Mt. Hood

First let me say I have the BEST friends: Tony and his wife (Betty) from Canby, OR; Cheri (who gives unselfishly) and Karl (who knew what I needed from 1800 miles away.) A race is never really run on your own. It takes the support of many people whether or not you are going solo with no crew/pacers or not, many people helped you get to the start line. Much of this is about the trip – if you want just race stuff skip down to the side title “The Race.” J

Before the Race
Cheri & I decided to drive to Oregon. It’s about an 1800 mile drive. We left Wednesday morning just after 6:00 am. To fill our time we had books on tape to listen to in between chatting about an array of topics. The drive through Nebraska was uneventful…ok WHAT is that arch on I-80??? It’s a Monument to the West… bizarre! We drove through Wyoming (large quantities of vast nothingness) and into Utah. The mountains in Utah are beautiful and very secluded. I completely understand why the Mormon’s went there to hide. There so little out there that many of the exits only say “Ranch Exit” – it’s just a place to get off the highway to a ranch – no streets, roads or other highways – just the ranch. Very desolate. We spent the night in Brigham City, Utah after driving approximately 17 hours straight. Cheri did ALL the driving. The next morning we were on our way by 7:00 am local time. We had the advantage of the time zone changes driving out. It allowed for longer driving in daylight.

We headed into Idaho – pretty but not much stands out. I dozed somewhere before getting to Boise. We grabbed something to eat there and headed back out. Oregon is next on the highway. We made into Oregon and had a blast making fun of the signs. A sign will simply say “Wind” – uhh… that means “Strong winds possible” or “Dust” – lots of blowing dust. And then, there are “Rocks” – you know “Falling Rocks Ahead” J It was great! At our first stop to fill up the car, we both got out. (We took turns paying for gas and it was my turn.) To our surprise there was a gas attendant. He took my card while we were all standing there and filled Cheri’s car. She commented about having someone pump her gas and the man said “this is Oregon.” We later learned that it is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon. It has been on the ballot to remove the law and it fails on the rationale that it provides jobs (although very low paying ones.) The guy cleaned the windshield and then we were off. The eastern half of Oregon is “hilly” but its almost desert like. The land has been stripped of most vegetation and it’s very dry. Hence, the “Dust” signs!

We eventually made it to the Columbia River. It meanders along providing a division between Washington and Oregon. As it ducked in and out the terrain began to change to the lush coniferous trees. It was quite pretty. As we got closer to our turnoff we rounded a corner. The only thing I could say was “Holy cow” – standing in the distance in a stately presence was Mt. Hood. She dominates the landscape. It was stunning. We drove through some small towns once we took our turnoff. We had a blast with those signs too! One said “Congestion” …ummm… we are in No Man’s Land, Oregon! Congestion meant 5 driveways in a row! Hysterical!!! We made it to Clackamas Lake that afternoon and set up camp. Ok – Cheri set up camp and I did what she told me to! We went into Government Camp and had dinner. I called my friend Tony and we made arrangements to meet Friday. He would show us around Mt. Hood. The weather is beautiful during the day but the temps drop into the low 50’s at night.

Friday we drove something called The Loop. Tony, Betty and their 6 yr old grandson, Darion, met us in Government Camp. Being a “local” and a Geography teacher in a middle school, Tony knows a ton of information about the area. We had a personal tour guide. We went first to Timberline Lodge. The lodge is pretty cool; a WPA project from 1937. It’s where they filmed “The Shining.” After seeing the lodge we went out back. Tony explained the Glacier and how it changes over the years. Some years it’s very close to the lodge. It’s kind of surreal to stand on snow in July with shorts on and watch skiers! We left Timberline and Tony showed us Trillium Lake. That’s the lake you see on many of the pictures of Mt. Hood. The water is a toasty 35°!! We took some pictures and then started The Loop. The intent was to take us through the entire loop – we ran out of time. But we did go to Hood River where we had lunch and then traveled along the Columbia River. We stopped at Bonneville Dam. We watched fish swim up the fish ladder. At this point Tony and Betty decided we would get stuck in Portland traffic and so we returned to camp. This gave us time to go to packet pickup. Tony wanted information on where the aid stations were so that they could meet us along the race. After getting the information they were on their way back home. We would see them Saturday sometime.

The Race
I won’t lie to you here. I do not remember details of races like many people do. They happen and then they are over. I will give you what I remember!

