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This past month I’ve been bad. Very, very bad. In fact, running has come to a standstill (pun totally intended). I’m thinking it’s because I haven’t really set a goal yet. Or maybe it’s simply because I’m lazy. What do you think? Actually, don’t answer that.
But today I declare myself lazy no more! I went for a run last night. Well it was actually more a trot/jiggle but I had on running shoes so it counts.
So I’m starting to explore half-marathons for real now. Have any of you ever heard of the Slacker Half that takes place in Colorado? It’s all downhill people. It’s totally calling my name.
You’re probably wondering, who is this Julie and why is she so freaking awesome? Well, I’m a freelance copywriter by day and a blogger by night. Although sometimes I blog during the day and do my freelance writing at night. It really just depends.
I used to consider myself a runner (I even ran a half-marathon back in the day), but now I consider myself an overworked, overstressed, wife and mother of two with no time to exercise. That was until last week – when I got laid off. And now, it seems like I have nothing but time to run.
So here’s the deal, I’m going to train for another half. And you’re coming along for the ride. Well, not literally. I can’t afford plane tickets for everyone. I’m out of freaking work people! But what I will do is chronicle my adventures in running. Let’s just hope I don’t embarrass myself too much.
Ok, deep breath. I will get back on the running wagon. I will get back on the running wagon. Say it with me people, because I’m going to need all the encouragement I can get.
P.S. Can someone please tell me why sitting on the couch watching netflix is just way, way, way more enticing than going for a run? Because I said so, that’s why.
Looks like the race will still be able to be run as scheduled at the Big Sur International Marathon, which is set for the 1st of May. The heavy rains and storms that have been pounding the California coast in recent weeks loosened the soil to the point where stretches of the earth under the Pacific Coast Highway collapsed this week.
But, the race organizers have alternate routes in mind – check out the full story here and here.
The famed Rock & Roll Marathon & Half Marathon series brings its energetic, music-themed race events to three new cities across the United States in 2011 — Providence, R.I.; Savannah, Ga.; and St. Louis, Mo.
This brings the total list of cities with Rock & Roll events to 19, and what appears to be great new opportunities for thousands more people to take part in some really cool races.
For more on the Rock & Roll series and to sign up for any of the new races, click here.
Dana Casanave and myself, just after the pre-race dinner at Idaho's Mesa Falls Marathon & Half Marathon in late August 2010.
In the course of running races, whether it’s in your own city or somewhere far across the country, one of my favorite experiences is meeting random people I’d never meet otherwise and getting a chance to hear even just a little bit of their stories. Well, last week I had a chance to meet someone who left an impression I’ll remember, I’m sure, for the rest of my life.
You might remember last week, when I traveled to Idaho last weekend for the annual end-of-August Mesa Falls Marathon & Half Marathon, that I mentioned that I had a chance there to meet and talk with Dana Casanave, a runner and marathon enthusiast from Leesburg, Va., who’s running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money for children orphaned by AIDS in South Africa.
This 29-year-old mother of three — whose children are 5, 7 and 9 years old — is doing something that most of us would believe is way, way beyond our own ability. She’s literally running 26.2 miles every weekend, and traveling usually by car to cities near her hometown, but also often by air. She’s incurring thousands of dollars in travel expenses — and paying for everything along this journey herself — in addition to attempting to raise $26,000 over the course of this year for 25:40 and the children and families they support in South Africa.
What I didn’t know before meeting her and getting to know her is the distance Dana has traveled to get here, in so many ways. What is now a love for running, she says, started out at something that was extremely difficult for her to do, as she had struggled with her weight for much of her life. After the birth of her second child, she found herself at 230 pounds, and decided that she had to do something to bring her weight under control. From running first on a treadmill to running later in races, her love for the sport has grown ever since.
Learn more about Dana and 25:40 in this YouTube clip:
I thought about writing an extensive article about Dana and her journey, but what I thought might be a better idea would be to let her speak in her own voice, and give you guys a chance to hear about what she’s doing in her own words.
If you follow news about the running world and haven’t heard of Dana Casanave, there’s a good chance you will soon. This runner from Virginia is pursuing one of the most incredible projects/quests I’ve ever come across, one that must be as physically and mentally daunting as it is inspiring — she’s running 52 marathons in 52 weeks, all to raise money for children living in Africa who’ve been orphaned by AIDS.
The big news is, we’re actually going to cross paths this weekend — I’m running in the half marathon at Idaho’s Mesa Falls Marathon & Half Marathon, and Ms. Casanave will also be there to run in that event’s full marathon. We’re in touch now to arrange an interview, and I wanted to put out the word to you guys, and give you a chance to ask her questions as well — what would you like to know more about her project, about her races, and how she’s doing it?
Please feel free to submit your questions below in the comment field, or email them directly to me at info [at] halfmarathons.net. I’ll bring them with me to the interview, and hopefully get them answered!
You can also learn more about Dana and 52 Beginnings at the website she’s set up for her project at 52beginnings.com.
