More about the new PR in my official race recap later this week.

I’m not in the best of spirits this evening so I will write when I’m a little more chipper (and the official results are posted).

This one was for you Boston. #bostonstrong

Honestly, life has been super hectic with work and still getting in training time at the gym, in the pool, or on the roads. Then when the events in Boston happened last week, my desire to write this recap sort of faded away.

I almost did not write this recap because it has been so long since the race and frankly, I was not sure if anyone would actually read this. But I wanted to write it for prosperity’s sake for myself… and to remind myself that I may not be super fast like other bloggers and the people I work with, but with some hard work, a little luck, and great weather, a big PR can come of it.

Last year, the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run was one of my favorite races. The course is super fast, the race is well organized, and for the race distance and amenities, the price is a steal! I knew that I wanted to do it again as soon as I crossed the finish line last year. Lucky for me, I was selected (via lottery) again for the race and I could not have been more excited!

Unlike last year however, I did not have to travel too far for the race. In fact, this was almost like a hometown race for me.

After Rock ‘n’ Roll USA a few weeks prior, I was feeling pretty frustrated with how I did at the race. Now granted, I am not a super high mileage runner and I only run three days a week, but I feel like I have been essentially “in training” since last October (when I started training for Disney). I have had some high and low points during my training cycles but I felt good going into Rock ‘n’ Roll. Then I did not do as well as I had hoped. The training was there but the race day performance was not.

In the weeks after Rock ‘n’ Roll, I seemed to have flipped on an internal “switch” with my running. I found myself consistently hitting paces that I have not hit for awhile, and hitting them without feeling like I was going to pass out.

So, going into Cherry Blossom I had only one goal in mind- to PR and to PR big. I ran last year’s race at 1:29:45 which is an 8:59 pace. Last year, this was a really good time for me because I was in a pretty big slump with running and had not run over 7 miles at a sub-9 minute pace.

This year, I knew that I could break that time. I did not have a specific goal time in mind, so I did not sit down and figure out splits that I needed to hit. I went in without a specific plan, which is honestly a big thing for me. I am a VERY analytical runner and find myself over thinking during training runs and races. I am always worrying about my pace, not going out too fast nor too slow, and second guessing my abilities during the race.

Instead I decided to approach this race almost blindly. I wore my Garmin but only looked at it maybe a couple of times during the race. I also did not try to slow myself down at the beginning to avoid going out too fast (but honestly, the crowds helped with that). I just ran and it was liberating.

But let’s go back to the beginning…

Last year, I got to the race super early (in fact, I was one of the first people at the Washington Monument), so I decided to get on the Metro a little later. When I made it to the start location, there were hundreds of runners already milling about. I quickly checked my bag, got in line for the bathroom, and then headed to the corrals with thousands of my best runners friends.

I could not have asked for better race weather. It was seriously PERFECT! Slightly warmer than last year, but the sun was out, it was a little chilly, and slightly windy. PR weather in my book!

After the elite runners and first two waves went off, it was my turn to take to the streets of DC! I crossed the line almost 10 minutes before the start of the yellow wave.

The first thing I immediately noticed was how crowded this race was going to be. It was crowded last year but for whatever reason, it seemed to be a little more-so this year. I know that a lot of people hated it, but I honestly did not have too many issues with it. I had to do some weaving and was cut off by other runners, but it comes with the game. Not a deal breaker in my book!

The first few miles took us past the Washington Monument, over and back across the Memorial Bridge, past the Lincoln Memorial, and along the river. I love this course so much and it is always a nice way to start the race. The crowd support was also out there in full force.

Soon enough, the elite women runners were passing us on the other side of the road. They were FLYING!

Through this point, I was feeling pretty good and crossed the five mile mat at 43:10, or a 8:38 pace.

• Mile 1- 8:50
• Mile 2- 8:41
• Mile 3- 8:23
• Mile 4- 8:16
• Mile 5- 8:24

Mile 5 through the 10K mark brought us around the Tidal Basin and into Hains Point. Last year I started to lose some steam around this point, so I was determined to continue running a strong race. I hit the 10K mat at 53:25, meaning that I picked up my pace a little to an 8:27.

