Girl on the Run...for Girls on the Run!

When we first moved to Michigan nearly three years ago, I reached out to our local Girls on the Run council about volunteering in their office as something to do with my free time (since people who are unemployed have a bit of free time). Some of the ladies I ran Hope Express with had been involved with GOTR in their area, and it sounded like a worthwhile organization to get involved with. They have councils throughout the country - I encourage you to check them out in your area. 

I love the mission of GOTR - to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident through the use of a curriculum that integrates running - and I feel personally connected to it, because of the impact running has had on me. At the end of each program season, the girls participate in a 5k, a culmination and celebration of their hard work throughout the last 10 weeks. The girls participate in the 5k, along with their families and other community members. Volunteering at the event is awesome, and if I can attempt to find words to really capture the most recent 5k, I will (eventually!) post about it.  I seriously get excited just thinking about young girls having this opportunity at an early age, at an age where what they learn from their experience with GOTR can have an impact on the rest of their lives.

Over the past few years, I've gotten to know the incredible staff at our council (Southeastern Michigan, serving five counties in the area), and have been inspired by their commitment and embodiment of this program. This past spring, I worked on the 5k Planning Committee, and it really helped to fill a niche in my life, getting to plan, collaborate, and organize logistics, all for a cause I feel connected to. Still, it seemed to just increase my desire to get move involved. While I do hope to be a coach down the line, becoming a SoleMate became increasingly important to me. Being a SoleMate means committing to raising money for the GOTR scholarship fund, while training for a race...which means I'm running a race!


I am officially signed up for my fifth half-marathon, the Detroit Women's Half on Belle Isle in Detroit, taking place on September 21. It seems perfect to be running this race, a celebration of women, in support of GOTR. It's been almost two years since I've trained for a half, so I have some high expectations and hopes, both in terms of running and fundraising, but more than anything, I'm excited to have a purpose to run and a way to support this wonderful organization. 

To learn more and/or to donate, please visit my donation page and help me to reach my goal of donating $1,130.18 to the GOTR scholarship page. This fund helps ensure every girl has the opportunity to participate in GOTR. Be sure to check back for training updates, race info, and to learn more about GOTR!

Summer!

Happy Summer! 

I'm the definition of "creature of habit," so while I thoroughly enjoy being given the gift of time for myself over the summer, it's something I have to think a lot about and plan for (which for some, I know seems a little backwards). For me, it's a balance between enjoying more time than you're used to, and feeling like you're wasting it all. So with that in mind, weeks before school let out, I started really thinking about how I could make the most of this summer, without doing the most. I came up with a list of a few actually productive things I wanted to accomplish this summer that were more like tasks, and then thought a lot about what I wanted to do for enjoyment. It's easy to spend days on the couch, but I know many of those aren't enjoyable to me. They're easy, but not enjoyable. So I came up with a list of how I want to spend this summer....and blogging more is on there. Sometimes it can feel like a task, but I know it's something I enjoy doing once I make it a priority. And it is a priority for me. I appreciate having a running record of the past few years, because while the focus of most of these posts is something running-related, it has been a bit of a map of where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going.  

I certainly have plenty to write about - the end of the school year, the Silver Gallup Relay, committing to my fifth half marathon to raise money for Girls on the Run - and I'm looking forward to adding all of that and more here, so this can continue to be a road map of sorts of my life. 

Give and Take of Team Sports

NYC Marathon Eve seems like a perfect time to break the drought I didn't even realize I was perpetuating. Since adjusting back to real life post-summer/wedding, it's been a slow ease back into a routine of running/physical activity. There will always be a list of reasons why it's difficult to fit it all in, so there's no point in rattling them off. When it's a priority, you make it work. 

It has taken some time for me though to feel like it was a priority, but in the past few weeks, I've slowly eased back into routine of running/yoga and excited to slowly build back my base, and possibly more importantly, my confidence, to get myself ready for some goals my big eyes are set on for 2014. It feels good to be getting back.

Throughout this week, I've been eagerly anticipating and waiting tomorrow, when three of my favorite friends and runners, including one of my nearest and dearest friends/biggest running inspiration, will toe the starting line for the world famous NYC Marathon. Yesterday, I went to watch some of our middle school students play in the championship soccer game, and couldn't help but compare it to a more traditional team sport. After the goalie (ahem, my student - so proud!) made a great save or when the game set to be determined by PKs (as I've been informed they're called), I admired the way the boys all huddled together, supporting one another. I never played a team sport and I always envied that aspect of it...the camaraderie and sense of togetherness. The game came down to a just a few individual moments and ultimately, a shoot out, where our boys lost by one kick. I easily could have shed a few tears - they were so close and I so badly wanted them to feel the feelings that come with winning. Of course, getting to the championship alone was a great feat, but when you're that close, it's impossible to not just want it all.

As we returned to the car, I realized that's something I would never trade about my relationship with running. It's not competitive against anyone but myself. Everyone can truly feel the success of it, because you're only measuring you against yourself. You couldn't run for 5 minutes before? Well now you're running a 5k! Running is about the relationship you have with yourself. When every moment of our days can feel scheduled or jammed, it's invaluable to be able to set aside time just for me.

