by Michael Mills

It seems like yesterday I started my journey to Sparta. Last August I made the decision to sign up and compete in my first ever Spartan Race in Conyers, GA on March 9th, 2013. I remember being scared to hit the payment button. I knew if I did it, there would be no turning back. The thought of doing something I have never done before terrified me, but at the same time I was excited to embark on a new adventure for disabled sports. For the last 20 years I have overcome so much and experienced some difficult times and I look at it as what has prepared me for this year.

Last year, I had a long conversation with Tiffany (my wife) about my goals and what I wanted to accomplish for 2013. As my biggest supporter she backed me up and said she would be there every step of the way. I knew right then I did not need any more encouragement.

Since I started training for the Spartan Race, I have found something deep inside of me that I really didn’t know I had. It was an even stronger willpower and determination. It has fueled me to get up and train before work, work an eight hour day, come home, be a husband and a father to my family, and then go back out to train again for another workout session.

I have had a goal in mind and resolve if firm. I will cross the finish line and become a Spartan. Through my training, I realize how much I’ve changed and grown. I started seeing obstacles in my way that before I would have avoided. NOT NOW! I hit every one of them head on. I see something that looks difficult and I want to do it. My fear is leaving me, anxiety is turning to excitement and I know that this is year for me to do amazing things for myself and for the disabled community.

On February 9th I set out to be the first ever paralyzed person to climb Stone Mountain, in Stone Mountain GA. I started the climb with some already amazing Spartan athletes but no one stood out more to me than my friend and Spartan Chris Davis. When I found out Chris was coming, I was ecstatic. I was going to get to finally meet him. The climb didn’t intimidate me but he did.

Chris Davis accomplished some major goals while living in Pittsfield, VT at Spartan HQ. He is known by everyone in the Spartan world for his weight loss success and now he was coming to climb Stone Mountain with me. Chris showed up with a 110lbs strapped to his back and he said he was not going to leave my side. Chris and I were side by side and we climbed the entire mountain together. Once I reached the top, Chris looked at me and told me how proud he was of me. The climb took four hours, me crawling on my hands and knees. I conquered Stone Mountain with some amazing people that day and I will never forget it.

That climb up Stone Mountain prepared me for my first Spartan Sprint on March 9. I am ready. I am ready to tackle the barbed wire, big heavy tractor tires, ropes, walls and even the fire at the end. I have no doubt that with the help from my team, we will be able to overcome every obstacle just like I have in my life for the last 20 years.

Bring it on, Georgia. I am ready for you. My team and I will reach our goal and by the end of that day I will be able to call myself a true Spartan.

[Editor's Note: Michael Mills  is a T12 paraplegic, the victim of a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1993 and though he’s been tackling wheelchair racing since 1996, competing in over 160 road and track races in the twelve years since, even representing the United States three separate times, he saw the Spartan Race series and realized it was the next challenge he wanted.  He'll be doing the Georgia Spartan Sprint on 3/9/13.  Want to stay tuned in to Michael’s journey? He’ll be regularly posting his story and training on our blog in a series we’ll be calling “Chasing Michael Mills.” Follow his Facebook page. Want to support his cause? Check out Spartan Sprint for Berts Big Adventure | Michael Mills’ Fundraiser on CrowdRise]

Tags: Big Bert's Adventure, chris davis, Michael Mills, Reebok Georgia Spartan Sprint, Stone Mountain

by Chris Davis, re-printed from Project Chris Davis

With the Georgia Sprint fast approaching March 9, T-12 paraplegic Michael Mills is putting in a lot of work to get prepared to take on the course on his hands and knees.  This past weekend, he took on Stone Mountain to prove he was Spartan Tough for his upcoming challenge.

Saturday I watched Michael Mills from Chasing Spartan Michael Mills fight though the pain and climb Stone Mountain on his hands and knees.  He asked each of us that joined him to challenge our self in our own way.  So I chose to carry 100lbs of 1 inch think steel plates.The plan was to start our adventure at 7:30 am, in the parking lot at the head of the walk up trail.  It was very cold almost freezing, and I started to have flashbacks to my experience during the Vermont Beast.  I had the same scared but excited feeling in my stomach as I had on that cold morning in Vermont.  It got so bad that I started to second guess my ability to complete this challenge, and that is when I saw on Facebook that Michael had like my comment about bringing the 100lbs and I knew, that there was no way for me to lower the weight to something more do able like 60lbs.  So I took in a deep breath and decided at that moment, no mater what I was going find a way to get to the top with all 100lbs.