• Mile 6- 8:13
• Mile 7- 8:23

During this race, I hit an accomplishment that I have been striving for since I first started running longer distance races. I broke 60 minutes for seven miles. According to my Garmin (which was a little off at this point due to weaving), I actually ran seven miles in just under an hour. But according to the official mile markers, I hit the seven mile mark at exactly 60 minutes (I was watching the clock). That gave me a little confidence boost.

As we went around the curve, the “Free Beer and Oreos” folks were out there! Last year, I got a good chuckle out of it, but did not indulge. This year, I made sure to grab a cup of beer just for the fun of it all. Ironically enough, the mile after my “beer indulgence” was my slowest so maybe beer isn’t the best for me during a race.

The final two miles took us back to the Washington Monument for the finish. At this point, I knew that unless I dipped below a 10 minute mile, that I would PR. I’ll admit, I did have some thoughts of slowing down, but as soon as I saw some spectators, I got a little more pep in my step.

As I got closer and closer to the finish, the countdown signs started to appear. 1200m to go! 800m to go! 400m to go! At each sign, I increased my speed more and more and put the hammer down with about 300m to go (and going up the only uphill of the course).

• Mile 8- 8:34
• Mile 9- 9:05
• Mile 10- 8:22
• .12 nubbin- 52.68 (7:02 pace)
• Garmin Time- 1:26:03 (10.12 miles) at 8:30 pace
• Official Time- 1:25:59 (10 miles) at 8:36 pace

When I crossed the finish, I knew that I got a PR and saw that my watch was at 1:26 and some change. However I was pleasantly surprised to find out later that I finished in 1:25:59 (8:36 pace)! One second separated me from being a 1:25 and 1:26 10-Miler!

After the race, I got some ice for my legs, grabbed my bag, and bumped into Krissy, who also had a great race (and celebrated her birthday!) Unfortunately I could not stick around long because I had to get back and shower so I could get to work by 11:30, but it was nice to see her!

Overall, I could not have asked for a better race!

I am not the fastest runner and I feel ridiculously slow compared to my co-workers who also ran the race, but I am improving. I ran a VERY even split race, which is a fantastic achievement in and of itself! My next goal for the 10-Mile distance is to run a 1:20 so I have something to strive for in the future.

Until (hopefully) next year Cherry Blossom!

Some may talk about it obsessively. For others, it may be more of a silent goal.

Some may easily qualify during their first or second marathon. For others, it may take years of hard work and discipline and even then, they may just barely make it under the qualifying time.

Some may never even qualify.

It isn’t just about the thrill of qualifying for a big race. It is about being a part of one of the most historic athletic events in the world. To say, “I am a Boston Marathoner!” To wear the finisher’s medal and be proud of your accomplishment. To celebrate with family and friends.

Today those happy moments were stolen away from thousands of people. Stolen away by the evil acts of a person or persons who wanted to instill fear and horror in not just America, but in the world.

I was not in Boston today and I can not even begin to imagine the shock and devastation of all the people right near the scene. My heart and prayers go out to every single person affected and to our country.

In a world filled with so much evil, I am inspired by the heroic acts of our emergency responders, military men and women, and “average” civilians who jumped into action to help the wounded and to provide assistance to runners who needed help after being separated from their loved ones. These are the REAL heroes. These people went over and beyond the call of duty.

I full heartly believe that I live in the greatest country on Earth and am a participant in the greatest sport known to man. I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be a runner. I may have never run the Boston Marathon or a even a marathon for that matter, but I will one day.

Like many, I feel so helpless during this time. I want to help, but I don’t know how. I want to honor those who died, were wounded, who responded to the aftermath, and who had to see the events unfold before their eyes.

The only way I feel I can do this, is to run. Just to run… for Boston.

Every step I take these next few weeks will be for Boston. The next race I run will be for Boston.

So Boston, this is for you.

With lots of love coming your way.

