LUNGevity 5K

Howdy!

I hope everyone is enjoying the fresh Spring weather. Running in shorts? What a novelty.

Yesterday, I headed down to the suburbs for a little staycation. Now that I don't live with my parents, I love coming home once in awhile for good food and a chance to relax. It's nice getting out of the city sometimes.

This staycation actually had a greater purpose than gaining five pounds and reading a full novel overnight. My dad, sister J, and I were participating in LUNGevity's 5k run for lung cancer research. It was an interesting event. My dad and I had never thought about this before, but we realized that we rarely run races that have a charity as the main theme. Of course, every run we do supports a charity, but our runs tend to be Grateful Dead themed with tyedye tee shirt giveaways. The vibe at this event was rightfully somber, and unlike our usual races, there was no beer. I think we both agreed that attending a serious race once in awhile was a great choice. I personally felt more motivated to kick ass when the cause that I was racing for was displayed so prominently.

I guess that fighting lung cancer really lit the fire under my butt, because I knocked my PR out of the water!! Yes, maybe the fun run wasn't exactly the most appropriate venue for me to buckle down and charge, but ya know what, sue me. For the first time in over 6(!) years, I raced under 28 minutes. Throughout college, I never once broke 30 minutes. That 100 day challenge certainly prepared me for the spring races. I haven't felt this strong since my rowing days. I actually feel even better because unlike high school, I feel fit without having the shoulders of a line backer. THIS IS WINNING.

My suggestion for May is to find a race that focuses solely on a charity. Yes, please do take on the Cinco de Miler( I might !), but also check out a race that focuses less on partying and more on the issue at hand.

Peace, Love, Sweat xoxo SR