If you had told me on February 1st that not only would I complete a 58-mile challenge, but that I would double the number of miles and record just over 117 miles by February 29th, I would have genuinely bellied-laughed at you. Yet, when the clock struck midnight on March 1st, that’s what I had accomplished.
Between the treadmill, elliptical, and a lot of stationary bike, I recorded 117.04 miles for the Shriners Children’s Hospital 58-mile challenge. A fundraiser to not only help raise funds but also awareness of the incredible work that Shriner Children’s Hospital does. Through fundraisers such as the 58-Mile Challenge, and the generosity of donors, Shriners Children’s Hospitals can help children reach their potential and lead more fulfilling lives, regardless of the families’ ability to pay.
We live an hour away from a Shriners Children’s Hospital here in Kentucky. However, we drive nearly 600 miles round trip to Shriners Children’s Greenville, in Greenville, South Carolina. The trip typically takes us around 5 hours down (at night) and around 6 hours on average to get back home. So we’re in the car a decent amount each trip we’ve taken. There has never been a moment in all those hours that I have ever questioned our decision.
We are closing out on our third full year of traveling to South Carolina to visit the specialists at Shriners Children’s Greenville. From Dr. Hyer to Dr. Pete, to all the therapists, all the way to the cafeteria staff, everyone that has seen Harrison has been amazing for him, and us.
We are preparing to make what will mark our 23rd trip down to Greenville. Which means we have traveled over 13,000 miles and spent countless hours on the road. I would easily have traveled twice as many miles and spent three times as many hours for what has been accomplished for our son up to this point.
So when you consider all that, when you consider all those factors, there was never a moment’s debate on if I was taking part in the fundraiser. While I had doubts about my ability to complete the task, actually taking part in it was never in debate. Stepping up and being part of a fundraiser for such an incredible, amazing organization was undeniable.
This is as cut-and-dry a comment as I can make; without the impeccable team in Greenville, my son would not be walking right now.
Now, I’m not one to self-promote. I’m not one to be out here being flashy about things. Even when it is for such an amazing cause as this fundraiser was, I’m not one to ask for money. That’s just not how I’m wired. I never have been. It’s probably why my freelancing in graphic design has always ridden on the cusp of being non-existent. Because I simply don’t publicize. I don’t promote. I don’t put myself out there. And I especially don’t come straight out and ask for money or do anything.
I never have, not even for fundraisers. And we’re talking–I hated doing it way back when I was a little kid. I remember doing the Easterseals Shootout. A fundraiser where you’d go ask people to donate 10 cents, a quarter, whatever, for each shot you’d make within a given amount of time. And I hated doing that. I’ve always hated it. I don’t know why, but I have. So as an adult, to do a fundraiser, even one that directly impacts us, I still can’t do it. I can’t just come straight out and ask.
Could I have done more than what I did? Sure. And while I’m working on rewiring myself in situations like this, I’m not there yet. But there’s no argument, I could have been like, “Hey, I’m doing this. If anybody wants to donate, feel free.” But I couldn’t. I shared it. I gave one or two updates on Facebook regarding my mileage progress. I shared the link on Instagram on a few accounts, and that’s it. I didn’t draw a huge amount of attention. You may blame part of that on my lack of confidence in myself when the challenge first started, but I never altered my path.
My goal was $200. A drop in the bucket, I realize, but still, it’s my drop. And I accomplished that too, which was awesome. I was able to bring in over $200, which going in, I wouldn’t have expected to be quite honest. So yeah, at the end of the day, at the end of the month, what I did on what was essentially a whim proved to be successful on all fronts.
I hit both of my goals.
Not only that, I exceeded both goals.
So yeah, I feel very accomplished for the month of February. With just a few days into March, I’m already kind of feeling guilty. I’m almost missing not getting on the bike once or two or three times a week, or every other day. I decided after doing all the miles in February that I would start going back to hitting weights again. I’m still going to the gym, nearly as regularly as I was in February, and I do go and lift weights rather than work out on the cardio equipment. Yet, I feel myself itching to get back on the elliptical. Itching to get back on the stationary bike and see if I can get 10, 12, 15 miles on there. To break my record and pace that I previously set.
(For the record, there is no itch to get on the StairMaster.)
The itch for the bike has been so strong at times that I’ve already started to consider shopping for a real bicycle, and start hitting the pavement rather than visiting the gym, especially with the weather beginning to warm up again. (Check local listings.)
So where does this end? Where do I go from here? While I’m still working on coming straight out and asking people for money, I’m not going to shy away from fundraisers. Fundraisers for things that mean something to me, and for our family, are going to be something I spend more time on going forward. I need to be publicizing, to bring awareness, and to be more of an advocate for organizations such as Shriners and AMCSI. I need to do more than what I have since my son was born.
I’ve not done what I could have or should have, and I’m waking up to that. I’m admitting to that. And I’m looking for ways to improve on that.
So the next Shriners fundraiser that comes along? Sign me up!
I think I’m going to start doing more of these virtual runs as well. I’m going to take the month of March off just because we’re so busy. We’ve already been busy these few days in and the rest of the month doesn’t slow down. But I’m looking to possibly do a virtual race, a virtual run in April.
You’ve probably seen them advertised online. You sign up; you do your miles, and you get a medal of some type. Typically, the ones that I have seen have a theme for the event, like Batman or Lord of the Rings, and the medal reflects that. Yes, I realize you’re mostly just paying for the medal, but the incentive of signing up and getting miles, that’s the type of motivation that I enjoy. I would have never considered myself that type of person, but I’m strongly considering it because I enjoyed this past month having goals and striving to hit milestones. And all being cardio, of all things!
When I decided to tackle this 58-mile challenge, and I signed up, I thought I was pushing myself farther than I could go. I surprised myself when I first crossed that line of 58 miles, and I’m still surprised I could record 117 miles total in just 29 days. It has woken me up in a lot of ways. Just not with a reignition of wanting to be more physically active, but to be more active in fundraising and bringing awareness.
I want to thank everybody who donated. If you’re reading this, I appreciate you. And for anyone interested in donating or being involved, feel free to reach out. Leave a comment below, shoot me an email, or just keep watching because I’m sure I’m going to have more things to share in the months to come. If I can think of a fundraiser between now and AMC Awareness Day, I’ll try to do something quick where the funds go towards AMCSI. I’m considering looking into doing a walk or a run in our son’s name next year leading up to AMC Awareness Day. (So if anyone has organized such a thing in the past, please reach out as I’m sure I’ll need help.)
So it is safe to say this 58-mile challenge has lit a fuse in me that I didn’t know I even had. We’ll see where it leads, but if you ask me, I’ll just tell you. I don’t know. On February 1st, if you would have told me all this, I would have laughed. I would have been like, okay, sure. But now, looking back, February was a good month. It has me excited to see what we can pull off in the future. So yeah, success all around, tenfold even. It’s been pretty awesome.
I’m extremely happy that I chose to participate in the 58-Mile Challenge for Shriners Children’s.
I already have one of the best decisions I’ll make all year.