Lately my birthdays have been a little bit of a downer for me. On my 20th, I was in rehearsal for a musical I was in at school. On my 21st, I had a choir concert and could not go out that night for the BIGGIE of all birthdays. On my 22nd, I stayed in my apartment alone because all of my friends were busy.

I didn’t expect for my 23rd to be any better because, frankly, I am not in the best place right now. I have relatively no friends right now, I am lonely, and feeling a lot of frustration. I knew that I would not be going out to bring in the big 2-3 with a bang but yet, there was still this little bit of hope that something good would happen.

I guess that I can’t complain too much. My mother was up here for a week and a half taking care of my aunt who had surgery on her foot, so I was able to celebrate early with her.

I had a good run this morning from Old Town Alexandria all the way to the National Mall (10 miles) at a respectable pace of 8:53. The weather was beautiful and not rainy like in years past.

My cousins came to surprise me at work today and when one of my co-workers realized that it was my birthday, he went out and brought me a cupcake.  And I caught up this evening (via text message) with a friend of mine that I haven’t seen nor talked to in awhile (but will hopefully see when he completes the Dopey Challenge in January!).

Despite me feeling lonely, like an outcast, and frustrated, the day was not all that bad. It has to get better from here…

Right? After all, 23 IS my lucky number.

This has to be a good year and I am going to try my damndest to make sure of that.

I have to admit, I have been enjoying my little break from blogging. I missed it, but I also know that I needed the break. There is a lot going on in my life and I needed to take a step back and just focus on life outside the blog.

I am ready to now try to make more of an effort when it comes to my blogging. I still do not plan to write every day (or every other day) but I am going to try to pop in at least once a week.

The last time I blogged was a few weeks ago with my Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half-Marathon recap. Since then, a lot has happened!

The biggest news is that I have MOVED! I am no longer living in Maryland; I now live in Alexandria, Virginia in a room I am renting from a very nice couple. It is a great set up because I have my own floor in the house so I have my privacy but I am also in close proximity to the Metro, work, and the District. So far, I love it and very happy for the change!

In other news, I am working- a LOT. I work at two jobs for around 40-45 hours a week and while I am tired all the time and running around a lot, I do enjoy my jobs. Working at a running store has definitely increased my knowledge of and love for the sport. However, all of my co-workers are CRAZY fast and do high mileage every week so (of course) I am a little self-conscious that I am the slow/ low-mileage runner but I am working on being a little more confident in myself.

I am still looking for ways to make more friends in the area but I am definitely in a sticky spot. Now that I live closer to Sierra, we should be able to see each other more often (yay!), but I also know that I need to widen my social circle. However, I am finding it so difficult! I have had the usual suggestions thrown at me- church groups, volunteer work, running groups, book clubs, and bars. Church and volunteer groups are going to be difficult since most meet on the weekends and I work all day both days. Running groups are out of the question because I prefer to run alone (I know, I know- get over it! But I only get to run a few days a week and I savor every minute I have alone!). Book clubs are also out because I don’t nearly have enough time to read like I would like to. Finally, the bar scene is out because…well I am not the biggest drinker and when I DO go out, I can rack up quite the tab! (Can’t say I am exactly proud of this but….) Since I am living paycheck to paycheck, going out is a rare occasion. So many excuses… I’ll figure it out eventually!

And finally, I have been keeping up with my running and working out. Apparently Rock ‘n’ Roll left me feeling a bit frustrated and motivated because my running has been good, really good, since then. I have been hitting paces I have not hit in well over a year and a half, and I do not feel completely winded by the end. At first I thought it was just my Garmin playing tricks on me and showing wrong paces due to running in a new area, but I got my confirmation today! I ran the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run this morning and set a BIG new PR for the distance!!!!

However, that recap will have to wait for later this week! Sorry to keep you hanging!

I am off to foam roll one last time and hit the sack! It has been a long, but wonderful day. I just wanted to pop in and give a brief update. Have a wonderful week!

Short story: I did not PR.

Medium story: I did not PR and the race was an organizational nightmare.