I woke up about 4:15 on Saturday morning – too early to get up so I decided to lie in bed for awhile. It was colder Friday night! I got my stuff together and ready to leave. We had filled the bladders for my Camelbak before bed Friday night and put them in the cooler. We got to the start about 5:20 and I checked in. Runners were instructed to bring a flashlight if we were taking the early start. We started at 5:30 after receiving instructions from the race directors. We left the grounds of the ranger station and started on pavement. This allowed us to stretch out and not be bunched up as we made a quick U-turn before heading into the woods. It turned out that I didn’t need my flashlight so I zipped it into my pocket and forgot about it.

As we went into the woods I was running with another lady. She said this was her 2nd 50 miler. She had done Mt. Hood last year. “I’ve learned from last years race” was all she ever said. She moved ahead about a mile in. Somewhere in the next couple miles I started running with the fellow who had been in front of me. He had stopped for awhile and then caught back up. We talked a bit about the places we run at home. He was from Tennessee and trained on trails in the Smokey Mtns. This was his first 50 miler. As we neared the first aid station (Little Crater Lake) we ran over bridges and wooden walking paths. This area was pretty “marshy” and the wooden paths were only wide enough for one person. As you passed a runner leaving the aid station one of us had to get off the path onto the soft ground. The water was beautiful! So clear… Cheri was waiting for me at the aid station and at 6 miles into the race I was fine. All I could think was at least it’s not 90° with 93% humidity. This was an AWESOME way to run a race. The weather was perfect. The next aid station was 3 miles away. This was pretty uneventful. I got to the station, had a banana piece, talked to Cheri and left. Her job was to not let me hang out too long. She was doing great!

Somewhere in here I really forget the order of things. I was running along by myself when the regular start people began to pass me. Slightly demoralizing but I know I’m slower – that’s why I took the early start. Most of the trail is single track but can be up to about 4 feet wide. It’s not very technical but the few rocks that are there come altogether. I’m starting to feel the weight of my Camelbak (it has 2 liters of water and 2 liters of Perpetuem mixed with gel in it.) Because I’m now in mostly single track, as a runner passes me I have to step off the trail and wait for them to go by. This is the courteous thing to do but can be frustrating when you are already slow. After awhile I hear a voice in the woods. I know that voice and I know it will pass me soon! It’s Bad Ben Holmes! He’s running with Danny Miller. (Danny is going to run across Kansas in the spring of 2009.) Ben stops and gives me a hug along with a forecast of the next few miles. Damn! It’s mostly uphill! When I get to the 3rd aid station I’m greeted with Thongs! Yep – that’s what I said. It was hysterical! There were thongs hanging from the trees, on signs, volunteers’ heads! One of the girls commented about my running skirt and then showed me the thong under her skirt – don’t get excited boys it was over the compression shorts underneath! Before coming into this aid station we had to cross a highway. There were volunteers with flags to act as crossing guards each had a thong for a “hat.” I didn’t see Cheri right away but I saw her car so I knew she was there somewhere. As I was getting ready to describe her to the thong-wearing volunteer, Cheri came down the path. She checked on me and at this point I was still basically ok. I was slow but always making “forward progress.”

I ran out of the aid station to more thongs decorating the woodlands. It was a gradual uphill. Not bad but still uphill. Shortly I was passed by another runner. This time, however, the runner was coming towards me. Holy cheese fries! Is he coming back already??? A woman was not much farther behind him. Very demoralizing. “Am I really that slow???” But I trod on… constant forward motion. I later learn that they only went to the 4th aid station at the base of the mountain.

When I’m not running it’s power-walking. I’m doing a lot of power-walking at this point. And the gradual uphill becomes much steeper. The good news - as I consume what’s in the Camelbak, it becomes lighter. It’s still heavy though. I also start to get to more sun. It’s hot when it’s beating on you. It is in this section that I learned what the term “bonk” means. I was miserable. The scenery was beautiful but I was hurting and had zero energy. I would later learn exactly why. It’s a steep uphill followed by a relatively steep downhill. When I was at the top I passed a volunteer with a sack of flour. He was remarking the course and said to me “only about a mile to aid station 4” – that helped. But I had slowed considerably – oh and my Garmin couldn’t even tell me how long I had been out. It was busy “locating satellites.” I had gone through a variety of emotions at this point. I knew I could not sit even though I wanted to – it would serve no purpose. More runners are beginning to pass me heading back. As they go by, they all say things like “good job,” “keep it up,” “looking good,” you know the language. In my head I’m thinking “easy for you to say – you will make the cutoffs.” I start to cry. I’m stubborn enough to not let anyone see it as they pass. I must have looked pretty bad though. I was all but beaten.