When Michael arrived, I knew that I had made the right choice in not going to the Arizona  for the Spartan Race.  It was a strange feeling, but I just knew I was at the right place at the right time.  I knew that today was going to be one of though days that changes the way you look at the world.   Everyone gathered in the parking lot and we headed out a little before 8 am.  Michael, started out the adventure in his wheel chair, but it was not long when he decided to get out of it and continued the long journey on his hands and knees.  I have climbed Stone Mountain and have seen what it can do to people that are in relative good shape, but I could not imagine trying to climb the hole thing in your hands and knees.  It was a slow, but steady climb, Michael, was like the energizer bunny, he just keep going and going. By 11:30 we had made it over half way up and we were facing the most difficult part of the climb.  This part of the climb is so steep that they have to put in two hand rails to help people climb up this part of the trail.   For me this is a very scary part of the trail.   The first time I climbed Stone Mountain, back in 2011, I fell twice trying to climb up this part of the trail.   I know a lot has changed since then, but I keep having visions of me falling, and getting crushed by my backpack.  Let be honest, steel plates to not have a lot of give in them.  But the sight of this part did phase him, he just took it in stride, and keep on going. Before I knew it were we half way up.  You could tell that his arms were killing him, but he never gave up and a few minutes later we were at the top of the steepest segment of the climb.  But the climb is not over in fact this is where you have to dig deep, because you are not at the top, not even close.  We took a few minutes to recover and take in the incredible of Downtown Atlanta before counting up to the top.  We arrived at the top around 12:40 pm,  four hours after we started, to put this in perspective, the first time I climbed stone mountain, it took me three an half hours, and I was walking.  The fact that Michael made it up in just four hours to me is incredible!   You could tell that he was exhausted, but it did not stop him from celebrating and taking some time to reflect on what he had just done.   He was on the top of Stone Mountain, and he had climbed up there on his hands and knees.  I think that is when he relied that if he could do this, there is nothing that he couldn’t do!   After taking photo with everyone we sat around and relaxed for a few.  After everyone relaxed, and started to regroup, we all realized that we were only half way done.   So we started are way back down.  This went a lot faster, especially once we got past the steep part, and Michael, climbed back into his wheelchair.  I can not tell you how cool it was to see him doing jumps over rocks, and having a great time taking his new wheelchair though it’s paces. We were about 3/4 of the way down, and I was taking a break, when I saw a father reach over to his young daughter.

He then keeled down and said, look over there as he pointed to Michael, and said “Never say you can’t do anything, there is proof that anything is possible!”   When I heard that, it made me think, we came to the mountain to challenge ourselves and in doing this we may have inspired others on the mountain to do something they thought was impossible. I know that I will remember this day for the rest of my life.  Thank you Michael Mills for sharing this great adventure with me!

Michel’s next adventure will be at our Reebok Spartan Georgia Sprint Match 9, 2013.  To join him, register HERE.

[Editor's Note: Michael Mills  is a T12 paraplegic, the victim of a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1993 and though he’s been tackling wheelchair racing since 1996, competing in over 160 road and track races in the twelve years since, even representing the United States three separate times, he saw the Spartan Race series and realized it was the next challenge he wanted.  He'll be doing the Georgia Spartan Sprint on 3/9/13.  Want to stay tuned in to Michael’s journey? He’ll be regularly posting his story and training on our blog in a series we’ll be calling “Chasing Michael Mills.” Follow his Facebook page. Want to support his cause? Check out Spartan Sprint for Berts Big Adventure | Michael Mills’ Fundraiser on CrowdRise]

Tags: Big Bert's Adventure, chris davis, Michael Mills, Reebok Georgia Spartan Sprint, Stone Mountain

by Michael Mills

“IF YOU HAVE A GOAL BUT OFTEN GET DISCOURAGED BY OTHERS, REMEMBER…… THOSE WHO LACK BELIEF IN THEMSELVES OFTEN TRY TO ROB YOU OF YOURS!” – Rolsey

Every year about this time, you here the talk of New Year Resolutions. You see gym memberships increase and you see all sorts of advertisements about the same thing.  Then, before too much time passes,  you see everything dwindle away. You see the gym go back down to the normal crowd, you see less and less advertisements as time goes, and everything goes back to “normal.” I started to look into this and saw that many make unrealistic goals instead of making small goals instead. I have always felt that if you start small it grows into something bigger.

