~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guest Blogger Post ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If someone had told me a year ago I would run 1/2 marathons I would have said “You’re Crazy!” Besides my absolute abhor of running I’m not exactly the picture of health, between the hysterectomy, appendectomy (complete with cancer) and a kidney surgery or two thrown in for good measure, suffice to say I’m not the healthiest kid in class.
What brought me to running is what Jimmy Buffett would call “Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes.” Being a pilot’s wife I get the aviation terms of latitudes and Attitudes, and of course the concept of when you move your perspective changes. This idea concept is how I hooked up with running.
I found myself in a new home, in an area I had grown up in but not lived in a while, and was feeling somewhat like a useless lump when checking facebook I saw on the Disney page they had a link to their Princess 1/2 Marathon. Maybe it was fate that I saw it that night, but I signed up for it right then, thinking this would give me a goal I so desperately felt I needed. Keep in mind it was Oct when I signed up for a race in Feb and I hadn’t run more than 100 yards (and that was chasing a dog!) in a few years. Everyone I knew thought I was slightly crazy. Then when I managed to squeeze into the Tinkerbell 1/2 marathon at Disneyland in January in order to get a coast to coast award everyone was sure I was crazy!
Fast forward to now, having completed two 1/2 marathons in a month of each other and only training for 3 months (not something I recommend), all I could think of is “What’s next?” Sure I can do another RunDisney event (and probably will) and I can find different races all over the country, but which one? While looking I came across the St. Paddys Day 5k & 8k Run/Walk which benefits PAWS, Pets Are Worth Saving. I instantly decided to run this because it was for a fantastic cause, saving animals!
Ever since I can remember I have always loved animals, and thanks to my awesome parents we were never without a dog (or two or three) in the house. As I grew up that love of animals never changed and I majored in Equine Management. Throughout the years I’ve worked as a vet tech and have a “zoo” that is comprised completely of rescue critters; dogs, cats, and horses. With the dawn of the internet age, facebook and all, the world has become smaller and it is easier to see how many animals are abandoned and discarded. Approx 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year simply because they have no home. Being an animal person this breaks my heart, and while I have rescued as many as possible I don’t have the facilities (or money!) to rescue them all. This is where running comes in.
I decided after finding the St. Paddys Day Run that benefits animals that I should combine my new found love of running to benefit animals! I have decided to try and find races that benefit all the wonderful shelters/rescues/animal controls that I could find. When I started looking I was happy to see quite a few across the country. So that’s what this page is for, I search and find as many rescue runs and walks (and sometimes other animal rescue fundraisers) from around the country and put them here, so hopefully they are easier to find.
I also have some tips and tricks of running that I have found throughout my journey. One thing I have learned in running is what works for someone else may not work for you. This is by far the best advice I can give, I don't have a magic list of things to do and don't do. For instance before a race I always drink a Diet Coke ALWAYS. It works for me but I have had more than one person tell me how awful it is that I drink that, its not good for me and so on, but it works for me, would I recommend it? No, but you have to find what works for you, be it related to running/eating healthy, or anything! The only thing I can tell you for sure is don't give up, no matter how bad a run is or how much you don't want to get off the couch
So that is me in a nutshell, and you're more than welcome to come say hi over at Running4Rescues, http://www.running4rescues.com/
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment