For the next couple of months my blog is going to be focused around my next adventure, Move Mountains: A Run For Epilepsy.  I will be sharing about my training, the work leading up to the run, my amazing support system, my sponsors, the incredibly generous people who have donated, some educational pieces about epilepsy and the roller coaster of the actual event itself.  Please, follow along with me as I embark on the most monumental event in my life yet…

Today, I am going to give you all a bit more of an idea of how this event has come to be.  In April of this year, Marcus and I were curled up on our couch scrolling through the plethora of choices that NetFlix has to offer.  I of course wanted to watch a romantic comedy and Marcus wanted to watch anything SciFi.  After not being able to come to a conclusion we ended up in the documentaries genre.  I was not in the mood for a documentary at all, but was more than willing to compromise if it meant we didn’t have to watch Star Wars (sorry all you Luke Skywalker fans out there, I am burned out from the 9millions times I had to watch it as a kid with my big bro).  Anyways, we finally landed on a 30for30 film called “Into The Wind”.  I was not really in the mood for a documentary that night either, so figured I would semi pay attention and fully give myself a pedicure.  Let’s just say my toes never got painted.  If you haven’t watched “Into the Wind”, do it NOW!  If you have, then you know what I’m talking about.  If you’re on the fence, let me give you a brief synopsis.  Terry Fox, was a young Canadian man who was diagnosed with cancer.  He had to have his right leg amputated as a result.  Rather than feeling sad for himself and letting this stop him, he did quite the opposite.  This incredibly inspiring man decided he would run across Canada, east to west, to raise funds for cancer research.  Without giving any more details, Terry Fox is the trigger for Move Mountains.  Marcus and I looked at each other during the film and both knew that it was time.

Time for what?  Time for me to finally do what I’ve wanted to do most of my adult life.  Time to do something big, something inspiring, something to make a difference in the lives of people that are going through hardships.  Time to do something to give people hope, strength and courage to keep fighting.  Time to stand up for what I’d hidden from for so long.

Now, I am embarrassed to say that life took over again.  It wasn’t until mid June when Marcus and I were driving north on highway 550 out of Durango, Colorado in route to visit my family and home that Move Mountains actually began to develop.  I was soaking up the beauty of what Mother Nature provides us with… my senses were taken over by the taste of fresh mountain air, the smell of pine needles, the sound of natures animals living in the moment, the sight of the bluest skies you’ve ever seen and the touch of home in my heart.  Tears started to well up in my eyes with the overwhelming emotions that just being in the mountains floods my soul with, then I looked at Marcus and they fell down my cheeks.  He knew… I knew… it was time to run for epilepsy.

I started by just telling my family, then my close friends, then my not-so-close friends, then a few potentials sponsors and now EVERYONE.  My fear of telling people that I have epilepsy has long passed… now I am telling the world.  It’s time to educate people about epilepsy, it’s time to encourage those with epilepsy that you don’t have to succumb to it, it’s time to raise money to hopefully find a cure for this disorder that effects 60 million people world-wide.

With that said, I thought I was just going to go out there, run 500 miles in one of the most beautiful places on earth and inspire people.  Turns out it’s ALOT more than that.  One thing I have found out in the last month and half of planning this is that it’s really hard to put on an event like this, especially in such a short amount of time.  I am so lucky to have so many amazing people in my corner that are eagerly willing to help me live a dream.  More to come on each one of these people, but without them (you know who you are) this really wouldn’t be possible.

I am now 1 month and 2 days away from the start of my 500-mile run across Colorado to raise awareness of epilepsy… there is still so much to do.  Yes, prepping my body for the run, but even more importantly making sure that everything is in line to run as smoothly as it can.  Getting the route set, the PR events established, the website built, sponsors on board, and the donations site out there.  The biggest way you can help is to donate now and to send the donation page to anyone and everyone you know.  Every little bit helps!  Thank you in advance for being a part of my journey and helping me Move Mountains!