5K Races

In high school I abhorred running anything longer than 2 miles and that was even a stretch. I was a sprinter and the long distances were hard on me. I wasn't a bad runner, I just preferred the shorter distances. During soccer practice we had to run 60 sprints throughout practice. I didn't love running sprints, but I liked them more than running distances. I did however love indian runs; mostly because the whole team was required to run and you weren't able to cheat. You cheaters out there know who you are, but I still love you.

It wasn't until college that I really got into running. It all started with a healthy obsession of competing with my sister. She had completed her first marathon and was entering the STL half marathon. Over Christmas break I decided that if she could run long distances so could I. It was hard at first. Mainly getting into the routine of running was hard, but I had a running partner so I knew I could do it. When we ran our first half-marathon David, myself and my sister did quite well. My unofficial time was 2 hrs. 8 minutes and 56 seconds. It was only unofficial because we registered on-site and they ran out of chips. It was a pleasant experience, for the most part, and I love the t-shirt and medal I received for participating.

It took two more years for me to run another long race. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I guess I didn't have anything to train for so I quit. David and I signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC. We somewhat trained for it, but didn't. It wasn't an enjoyable race. There were too many people running and you couldn't maintain a pace. After that race I wanted to maintain the running stamina I'd built up while training. My sister mentioned training for the DC marathon together. I thought she was crazy, but I agreed. I wasn't sure I would be able to complete it. My sister trained in Chicago with a group and I trained in DC by myself. I'd made a commitment to myself and I kept it. I rised early every weekend and ran. During the training, I acquired essential running gear. I completed my first marathon in DC in October of 2007 with my sister. It was awesome. Through that experience I learned that I enjoyed running. It was a solitary experience that I still enjoy today. I ran 2 half marathons last year and plan to run 2 more this year - DC and Baltimore. I'm hoping me knee holds up.

Anyway my whole reason for writing this post is because I volunteer, through the Junior League, with an organization called Bright Beginnings. We are hosting the Bright Beginnings 5K Race in Washington, DC, on May 2. This is my encouragement for everyone in DC to come out and participate. I will post more information as the date approaches. I'm in charge or securing items for our race bags. If you know of a company who would be willing to donate samples or coupons please let me know.