While my husband's battalion (1/9) was deployed, I organized a "
Run to Afghanistan" campaign. The idea behind this campaign, was to cover the 7000 mile distance between NC and Afghanistan as many times as possible with participating friends and family. The name of this campaign really should have been "
Run/Bike/Swim/Walk/Elliptical to Afghanistan", but it just doesn't have the same ring:) I was fairly lax when it came to counting miles and really allowed any form of activity that could be completed in miles and also let anyone who was interested participate. As you can see, this challenge wasn't about being technical, but rather as a way to redirect the energy that typically goes towards worry into a healthy activity.
The response to this campaign was overwhelming! People submitted their weekly mileage to me via email every Sunday, and I maintained a working spreadsheet to track miles by individual and company (there are 5 companies within 1st Battalion, 9th Marines). We had over 250 participants and logged a total of 49,257.02 miles in 7 months! We're even making t-shirts (because who doesn't LOVE another t-shirt?!) to commemorate the event:
While My Marine Battled The Taliban, I Battled The Bulge!
So if you know anyone in a similar situation (i.e. deployed spouse/son/etc), try encouraging them to find a positive outlet/goal to focus on while their loved one is away!
