Category Archives: Goals

Wear Jeans To Support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, Goals, , ,

The dress code at my office is usually “business casual,” but some Fridays we have a “Jeans Day” where we can wear jeans to support a charity. This week I am sponsoring Jeans  Day and accepting donations for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through my Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run donations page.

Wear Jeans To Support CMNH

Making a $5 donation for the simple pleasure of wearing jeans to work can help defray costs like these:

  • $0.42 for one Wee Pee sized diaper, for neonates weighing less than 800 grams. ($150.48/1 case, case=360 diapers)
  • $0.50 for one Preemie sized diaper, for neonates weighing up to 4 pounds.
  • $1.08 for one Size 1 blood pressure cuff for the smallest children.
  • $4.00 for one baby blanket in the Neonatal and Infant Critical Care Unit.

That’s right, one $5 donation can cover 10 Preemie sized diapers! And when it’s this cold outside, who can resist making a donation that would cover the cost of a baby blanket?

If you are allowed to wear jeans to work on Friday (or if you work at home and set your own dress code!), I’d love it if you would join my Jeans Day and support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through my donations page here. If you can’t wear jeans but still want to participate, you could wear cherry blossom pink instead.

If you have a friend who has entered the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run as a charity participant you can look up their donation page here. This Saturday, February 28, is the deadline for reaching the minimum fundraising goal, so your donation now could really make a difference!  

I’m challenging my fellow Credit Union Cherry Blossom Social Runners and Bloggers to make a donation through their own pages if they can wear jeans to work on Friday. 😉

Happy Runner

Events, Goals, Running
happy runner
Remember all those snowy runs? Bring on the blossoms!

Are you a happy runner? This weekend, I am a seriously happy runner. In a few short hours me and my crew will be leaving Pittsburgh, PA and heading south to Washington, DC for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run!

The 2014 race was supposed to be my comeback from my August 2013 heel fracture. But by early March I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to run this year (a familiar worry from last year’s hip injury) because I was experiencing some serious foot pain during all of my runs.  I cut back on my training. I had long talks with my coach, other running friends, my sports medicine doctor and of course myself (you talk to yourself, too, right?).  After some trial and error learned I don’t have a neuroma like I thought. I was merely landing on my foot wrong.

I’ve managed some decent long runs pain free recently, but I’m not in racing shape.  I won’t be setting any personal records on Sunday. I don’t even have a goal time in my head. (OK, I sort of do.) But I’m a happy runner ! Here’s why:

1. I am able to run. And I’m grateful for this chance.

2. I am able to run without pain. Running injured stinks.

3. Friends and family care about me and are cheering me on.

4. Friends and family care even more about kids who need care, and they helped me surpass last year’s fundraising goal! You are all amazing!

5. The blossoms will be blooming!

6. Since I’m not racing, I can relax and enjoy the course and take photos. I’ve never done that before and I am really looking forward to it.

7.  I’ll get to see some good friends down in DC.

8. New friends from Pittsburgh are also making the trek down to enjoy the Runner’s Rite of Spring.

9.  Post-race celebration. There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment after any good, long run.

10. I am incredibly lucky and honored to be a small part of an amazing team of bloggers, social runners and race volunteers.

See you all at the Expo tomorrow and at the starting line Sunday morning!

Family Fitness – One Of My 2014 Resolutions

Goals, Running, ,

fit family

We have all made resolutions this year to start or finish something, start or become more active and other fitness or health related things. I have resolved to get my boys more active.

I am coming up with a plan for them. I want them to spend less time with the electronics and more time being active. Well, I will let them download the Couch25K app because we are going to run one as a family. I want the boys properly trained and confident before I put them in a race setting. I am confident they can do it.

Since my boys are teenagers, it will not be an easy task. Their lives are their cell phones. They are social butterflies and invited to events, however that is all going to change. I am not going to use fitness as a punishment because I want them to like it. But they will have required amounts of fitness weekly.

I have a lot of equipment and will set up circuits for cross training. I have ropes, balls, weights, slides, kettle bells and more. I have a timer and will make it fun for them. Fitness is important to me and I want them to understand why.

I am looking forward to running with them and becoming fit as a family. I know they will not like it at first, but will be grateful once they become acclimated. I am excited for all of us. It will be an awesome lifestyle change. I am ready for a Fit Family in 2014.

Have you made any resolutions to do something as a family? If so, what?

~Fran, @Flash_Fran

Francine has a love of family, fitness, fashion and fun.  She is on a journey to become a better runner, eat healthier, get fit as a family and show off her fashion sense all while having fun.  She is the mother of 2 boys, works full-time and is a recent grad. She believes that Hard Work = Results and staying Positive gets you there. 

2014 Running Goals

Goals, Running, , , ,

Can you believe it’s January already? I’m not much for making New Year’s Resolutions (or keeping them!) , but I do like to set a few goals for the new year. Not surprisingly, I have a few running-related goals that I thought might resonate with other runners.

2014 Goals

  1. Volunteer at a race. The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Miler Run needs 2,000 volunteers to help the event run smoothly. Did you know that if you volunteer this year, you can earn a guaranteed entry for the 2015 race?  (You can learn more here.)
  2. Run a race for fun and/or pace a new runner through their first race. Even when I plan to just “have fun” in a race, I usually end up pushing myself as soon as the starting gun goes off. One way to force myself to take a different approach would be to pace a new runner through his or her first 5K. If you have more time to give back to the community, you might want to consider getting involved with Teens Run DC, a local organization with a mission to empower at-risk youth to envision and work towards personal goals through a mentoring and distance running program.
  3. Sign up for a new race. With so many great races in the Washington, D.C. area, I tend to fill my race calendar with the same races year in and year out. Last year I was excited to run in the inaugural US National Road Racing Championships 12K (a USTAF event) in Alexandria, Virginia, and it was a fantastic event. Even if I can’t enter another brand-new race, there are lots of other great races close to home that I’ve never entered.
  4. Pack my running gear. Last year I had the opportunity to run in several new cities–you can see the photo recap on my blog here.  With several business trips already lined up for 2014, I plan to pack my running gear and do my best to get in a run before or after my meetings.

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? 

Other than the CUCB, what is your favorite local race? 

~ Courtenay, @Got2Run4Me

Courtenay is an attorney and Virginia native, born, raised and living in Alexandria, Virginia. She started running after graduating from law school, and has been hooked on the endorhpins ever since. Her favorite race distance is 10 miles.