Every year when I set goals/resolutions, I use these 9 simple steps in setting and achieving my goals. I would like to share these with you as they are great tools in creating and reaching your desired goals. 1. Focus on one resolution, rather several. 2.Set realistic, specific goals. Losing weight is not a specific goal. Losing 10 pounds in 90 days would be. 3. Don’t wait till New Year’s eve to make resolutions. Make it a year long process, every day. 4.Take small steps. Many people quit because the goal is too big requiring too big a step all at once. 5. Have an accountability buddy, someone close to you that you have to report to. 6.Celebrate your success between milestones. Don’t wait the goal to be finally completed. 7.Focus your thinking on new behaviors and thought patterns. You have to create new neural pathways in your brain to change habits. 8.Focus on the present. What’s the one thing you can do today, right now, towards your goal? 9.Be mindful. Become physically, emotionally and mentally aware of your inner state as each external event happens, moment by moment, rather than living in the past or future.

I was thinking the other day about 2012, and how my goals played an important role in my fitness and my life. I started my racing season in 2012 with my Resolutions/Goals laid out in front of me. I had a coach and I was determined to come back on the racing scene with a vengeance.  My goal was not to destroy the competition, but to destroy the previous year’s results. Without making that resolution in December of 2011, I knew I would not be able to set a goal and chase it. With the resolution in mind, I set out to achieve much more than I have had in some time. I had planned out my events and I had planned out my goals. My first race of the year was with a brand new racing chair just built by Xcalibur Sports Chairs out of Madison, GA. I knew that it would help me go faster as it was lighter and well built. But without the training, I knew I would not achieve those goals I had set out for myself. From my first Race of the year in February all the way to my last race in October, not only did I reach my goals for every event, I surpassed each and every one of them. My first race of the year, I was 6 minutes faster than the previous and then my last race , I was 13 minutes faster than the year before. So, as I look back on my year, I am proud to say I have stuck to my goals and not only did I achieve them, I surpassed them and they would have not happened unless I set out a goal and a Resolution.

Now that it is 2013, I have new goals set. Not only will I have the same goal of beating my times from the previous year, I also will add my obstacle course racing goals to the mix. Since I started my journey to achieve Spartan Glory and crossing the finish line with TEAM PUSHHARDER on March 9th, 2013 I knew there would be obstacles that would test my abilities and test me mentally as well. So, I have to plan my resolutions and my goals accordingly. So I thought I would share some goals and some resolutions with you and I have a few in the back pocket that I will not share as these goals are some really awesome ones that you will see in the near future.

So, let’s start with my first goal/obstacle of the new year. Rope Climbs…. I am already able to climb ropes but am I able to climb ropes while being exhausted from crawling 3 miles? Will I be able to grip that rope when I am soaking wet and muddy? These are the things that run through my mind and that is why I am setting a goal before March 9th, to be able to climb a rope soaking wet and muddy and being completely exhausted. My second goal/obstacle is the Wall. The wall is something I am sure will be a very difficult obstacle to climb over. With that being said, the wall is the one thing I do know that TEAM PUSHHARDER will help me overcome. I do know that I have to build strength once I can reach the top to pull myself up and over and that is where my next goal comes into play. I have to build that strength to do so. So, I am in the process of building my own makeshift wall at home to climb and traverse over. My third goal/obstacle is the nets. I have to be able to climb and hold onto the nets to get over them. So, again upper body strength plays a big role in my training. Then my last goal/obstacle which is going to be my most challenging goal yet, will be as many has asked me how am I going to cross the fire if any? Well, that has been my biggest one yet that I have not figured out a way through. Not to say I won’t figure out a way as I always do, but I can tell you this, the fire jump will be my biggest obstacle.. I will find a way over and through it. you can bet on that. I also happen to have the opportunity to be near some amazing Spartans, Andi Hardy, Steve Power and Stacy Shuler. I have plans to train with these awesome people in the coming months and will be able to learn from all three of them on training and reaching my goals for my first Spartan Race.