I make to the Barlow Pass aid station (#4) and see Cheri. She looks concerned but is very supportive. The volunteer says “Number 6 (that’s me) I was looking for you.” I’m concerned now. “Am I taking too long?” I say to myself. I asked how long I have been out. “5 hours 10 min”…ummm… it’s only 20 miles in… not so good. I tell Cheri that I have never felt this bad after a marathon. Again, she looks concerned but says something nice and sends on my way. I turn around… “Will you call Dane?” She says yes and I’m gone. I have to cross another highway and head up.

This time it’s really up! I’m beat. I’m miserable. I don’t care. I want quit. The full gamut of emotions. I had started very determined. I have an hour and 20 minutes to go 5.9 miles. I can do that. I can’t run it at this point but I can walk strong. Oops then there’s snow. And it’s slick. Enough runners have gone through that the pile covering the trail is squishy on top mixed with mud. Great. Ok – I can still do this. Again runners passing me going down. Same words of encouragement but my negative feelings are starting to become strong. All I wanted to do was get to the top and be done. Like really done. I had no intention of coming back down. I have to traverse the step uphill (I’m heading up Mt. Hood at this point), climb over downed trees (scrapping knees and inner thighs) and there is still snow. The path is not covered in snow but the patches when they occur are large enough to slow down a person with no energy. Did I mention that was me? I continue up the mountain thinking I can’t stop because Karl will kill me. I can’t stop because Cheri would not get to run back down. I can’t stop because I didn’t ride in a car for 2 days over 1800 miles to DNF. I can’t stop because Tony and Betty have come out to support me. I just want to stop.

Eventually I get closer to the top and as I am nearing the last pile of snow in the woods, I see Ben Holmes again. He says “Take a left after the snow and you’re there.” Phew! I’m close and I will make the halfway cutoff for 13 hours. Oh yeah… “almost there” means a mile in sand. Yuck. The tears begin again. It’s bad this time. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. I’m done at the top. And I can barely get there. It takes me almost 2 full hours to do these 5.9 miles. I spend at least 45 minutes in the sand. It SUCKS. However, I start to pass a few people in the sand. This means if I stay in I won’t be “DAL” – Dead Ass Last. Hmmm… nope I’m done… Then a gentleman (Bill) runs with me in the sand for a bit. He offers to take my Camelbak to the top to lighten the load. Very nice. I decline however, it was my choice to use it and I accept the consequences of carrying it.

As I go over one really bad section of – you guessed it – snow, I pass Dave. Dave stays close and we talk as we go along. I slowly pull ahead. I get to the parking lot of Timberline Lodge finally. This has sucked. Cheri is there and hands me a wet washcloth. Man that feels good! I’m miserable. The first thing she says is “Karl says you will regroup and be fine.” “Did you tell him I cried most of the last 6 miles?” “No, because I didn’t know that and I talked to Dane. He said he loves you.” The volunteer (in Ironman plaid short) was phenomenal. I don’t remember exactly the order but things went something like this. “Do you need your water filled?” “No” “Do you need some food?” “I don’t know.” “What do you need?” “I don’t know.” “Let’s just take that pack off and I’ll put cold water in it anyway. Give you a break from it while you drink some coke.” Cheri had handed me coke. She had been told to do a number of things for me at the aid station. Caffeine was something I needed. I just didn’t know. Karl knew from half way across the country. I was in bad shape. The gal & Cheri take my Camelbak. As the volunteer opens the back to get to the bladders she exclaims, “Honey, you are not getting your electrolytes!” “Yes I am” I say obstinately. “NO – you aren’t” and she shows me the bladder. At this point, if anyone would have asked, I would have bet all my worldly possessions that I was more than halfway into the Perpetuem. I was drinking often. I looked down to see that I had not consumed even a quarter of it! WOW – no wonder I feel bad and have no energy. I have bonked. And now... I know that it means.

The feed me peanut butter and jelly sandwich, banana and more coke. Cheri joins me. I’m feeling much better as we head back to the trail. I’m going to make it and maybe I can get down faster than I went up. Seems logical, right? We stop after getting out of the sand and clean out our shoes, socks and dust off our feet. There was a downed tree nicely laying across the path for us to sit on! Life is getting better and my mood has improved. Cheri set her watch to beep every 10 minutes. I don’t know why she did that but I chose to make sure that when I heard the alarm I would consume fuel. This helped tremendously. She questions me about fueling and I tell her what I’m doing. It’s working.

