We did it! So did you!

Lauren here...

Ya'll.... (that's how my southern friends down here start sentences that are sure to be followed by some amazing news). WE DID IT!! And... SO DID YOU!!! We still have a few checks to come in, but you have generously given over $5,000 to Andy!! My heart floods with gratitude as I write those words- your support is an amazing outpouring of love.

What an amazing weekend we had in Indianapolis! We are still processing the different emotions and the whole experience. We headed up on Thursday night to Indiana and got to see some good friends before settling down at my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Johnny's house. They made us all a lovely spaghetti dinner and my mom brought down her amazing bread and joined us with Andy and my dad to have a carb loading good time.

Saturday morning arrived early at 5:00! We laced up, carb-loaded some more and headed downtown to join the 35,000 other participants! Seeing that many different people running and walking was an amazing sight!
Johnny, Cathy, Bart (Lauren's cousin) and Jon and I headed out, wondering if this really was such the good idea it seemed last Fall!
Jon and I had a plan to run about 4 miles and then walk a bit since we both so injured this winter and hadn't gotten up to the mileage we had planned on. My Aunt Cathy's advice however was "Lauren, you just need to do it as fast as you can and get it over with!" Well, we didn't quite go as fast as we could, but around mile 4 we felt so good that we decided to keep going! Then, by mile 7 we were on the Indy 500 Speedway, and that was so exciting, we just kept going! Each block had different bands playing and people encouraging, clapping and cheering everyone on.
After running the 2.5 miles around the Speedway, we realized that we were more than halfway done and that there was no way we were going to stop! While I was on the speedway, I began to feel amazed at how good I felt- neither one of us had been in any pain during the race, nor out of breath. Now, I think a lot of things contributed to that- the flat terrain of Indiana vs all of the hills we usually run on, a cool 50 degree day, the gel energy shots that our friends gave us, gatorade pit stops, etc...
What really was carrying us though was the love and prayers of our friends and family and the strength of God. We got many texts and emails the morning of the race encouraging us and lifting us up. I had such deep joy and a heart overflowing with thanksgiving as we ran.

Around mile 10, the rain started- we felt pretty intense. :) We got so excited every time we saw a huge orange mile marker sign! I think we were both in awe when we saw that 11, and then 12. We set several personal records several times during the race.

The last mile of the race is called the "victory mile", and we gave it all we had as we ran into the city and saw that big finish line banner and a huge 13. The rain even stopped and the sun came out and shone down on us as we cranked it into high octane and grabbed hands as we ran across the finish line!
I have to admit that the last mile was a little emotional as I considered that we had met this great goal and had been loved the whole way by all of you. I was hoping so much that we were honoring Andy and somehow taking part in his story.

The gratitude we have for you is immeasurable- thank you for giving your kindness, your money, prayers and encouragement. Andy is grateful and moved by the kindness of strangers that has been so evident through this process.

13.1 miles... done and done!

And... registration is already open for the 2012 Indy Mini-- who wants to be on the official Running for Andy team?

We will continue to run, and also continue to grieve for Andy and be amazed at his spirit and determination. We will also continue to give of ourselves for the good of others as you all have so inspired us to do. So- whether you run or not, get out there and do good and don't ever give up!

This is one of my favorite quotes that I dedicate to Andy.

With much love and gratitude,
Jon and Lauren (and for Andy and the Bridge family)

1 Day Left!

Friends,

We have made it to Indianapolis and are counting down the HOURS until race-time. We are so excited to be here with family (and a bit nervous to run tomorrow). Tonight we are sharing a carb-loading dinner with the Bridge family and after the long drive from VA will be early to bed.

Countdown is underway!

The deadline on our original ChipIn! link has ended, but we created a new link in case you want to make any last-minute contributions to Andy's fund. We are leaving this link up until the end of June as well for any late-comers. Be looking for race-day photos, deep-thoughts and reflections when we finally make it across the finish line and back to VA.

Quick update on reaching our goal - due generous donations by friends and family by way of checks (in addition to those made through PayPal online) we are right up against our original goal of $5,000! We are overjoyed and humbled by your generosity, and are elated to share the great news with Andy! We will see him tonight for dinner in Indy.

See you on the other side.

Happy Easter!

As our collective longing for Spring and new life becomes more of a reality (especially in light of what we celebrate today), we can't help but be in awe of the beauty around us and revel in its goodness. Spring is upon us, and with it of course comes warmer weather - perfect for training. We continue to plow ahead despite our aching bodies. Thankfully the full-blown injuries from the Winter have started to give way to nagging hindrances, but unfortunately we are behind where we would like to be going into race week.

But this is a fitting analogy for our purpose in running this race. If you've been keeping up with Andy's story on his Caring Bridge page, you'll know that he is indeed making tremendous progress. He is such an amazing person! But he would also tell you that he has a long way to go. He is participating in his own race, and it is no doubt a struggle. Thus it somehow wouldn't be fitting for us to be dominating our training sessions, poised to set lifetime records come race day.

In some (infinitesimally) small way, we share in the struggle alongside of Andy on his road to recovery. We don't feel "ready" for what's ahead of us, but we're plowing ahead with hope to see the finish line - however we cross it.

We have all been overwhelmed and encouraged by the generosity of our friends to support Andy. If you feel led to give to Andy's fund - you can do so by clicking the "ChipIn!" button to the right, or if you don't have a Paypal account you can contact us and we'll help you give to Andy directly.


Gratefully,

Jon and Lauren

It's Never Too Late...