Long story: The morning started with a wake-up call at 4:45 in the morning. Since I live so far away from DC, I stayed with Sierra for a couple of days, which was very appreciated. We got up, dressed, ate, and headed to the Metro to get to the race start by 6:30.

We REALLY lucked out with the weather yesterday. All week they were calling for cold, rain, and wind all day on Saturday but it was perfect running weather. It was cool, but the rain held off (except for a few drops during mile 12) and there was barely any wind. In my mind, it was perfect PR weather and I was going to take advantage of it.

Once we arrived at the start area, we gear checked our bags and then went our separate ways to get into our corrals.

I was in corral 6 and had about 45 minutes to the start so I hopped in a long line for the porta potty. I also did a quick warm up jog to get my legs moving and ready to race. I felt good and I had a lot of energy for this race. I had been sick during the beginning of the week with a nasty cold and yesterday was the first day where I felt 100%.

About 5 minutes until the official start, I got situated in my corral, ditched my trash bag and throwaway sweatshirt and mentally prepped. Before I knew it, the first corral was on their way and a few minutes later I was starting my eighth half-marathon.

In looking at the course elevation map during training, I knew that there was a hill during mile 6, so I planned to conserve some energy for the hill. I have the tendency to go too hard in the beginning so I made a concerted effort to hold back a little. However, the first mile was downhill so it was more difficult than I thought.

The first three-ish miles were basically part of the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile course (but in reverse) and took us from the Washington Monument, over the Arlington Memorial Bridge, past the side of the Lincoln Memorial, and along Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. I enjoyed this part of the course. The spectators and bands were awesome and I was in great spirits! I also saw Anne run past me at around 2.5. I was going to try to keep pace with her but she was going way too fast for me and got away quickly.

I crossed the 5K mat at 27:53, keeping me on pace for my goal time.

• Mile 1- 8:54
• Mile 2- 8:53
• Mile 3- 8:48

The next three miles were pretty uneventful. We were no longer around the Mall and monuments so it was a lot of open road with nothing to see. At least the spectators along the course were entertaining and run to interact with.

While the first water stop just after the 5K mark was ok, the second one between miles 5 and 6 (and the rest on the half-marathon course) was ridiculous. I know that I may sound like a brat when I say this but all of the water stops were POORLY staffed. There were hardly any volunteers (maybe they failed to show up because of the weather prediction?) and runners were forced to grab their own water and in some cases, pour their own cups. I heard that some stops even ran out of water! The few volunteers that were at the water stations were doing their best and I made sure to thank them.

• Mile 4- 8:55
• Mile 5- 9:09
• Mile 6- 8:57

I hit the 10K mat at 57:13, a little slower than I wanted, but still ok.

Just after mile 6, I finally hit the dreaded hill. I still had plenty of gas in the tank so I gradually started to run up the hill. While it was not ridiculously steep, it was long! Despite the hill work I had been doing, I did have to walk for about 30 seconds to catch my breath and continue up the hill. This sign pretty much sums up the hill.

I have to point out that, while there was a LOT that went wrong with this race, the spectators were awesome! At least on the half-marathon course, there was always at least one spectator within sight, cheering the runners on. It was a great morale boost and I know that I greatly appreciated it!

After reaching the top of the hill, there were so many spectators with a lot of funny signs. Some of my favorites included the “Run like Ryan Gosling is at the finish” and this one…

However my FAVORITE sign (which I unfortunately did not get a picture of) was a guy holding a “Play Like A Champion Today” sign which I slapped as I ran by. Apparently I was the first person (so far) who got the reference and he let out a huge cheer and let me know! It gave me a little boost as I continued on.

From here on out, I found the course reeeeaaallllyyyy boring. Actually, I found the entire course boring and I was disappointed. I wish that we would have ran more by more of the monuments and prettier parts of the city verses a lot of residential streets with not a lot to see. Again, I have to reiterate how much I appreciated spectators out on the course because it really pulled me through. You can see by my splits that I was starting to lose a little gas at this point.