Basically going down is much better. Not really much to say. We see Tony at the Thong aid station. They are out of coke and I want caffeine. He has some Lipton tea in the car and runs to get it while Cheri grabs my drop bag. I’m still eating bananas at each aid station. My drop bag has a bottle with HEED powder in it. I switch to that after filling the bottle with cold water. We continue on with me drinking every 10 minutes. At the next aid station they have Coke. GREAT!!! It is now my new favorite ultra beverage! It might have been psychological at this point but I’m happy with my progress. We miss Tony here because he has taken Cheri’s car key and gone to get her car. Betty drove it to the camp. As we leave the aid station I asked Cheri to change her timer to 5 minutes. I’m going to do a run 5/walk 5 as the terrain allows. I’m tired. Oh and did I pass off my Camelbak since I’m not using it any longer??? Uh… NO that would have made sense!

Tony meets us at last aid station. When I get there to retrieve my drop bag – it’s gone! They’ve taken them all back to the start. I’m not happy but I understand that runners are waiting for their bags. They are serving HEED on the course so the volunteer fills my bottle. Tony asks how we are doing. Fine…No problems other than I’m tired. That last for maybe 2 miles. I say to Cheri “my foot feels like it did before the run at SMP” – for those that don’t know, I actually sprained my foot back in October on a Monday morning. We ran Tuesday evening at SMP and that’s when I broke it. This does not look good. It hurts with every step and is getting worse. I’m starting to cry again. I only had 6 miles from the aid station to go. It takes forever. I can barely walk. I firmly believe at this point that it’s broken again. How am I going to explain that to Karl? The sweep catches up to us with less than a mile to go. He stays with us until we are on pavement again. He goes on “to announce our arrival.” I cross the line and Olga is there to hand out a hug. I cry one more time. I’m done.

It was incredibly hard when it shouldn’t have been. I made mistakes and have learned from them. I will do it again and next time it will be under 12 hours!

After the Race
Tony helps us get to the creek so that we can get into it. The water – a toasty 35°! It was my intention to go in to my waist, or rather, sit down in it. I can barely walk my foot hurts so much. Cheri and Tony are helping me. I stand in the cold water for only about 3 minutes. It already burns – it’s really cold! We get back in the car and drive to camp.

Betty has made us dinner. I’m here to tell you it was the best! We had salmon cooked on the grill, a squash/zucchini vegetable cooked on the grill and a sun-dried tomato, parmesan pasta salad! WOW – you couldn’t get something this good in a restaurant! For dessert there was a raspberry, chocolate pie with whipped cream. I told you at the beginning – I have the BEST friends! After waiting 2 hours past when I would have thought I should be done. This is what was in store for Cheri and I.

Again, races are run by runners but they can’t be run without the support of so many people. It’s not just the race directors and volunteers. It’s the people who are closest to you. Without their support a race isn’t possible – be it the time to train along the way or the support they give on race day. As we thank volunteers we need to remember to thank our primary support system. So …

Thank you Tony and Betty for staying all day and providing a wonderful meal.
Thank you Cheri for driving, being at every aid station and bringing me back down.
Thank you Karl for your knowledge while training and for knowing how to help me when I needed it.
And mostly, Thank you Dane. Training takes much of my time and you are always gracious in allowing me that time.
bat

Running DC and more

So I just returned from DC. OK - I got back Monday. It was fun but not my best trip. I LOVE running there but this time was different. I couldn't get to many of my favorite places because they were getting ready for the July 4th celebrations. They had the sidewalks down both sides of the Reflecting pool blocked. A couple days later they blocked it AT the WWII Memorial so I couldn't even go down the outside path. I fell running one morning. THAT was hysterical. I was somewhere between Georgetown and Adam's Morgan. The sidewalks are in need of some attention in many of the "non-tourist" sections. The curb was fine but the bricks that made up the sidewalk had sunk some. I was looking off to the side trying to decide which direction to go now and didn't see the curb sticking up. Into the street I went! I bounced even! Skinned both knees, my chin and took a huge chunk off my shoulder. You can't believe how many people touch your shoulder when talking to you until there's no skin there!

Anyway, I had one GREAT moring running down Constitution Avenue. Every light was good for me. I ran at least a mile with no stops. I Rocked! I ran 6 of the 8 mornings I was in DC. I could run there for miles even though it's only about 3 miles wide! I love the architecture and the history that goes into everything.