We are always so touched by the donations we get for Andy. Sometimes they are from a close friend, or someone who we knew a long time ago but have lost touch with, or sometimes a stranger. Each gift though is special because it has taken some kind of sacrifice, and has been a part of each person. A particularly special gift came from our friend Nance last week. She and her husband Greg have been dear friends to Jon and me in Charlottesville over the past several years. Nance lost her mom a few years ago, and if she was anything like Nance, she was a great woman. In order to give Andy a financial gift, Nance sold a piece of her mom's jewelry (gold brings a high dollar these days!) and donated the profit from it to our race fund. She said it was a charm that read, "It's Never too Late". She said her mom would have been so happy to have given to Andy. We love you Nance and are grateful for your generosity and for your mom!

Nance will probably laugh when she sees this picture- its from a local paper a couple of years ago who spotted her fashion sense. Isn't she cute??

P.S. Nance is also an amazing artist and author. Here is her website.

P.P.S. Only 3 more weeks until our race!!!

Living Philanthropic

Hello friends,
I'm writing from my cozy little office, watching the rain pour down the window. I have had a smile on my face today because of an amazing little $5 gift to Andy.

In December, Jon told me about a man who has decided to give to someone or an organization everyday for 365 days. I thought that was such a great goal and I immediately started following him on Facebook and subscribed to his blog. I also told him about Andy. I told him his story, and our small ambition to run for him and give him some money. I didn't really expect for him to email me back or even consider giving our fund money- it seemed that he was giving to organizations mostly.

Then at 7:00 this morning, I got an email from Andy (sent at 4:14 A.M. undoubtedly awake and uncomfortable) that said:
You received a payment of $5.00 USD from Carlo Garcia.

I rolled back over, wondering "Who is Carlo Garcia??" I thought, maybe some random person just stumbled across our blog and was feeling generous.... or maybe this is one of Andy's friends in Chicago.

Then, I just started to laugh like a crazy person and woke Jon up. I said, "Do you remember that guy who gives to someone everyday? WELL LOOK AT THIS!!!" (click on the link below :) )

Living Philanthropic-Running for Andy

He chose to give to our little mission! I was so grateful that someone who doesn't even know us gave $5 to our cause. Its not a lot, but it showed me how if everyone just gave a small amount, how much good could be done. I want to give generously of myself and my resources- even if its small. You never know how your small gift could change someone and bring goodness. In the words of Carlo, "This mission is built on a belief that you don't have to be rich in dollars to make a difference, you only need to be rich in spirit. I may not always be able to give a lot, but I will Give Everyday. "

Two and Half Months 'Till Race Day!

It's hard to believe that we are 3 months into this journey - Running for Andy. The experience and perception of time are quite mysterious...

As the weather turns warmer, we are finding our runs to be more pleasing - apart from the new and nagging pains that accompany each trip. Lauren still has a tight and very sore Achilles tendon, while Jon has been officially diagnosed with an IT band injury - ouch! We've taken it easy on long runs for several weeks, but are making up for lost cardio training in the gym with cross-training exercises. Hopefully neither of us will lose much of the stamina we had built up before January's aches and pains crept in on us, but more than that we're hopeful that these injuries will soon heal completely so we can get back to our normal training regimen. Our "temporary" injuries causing this frustration pale in comparison to what Andy experiences every day. We have been reminded of him a lot as we struggle with our bodies and the futility that seems to accompany everything we set out to accomplish.

Andy made a post to his CaringBridge site earlier this month - if you haven't read it go check it out for an update on him. We pray every day that his spasticity and neuropathic pain will subside - these are especially frustrating setbacks. We also continue to pray for a full recovery - this our hope for his body! In the meantime, Andy is hard at work with rehab and trying to establish a sustainable work schedule. Given the every-other-day neuropathic pain, both of these efforts have proven themselves to be especially challenging.

If you have not already, please do consider making a contribution (nothing is too small!) to Andy's fund to help offset his growing expenses. As he is sorting out what exactly work life will look like for him with the increasingly frustrating setbacks in his body, our financial and prayer support to him is immeasurable.

Thank you for being such a witness for hope.

With love,

Jon and Lauren

Perseverance

Hello from a Spring-like day in C'ville! It has been nice to run in a little bit warmer weather, and we can't wait for Spring to make its way here. We are both adjusting to bodies that are not used to running long distances. Lauren had an x-ray today to see if she had tendonitis in her achilles tendon. (not to be confused with Brad Pitt in his great role of Achilles). Thankfully, the results came back that there is nothing too serious going on. I think some ice and taking a little break might help. Jon is having some pain in his knee but still managed to run EIGHTmiles on Saturday!! (also, not to be confused with Eminem in the less than stellar 8Mile).

As we are learning to push through some of this pain, readjust our expectations about how much/how far we can go right now, and make some sacrifices (like running out in the cold in the morning instead of drinking coffee and reading in bed!!), we are inspired and continue to persevere thinking of Andy's determination and dilligence. We are daily grateful for him and he is constantly on our hearts and minds as we know the amazing challenges he faces each day.

There are only 107 days left until our big race! There is still time to help us reach our goal- we are so grateful for whatever people can give. Andy and Lauren's parents Tom and Beth are officially signed up for the big 5K on the day of our race! It is so neat to have so many family members involved and giving their support.

Here is a picture of our favorite road in Charlottesville- its 8 miles roundtrip. Unfortunately it was not this vibrant with color when we ran on Saturday! Soon it will be alive with the sights and sounds of new life in Spring.

Ridge Road

with love and hope,
Lauren and Jon