!  I accomplished each one of those and the moment when Jessica and I took this photo below holding our medals will remain etched in my memory...WE DID IT! And we did it for the best reason...not for ourselves but for a reason...for Grant and others with epilepsy!  We ran two marathons 34 days apart...and there isn't one single regret.  I would do it all over again...in the exact same conditions! If you are a runner or thinking about becoming a runner...I strongly urge you to run a half or full marathon for a charity. There is no greater feeling of accomplishment knowing that in some small way you have helped others.

Grant's Gang is holding strong as the top fundraiser...and it is because of YOU...our fabulous friends and family!  Thank you for your support...the donations, emails, facebook posts and texts mean so much!

One more piece of news...CONGRATULATIONS to Jessica's Dad, Tony on hitting his GOAL!  What a race for that to happen!  He waited at the finish (in the stands) exactly one hour to see me cross after he had just ran 26.2 miles as well. And last...to Jessica and her family...thank you for allowing us to be part of your family for such a memorable weekend!

A mile for a moment. Not another moment lost to seizures.

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Run with your Heart

It is hard to miss (due to the countdown on the right side of this page)...that it has been 29 days since I ran the Dallas Marathon and 5 days till I run the Houston Marathon. I'm barely recovered from the last one and about to run another BUT...this one is for a cause and those, at least for me, are the best races to run.

That's right in 5 days Jessica and I will be running the Houston Marathon in honor of her son, Grant and his fight against epilepsy.  Jessica's Dad is also running the full in Houston and all 3 of us will be decked out in our Grant's Gang jerseys ready to tackle 26.2 miles.  We have been raising money for the Epilepsy Foundation and currently are at $3,059 thanks to our incredible friends and family who have supported us!

Today when I was on the Epilepsy Foundation website this statistic popped out at me..."1 in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their lives."  

It seems fitting that we will be cover 26 miles on Sunday.  Each mile is dedicated to Grant and making that statistic disappear.  And when our legs are tired and we don't want to take one more step...we'll run with our heart because that is what mothers, grandpas and friends do!

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New Marathon...New Mission

Occasionally things happen in your life or in this case a friend's life and you ask "Why?"...the moment might last a while or it may be fleeting.  In my case it made me ask "What can I do to help?" and this is why you are receiving this email so please take a moment to read.

I've been a long-standing supporter and fundraiser for Team in Training (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and that will not change as it is the heart and soul of why and how I've become a runner.  But for the time being...my mission is new and it is to help a friend and show my support.  

My friend is Jessica (some of you know her) and her 9 year old son, Grant, was recently diagnosed with Epilepsy.  Almost every day since the 2nd day of school Grant experiences what they call Complex Partial seizures.  They last less than 2 minutes each but that is 2 minutes with each seizure that is taken away from him.  And he can have multiple ones in the same day.  My heart hurts for Jessica as she is adjusting...and how this affects not only Grant but their family.  Her constant worry when she isn't with him made me want to do something...to tell her she isn't alone. She has said in several different ways..."I know there are worse things happening to kids (like cancer) so I shouldn't feel so bad but it isn't fair and we don't know what causes the seizures."   I couldn't agree more with her and I'd feel the same if it was my child.  It isn't fair...because the thing Grant loves most is swimming.  And he is an awesome swimmer and on swim team!

Grant seems to be taking most of this in stride. Except that he can't play sports, or swim, or even go to recess until his seizures are under control. He's not allowed to ever be alone at school. Or anywhere really. None of that is ok for a 9 year old boy. 

So...what are we doing? You guessed it...we are running!  We've signed up to run the Houston Marathon (Jan 13) in honor of Grant and his recent diagnosis of Epilepsy - we are calling ourselves Grant's Gang.  We will be fundraising for the Epilepsy Foundation.  And here's the kicker...it is 34 days after we run the Dallas Marathon (Dec 9).   

Most people don't know a lot about Epilepsy...here is a eye-opening fact: "While medications and other treatments help many people of all ages who live with epilepsy, more than a million people continue to have seizures that can severely limit their school achievements, employment prospects and participation in all of life's experiences. It strikes most often among the very young and the very old, although anyone can develop epilepsy at any age. In the U.S., it affects more than 300,000 children under the age of 15--more than 90,000 of whom have seizures that cannot be adequately treated."

Please help Grant's Gang reach our goal of $2000 by making a tax-deductible donation on our website. If you are a mutual friend...no worries...we are fundraising on one website so your donation is helping both of us!  Any amount will help and is greatly appreciated and if your company matches please take the steps to get your donation matched.  

Grant's Gang Fundraising Page

‘A mile for a moment. Not another moment lost to seizures.’

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