The old saying goes. IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL! I think so many people just go out and not set goals, resolutions or whatever you may call it but if you don’t plan you are destined to fail. In the last few months, I have had people question my ability, my efforts or even wonder why I chose something as hard as a Spartan Race to break into the Obstacle Course Racing World. I simply told them, “YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN! YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOALS, YOU HAVE TO GO AFTER WHAT OTHERS THINK IS IMPOSSIBLE!” For myself, I see everything as a possibility. Never as an impossibility. So, if you are reading this and are questioning if you can do a Spartan Race for 2013. Don’t question it, Set it as a goal. Set it as a resolution, you are going to train hard, work hard and prepare for Glory just like many of us are already doing.

[Editor's Note: Michael Mills  is a T12 paraplegic, the victim of a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1993 and though he’s been tackling wheelchair racing since 1996, competing in over 160 road and track races in the twelve years since, even representing the United States three separate times, he saw the Spartan Race series and realized it was the next challenge he wanted.  He'll be doing the Georgia Spartan Sprint on 3/9/13.  Want to stay tuned in to Michael’s journey? He’ll be regularly posting his story and training on our blog in a series we’ll be calling “Chasing Michael Mills.” Follow his Facebook page. Want to support his cause? Check out Spartan Sprint for Berts Big Adventure | Michael Mills’ Fundraiser on CrowdRise. ]

Tags: Berts Big Adventure, Chasing Michael Mills, Conyers, Georgia Spartan

by Michael Mills

Do you remember when you were a child how you would stop at nothing to get what you wanted. If you saw something on the top shelf that you just had to have, you would do whatever it took to get there. Climbing chairs, stacking books, anything you had to do, just so you could reach it. What drives us to do what it takes to finish the job? DETRMINATION! Determination fueled us children. We were so determined growing up, it almost seemed effortless, just a part of our DNA. No matter how small or how large the objective was, if we wanted it then we had the same mentality. We were determined!

Mills’ car from the 1993 accident

In my last blog, I talked about having a purpose and why that purpose is so important. If you don’t have a reason to start something, you typically don’t follow through with the initial intent. In order for your purpose to mean something, you have to carry on through with it what you started to completion. So how do you keep that purpose alive? How do you keep that purpose hot in your heart and soul? You have to have HEART and DETERMINATION. Without these two go right alongside of your purpose. When times get tough and the training gets harder it becomes more difficult to keep that motivation and to keep that purpose moving!

Determination has been a recurring theme for me. I had the opportunity to the other day to talk to a friend name Rene Rodriguez. Rene and I talked about what our purpose was and what we felt kept us going day in and day out to achieve our goals. One thing that Rene said to me that stuck in my mind was he saw a lot of DETERMINATION in me. Then just yesterday, I was told the same thing by another person, that she “saw a lot of determination in me.” So, this got me to thinking, what is it that people see as determination? Is it that self-worth? Is it that I am determined to prove people wrong? Or is it both?

When I had my car accident that left me paralyzed in 1993, I was told I would never walk again and that I would have to learn to live all over again with my new found life being paralyzed from the waist down. I was told that I would have to learn every single thing all over again and that it would be a hard road to travel. While in the hospital, I really felt as if I was not doing enough to better myself and I felt like I needed more time with my therapist. I felt like I was not getting well as quickly as I wanted to or should. I became frustrated.

One night, while I was in the hospital it hit me. I wanted to go home. I did not want to be in the hospital anymore. I had to figure out a way to go home. So, I got up out of my hospital bed and snuck into the rehab room that was filled with rehabilitation equipment. I started to exercise while no one was looking. I wanted to get stronger and faster so I could get out and home. This became a nightly routine and the nurses started noticing my disappearing act. Luckily, they let me continue. The nurses would watch as I would sneak out of my room and sneak into the weight room. They would watch me work 2 to 4 hours a night in the dark with just the emergency lights on. I did not want any help and I did not want any handouts, I just wanted to be better so I could get in the best shape as I could so that I could go back to a normal life of being a teenager. Without the determination I had, it would have taken me longer to get out of the hospital and I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Same goes for my training with the Spartan Race. I have a purpose and that purpose is to complete a Spartan Race and cross that finish line with my team on March 9, 2013, but without the determination and heart of a champion there’s no way I could do it. I would give up quickly after the first sign of an obstacle that would cause trouble. I am asked every single day how I am going to complete the obstacles. Even I don’t know the answer to some of them, I just know I’ll continue.

I study too. I have also learned by watching every single Spartan clip on YouTube or Spartan Race TV to learn the obstacles and see what they’re about. I study them look at them hard and see what I can do and prepare for the things that will be difficult or extremely hard. I know that I will have my teammates to help me through. No matter what happens, you will never hear me say I didn’t try. I have the heart and determination of a warrior and I will not go down without a fight.

