The Marathon Man

THIS guy has been training for the Chicago marathon and it is only six weeks away. Words just cannot even express how proud I am of him. He is dedicated. While I'm snoozing in our comfortable bed, he is up at 5:00   a.m. to run. His schedule has definitely picked up intensity as he is now running 37 miles this week (5 miles Monday & Thursday, 9 miles Tuesday and 18 miles Saturday). He doesn't complain. His muscles are sore. But he is happy. Happy to run for a cause. For his native country. For people that should have water as easily as we do. His passion is infectious. He is on a mission and I support him. I may not be running along side him, but I'm praying for him. Making food for him when he gets back. Riding my bike while he runs the shorter distances. And sharing his letter he sent out to share his journey.

Garth is a great writer and I thought I would share his heart with all of you so you can know why he is training like a crazy person and you will continue to cheer him on as he is in the home stretch of training:

Dear friends & family,

I'm writing this letter today because I want to invite you to be a part of something life changing.  Since January of this year, I along with many others have signed up with World Vision and have been training to run the Chicago Marathon on October 7th 2012.  Yes, you read that correctly!  Through World Vision, we are raising money to provide drinking water to villages in Africa. More specifically, we're building wells in villages where there is no access to clean water. Where accessing water means grabbing your empty buckets and hiking a mile or two, filling your buckets with water from the bottom of a hole that was dug by the locals and shared with the animals.

The idea of not having clean water is hard to fathom because we have access to it everywhere; in fact, we need it to make our busy days possible.  We brush our teeth, clean our clothes, shower, and hydrate for a busy work day... You get the idea. You can't even drink coffee without water.  We rely on water every single day.  So the idea is if clean, fresh water is available to those who don't have it, maybe they too can get up, brush their teeth, wash their clothes, go to school, become doctors, architects, and teachers....and more importantly, able to fuel up with a delicious cup of coffee in the morning!

When I started training in January I struggled to run just two miles, but it was a good starting point for me back then.  I wanted to send a letter sooner but I thought if I got up to 10 miles everyone would take me more seriously, including myself.  So I'm glad to say that Saturday, July 28th marked the halfway point of my training and the day I ran 13.5 miles (a little over a half marathon) with a total weight loss of 15 lbs so far.

Training for this marathon has taught me so much.  I learned a lot about what my body is able to tolerate. I learned about discipline (an area I needed a good lesson in).  I learned about nutrition and what the body does NOT need.  I learned that turning 30 is actually the new 20, but I’m still dealing with that.  I learned the true meaning of a privileged life and how the most simple of things to us can be the heart of someone else's dream.  Most importantly I learned that with a little determination and self-belief, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Will you make a tax-deductible donation to support my efforts?   $50 provides clean water for 1 person.  If you don't have lots to give, it's ok, a little goes a long way. World Vision works with communities in desperate need to help provide things like clean water, nutritious food, education, medical care, and economic opportunity.

Visit my personal page through World Vision to make your donation.  Together we can help change lives in Africa.

See you at the finish line!
Garth