Since I have been back I have done back-to-back 20 milers. (Wednesday & Thursday) Very humid. They were not so much fun. Koach ran the 2nd half of Thursday with me. I would have made it without him but it was sure easier when I had someone with me!

The Bike

So let’s talk about biking… most people I have a lot of brass and will do just about anything. They also know that I’m sort of a control freak. Not in a bad way but like on the bike, if I don’t feel like I have complete control of what I’m doing then I struggle. I don’t care about situations or people or whatever most control freaks want control of. Mine is about what I’m doing. I was the kid who if I couldn’t do something well the first time I did it I would not do it. Or if I thought I wasn’t as good as other people I wouldn’t do it. So as a kid I didn’t “do” a lot of things. My loss…

So now I’m an adult and I don’t care what other people think so I’m doing things. However, I didn’t learn to really ride a bike as a kid. We didn’t really have any and the roads in my neighborhood were more like dot-to-dot patterns of pavement. Oh and the hills to get out of the lake area were horrendous! The roads had no shoulders and often the edge of the road was even eroded away. It just was not a good place to ride. The last time I rode a bike I was 15 (1981). Keep in mind that I lived at an “undeveloped” lake. So we decided to go over to a friend’s house real quick to do or get something. I got on the green 3 speed. Yeah 3! Anyway, it didn’t matter how many speeds it had because you never used them! As we were going past a T-junction a block from the house a car came around the corner way into my lane. I swerved, went into the gravel that has runoff from the edge of the park and lost control of the bike. I was in a string bikini (remember I was 15 and could wear one!) I “supermanned” about 20 ft across the top of the gravel. Nothing major but it looked awful. No skin on my chin, the inside of my arms, my upper chest, belly, thighs and the tops of my feet. All surfaces scratches but it looked bad! School was about to start and by the time I the bike was fixed we were in school. The next summer I was 16 and driving so who needs a bike!

I got back on a bike for the first time (other than trying to teach my kid how to ride one) on April 16. Oops! I crashed it. It was a bad crash. I thought I was ok but the next day I had trouble and they took me to the ER. The doc there said I had a concussion – he used some word to describe it but basically it meant pretty bad. They sent me home and told me not to go back to work for a few days. I have vision trouble still and my speech is mostly normal. I was having trouble will alliteration and sometimes I could think something but could not get the words out of my mouth. It was very frustrating – especially since I teach! I went my doc and he said if I hadn’t had on a helmet I’d be dead. How’s that for a first ride in 27 years!

So here I am, learning to ride a bike. I am even more cautious than before the crash. I was doing ok with the speed and getting into aero. I just needed to learn to work the gears. (Remember, I have never done that!) It was on a hill in aero that I crashed. So now I hyperventilate when I start going fast. I know that I will be ok eventually just not sure how long it’s going to take. I don’t feel like I have control of the bike. Or rather where the front tire goes. So far I’ve been riding upright not in aero. Once in a while I will get in aero but not often. When I have ridden with Koach he will make me do it but I don’t stay there long. Last time I had one hand on the aero bar and one on the brake! The speed scares the bejeezes out of me!

The more I ride the better but the weather hasn’t been very cooperative either. It’s been 30 mph winds or storms since May. Unless it’s a day where I have NO time to ride and then it’s perfect riding weather! Today was the best day we’ve had in a long time. I rode about 45 minutes with traffic but still not in aero. Not being in aero also means I’m working harder than I should because I’m not using the gears they way they are meant. I did shift once today (I think – maybe twice) but that doesn’t really help.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I want to be doing “Ok” by the time I leave for DC at the end of the month. I’ll be gone for 9 days without the bike.

What a difference a pair of shoes makes! (And a day makes too…)

I did the 2nd Rock Creek trail race on Saturday. I was miserable for the first one so I didn’t write about it. I hated every step. I could not even enjoy being in the woods I was so miserable. But this weekend was a different story! When we left Topeka in May we went right to Garry Gribble’s Running Sports. (ok – we were parked there but we went in.) I bought new trail shoes. I had been wearing the Vasque Blurr’s – I did not like them. When I tried them on in the store, they were fine but running was different. So I bought a pair of Brooks Cascadia’s – LOVE them!!! My old ones were Cascadia’s also. This was the Cascadia 3. Garry had not been carrying the women’s version in his stores and I had been reluctant to have him order a pair without trying them on. Trish, Cheri & I went in to the Independence store and they had them in stock! I tried them on a WOW – it was like the first time I put on my Nike Vomero’s! It was perfect.