Miles 7-9 were filled with some rolling hills (a little more “rolling” than I expected but nothing awful), boring houses to look at, another chaotic water stop, and a fuel station that had mounds of GU piled on tables with no one to hand them out. There were also a few F-bombs being thrown out by other runners due to the lack of organization. You could feel the frustration in the air.

I took my GU at mile 7 and felt a bit jittery for a mile or two. I took in a Jet Blackberry GU which has caffeine so I am not sure if it was that (although I have trained with it/ used that flavor in races many times and never had a problem) but I felt a little weird. Nothing crazy that would make me stop, but annoying.

• Mile 7- 10:07
• Mile 8- 9:27
• Mile 9- 9:05

Despite slowing down a bit during miles 7-9, I was still in the mindset of going for a PR. Up until this point, I was not really focusing on my Garmin so when I looked down to see my elapsed time, I realized that I was going slower than I thought. I picked it up for a little and crossed the 10- mile mat at 1:33:10. 

• Mile 10- 9:29

After hitting the mat, I crashed… HARD. For whatever reason, my legs decided to just give up on me and become lead. I was bored, tired, and annoyed at this point, and was ready to be done. The spectators did help me laugh a little but otherwise, I was ready for the finish. I ended up walking a bit during the next two miles, which I was not happy about.

• Mile 11- 10:08
• Mile 12- 10:45

When we hit the half/ full marathon split just after mile 12, I just laid the hammer down and pushed to the finish. I was not fast by any means, but I made it over the final hill and across the finish.

• Mile 13- 9:55
• .30- 2:48 (9:19 pace)
• Garmin Time- 2:05:25 (9:26 pace)
• Official Time- 2:05:21 (9:34 pace)

The finish line was a chaotic experience. There were only a couple of volunteers handing out medals and a lot of the medals were still in baggies. Due to all the people coming across the line at the point, the volunteers were basically throwing the medals at runners. I cannot blame them though!

After I herded through the finish and gathered up all the food in the finishers “village” I made my way to medical to get ice for my legs and then to the charity tents to meet up at the Girls on the Run- SoleMates tent. I stayed there for a little before going to pick up my bag at the buses.

While I did not have a bad experience with gear pick-up, I know that a LOT of people did. Some runners waited for over an hour to retrieve their bags and two runners ahead of me in line had their bags misplaced. Again, another example of too little volunteers for such a big event.

I then stretched, and went back over to the finish area to cheer on Sierra who ran a great race (but you will have to check her blog to see how she did)! We reunited, took pictures, and went to eat with some of her friends.

All in all, I was NOT impressed with this race. This was my second Rock ‘n’ Roll event and while it may be unfair to base a race series on only two of their events, I have no plans to ever do this race, or any Rock ‘n’ Roll race again. I gave them the benefit of the doubt with Savannah in 2011 (because it was an inaugural race) but this race yesterday left a poor taste in my mouth.

I am very thankful that I did not pay for a bib for this race and did it as a charity runner. In a nutshell, this race was a clusterf*@&.  There are so many races in this area that are run much more efficiently, have better courses, and offer a more enjoyable runner experience.  I think this race has the potential of being a great event, but a lot of work needs to be done to do so. Competitor Group fell short yesterday in a major way.

——–

I am not going to lie, when I crossed the finish, I was pissed. Not so much over the organization of the race, but more at myself. I am an extremely competitive person, especially with myself. I know that I could have done much better yesterday. I am not saying that 2:05 is a bad time (it is actually my best time in over a year so there’s that) but I know that I am capable of better. I have been consistently hitting my training paces since my Disney training cycle (and even faster ones during this one) and all signs point that I can hit my target pace but I have been unable to do it.

I am 100% to blame for this. The weather was perfect yesterday and while I may have been forced to slow down and/or walk to pour myself water at water stops, it was not enough to slow me down as much as I did. I mentally gave up and while I was in the mindset to PR, there was still a little doubt in my head that I could maintain my target pace and actually do it. I let that little voice get louder and louder in my head as the miles went on.