When I set out with the goal to compete in my first ever Spartan Race I knew that it would not be easy and I knew it would test my manhood. I knew if I did not set out with a purpose and keep the drive and the determination, I knew that I would never be able to complete my task. I keep the motivation going by constantly surrounding myself with positive reinforcements and to keep the fire hot. I am always working hard and trying to better myself in hopes of beating the goals I have set out for myself…with determination

[Editor's Note: Michael Mills  is a T12 paraplegic, the victim of a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1993 and though he’s been tackling wheelchair racing since 1996, competing in over 160 road and track races in the twelve years since, even representing the United States three separate times, he saw the Spartan Race series and realized it was the next challenge he wanted.  He'll be doing the Georgia Spartan Sprint on 3/9/13.  Want to stay tuned in to Michael’s journey? He’ll be regularly posting his story and training on our blog in a series we’ll be calling “Chasing Michael Mills.” Follow his Facebook page. Want to support his cause? Check out Spartan Sprint for Berts Big Adventure | Michael Mills’ Fundraiser on CrowdRise. ]

Tags: Berts Big Adventure, Chasing Michael Mills, Conyers, Georgia Spartan Race

by Michael Mills

The Power of Change.

I was introduced to Sparta and my quest to take on the Conyer’s Georgia Race on March 9, 2013. Notably, I’ll be taking on the majority of the course on my hands and knees. As a T-12 paraplegic, that is my best option for completing what I have been told is a grueling course. It all started with seeing a picture of Todd Love and Team X-T.R.E.M.E.’s efforts in Lessburg that made me want to take on this epic challenge. That means I have to get prepared.  I write a weekly blog recounting my training as I get ready to become a Spartan!

I wanted to first of all thank my lovely wife Tiffany Mills for the birth of our son, Michael Elijah Mills. Elijah was born on November 28th, 2012 at 9:26 A.M. He weighed in at 8lbs and 19 ½ inches long. Next, I would like to thank everyone who sent encouraging messages and posts on my Chasing Spartan Facebook page last week as well. We read every single one of them.

Change is a part of life. Whether that change is good or bad, we all experience it, we all live it, and we all have to deal with it in one way or another. Some of us deal with change better than others, but at the end, it is how we react toward change is what makes us who we are.

When I was paralyzed on May 2nd 1993, it changed my life in a way I never thought I could handle. I lost the use of my legs. I lost everything that I knew in an instant. I lost the ability to ride a skateboard, walk down a sidewalk, run a mile, and everything else that a typical 16 year old did. Well, at least I thought I did. I took that change and made it a positive. I looked at what most others saw as a tragedy and decided to see it as a blessing. I have been paralyzed now for 20 years and I will say that change on May 2nd 1993 changed my life for the better. I do more than the average person without any limits.

My most recent change was on November 28th, 2012 when my son was born. Now for those of you who are parents, you know what sleepless nights and staring at the crib to make sure your child is still breathing feels like. The schedule you had prior to the birth has gone out the door. You are now on your child’s schedule. You eat when you can and you sleep when your child is asleep. Everything revolves around your newborn baby. Needless to say, your training will take a back seat to what is most important, your family. Your family should always be the highest number on the priority list

When change happens in life, we tend to move around it and hide from it. Sometimes, we have no choice but to face it. For me it has been my diet and my training. I knew when Tiffany I found out that we were going to be parents again that our training schedules would change. For her, she has been used to going to the gym, walking and even teaching a class or two during the week. Now she is restricted for weeks as she just gave birth to our son. For me, I am restricted because I work fulltime and I have the cutest little responsibility ever to take care of now back at home.

Tiffany and I talked about my training the other day and she knows the importance of my training for several reasons. My health is the most important and she knows that. Being paralyzed, if you don’t take care of yourself, you could get sick easily and then well, it could all go downhill from there. Many people with disabilities die at a young age and the most common factor is their health and not taking care of themselves. Me, I want to be around for a long time and see my children grow up. I want to be healthy and I want to live that life I have always dreamed of. So, Tiffany pushed me Saturday afternoon to go and train. I started thinking about ways to train as a Spartan when times got tough. I tried to figure out a little WOD during the SEC Championship game where Alabama and Georgia would play their hearts out. I decided I would WOD out this game. I decided that every time Alabama would score I would do pushups. Georgia scored, I would do dips. For every field goal, I would do abs for Alabama and for Georgia, I would do plank for one minute. Now for my pushups, dips, and abs, I did 100 each time someone scored. It was a workout in itself. The final score was 32 Alabama, 28 Georgia. I was beat. Not only did I get to watch a great football game, I got to work out at the same time. I was able to spend time with my wife and my son and get it all in at the same time. This goes back to last week’s blog “I CAN’T!” You CAN if you just find a way. There should be never a reason why you can’t do something.

