Boston Marathon...

When you hear "marathon" alot of people automatically think of the famous Boston Marathon. April 15th, I was excited to see the live feed's from the race and the crowd. 

As everyone knows, two bombs went off by the finish line leaving a few dead and many wounded. 

As a runner, I'm HORRIFIED. I couldn't imagine training, qualifying, and running the Boston Marathon and an attack happening. 

I'm going to keep my thoughts to myself, but this is just a "Im thinking of those hurt, and their families". 

Today, April 16, was a run for Boston day. I couldn't be more proud to be a runner.

(From the Boston Athletic Association website)

"Statement from Thomas Grilk, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association, Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) extends its deepest sympathies to all those who were affected by Monday's tragic events. Those who lost their lives and were injured are in our thoughts and prayers.

It is a sad day for the City of Boston, for the running community, and for all those who were here to enjoy the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. What was intended to be a day of joy and celebration quickly became a day in which running a marathon was of little importance.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to all of the B.A.A. medical personnel and volunteers and the City of Boston's first responders who reacted so courageously to help save lives. Special thanks to the loyal Boston Marathon community - over 8500 volunteers, 1000 medical personnel, the organizing committee, and hundreds of thousands along the race route - who make the experience what it is for all our runners, who are hurting today.

We would like to thank the countless people from around the world who have reached out to support us over the last 24 hours.

We are cooperating with the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and all federal law enforcement officials in the investigation and the effort to bring those responsible for this tragedy to justice, so we are limited in what information we can provide.

Boston is strong. Boston is resilient. Boston is our home. And Boston has made us enormously proud in the past 24 hours. The Boston Marathon is a deeply held tradition - an integral part of the fabric and history of our community. We are committed to continuing that tradition with the running of the 118th Boston Marathon in 2014."

http://www.baa.org/

Disney Princess Half Marathon !!!

So, I've got some MAJOR catching up to do. I've been drowning trying to re-adjust to post-graduation life, home life, a relationship gone bad, and feeling over all awful.

BUT - this it where I'll start.

At 17 I was told I would never run again and was given a huge leg brace. I found a physical therapist that saved my life - this is for all the doctors that told me no, that didnt care to help. This is for Todd, my PT, that helped me learn how to walk again, get rid of my limp, and now running again. I just finished my 2nd Half-Marathon in 4 months having rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. If I can do it, anyone can.

Saturday, my brother Nolan & I ran the Mickey & Minnie 5k! I dressed up as Belle and he wore a shirt that said "Why are all of these princesses chasing me?!" - Everyone LOVED it! The course through Epcot was great. He really seemed to enjoy himself which made me really happy.

I didn't train for the Princess Half like I wanted to, and should have. I had a lot of personal issues going on at the time. I decided to go down and still run the race. I had been waiting a really long time to run this particular race. I decided to dress up as Rapunzel from Tangled. It was quick & easy and I loved it.

Disney ofcourse was fantastic. I'm thankful my family came down to meet me. I was nervous about how I'd run but as soon as my alarm clock went off at 4:00am I got REALLY excited. My mom helped me braid my hair and I got to the buses just in time to head to the start. I've never seen so many people!! It was insane. So much music, so many costumes, so much fun and excitement.

After mile 2, I was already feeling my legs get tired (uh oh.) But after taking a few pictures with the girl from Bugs Life and the princes, I felt a little better. I was looking more and more forward to getting to the castle as the sun came up. It was PERFECT running weather. Overcast & cool (so glad!)

Mile 10 I got a little exhausted, but kept pushing. This race was for ME. I needed this and it made me happy. :)

Lots of pictures, enjoy! If you're ever dressing up for a race definitely check out pinterest! :D

HELP ME RUN THE DISNEYLAND HALF-MARATHON !!

When I ran the Wine & Dine half-marathon at Disney World I learned about the Coast-to-Coast Challenge. Now, my goal is to complete it !


Alright. This is my deal - I’m raising money to be able to get to California to run the Disneyland Half Marathon! All the money raised HERE will be used to help with the expenses of travel to and from, hotel, and of course the registration for the race! Any money raised will ONLY be spent on this half-marathon.

My goal is to get to California and see what Walt Disney himself started, and run the Disneyland Half and complete the Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge! The Coast-to-Coast Challenge is a completion of two half-marathons; one on the East coast at Disney WORLD and one on the West coast in DisneyLAND in the same calendar year.

At 17, the doctors told me I would never run again because of the severity of my Rheumatoid Arthritis & Fibromyalgia. I decided to change that. With the help of physical therapy, I am now back into my running ways! (With the help of lots of ice.) I ran my first half marathon last November - the Wine & Dine Disney World Half. It was INCREDIBLE. I am now currently training for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Orlando (in February). I’m going to work my hardest to get to California and complete the Coast-to-Coast Challenge! Any help is greatly appreciated!! :) 

>>>>>> http://www.gofundme.com/1rm8qc <<<<<<

Rock 'n' Roll 10k - New York

Last weekend I took a trip to NYC to visit my best friend Stefanie. She recently moved there to go to graduate school at Columbia University. She's a runner, and so I signed us up for the Rock 'n' Roll 10k in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Race day was INCREDIBLE. Woke up at 5am, had a bagel and banana, an hour subway ride to Brooklyn, and started shedding layers at the start. (It was about 45 degrees outside.)

As soon as the race started, it automatically wasn't so cold anymore. This was the first race I've done that I was completely comfortable at race pace and ABLE to actually run (with out taking a break) the entire course. The first 5k went by like it was nothing, and I picked it up after the halfway point. My playlist I made the night before definitely played a big part. Not to mention how happy I was to be running in New York, and Prospect Park was SO beautiful. I felt so strong the entire run. The last 300m I sprinted to the finish line to try and beat the clock. I finished strong, which is something I had trouble doing the last 10k (and 5k).

Overall, this was the best race I've had since HIGH SCHOOL. It's definitely the happiest I've been in a while; running that race.

The Rock 'n' Roll crew were AMAZING. Extremely organized, and very helpful. They did a great job with the set up and with the vendors.

Check out their race series! I highly recommend it. http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/new-york