I know that this was “just a race” and hey I finished, but I really wanted this PR. There is a lot going on in my life right now that I cannot control, and running is about the only thing I do feel like I have control over. I have been working my butt off to make the miles that I can run count so I am sort of frustrated with myself. I just need to tell myself to trust in my training and not let my mind and doubts get the best of me.

I am debating finding another half-marathon to run and try to PR one more time or to just call it quits for a half-marathon PR during the winter/ spring road racing season. I have the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in a few weeks so I can try to hit a new PR for that distance and then shift my focus to triathlon base building. I am going back and forth because I do have some “speed” right now that I know I am going to lose as it gets warmer and I don’t want all of my training to be a waste.

But for now, another race is in the books… onto the next, whatever that may be.

This is the first time since college that I am actually on a schedule but this time, with a job verses classes. I am in no ways complaining, but I am trying to get used to being on a regular schedule again. I have to balance two jobs, studying for my personal trainer exam, and fitting in workouts all while trying to get adequate sleep, finalizing my last graduate school application (while waiting to hear back from the two schools I have already applied for), looking at relocating closer to the District, etc.

With all of that, I have also been going through some things in my personal life. Nothing major, but enough to leave me feeling down, anxious, and not myself at times.

So I have decided to take a small break from blogging… sort of. I will still update with my training week recaps and may pop in for some Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half-Marathon related posts since the race is in less than two weeks, but I am not going to push myself to write more personal/ life related posts when I am not in the right mindset to do it

I am not sure how long this break will be- a week, a couple of weeks, a month, or even longer. I do still love writing but my life right now is just work, studying, working out, and sleeping- not much to talk about otherwise and I am ok with that.

I assure you that I am fine, but I am just going to take this time to get settled into my new job, continuing to study so I can take my personal trainer exam in April, and sort through some of my emotions. I will not be completely gone, because as I said above, I will still be popping in with training week recaps, but my posts will be less personal for now.

Thank you for your support and I will catch you on the flip side!

I’ll get the hang of it eventually, but bear with me! I am a couple of days late on this post, but here it is nonetheless.

This past week was an interesting one. I had to juggle workouts, swap others, and run in some unfavorable weather…

February 18- 24, 2013:

Monday: Spinning+ Core/ Stretch

Normally I swim on Monday’s but I scratched my eye over the weekend and was unable to wear my contact lens in my right eye until the redness went away. Since I could not see in one eye, I thought that swimming may not be in my best interest. Instead, I did my own spin workout followed by a good core workout and stretching.

Tuesday: Run 5 miles- Mod EZ (AM)+ Strength Training (PM)+ Core/ Stretch (PM)

I had to go to my second day of job training so I ran in the morning because it was supposed to rain in the afternoon by the time I would be finished. The run was ok, although I felt a little stiff (since I am not used to running in the morning right now- although this will change as the weather gets warmer). After training, I went to the gym to lift and do core work.

Wednesday: Swim 2800 yards+ Core/ Stretch

My only swim of the week and unfortunately it was only so-so. I wish that I had written down what I did but I forgot. I do remember being very tired throughout the workout and being exhausted at the end. Before the pool, I went to the gym to get in a core workout and long stretch session.

Thursday: Strength Training (AM)+ Core/ Stretch (AM)+ Tempo Run- 6 miles (PM)

A really good tempo run! After a couple of sub-par runs, I finally was able to hit some decent paces and hit my tempo goal pace right on the nose (8:35 pace). All of the miles were very evenly paced even though I was running into a strong headwind the first three miles. In the morning, before the run, I had a good strength training and core workout at the gym.

Friday: REST

Saturday: Long Run- 10 miles

Ugh, what a miserable run! It seems that I follow a good tempo run with a crappy long run. Add in the cold, misty, and slightly humid weather, and it was 10 miles of dreariness. Don’t get me wrong, I liked running, but it was not my favorite long run. With three long runs in a row just being “so-so”, I am hoping that I have some good runs coming in these last few weeks before the race.