Sunday was my first day back of training after Elijah was born and I have to say, it felt great to get back and chase those goals I have set. I feel my most recent change has motivated me to the next level. Instead of finding an excuse to skip training, I am coming up with new ways to train when the opportunity strikes. I think Change can be a good thing if used properly. Change can be bad or change can be good, it is all how you see it and learn from it.

What will Change do for you?

[Editor's Note: Michael Mills is a T12 paraplegic, the victim of a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1993 and though he’s been tackling wheelchair racing since 1996, competing in over 160 road and track races in the twelve years since, even representing the United States three separate times, he saw the Spartan Race series and realized it was the next challenge he wanted. He'll be doing the Georgia Spartan Sprint on 3/9/13. Want to stay tuned in to Michael’s journey? He’ll be regularly posting his story and training on our blog in a series we’ll be calling “Chasing Michael Mills.” Follow his Facebook page. Want to support his cause? Check out Spartan Sprint for Bert’s Big Adventure | Michael Mills’ Fundraiser on CrowdRise. ]

Tags: Berts Big Adventure, Chasing Michael Mills, Conyers, Georgia Spartan Race

How many times a day do you hear someone say, “ I CAN’T!” How many times do you want to say “I can!” One of the things I have had to deal with since I was paralyzed was hearing people tell me, “ YOU CAN’T” and I have always used that to fuel me and to prove to others that I can.  When I was paralyzed at the age of 16, my family was told I had a less than a 1% chance of survival if I made it through my heart surgery.  I beat those odds. I survived and I surpassed every Doctor’s expectations of my life. I did not take the word “Can’t” into consideration. I did not want to be beaten by this so called disability. I wanted to live.

I took that disbelief and used it to my advantage. I wanted to compete in the Spartan Race with a team or alone. I decided I was going to cross that line as a SPARTAN.  Just like a lot of us, I work a full-time job at 40 hours week, train full time, with a family , and balance the responsibilities of everyday life.  Sometimes you have to make it all work.  So it may be putting two kitchen table chairs together and doing dips while you are making dinner or if it is family time in the living room, put your kids on your back and do push-ups. Not only is it a great workout, your kids will love it too. There are so many ways you can get in your workouts by just using your time wisely and putting forth an effort. So, “I can’t” is not an option.

Tags: Berts Big Adventure, Chasing Michael Mills, Conyers, Georgia Spartan Race, Team X-T.R.E.M.E. Todd Love

by Michael Mills

Tags: Adam Lake, Andi Hardy, Berts Big Adventure, Chasing Michael Mills, Conyers, ella kociuba, Flag nor Fail, Georgia Spartan Race, hobie call, ironman, Team X-T.R.E.M.E. Todd Love, Travlete

by Carrie Adams

It started with an email.  A friend sent me a recent Travlete article featuring a man, and accomplished athlete named Michael Mills.  He was looking for training tips for the upcoming Georgia Spartan Race being held near his current home, Covington, GA.  It’s not uncommon for first time Spartans to seek out tips to tackle our courses.  Known for their brutality and secrecy, we don’t release course maps, any insight into how to prepare is something that our community is always looking for.  His request, however, was unique because of how he’ll be completing the course.  Said Mills in the email, “I am looking for all pointers anyone can give, training and etc. I am actually going to crawl almost the entire 3 miles of the course. I will use my wheelchair some, but the majority of the time I will be crawling.”

Mills is a T12 paraplegic, the victim of a head on collision with a drunk driver in 1993 and though he’s been tackling wheelchair racing since 1996, competing in over 160 road and track races in the twelve years since, even representing the United States three separate times, he saw the Spartan Race series and realized it was the next challenge he wanted.

“I have the strength and the heart, just need a little advice.” He assured Travlete.

