Calling all super heroes!

I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound and I'm definitely not faster than a speeding bullet. I'm hardly faster than a still bullet. But on Saturday, September 28th, I ran the Super Hero 5K anyways. I went dressed as my favorite comic book villainess, Harley Quinn (from the Batman series). And apparently red and black are my colors, because I rocked it!

I PRed with a 40:48 finish time. That's almost seven minutes faster than my last 5K. The ironic part of this is that I thought I was doing terrible during the race. I had NO idea I'd gotten a new PR until the results posted later that day. I was with a couple of girls from my running group and had warned them that I'm not particularly fast. I actually ran the entire first mile (that was a first in itself). But after that, I felt like I had to take so many walk breaks that I was worried I'd be crawling across the finish line. Just before the first mile marker one of the girls I'd come with caught up to me (she had to stop to fix her shoe). She stuck with me for most of the race but ran ahead towards the end. Little did I know that by trying to keep up with her, I'd improved!

It was a pretty good run for the most part. It was fun to dress up, and the organizer did a great job making the event festive. The Arizona Justice League was in attendance and in costume for participants to take pictures with. I even got arrested by Commissioner Gordon! There was food, music,  a photo op area, cardboard cutouts of heroes and villains alike, and a push-up contest.

Fun times were had by all and I limited my destruction to a bare minimum (I left my giant hammer at home).
So what does one do next after a shiny PR? They prepare for their first10K apparently! Here we gooooooooooo!

Water Ballons and a PR

One of my favorite things about running is that I can do something great for myself while doing good for others at the same time. Many races donate proceeds to charitable foundations, and I'm a sucker for a good charity. I volunteer often and I've organized fundraisers and toy drives for local organizations and I live for helping others (after all, I am getting a master's in counseling).

The 5K I completed in July was the Splash Mob 5K in Tempe, Arizona. This run is somewhat unique in that it wasn't designed to donate a little to charity in order to put on a run; it was designed to put on a run so they could donate to charity. The organizer of this race couldn't be more passionate about helping others. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the packet pick-up, and he was so passionate about making a difference. Along with registration fees, participants were required to donate two non-perishable food items. Profits and donations were then provided to a local school for homeless children that works to make sure these kids have a safe place to go, clothes to wear, and food to eat.

It was an absolute honor to participate in a run that does so much good, and I had a great time while I was at it. There were kids throwing water balloons and spraying the runners with water guns along the course. At the end, the participants were allowed to enter Big Surf Water Park and splash around in the wave pool. Overall, it was very well organized, and I truly enjoyed this race. I ran with my step-mom and even managed a PR. Don't laugh... I know it's still slow. But considering where I started? I'll take my shiny new 47:25.8 thank you very much!

Why I Run

This morning I woke up at 4:30 am to get in a run before work. My run/walk was four miles long, my farthest distance yet. While I was out there pounding pavement I started thinking about all of the reasons I was doing this. This is what I came up with:

I run for the girl I used to be
Alone and small, wrapped up in fear
I run for the woman I wish to see
Each and every time I look in the mirror

I run for pieces of peace of mind
Lost through the years of to and fro
I run to prevent becoming blind
To all of the places that I could go

I run for my soul and my heart
I run to keep my demons at bay
I run to keep from falling apart
I run for God and I run to pray


I run to do what I thought I could not
For pride I've never known before
I run for freedom that can't be bought
And I run for one reason more

I run for those without the choice
I run to take less than I give
To raise money, awareness, even a voice
I live to run; I run to live

I'll admit, it's pretty cheesy. But hey, it was 5:00 in the morning! No matter how it's written, the point is that I have many reasons for running. And the beauty of it all is that I can't think of one reason not to run (excepting injury). Not everyone runs for the same purpose. These are the things that inspire me and there are many more that I just couldn't get on paper. I hope each of you has a reason, or many reasons, to run. It is with these pieces of inspiration that we puzzle together a picture of who we are.

Now, why do YOU run?