While I wish I had the experience of reaping the benefits of a team sport, I'm not sure I could handle the responsibility of it, even as an adult. The more you run, the more you realize that running isn't a team sport, but it's certainly not isolated. I think of the countless runs I've shared with friends, of all of the support and growth that's occurred through the support of others. 

Taking Risks

Good morning from high above somewhere in Pennsylvania! I’m en route to New Orleans via Cleveland and after indulging in some back issues of Runner’s World during takeoff, have decided to update the old blogaroo.

Spring break started last week and I feel so fortunate to have this built-in time to visit with family and friends, both locally and back home. Without the stress of work looming over me, I feel more at ease to go out with friends and enjoy being in the moment, something I struggle with at times on a day-to-day basis. This time with people I care about has allowed for many conversations with loved ones and while they spanned topics and level of seriousness, I noticed a common thread popping up in many of them: taking risks.

When I started running and “racing” (the act of running in races) just about three years ago, I was terrified. I knew it was a huge risk to not only set out to achieve such a huge goal, but to incorporate so many people who mattered so much me. I started blogging about running and through fundraising for the Serious Fun Network, worked hard to spread the word about what I was doing. When for the first time ever, I was running 4-11 mile training runs, it was constantly a thought in my mind that I had a lot to lose if I couldn’t accomplish what I set out to – time, confidence, face. When I think back to that first half-marathon and take the time to relive those feelings, I don’t question for a moment if the risks I took in committing to a half-marathon were worth it. The high of the day and the rush of every part of it were invaluable.

As I reflect on conversations I’ve had these past few days in particular, both with others and with myself, I think about how the fear of taking risks can control us. We are afraid of the unknown so it’s normal to want to play it safe, but when I think about what there is to gain, the picture changes. Instead of jumping off a cliff, it feels more like a roller coaster. When we choose to care about someone or something else (such as rooting a college basketball team and immediately feeling sick with nerves, hypothetically speaking of course), commit to a race or physical challenge, or apply for a new job or position, it’s scary. The fear of the unknown makes taking risks a mind game, but we must think about the benefits of doing so. Some races won’t go the way I want, relationships may cause us pain or grief, obstacles we set out to conquer may leave us on the wrong side of the mountain, but instead of focusing on what might not be, I think we need to focus on what can be. In a world of half-full and half-empty, it’s been proven that a positive, optimistic attitude can yield better results – results that might not be possible if you never dare to dream.

In the roller coaster of life, maybe all we can do is be our own biggest cheerleader, thrive off the high of the peaks in the ride, and remember that after the clink-clink-clink of the incline and the stomach-in-your-throat feeling of the fall, we almost are always ready to push through the turn-style and ride it again. 

Live from Detroit: It's Saturday Night!

The 35th Detroit Half/my fourth half/Ryan's first half begins in just over TEN hours! I have been filled with a whole range of emotions this week leading up to the big event. The forecast for tomorrow has been great all week and while we'll be starting in the dark, I'm really excited about the fact that we will be crossing the Detroit River into Canada just around sunrise, which might look a little something like this (taken in traffic approaching Detroit on Thursday AM...don't tell). Experiencing beautiful things like this on runs just make me really happy and thankful I've gotten into running. I still fluctuate with my feelings about running and I'm sure I always will, but I can't argue with the fact that it's allowed me to see some pretty awesome things and feel some really wonderful feelings.

On Thursday night, we decided to spend tonight in Detroit near the start of the race so we could get a few extra minutes of sleep tomorrow and not need to be worried about driving in/traffic/etc. On Friday, Ryan came "to work" with me and then we headed over to the Expo to get our runner packets and be approved for international running...because we are running into another country, which I think is pretty cool. Not growing up in the area, I think it's oddly cool to live/be near the border and to RUN across the border?! Well that's just wild! 

I started packing on Friday and was at first overwhelmed, since I haven't run in this cold of weather yet this season/am not sure exactly how I'll feel (of course adding in the standing around, etc). Of course, I just threw it all in and then took some time to lay out everything when we got to the hotel which helped a lot. Here is everything....including my PASSPORT, which I will be running with (whaaa!). 

Anyway, the clothes are laid out and the PB&J sandwiches are made. Early to bed and early to rise, it's almost time to do this..!

"In the end I have to hold myself accountable. It is my career and my responsibility to do what I need to do to be the best I can be. I had to make a change if I really wanted to reach the goals I had set for myself. I had to get out of being comfortable and get into a situation that was going to really push me." - Kara Goucher

*UPDATED* Training by the Numbers!

30 running outings.

184.63 miles ran

9.01 miles = longest distance ran!

31 hours and 28 minutes I have spent running.

2 feet I use to run aforementioned runs.

8'43'' minutes to complete my quickest mile.

10'14'' minutes to complete my average mile.

$2,500 the average cost to send a child to camp/the goal set at the start of my training.

22!!!! amazing donations made to support the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps.

$1,563 donated so far!!!! THANK YOU!

$937 left to reach my goal!

1 click is what it takes for you make a donation!