So we did the race – this one was 10 miles. The series progress in length over 4 races. It was HUMID. Holy Cow! I was dripping – you could ring out my running skirt! The race is tough but not bad. There are lots of rocks and relentless ups and downs. It took 2 hours 38 min to do 10 miles. Last year at the same time, I did Hospital Hill in 2hrs 23 min and it’s 13.1 miles! Let’s just say the elements were trying very hard to win!

Cheri & I did a race the next day (Sunday) for Heartland. They have been primarily mountain bike people but have started some trail races. I was 1st and Cheri was 2nd in the women’s race. Oh yeah! We were the only women! And she let me run ahead of her. I'll take a first place - it might be the only time it ever happens! She is practicing pacing me at Mt. Hood. She did an excellent job. I would have taken longer on the 2nd loop if she hadn’t bee with me. I just need someone to keep my mind busy so I can’t think too much about the task at hand. And she made decisions about when to run and when to walk. I think I started Sunday’s race dehydrated. Or at least low on electrolytes. I was beat very early. It was like I couldn’t catch my breath…

I was feeling pretty beat up about it over the weekend. I kept saying “How am I going to do 50 miles, when I can barely do 10?” I think compounded with the struggles I’m having on the bike I just wasn’t feeling like “me” – I said something to Cheri about that while we were running and she said “How can you not feel successful? A month ago you couldn’t even run and look how well you are doing!” Sunday – I didn’t care but today I feel better about it all. I know I can finish Mt. Hood. Don’t what my time will be but I know I can finish.

Now I just have to get over the bike… hypnosis maybe! :D

Biking

Hmm... biking... is going to be the death of me! Ok maybe not but who knew it was so hard! I mean c'mon everyone says "just like riding a bike" as a reference to being easy...I'm not doing so well. Of course, I a riding on tires that are thinner than my fingers and I haven't ridden a bike at all in 27 years (shhh don't say that out loud!)

I knew the swim would be a struggle but I had no idea biking would be this hard for me. How come I can run down the side of a rocky, rooty steep hill without hesitation but I can't ride down my street without putting the brake on??? I know that momentum is my friend on a bike but I am seriously struggling with it. I know the crash didn't help my situation and is making me overly cautious but wow somehow I have to get over it. Just not sure how.

I also know that once I finally do I'll be just fine. As I was with swimming. I fought against it and fought against it. Then I was told by far better swimmers that I was doing just fine and the next time I swam - I was! Biking is not going that way... I still know I will be fine. Just not sure what it's going to take to get me over that hump. Any ideas?

Try again!

Ok - school has to get out soon! Training at 2:40 in the morning is about to do me in! Today was supposed to be a 4 mile run - Oops - I did just 3 b/c I read the wrong day off the schedule. But I also did 45 minutes on the bike since I didn't go to the gym yesterday.

There is a guy at the gym...What a Hoot! He carries a GALLON jug with him. I said something to Koach once. He said it was probably distilled water but sometimes it's orange. Anyway, the dude seriously cracks me up to watch him. He's in very good shape but he does the thing where he does one exercise and then paces around for a bit before the next set. He's usually doing the blowing hard breathing thing too. Hmmm. Maybe that's where the term "blow hard" comes from! He's very serious about what he's doing. It's just hysterical to watch. I'm the only girl in the gym at that time. So it's not like it's peacocking behavior! And at best there are like 2 or 3 other guys. You just have to see it!

What's your reason to run?

Running for a reason… Running for a cause… these keep spinning around in my head. I would like to do something that helps others and wrap it around those thoughts. Technically the group I run with raises money for the Touched by Cancer Foundation but we are not required to do so to be a part of this group.

When I started running it was for me… to get away… or to run away. But through the efforts of others while training with my first charity group I learned that helping others is a much greater benefit to one’s life. It makes it mean so much more. Running that is… It makes you connected with the greater good of others. Since I’m not required to raise funds to participate I haven’t been as driven to do so. But I have felt something was missing in what I’m doing. Sure it’s great to know you can run 50 miles or the 3 marathons in a row, but it only helps me. If it’s a running community, shouldn’t we have a positive affect on our community? I have been taught that by example.

My problem is I’m great with ideas but don’t always know how to make them come to fruition. I can see something out there but don’t know what to do with it. So here I am with this idea… Run for a Reason – What’s your reason to run? And I don’t know what to do with it.