It's time for my annual "slog" in the Marine Corps Marathon 10K with OAR's RUN FOR AUTISM team, my OAR colleague and friend, Dr. Peter Gerhardt, and my old Jarhead friend from years back, Fast Eddie Sandrick. This year's story has a few, new twists and a break from the ususal plot right off the bat.
The Break (AKA, the New Event in the Irish Olympics!)
It starts with the break in very literal terms and a bad one for me as it turned out. Whooda thunk you coud break an ankle simply carrying laundry downstairs? Well I figured it out. It's pretty easy actually if you miss the last step, which I did early in June. Now after getting rid of cast, crutches, and the monster walking boot over the course of the summer and a rather skeptical vote of confidence from the orthopod doc (MCM 10K "a worthy objective."), the fracture is healed, and I'm attempting to regain the capacity to move forward in a motion other than walking, i.e. slogging. The objectives are to:
- Cover the 6.2 miles before sunset October 25
- Avoid any more accidents at home in the interim
- Raise money for autism research and OAR
Twist #1. New Start Line Threatens the Integrity of the 14th Street Bridge
The Marine Corps Marathon folks in an effort to do more in DC decided to move the start of the 10K across the Potomac into the Nation's Capital. The course will start on the National Mall and end in the shadow of the Marine War Memorial. In between, the runners including today's "full sized' version of me, will have to cross the 14th Street Bridge, challenging its stress limits no doubt. I don't think Mayor Fenty's people or the Marathon folks have fully considered the potential impact on the bridge or the greater DC community. Pray for us!
Twist #2. Beating Naysayers and Raising the Bar
The naysayers in my busness, raising money for charity, are wringing their hands and using the state of the economy as an excuse for falling short of their goals. I'm going the other way this year. In my gimp status, there's little chance I'll achieve a "personal best" on the course. So, I'm going for a personal best in my fundraising efforts. I've come close to $5,000 before but never surpassed it. This is the year. All it takes is 200 people donating $25.00.
You can help in three ways:
- Make a donation in any amount.
- Pass this information along to anyone you know that might be interested in this cause regardless of whether they know me.
- Start praying now for me and the 14th Street Bridge!
If you don't know about OAR's work, please visit our Web site, www.researchautism.org. In brief, we strive to change lives of children and adults with autism and their families by funding studies that address the daily challenges of autism and providing information about autism and autism treatment in clear, consumable form. Within the next month you will see another great example of this when we launch a new Operation Autism Web site, a resource specifically for miltitary families touched by autism that we've been working on since January.
Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
If you or anyone interested in donating prefers to donate offline, please send your check to:
OAR 2000 N. 14th Street, Suite 710 Arlington, Va. 22201
Thanks. Semper Fidelis.
Mike