Race4MS-Running for my Life (Taken from Facebook)

Why am I doing this?? That is a huge question for me, The training and racing for this year has been difficult to say the least, and even more, why am I putting this out in such a public way? as an MS Patient I am still very early stages, and if you meet me on the street, there is no reason that you would think me different, except an aversion to alcohol, and coffee... Why am I telling the world that I Have MS? Multiple sclerosis is part of my life, this is a condition that has and will continue to affect every relationship I have for the rest of my life, from my career(s), to family, and friends and co-workers. There are a lot of things that go along with this condition from the self doubt, right through the instant judgments that are made when you explain what MS is, to looking an employer in the eye and telling them that you will make a productive employee, and that it is worth it to them to invest the time and money to make you a part of their team. I don't know what this will be like for me in years to come, but I know more than most, and that knowledge is going to force me to test my limits every day until I find them.

When I got into running in 2006 I was fortunate to find some great help in CMS Coaching with Tara-Lee Marshal, and Sean Clark. With their help I quickly got faster and more fit, I was training for longer and longer distances. I also found that my symptoms which were mild decreased as my training gained consistency. By August 2009 I was already determined to run Ironman Canada in 2010, and the Rona MS Bike Tour I mentioned it to one of the MS Society Staff Members that maybe I should run a small fundraiser for my racing season. Through her, I started an endMS.ca account and started talking to people more....and more. I realized very quickly as I started talking to people who were not involved or knew somebody who had MS but only a little, that the people I met knew very little about what this condition is, and the range of abilities that we maintain, variation that each of us has in the many ways that we can deal with it. The first thing that I hear when I tell someone that I have MS is "You look fine...", and the second thing I hear is "does running so much make your condition worse?...", and the third thing I hear is "I could never do anything like that..." The truth is, if you asked me four years ago, or even eight years ago, I would have said the last one myself. This journey I am on has many steps, and for me they have been a lot of little steps from the first step on a treadmill, to the first start line at a 10k race, each step I felt was a success, each step was a first, and I never imagined the next step at the time, they just seemed logical when I took them. I honestly believe that anyone can complete a 10k, Half Marathon, or Marathon...all it took for me was telling myself that I will do it, and that my best is not only good enough, but a minimum requirement.

My goal in running Ironman Canada is not to be first at anything, I want you, who is reading right now to realize that the ability to enjoy your body is one of the most precious gifts that you were born with, use it well, or one day you will wish you did. I was given fair warning, and I have changed my life because of it.

MS Stops People from Moving, I exist to prove that it will not stop me.

Please help end MS for good.

Ray