Intrigued, I contacted Michael myself, the polite Southern man with Southern manners, who insisted on calling me Miss Carrie had completely won me over and I was willing to help in any way possible to help him not only get ready for the race, but to share his journey with our Spartan community.  Not since the Chris Davis Project did I feel so compelled to share this story of toughness, of dedication, and of heart.  Michael Mills has all three.

I’ve asked Michael to share weekly blogs about his training his preparation and his journey towards Conyers, GA 2013.  Here is part one, how he found Sparta.

Michael’s car post-accident

My name is Michael Mills and I’m a T12 paraplegic from Covington, GA. I’m 36 years old, married with an amazing wife named Tiffany Mills.  We have two children Brandon, 11 and Katriana, four. We also are expecting our third child on or around 12/3/12. We are excited to welcome Michael Elijah to our family.

On 5/2/93 I was headed home from a typical day working from my best friend’s house and was less than three miles away when I struck head-on by a drunk driver.   The accident nearly cos me my life and left me with countless injuries.  When the paramedics arrived, I was dead for 28 minutes.  They pronounced me D.O.A.

My car had landed in a yard near the scene of the crash. The woman who lived in the home actually got into my car with me and tried to save my life before the paramedics arrived.  After they pronounced me dead, she pleaded with them to, “Please try one time,” to revive me.

The paramedics tried one time and as soon as they shocked me, I came back to life.  My injuries were significant.  I sustained a left eye socket fracture, left jaw fracture, left broken shoulder, all of my ribs sets broken on the left side, and almost all on the right.  Both of my lungs were punctured, I sustained a compound fracture of the left femur and required countless stiches. My aorta was severed and my left ventricle was damaged to my heart. Because of the damage to my heart, I lost the majority of blood from my body.

Lastly, I was left paralyzed from the crash. The doctors told my parents if I made it through the surgery, I would be a vegetable for the rest of my life.  I survived the surgeries but only time would tell.   Two weeks later I came out of my coma and was for the first time since the accident alert and aware of what was going on.  I had survived.  I was still alive.  I spent the rest of my summer in the hospital, I also turned 17.

I made it out of the hospital just in time to go back to school the same year. I was back in school just three months post-injury. I spent more time in the hospital later on in the year and the following year but still was able to graduate that next school year.

In 1996, I found wheelchair racing. I found racing by watching the 1996 Olympics. I was hooked. I went out bought a used racer and the rest was history. I started racing everywhere. I began to get better and faster. I started to compete all over the world.  Here it is, 12 years later and I’ve raced over a 160 road and track races in my career.  I’ve been world ranked and have had the opportunity to represent my country three times in my career and have loved the opportunities to do so. I just recently finished my 2012 with one of the best seasons ever.

A few months ago, I came across a photo of man dawning full military gear and saw him with only one arm.  It was Todd Love from Team X-T.R.E.M.E.  He was crawling through mud and when I Iooked a little deeper I found Spartan racing.

I thought to myself, “I can do this. I want to do this. I need to do this. I’m going to do this.”

I immediately signed up without hesitation. I decided I was going to do this Spartan Race. I posted up on Facebook I was going to do it and I had a few friends say they’d do it with me. I had some people say it couldn’t be done and that fueled me even more. So, I set out to prove everyone wrong that didn’t believe in me. I want to prove that there was no such thing as a disability. I wanted to prove that a disability is simply a mindset. You can do anything once you set your mind to it and I know that.

I wanted to raise awareness for a local charity called Berts Big Adventure. BBA is a non-profit who takes chronically and terminally ill children to Disney World so they can be kids for one week. They treat the parents too. This was a big deal for me, because without support from the people in my home town of Smithville, MS my family and I wouldn’t have made it. Everyone pulled through to help us and that’s why I want to help BBA.

I’ve decided to do my first ever Spartan race crawling on my hands and knees for a better part of 3.1 miles.  So I train six days a week and sometimes three times a day to get ready for my event on 3/9/13.

Want to stay tuned in to Michael’s journey?  He’ll be regularly posting his story and training on our blog in a series we’ll be calling “Chasing Michael Mills.”  Follow his facebook page.  Want to support his cause? Check out Spartan Sprint for Berts Big Adventure | Michael Mills’ Fundraiser on CrowdRise. http://www.crowdrise.com/ChasingSpartanMichaelMIlls

Tags: Berts Big Adventure, Chasing Michael Mills, Conyers, Georgia Spartan Race, Travlete