Achilles' and the Knee

Spring is on it's way and the Hoovers West are training for our first ever half-marathon! After the first of the year, with 2011 resolutions fresh in mind and the new year full of potential, our friend, Drew, brought to our attention the opportunity to run a half-marathon through Santa Barbara wine country. To be accurate, Drew was mostly soliciting Chris and the two of them seemed destined to create a dynamic man-team that would bravely conquer the hills of the Santa Ynez back country as they were cheered on by dynamic and loving wives... Well it turned out that general racing spots were already full, however, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research still had some openings...if the man-team wanted to run for charity. It just so happens that both men have close family members stricken with this disabling neurological disease. Vowing to raise $2,000 between the two of them, Chris and Drew began to dream their race dreams out loud, looking forward together to this shared physical and philanthropic adventure. It didn't take long before Drew's wife, Jamie, and I felt an odd stirring within ourselves, too. Can we hear the roar and excitement of the cheering crowd on race day? Can we feel the physical burn of training and victory of pushing our bodies' limits? Can we think of something more worthwhile than contributing to research on behalf of our families, present and future? Yes, Yes and No. We were in! The man-team of 2 doubled overnight (as did our fundraising goal), creating a spouse team of 4. Runners take your marks!


In the days that followed, we mapped out our calendars with suggested daily training activities. We researched "the best foods for runners." Marathon documentaries dominated our TV screen and we hummed the "Chariots of Fire" theme song day and night. We now had purpose to carry us through to Spring. We were unstoppable. 


And then our bodies started to hurt. Chris complained of persistent knee pain and over a course of two consecutive and unfortunate runs, I managed to strain my achilles tendon and (we think) sprain my ankle. I traded the road for the couch and became well-acquainted with the cold burn of frozen peas. Chris recovered more quickly but continues to be annoyed by aching parts. In one of our most pitiful moments (feet up, ice applied, ankle wrapped) we concluded that gone are the days of our early 20's when we could jump off the couch and go run several miles. We'd hit a new age with new limitations. *sad faces.


Despite these physical setbacks, we have returned to the road full-time and are looking forward to the May 7th race day! Chris is currently running about 10 miles on his "long run" days and although three weeks behind (due to above injury), I have just knocked down the 5-mile wall and am planning to try 6 or 7 miles this weekend. While we are conscientious to maintain a balanced training regimen to ensure total-body conditioning and aptitude, we are reminded every running day of the sport's cerebral demand. There is a powerful moment in running when you become aware that your stride, breath and heart beat are perfectly in sync and your mind has the power to keep or break the peace. When facing an incline will I tell myself to conquer it or that it is conquering me? Will I mentally dread the remaining miles or focus on every step that I've already completed? It's a wonderful balance of mind, body and spirit that makes me feel fully alive and amazed at God's intricate engineering of the body. 


For fear of boring you with an overload of running details, I will wrap up this post by circling back to our whole reason behind training: Parkinson's Disease. You've had a little taste of how we're spending our time currently and we would love for you to consider supporting our journey with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. This organization is the world's largest private funder of Parkinson's research, looking to develop treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson's. We know that there are so many worthwhile causes that you encounter every day, so please don't feel obligated to give to us if it's not settling in your heart to do so. We appreciate any support you might provide: financial donation, prayer (for our health, training and for those afflicted with Parkinson's) and words of encouragement!


Here is a link to our team's website for more detailed stories of our loved ones and instructions on how to contribute: Team Fox, "Cool Runnings."


Thanks for cheering us on, whether locally or from afar! 


And special thanks to the following for their unofficial sponsorship of our half-marathon adventure: to God, "for in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28); Drew and Jamie Hartel, our faithful teammates for their encouragement and lack of condemnation during our times of injury and laziness; Vibram, Saucony and Nike, thanks for the kicks! Thanks to two-parts-hydrogen-one-part-oxygen, chia seeds and coconut water; Pandora and iTunes, Orbit gum, Bob Harper's "Pure Burn, Super Strength" workout DVD and the city of Irvine for unparalleled street maintenance and esthetically-pleasing landscaping.