Live. Give. Run. Blog
To Inspire and Move the Human Spirt, One Sole at a Time
I hear it through the bathroom door: “Event 582 Final Call, event 582 Final Call. Please make your way to the paddock.” The official's voice is muffled but unmistakable, and those two words-final call- are a sign to every track athlete that this is the moment. Those words mean go time. I straighten my singlet, making sure the “PENN” I wear emblazoned on my chest is loud and clear. I set my shoulders and take a deep breath and step out of Weightman Hall with my relay team to the roar of the 36,000 deep crowd at the 126th annual Penn Relays.
One mile at a time. One day at a time. Two strong mantras that can refer to so many different things in life from running, recovery & addiction, to so much more. Five years ago as we were planning how to celebrate National Running Day, our town and people like us were being affected by the opioid epidemic, and we knew this is where we could help out.
Trail running is hard, complicated and at times, it can be frustrating. Trail running is also enthralling, natural, the trail is alive and provides the greatest sensation of accomplishment I have ever found. Trail running is spiritual for me, as much as it is physical. My friend and running partner, Celia and I, are running the Appalachian Trail (AT), from Georgia to Maine in long weekend segments. We are two mothers of two, with full time jobs and full plates who created this opportunity for ourselves. We named it the AT RunVenture Project because we wanted to keep it fun, an adventure in exploration
Running is something that, for me, evolved over time. It began with friends as a way to get exercise and connect with other women. Most races in the 1980s were co-ed…The Rite of Spring, The Constellation 10K, The Crustacean Crawl, and the Father’s Day 5K. The Lady Equitable was unique because it was a women’s only race. It was sponsored by Equitable Back and the course was in downtown Baltimore. After many mergers, Equitable Bank no longer exists nor does this race.
I have had quite a few people ask me; how do you stay so structured with your runs? They talk about how the first week or two they do well and then they miss a run here or there and it all starts to go sideways. Or maybe you are tired after that first week and so the thought of lacing up your shoes and getting out there is a bit daunting. You want to run but mentally you’re stuck. What is the secret to creating a running habit? There is not really a secret, however they are some key strategies I have put in place to help me keep my running at the forefront of my week!
I recently signed up for my 10th Sole of the City (SOTC) 10K race for 2022. I have run every SOTC race since its inception in 2012 and SOTC was my first race ever. I had been running for about 3 years when a group of us (about 7) from work decided to all run a 10K race. One was an avid running, one was a couch potato, there were some others and then there was me, a relative newbie runner. We heard about a new race in downtown Baltimore put on by Charm City Run (CCR) called Sole of the City, at their then new location at McHenry Row. After running the race I was hooked on SOTC.
During the pandemic most people found themselves not able to do many things that we took for granted, including our indoor physical fitness activities. With the gyms, yoga studios and pools closed many were forced to lace up their shoes and head out for a walk that eventually may have turned into a run.
At a gym maybe you were taking a class that was led by an instructor or you used a machine that provided you the workout for you to follow. But now it was just you and you had to do it on your own.