Sunday: Spin Class+ Strength Training+ Core/ Stretch+ 1 mile run (Test Run with Adidas Boost shoes at work)

I wanted to go to the pool but since I had to go to my first day of shadowing at my new job, I could not. Instead, I got to the gym early to take a 7:30 spin class that was not my favorite but it did the job. I also did my strength training and core workout. After work, two representatives from Adidas came to talk to us about their new shoes- the Adidas Boost. It is a new shoe utilizing a new cushioning/ sole technology and we were able to run a mile in them to test them out. They are definitely different shoe with a unique feel! I think Adidas may be onto something!

• Run Mileage= 21
• Spin/ Bike Mileage= 1 Spin Class+ 1 Spin Session
• Swim Distance= 2800 yards
• Strength Training Workouts= 3
• Total Distance= 22.59+ 1 Spin Class+ 1 Spin Session

Not a bad week all things considered. My schedule is starting to change since I got this new job so I am needing to adapt and figure out when to fit in my workouts. I’ll figure it out, but it may take me a couple of weeks to get everything sorted out.

My runs may not have been spectacular this week, but I still hit 21 running miles for the week which is not bad for me. I really wish that I could run more but I can only do what I can do. I also wish that I got in my second swim workout but not all weeks can be perfect.

I have one more week of building mileage (although I use that term loosely because I am not really building up much) before I taper down for the race on March 16^th! Don’t forget you can still donate to my SoleMates fund! I would greatly appreciate it and all the money goes to Girls on the Run- DC. Thank you in advance if you can give!

Have a great remainder to your week!

I love DC and the surrounding area (obviously since I decided to move up to the area! I am not as close to DC as I would like, but I will get there), so I am eager to run this race in my new “hometown”… well… kind of my hometown.

All races are different and present their own challenges, excitement, and obstacles, but this race is different than any others I have ran in the past.

I am running Rock ‘n’ Roll USA as a SoleMate for Girls on the Run- DC. Girls on the Run holds a special place in my heart and I could not be more excited to be running for an incredible organization.

I have been involved with Girls on the Run since 2011 when I started coaching with the Northeast Florida council in Jacksonville, FL. I spent three seasons coaching three amazing teams of girls. I saw firsthand, the growth not only physically, but emotionally and mentally, of the girls that I spent every Saturday morning coaching.

When I moved to the DC area last August, I started a three-month internship with the Washington, DC council, where I got to view the organization from an administrative viewpoint. I was able to see how much goes on behind the scenes to bring the program to girls all across the District. I sat in on staff meetings, attended coach-training sessions, conducted a research project, and helped the staff with any day-to-day tasks that needed my attention.

Additionally, I was a member of Team Adelaide, a group of volunteers who go and conduct site visits and help the coaches with anything they may need. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience and made me further appreciate the organization not only at the local council level, but also at the national/international.

In speaking specifically about the Washington, DC council, as of Fall 2012, the program served over 900 girls across all eight wards of the district. Many of the participants were on partial or full scholarship. Without the scholarships, many girls would be unable to participate in the program.

The full cost to participate in the program is $165, which operates on a sliding scale, depending on the annual family income of the parents. The families pay what they can. Additionally, there are a limited number of shoe scholarships that allows girls to receive a pair of running shoes, free of charge.

This is where SoleMates come to help! SoleMates is the adult fundraising program to raise money for Girls on the Run. I have a fundraising goal of $500, but would love to exceed that number.

I know that I may not have personally met many of you and I might be putting myself out on a limb here, but I would be so touched if you could help donate to my fundraising efforts. Give what you can, whether it is $5, $13.10, $20, etc- just know that your donation is going to an incredible organization and does make a difference in the life of a young girl.

To every person who donates, I promise to personally send a thank you note if you e-mail me your shipping address.

I have seen Girls on the Run from two different sides- as a volunteer and as an intern in an office setting. Both views have further solidified my love for the organization because I have personally seen the change in the girls. I really cannot say enough about the organization; I wish that I had a program like this when I was in elementary/ middle school.

I am excited to run this race and cannot wait to rock DC, all for a great cause!

Thank you!