I participated in World Run Day this year. I had no idea it existed until it came up when searching through my Active.com account for events in my area. It is a virtual event (obviously; it is world-wide), but you still officially register for it, can print out a race bib, and get a t-shirt. And really, what race is worth running if you DON'T get a t-shirt?!? You pick your distance, the time you start running, where you run, etc. The goal is to just get out there and participate! I liked this approach.
World Run Day occurs on the closest Sunday to November 8th each year, and so far has had 10,000 runners participate in it. What caught my attention outside of the convenience of me choosing everything, was that they also encourage you to donate to a charity of your choice and dedicate your run to something that is important to you.
From the
World Run Day website:
Our mission is to broaden and promote the health benefits of running while also encouraging runners to donate to their own favorite charity on this special day.
They also have the following goals in mind:
- Promote Running
- Promote Charitable Giving
- Mobilize the Running Community
- Create Event Director Tools
- Inspire and engage college students to become running leaders
- Support World Run Day Celebrations around the World
Of course I jumped at this opportunity to donate again to CCFA and dedicate another run to my siblings, Tami and Matt. This weekend is the 1 year mark of my
very first race ever, the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon with Team Challenge to benefit CCFA. Through donations, I was able to
raise $3,876 for CCFA and run in honor of Tami and Matt. It was an experience I will truly never forget! It was my greatest physical accomplishment to date, and the most emotional journey. I experienced the highest of highs and joy while constantly thinking of my siblings and then crossing the finish line! I can't believe it has been a year already!
For World Run Day, I decided to donate through my old team member who is running with Team Challenge again this weekend. I wish I could be there.
My registration on the World Run Day website:
First Name | Last Name | City | State | Message to post to runday.com | Distance | Start Time | Start Location | Charity Name | Donation |
Emily | Blakemore | Arlington | VA | Dedicated to Tami & Matt! www.ccfa-mleblakemore.blogspot.com | 3.1 | 10:00 AM | GW Parkway | Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America | $20 |
We were also encouraged to take pictures of ourselves. As I learned from the
Army Ten Miler, taking pictures while running really doesn't work for me. And it definitely wouldn't work if trying to take pictures of
myself while running. I was my own race photographer.. How was I going to do this?
First, I decided to choose a course that would have interesting sights. Second, I decided that I would stop running periodically to attempt to take pictures of myself with the interesting sights. Third, I decided that I didn't care about my time (good thing, too!).
The course I laid out looked like this:
I set out at about 8 in the morning with my race gear which included my Team Challenge race singlet from the half marathon (still had Matt & Tami's name on it), and my running belt that held my race bib that I also wrote their names and CCFA on. Then I drove to my pre-determined starting point.
The first part of my route included a pretty steep uphill climb on to Lynn St, then I ran through the Rosslyn neighborhood, which also included some small hills. I was pretty winded by the time I got to about the 1 mile mark, then I stopped to take a picture. It took forever to finally position myself and my phone at the right angle to get me and the memorial in the picture. It was such a beautiful day!
I look a little angry here.
I decided that for the rest of the photos, I was going to try to get my race singlet and/or my race bib in them. That's what the professional race photographers do. Just a little jaunt from the Iwo Jima Memorial, is the
Netherlands Carillon which has a fantastic view of Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. A little hard to see through the photo, but really great in person.
Another VERY short run and I was at one of the private entrances to Arlington Cemetery. I took the liberty to step just inside the gate before I continued along the course.
Down and around the cemetery, then back up to the main public entrance of the cemetery, and I stopped again for a photo op. These little sprints from one photo location to the next was really giving me a great accumulated time! Haha. I certainly didn't give myself time to get tired during the second mile of the course.
Left: View towards Arlington Cemetery Memorial Entrance.
Right: View towards Lincoln Memorial across Memorial Bridge.
At this point in the course, I hit a lot more pedestrian traffic. There are always runners around this area, which is cool when you yourself are running, too. It's like when you're on a motorcycle and pass another motorcycle and you wave to each other. There's just something instantly bonding when you pass another runner. A wave is not necessarily exchanged, but a lot of smiles and head nods of acknowledgment.
I could see the eyes of other runners looking at my Team Challenge singlet, and then further down to my race bib. On this day I got a lot of smiles. I got a lot of head nods. And then I had somebody actually stop and offer to take my picture. She said, "Is it World Run Day today?" To which I responded, "Yes". We exchanged some other pleasantries, she took my picture, then we were both on our way again.
I only stopped once more for my last picture before I finished my race.
This race was unlike any I had ever participated in. It was a different experience, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt more connected to my surroundings; appreciating the sights instead of staring at the pavement right in front of my feet, not worrying about my time, and really taking in the awesomeness of the area I live in. I also spent most of the time thinking about Tami & Matt and my family in general, as well as reflecting on my half marathon experience (I still get teary-eyed thinking about it sometimes). I paid more attention than normal to the other runners I encountered, which brought on an overall heightened awareness of everything around me. I wondered what was going through their heads while they were running. Were they running to reach a specific goal? Were they training for a race? Were they running just for the physical benefits? Did they run to clear their head or work out a problem they were going through? Did they use running as a stress-reliever? I appreciated the opportunity to acknowledge the piece of the world around me and all that it held.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable run. I have to remind myself that running can be FUN and ENJOYABLE.
I'm still waiting for the miracle "I love to run!" to happen, but in the mean time, I'll plug along and continue to sign up for races, as they keep me motivated and make the dreaded training worth it.
Then one day, MAYBE, I can really call myself a runner. Because until I love it, I don't get that title.
